by Becky Harmon
“Yes. When I came home from work tonight, I noticed footprints around my house. Right up at the windows. Like someone was looking in.”
Steph didn’t like what that implied, but she kept her tone neutral. “Is it okay if I come over now and look around before it gets dark?”
“That would be great.”
She could hear relief in the woman’s voice.
“Just stay inside until I get there, okay?”
“Yes, yes.”
She disconnected the call and flipped on the cruiser’s emergency lights. She didn’t think the woman was in any real danger at the moment, but after dark her prowler might return. She couldn’t afford to lose any daylight and Wymer Street was on the other side of town. Traffic was thin on a Thursday night and she only had to tap her siren twice to get the few cars out of her way.
She pulled the file up on her computer as soon as she stopped in front of the house on Wymer and quickly reviewed the circumstances surrounding the break-in. Sondra Pace did not have a deadbeat boyfriend or even an ex-boyfriend. She worked at one of the city offices and didn’t appear to hang with the wrong crowd. There were nine other houses on this block and she had spoken to each of the other homeowners. No one else had had any break-ins or thefts that they were aware of at the time of the interview.
She exited her car and crossed to Sondra’s porch, tapping lightly on the door. The curtain to the side of the door moved briefly before the door opened. Sondra Pace was a bit shorter than Steph with hair so blond it was almost white. She wore a heavy terry cloth robe over gray sweatpants and slippers on her feet.
“Hello, Ms. Pace. I’m going to be out here walking around your house and I didn’t want to scare you.”
“Okay. The footprints are all around the house behind the bushes. I wasn’t going to bother you, but the longer I thought about it the more nervous they made me. It really looks like they were looking in the windows.”
“I’m glad you called. Close all your blinds and make sure your windows are locked before it gets dark. I’ll let you know before I leave.”
Sondra nodded and stepped back inside.
Circling the house, Steph leaned between the bushes to study the footprints in the dirt. She tried to remember the last time it had rained. There wasn’t any reason someone should be this close to the house and she made a mental note to ask about a pest control service.
When she finished, she knocked on Sondra’s door again. “All windows locked and secured?”
“The one in the spare room won’t close enough to lock, but the screen is in place.”
“Do you mind if I look at it?”
“No. It’s this way.”
She followed Sondra down the narrow hallway into the first room facing the rear of the house. If she was trying to break in, this would definitely be the room she would choose. It was one of the few windows not in view of any of the neighbors or the street.
“Do you have a board or a piece of wood? I can wedge it so the window can’t be opened.”
“I might in the garage.” She followed Sondra back through the house and into the garage, flipping on the light as they entered.
“My father liked to build stuff in here, and I haven’t had a chance to clear all his stuff out yet. Feel free to look around.”
Steph sorted through several pieces of wood that had been tossed under the workbench until she found one the right length. She picked up a hammer laying on the bench and returned to the bedroom. Using the hammer, she tapped the piece of wood into place between the top of the frame and the top of the lower half of the window.
“No one will be able to open that from the outside now, but if you need to, just tap it with the hammer and it should fall out.”
“You think I have a problem, don’t you?”
“I think I’m not willing to risk your safety while I find out if you have a problem. If the investigation turns up anything, I’ll tell you.”
Sondra nodded.
Steph slid into the cruiser and radioed dispatch that she was back in service. She only had one more night on patrol and she would take advantage of it. Most weeknights were fairly quiet, and she would be able to focus on this area. The crackle of her radio interrupted her thoughts.
“Dispatch, two zero five.”
She keyed her microphone. “Two zero five, go ahead dispatch.”
“Can you check out a disturbance at Fifteen Main Street? Alcohol involved.”
“Ten-four.”
Fifteen Main Street was Jo’s Garage. Steph flipped on her emergency lights again. Jo wouldn’t contact the police unless it was something she couldn’t handle on her own, and there were few things that fell into that category. Within seconds, she screeched to a stop in front of the middle roll-up door of Jo’s business. She unsnapped her holster as she slid from the car. The lights were out upstairs and downstairs, but she could hear voices coming from the rear of the shop. She slowly walked around the building, one hand resting on the butt of her pistol.
Jo stood with her arms crossed watching a middle-aged man in blue jeans and a T-shirt attempting to climb the stairs to her apartment above the garage. Steph stepped beside her and spoke softly.
“That your date for the night?”
Jo grimaced. “I can do better than that.”
She laughed. “How’d he get here?”
“I found him sitting on the steps when I closed up for the night. I tried to steer him back to the street, but he becomes a little combative when touched.”
She watched him bounce off both handrails as he tried to raise his foot to reach the next step. “He’s going to fall down the stairs backward.”
“That’s what I was afraid of too. Or I might have just gone to bed and left him out here.”
“Wait. Is that Billy Ryan?”
“Yep.”
“Did you call Kendra? Let her come fight with him.”
Jo shrugged. “I wasn’t sure if that was a good idea since he was combative.”
“He drinks a lot, but I don’t remember ever having a call to their house. I’ve heard she keeps him in line. I don’t want to have to fight or arrest him.” She used her cell phone to call dispatch. If she arrested him it would be in the papers tomorrow, but she could save him the embarrassment if Kendra took him home. She waited on the line while dispatch dialed Billy’s house. When Kendra answered, dispatch patched her through.
“Hey, Kendra. It’s Steph Williams.”
“What’s up, Steph?”
“I have Billy over here at Jo’s Garage and I was wondering if you would want him at home or if I should take him to the sheriff’s office. He’s a little intoxicated.”
“That dumbass. I’ll come get him.”
Kendra hung up without saying good-bye.
“She’s coming to get him,” Steph relayed to Jo as they watched Billy’s boot-covered foot hang in midair while he searched for the next step, the handrails keeping him centered and upright.
Kendra arrived within minutes, Billy having only missed his house by about two blocks. Steph met her in the parking lot and they walked around the garage together. Kendra was a few inches taller than Billy, but her wide frame certainly gave her the advantage.
“Billy! Bring your ass down those steps right now!” Kendra called as soon as she saw where he was.
“Baby,” Billy slurred. “I’m trying to get home. I’m late, but I’ll be there in just a minute.” He turned back to the stairs with renewed vigor and continued to climb.
“Billy Ryan! Do not take another step.”
“I got an idea,” Steph said as she moved underneath the stairs. She jumped and caught the braces on the back of the deck, pulling herself onto the boards. Climbing the rest of the way, she rolled under the porch railing and onto the deck. She stood and walked to the stairway, looking down at Billy.
“Billy. This is not your house. Turn around and follow Kendra.”
Billy looked up in surprise, and Kendra closed the gap to him. Pla
cing her hand on his back, she kept him from toppling over backward.
“This isn’t my house?” Billy slurred.
“No, baby. This is not our house.” Kendra laced her arm through Billy’s and began pulling him back down the stairs.
He went willingly at first, but then he yanked his arm from Kendra’s grasp.
“I can do it myself,” he said, falling against the handrails.
Kendra took his arm again. “No, you can’t. Look at me, Billy. I’m going to help you down the steps and then we can go home.”
“Okay. I’m late so I gotta hurry. Kendra will be mad.”
Kendra rolled her eyes at Steph but didn’t try to convince him differently. At the bottom of the stairs, Billy took his first steps without the handrails to hold him up and fell over backward. His flailing arms collided with Steph, knocking her into the handrail.
“Shit.” She pushed Billy back into a standing position and followed him and Kendra around the garage to their car. With Billy safely lying across the backseat, Kendra climbed into the driver’s seat.
“I’ll follow you and help get him in the house,” Steph called as Kendra shut her door.
“Meet you at the diner in ten?” Jo asked her.
She nodded, quickly sliding into her cruiser and following Kendra’s car. Kendra wasted no time getting home and dragging Billy from the car. She remained at a distance and let Kendra walk him into the house. Once he was facedown on the couch, she returned to the diner.
“Oh, man. You’re gonna have a shiner,” Jo said when Steph slid onto the bench across from her.
She touched the tender spot on her cheek. “Shit.”
“Hey, Doc. We need an ice pack over here,” Jo called to the woman behind the counter. Sally Hamrick, the owner of the diner, turned to look at Jo and Steph.
“What the hell happened to you?” she asked as she moved around the counter and stepped over to their table.
Steph forced herself to remain still while Sally tilted her chin up toward the light. She groaned when Sally gently touched the sore spot below her eye.
“That’s a beautiful blue you’re sporting. What happened?” Sally asked again.
“She tangled with Billy Ryan,” Jo explained.
“Geez, what did Billy do now?”
“He was drunk and missed his apartment by about two blocks. What do you think, Doc? Will she live?”
Steph tried to glare at Jo from the corner of her eye.
“I don’t feel any obvious damage. You should have it X-rayed, but I know you won’t.” Sally released Steph’s chin. “I’ll get you some ice.”
“Now that you’ve been examined by a veterinarian, do you feel better?” Jo teased.
“Retired veterinarian,” Sally countered as she tossed the bag of ice across the counter and onto their table.
“Nice throw, Doc,” Steph called as she held the bag to her cheek.
“You guys want some food?”
“Grilled cheese and tomato soup, please,” Jo responded first.
“That works for me too,” Steph added.
Jo lowered her voice. “I heard Ms. Rivers is selling everything?”
“That’s what she says.”
“Well, that would certainly suck for Agnes and Kim.”
“Yeah. She says she’ll try to find someone who will continue to rent to them.”
“So she’s going to decline the developer’s big money?”
Cringing, she dropped the ice pack onto the table. She knew that damn realtor looked too happy earlier. “I didn’t know she had an offer already.”
“Yeah. Richard’s wife was in earlier and she said he was all excited about the offer.”
“I guess the money is all they can see.”
“They just moved here a couple of months ago. I’m sure someone will set them straight about Agnes and Kim.”
“So, what convinced Ms. Rivers to make sure the new owners would keep the tenants? I heard she was only interested in selling and getting out of town.”
What had convinced her? Was it that kiss? She thought about the kiss and how good Jemini had felt in her arms. “Agnes bullied her.”
Jo laughed. “That’s hard to see.”
“It was for me too and I was there.”
Sally arrived with their food, setting plates and bowls in front of them. She added glasses of water and a cup of coffee for Steph. “Need anything else?”
“We’re good. Thanks, Doc.”
“You guys talking about how to make that luscious beauty stay in Riverview?” Sally took a step back and leaned against the table behind her.
“You want to work your charm on her, Doc?” Jo asked. “Maybe you can convince her to stay.”
Steph felt her face grow warm. She liked Sally, but the thought of anyone touching Jemini made her blood boil.
“I have some charms left, smartass. I might be retired, but I’m not dead.”
“What do you think, Steph? Should we risk a bet?” Jo teased.
“Jemini doesn’t want to stay in Riverview.”
“When did she become Jemini?” Jo raised her eyebrows.
“I think someone else was working their charms. I can’t compete with the deputy.” Sally sashayed behind the counter.
Steph tried to keep her voice even but the sarcasm still squeezed out in her words. “We already knew she preferred her life in Tennessee to Riverview. She didn’t have time for us before Dorothy died, so she’s certainly not going to have time for us now.”
Jo held up her hands. “Truce. I didn’t mean to hit a nerve. She can sell it and move on for all I care. As long as Agnes and Kim have a place to stay.”
“Yeah.” Steph dropped her gaze to her food. Suddenly she wasn’t hungry anymore. She wrapped the sandwich in a napkin to take with her and took a few bites of the soup. Her stomach churned. She didn’t want Jemini to be on her way. She wanted Jemini to stay. No, she wanted Jemini to want to stay.
Jo dropped her spoon into her empty bowl. “I’m going to head home. Thanks for clearing my path.” After dropping some cash on the table, she waved to Sally and was gone.
Steph added cash to Jo’s stack and hurried out behind her. She didn’t want Sally to see she hadn’t eaten her soup or that she was taking her sandwich to go. The diner was the local center for gossip, and she didn’t want to be the topic of conversation. Everyone already knew way too much about her personal life already. The last thing she needed was for anyone to pick up on how she felt about Jemini.
She swung by the sheriff’s office and filled out an incident report for the call to Jo’s garage. She didn’t include Billy Ryan’s name, hoping to keep the gossipers at bay a while longer. If she knew Kendra, though, and she did, the story would probably be all over town by morning. She tracked down the other deputy on duty and filled him in about her plans to watch the Pace house throughout the night in between her patrols.
As she approached the edge of town, she noticed a familiar black Mercedes pulled to the side of the road. Recognizing the license plate, she dropped the cruiser into park and took a deep breath. She could wait here until Jemini was safely back in her car. Or she could go and find her. She turned off the engine and stared at the orange and yellow sky.
Would Jemini be happy to see her? Probably not, but she’d take the chance anyway. The last rays of sunlight were fading fast, so she pulled her flashlight from its spot beside her seat. She moved softly through the bushes, following the well-worn trail leading to the rusty iron trestle bridge. A few years ago, the city had declared it a historic landmark and paid to reinforce the supports holding it up. The wooden planks creaked as she stepped up onto the bridge. She could see Jemini about halfway across, leaning on the railing, her forearms supporting her weight as she gazed off into the distance. Her thick, dark curly hair fell around her face and she brushed it back with a finger.
Steph walked down the wooden planks, moving closer to her before speaking. “Thinking about jumping?”
Jem
ini turned at the sound of her voice and smiled. “Not today, Deputy.”
She leaned on the railing beside Jemini, feeling the heat from Jemini’s body against her side. The feeling of holding Jemini in her arms was still fresh in her mind. What if she did it again? Would Jemini resist this time?
“I was remembering the time Dorothy brought us up here and let us swing from the rope under the bridge.” Jemini’s voice was soft and husky with sadness.
“That was fun.” She leaned her shoulder into Jemini’s, wanting to wipe away any sad memories. “My mom was furious with her for letting us swing on that old rope.”
“Until you told her that Dorothy had tested it first.”
“Remember the way Dorothy screamed?” Steph asked as the smooth sound of Jemini’s laughter joined hers. She would never forget that cloudy day so many years ago. It was one of her final memories of the time before Jemini left. It hadn’t been long after Jemini’s father’s funeral and Dorothy had been sad. It wasn’t the last time she and Dorothy had swung out over the riverbed, but she knew better than to mention that to Jemini, especially at this moment.
“What happened to the river?” Jemini asked.
“There were a lot of different contributors, but I think the main one was the rerouting of the flow for the crops up north. From most of the old pictures, it was never a really big river to begin with.”
“It just seems strange for Riverview to have no river.”
“That’s because it wasn’t named after a river.”
Jemini shrugged. “Yeah, Kathleen was telling me that my ancestors had something to do with it.”
“They did. And Dorothy contributed too. She was on every board the town created. From Christmas decorations to a committee for the advancement of Riverview. They even considered changing the name of the town a few years ago, but it never gained any momentum.”
“I’m afraid to ask what the suggestions were.”
“Nothing good.” She stepped away from the railing as the last remaining rays faded in the sky. “Shall we go?”
She pulled her flashlight from the ring on her belt and took Jemini’s hand. It felt natural, and she held it a little tighter when Jemini didn’t pull away. The glow from the flashlight cast eerie shadows around the path as they walked. When they reached Jemini’s car, she clicked the light off. Jemini turned toward her, and she couldn’t nor did she want to stop her hand from stroking her soft cheek. She felt her lean into the touch. She wanted to kiss her. Oh, how she wanted to kiss her. The effects from their earlier kiss still lingered and she could still taste the sour candy. Her heart raced as she took a step closer, pressing Jemini into the side of the car. Jemini’s hands spread across her back, pulling her even closer. Time stood still as their lips met. She inhaled the sweet smell of lavender, forgetting the fact that she was standing beside the road until the radio microphone attached to her shoulder crackled and dispatch sent the other deputy on duty out on a call.