Broken Women Healing Embrace

by Anne Hagan

  Dana chuckled at that but then sobered. “Okay ladies; break’s over. Let’s get this stuff moved out of town before Mel runs out of things for Janet to do and she hits the street on whatever case she’s working on.”

  Outside, Dana got into Mel’s loaded down pickup truck and waited while her mama and Amy got settled back into her SUV then she set out for Morelville.

  She laid on the gas a little going past Barb’s bar and grill on the off chance that the Tuesday lunch rush wasn’t quite busy on a beautiful June day and Barb managed a minute to step out of the kitchen to catch a breather. She glanced in the rear view mirror. Her mama didn’t miss a beat. She kept right up with her.

  At Barb’s house, they set about unloading both vehicles and getting everything inside as quickly as they could. Once it was all staged in the entry hall, Dana stood back and took stock.

  “I wish we knew where she was staying so we could go and empty that place too. She didn’t take anything out of storage so she can’t have much there,” she said. “Just a uniform or two since she’s in plain clothes most of the time and whatever other clothing and personal stuff she had here, I guess.”

  “Mel can’t find out?” Amy asked. “I mean, she’s her boss. Doesn’t she have to give the department an address?”

  Dana threw her hands up. “That’s just it. Mel wants left out of it all. I just couldn’t bring myself to ask her to get me that too. Besides, I’m going to need her to play along later for the rest of our plan to work.”

  “What about her assistant?” Chloe asked. “Could she find out?”

  “Holly? I suppose…I don’t know.”

  “It’s worth a try, Dana. The worst she can do is say no.”

  “Bet she doesn’t,” Amy said. “I mean, I don’t know her but she called here a couple of times for Janet because her cell doesn’t pick up that well down here. I’ve talked to her and she seems nice.”

  “She is,” Dana said. “And that gives me a couple of new ideas but I’m going to have to talk to Holly on the down low. Any effort we make to go and get any of her other stuff would be just a tiny bit illegal without her permission. Holly’s still a cop, after all.”

  ‘And,’ Dana thought, ‘so is Janet…this whole operation could blow up on us.’ She spun in a slow circle looking at the stuff arrayed around her. Satisfied, she said, “Okay, here’s the newly revised plan. Amy, you take the cooler and the other food to the kitchen and get started on the meal prep. I’ll call the bakery and find out how Hannah is coming with their dessert. I kind of feel bad that we left her to fend for herself today.”

  “Isn’t Faye there?” Chloe asked.

  “I didn’t ask her to come in for me today Mama. I didn’t want to have to explain anything and Hannah swore she could handle it all herself. Besides, Faye has Jef today.” For Amy’s benefit, Dana added, “That’s Hannah’s toddler.”

  Chloe, nodding, addressed Amy. “Faye’s just not as hip as me and you but I’m working on her.”

  “People don’t say hip anymore Mama.”

  Chloe waved a hand dismissively at her daughter.

  “Anyway, I’ll also call Holly and see if she can’t give us a little assist. I’m not promising anything there but, if she can, I’ll run out to wherever Janet is staying and see what I can find out.”

  “So, I’m on my own then to organize Janet’s stuff?” Chloe asked.

  “I’ll help until we can find out something from Holly but I’m betting you’ll work faster alone.”

  Chloe grinned. Her daughter knew her well.

  11:16 AM

  Muskingum County Sheriff’s Department

  “Mason?”

  “Back here.”

  Holly rounded the corner of the row of storage racks and found Janet standing in front of a table going through a file box. Several other dusty, old file boxes surrounded her on the floor. “Any luck?”

  Janet shook her head no. “I told the Sheriff, this is a wild goose chase. I’m about to give up and call it lunch.”

  “Oh,” Holly said. “I’d help if I could, I really would but I have something I have to run out and do. Mel really needs those photos from that case. That’s why she had the meeting with the commissioner this morning. He’s getting on her something about that old case.”

  “She didn’t tell me that.”

  Holly nodded. “That’s her. She’d be doing this herself if she had the time. I’m sure she appreciates you doing it and so do I. How about this; how about I grab you some lunch while I’m out? I shouldn’t be long.”

  “Would you? That would be great.

  “Sure, sure. Pizza? A Burger? A sub?”

  “Whatever you’re having. I’m not picky.”

  “Well, all right then.” Holly pretended to start to go and then turned back. “I almost forgot the whole reason I came down here.”

  Janet tilted her head and looked at the other woman.

  “I know you sold your…house. I’m trying to get the personnel files up to date and I realized we don’t have a good address for you.” She held out the notepad and pen she’d been holding.

  Janet scribbled the apartment address on it and handed it back.

  “Thanks. I’ll be back before you know it with food.” She turned to leave.

  “Do you want some money?” Janet called after her.

  Holly waved her off. “I’ve got it. You just keep looking.”

  In the hallway, she tore the top sheet with Janet’s new address on it off the pad and stuffed it in her pocket then walked up the hall and into the squad bay. Shane Harding was just leaving.

  She nodded to Janet’s counterpart, in passing, then sauntered over to their back to back desks. She dropped the notepad and pen on Janet’s side then slid the top, left desk drawer open. She took Janet’s keys out of the drawer and pocketed those too.

  ‘Mission accomplished.’

  Chapter 25

  4:09 PM, Tuesday, June 23rd

  “Ms. Wysocki?”

  “Yes?”

  “This is Deputy Treadway with the Muskingum County Sheriff’s Department.”

  “It’s Joe, right?” Barb asked.

  “Yes ma’am.”

  “You don’t have to be so formal with me, Joe. I haven’t seen you and your wife in, in a while. We got a fish fry coming up this Friday, in case you didn’t know.”

  “That sounds good and I’ll mention it to Sue but, unfortunately, this isn’t a personal call.” Treadway winced on his end of the line but he did his best to keep his voice even. He wasn’t a good liar and he was glad he wasn’t face to face with Barb.

  “Is something wrong?”

  “Nothing serious but I really need you to come down here to your house as soon as possible. Someone hit a deer out front, veered off the road, across your driveway and took out a length of your fence. The car can’t move and there’s, uh, quite a bit of damage. A tow’s on the way for the vehicle but we need you to come and see it and give us some information for the police report.”

  “Oh, wow. Is the driver okay?”

  “Yes…sure but we still need to do the report. I figure you’ll need a copy of it for your insurance company.”

  “Okay. I’ll be there in about ten minutes. Maybe sooner.”

  “Drive safe.”

  ###

  “Sheriff, what’s your twenty?” Holly’s voice came over the dispatch radio.

  Mel picked up the mike. “Mason and I are just leaving the scene of that break-in, in Duncan Falls.”

  ‘Good,’ Holly thought. ‘They’re close.’ She keyed the mike again. “There’s been an accident in front of 2404 Rosewood, in Morelville. Patrol is requesting assistance.”

  “En-route, ETA is about 10 minutes, Mel answered as she flipped on her lights and siren. ‘Here we go,’ she thought to herself as she glanced over at Janet. The address, a couple doors and about half a mile up the road before Barb’s place, hadn’t clicked for her yet.

  Janet latched onto something else thou
gh and Mel had to give her credit for being sharper than she though. “Why is Holly doing dispatches’ job?”

  Mel shrugged, mumbled something she hoped sounded noncommittal and looked straight ahead at the road.

  In Morelville, realization dawned on the detective when Mel turned on to Rosewood. “What the hell’s going on, Sheriff?”

  Still trying to play it cool and keep herself detached from whatever grand scheme Dana had dreamed up and had even drew Holly into, Mel reminded her, “there’s been an accident.”

  Janet scanned the half mile of road leading up to Barb’s place. “There’s no accident.”

  Giving up on staying out of it any more than she was already in it, Mel told her, “Yes, there has been. Two people close to me are hurting and they need to work it out.” She turned her county SUV into Barb’s driveway and started up it. She could see Barb and Joe Treadway talking, Barb very animatedly, on her front porch.

  ‘I’m not getting out. Whatever’s going on, you cooked up and tried to set me up so you deal with it. She doesn’t want to talk to me anyway. Look at her.” She waved a hand in Barb’s direction.

  “You will get out of the vehicle and you will act like an adult. That’s an order.”

  “Seriously?” Janet glared at her boss.

  “Seriously!”

  Mel parked behind Barb’s SUV blocking it in and leaving the way open for Treadway to leave in his cruiser. ‘Treadway too.’ Mel shook her head slightly, to herself. ‘That little detail has Holly written all over it.’

  When she and Janet dismounted and headed toward the porch, her deputy offered up a half salute.

  “Mission complete, Sheriff.” He tipped his hat to Janet as he came down the two steps to the sidewalk and then brushed past them to go to his patrol car.

  “What’s going on, Mel?” Barb asked. She didn’t look at Mel though. She only had eyes for Janet.

  Janet hung back. Mel took hold of her sleeve and tugged her toward the porch.

  “There are, apparently, several people who love the two of you and who know you’re both hurting right now.” She looked back and forth between them as Janet finally faced Barb and the two of them stared at each other.

  “I wanted to stay out of this,” Mel continued, but I can’t. Barb, we had our differences in the past but you’re one of my oldest friends. I hate to see you hurting and I know that you are. You can’t deny it.”

  Barb swallowed hard and nodded, afraid to speak as tears dotted the corners of her eyes and threatened to fall.

  “Janet, you’re my employee and I need you to be on top of your game at all times…and, lately, you’re not.”

  Janet started to speak.

  Mel held up a hand. “I’m not finished. Hear me out.”

  The younger woman nodded and dipped her head. She stared at the ground rather than look at either Mel or Barb.

  “You and Dana are getting close and I’d like to think we’re becoming friends as well. That doesn’t mean I’m going to let you slide though. You’ve hurt Barb, and you’ve hurt yourself and it’s hurting everything else.”

  Janet raised her head again and shuddered visibly as she looked at Barb.

  “All of these people that care about the two of you went to a lot of trouble today. As I understand it,” she pointed at the front door, “there’s a pretty amazing meal waiting in there for you. You need to go inside, eat and talk and not come out until you’ve cleaned your plates and resolved something one way or another.”

  Janet wasn’t quite ready to give up on her anger at being set up. “What else can we do? You’re not playing fair. I mean, after all, the whole break-in in Duncan Falls thing was probably staged to get me down here. I don’t have a car to leave so I’m stuck here.” She pointed at Barb. “Do you honestly think she’s going to take me home after this?”

  “That’s the one thing today that wasn’t staged and, for the record, you are home.”

  Chapter 26

  Barb stood in shock as she watched Mel leave.

  “Hey, are you okay?” Janet asked her.

  The strawberry blond shivered a little, despite the warmth of the afternoon. “I don’t know. We…I know you don’t want to be here…don’t want to talk to me. I get that. If you want to leave, I can take you to…wherever.”

  Janet sighed. “It’s not that I don’t want to talk to you. It’s just…it’s just, I don’t have any idea what to say to you anymore. I don’t know what to do. Everything I do try to do seems to set you off. The other night…” She raised her hands up in mock surrender.

  It was Barb’s turn to hang her head. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  They stood there silently for several long seconds and then Barb spoke, breaking through the tension. “Why don’t we go in? I…I, for one, could eat and we could, maybe try to talk…if you want.”

  Janet nodded. “That would be okay. I could eat too. It seems like forever ago since lunch.”

  Barb smiled slightly at that and then crossed the porch to the door. Janet followed . She held the screen door open while the older woman unlocked the front door.

  “What is that incredible smell?” Janet asked as the heavy wood door swung inward and they stepped inside, Barb first.

  Barb closed her eyes and drank in the aroma. “It’s my mother’s braised pork shoulder.” She raised the fist clutching her keys shoulder high and shook it. “Damn it! Even she is in on this!” She dropped the keys and her purse on the hall table and headed straight for the kitchen with Janet right on her heels. She stopped short in the kitchen archway and Janet nearly careened into her.

  The detective looped one arm around Barb’s waist and grabbed onto the door frame with her other hand. “Ouch…why’d you…stop.” She got a look then over Barb’s shoulder then and realized why without needing an answer.

  The kitchen island was set with good china and cutlery. A bottle of wine was chilling in an ice bucket. There were even tapered candles in silver candle holders.

  Barb slipped out of the unplanned embrace, went to the island and hefted one of the candle stick holders. “They look a little out of place sitting on butcher block, don’t you think?”

  Janet just smiled; the first time she’d smiled in a while. She walked over and took the holder from Barb, turned and picked up the other one too and moved them onto a corner of one of the counters. “No pressure, okay? I know they wanted this to be romantic, but…” She trailed off.

  “No, no pressure,” Barb agreed. She looked at the ice bucket and pointed. “And we won’t be needing that.”

  Janet nodded her own agreement, grabbed the bucket and went to the sink with it, intending to dump the ice. Instead, as she pulled the bottle out, she chuckled. Turning to Barb, she displayed it for her, “Non-alcoholic sparkling cider.”

  “That has my mother’s name written all over it!” They both laughed and then Barb said, “At least she picked something that will go well with the pork.”

  “There’s a note over here on the counter too,” Janet said. “Instructions for everything.”

  The two of them set about in almost companionable silence finishing the dinner preparations including some Yukon gold potatoes which Janet managed to expertly mash.

  “I have to admit that I’m really impressed that you cook,” Barb told her.

  “And I have to admit that I really can’t but I want to learn to do a lot more. Your mom was actually teaching me.”

  “She’s a good teacher,” Barb said simply. She tossed her head back a little and she shook it like she was remembering something but, whatever it was, she kept it to herself. “What else is on that note?” she asked instead.

  “It looks like we’ve got everything settled but dessert and the instructions for that are to take it out of the fridge, cut it and add whipped cream from the bowl of homemade topping that’s also in there.”

  “Hmm,” Barb said as she peered inside the refrigerator. “I’m guessing Hannah’s in on this whole scheme too because there�
��s something covered in a pan in here that’s definitely not one of mine.” She pulled out a commercial style square pan with rounded off corners, covered in foil. “Should we peek?”

  “Nah, let’s save it.”

  They sat side by side at the island, eating in near silence. About half way through the meal, Janet finally broke it when she asked, “Why do you get so mad at me all of the time?”

  Barb put her fork down and looked at Janet directly. She shook her head a bit, like she had before, as she answered, I don’t really know. I just…I’m just overly protective of things, I guess. My business…I know that’s one of the things you’re thinking about. Certainly of my parents; especially Dad and especially now.”

  “I was just trying to help out. I never meant to…”

  “I know,” Barb said before Janet could finish saying what she was trying to say. “I know. There’s no excuse for the way I’ve acted…for anything I’ve done.” She let that hang in the air, her implication clear, but Janet wasn’t about to let her off the hook quite so easily.

  “Why did you get drunk that night; and I don’t want to hear, ‘I don’t know’. I’ve seen you have a glass of wine before and stop right there. Is drinking a problem for you if you? I mean, do you stop at one, afraid to let it go to far?”

  Barb didn’t hesitate. She’d known the question was coming. “I got drunk because I was feeling low and sorry for myself. That goes back to Lisa’s death and a time after that, that I’m not proud of. I spent a few months after she died doing nothing but drowning my sorrows. I only quit when some friends pulled my out of my funk and got me off to see a lawyer and…well, it’s a long story. Since that time, I’ve never had more than a drink or two at a time. Never.”

  She paused and took a bite from her plate and thought while she chewed.

  Janet said, “You didn’t answer my other question.” She resumed working on her own plate.