The Kim Austin Series 🔥🧨💥

Caught Red-handed

The Kim Austin Series

By: Karlee England

Chapter 111

P.O.V/ Kim Stevens:

One month later..

Terri has been in prison for three months now. We're working hard to get her out. Debby said that once we gather enough evidence proving Terri is innocent, she will send it to Gideon Becker anonymously so he won't ask any questions. Because we're gonna have to break a few laws in the process, but we're doing it for Terri because she doesn't deserve to be in prison for a crime she didn't commit. Jesse's first day of school was August 6th. She's a Junior this year; her birthday was August 8th, and she turned sixteen. She was a little down on her birthday because Terri couldn't be there, but we had fun. Don drove her to the prison that weekend so Jesse could see Terri. He said they had a great visit. There were some tears, but they were happy tears. Terri told Jesse that she was so proud of her and was being so strong while she was not there. Sam and Riley are starting to realize that Terri isn't there and will soon learn how to have full conversations. Jesse hopes Terri will be home before they learn how to talk more. Nicole and Eric also notice that Terri isn't there. Avery the most because she is older. Avery will be four in December. Dana said that Avery asked where Jesse's mommy was after they left Terri and Don's house for Jesse's party. Dana said she told her that Terri was on vacation and that she would be back soon. The older kids are starting to pay more attention to what's happening around them and notice when someone isn't there. We need to get Terri home soon so she doesn't miss out on her grandchildren growing up. Today is Monday, August 12, 1996; Carly is six months old and has stopped breastfeeding. Dr. Steinburg said the baby will sometimes refuse breast milk around this age. She said that she can now be fed baby formula. We've introduced her to solid foods such as bananas, apples, and pears that have been mashed up. Vegetables such as peas and carrots that have been mashed up and chicken cooked thoroughly with no bones. Finely chopped into smaller pieces that are easier for her to eat. We supervise her while eating, and she does a good job. She loves chicken and mashed potatoes. She has a head full of hair now, and it's the same color as mine, dirty blonde. Her eyes are the same color as mine, hazel green. She looks more like me every day. She even looks like my baby pictures. She is gonna be the spitting image of me when she grows up. I'm at my desk working on a document. I'm looking at timesheets to calculate employee wages, salaries, bonuses, and deductions. I'm typing on the keyboard. Sometimes I wish I could listen to music on the radio, but we're not allowed to because of office rules. It has to be silent for everyone to work, which is understandable, but it gets a little boring sometimes, but this is my job, and I make good money, so I can't complain. About fifteen minutes later, I stopped to save the document. I get up, pushing the chair in. I unzip my bag, pulling out my wallet. Dakota and K.J. are walking up to my desk. We walk across the office and down the stairs. Dakota politely opens the door for K.J. and I. We walked down the sidewalk and headed to the café next to Kelly's building. We make it there and find a table in the middle of the courtyard. We are sitting there waiting for a waitress. I said, " So, are you guys leaving tomorrow for Gatlinburg?" Dakota said, " Yeah, after work.. I can't believe I'll be thirty on Wednesday." K.J. said, " You're not old." She winked at her and smiled. Dakota grinned. " Older than you." K.J. said with playful sarcasm, " Four years." I said, messing around. " Careful, Dakota, you're gonna be in for it." She winks. " That's the plan." K.J. grins at her. The waitress walks up to our table, and we order our lunch. After lunch, we paid for our food and returned to the office. At 4:45pm, I leave the office and walk to my car. I unlock it and get inside, closing the door. I suddenly see Dad in the passenger seat. I gasp as he surprises me. He is in his corporeal form. He giggles as I smile at him. I lean over, hugging him. He said, " Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." I smiled. " It's okay... it's good to see you." He smiled. "It's good to see you, baby.. sorry I haven't been around, and in a while, I wanted to make sure you and your Mom could handle seeing me now, so that's why I haven't been around for a month." I sense something else. I said, " And?" He giggled, then said, " I was visiting your Mom one day at the house while Todd was at work. I slipped up and kissed her." I said, " Dad.." He said, " I know I shouldn't have.. but I'm still in love with her, and I'll never not be in love with her... Even in death, I still am. she's the love of my life." I tear up as he stares out the window. I collected my thoughts and said, " What was her reaction?" He said, " Surprised.. but nicely rejected me because she's with Todd... I apologized immediately. I thought she'd have trouble seeing me, but I'm having trouble moving on. I will eventually. She's in love with someone else now, and I'm just gonna have to accept that 'cause I'm dead." I said, " I'm sorry, Dad." He said, " It's okay. I wanted her to move on and be happy with someone else, and she is, so I should let her and not confuse her." I said, " Did you visit her on her birthday?" He said, " Yeah, I waited until Todd went to the store and told her happy birthday.. and apologized again for kissing her.. she told me not to be sorry for still loving her... I told her I would always be here for her no matter what." I smiled at him, and He said, " I'll let you get home. I love you." We hugged, and I said, " I love you too, Dad." He turns see-through and disappears from the passenger seat. I drove home and parked my car in the driveway at 5:22 pm. I'm meeting Debby, Jane, Shana, Jesse, and Hobbs at Debby's house to search for the warehouse where the files are stored. After feeding Lance, I went upstairs to change clothes. Fifteen minutes later, I walked down the stairs into the foyer. Lance is swatting at a feather on the foyer floor. It's from one of his toys. I'm wearing a black t-shirt that says Oakley in silver letters, a black Suede belt, a pair of low-rise Abercrombie and Fitch blue jeans, and a pair of black and white Adidas Gazelle. I walk out the front door, locking it behind me, and down to my car parked in the driveway. I drive over to Debby's house, five minutes away from mine. I parked my car in the driveway in front of Debby's truck. She got her brake line fixed. The guy at the shop said it had been deliberately cut and that she should install surveillance cameras outside her house to catch the person. Jack bought one and installed it in the top corner of the house under the roof's edge. It's pointed at the driveway, eight feet off the ground. I exited my car, closed the door, and walked down the driveway to pass Debby's truck. I look down at the ground, making sure there isn't any liquid. I walk around the house, spotting the camera above. I walk up the steps on the front porch. I open the screen door walking inside the living room. Mom is standing in front of the bookshelf. Jane is standing beside Debby while she sits at the computer desk chair while they look at something on the screen. Shana and Jesse are sitting on the couch. Shana has a book open on the coffee table as she and Jesse chant a spell to find the location of the warehouse. I sit down in the chair near the door. Hobbs is standing between the couch and the chair near me. Debby said, " Damitt." Jane backs up and stands up from the desk chair. She turns around, looking at Shana. She said, " Anything?" Shana said, " Nothing.. someone has put a spell on the location blocking us from finding it." Debby said, " Okay.. let's take a quick break cause if I keep staring at the computer screen, I'm gonna get a headache." Shana and Jesse move down the couch, making room for Debby and Jane as they sit. Hobbs said to Debby with a smile, " You don't give up when you're searching for something, do you?" Debby said, " Nope. I'm too stubborn." Jane said playfully, " So that's where I get my stubbornness from." Debby glares at Jane playfully. Hobbs said, " You would have made a hell of a cop." Debby giggles softly. Hobbs said, " Did you always want to be an RN? Or did you want to be something else when you were growing up?" Debby said, " I wanted to be a basketball player, but that changed when I was sixteen. I wanted to help people, so I became an RN." Hobbs said, " I wanted to be a Chef.. owning my own restaurant was a dream of mine until I went into college in 1978. That was when I decided I wanted to be a Cop." Mom said, " Are you from here?" Hobbs said, " I was born in Knoxville, then my parents moved to Detroit, Michigan, when I was two. My Dad was a cop there. He was killed while on a foot chase in 1970 when I was ten years old. Then, my Mom died of lung cancer in 1982 after I graduated from college. I moved back here after her funeral." Debby said, " My Dad also died when I was ten.. he was killed in a factory he worked in when a machine exploded, killing him and four other people in 1955... My Mom became an Alcoholic.. she and I had a rough relationship when I was a teenager.. she took my Dad's death out on me.. then she died in 1966 from Cirrhosis of the liver." Hobbs has sympathy in his eyes. He said, " I'm sorry that happened to you. I sensed you'd been through a lot.." Debby said, " How did you feel about Detective Bridges being your partner?" Hobbs said, " I really liked Lauren... She became my partner in 1991 after she moved here to Tennessee. However, the day Terri's car blew up in front of the hospital, I discovered an old report about Lauren from Des Moines, Iowa, from the police station where she worked. It was a sexual harassment complaint from a female co-worker." Mom said, " She has always given me the creeps.. and I see why now." Hobbs said, " After that, I became more suspicious and did some digging on her. I found more reports of misconduct and corruption from the past stations she worked for." Jesse said, " Did you believe that My Mom blew up her car to frame Kyle?" Hobbs said, " At first I did, but the evidence didn't add up right to point the blame at anyone, but Lauren was hellbent on proving it was Terri.. she was the one who assumed Terri and Kyle were having an affair.. after I questioned Terri at the hospital about the affair I no longer believed she was a suspect and I told Lauren to back off her and everyone else but she didn't... I was in my car on that street when I saw you guys because Lauren gave me a tip about the compound. She said that drugs were being sold there. I was there to observe and write down what I was seeing. Then, I saw Debby, Ann, Terri, Kim, and Jane walking on the street and into the compound. I was afraid for your safety and got ready with my gun. That was when I heard the gunshots, and I rushed in." We all have tears in our eyes. Debby said, " You ran in there to save us.." Hobbs said, " I think Lauren knew I was onto her and sent me there on purpose.. knowing that I was up against something I couldn't stop." I said, " She led you to your death.. not us.." Hobbs said, " No... I'm sorry I blamed you guys before when I should have blamed Lauren. I wasn't wearing my bulletproof vest either because it went missing from my car that morning, and the station didn't have any. but I saw you ladies go in there.. and I saw Kim was pregnant.. being a cop, I ran in to save lives." Debby stands up and walks up to Hobbs. He's 6'2", 200 lbs., with a light skin tone. His hair is black with a coarse texture. His hair is cut into a fade, which means it's shaved down on the back and the sides with some length on the top. His hair is curly on the top. His facial hair is a mustache and a goatee, and his eyes are hazel green. Debby hugs him, and he holds her as he smiles. After the hug, He said, " I needed that. I haven't had a real hug since I died." Debby said, " We're gonna find out what Detective Bridges is hiding for you.. and when all of this is over, she will be on the chopping block like she did Terri." Mom said, " I'm gonna start calling her Bitches because it fits her. Detective Bitches." We giggle at the comment.