Mr. Big Deal (Mr. Big 4)

CHAPTER21

Luke

* * *

When I gotthe call from the security company, my heart started to race.

Of course, something would happen the one day of the week when I was away from the house…

“What’s the matter?”

“Sir, we had a report of a pursuit of a stolen car in the area near your house and that police had given chase and had one suspect in custody but the other suspect was at large. As a precaution, we’ve locked down the house and one of our guards in presently with your wife to ensure her safety just in case. We have no reason to think this is in any way connected to you or Mrs. Marshall, but on the off chance that it is, we decided to take steps to protect her and the property.”

“Thanks for calling me. We’re about twenty minutes away. I’ll stop in and speak to you when I arrive.”

“Understood,” he said, and we ended the call.

Immediately, I called Alexa to see how she was doing. This would upset her, of course, and even though it probably had nothing to do with Alexa, it would be a reminder that she was in danger from Blaine.

After speaking with her, I ended the call, glad that she sounded fine and that she felt safe with the guard watching over her and Leif.

While we drove towards Westhampton and the beach house, I thought about the whole business with Blaine and how terrible it was that he was granted bail.

He was a smart and slippery man and an ongoing threat to Alexa as long as he was free.

We finally drove along the road that led to the beach house property, and I wanted to stop and speak with police, who were parked on the side of the road near the vehicle that had gone into the ditch. The lights were flashing, and several uniformed police officers were standing next to a police car. I could see that someone was seated in the back seat of the sedan. In another vehicle, there looked to be another man in the rear seat.

It must be the two suspects.

“Stop here,” I said to the driver. He complied and I got out of the limo and walked over to the police officers, who were standing off to the side of the road.

“Hello, I’m Luke Marshall, owner of the house next door. Can you give me an update on the situation?”

I shook hands with one of the senior police officers, Officer Gus Simmons, a forties heavy-set man with greying hair and moustache. He pushed his cap back and glanced over the vehicle in the ditch.

“One of your guards, actually, noticed the vehicle had been driving back and forth in front of the property and called us with the plates. We checked and they’re registered to a stolen vehicle from Queens, so we sent a patrol car to check it out. A chase ensued and the vehicle went off the road there. The two suspects fled the scene, my officers gave chase and we’ve apprehended them both. They’ll be taken into custody and booked.”

“Any ID?”

“They’re both from Queens and apparently stole the vehicle and took a joyride out to Fire Island and were looking for a place to park so they could go to the beach. I see nothing in their possession to cast doubt on that story. Neither of them has a record beyond impaired driving, so I think they’re the real thing.”

“That’s good to know,” I said and glanced at the one suspect, who was sulking in the back of the police car. His long hair was hanging in his eyes, and he looked very sullen. Probably just what the officer said - two young men joyriding and hoping for an afternoon on the beach. Nothing more.

“Thanks for the update,” I said and shook hands with Simmons again. Then, I glanced at the vehicle and back at the two suspects before getting back in the limo for the rest of the way to the beach house.

I spoke briefly with the guard on duty at the gates, and then, I went inside.

Alexa and Leif were in the living room and there was a guard, whom I assumed was Jeb, standing at the sliding doors, his back to the room.

“Hey, you two,” I said and went directly to Alexa and picked up Leif from her arms. I kissed his head and then kissed her when she stood up from the sofa. “How are you? I spoke with police, and they think the two stole the vehicle from Queens and were just joyriding.”

“I’m fine, other than a bit of a scare. Why were they driving back and forth in front of the house?”

“Police think they were looking for some place to park so they could go to the beach. It was just a coincidence that they went off the road near our place. Nothing to worry about. Neither of the guys have records beyond some petty stuff like impaired driving so they weren’t hired hitmen sent to take us out.”

I smiled and watched as Alexa smiled slowly. “That’s good to know,” she said and exhaled. “I just wish they’d put him away for a good long time, so I didn’t have to worry.”

“The PI is looking into it for us,” I said and stroked Alexa’s hair. “If you want, we could put a tail on him, but it would be a very costly venture. You’d need at least six men on payroll, one for each eight-hour shift and then to cover weekends. That works out to quite a cost.”

“It’s not worth it,” Alexa said, her brow furrowed. “We have great security on the beach house,” she said and pointed around the house to the security cameras, the security system in the property, and to Jeb, the security guard. “We’ll always be protected. Every single minute. We don’t have to worry.”

“If you’re sure,” I said and pulled her into my arms and held them both, Leif on one shoulder and Alexa on the other.

My little family…