“I think you’re going to be fine. You don’t even need a stitch.”
Jake knew the paramedic-it was the Hispanic kid he’d met at Sunset Cove. He gave Jake some bandages and cleaned his wounds. The peroxide almost felt good. A healthy sting. Gary walked over and introduced himself to the kid.
“I remember you. You’re the young man who helped me the day I saw the white light.”
“You?” the kid said. “You’re the guy who choked on his camera strap, aren’t you?”
“You remember me?”
“Oh yeah.” He smiled. “I see a lot. But how could I forget you?”
When he was finished, Gary waved as the ambulance drove away.
“I’m a celebrity!”
The five of them stood by Jake’s car. Abram and Sheryl held hands while Gary watched the ambulance drive away. Jake wanted to hold Mel’s hand. But he wasn’t strong enough to stand without her support, so he leaned on her instead. She kissed his cheek at the one spot where there wasn’t a bruise.
“How many times have you been beaten up?”
“I lost count. But that might be because I have a concussion.”
They leaned on the trunk of the car. She was warm and they were both finally safe. Sheryl and Abram looked like they were waiting for him to talk.
“Look, I’m sorry I didn’t trust you. Both of you. I should have asked you to come and help me. I think you saved my life today, Sheryl.”
“Not just me.” She squeezed Abram’s hand. “He helped too.”
“How?”
“How do you think we knew that there was a room behind the bookcase?”
Abram pulled out a paper from his back pocket. He unfolded it carefully and smoothed out all the creases. It was a dark blue page with white writing.
“I don’t just study maps.” He held it up. “I have a thing for blueprints, too.”
Jake grabbed it. Abram had marked the spot behind the bookcase with a chalky white X. He handed the blueprint back and Abram folded it up.
“Abram, thank you.” He meant it. “I’m just glad we got so lucky. What are the odds that someone would call Conrad? If he hadn’t been called, you might not have known anybody was in there.”
Gary stood up straighter and shook his head.
“The jig was up!”
“Right, Gary, the jig was up.”
“No,” Mel said. “He’s the reason that Conrad got the phone call.”
“What do you mean?”
“Before we went inside, Gary looked through all of Charlotte’s papers. He found Charlotte’s list of calls to the Saving Tomorrow Initiative. So he made me give him my phone.”
“And he called the number?”
Gary nodded.
“I called it on my own! And then we heard the ringing behind the bookcase.”
“So Conrad was the number all along.”
“Yes,” Mel said. “At least he carried the phone. They had a different line just for the Saving Tomorrow Initiative.”
Gary piped up.
“I left a message.”
“Did you?”
“I did.” He laughed. “Jacob, I don’t think they’ll be calling back!”
Jake felt like he was getting his energy back, slowly. He walked forward and hugged Sheryl and Abram. He hoped the stains had dried. They hugged back tightly. It hurt against the bruises, but he didn’t mind.
“I’m sorry I didn’t trust you. But thank you again, for all you’ve done.”
“You did the right thing,” Abram said. “We just had to help.”
Gary was still excited.
“So what will happen to the company? To his building?”
“My guess is that the company will be fine. They’re not just one man. But I’m betting the vote on the Development Proposition will change. I doubt anyone will be able to develop on the wetlands any time soon. Once this story comes out, that will have changed forever.”
He pulled Mel close to his side.
“I have to thank you too. You risked everything for this. I can’t believe you did it. You’re amazing.” He brushed back his hair. “Am I terrible to look at?”
“Why?”
“Because I need to kiss you.”
She was blushing already. But she nodded and Jake pulled her lips to his. It was soft-it had to be because of the bruises. But she still felt the way she had before. Except now he didn’t have anything to hide. Or anything to be afraid of. It wasn’t about being aggressive. It was just about being right. He let her go, gently, and looked to his right.
“Good lord.”
Abram was dipping Sheryl halfway to the ground. She moved her hands around the back of his head as she kissed him. His hands shook from the strain of supporting her.
“That’s nice,” Mel said.
It continued. Abram switched arms and shook out the one he had been using. He seemed to have strength left.
“Very romantic,” Gary noted.
They broke. Then Sheryl leaned forward and pushed Abram down. She dipped him back and they continued to kiss. Abram’s hat fell off.
“All right!” Jake shouted. “We get it.”
They stopped and both of them wiped their mouths on their sleeves. Abram picked up his red-brimmed hat and put it back on.
“It was romantic.”
Gary sighed loudly.
“So this is it, I suppose. We’ve solved everything and figured it out. The criminals are in jail, the evidence is on the way. What do we do now?”
Jake got out his notebook. He still had a list of things to do.
“I’ll finish my story tonight. And then we develop the pictures. If we stick to everything, the police should take it from here. I don’t think they have a lot to do. And I’m sure they’re happy for our help.”
“Ah.” Gary coughed. “The pictures.”
“What? What’s wrong?”
“Well Jacob, as you know, due to my accident, I’m not allowed to carry any of my gear around. It could endanger me!”
Jake sighed.
“So the lenses, the tripod, the case, the camera…”
“They are all still upstairs in Mr. Rothschild’s office.”
He could barely walk.
“I’ll get it.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He clapped his hands. “So, I guess I’ll see you all later. We did it together.”
“For Charlotte,” Abram said.
“For Charlotte,” they all said in unison.
They started walking toward their separate cars and Jake walked toward the building. Before he was out of range, he called to Gary.
“Can I stay on your cot another night? I don’t want to go back to my apartment yet.”
“Of course you can! We can develop the film together!”
He waved and started walking. Then he felt someone grab the back of his shirt. He turned around. It was Mel.
“You can get his stuff, but then come right back.”
He nodded.
“OK, I will.”
“But you’ll have to tell Gary you’ll see him later.”
“Why?”
“Because tonight, you’re staying with me.”