by Becky Harmon
* * *
Steph stood and followed Jemini as she paced into the kitchen. She had seen the tears start to fall before Jemini turned. She wished she knew how to ease her pain, but the truth was she didn’t know what was causing it. Surely she wasn’t mourning Dorothy’s death. Jemini could have come back anytime over the years and she chose not to.
Jemini turned and started back toward her, her beauty overcoming the resentment and confusion Steph had been feeling. Her dark hair was thick and curly, falling around her face and giving her a hidden, mysterious appearance that appealed to Steph’s detective side. She couldn’t turn away from her or even pull her eyes away. Everything about Jemini fascinated her. She wanted to be closer to her. She wanted to hold her and comfort her, but she also wanted to feel her and taste her. She didn’t want to watch her leave when all of this was over. She wanted Jemini to want to stay and to make Riverview her home.
The candy from Jemini’s sugar overload days before still lay on the kitchen counter. Steph spotted the bright red sour balls, and her mouth watered, remembering the taste of Jemini’s mouth mixed with the tangy sweetness. Without thinking, she crossed to the counter and popped several balls into her mouth. She turned and met Jemini as she circled the counter, still pacing.
She bit into the hard candy shell, her eyes squinting at the sour explosion that filled her mouth. She pulled Jemini into her arms and pressed her mouth to hers. Sliding her tongue across her lips, she shared the essence of the tart candy. Jemini’s response was immediate; she opened her mouth, allowing Steph to push what was left of the fast-dissolving balls of sugar into her mouth. The candy was quickly forgotten as their kiss deepened. Steph’s hands found flesh between Jemini’s T-shirt and shorts, and she took advantage of the opportunity. Running her hands up Jemini’s sides, she pushed her thumbs across the hard peaks of her nipples.
Jemini took a step back, her eyes hazy with desire. “You make me forget everything I want to say.”
“What do you want to say?” Steph asked, swallowing hard.
“I’ve changed my mind. I’m not going to sell the house.”
“What? You’re not going to sell. What changed your mind? Was it my kiss?” She danced in a circle. “Oh, you’re going to love it here.”
Jemini frowned and then shook her head. “I’m not going to move here.”
Steph’s world collapsed around her. For one second, she had celebrated and had felt like her heart would burst. Everything she had ever wanted had just been given to her and she almost screamed in joy. And then Jemini had pulled the rug out from under her. Just like she had done to Dorothy for all those years. She had been stupid to think for even one second that Jemini would give her what she wanted.
* * *
The look of disappointment on Steph’s face shocked Jemini, and she dropped into a nearby chair. She had been caught up in Steph’s excitement, thinking that they had been celebrating the same thing. She thought she would be happy with her decision.
Steph spoke, her voice devoid of emotion. “That’s great, Jemini. Everyone will be happy.”
“I’m sorry if you misunderstood me. I have a home and a job in Chattanooga.”
“Right. I understand.”
She couldn’t take the emotionless look on Steph’s face. She didn’t understand why Steph was closing herself off now. Their kiss had rocked her to her knees. She had given everything she had and hoped that Steph had been able to read it. She wanted more and she wanted it from Steph.
And now she was acting like there was nothing between them. That the only way there could be was if she moved to Riverview. She was willing to consider that, but not the way Steph was forcing her hand. She needed time to explore what was happening between them, but she wouldn’t be pressured into making a decision that would change her whole life. She exploded from her chair. “What the hell do you want from me?”
“I want my friend back,” Steph said vehemently as she turned and bolted out the front door.
She couldn’t let Steph leave like this. Not with things hanging between them. She followed her to the door as Steph’s phone began to ring. She heard Steph answer and respond that she was on her way. It sounded urgent and as much as she wanted to, she knew she couldn’t delay her. She walked back into the house and collapsed onto the couch, Steph’s words still echoing in her head.
“I want my friend back.”
This time she knew Steph wasn’t talking about Dorothy. She was talking about her. Steph wanted her back. For them to be together again. She wanted that too. The connection between them had been strong when they were young, but it felt even stronger now. She couldn’t help but wonder how close they would be today if they hadn’t been separated years ago. She was sure of one thing. Steph was right. She wanted her friend back, too, but unfortunately it wasn’t that easy. She couldn’t just walk away from everything she had worked for in Chattanooga. Could she?
Chapter Thirteen
Steph didn’t have time to return to the sheriff’s department to pick up a cruiser. She drove straight to Wymer Street and parked several houses down from Sondra’s. The dispatcher had relayed a panicked call from Sondra Pace. There was someone outside her house again. She asked dispatch to send the deputies on duty for backup. She didn’t wait to find out who was coming or when they would be there. If the intruder left, she would be back to working with nothing again, and she didn’t want to wait days or weeks to get this guy. She wanted him tonight.
The dome light was still turned off from her visit the previous night, so Steph softly opened the door and slid out. She closed her door, resting it against the frame before gently clicking it closed. She watched the front of Sondra’s house as she approached. Confident he was behind the house, she moved slowly to avoid missing anything obvious. Staying in the tree line, she moved around the house until she could see the backyard.
She watched a dark figure lift the window and heft himself onto the windowsill. He or she didn’t look much taller than Steph, and the dark jeans hung off their thin body. She wanted to see what would happen if he got inside, but she couldn’t risk Sondra’s safety to do it. She approached quickly and pinned the intruder’s lower body with her chest.
“What?” a masculine voice exclaimed as he began to kick, trying to swivel around to see who held him.
“Sheriff’s department. Put your hands behind your back. Now.”
Surprisingly, he did as she asked, and she fastened a flex cuff around his wrists. She lifted his feet and pushed him through the window, climbing in behind him.
“Ms. Pace, it’s Deputy Williams,” she called loudly. She repeated her words until she got a response from Sondra. “Don’t turn on any lights.”
Stepping into the hallway, she waited until Sondra followed her voice, and then she guided her to a nearby chair.
“I’m so sorry to scare you like this, but we need to find out what’s going on here.”
“I’m okay. I was watching the street when you arrived.”
She patted Sondra’s arm. “Everything’s okay. Just stay right here.” She pulled her cell phone from her pocket and dialed dispatch. Then she sent a text to both deputies on duty.
Got one. Stay hidden. Going to see what else we can flush out.
She received two immediate positive responses. Pulling the intruder to his feet, she patted him down, removing his cell phone from his pocket. She was relieved he wasn’t carrying any kind of weapon. She guided him into the living room and pushed him back to the floor. She attached another set of flex cuffs to his feet before pulling the ski mask from his head. She recognized Troy Berry from his yearbook picture.
“All right, Troy. Want to tell me what’s going on here?”
He glanced around, pretending to be surprised. “’Posed to be a party.”
“Really? Skip the stupid lie and go right to the truth.”
“Really. That’s what I was told.”
“So, after your friend John was arrested yesterday, you were s
till stupid enough to believe the same story.”
He nodded.
Steph pulled his cell phone from her pocket and began searching his contacts. When she found Alan Mickey’s number, she hit call, holding the phone to Troy’s ear.
“Tell your friend you’re in.”
“I’m…I’m in,” Troy said into the phone.
She pulled the phone away from him and ended the call before he could say more.
“Ms. Pace, please go into your bedroom and lock the door until I tell you to come out.”
Sondra hurried down the hall, and Steph heard the lock click into place. She took a seat in the hallway where she could watch Troy and see the window his friend would come through. She should have been thinking about what these boys could be looking for, she knew, but her mind kept slipping back to Jemini and the look on her face when Steph had left. The hazy eyes filled with desire, which had quickly changed to anger. Jemini had succeeded in finding a way to make almost everyone happy. The news that she wouldn’t sell the house was good for Agnes and Kim, but Steph knew she could never be happy without Jemini in her life.
A rustle outside the window caught her attention, drawing her focus back to the window and the entrance of a second intruder. She shook her head. This was getting crazy. She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him through the window. Placing a knee in his back, she pulled his arms behind him and bound them with a set of flex cuffs. She helped him to his feet and patted him down. Setting him on the floor beside his accomplice, she cuffed his legs too.
She sent a text to the deputies.
Got a second one. See any more out there?
Nope.
Yep. Got one in a car.
She thought for a minute before texting back.
Watch him. Don’t let him leave.
She dropped to one knee in front of both boys. “Welcome to the party, Alan.”
Alan’s face was flushed, and he looked on the verge of tears. He was definitely her weakest link.
“Troy didn’t give you up. We saw you on the surveillance cameras after we picked John up last night. Tell me what you were told to do once you got into the house.”
“I…I can’t. He’ll kill my parents.”
She frowned. “The man in the car? We have him so you and your family are safe.”
Both boys looked relieved and Alan spoke first.
“There’s a letter from an attorney here that we’re supposed to find.”
She heard Sondra gasp, and she turned to find her standing in the bedroom doorway.
Resisting the urge to lecture her about not staying locked in the bedroom, she asked, “Do you know what they’re looking for?”
“Yes, but no one but my attorney knows about it. And it’s locked in a safety deposit box at the bank.”
Steph texted the deputies again.
Calling it off. Pick up the man in the car. Meet you out front in five.
“Who’s the guy in the car?” Steph asked the boys.
They both shrugged.
“How’d you meet him?”
Alan spoke again, “He approached us at the convenience store a couple of weeks ago.”
Steph stared at both of them, waiting for either to continue.
Troy picked up the story. “He offered us a hundred bucks to watch a house all night. It was easy money. We just told him if anyone came or left.”
“What house?”
“Over on Digger Street. Four eighty-two, I think.”
She wrote down the information and then looked at Sondra, but she shook her head.
“We did that a couple nights, and then we didn’t see him for a week or so. When he came back he said the house we’d been watching was broken into and the police had our names.”
“Yeah, but he could clear us if we just did another job for him,” Alan added with disgust. “I didn’t want to, but John figured it was easy money, and it would help clear us so we went along with it. Last night he told John his parents were in danger if he didn’t get into this house.”
“He didn’t tell us until tonight what we were looking for,” Troy finished.
She cut the ties holding their feet and helped both boys stand. She opened the front door and passed the boys to the deputy who was waiting before turning back to Sondra.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like you to come down to the office and see if you can identify this guy from the car.”
“Yes, definitely. I’d like to know who he is and how he knows about what I have.”
“Do you mind me asking what it is?”
Sondra shook her head. “My grandfather left me a 1930s stock certificate. When I turned thirty last month, the attorney who handled his will gave it to me. I’m not sure how much it’s worth, but the attorney estimated at least a hundred thousand. I brought it home with me while I decided whether to cash it or not. Last week I put it in a safety deposit box.”
“And you haven’t mentioned this to anyone? Not a friend or at work.”
“No. No, people act weird when they know you have money. It’s probably not enough to allow me to quit my job, so I didn’t want to tell anyone.”
“What about family members?”
“I don’t have any family around here. My closest relative is a cousin in Colorado, but he’s on the other side of the family. I’m the last one related to my grandfather, which is why I got the bond.”
“I won’t be specific in my report, so this will still be your secret. Get dressed and I’ll secure the window.”
Steph grabbed several boards and the hammer from the garage and secured the broken window. She waited for Sondra to back her car out of the garage, and then she led the way to the sheriff’s department. Inside, she took Sondra to the viewing side of the interrogation room and allowed her to get a good look at the man from the car. She talked with one of the other deputies before joining Sondra inside the room.
“We’ve identified him as Charlie Ripkin. Does that name sound familiar?” Steph asked Sondra when she returned to the viewing room.
“No, but I think he might work in my attorney’s office.”
“Okay. We’re running a check on him now.” She wrote down the name of the attorney’s office in Pensacola. “You’re welcome to hang around or you can head back home.”
“I’d like to wait until we can confirm that’s where he got my information. It gives me a little closure. I really don’t want any more late night visitors.”
Steph led her to a small break room and fixed them both a cup of coffee. “I’ll come back as soon as I know something.”
* * *
Jemini took another sip of wine. Nights of no dinner and too much wine were starting to become the standard for her in Riverview. Her body involuntarily jumped at the knock on the door. If she was honest, she had been hoping Kathleen would come by. Tonight she needed a friend and she had become so comfortable around her. She pulled the door open and smiled. “Just the person I was hoping to see.”
Kathleen raised her eyebrows. “Am I ranking higher than Steph?”
“For tonight at least.”
“I’ll take that. Can I come in or would you like to walk?”
“How about one lap and then we can return to my bottle of wine.”
“I like that idea,” Kathleen said. “Cassie and Chase are watching zombies, so I was very happy when I saw your car come in.”
They crossed the grass to the walking path and Jemini stopped to look at the reflection of the old-fashioned streetlights on the water. “I think I might have said this before and if I didn’t, I certainly thought it, but it really is beautiful here.”
“It was like coming home for me the first time I came here. If you lived in Riverview, you could visit as often as you liked.”
She smiled at Kathleen’s not-so-subtle hint. “I’ve thought about staying, but the thought of starting over is a little scary.”
“I understand. I felt the same way when I moved here.”
“Yes, but you had Cas
sie to make the move easier.”
“And you have Steph.”
She shook her head and started walking again. “I’m not so sure about that. Seems I’ve managed to piss her off once again.”
“Communication is not Steph’s best attribute. Cassie’s either, for that matter, but Cassie and I don’t have the history you and Steph have. That makes it harder for you. Once everything is out in the open, I’m sure it will be easier.”
“I thought I’d be making her happy since I’ve decided not to sell Dorothy’s property.”
“Wow. That’s great news. So, you’re going to move? You’ll love it here and I’ll love having you here.”
“Geez. You sound just like Steph. I’m not going to live in Dorothy’s house. I’m going to sign it over to Steph. I don’t need or want the money, so it seemed like a good decision, but I didn’t get a chance to tell her that part. She blew up when she heard I wasn’t moving here.”
“Well, that’s great news for Agnes and Kim. What did Steph say?”
She could hear the disappointment in Kathleen’s voice, and it reminded her of the disappointment on Steph’s face when she told her. Why did everyone think she was going to throw away her life in Chattanooga?
Maybe the question she should be asking was why was she resisting a move to Riverview? It would be a hard commute, but she was a partner and she could make it work. She had thought about it and even mentioned it to Karen, but when faced with the assumption she was pushing back. She needed time to think all of this through before she said anything to anyone, even Kathleen.
“Jemini?”
“She said that it was great and that everyone would be happy.”
“Everyone will be happy, but I’m guessing she meant everyone but her?”
Jemini shrugged. “I was trying to do the right thing.”
“It’s very nice of you, but I think you’re missing the point.”