this, but Wanda was a friend and she had no money. That was the unspoken conversation between them. Jack knew Julian and he liked him but he didn’t know if he was innocent or not. If he had tried to rape the girl, Jack was not going to help him.
It occurred to him as he sat next to Wanda that maybe something else was going on here. Maybe he was supposed to go to Oakville. He’d been there many times and his good friend Ron owned The Swamp, the most popular bar and restaurant in town. Oakville had a vibrant community of intellectuals, a great arts community, a world-class medical facility, rivers and natural springs, and so much to offer.
He’d long ago forgotten about Ron’s prediction that he would come to Oakville someday to live.
“I’ll tell you what, Wanda. Henry will be disappointed, but I’m going to forego fishing today and take a drive up to Oakville to see Julian.”
“Oh, thank you, Jack. Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. I’ll talk to Julian but I won’t help him if I don’t think he’s innocent.”
“That’s fine. That’s fine. He’s innocent. You’ll see it right away, Jack. You’ll look into his eyes and you’ll know.”
“Henry is going to be awful disappointed he won’t get to spend the rest of the day with me.” Jack turned and looked at Henry, who was walking out of the kitchen toward the dining room table with his coffee and a bagel in hand.
“Oh, don’t you worry about Henry,” Wanda said. “I’ll take him over to my house and feed him a good meal.” She looked over at Henry and smiled. Henry smiled back.
Maybe the universe is working for both of us, Jack thought.
Chapter Sixteen
What was all that between you and Wanda?” Jack asked Henry after Wanda left.
“Well, back when you were her lawyer and I was your investigator we became kinda friendly toward each other.”
“And?”
“And nothing. All those kids scared me away.”
“What’s changed?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I’ve changed. It’s not like I’ve decided to marry the woman. She walked in the door and she smiled at me and I smiled back and I’m probably going to stop over for some dinner.”
“Yeah, right, Henry—some dinner. That’s what I got out of it.”
Henry smiled. “I know you just as well, Jack. Like I know exactly what you were thinking when Wanda mentioned her son up in Oakville.”
“And what’s that?”
“You were thinking Wanda was the universe talking to you and you’re supposed to go to Oakville.” Jack tried to hide his smile, but Henry caught it. “I’m right, aren’t I?”
“I don’t know. The thought did cross my mind. You still think I’m crazy?”
“Hell, Jack, you’re one of the sanest men I’ve ever known. If you believe in the universe, I believe in it too. Let’s see if it’ll work for both of us.”
“Amen, brother. So I’m probably going to stay in Oakville for a little while even after I get Julian’s case disposed of.”
“Are you going to take the case?”
“Don’t know. Julian is a good kid but things can happen when you’re away from home. I’ll know once I talk to him.”
“Think you’re going to need me?”
“Probably. For now, why don’t you stay here and keep Wanda happy and look after the house.”
“And the boat,” Henry replied.
“Especially the boat.”
Henry lived in Miami, but he didn’t have an everyday job. Jack had convinced the Florida legislature to award him three million dollars for wrongfully imprisoning him for seventeen years, so he basically lived off his investment income. Like Jack, he worked for Exoneration, the nonprofit foundation that investigated cases of individuals who had been wrongfully convicted, especially those like Henry who were on death row.
“Consider it done,” Henry said. “Go to Oakville and stay as long as you like.”
“I don’t want to put you out.”
“Trust me, Jack. I’ll be just fine.”
Jack met Julian Reardon at his apartment on Arthur Road in Oakville. Julian was expecting him as Wanda had called to tell him Jack was coming. Julian was a remarkable physical specimen. Six feet tall, he was all muscle, athleticism, and speed. Jack remembered watching a couple of his games last year when Julian was a sophomore running back, and from what Jack had observed, he was eventually going to be playing professionally. The University of North Central Florida was an elite football school and played in the Southcentral Conference, arguably the toughest football conference in the country, but at times it appeared that Julian was playing at a different level