Malicious Intent (Soulscape #5)

CH 12

Once the doc was gone, Alec scooped eggs onto a plate and sat at the kitchen table, taking slow bites of his breakfast... listening and waiting.

Before long, a car rounded the bend in the long drive and rolled up the dirt lane, coming to a stop out front.

Alec took another bite of eggs and washed it down with orange juice.

Car doors opened and closed.

Alec continued to eat his breakfast.

Footsteps climbed the porch steps.

Alec took a drink of juice.

A knock on the door.

Taking a couple of more bites of eggs, Alec got up from the table and left the kitchen, passing through the entryway to answer the door.

An older man about the doc's age stood on the porch with a slightly younger man. Alec recognized the older man on sight—the other's identity he knew by simple deduction.

"Uh... hello. Is Frank here?" the older man asked.

Alec stared at him for a moment. "No."

"I'm..." The man twitched as he looked into Alec's eyes and seemed to momentarily lose his train of thought. "Uh... Ron McNeil. And this is..." he gestured to his friend, "... James Pruett. We're old friends of Frank's."

Alec nodded. "Ron the warden."

"He mentioned me?"

"Uh-huh."

The warden shifted. "And you're... Zeke?"

"Uh-huh."

"It's... it's good to meet you." The warden held out his hand.

Alec shook his hand. "And you, warden."

The man studied his face. "Do you know when Frank will be home?"

"Soon. He's with the sheriff."

"The sheriff?" The warden frowned. "Is everything all right?"

Alec smiled lazily and squinted. "Uh-huh." He pointed to the chairs on the porch. "You can wait, if you want."

"Um. Okay. Thank you."

"Would you like some coffee?" Alec asked. "Or lemonade?"

"Uh..." The warden glanced at James. "Coffee..." James nodded.

"Have a seat," Alec said. "I'll be right back with your coffee." He entered the house as the two men sat in the porch chairs, his ears tuned into their hushed conversation.

"Are you okay?" James asked the warden. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

A short silence. "Yeah, I'm... I'm fine," the warden mumbled, the timbre of his voice betraying the lie.

Alec smiled as he filled two mugs with coffee; the warden recognized him... even if he didn't realize it yet.

• • •

Ron couldn't shake the chill skittering up and down his spine. There was something eerily familiar about Zeke that didn't sit right with him—and immediately heightened his concern for Frank.

"Are you sure you're all right?" James asked again.

Resting forward, elbows on his knees, Ron stared out at the lake. "Yeah. I'm just anxious to see Frank, I guess."

James stood and walked to the porch rail, surveying the property. "It's nice here. Maybe this place is just what the doctor ordered." He turned around and smiled. "No pun intended." James leaned against the rail. "Maybe Frank just needed to get out of the city and away from everything. I can see how a person could thrive out here."