I Will Love You Forever Pt. 2 Ch. 16

Saul heard Nick's sharp intake of breath and knew that he had his interest.

"What about him?" Nick asked his voice intense.

"I'm not saying anymore until I know my family is safe." Saul replied.

"What is it that you want me to do?" Nick asked.

"Get them out of town. If Ellis figures out that I'm the one who gave you the information, he'll go after them."

"Where can I reach you?" Nick asked.

"I work at the train station" Saul replied.

"You're here in California?"

"Yes but don't come here. If you want to meet, it'll have to be somewhere else."

The line went silent as Nick thought about his options.

"Will you come to my office?"

"No." Saul replied. "I don't want to take any chances that someone there knows Ellis."

"Alright, you tell me where and when." Nick said.

"Are you busy Sunday afternoon?"

"No, that'll work. Where?"

"The sitting area behind the library. I work until two and it'll take me twenty minutes to walk there." Saul replied. "I'll tell you where my family is and you can tell me how you can help me."

Saul hung up and wiped the sweat from his forehead. It had begun- whatever it was.

**

Nick hung up and called Will into his office.

"You're not going to believe who I just talked to."

"Who?" Will asked as he sat down.

"Saul Mullins."

"Alright, I'll bite. Who is Saul Mullins?"

"Saul Mullins is the one who sent me the letter about Lawrence Goodman and his plans. He's here in California."

"What? What does he want?"

"For one, he wants his family protected."

"From who?" Will asked.

"Your cousin- Warden Ellis" Nick replied.

"What? What does he know about Ellis?" Will asked his interest piqued.

"I don't know" Nick replied. "He won't talk until he knows his family is safe. I'm meeting him on Sunday at the library."

"I want to be there" Will said.

"I figured as much, but you can't say anything about knowing Ellis. He'll bolt. That's why we're not meeting here."

"I wonder what he has on him" Will mused.

"I don't know, but whatever it is; it must be huge" Nick said leaning back into his chair. "Oh and Hana wanted me to ask if you wanted to come over for dinner tonight. I got busy and forgot to ask."

"I think that it's alright, let me call Sally and check" Will said as he reached for the phone. "It's a go" he said after a minute. "She said that she'll make something for dessert."

"Sounds good" Nick said.

After Will left his office, Nick began to wonder just what it was that Saul knew about the warden.

Sunday afternoon finally came. Nick and Will were at the library fifteen minutes before Saul was due to arrive.

"Do you think he'll show?" Will asked.

"I think so" Nick replied. "He sounded nervous, but determined. The question is whether we can protect his family in a way that he deems acceptable. If we can't, he won't talk."

Saul showed up on time and looked at the two men.

"Who's that?" he asked looking at Will.

"A friend that can help me meet your request" Nick replied. "His name is Will."

Saul looked at Will for a moment and then turned his attention to Nick.

"You already know that I'm good for any information that I give you. The difference is that this could involve my family. I won't tell you anything else until I know that they're safe."

"Where are they?" Will asked.

"They're still in South Carolina not far from the state penitentiary. I want them moved from there."

What Nick and Will didn't know was that Saul would have still given them the information, but would have found another way to do it if they couldn't guarantee the safety of his family.

"This is going to take some time" Nick said. "I need a way to reach you."

"I come here about once a week to check out books" Saul said. "Usually it's Thursdays because I get off work early."

"Where are you staying?" Nick asked.

"You don't need to know that," Saul replied. "The people that I'm staying with have nothing to do with this and I want to keep it that way."

Will and Nick looked at each other and nodded.

"As I said," Nick said, "This is going to take some time."

"I understand" Saul replied. "You know where to find me."

Nick and Will watched Saul walk away. Both of them had the same thought.

"We need to watch him" Will said.

"Agreed, I'll call Charles in the morning."

As Saul walked home, he felt a sense of relief. He was finally beginning to pay hos debt to Jacob. He looked at the cheap watch on his wrist. If he hurried, he could be home in time to study before dinner and go to the evening service. He was also hoping to see a certain very attractive, young black woman whom he had yet to speak to.

****

Three weeks passed and still no letter came from UCLA. It was to the point where Joel and Penny had to make a decision.

"How much longer can you wait?" Patricia asked.

"Another week" Joel replied. "But I'm not hopeful. Even if one of us gets a letter of invitation, the other has to go east."

"What are you planning?" Kenji asked.

"We're going to accept the offer from Columbia University" Penny replied. "Before we go, we want to get married and we were hoping that you and Kenji would stand up with us."

"We would love to!" Patricia exclaimed. "When?"

"As soon as possible-actually, we were hoping to get married here..."

"You could have the wedding during the party!" Patricia said. "It would be perfect! Everyone will already be here. What do you think?"

Penny looked at Joel who nodded at her.

"We accept" she said happily. "Tell me what you need from us."

"Nothing... wait... those cookie things you make and I'm leaving the cake up to you." Patricia replied.

"Do you think that your mom can make the cake?" Penny asked.

"I'm sure that she would, we'll call her later and ask. I really wish that you didn't have to go so far away."

"Us too, but look at it this way, it's another place for you to come and visit." Penny said taking Patricia's hand and trying not to cry.

"Maybe you'll still get a letter" Patricia said.

"Maybe," Joel said, "but I think that all of the letters have gone out."

"When will you leave?" Kenji asked.

"Soon after the party" Joel replied. "I've already done some checking into the housing situation in New York. I made a deposit on an apartment close to the hospital even though we haven't seen it yet."

"That's kind of risky isn't it?" Patricia asked.

"Ordinarily yes" Penny replied. "But the apartment was occupied by another student. Joel talked to him and while it's small, it's within walking distance of the hospital so we won't need a car. My parents are going to take a look at it too."

"Are you going to wait the week out?" Patricia asked.

"No, we're going to call tomorrow and accept." Joel said. "But you know that no matter where we are, we're still friends right? We're only going to the other side of the country and our home is your home."

"I know- but I'm going to miss you" Patricia said.

"We'll miss you too, but there's the telephone and the mail." Penny said wiping away a tear. "And we'll come back to visit during breaks."

"Penny, will your parents come to the wedding?" Patricia asked. "I know that they had a problem with the fact that Joel is Jewish."

"They'll be here" Penny replied. "They've gotten used to the idea that I love him and I won't give in. the fact that he was accepted at Columbia helps. They even offered to let us live with them."

"I'm glad" Patricia said. "Do they need a place to stay?"

"No, but we have another favor to ask."

"Anything that you need," Kenji replied.

"Can Joel stay here when they get here? They won't look too kindly on the fact that we're living in sin." Penny said.

"Of course he can stay here," Kenji said. "As you say, our home is your home. You will always have a place with us."

The rest of the evening was spent in planning the party/wedding. Hattie was thrilled to be asked to make the cake and wondered when they would go shopping for a dress.

"God I don't want to leave you guys" Penny said tearfully. "But I guess that's life isn't it?"

****

Saul had gone to the library ever Thursday for the past two weeks. This was the third time since he met with Nick and Will. He was beginning to wonder if they had forgotten about him. He was about to check out his books when he heard Nick behind him.

"Alexandre Dumas- he's good. I also like Mark Twain."

"I thought that you forgot about me."

"I told you that it would take some time, but your family is safe."

"Where are they?"

"Will still owns a house there-"

"He's from South Carolina?" Saul asked.

"You didn't hear that accent?"

"I guess I wasn't paying attention" Saul confessed. "My mind was on other things."

"Yes well as I was saying, he still has a home there and has agreed to let your family stay there for as long as needed."

"Why would he do that?" Saul asked.

"Let's just say that he has a vested interest in the good warden," Nick replied.

"Good isn't a word that I would use in the same sentence with the warden," Saul said grimly.

"I gathered that, but at any rate, we've upheld our end of the bargain; it's your turn."

"I'll talk to you anywhere except for your office."

"What about my house? I have an office there."

"Will the other man be there?"

"I would like for him to be and- I have a friend who works for the government, I would like for him to be there too."

"Will he be able to help with Ellis?"

"He has contacts that I don't have so yes" Nick replied.

"Alright," Saul replied after a few seconds. "When?"

"Next Thursday. I'll meet you here and drive you to my house and bring you back. What time do you normally go home on Thursdays?"

"I get home in time for supper. I get here around two."

"I'll see you next Thursday at two. If anything changes, you have my number." Nick said as he stood to leave.

"Mr. Alexander?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks."

"No, thank you" Nick said. "That was a brave thing that you did back then and it's a brave thing that you're doing now. I'm glad that I can thank you in person. That letter saved the lives of some of the people close to me. I'll see you next week."

Saul decided that he liked Nick. Will he wasn't so sure about. There was something vaguely familiar about him. He shrugged it off attributing his wariness to the fact that Will was from his home state. In spite of his wariness, Saul was grateful to him. By providing a place for his family to live, Will had made what he had to do easier.

Reggie, Cora and Joshua were anxiously waiting for him when he got home.

"Well?" Joshua asked. "What happened?"

"Give him a chance to catch his breath!" Cora said but it was obvious that she was as anxious as the men were.

"They got my family to move" Saul said. "Mr. Alexander has a friend who owns a house a couple of towns over and that's where they are. I'm meeting with him, his friend and a government man next Thursday."

"Government man?" Joshua asked.

"Apparently this man had contacts that Mr. Alexander doesn't."

"There has to be something big happening" Reggie said. "Either that or your lawyer friend has connections."

"Supper's getting cold" Cora said. "We can talk at the table."

If Saul thought the three weeks he waited to hear about his family passed slowly, the next week seemed to move even slower. By Tuesday, time seemed to be at a standstill. He lay awake all of Wednesday night, his stomach roiling to the point of nausea.

He skipped breakfast and was out the door. He realized that he forgot his lunch when he was halfway to work. He had plenty of time to go back for it, but decided to leave it; he didn't think that he could eat anyway. He remembered with a start that he and Harry were supposed to walk to work together.

"Sh-" he started to say and stopped himself. He continued to the room where the assignments for the day were hung on a wall. As he rounded the corner, he heard Harry's voice.

"I don't care; I said that no one touches him."

"But Harry-"

Saul froze. What was Harry doing talking to Dewey?

"No fucking buts!" Harry said interrupting him. "Keep your damned hands off of him and that goes for the rest of you."

"Harry?" Saul called not sure of what to make of what he was hearing.

"Oh hey! You're here early."

"So are you." Saul said looking at the men.

"Yeah well, I was just reinforcing that you're not to be messed with."

Saul looked at the four men that stood behind Harry. Four pairs of dark eyes looked back at him with contempt. The feeling of disquiet that he had felt every so often over the past weeks had become clanging alarm bells. He watched as Harry dismissed the men with a nod of his head. He realized with a start that Harry was in charge. The men glared at Saul and left the room without speaking.

"Harry what in the hell are you into?" Saul asked forgetting that he wasn't going to curse anymore.

"It's nothing for you to worry about" Harry replied with a smile. "As I said, I was telling them to leave you alone. Why are you here so early?"

"I couldn't sleep- Harry-"

"How about going to the library after work? I already read the books that I checked out last week." Harry said cutting him off.

"I can't today" Saul replied. "I'm meeting someone there today. We can walk over together though."

"That sounds good- where's your lunch?" Harry asked noticing Saul's empty hands.

"I forgot it, I'll be fine."

"I've got plenty" Harry said sounding more like the Harry Saul knew.

Finally, the day was over. Saul took off and then remembered that he was supposed to wait for Harry. He doubled back and met Harry partway.

"Must be something important, you've been distracted all day."

"It is important" Saul replied. "It has something to do with my time in prison."

Harry didn't say anything. Saul's time in prison was something that they didn't talk about much. He knew why Saul was in prison and it sounded justified to him-but what did he know?

"Alright, well I hope that it turns out alright," Harry said and let the subject drop.

**

Nick was already at the library reading a magazine when he saw Saul and Harry walk in. He watched with interest as they talked for a few seconds and then parted ways. He folded closed the magazine, stood up and walked to the agreed upon meeting place.

Saul came out a few minutes later.

"Are you ready to go?" Nick asked.

A few minutes later, they were in the car and headed toward Nick's house.

"So... how do you like California?" Nick asked. He wanted to know more about the young man who had saved the lives of those he loved.

"I like it fine- but then I'd like anyplace that wasn't South Carolina."

"I know that you were in prison, what I don't know is why. Care to tell me?"

"Does it matter?" Saul asked.

"No, not at all; I just wanted to learn something about you."

"I killed my father. I didn't mean to, I hit him harder than I meant to. I was trying to get him to stop hurting my sister."

"So it wasn't planned?" Nick asked.

"No, I just reacted when I saw him shaking her like she was a rag doll. All she had done was to say that she was hungry. I don't know what came over me, but I couldn't watch him hurt her. I grabbed a cast iron skillet and hit him over the head with it. I didn't realize how much force I used until we saw that he was dead."

"How did you manage to get out of prison so soon?"

"That's part of what I'm going to tell you and if you don't mind, I don't want to tell it twice."

"That's fair" Nick said, "But I have another question- actually an observation. The letter that you wrote indicates that you or whoever wrote it had very little schooling. What I'm hearing and what I read doesn't match up."

"My mother helped me write the letter," Saul replied. "I have a fourth grade education. It wasn't that I had to quit school, I refused to go. I found it boring and didn't see where it would get me. Since I've been here, the people that I live with have helped me."

"Are you talking about Joshua and Cora?" Nick asked.

Saul looked at Nick in surprise.

"How do you know about them?"

"I had you followed" Nick replied. "I had to make sure that you weren't living on the streets or something. How did you meet them?"

Saul told Nick about the train ride from South Carolina to Los Angeles.

"Joshua was the last person that I sat with and by the time we were to LA, he had offered me a place to live. The thing was he acted as if it was nothing to invite a stranger home, a white one at that. He is also one of the best read men that I know. I asked him to help me learn to read and write better. Then Aunt Cora's nephew Reggie came to visit and he's been teaching me ever since."

"They did a good job" Nick said. "We're almost there and by the way, my wife is Japanese. I'm only telling you so that you aren't surprised."

Nick saw the look of surprise on Saul's face but didn't comment on it. He pulled into the driveway and into the garage.

"This is your house?" Saul asked awed.

"Yes and please make yourself at home."

"Yes sir."

"And none of that. My name is Nick- sir and Mr. Alexander makes me feel old. I hope you're hungry; Hana made dinner."

The smell of cooking food made Saul's stomach rumble. He followed Nick into the house looking around as he did. He had never been inside of a truly nice home. People had them in South Carolina, but he had never had reason to be inside of one.

"Hana honey this is Saul, he's the young man that I was telling you about. Saul this is my wife od a few months Hana."

"Welcome" Hana said with a slight bow. "Please make yourself at home. Dinner is almost ready."

"Th...Thank you ma'am" Saul said shyly. Hana was his first encounter with a person of Japanese descent.

"Please, call me Hana. May I offer you something to drink?"

"I'm fine thank you."

"Let's go to my office until dinner is ready" Nick said.

"She's pretty" Saul said when he and Nick were alone.

"That she is" Nick agreed. "I know that it's early for dinner, but my guess is that you didn't eat breakfast or lunch."

"How did you know?" Saul asked.

"Let's just say that I have some intimate knowledge about what you must be feeling."

To put Saul at ease, Nick told him a little about himself and the other men. By the time he was done, Saul genuinely liked Nick and trusted him.

Will and Charles arrived just after dinner.

"Saul this is my friend and colleague Charles Jensen. Will you've met before. Charles this is Saul Mullins, the young man that sent us the letter regarding Lawrence Goodman. As I told you, he has some information that may help us with our friend warden Ellis."

"Tell us what you know and take your time" Charles said as he settled into a chair.

"Holy fuck" Charles murmured an hour later. "The bastard committed murder in plain sight. I have a question for you- You could have just kept going and not looked back, why are you doing this?"

"I made a promise and I'm keeping it" Saul replied. "I wouldn't have survived a week in that place if Jacob Lincoln hadn't helped me. I know at first it was because he wanted to use me, but in the end; we were friends. I watched as that bastard Ellis murdered my friend and there was nothing I could do about it; but now I can."

"Saul, do you understand that if we pursue this you may have to go back to South Carolina? You would be putting your life in danger," Will said.

"I know, but I've already started and I have to see it through. The way I see it, Jacob put his life on the line too and he paid with it. So can we get the son of a bitch?"

"We can try but we need more than your word" Charles said. "I believe you, but the more witnesses we have the better. Were you close with anyone that might be brave enough to step forward?"

"Not really" Saul said after a minute. "To be honest with you, I was closer to Lawrence's group than Jacob's for obvious reasons."