by Robin Mahle
“That’s what fans are for,” she replied. “Do you think I’m made of money?”
“That’s okay. It’s not that bad in here,” Gracie said. “I’ll go put my things upstairs.”
“I’ll give you a hand.” Ethan followed her up the staircase, the treads popping with each step.
“I need to take a look at those stairs,” Dillon said. “Hey, Mom, I’m going to take off. Marjorie’s got her hands full. But if you and Gracie need anything, just give me a call and I’ll come over.” He walked to Ellen and kissed her cheek. “Love you.”
“Love you too.” Ellen placed her hand on his shoulder. “Thank you for driving, sweetheart. I’m grateful to have been able to be there.”
“I know. You did good, Mom.”
The underlying meaning wasn’t lost on Ellen. It had been tough for all of them to see the life Jack had chosen. He seemed to be a much better father to those kids than he was to any of them. It was a bitter pill to swallow.
“Riley.” Dillon gestured for her to approach.
“Yeah?”
“Are you going to be okay here with Jacob and Ethan?”
“I’m fine. It’s those two who keep pissing on each other.”
“You know why that is, right?” Dillon asked.
“I know what you’re thinking. Ethan had a thing for me and now he’s dating Gracie. Maybe he finally got over it. Did you ever think of that? A lot’s changed in the past few months. I think Ethan realized it was a lost cause, and frankly, I’m glad he did. It was getting in the way of our friendship.”
“If you say so, Riley. Look, I have to head out. Just get Gracie settled in. I’m sure Mom will be grateful for the company.” Dillon started out the door. “I’ll give you a call later.”
The notion that Ethan Pruitt was seeing Gracie for the sole objective of making Riley jealous was absurd. He was a kind and caring person and would not, for one second, intentionally hurt Gracie or use her in any way. Dillon was wrong. Jacob was wrong. And in time, they would see it too.
Riley closed the door behind Dillon and walked into the family room. “I need to go into the station, Mom. I can come back later this evening. Do you need me to pick up anything?”
“I have Gracie here with me now. She can take my car and run to the store if need be. You go on. I know you have work.” Ellen approached her. “None of this would have been possible without you—and Dillon. Don’t think I don’t appreciate that.”
“I know you do, Mom.” Riley smiled before turning her attention up the stairs. “Hey, Gracie, I need to take off.”
At the top of the staircase, Gracie, who stood only slightly shorter than Riley, but was much slimmer, peered at her. “I have things under control, Sis. See you later.”
Ethan approached and stood behind Gracie. “Are you going into the station?”
“Yeah. I figured I should check in and see how things were going since we missed Friday.”
Ethan turned to Gracie. “I should go too, but I can come back later.”
“Okay. No problem. It’ll give me time to get settled in and catch up with Mom.”
“I’ll come with.” Ethan trotted down the steps and met Riley at the bottom. He shot a gaze to Jacob. “Is he coming with us?”
“I’ll drop him off at home,” Riley said. “Is that okay?” She turned to Jacob.
“Sure. I can catch up on my emails at home.”
“Then it’s settled.” Riley again opened the front door. “See you guys later. Have fun.” She led the way to her car that had been left at the house and walked to the driver’s side.
Ethan and Jacob appeared to be at a standoff as to who would sit in the front seat. Finally, Riley interjected, “Ethan, why don’t you jump in up front. Jacob’s getting out at the house anyway and it’s only a short drive there.”
A triumphant smile appeared on Ethan’s lips as he opened the passenger door. “Sounds like a plan.”
Jacob slipped into the back seat.
Riley avoided any manner of discussion about Gracie as she and Ethan returned to the stationhouse. It was late afternoon and the day had proven long with the drive back from Indianapolis.
Perhaps what weighed more heavily on her mind was what Nate had said, or rather, thought. The boy of twelve had the gift and showed off his skills the day of Gracie’s graduation. He was only slightly older than Riley had been at the lowest point in her life when the gift was still uncontrollable. The idea that someone else in Jack’s family would have been bestowed such a life-altering and terrifying ability had haunted Riley for some time. Neither of her full siblings had it, but Nate, the youngest son of Jack Thompson, appeared to. She wondered if Jack knew, and if he did, what had he been prepared to do to help the boy? He could not go through it alone. Riley had Carl and Dan Ward, but who did Nate have?
“Riley?” Ethan peered at her. “What’s wrong? Why are we just sitting here in the parking lot?”
“What’s that?” She was pulled back into the moment. “Oh. Sorry.” Riley turned off the engine. “I guess I got lost in thought.”
“Anything you want to talk about?”
“No. We should go in.” Riley stepped out of the car and started toward the entrance to the station.
Lowell Abrams and Chris Decker, the night shift cops, had just arrived. And as usual, it was Abrams who was prepared with the quip. “Look who decided to show up for work today.” He sat at his desk and threw his feet on top of it. “A little late, don’t you think?”
“You know we were scheduled to have yesterday and today off. The captain gave us permission, so if you have a problem with that, maybe you should take it up with him,” Riley said.
“Geez, Riley. Take it easy. I’m just giving you shit.” Abrams was a couple of years older than Riley. While he was easy to look at with short wavy brown hair, a strong chin, and deep brown eyes, his personality left little to be desired. He fancied himself a man’s man, which really meant he spouted off sexist jokes and was a jerk most of the time. His only redeeming quality was that he was a hell of a good cop and would have Riley’s back without hesitation.
She tried to look beyond his false bravado but was in no mood to deal with him today. Riley had enough machismo between Ethan and Jacob and didn’t need Lowell Abrams to add to it. “Speaking of the captain, is he here? I thought I saw his car outside.”
“In the john, last I checked.” Chris Decker was at the opposite end of the spectrum to his partner. The same age as Riley, he was slightly pudgy with dark hair, decent-looking, but not handsome in the Hollywood sense. But it was his heart that Riley adored most of all. He was the type of man to give the shirt off his back and he would defend Riley, or any of them, without question.
Riley hadn’t developed much of a friendship with either of them until the day at the warehouse ten months ago. They’d witnessed, first-hand, Riley’s abilities. And while frightening for anyone, they remained loyal to her regardless. They’d all become closer since that day and their loyalty to her was genuine, not because of fear. She could sense that in each of them and it put her at ease. It put all of them at ease. But the friendly rivalry between the day shift and the night shift would survive.
“Did I hear my name?” Captain Ward appeared from the hall. “Hey, I wasn’t expecting to see you two here today.”
“We got in a few hours earlier than expected and thought it best to stop in and see how things were going,” Riley said.
“No trouble, right, boys?” Ward peered at Abrams and Decker.
“Nope. No trouble, Boss,” Abrams replied.
Riley wanted to take Ward aside and tell him about her half-brother, but there were times when she had to remind herself that she was his subordinate and there was protocol in place. He would never see it that way, but it was her way of becoming more reliant upon herself. Ward had been more of a father to her than Jack ever was, but she was an adult now. Carl was gone and it was time Riley figured things out on her own.
“Good. Wel
l, I’ll just get caught up on some paperwork.” Riley sat down at her desk. She peered at Ethan. “Might be a good idea to check in on the Crooked Horse soon.” She returned her attention to Ward. “Has anyone stopped in recently, like we talked about?”
“Not since you left on Thursday. Decker here dropped in on what, Wednesday night around midnight?”
“That’s right. Nothing unusual that I could see or get a sense that anyone was trying to hide anything. I agree though, might be a good idea to stop in again in the next day or so just to keep those guys on their toes,” Decker replied.
“I couldn’t agree more,” Ward added. “Owensville’s got some new folks in town and let’s just say we need to keep them informed as to the rules around here.” He started toward his office. “Let me know if anyone needs anything. I’ll be in my office.” He turned briefly and eyed Riley.
He knew something was up. He usually did. But Riley didn’t take him up on the offer. First and foremost, with Abrams and Decker on hand, she didn’t want to draw the attention. And then there was Ethan, who’d already felt slighted by their close bond.
Instead, Riley opted to catch up on her work and go home to Jacob. The time had come for Riley to be dependent on only herself. Ward needed to let her out from under his wing. She was ready.
Riley was greeted at home by CJ, his tongue and tail wagging with delight. “Hey, CJ! Who’s a good boy?” One could never understate the importance of the unconditional love of a pet. It was Riley’s salvation on those days when her thoughts turned to Carl, or when a particularly terrible crime had been committed. Thankfully, that didn’t happen often.
However, this wasn’t the only warm welcome Riley would receive tonight. The pleasant aroma of grilled chicken passed her senses. She continued inside and made her way into the kitchen. “Look at you.”
Jacob stood at the stove with his back to her and spun around. “Welcome home. I figured I should whip up some dinner. I know it’s been a tough few days.”
Jacob didn’t possess Riley’s gift for insight, but he had known her since the age of ten and had become familiar with just about every facet of her personality, including the gift, and still loved her.
“What a nice surprise. Thank you. And thanks for picking up CJ from the kennel.” She slid her hand across his back and leaned in to kiss him. “This is exactly what I needed.” Riley peered at the table, which was already set, and noticed the candles and flowers. “Maybe my skills have rubbed off on you.”
“Go and get changed. You have a few minutes. I’ll pour you a glass of wine.”
Riley paused for a moment, thinking of the buttery chardonnay as it would swirl on her tongue. She didn’t drink for a good many reasons. One of which was her father and the other, well, it tended to open her mind to receive the thoughts and images from others she tried so hard to stave off. But no one was around tonight. It was just the two of them. Maybe it would be okay. Just one glass. “Sounds perfect.”
She started into the hall and toward the master bedroom of her small cottage-style home. The day was beginning to fall from her shoulders. Gracie was looking after their mother. Ethan had Gracie and Riley’s life with Jacob seemed like a fairytale, if one’s fairytale included the ability to see the worst in people. Okay, maybe fairytale was a stretch, but she was feeling normal again.
Riley returned to the kitchen wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Her gun was stowed away, her boots under her bed, and her thin blonde hair pulled back in a messy bun. “This smells delicious. I’m starving.” She spotted Jacob at the stove, switching off the burners.
He turned to her.
Her eyes widened and she screamed. “Jacob!” Riley rushed toward him. “What happened? You’re bleeding!” She ripped several paper towels from the roll under the cabinet and doused them in water from the kitchen faucet. “Oh my God. What happened?” She began wiping away the blood on his face and neck with speed in search of the origin of the spillage that dripped onto the tile floor.
“Riley! Riley, stop!” Jacob pulled away her hands. “What are you doing? I’m fine. See? I’m fine. I’m okay.”
Riley pulled back and shook her head as if to clear it. Her eyes landed on him again, only this time, there was no blood. No sign of any injury at all. “What? I don’t understand. You were bleeding.”
“Baby, I wasn’t bleeding. I’m okay. Look.” He wiped at his face and showed her his palms. “No blood.” He held her gaze. “What did you see?”
“I—I don’t know. You turned around and…” She couldn’t finish and could only stare at his face to be sure this wasn’t a trick. But a trick had been played on her. Her mind had shown her something horrific.
He regarded her with worry. “You had a vision. Your forehead is sweaty.” He rubbed her palms. “Your hands are sweaty too. “Riley, is something going to happen to me?”
The notion of Riley getting any sort of rest last night was laughable. She put at ease Jacob’s concerns and insisted the vision was nothing more than a result of the stressful weekend. She was pretty sure he bought it. Either that, or he didn’t want to admit how frightened he was.
The wonderful and thoughtful dinner Jacob had cooked was spoiled by the grotesque interruption. Riley had refused the wine, though it would have helped take off the edge. The risk of another terrifying vision was enough to put her off the idea altogether. So they lingered in silence and went to bed in silence.
Today was a new day, however, and Riley had to push back the misfire in her mind and do the job she was supposed to do. Jacob was at work and today needed to be like any other day.
“Morning, Riley.” Ethan sipped on his coffee as he sat at his desk. “You look tired. Everything all right?”
“Fine. Just one of those nights. How was your night? Did you go back to my mom’s place to see Gracie?”
“Actually, no. She wanted to spend some time with Ellen, which I can understand. I’ll see her tonight. I’m taking dinner over there.”
“Thank you. That’s kind of you to do that,” Riley said.
“What can I say? I’m a thoughtful individual.” He smiled.
“Have you seen last night’s service call log yet?”
Ethan nodded. “Yep. No news. Guess that’s supposed to be good news, right?”
“Did Abrams and Decker pay another visit to the bar?” she pressed on, no longer in the mood for small talk.
“No. I thought you said you wanted to take a trip down there today. I assume they held off because of that. It’s not like we can harass the owner. Technically, they’ve done nothing wrong.”
“I suppose you’re right. Yeah, maybe we’ll run out there later today, say around happy hour time?”
“Sure. Sounds good.”
Riley’s speakerphone came to life. “Riley, you mind coming in here for a moment?”
“Sure, Captain.” She stood and peered at Ethan. “Anything I should know about before going inside?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
Riley nodded and walked into Ward’s office. “Hey, Captain. What’s going on?”
“I heard you had an incident last night. Care to talk about it?”
As she sat down in the chair opposite him, she began, “Who told you that?” Though she already knew.
“Jacob called me a little while ago. Said you had a pretty bad vision. Are you doing okay? It’s been a while since you experienced something like that. Not since, what, not since Carl died, right?”
“It was nothing. A misfire, which was exactly what I told Jacob. To be honest, I’m a little ticked off he told you.”
“Don’t be mad at the kid. He was concerned, and rightly so. But you’re doing okay? Didn’t see anything else that bothered you?”
“No. That was plenty, believe me. But I’m fine. And I really think it’s best if we don’t have these types of conversations anymore.”
Ward appeared taken aback. “What do you mean?”
“I mean the rest of the guys. I don’t want them t
o see me as a freak or someone who needs to be looked after because she might just lose it. Dan, it can’t be like that. Not anymore. I need to handle things on my own. You’ve done your job. You taught me how to channel feelings and I appreciate that more than you know. But the time’s come for me to figure out this stuff on my own.”
Ward raised his hands in surrender. “Okay. I won’t ask how you’re doing. Far be it from me to overstep.”
“You’re not. It’s just…”
“I know, Riley. I get it. I’ll pull back. Maybe you’re right. I’ve been too much like a helicopter parent and, well, you’re not my kid. Not that I don’t love you like you are, but that’s beside the point.”
“Thank you. That doesn’t mean I don’t need you. I just need to handle things on my own, as best I can anyway.” She pushed up from the chair. “Ethan and I are going to run out to the Crooked Horse later today. I’d like to chat with the owner and just make sure he knows we’re only looking out for the safety of his patrons.”
“Okay. You let me know how that goes.”
6
When Alex Laughlin arrived at the offices of HVM Builders, his stomach was already in knots. A gambler he was, but tonight’s so-called friendly game of poker was going to be anything but friendly. Silas had made it crystal clear he was to lose so the others could win back their money. That wasn’t how things worked, but in Silas’ world, that was exactly the way it was going to be.
The one thing working in Alex’s favor was that he hadn’t spent the money. Silas approached him only a day after he raked in the $3000, and while he’d had big plans for the extra dough, it was a good thing he hadn’t followed through on any of it. To go back there tonight and essentially return the money wasn’t something he relished. Then again, he didn’t relish the wrath of Silas Levin, the man who owned the Crooked Horse and, as legend had it, was prone to taking out his aggressions at random.
What was worse was that the heat had been on the bar thanks to a scuffle the previous week in which Alex hadn’t been involved. Regardless, it now seemed the cops in this backwater town were always stopping in just to make their presence known. What would happen if they were there tonight? It was an illegal game with fairly high stakes, at least for Owensville.