Текст книги "A Few Broken Rules"
Автор книги: Kate Kane
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A Few Broken Rules
Lane Parker #5
By Kate Kane
A Few Broken Rules is a work of fiction. Characters, Incidents, Names, and Places are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to any events, locales, or Persons living or dead is completely coincidental.
Copyright 2015 Kane Communications
ebook Edition
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Dedication
Thanks to my son Kade for doing the editing – who knew a person could have so many discussions about commas vs. semicolons. (I hope I got that punctuation right … he only edits the actual book.)
Thanks to my daughter Keey for coming up with the idea of questioning Jamie’s paternity to begin with.
Thanks to their friend from Round Lake, Illinois who gave me the football angle.
And, as always, thanks to everyone who listens, encourages me, and laughs with me as I write these adventures.
Other Books by Kate Kane
The Lane Parker Series
Favor for a Friend (re-released 2015)
Family Secrets
Lunch at the Club
Directing Disaster
Coming Attractions:
The Lane Parker Series
Buried Secrets – There’s a dead woman in Tony’s basement
One Wed One Dead – When Phillip and Ralphie get married
The Murder Mayhem and Merlot series
Pat Elliott, Kimber Kay Kellogg, and other members of Lane’s Book Club have their own adventures; need I say more?
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Italian Translations
Author’s Comments
Preview Lane’s next adventure
Nebraska Hand and Foot Canasta Rules
Chapter 1
Jamison Andrew Parker, Jamie to his friends, had just finished showering and dressing after football practice and was walking to the parking lot with his teammate, Justin Harper who was the team’s quarterback. Jamie shook his head. “Dang, I left my backpack in the locker room. I have a test in History tomorrow so I’d better go back and get it. Catch you later.” Jamie called as he turned around and began running toward the locker room.
His backpack was on a bench by his locker, right where he’d left it. He picked it up, pulled it over his left shoulder, and turned to leave. The team was preparing to play in the state championship game that would take place in St. Louis, just four days away, on the Friday after Thanksgiving. They’d be playing a team from the eastern side of the state. It was an old rivalry; with a team whom the school had met in the state championship many times over the years, including Jamie’s freshman year, three years earlier. Jamie had suited up for that game, but as a freshman, he had spent the whole game on the sidelines. This year would be a completely different story. He was a senior and was now the starting tight end.
As he rounded the corner and walked into the student parking lot, he was surprised to see Justin’s Jeep still parked in the lot. His own Chevy Colorado pickup was parked a couple of rows beyond Justin’s vehicle. As Jamie approached Justin’s SUV, he could see Justin sitting behind the wheel and slumping over the console as if looking for something in the passenger’s seat. Jamie tapped on the driver’s window as he passed, but Justin didn’t move.
“Hey, you okay?” He said loudly as he tapped on the window again. Justin still didn’t move. Jamie pulled on the door handle but found it locked. Jamie made a fist and pounded on the window as he yelled, “Jus, this isn’t funny. Open the door.” Still getting no response, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed 9-1-1.
A soothing female voice answered on the first ring. “9-1-1 what’s your emergency?”
“My friend is slumped over in his car. The doors are locked and he’s not answering me.”
“What’s your name and your location?”
“Jamison Parker. We’re in the parking lot of Rockhurst High School. Could you send someone?”
“Jamison, what’s your friend’s name?”
“His name is Justin. Justin Harper. I’m really worried about him, could you just send someone?” Jamie tried to keep the frustration out of his voice, but it was increasingly difficult. Something was definitely wrong with his friend. He knew the woman on the other end of the phone was doing her job, assessing the situation, and trying to keep him calm at the same time. It didn’t’ make him feel better.
“We have an officer on the way, Jamison.”
He knew she was trying to keep him on the phone. But, he’d told the woman who he was, where he was, and what the problem was. There was no reason to stay on the line with her. He hung up and dialed his stepfather, Ben Bellini.
“Bambino? What’s up?”
“Dad, I’m in the school parking lot. Justin’s slumped over in his car, the doors are locked, and he’s not answering me. I’ve called 9-1-1.”
Ben’s voice was deep and calm as he replied, “Don’t touch anything. I’m on my way.”
Ben had married Jamie’s mother about eight weeks earlier, but Ben had been bailing the Parker Kids out of messes for the last three years. Ben was a criminal defense attorney, probably the best in the metropolitan Kansas City area. Jamie and his two older siblings all knew that whatever was going on, one call to Ben Bellini would solicit two sentences. “I’ll handle it.” Quickly followed by, “Everything’s going to be fine.”
Jamie was the youngest of the three Parker Kids. This was the first time he’d called Ben for himself. Last month, he’d made the call for his sister. Jess was an actress and a stalker who had broken into her condo. Jess had locked herself in the master bathroom and called Jamie who had called Ben. Ben sent one of his brothers to L.A. in a private jet to get Jess. Years earlier when Jamie’s brother Jake was still in college, he was pulled over for a routine traffic stop and because an idiot in Jake’s truck had an open container of beer, everyone in the truck had been taken to the police station. Jake had called Ben who had gotten the charges dropped.
Jamie leaned against his truck and waited for the police, or an ambulance, or Ben. A black Ford Excursion pulled into the parking lot and parked next to Jamie’s truck. A man got out and approached Jamie.
“Jamie? I’m Roy Tanner. I work for Ben.” He reached out to shake Jamie’s hand. “Tell me what happened.”
Although they’d never met, Jamie knew that Roy Tanner was a retired Kansas City homicide detective, who was now a private detective, and that he worked for Luciano and Bellini, Ben’s law firm. Ben had never lost a case, and many people gave Roy Tanner at least part of the credit.
Jamie explained about going back for his backpack and then finding Justin, as he was now, in his Jeep. “We just finished football practice, Justin must be passed out or something, but he didn’t even stir when I knocked on his window.”
They could hear the sirens. Jamie looked questioningly at Tanner. “Mr. Tanner, Dad said he was on his way.”
“I was closer.” Roy exuded calm, hoping it would flow to Jamie. “He was leaving court when you called. He’ll be here as soon as he can. You haven’t called your mother, have you?”
Jamie looked at him. Is this guy nuts? “Of course not.”
His mother was pregnant and because of her age, it was a high-risk pregnancy. There was no way he was going to risk upsetting her. Jamie checked the time on his phone. It was 5:30 p.m.
“I’ll wait for Dad, but if we’re not going to be home for dinner, someone’s going to have to call her. Better him than me,” Jamie said as the police car pulled into the lot.
The young uniformed officer got out of the car and approached Jamie and Tanner. “Which one of you called?”
“I did.” Jamie responded.
“Okay, Kid, tell me what’s going on.” The policeman, who didn’t look old enough to shave, said.
Jamie motioned toward his friend’s Jeep. “That’s my friend Justin Harper. We just finished football practice and were walking to our cars. I forgot something and had to go back to the locker room. When I got back to the parking lot, I found him like that and he hasn’t moved.”
The policeman looked at Tanner. “You a teacher here?”
“No, my name’s Roy Tanner. I work for Jamie’s father.”
Tanner could have told him that he used to be “on the job” but it was irrelevant, and everything about this young cop shouted rookie. Why waste his breath?
Ben pulled into the lot and parked his Lincoln Navigator next to Tanner’s SUV. He got out and walked toward Jamie. “You alright?”
Jamie looked imploringly at his father, “Yeah, I’m okay, but Justin still hasn’t moved. Why can’t we get into his SUV and check on him?”
Ben looked at the uniformed cop and introduced himself.
“I need to call this in.” The officer explained.
“Come on, officer. You have reason to believe the kid’s in distress. Let’s get the vehicle open and check on him. If you’re worried about the kid or his parents, I’ll take responsibility.” Ben said as he nodded to Tanner.
Roy Tanner walked to his SUV and came back carrying what’s commonly called a slim-jim. A slim-jim is a flat piece of metal with a notch cut in it. Law enforcement, locksmiths, and car thieves alike use it to open locked car doors. Tanner walked to Justin’s Jeep, inserted the slim-jim at the window, gave it a yank, and unlocked the vehicle. Tanner opened the door and used his knuckle to push the button to unlock the doors.
Jamie called to his friend. “Justin? You okay?”
Ben tilted his head toward the officer. “Are you going to check on the kid, or am I?”
The cop didn’t move. Ben walked to the passenger side of the Jeep and used the side of his fingers to pull the door handle. He reached in and felt the side of Justin’s neck, looking for a pulse. He looked at Tanner and gave his head a slight jerk indicating that he needed to get Jamie away from the vehicle.
He looked at the cop and spoke in tones he intended only for the uniformed man. “You need to call a bus. I’m no doctor, but I’d say he’s just barely hanging on.”
Ben walked toward Jamie. He angled himself so that Jamie had to look away from Justin’s vehicle to talk to him. “He’s alive, but I’m not going to lie to you Bambino, it doesn’t look good. We’ll wait for the ambulance, but I don’t think there’s anything more you can do.”
Ben’s cell phone buzzed and he pulled it from his pocket. Looking at Jamie, he said, “Your mother.”
“Red, what’s up?” His voice in no way gave away the emergency that surrounded him.
Lane had told him before they were married that the worst thing he could ever do was to lie to her. At the time, she had discussed lies of commission and lies of omission. However, he was a lawyer, and in this case, he was going to skirt the truth, at least until he got home and could talk with her in person. In all likelihood, there was nothing to tell. After all, at this point, they had no idea what had happened to Justin.
“I’m making meat loaf and au gratin potatoes for dinner. I’m just checking to see what time you’re going to be home.”
Ben checked his watch. It was nearly six o’clock. He knew that the meatloaf would take at least an hour. “Is it in the oven yet?” He asked knowing that if she’d started as soon as she had gotten home that dinner would be ready soon.
Lane laughed. “Yes. Dinner will be ready at about 6:30, but I can slow it down a bit if you need more time.”
“No need. I’ll be home soon. I love you.” Ben said, anxious to end the call before the sirens from the ambulance could be heard.
“I love you. I’ll see you soon.”
Ben had ended the call just in time; he could hear sirens. In moments, the ambulance came into the parking lot and Ben turned toward Jamie and Tanner. He looked at Tanner and nodded toward the Jeep. “Follow the ambulance and see what you can find out at the hospital. Call me when you know something.”
Ben nodded to Jamie. “Go home. Tanner will call with an update later.” He patted Jamie’s shoulder. “We can tell your Mom about this during dinner, but it would probably be best if we don’t both show up at home at the same time.”
Jamie nodded and got into his truck. Tanner and Ben stood watching the action at Justin’s Jeep. Tanner looked at Ben, “Go on home. I’ve got this.”
Chapter 2
It took Jamie less than 10 minutes to get home. He was late and he knew that his mother would probably ask why. Lane didn’t normally nag about things, but she did insist that her family keep her informed about where they were and when they would be home especially if they knew they’d be home later than usual. She was even stricter around meal times.
Jamie and Lane had moved into Ben’s house after the wedding. The house was nearly 6000 square feet; it had five bedrooms, a state of the art gym; outside, there was a swimming pool, a basketball court, and a tennis court. There was a three car attached garage and two additional bays in an unattached garage where Ben and Lane parked their convertibles in the off-season. Jamie pulled into his bay in the garage and walked into the house.
“Hey, Mom. I’m home.” He called as he entered the house and walked toward his bedroom to deposit his backpack and change clothes.
“Hey, yourself. Go ahead and change. Dinner will be ready in about 20 minutes. I talked to Ben, he should be home soon.” Lane replied.
His mother had no idea that Jamie had just left Ben and he certainly wasn’t going to say anything about what happened at school until Ben got home. He went into his room and changed out of his school uniform of khaki’s, dress shirt, and tie.
As Jamie walked toward the kitchen, he heard Lane and Ben in the kitchen. He decided to hang out in the hall for a few minutes. His mother and her new husband were very affectionate toward one another and Jamie sometimes felt like a voyeur as they kissed and hugged and sometimes danced around the kitchen while dinner was being prepared. It was best not to be in the same room with them when Ben first came home from work.
Lane was five feet ten inches tall to Ben’s six feet four inches and when she was in her heels, it didn’t seem like much difference, but in her stocking feet, as she was now, she had to stand on tiptoes to reach his lips. Ben pulled her close and as their tongues touched, Lane moaned which always drove him to the edge.
He pulled back and whispered in her ear. “Where’s the Bambino?”
“He went to his room to change.” Lane responded as she ran her fingers through his dark, wavy hair.
Ben bent and kissed Lane’s cheek. “Sounds like a plan.”
Jamie walked into the kitchen. “Hey, Dad. Mom, want me to set the table?”
“Sure, dinner will be ready soon.”
Jamie went to the cabinet and got plates, glasses, and silverware. He was setting the kitchen table when Ben came back into the kitchen after having changed clothes. Ben was wearing his casual look. It was funny if you thought about it, Jamie’s school “uniform” was almost the same as Ben’s casual “uniform.” Ben wore khakis with a polo shirt in the summer months and a long sleeved polo shirt or a sweater in the cooler months and he almost always wore Italian loafers.
“What can I do?” Ben asked as he looked from Jamie to Lane.
Lane was pulling the meatloaf out of the oven. “You can cut the meat loaf after it sits for a couple of minutes.” Lane said as she handed him a platter.
She had pulled the potatoes out of the oven and they were sitting on a trivet on the counter. She got a serving dish and put the steamed asparagus into it. She handed the asparagus to Jamie and she picked up the potatoes and carried them to the table.
“What are you drinking tonight, Mom?” Jamie asked as he filled three glasses with ice.
Lane loved Diet Dr. Pepper, but because of her pregnancy, she was limited to one caffeinated item a day and diet drinks were totally off her menu. So now, she drank either water or herbal tea.
“I’ll have iced tea. Get me a small glass of milk too, please.”
The truth was Lane didn’t care for milk, but the baby needed calcium and it was a small sacrifice to make. She had also added cottage cheese to nearly every meal she ate, so as Jamie put the milk back in the fridge, he got that out. Ben had cut the meat loaf and the three of them sat down to dinner. They held hands as Jamie said grace. “Father we come before you tonight. We thank you and ask you to bless this food. Please bless our family and our friends. In Jesus’ name we pray.”
They began passing the food around the table in a clockwise motion. Followed quickly by their normal dinner conversation.
“So, Red, tell us about your day.” Ben said.
Lane was Chief Privacy Office at Telco Unlimited. It was a cell phone provider and her days were always full of meetings with the legal department, the CEO, or with vendors who wanted to sell them something to help protect their customer’s personally identifiable information.
“It was a normal day. Full of meetings. I’ll be glad for the long Thanksgiving weekend. How was court?”
“It was just a preliminary hearing. We plead not guilty and had a date set for the trial.”
Lane looked at Jamie. “Anything interesting happen at school today?”
“School was pretty normal. Everyone is anxious for the holiday break and the team is excited about the state championship game this weekend.” Jamie looked at Ben, who nodded, giving his approval to talk about the incident at school. Jamie took a breath and let it out. “After practice, I found Justin Harper passed out in his Jeep. I called 9-1-1 and then I called Dad.”
Lane looked from her son to her husband. Hadn’t she just talked to Ben? He hadn’t said a word.
Ben smiled his mega-watt smile. “It’s where we were when you called. Tanner followed the ambulance to the hospital and is digging around to find out what’s wrong with Justin.” Ben patted her hand. “It wasn’t something I wanted to tell you over the phone.”
She knew that what he meant was that he didn’t want to risk upsetting her over the phone since she was home alone. Lane was 49, which made this pregnancy high risk. She was almost through her first trimester; soon maybe everyone would relax a little.
“What happened?” She asked somehow making both a frown and a smile at the same time as she glanced from her husband to her son.
Jamie explained how he found Justin. “He just wasn’t responsive, you know?”
Lane gave an encouraging smile to her son. “It must have been a little scary. I’ll call his parents later and check on him.”
She noticed that the experience didn’t seem to affect Jamie’s appetite. Lately it seemed all he did was eat, but he was a growing boy. Jamie was six feet four inches tall and weighed 220 pounds. He had blonde hair and hazel eyes. She was often glad he went to an all boy’s high school. They had their fair share of high school girls mooning around the place. Still, she was pleased that Jamie was busy with school and football instead of chasing girls.
Ben’s cell phone was ringing. Lane glanced toward the counter where he’d left it. She had very few rules but cell phones at the dinner table was a definite violation.
Ben looked at her. “I’m sorry, Red. It’s probably Tanner and I really should take it,” he said as he left the table, retrieved his phone from the counter, and left the kitchen.
“Bellini.”
“Harper’s parents have told the ER doctor that he has allergies to nuts. I thought I smelled peanuts when I opened the Jeep. Did you smell anything when you checked him?”
“Yeah, now that you mention it, there was a faint smell of peanuts. Did that rookie cop impound the Jeep?”
Tanner let out a combination snort and laugh, “That rookie cop didn’t do anything. I locked up the Jeep before I followed the ambulance. It’s probably still in the student parking lot.”
“You at St. Joe’s?” Ben asked.
“Yeah. You want me to talk to the parents?”
“No, Lane mentioned that she wanted to call them later. I think we’ll just drop by. Call me when they move Justin to a room.” Ben ended the call and went back to the dinner table. He looked at Jamie. “Did you know that Justin had nut allergies?”
“Yeah. The whole team knows. He keeps an epipen in his backpack and usually has one in his Jeep. The coach has one at all of the practices and games. Just in case, you know? Is that what happened? Was he trying to get to his epipen?”
“Both Tanner and I noticed a faint smell of peanuts in the Jeep. It seems likely.” Ben looked at Lane. “Maybe we should go to the hospital after dinner and talk with the Harpers.”
Lane looked from her husband to her son. “I think that’s a good idea. I’m sure his parents would like to talk with Jamie.” She nodded toward Jamie, “If he came in contact with peanuts, you may have saved his life.”
