by Pamela Tracy
The silence ticked by. Even the receptionist’s fingers, flying across the keyboard, seemed muted. Finally, Chief Riley asked, “You had a chance to check out the whereabouts of Jace Blackgoat?”
“I thought I’d try to head out to Russell’s later. See if Jace has been around,” Leann said.
Russell Blackgoat was the grandfather Leann wished she had. “How much trouble is Jace in?”
“Did you read the report?”
“I know he’s been in a bar fight over in Taber, but that’s two hundred miles away.”
Chief Riley nodded, and Leann wondered why the chief was so concerned. Not only was Sarasota Falls safe compared with many of the cities surrounding it, but the police force was top-notch and thankfully, well-funded. They’d even hired a new officer just last month. Zack Bridges might not look old enough to wear the badge but he’d gone through the police academy and was sincere.
A loud ping sounded. The receptionist hurried back into the room, picked up the phone and said, “Yes, Mr. Balliard.” She listened for a moment, and then said, “Leann, you can go on in.”
Leann gave a tight smile and entered Balliard’s office.
Except for white and dark brown—paint, carpeting and woodworking—the only bright color in the room came from a picture of the American flag that hung behind the desk.
“Please sit down, Leann.” Balliard, a tall African American man wearing a dark suit, striped tie and white shirt, shook her hand and directed her to the seat in front of him.
She sat and looked at the lawyer who would be representing her now that her ex was trying to reestablish a connection with his sons. He shuffled a few papers and then smiled at her, waiting.
“What I really want,” Leann said, “is for custody, visitation, child support and such to continue as it is now.”
“I have to be candid, Leann, that’s unlikely,” Balliard said.
“What does Ryan’s lawyer have to say?”
“Ryan’s moving back home, already has gainful employment and intends to be an involved parent.”
“I don’t trust him,” Leann said. “He forgets birthdays.” She didn’t add that when Tim was a baby, Ryan wouldn’t even change a diaper. Her main memory of his early parenting was asking her to keep Tim quiet, so the baby wouldn’t interrupt Ryan’s TV watching or video gaming.
“Honorable discharge, commendations and a paper trail of consistent child support. Add in his parents assisting with the boys’ care, and Ryan’s got a good case.”
Leann sighed. Joint custody would definitely mean less or no child support: her biggest fear. She’d been raised never having to worry about money. Then she’d married Ryan and worried a little bit, but the military offered base housing, a decent salary, and so on, and the fact that their bank account wasn’t something to brag about didn’t bother her. When she’d divorced Ryan, though, she’d discovered what having no money really meant.
She’d called her parents for help once. She’d never do that again.
She didn’t care, not for herself, but she did for her boys.
Words Leann didn’t allow her children to say almost bubbled out. She’d had a plan. Ryan said he’d be giving Uncle Sam twenty years. Had he stayed true to that plan, Tim would be nineteen and Aaron seventeen. No worries, not really. Now, Ryan was exiting before he’d put in twenty years, affecting his pension and retirement.
“Okay,” she said, keeping her voice strong, “what are my options?”
Balliard folded his hands and leaned forward. “Leann, more than a lawyer, I’m your friend. I’ve known Ryan as long as I’ve known you. Try to work this out without lawyers. What you’ll pay us might equal Aaron’s first semester in college. Talk with Ryan, maybe the two of you can be reasonable. Consider the man he is today rather than the boy you married and divorced. Remember, what you decide affects the boys.”
“They only know him from brief visits.”
“You have to be realistic. Ryan’s parents have told your boys all about his glory days. I’ve been to that house. It has to what amounts to an only-child hall of fame.”
Leann closed her eyes, pictured the hallway, which indeed boasted Ryan’s history from birth to deployment. The only photo they’d taken down was the one of Ryan and Leann’s wedding. It hadn’t been a fancy ceremony since they’d gotten married by the justice of the peace. She’d been three months pregnant. The ink on his enlistment papers was still wet.
Sometimes she wondered how they’d have done if she and Ryan had waited. If she’d gone off to college while he put in his first four years. They’d have matured, had time to be kids before they had kids.
Balliard broke into her thoughts. “You need to prepare for his return home and the loss of some support.”
Tears welled, spilled over, and Leann fought to keep her voice steady. “I can do that.”
Balliard reached across the desk and put his hand on hers. “Look, from here on out, every move you make, every concession you give, should be for the well-being of Tim and Aaron. If you keep that in mind, your ex-husband will have to do the same, because if he doesn’t, the courts won’t look favorably on him.” He held up a hand, anticipating her retort. “If the courts don’t look favorably on him, neither will your sons, and no matter what, he’s their father.”
The one thing Ryan had done extremely well: fathered two awesome kids. For the next few minutes, Balliard went over the custody agreement from a decade earlier, letting her know what she could expect to stay the same and what she’d have to be willing to negotiate.
She struggled as Balliard’s words meant giving up control, meant trusting her ex-husband. Finally, her lawyer ended the session, asking her to schedule another appointment after Ryan returned.
She exited Balliard’s office and headed for the lobby. She’d known Ryan all her life, had been his science partner at Sarasota Falls Elementary when he’d been struggling to get passing grades. He’d given her a used eraser as a thank-you. In high school, junior year, he’d sat in front of her every class. She’d been a Crabtree, and he’d been a Bailey. It had been the beginning of their relationship and what seemed like her quickest ticket out of town.
She’d always known that in some ways she’d orchestrated their romance, had wanted it more than he did. She’d wanted away from her parents’ house and to not be dependent on them for anything. College would have been on their dime and their terms. She wanted to stand on her own. She’d also been in love and thought it would be better to have Ryan at her side. Then, she’d gotten pregnant and college had been a distant dream, rather than immediate one.
She owed him and could be the bigger man, er, woman.
In the waiting room, Chief Riley was on his cell phone, giving someone directions. Good, she didn’t want to answer his questions.
Leann pushed open the door to the hallway, hurried to the drinking fountain and took a long drink, hoping to open her airway, push away the raw feeling that had accompanied her from the lawyer’s office.
Detachment. They’d pounded her over the head with the word at the academy. She could do it.
“You okay?”
She recognized the voice. The phrase “kicked when you’re down” crossed her mind. Gary wasn’t the last person in the world she wanted to see at the moment. That would be her ex-husband.
“Fine.”
“You look a little frazzled,” he said, matter-of-factly. His eyes glittered, dark and moody, in the same way they had that night he watched her sister and brother-in-law fight/whine on the playground. “Come to think of it, the first time I met you, you looked frazzled.”
She frowned.
“You need to sit down or something?” he queried.
“No, I’m fine.”
He looked over her head, studying occupants’ names as well as their office numbers.
“Why are you here?” she
asked.
“I’m looking for Frederick Balliard.”
“He’s the third door on the left.”
“Drei?” he queried.
She stepped back and almost smiled.
“That’s right,” he said. “I’ve started learning German online. Thanks to you and Wilma.”
Against her better judgment, Leann had to admit that Gary’s appearance wasn’t the only thing she admired. She also admired his quiet confidence.
Something about him felt familiar. If Leann were the trusting type, given time, she might be able to become close with him. But, no.
She trusted his brother Oscar, somewhat. After all, they had foiled robberies, pulled children from an overturned school bus and even busted a meth lab last month. The Sarasota Falls Police Department was small. Until Zack’s hiring, she and Oscar were the newest officers. She’d signed on over five years ago when Ryan was just entering first grade. Oscar was on his second year now. There had to be a tiny shred of trust involved in their relationship.
She and Gary, however, had no relationship.
“Did you just come out of Balliard’s office?” he asked.
“Fred’s office. I’ve known him all my life.”
“And even though you’ve just left the office of a man you’ve known since childhood, you’re tightly wired and exasperated. So, you were in there because of some case you’re working on.”
He hadn’t asked a question. No, he’d made a statement, and she could answer honestly. “No, not a case I’m working on. Something else.”
“Something else, eh? Something personal.”
She opened her mouth, intent on dismissing him, with attitude, but Gary reached out and carefully tucked a strand of hair over her left ear. “I believe you have white paint on your ear.”
Then, he walked around her and headed down the hall and through the door she’d just exited.
She frowned, annoyed that he’d left her speechless, and wondering why no one else had mentioned the paint on her ear. Well, if she knew anything it was that doing an art project in her son’s class was bound to leave behind residual damage. How she’d missed paint on her ear, though, was beyond her.
Almost against her will, she fingered the top of her ear, the ear that still held the heat of his touch.
CHAPTER SIX
GARY HAD ALWAYS loved spending time with his aunt Bianca. She’d been the one who’d pushed him—not quite a teen—out the door, handed him—an angry kid—his skateboard and said, “Don’t return until you’re too exhausted to talk back.”
His own mother had kept a tight rein on her brood and had only tightened her grip after their father was gone. She’d followed Gary to the skateboard park as if afraid he, too, would disappear. He pushed her away with both hands. He knew he was the son responsible for the most gray hairs. Every once in a while he thought about calling to say he was sorry, but the words never came, so he did the next best thing. He sent her money and when he came home, he fixed things around the house. It was Aunt Bianca’s place in Sarasota Falls, however, where he’d always felt he could breath. Something about small towns and open spaces.
Since she didn’t have any guests currently staying at the B and B, she’d invited his brother Oscar’s family for dinner.
“I saw Officer Bailey today,” Gary informed Oscar after taking the biggest chicken leg before his brother could.
“Officer Bailey?” Oscar’s wife, Shelley, queried, taking a napkin and brushing something off the high chair tray. Little O, Oscar and Shelley’s one-year-old, didn’t notice.
“He met Leann the other night and now can’t stop talking about her.” Oscar scooped most of the mashed potatoes onto his plate and then passed the almost empty bowl to Gary.
“What?” Gary frowned at the empty bowl that landed in his hands.
Shelley stared at Gary. “Have we ever heard you mention a woman before? You never tell us about anyone you’re interested in.”
Aunt Bianca stood and took the empty mashed potato bowl. She winked at Shelley.
Oscar laughed, but to cover it he pretended to choke on his green beans.
“Whoa. I’m not interested in Officer Bailey, or anyone else for that matter,” Gary said.
“Why not?” Shelley queried. “She’s great.”
“Because,” Bianca said, handing Gary a now full bowl of mashed potatoes, “she’s settled. Happy here in this ole small town. Knows what she wants. Gary, here, is afraid that if he let himself like a woman, really like a woman, he might be tempted to settle down.”
Oscar choked again. This time Gary wasn’t sure his brother was pretending.
“I’ll admit,” Bianca countered, “I was surprised when Leann came back to Sarasota Falls to stay. In fact, I almost fell off my porch I was so surprised.”
Gary started to say something but noted the rapt attention his brother and sister-in-law were paying to Bianca.
“Why did it surprise you?” Shelley asked. “My dad said Leann and Ryan were born and raised here, although, much too young to get married.”
“They were. And, Leann married Ryan Bailey to get away from her parents. He was a good kid but had no direction. When Leann left him, I’d have expected her to go anywhere but here. She’s got grit, that girl. Doesn’t matter where she settles, she’ll do fine.”
“Her parents are rich. Surely she’d come here for their support,” Shelley sputtered.
“Sometimes glitter hides imperfections,” Bianca said. “Think about it. Have you seen Leann’s parents with her boys? Do they watch Tim and Aaron while Leann works? No, Ryan’s parents watch over the boys.”
“Aunt Bianca’s right,” Oscar said. “Leann talks about Ryan’s parents, and she talks about her sister and her parents’ housekeeper, Clarissa. I’ve never heard her say anything about her own parents except that they disapprove of her being a cop. I know they don’t help her.”
Shelley frowned. “I always thought she had the perfect life.”
“No life is perfect,” Aunt Bianca said.
“If it makes you feel better,” Oscar offered, “I feel you’ve given me a perfect life.”
Shelley smacked him, and then looked at Gary. “Where did you see Leann today?”
“Did she come out here because of the dogs, again?” Oscar teased.
“No, I ran into her just as she left Fred Balliard’s office.”
Oscar nodded. “I’d forgotten. She was meeting the lawyer because of her ex.”
“That explains her mood,” Gary said, finally getting around to putting a heaping scoop of mashed potatoes on his plate and passing the bowl to Shelley.
“What do you mean?”
“She was on edge. What’s happening with her ex?”
“Ryan’s getting out of the service and coming home.” Bianca handed Little O a green bean he’d just thrown at her.
“I thought he was in for life,” Shelley commented.
“I saw his mother at the grocery store,” Bianca put in. “She said he should be home in the next week or two.”
“And,” Oscar reported, “he’s already hired a lawyer to get his child support reduced.”
“Ohhhhhh,” Shelley whispered. “This makes it hard.”
“What?” Gary knew he was missing something important, but the way the Guzman clan was bouncing around, no way could he keep up.
Oscar wiped some sort of orange glob from his son’s chin and said, “Lucas Stillwater submitted his retirement papers this morning.”
“So?” Gary knew Oscar wanted a promotion. This was good news.
“So,” Oscar said, “there are two officers vying for his position.”
Gary whistled, the truth finally dawning. “You and Leann, and now Leann’s really going to need the money.”
“And so are we,” Oscar said, giving his wife a
look that almost made Gary want to step out of the room. His brother had found his soul mate, and their commitment to each other was tangible.
Little O chortled, and Bianca caught another green bean midair and stilled: her eyes gleaming, her lips curling into a wide smile. “Another baby?” she guessed.
Shelley nodded.
“Bro!” Gary said.
“When?” Bianca asked.
“I’m three months along.”
For the next ten minutes, Little O banged on his high chair tray catching the excitement, sending green beans flying, while everyone else focused on Oscar and his family’s future. Gary was relieved they weren’t addressing his lack of future.
After all, he wasn’t addressing it himself.
Finally, Oscar changed the subject from new baby to something else. “That’s one of the reasons I wanted to come to dinner tonight. It’s last minute, but Shelley and I are going to take a brief vacation. A buddy of mine had booked a cruise for him and his wife. They can’t go now, so I purchased the tickets from him.”
“Where to?”
“Alaska. We’ll fly to Long Beach, and then we’ll be gone six days. I talked to Mom, and she’s dying to look after Little O while we have a second honeymoon because come next June we’re going to be busy.”
“We should be saving our money,” Shelley advised.
“We can make it work.”
“Make it work” had been Oscar’s mantra most of his life. Not Gary’s. While Oscar tried to save the world, Gary focused more on the damage left behind. The problem was he’d never thought enough pieces were left behind to make anything “work” again.
“It’s a good idea,” Aunt Bianca said. “Maybe if your parents had done something like this, they’d—”
Oscar gave her a look. Clearly this wasn’t what he’d expected her to say.
“She’s been talking about our father for days,” Gary put in.
“What’s going on, Aunt Bianca?” Oscar managed just the right look, one that Gary never managed: concern mixed with intent. All Gary could manage was disbelief.
“I’ve asked Gary to look into Berto’s disappearance.”