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- Bonds of Trust
-- Part III
-
- Next day…
Bo walks into the empty office. He turns on the lights and heads
over to get the coffeepot started. While he’s waiting, he
wanders over and looks on Rex’s desk, pushing around the
files. Rex comes through the door and Bo is caught red-handed.
“Don’t you always lecture me about snooping on your
desk?”
-
- Bo walks back to the coffeemaker,
ignoring Rex’s admonishment. “We didn’t finish
our talk last night.
- What’s the problem with
the Turner case?”
-
- Rex walks to his desk and
slips his files in a drawer, locking it. “False alarm. Don’t
worry about it.”
-
- Bo notices Rex lock the drawer.
“If there’s nothing to worry about, why are you being
so secretive?”
-
- “You lock your desk,
so what’s the problem?”
-
- Bo stares at him, finally
shaking his head. “Okay, Balsom. But try to stay out of
trouble and when you’re ready to tell me what’s going
on, I’ll help you. Deal?”
-
- Rex nods. “Thanks, partner.
What’s on your agenda this week?”
-
- “I need to talk to Pa.
I’m planning a special treat for Nora’s birthday and
I’d like Matthew to stay at the mansion.”
-
- “Ah, so you’re
making up for forgetting?”
-
- “I didn’t forget,
Balsom. I just didn’t want to tip Nora that I remembered.”
-
- Rex laughs. “Whatever
you say.”
-
- Bo nods. “You’ll
understand when you’re married. Speaking of which, how is
Lauren?”
-
- “No way. You get nothing
on that one. Just make sure you do something nice for Mrs. B.
She deserves it for putting up with you.”
-
- “Ha ha, Balsom. I want
an update on the Turner case by the end of the week. I need to
meet with him next week to discuss progress and I need time to
prepare.”
-
- “Want me at the meeting?”
-
- “No, I just need to
know where we stand.” Bo looks at his watch. “On that
note, I have some details to attend to. I’m outta here.
I’ll be in tomorrow but if you need me in the meantime,
call on my cell.”
-
- Rex gives him a mock salute.
Bo frowns at him as he grabs his jacket and leaves.
-
-
- The following week…
Nora comes downstairs, following her nose to the wonderful smell
coming from the kitchen. Matthew and Rex are busy putting the
finishing touches on breakfast when she pushes open the door.
“Happy Birthday, Mom!” He walks over and gives his
mother a hug.
- She gives him a kiss. “Thank
you, sweetie. You did all this?”
-
- Matthew shrugs. “It
was mostly Rex. He seems to be the only one in the family with
any culinary talent.”
-
- Rex laughs. “Where did
you learn the word culinary?”
-
- “Kallie watches all
those lame cooking shows.”
-
- Nora walks over to Rex, giving
him a big hug. “I’m glad someone can put together an
edible meal. Thank you, Rex.”
-
- “You’re welcome,
Mrs. B. Happy Birthday. Let’s eat before it gets cold.”
Rex pulls out a chair and Nora takes a seat.
-
- Matthew pours her some juice.
“Where’s Dad?”
-
- Nora shakes her head as she
grabs her fork. “No idea. He was up and out early this morning.
A case maybe?”
-
- “Not that I know of,”
Rex says as he pulls out his chair. “At least not anything
that would be an excuse for him missing your birthday.”
-
- “It’s okay.”
-
- Matt shakes his head. “Dad
didn’t forget. I reminded him last week.”
-
- “Well, let’s not
worry about that right now and dig into this wonderful breakfast
you boys made for me. It’s a lovely way to start my birthday.”
-
- Rex winks at Matthew. “Are
you going to tell us how old you are?”
-
- “Rex!”
-
- Nora smiles. “That’s
my little secret.”
-
-
- Bo pushes open a door and
walks into a small machine shop. He makes his way to the back,
nodding to the employee behind the counter. He knocks on a door,
entering when he hears a call of ‘Come in’ from within.
- He closes the door behind
him as the man sitting behind the desk stands, extending his
hand. “Hey, Bo. Thanks for coming by.”
-
- Bo shakes his hand. “My
pleasure, Cody.”
-
- Cody nods toward the chair
in front of his desk. “Have a seat. Want some coffee?”
-
- Bo sits, shaking his head.
“No, thanks. I’m at my caffeine limit this morning.”
-
- Cody sits back down behind
his desk. “Suit yourself. How are Nora and Matthew?”
-
- “They’re good.
In fact, I want to make this quick. Today is Nora’s birthday
and I’m planning a little surprise.”
-
- “Good for you. So where
do we stand on that little matter I asked you to handle?”
-
- “Rex has been handling
this for me. I spoke with him and he assures me his surveillance
shows nothing being taken out. Your employees are clean.”
-
- “That’s impossible.
I know that inventory is disappearing. It has to be an inside
job. There’s no other explanation.”
-
- “Is it possible the
shipments are short from the supplier?”
-
- “No. I check every shipment
as it comes in. The parts are getting to me but then they’re
disappearing. Are you sure Rex can handle this job? Maybe you
should see to it personally.”
-
- “I’m sure Rex is
on top of this.”
-
- Cody shakes his head, clearly
annoyed. “I’m paying you good money and I have nothing
to show for it. I expected this to be a simple case.”
-
- “Take it easy, Cody.
Let’s give Balsom another 2 weeks and if he comes up empty,
I’ll handle it myself.”
-
- He nods. “I’d appreciate
it, Bo. I can’t run a business this way.”
-
- “I understand. Can you
give me a list of parts that are missing since Rex has been doing
surveillance? If he knows what’s being moved out of here,
it may help him figure out how it’s being done.”
-
- Cody turns to his computer.
“That’s a good idea. Give me a minute, I’ll print
out the log.”
-
-
- Nora tosses the napkin on
her empty plate. “That was fabulous, boys. Thank you for
the breakfast and the company.” She stands, picking up her
plate.
-
- Rex grabs it out of her hand.
“I’ll take that. No dishes on your birthday. The squirt
and I have it covered.”
-
- Nora laughs. “It’s
no big deal. Matthew, you have to get to school and Rex, I’m
sure you have better things to do than wait on me.”
-
- Matt shakes his head. “Teacher’s
in-service, remember? No school today.”
-
- Rex puts her plate in the
sink. “Right. And I can go into the office whenever I want.
I’m a partner.”
-
- Nora chuckles. “Don’t
let Bo hear you say that.”
-
- Rex steers her toward the
door. “You just go relax. Have a bath or something. We’ve
got this under control. The squirt is going to hang out with
me today so you have the whole day to yourself. Enjoy.”
-
- Nora gives each of them a
kiss. “Thanks. I think I will indulge myself.”
-
- Nora heads upstairs to get
dressed. She walks into the bedroom and begins to make the bed.
As she walks over to Bo’s side, she notices a piece of paper
on the floor. She picks it up, sits on the bed, and folds it
open. She smiles when she sees Bo’s handwriting and reads
it out loud to herself. “Red, I didn’t forget your
birthday. I couldn’t bring myself to wake you so I’m
sneaking out but I will be back later with your surprise. Enjoy
your day. Love you, Bo.” She sets the note on the nightstand.
“Surprise, huh? What are you up to, Buchanan?”
-
- Nora heads into the bathroom,
showers, dresses and heads downstairs. The boys have finished
cleaning the kitchen and left. She is heading to the study to
get some work done when the doorbell rings.
-
- Nora walks over and opens
the door. “May I help you?”
-
- The messenger holds out an
envelope. “I got a delivery for ya.”
-
- She reaches for the envelope.
“Okay.”
-
- “You hafta sign for
it. Client was adamant this be delivered today. Been holding
these damn tickets for a month.”
-
- Nora takes the clipboard
and signs his slip, handing it back to him. “I can get you
something for your trouble.”
-
- The messenger shakes his
head. “No, ma’am. Mr. Buchanan made it worth our while
to hold onto ‘em.”
-
- Nora glances at the address
on the envelope. “This says it was supposed to be delivered
to Bo’s office.”
-
- The messenger looks at his
list. “Oh, shiii… Sorry. I delivered to the billing
address instead of the office. I’m sorry. I can get them
over to him right away.”
-
- Nora shakes her head. “It’s
okay. I’ll see that he gets them. Thanks for bringing them
by.”
-
- Nora closes the door, eyeing
the envelope, dying to open it. She walks over and picks up the
phone. He answers on the first ring. “Hey, Red. How’s
your birthday going?”
-
- Nora sits on the couch. “Well,
I woke up alone in bed this morning, so no…”
-
- “Believe me, it wasn’t
easy to leave. I had a meeting this morning. Did you see my note?”
-
- Nora turns the envelope over
in her hand. “Yes, I did. The boys made me breakfast. All
I got from you is a piece of paper.”
-
- “Well, I’ll make
sure you get a much more substantial present later.”
-
- “I’m sure you will.
I’m sitting here with an envelope from Ticket Exchange.
Know anything about that?”
-
- “What? Louie was supposed
to messenger that here. I’ve been sitting here waiting for
that delivery.”
-
- “Well, why don’t
you come home and we can open it together.”
-
- “Where’s Matt?”
-
- Nora laughs. “He’s
with Rex for the day. We have the house all to ourselves.”
-
- “I’ll be there
in 15 minutes.”
-
- “Make it 10, Cowboy.”
Nora hangs up with a laugh, tossing the phone on the coffee table
and heading upstairs.
-
-
- Bo saunters into the bedroom
10 minutes later, grinning from ear to ear. Nora has lit candles
in the room and changed into a negligee. She is waiting for him
in the bed, and she smiles when he walks through the door. “Nice
timing.”
-
- He approaches the bed, leaning
down to kiss her. “I aim to please.”
-
- She wraps her arms around
him and pulls him onto the bed. “I like your aim.”
-
-
- Rex pushes open the door
to his loft. Matthew follows him in and stops in the doorway,
staring at the mess. “Wow, Rex. What happened in here?”
-
- Rex looks around. “What?”
-
- “It looks like a natural
disaster. Don’t you ever clean?”
-
- Rex shuts the door. “Ha
ha. It’s the maid’s day off.” He walks over and
tosses the junk off the couch, taking a seat.
-
- Matt joins him. “Isn’t
Lauren coming over?”
-
- “Yeah, she’s going
to the movie with us.”
-
- “Shouldn’t you
clean up before she gets here?”
-
- “If you have a problem
with the cleanliness of my loft, knock yourself out.”
-
- Matt shakes his head. “You
got any new video games?”
-
- Rex pushes aside the clutter
on the coffee table, picking up the controllers and handing one
to Matt. “A much better way to spend our time.”
-
-
- Bo and Nora are snuggled
in each other’s arms. He gently kisses her nose, pulling
her close. “Happy Birthday, Red.”
-
- Nora kisses him. “Mmmm…
Happy indeed.”
-
- “I’m sorry I snuck
out this morning.”
-
- “Well, you’ve certainly
made up for it.” She kisses him again. “So, can I open
my present now?”
-
- “How can you be so sure
that envelope is for you?”
-
- Nora sits up and grabs the
envelope off the nightstand. “Your delivery guy gave it
away.”
-
- Bo sits up, shaking his head.
“I’m not going to use that guy again.”
-
- Nora smiles. “He told
me you ordered these a month ago, so you’re off the hook
for forgetting my birthday.”
-
- He leans in to kiss her.
“I told you I didn’t forget. I learned my lesson last
year. I just didn't want your present here at the house. I know
you snoop.”
-
- “Good thinking.”
-
- Bo chuckles. “So, any
guesses on the present?”
-
- She nods. “I know it’s
tickets. Your guy gave that away too.”
-
- Bo frowns. “I wouldn’t
have tipped that guy in advance if I’d known he’d blow
my surprise.”
-
- She holds the envelope in
front of his face. “Well, it clearly says ‘tickets’
on the envelope so you can cut him some slack.”
-
- “Okay, but you’ll
still never guess what the tickets are for.”
-
- Nora grins at him mischievously,
ripping open the envelope. “I don’t need to guess.
But this better not be sports tickets.”
-
- Bo laughs. “I know better,
honey.”
-
- Nora looks at the tickets,
a huge grin slowly spreading across her face. “Oh, Bo it’s
perfect!” She leans over and kisses him hard. “How
did you know about this?”
-
- “I saw an ad in the
Sun. I’m glad you quit reading that rag.”
-
- Nora chuckles. “I would
think Little Richard could afford to advertise in the Banner.”
-
- “Can you believe he’s
going to be in Atlantic City tomorrow night?”
-
- Nora looks at the tickets.
“Tomorrow? Oh, Bo I can’t go on such short notice.
I mean, I have clients and Matthew…”
-
- Bo silences her with a kiss.
“All taken care of, honey. Antonio cleared your schedule
at the Center and I talked to Pa last week. He’s thrilled
to get another chance to hang out with Matthew.”
-
- “Do you remember what
happened last time?”
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