Not My Solution

by T. E. Killian

  Finally, Nicole found her voice. “You weren’t hurt, were you?”

  He shook his head again. “No. The shots were fired at just enough angle that they went through the window and embedded in the back of my back seat.”

  “What were they?”

  She could tell he didn’t want to answer that but finally did. “.223.”

  She felt that icy shiver go down her spine again.

  Nick called out. “Isn’t that the same as the ones that hit your wall?” He pointed at the wall over their heads. “And the one they dug out of my side.?”

  Roger and Nicole both answered at the same time. “Yes.”

  Nicole spoke what she knew Roger was thinking. “It was a warning to you … to stay away from me. Wasn’t it?”

  Roger frowned again, and she knew he really didn’t want to answer this time.

  “I’m afraid that’s what Floyd and I both think.”

  He rushed on before she could say what she planned to say.

  “But it won’t work. I’m staying to help you and Nick fight this guy.”

  “But Roger. He could kill you the next time.”

  “I don’t care. I couldn’t live with myself it I left you two alone to fight this guy by yourselves.”

  She couldn’t help it. That statement gave her a warm glow all over her body. She was seeing more and more of who this remarkable man was and she liked every bit of it too. Oh my!

  Nick spoke up for the first time in a while. “What do you and the sheriff think we should do now?”

  Roger’s smile wasn’t really a smile. It was more of a frown. But he looked directly at Nicole when he spoke again. “You won’t like what we think you should do.”

  She kept staring at him, so he went on. “You should stay here and don’t even go outside for any reason until they catch this guy. I really think that’s the only solution for now.”

  She was shaking her head even before he finished. “No! That may be your solution, but it’s not my solution. I refuse to be a prisoner in my own house. I will go out looking for the man myself if I have to.”

  Roger held up both hands in front of him as if to keep her from attacking him and she couldn’t help it. She burst out in laughter and both men joined her which lifted the tension in the room considerably.

  Nicole thought about that for a moment. “What if they catch him, what could they charge him with?”

  “If they find his rifle and match the slugs to it, they can charge him with three counts of attempted murder.”

  She shook her head. “Remember, I was an MP. I don’t think those charges would hold up in court especially if his lawyer can prove that he is an expert marksman.”

  Roger smiled back at her. “That’s what Floyd said too.”

  Nick waved a hand at Nicole causing her to shift her gaze from Roger to him.

  “Hey Laine, I really think you ought to consider what they’re suggesting. You know they can’t protect you all the time out there.”

  Yes, she knew that, but she’d lost her freedom of movement to a certain extent already and didn’t want to lose any more.

  “We don’t know that the guy really wants to kill me. Maybe he just wants to frighten me and sort of torture me that way.”

  Both men shook their heads and Roger leaned toward her.

  “You don’t know that Nicole and you sure can’t take the chance that you’re right.”

  When she didn’t respond to that, he sighed. “I could sleep on the sofa.”

  “No, Roger. You just implied that I’m relatively safe here as long as I don’t go outside. Why don’t we all sleep on this tonight? Tomorrow is Saturday. We can get together tomorrow and talk about this some more. I don’t know about you but I’m getting tired and more than a little sleepy.”

  With that, Roger stood to leave. “Do you have my cell phone number on your phone?” He pointed at her Captioned Phone.

  “Yes, I do and before you ask, I gave it to Nick to put on his cell phone too.”

  “Good. Well, good night … again.”

  She watched as he went out the door. Some strange emotions flew over her right then and she wasn’t about to try to figure them out.

  * * *

  When Roger finally made it home Friday night, he was exhausted and went straight to bed, but he couldn’t sleep.

  Foremost, in his mind, had been the situation that Nicole was in. He wanted to help her so badly but there seemed to be very little he could do. Not only that, but she was a very independent woman who didn’t really want anyone else’s help, especially his.

  He thought about Gary Andrews and how the sniper could take any one of them out almost anywhere he chose to do so. That really scared him, not so much for himself but for Nicole. She was becoming more and more important to him with each passing day.

  He had to do something that would keep her safe, but what?

  He’d finally gone to sleep but tossed and turned all night. He’d just gotten into a deep sleep when a loud noise awakened him.

  He sat up in bed trying to figure out what had happened. Then slowly, his mind came into focus and he realized the loud noise was someone pounding on his front door and yelling.

  Floyd! But what was he doing here so early in the morning?

  He dragged himself out of bed, glancing at his alarm clock on the way. Ten o’clock. How did that happen? Then he remembered it was Saturday and he should be able to sleep in, especially after the week he’d just had.

  He finally made it to the front door and opened it to reveal his big brother standing there in his uniform. That should have alerted him since Floyd seldom wore his uniform on weekends, especially now that he had a family.

  Floyd didn’t speak but barged in and plopped down in Roger’s easy chair. That left him with the couch, so he sat there across from Floyd waiting for him to say why he was there on a Saturday morning and in uniform too.

  Finally, Floyd took a deep breath and let it out in a loud sigh. “I’m sorry I talked you into running for mayor now.”

  Roger waited.

  “I had no idea Robertson would play so dirty.”

  Roger still waited.

  “I’m sure he’s behind all of this.”

  Now Roger wanted to shout, ‘all of what.’

  “That teacher that gave Nicole so much trouble about the Student Council money has accused you of sexual assault.”

  “No way!” Roger came up off the couch, but Floyd put both hands out as if to stop him.

  “Now simmer down little brother. Don’t go off half-cocked here. You know it’s bogus and I know it’s bogus, but we’ve got to convince the county attorney and maybe the judge that it is.”

  Roger was calming down a little now. “Isn’t Hallmark an old buddy of yours?”

  Floyd snorted. “Yeah, at least he used to be. Since he became the CA, I’m not always sure anymore.”

  “But you should be able to convince him when you tell him about seeing Robertson and that Chadwick woman not only together but with a man, we suspect of shooting at three of us. Shouldn’t you?”

  Floyd ran a hand through his short red hair. “I’ve already been on the phone with him this morning.”

  “Well, what did he say?”

  “He said he’d sit on it over the weekend, but we’ll have to go before the judge on Monday morning. Bob said it’s too serious a charge for him to just do nothing without at least talking to Judge Hawkins about it.”

  He slapped his leg. “At least one thing good is that he said he won’t bother the judge about it over the weekend.”

  “So, we’ve got the rest of the weekend to prove she’s wrong.” He thought for a moment. “Wait a minute. When does she claim this assault happened?”

  “The thirteenth, that Monday morning in your office.”

  Roger groaned. “That was before I hired Gina and they must know it.”

  He thought for a minute then yelled out. “Robertson!”

  Floyd didn’t understand wh
at he meant. “Yeah, I agree that he probably put her up to it.”

  “No, Floyd, not just that but he was in my office that morning. It was the day after you and Dad tried to talk me into running against Robertson. That was Sunday out at the farm. The next morning is when Robertson came into my office and tried to talk or threaten me out of running against him.”

  Roger laughed. “Little does he know but that little meeting is what pushed me into finally deciding to run for mayor in the first place.”

  “Wait a minute Floyd. Is Robertson saying he saw something?”

  “No. Not yet. I think he might be a little afraid this little lie could blow up in his face if he got too close to it.”

  Floyd left and as Roger got dressed, he kept thinking about what Floyd had come to tell him. He didn’t think very many people would believe Darla Chadwick’s false accusation. But there might be enough people who didn’t know him. After all, he had been gone for twelve years before he moved back to Crowleyville to open his law practice and there’d been a lot of new people moving in like Robertson.

  Roger was going out the door to go over to Nicole’s house when a tall blond woman pushed past him and on into his house. He smelled her perfume first, and he knew who it was. Violet! She always did wear perfume that smelled like violets.

  “Violet! What do you think you’re doing?”

  She stood in the middle of his living room with her hands on her hips. “Well, I decided I wasn’t going to wait around for you to make the first move. I could tell you wanted to, but you always were a shy one. So, I’m doing it for you.”

  He walked over to her and being very careful, placed his hand on her back and led her toward the door.

  When they reached the still open door, he gave her a little push, and she went through it.

  “Violet. I don’t know where you got the idea that I wanted to pick up where we left off in high school, but I don’t. You’re nice but you’re not for me, not anymore.”

  She put her hands on her hips again and glared back at him. He remembered now after the second time she did that in just a few minutes that she’d always done that back in high school.

  “Why not?” She got a thoughtful look on her face. “Is there someone else?”

  “Yes, Violet, there is.”

  He felt good saying that because there was, Nicole.

  “Not that little teacher in the wheel chair?”

  When he nodded his head, she snorted. He didn’t think he’d ever heard her do that before. “You need a real woman Roger not half of one.”

  With that, Roger slammed the door hoping he didn’t hit her with it.

  He waited for a few minutes, watching out the front window to make sure Violet left. Then he decided he’d better call Nicole first to make sure she was ready for him to come over.

  * * *

  Nicole woke up Saturday morning feeling as if something terrible would happen. When she told Nick, he laughed.

  “Don’t you think enough bad stuff has already happened.”

  She shook her head. “No, Nick. I can’t explain it, but I just have that feeling and I can’t shake it.”

  “Any idea what it could be?”

  She shook her head. “No, not a clue.”

  She thought for a long moment before turning back to Nick where he was sitting across the table from her. “Do you think Roger is in danger?”

  “I don’t know. Why don’t you call him if it’s bothering you so much?”

  “No. I don’t need to bother him. He’s coming over this morning and we’ll find out then.”

  That was when Nick got that look on his face. She knew what that look meant. She hadn’t seen it since they were in high school, but she still recognized it. So, she braced herself for what was coming.

  “Hey Laine. Last night, Roger told you how he felt about you and you didn’t say anything about it. I’d like to know just exactly what your feelings are for him.”

  She waited. He hadn’t really asked her a question yet, but she knew it was coming.

  “Oh, no you don’t. That was a question and you know it. So, answer it. How do you feel about Roger or what do you feel about him?”

  “He’s a bit arrogant.”

  “Ha! Is that all you can say about him?”

  She looked away thus effectively cutting him off and he knew it. He stood and leaned over her, so his face was almost in hers.

  “That trick won’t work Laine. I know how to get around it. I also know you like the guy, or you wouldn’t allow him to spend so much time around you. When you don’t want to be around someone, you find all sorts of ways to avoid them. And … you haven’t tried to avoid Roger one single time.”

  She had to laugh at his antics, especially his expression.

  “All right, all right. I like him.” She glared at him. “Are you satisfied now?”

  When Nick laughed, she stopped him with a hand in his face. “But that means nothing. I like you.”

  “Yeah, that’s different and you know it. You don’t like him the same way you like me.”

  She shook her head and looked back toward the sofa and Nick returned to his seat.

  “Okay. I like him but it’s too early to know where this could go if it goes anywhere at all. No man wants to be stuck with a deaf cripple.”

  “You’re not a cripple. You get around and do more than any two women. And being deaf isn’t a problem as long as people look at you when they talk.”

  She crossed her arms and continued glaring back at him.

  Nick pointed at Nicole. “That’s okay. I got you to admit that much. Now, if you’ll do some thinking about it, you might be willing to go further.”

  She decided to turn the tables on Nick. He had never approved of any boy who wanted to go out with her in high school. She wanted, no needed to know how he felt about Roger and all he’d said about his feelings for her.

  “Okay, Mr. Know-it-all. What do you think of Roger? Do you trust him to be with your twin sister? You never trusted any boy in high school.”

  She could tell that made him think and his response proved it.

  “That was in high school and those guys were way too immature for you.”

  She laughed. “I knew that was what you would say. But we’re not talking about boys now. We’re talking about a combat veteran with a law degree.”

  She could tell he didn’t like for her to have turned the table on him. He tried to avoid answering, but she kept after him.

  “Come on. You wouldn’t let me get out of answering so I won’t let you get out of it either.”

  Before he could answer, if he was even going to, her phone flashed indicating an incoming call. She turned toward it and punched the answer button. It was Roger.

  “Is it okay for me to come over now so we can continue our discussion about what you can do to protect yourself.”

  She noticed Nick leaning over her shoulder and before she could answer, he leaned toward her microphone. “Yeah. Get over here. I need your help to convince her to stay home until they catch that guy.”

  The caption showed Roger’s laughter. “I’m on my way then.”

  When she disconnected the phone, she turned to glare at Nick but the silly face he was making stopped her and made her laugh too.

  Then she remembered what they were talking about when Roger called.

  “Okay Nick. We have ten or fifteen minutes before Roger gets here so answer my question. And don’t say you don’t remember. I want to know what you think about Roger and me getting closer.”

  For a second, she thought Nick would avoid the question again, but he finally gave her a sheepish grin. “I like him too.”

  She waved her finger at him. “That’s not what I asked, and you know it.”

  Nick’s grin disappeared to be replaced by a serious face that was almost a frown. “Okay. You know I’m very protective of you, always have been. It has nothing to do with you being in that wheelchair. It’s just me being a protective twin brot
her.”

  She waited, not wanting to prompt him again.

  “I already said I like Roger. But that’s only the first step. He said he is attracted to you and that’s only one step. I won’t completely answer your question until I see more of how he treats you.”

  She started to tell him that wasn’t enough, but he stopped her this time.

  “No. Wait, Laine. Let me finish.” He took a deep breath and went on. “If he continues to treat you the way he has, then I will be okay with it.”

  Nicole felt tears trying to form, and she blinked several times to stop them. Why was she being so emotional lately?

  “Good. Thank you, Nick. I know that wasn’t easy for you to admit.”

  They sat in silence for another five minutes before Nick told her he heard Roger’s car door shut and then the doorbell flashed.

  * * *

  Roger couldn’t keep his mind off his own troubles as he drove over to Nicole’s house. He needed to put his mind on her troubles. She had enough of them.

  He may have been falsely accused, but she had someone shooting at her. Wait a minute. The new rear window in his Jeep testified to the fact he’d been shot at too.

  But had he really been shot at? He was sure that if a trained sniper like Andrews had wanted to shoot him, he’d be dead. So, what was the deal? None of the shootings seemed to be aimed at hitting anyone even though Nick did get hit. That had been a freak accident caused by a metal door frame. Andrews probably hadn’t known it was metal.

  As he pulled into Nicole’s driveway behind Nick’s car, Roger pictured Nicole in his mind. He laughed when he realized that when he thought of her, she wasn’t in her wheelchair. Interesting.

  When Nick opened the door for Roger, he said nothing but just turned around and went into the living room where Nicole was sitting in her recliner. He noticed that Nick sat on the opposite end of the couch from Nicole, leaving that end for Roger. That was good.

  Nicole’s eyes followed him as he walked across the room to sit across from her.

  “How are you this morning Nicole?”