FIRST GLANCE

10

We all had fun winning some money.   Jane, Nina and Drake were the big winners. The three of them to us to the buffet for lunch.
Jane: I  can use some of money to buy the BMW I want. MAURA THANKS FOR TELLING ME TO CASH OUT EARLY EACH TIME. UNCLE SAM DOESN'T GET ANY OF MY MONEY. KATELYN THANKS HONEY FOR TELLING ME THE SAME. I CAN PAY A GOOD PORTION OF MY STUDENT LOANS OFF AHEAD OF TIME AND STILL HAVE MONEY TO BUY MYSELF MY HARLEY.
Barry: Babe what are you going to do with yours?
Nina: A new truck and sell my honda. I watched Jane and I did the same. Thanks Maura.

We were walking out and Frankie,  Linda and Jane were by Maura.  A few gun shots were fired than we and Paddy's man shot back.

Frankie: SOMEONE CALL 911 LINDA HAS BEEN SHOT.

Frankie held her head up from the  ground while talking to her. Maura was doing the best she could stop the bleeding. It took seven minutes for the ambulance to arrive. Frankie went with Linda.  The rest of us had to stay back to get questioned by the police. Jane's cell phone was ringing.

Jane: Yes Frankie,  I am so sorry. I  am leaving now forget the fucking interview.

I ended my call and told them Linda died. She flat lined twice in the ambulance.  Frankie is calling her parents and is a mess.

Maura: We are going with you. They can interview us at the hospital or the cabins. Katelyn call mom.

Katelyn called Esmi and told her.  Jane called her mother. Katelyn said they were shooting at Maura but missed per Paddy. Paddy will pay for her funeral.
Angela is shaken up per Jane demands they come home today. She will call Frankie to talk to him.

Jane: Maura look at me. It's not your fault. Linda was walking next to me. I could of easily got shot. Whomever is your father's enemy hired people who were bad shooters. Paddy will make sure he or she never makes it to a cell.

As we are driving with the radio on, we hear about the shooting and they arrested the man who did the shooting.    The police car was shot at. The side window was shot at. The man died instantly.  It was a mob hit retaliation for shooting Linda Cravens a Stanford pre med student. The shooter who killed Travis Martis is still at large and is considered dangerous.  We arrive at the hospital.  We find Frankie. He is a basket case and has spoken with her mother.  Her father is at work. Her neighbor was calling Linda's father to break the sad news so he could go home and be with his wife.

Katelyn: Paddy what are you doing here? Its too dangerous for you to be here.
Paddy: I needed to see with my own eyes you two were safe. My people are packing everyone's things. They are bringing it here.You all will leave here and being surrounded when possible back to your homes.
Maura: Paddy this is your fault that Linda died. Paying for her funeral won't bring her back. Just leave.
Paddy: Maura I an sorry.

Our father leaves being undetected.  We are now being interviewed in different locations of the hospital by police detectives.  We are done in three hours and leave the hospital with our luggage waiting for us by our vehicles.

Maura: Frankie come with us. I will have one of Paddy's men drive Linda's car back to Stanford with her luggage and leave the luggage and keys in her dorm. They will park her car in the parking lot. I am truly sorry for your loss.

Maura hugs Frankie as he is crying. We all get into the vehicle and head back to the bay area. Frankie is speaking with our mother.  Jane is speaking with her aunt Kiki. It takes us five and half hours plus twenty minutes later after we dropped Frankie off at his parents home. Jane helps him bring in his suitcase. She comes out ten minutes alone.
Jane: Maura what did they do with the food?
Maura: I called my property management.  I asked for the food and other items to be donated to the shelters up in Lake Tahoe. I wish we would of never gone to Lake Tahoe.

Maura drove me to my condo and we brought our suit cases inside. Paddy's people were still with us and would be for awhile. We left with two of them and headed to a BMW dealership close by. Tommy was getting Jane's jeep.

Jane: Maura I love this one. It just seems wrong getting it now.

Jane took it for a test ride. While she was driving it my mother and Paddy showed up with Katelyn and Drake to see how we were doing. I told them she feels guilty buying the BMW after Linda was killed. My mother informs me that Laura's parents have identified their daughters body and is making arrangements from Elk Grove for funeral home to handle her funeral. They were paying for it for themselves. They didn't want Paddy's money. Our dad left and it was just the four of us along with Paddy's men. Jane and left with her BMW.  She had transferred the license plate and insurance to the BMW.  When we returned, she removes the license plates and installs them on her blue BMW. Tommy and Frankie arrive in Frankie's car to get the jeep. They helo transfer everything to her new vehicle. I ordered dinner for us all. Nina and Barry called their mothers reassuring them they were okay but saddened. Nima was getting her new Truck tomorrow. Her and  Barry already removed her belongings from her Honda to the garage. The food arrived from an Indian restaurant. We allsay down after washing up to eat. We told stories about Linda. My brother was still a mess and rightfully so. We finished eating and my brothers and a few of Paddy's men left with them. My parents made sure before Tommy left the jeep was insured. Nina and Barry left to Nina's condo for the night in her Honda.  She was  going to sell her Honda to the dealership she was going to buy the truck from. Maura and I  did the cleaning. We took a nice bath and soaked our bodies while reading a Nora Roberts book in silent together. We got out, dried ourselves and put deodorant on before we got under the covers in Jane's bed.