The Science of Theft

Chapter 2 - Moving On

Copyright Ⓒ 2019 by B. R. BaileyAll Rights Reserved

"Get up here," Grandma Karen cooed, running across the porch as Jack pulled up in his dusty SUV.

Edmond was asleep in the back seat, along with Jacks Grandpa Gregory and the twins Alicia and Amelia.

It had been a long two months since the arrest of Hamlet. Jack had gotten international attention for that arrest and had received an award from someone in France, he couldn't remember who. What did it matter?

While he was catching a thief on his vacation time, his wife had been hit by car. Luckily it was a glancing blow, but it had done damage. Those injuries had prompted the doctors to perform an emergency c-section. It saved the babies and almost saved Ashley. In the end, the hospital ran out of blood.

They didn't have enough O negative blood. Ashley was 0 negative and always donated blood for those in need, something Jack could never do because he hated needles and had heard too many stories of people getting infected. Of course, she always checked to make sure the needles were new with her hawk eyes that never missed anything when she donated blood.

She saw the car coming with those sharp eyes of hers and moved out of the way; she just wasn't as light on her feet as she used to be...and her sandal fell off. They said she only had one sandal when they picked her up and brought her to the hospital.

Rubbing his face, Jack shook his head, hating that the drive was already over. The flashing yellow markers had been a welcome distraction to numb his mind.

"Jack, come inside," Grandpa Karen told him, holding his shoulder, making him jump. He hadn't realized she had opened his car door. Heavy rain had started to fall. It must have covered the noise.

It was pelting down hard with so much force it almost might be mistaken for hail.

Grandpa was moving in the back seat and, unlike Grandma Karen who was a quiet as a ninja, his cursing did catch Jacks ears as he struggled to undo the child seat lock.

"Damned contraption won't let go of the car," he muttered.

Stepping out, Jack covered his face from the downpour as he made it to the side of the car. After opening the door and deducing that the lock was indeed stuck, he pulled out his pocket knife and cut the band.

"Let's go them inside," he murmured, not wanted to wake his kids up. "The ride finally put Edmond to sleep."

After settling them into the nursery his grandparents had made, Jack sat at the dinner table, picking at his plate while downing the Whiskey his Grandpa poured. "Drink up Jack, it'll help you sleep."

"I don't think I want another drink..." he muttered, looking at his empty cup. "I don't want to sleep. I keep thinking about when we first met. At the Museum opening all those years ago...I should have been there."

"You were doing your job, Jack. Catching a thief. Ashley respected art and loved you for working to protect it. You can't go down the what-if road son," Karen said.

"If I was there I could have pulled her back," He argued.

"Or maybe you two would have been talking and laughing and never noticed the car. Then all four of you would have been injured."

Jack paused, mouth hanging open. He hadn't thought about that possibility.

Putting his head in his hands, he sobbed, realizing that it was true. He couldn't beat himself up about what he could have done. All he could do is learn from his mistake.