Page 54 of Caleb's Cause
“Not yet.” They all nodded and spent the rest of the afternoon taking care of the tables and chairs they had rented from the local fire department, and everyone went to their own homes to enjoy a rare day off, except for the ones that went back later to feed the horses at Broken.
CHAPTER 19
The following Sunday,Caleb came out on the porch of the cabin he shared with Katherine and handed her a bottle of water, along with her tumbler full of coffee. He settled on the step beside her. He looked around and made a mental note to look into maybe getting some outdoor furniture, but that could wait until the Spring. It was now the first week in October, and though it was still in the low eighties, he had heard the others talking that the temps might be falling soon. He looked out and sighed in contentment as he saw the changing colors of the leaves in the distance before he looked over at Katherine.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
“I don’t know if I should voice them.”
“Katherine, what did I tell you about not talking with me.”
“Sorry, it’s just that I want to do something and I don’t know if I should.”
“What do you want to do?”
“Call my mother.” She turned her head to him. “Today’s her birthday.”
“Oh, let me be cautious and call Duane to see if I can’t call my father using my phone. Last I heard, your mother was still with my father.” She nodded as he pulled his phone out of hisshirt pocket and talked quietly. Five minutes later he looked at her with a grin. “We’re good to go. Do you want to dial, or do you want me to do it?”
“Could you? You can catch up with your father, then hand the phone to me and Mom.”
“Okay,” Caleb said as he dialed, then smiled when his father answered.
“Dad, you’re on speaker and I’m not alone.”
“Oh, who are you with?”
“Katherine, Ilsa’s daughter.”
“Ilsa’s right here,” he said, and Katherine hadn’t realized she had tears streaming down her face at her mother’s first word.
“Sweetheart, are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Mom. I’m safe, what about you?”
“Bored out of my freaking mind, but I’m good. I’m safe too.”
“Mrs. Miller?” Caleb said, and nodded when he was told her to call her by her first name. “Thank you, I’m Caleb, by the way. I can attest that Katherine is safe and sound. Starting tomorrow, she’ll be busy.” He looked at her with a grin. “I’m opening my practice.”
“Oh, your Dad told me about what you’re doing. Good for you.”
“Thank you. Dad, I have a message for you, and it might help Ilsa with her boredom.”
“What’s that?”
“Do you remember Duane Manchester from when you were here briefly.”
“Yes, I’ve been in contact with him a couple of times.”
“Good. He told me to tell you to call him. But I can give you a heads up.”
“What’s that?” both Kevin and Ilsa asked.
“There will be a man by the name of Jason Black that will be reaching out to you and Ilsa in the next couple of days. I don’t know for sure when.”
“Who is he?”
“Duane has his information and will be sending it to you via e-mail in the next couple of hours. Basically, he’s a lawyer with the DOD, which is the Department of Defense in Washington DC. He’s friends with some guys here, and also Duane. Don’t ask me how, just that they know one another. Because of Katherine recognizing Duane’s Director Grayson as George Babcock, he talked to this friend. He’s an extremely high-powered lawyer and he is going to take the case.”
