Nothing Ordinary by M J Marlow (best ereader for academics txt) 📕

The image of him lying on the floor flashed into her mind and she was shaking again. “Someone shot him while he was in the hospital recovering. He got through surgery all right and I hoped he’d recover.” Jeffrey’s arms were around her as she began to cry. “The surgeon said the bullet did too much damage. Grandfather woke up only long enough to tell me he was sorry he had to leave me alone.” She felt what she considered the irrational anger she held felt at her parents’ deaths. “I feel like he abandoned me, like I felt when my parents died.” “That’s not abnormal, Anneke,” Jeffrey told her. “People go through a lot of emotions when they’re grieving. You know the Major and your Mom would never have left you if they had a choice.” “I’m not a horrible person,” Annie looked up at him sharply, “for being angry at them?” “Of course not, Streudel,” Jeffrey hugged her tight. “You could never be a horrible person.” Annie did the dishes and spent a few hours going through her grandfather’s boxes. She put his books in the shelves in the living room but left the two boxes of files for later. Most of it was household and financial information and she had too much of a headache to go through such things right then. She found his photo albums and saw her great-great-grandparents and great-grandparents and her grandfather. There were photos of her father growing up and ones of her parents as they were dating and married. There was also an album devoted completely to her from the day she had been born to her wedding and on to her graduation ceremony. “I didn’t remember this,” she said softly as she saw the pictures of herself and her cousin, Eliza. There was one of Eliza holding her at the hospital that made her smile. “My mother and her brother were close then,” she noted as she saw the pictures of Monica and Bayer during the week he and his family had spent with her family after she was born. “I wonder what could have happened.” “I heard that he said one too many unkind things about your immigrant father,” Jeffrey said as he came to join her. “According to your mother, Oscar Bayer is something of an elitist.” Remembering the way he’d behaved in the hospital, Annie could believe that of him. But it didn’t seem enough of a reason for a brother and sister to never talk to each other again. She put the matter aside and continued on until she came to the photograph of her and James at the chapel on their wedding day. She was going to have to get used to a whole new face when she joined him again. “I’ll have to start an album for Junior,” Annie smiled briefly as her hand went to her abdomen. “He’ll look like James,” she smiled up at her brother-in-law. He could tell she was mourning the loss of her family. “He’ll never know his grandparents or my grandfather, Jeffrey. They would have adored him.” “They’re only gone,” Jeffrey said as he closed the album and set it aside as Annie sat there with tears falling, “if you forget them.” He pulled her to her feet. “Bedtime for little streudel-heads,” he said as he held out one of the sedatives and a glass of water. “Doctor’s orders.” Annie took the pill and went to her bed, holding the bear to her. Her headache began to ease as the sedative kicked in and she was glad Jeffrey was there to look out for her. She was sound asleep as he went through the files in the other bedroom. He frowned and pulled out his cell phone. “The information is not in his paper files,” he reported to the person on the other end. “Maybe he told his granddaughter where he hid the information. Should I try to get it from her?” He listened to the orders and nodded. “You’re right. She has a reason to look for them now. I’ll be on hand when she finds them.” Jeffrey hung up the phone and went to her bedroom. His brother was a lucky man, he thought as he watched her sleep. He had survived injury and torture knowing this angel was waiting for him to return to her. He knew if he had a woman like Anneke believing in him, he would endure the pangs of hell to get to her side. Not for the first time, he felt the twinge of jealousy hit him. But she would never be more to him than a beloved sister and that was enough. He had his woman. “Captain Lewis, please,” he said in the phone a moment later as the thought of her filled him with a strange longing. They had met when he was running an errand for his father to the Pentagon and it had been instant attraction. “Marcy? It’s Jeff.” He smiled as he heard the warm honey of her voice. “She’s reeling, but refuses to let it break her. Yeah,” he agreed as he looked in on his sleeping sister-in-law, “she is a tough girl.” He closed the door and turned away. “Speaking of tough girls…” 4 Taylor let himself into the apartment across from Annie’s the next morning and settled down next to the man on the monitor screen. They could see Jeffrey moving around setting breakfast on the dining room table. Annie came out a little while later and went into the kitchen. “Sleep well, streudel?” Jeffrey’s voice came over the speaker. “Very well,” Annie smiled at him as she leaned in the doorway to the kitchen. “Whatever Doctor Ryan prescribed for me is working quite well. I don’t think I had any nightmares at all.” She looked at him shyly. “Of course, it didn’t hurt to wake up knowing you were here for me.” “Glad I could help, Streudel,” Jeffrey smiled at her fondly. He went to her and kissed her on the forehead. She smiled up at him and moved to the table with the pitcher of juice. “So what do you want to do today?” “I’m not really feeling up to doing much of anything, Jeffrey,” Annie replied. “You go out if you want to. I think I’ll just read.” She sat down at the dining room table and poured them each a glass of juice. “You could pick up some more chamomile tea when you go out. Can you remember that or should I write it down?” “Are you impugning my memory, Streudel?” Jeffrey asked her. “You have the memory skills of an old man, bruder,” Annie laughed at him. She saw Jeffrey getting on his feet and flexing his fingers. “Oh no you don’t!” she giggled as she got up and backed away from him. “You promised you would never…” He got her in the corner and started to tickle her. “Take that back, Streudel,” Jeffrey demanded as he tickled her mercilessly. “Tell me I’m brilliant!” “Of course you’re brilliant,” Annie sobbed as the laughter overtaxed her body. Jeffrey backed away and she moved. “For an old man!” “I’m only seven years older than you are, Streudel,” Jeffrey laughed as he came at her. She ducked under his arm and ran for her room, closing and locking the door before he could stop her. “Anneke Leisel, you open this door right now!” “No way, Jeffrey Patton,” Annie shot back at him. “I’ve had enough torture for today, thank you.” She was silent for a few moments. “Truce?” “Truce,” Jeffrey replied and turned around. He looked at his watch. “I have to go. Will you be all right here on your own for a couple of hours?” “Hot date, Studley?” Annie teased him as she opened the door and looked at him. Jeffrey was a very handsome young man with a great personality. “I’m not play the field anymore, Anneke,” Jeffrey laughed. “I’ve actually found the woman I want in my life.” He saw her smile of delight as she looked at him and it relieved him. “What’s this paragon of womanhood like, Jeffrey?” Annie smiled up at him. She saw his frown. “You always said you’d only give your heart to a goddess, Bruder.” “She’s as close to a goddess as you are, Annie,” Jeffrey laughed. “Her name is Marcy Lewis. She’s a Captain and…” Annie laughed and he stopped and looked at her. “What?” “You said you’d never fall for a military woman, remember?” “So I’ve changed my mind,” Jeffrey shrugged. “It happens.” He looked at her worriedly. “You shouldn’t stay in here by yourself, streudel…” “I need that tea, Jeffrey,” Annie broke in firmly. “It helps me calm down.” She saw his worry. “If I start to feel lonely, I’ll go downstairs and see if Mrs. Taylor is home.” Jeffrey nodded and kissed her cheek. He left his cell phone number for her and then went downstairs. He stopped in to see the landlady and asked her to keep an ear on Annie. For the next three hours she was quite happy to put things away and move things around. The phone rang as she was fixing herself some lunch and she picked it up. “You look very lovely in that shade of pink, pretty girl,” a man’s voice sounded in her ear. “It makes your skin glow.” Annie’s hand began to tremble as she felt his menace. “If you want to stay safe, you’ll give us your Grandfather’s files.” “His files?” Annie was confused. “What are you talking about?” “The information he hid from us, pretty girl,” the man said coldly. “It’s there in his things somewhere and you are going to bring it to us.” “I don’t know what you want,” Annie whimpered. She jumped as someone knocked on the door and hung up the phone. She went to answer and Clark was standing there. He saw the shock on her face and made her sit down. “A man called. He said my Grandfather hid some information from him and he wanted it back.” She saw Clark dialing the phone. “Who are you calling?” “Captain Ryan,” Taylor told her. “You need to tell him what happened.” He saw the worry and the fear in her eyes and knew there was more to the call than she had told him. “What else did he say to you, Annie?” “He talked like he could see me, Nick,” Annie said to him. “He said I looked lovely in this shade of pink and said I’d only stay safe if I gave him the files.” She looked at him in dismay. “I don’t know what he wants!” She put her hands to her temples as the headache started to build again. “I need an aspirin,” Annie said as she moved away from him. “I’ll be right back.” She went into the bathroom and got out the aspirin bottle. She closed the cabinet and her scream died as a man in a mask put his hand over her mouth. He leaned his cheek against hers as Clark knocked on the door and asked if she was all right. “Tell him you’re fine, pretty girl,” the intruder said to her as he showed her his knife, “or I will kill him.” “I’m fine, Nick,” Annie said. “My head hurts so bad that my hands are shaking. I dropped the aspirin bottle in the sink.” “Very quick,” the man congratulated her. He let Annie go and got into the tub, hiding behind the shower curtain. “Tell the erstwhile man that you don’t need him here. He can go home now.” “Nick,” Annie said as she opened the door a crack. “I’m not feeling very well. I’m going to take a sedative and go to bed.” “Of course, Annie,” Clark nodded. He saw how pale she was and knew something was wrong. “Call me later. We’ll go through the details of the estate