The 45th Parallel

by Lisa Girolami

  “Thank you.” She felt a little relief that maybe Cam wouldn’t have to stay behind bars much longer.

  Detective Randall aimed his pen toward his shirt’s front chest pocket and slid it in. “Remember, don’t go anywhere.”

  *

  Val got into her rental car and left the Hemlock Police Station.

  The day’s fog had long since burned off and the people of the little beach town were going about their business, soon to become very aware of the newest scandal. This one, with such topics as child porn, Pastor Kind, and Nedra Tobias, would surely be a doozy.

  She drove up her mother’s street, pulled into the driveway, and parked. Nedra’s sign still stood out front, but a new real-estate agent would be taking it down and replacing it with a new one. Nedra would, in effect, be removed from her life, and that would be a very good thing. She got out of her car and walked across the grass to the walkway. Stopping at the foot of the steps to the front door, she faced Coast Highway and closed her eyes.

  As she inhaled deeply, she smelled the salty air from eons of fish and sand and kelp. It was a never-ending reminder that the sea, and all its sublime beauty, was both peaceful and turbulent, both myth and tradition. Hemlock was the same way. The peaceful little town had a tempestuous vein of malevolence, and the fairy tale that was advertised had darker rituals that had sullied its traditions.

  Hemlock had lost some of its innocence but, for the most part, would certainly recover and live to boast about its noteworthy and distinct latitude marker and celebrate another tourist season.

  The 45th parallel was both something and nothing, depending on how one looked at it. For Val, it had been an exact middle ground where she’d been forced to the edge.

  When Val had originally booked her flight to Oregon, she’d planned a short visit to Hemlock, but what had actually occurred was a long trip down a strange road. The experience wasn’t unlike her first night’s drive back into town. Coast Highway was dark and foreboding, full of potholes and curves, and a terrible, unexpected detour.

  But when Cam had come into the picture, everything had changed. Val now knew she couldn’t just leave town and be done with Hemlock. She had to see this through, no matter what that meant. She had to help Cam get out of jail. And she needed, more than anything, to feel her in her arms again.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  The police moved rather quickly. At least that’s what the local paper was reporting. Val would have sworn the President of the United States had murdered the Secretary of State for all the press Nedra and her clan received. Of course, all the Oregon papers and news stations were covering the arrests and subsequent disgraces, but Val spent the next few days enjoying the rich and lively updates from the Hemlock Sea Scroll the most. The reporters were not only mining every detail they could quarry from the rich mountains that were the lives of Nedra Tobias and Pastor Kind; they were also far from neutral in their coverage.

  The police had quickly gotten the search warrant on Mack’s garage and found the rest of the tapes exactly where Cam had told her they were that day they’d stormed the garage and Val had pissed Mack off so much his face had turned redder than a boiled lobster.

  Within twenty-four hours, they’d rounded up Nedra, Donna, Pastor Kind, the girl from the accident, and Mack’s two thugs.

  Nedra was the only one smart enough to pack her bags and scram that night at the church. She knew her hours were numbered. The police, however, found her in Salem after an all-points bulletin was released on her and her shiny new red Tesla.

  Someone was commenting on the fact that the tapes would have to be reviewed and was quoted as saying that if he was the one to see those poor children recorded, he’d have a hard time not marching into that jail and stringing them all up by their wedding tackle. The Sea Scroll even quoted him saying, “I hope Nedra, Kind, and the rest of those fuckweasels get it up the ass in more ways than one.”

  *

  Four days after Val had last gone to the police, Detective Randall called her back in.

  Beyond the fodder she’d been consuming from the daily Sea Scroll, she was anxious to know what was happening with the investigation.

  Detective Randall took her to the same room where they’d first met.

  When they sat, he said, “The tape you gave us couldn’t be used as evidence due to the break in what we call the chain of custody.”

  “What’s that exactly?”

  “It’s a court term. A piece of evidence has to be handled carefully and in a documentable manner, from the time of seizure to turnover, so the defense can’t lodge allegations of tampering. We can’t prove the tape you gave us wasn’t altered in any way.”

  “But I didn’t alter it.”

  “I understand, but there’s no way to prove that. We didn’t want that tape to be eliminated as evidence. What we did do, however, is retrieve the rest of the tapes at Mack’s. Those were properly handled and used so we have all we need.

  “We’ve contacted the families and all the children are okay. They’ve had medical exams. They’ll need counseling, of course, and continued support, but luckily no one was gravely injured.”

  “I’m glad they’re all safe now.”

  Detective Randall nodded. “We had officers go out and question the neighbors who live around the church. Two different individuals witnessed the fight in the parking lot that night.”

  Val held her breath as a sudden wave of panic swept through her. She believed Cam had told her the truth, but that saying about the hard death of old habits rang in her ears.

  “Both said that Mack not only started it, but Cam never had a chance to fight back. They also saw the two other men attack her, as well. Those charges will be added to their long lists.”

  “And Cam?”

  “She’s being processed out right now. If you’d like, you can go to the release area and wait for her. She’ll need a ride home.”

  Val’s heart soared and almost burst from her chest. Standing quickly, she said, “Thank you, Detective Randall. Thank you so much.” She paused and quickly said, “Oh, I’m sorry. Is there anything else?”

  He smiled at her. “Not for now.”

  “Thank you, again.” She shook his hand.

  “You risked a lot to do this. Some of the things you did weren’t smart, but I think you know that.”

  “I do. I’m sorry.”

  He squeezed her hand for one last shake before releasing it. “Good work, though.”

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Cam rounded the corner and entered the Hemlock jail release area. She held a thick manila envelope and wore the same clothes she’d had on that night at the church. They were dirty, with streaks and stains of dark, dried blood on large parts of her shirt.

  “Oh, shit,” Val said as she rushed to Cam and threw her arms around her.

  “That bad, huh?”

  “No, no,” Val said quickly but leaned away from her to examine her injuries. The cuts on Cam’s forehead were now bandaged. Her cheeks were no longer swollen, but bruises ranging from purple to dark blue dotted her face, and her poor lower lip hung a little lower, still puffy from the blow she’d received there. Her one bad eye had opened slightly, but both were still bloodshot and blackened.

  “Have you seen a doctor?”

  “Someone came by the first night.”

  “Are you okay to walk?”

  “I’m fine.”

  Val studied her for a sign of pain or dizziness. “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure I’d like to get the hell out of here, actually.”

  “Oh! I’m sorry, of course!” Val turned and put her arm around Cam, walking her out to the car.

  As they drove back to the candy store, Cam kept fairly quiet, mostly looking out the window. Val reached out and put her hand over Cam’s, but she only tightened her grip on Val’s fingers slightly.

  When Val parked in front of the shop, Cam got out of the car and opened the envelope. She pulled her keys out as Val met her
on the sidewalk.

  “Thanks for picking me up,” Cam said. She sounded so small and fatigued.

  “I’m coming up with you,” Val said. She wouldn’t take anything less than acquiescence as a reply.

  “I…” Cam looked at her, and a sense of complete defeat seemed to radiate from her entire body.

  “Cam,” she said as she gently took the keys from her, “you don’t need to say or do anything. I’m going to get you upstairs and make sure you’re okay.”

  She watched for a response and had no idea if Cam was mad at her or happy to see her or simply done with her.

  “Okay.”

  Val got Cam settled on the couch and went into the kitchen. Opening the fridge, she bypassed the milk, not knowing how old it now was, and scanned the rest of the offerings.

  “Beer, water, or Coke?”

  “Beer, please.”

  Val twisted the caps off two bottles and carried them over to the couch. She sat and they drank in silence. Val’s brain was racing with a million things she wanted to say. She’d had a lot of time to think since the night at the church, especially since Cam had told her she wasn’t involved in any of the shit they’d witnessed.

  Surely Cam had had time to think, but Val had no idea where those thoughts had gone and what conclusions she’d reached. Understandably, she was decompressing from her incarceration, and Lord knew how much pain she felt.

  Hours seemed to pass while Val waited, listening to the cars drive by on the highway below. Seagulls screeched every so often, and the voices of people walking by on the sidewalk outside drifted up to them like the nattering of office workers around a water dispenser.

  Finally Cam tilted her head back, draining the last of her beer, and set the bottle down on the coffee table.

  “The 45th parallel,” Cam said. “What a place.”

  Val wasn’t sure what she meant or how to respond.

  “Nothing is ever exactly halfway.” Cam held her hand up, moving it around in a slow circle. “A roulette wheel has red and black numbers to bet on, but it has a couple of green numbers that can throw everything off.

  “And I’ve never done anything halfway in my life.” She looked at Val. “When this town hated my family, I rebelled against that fact with all I had. When I decided to start my own business, I went full force. And when I met you, I would have done anything for you.”

  Val put her beer bottle down and waited again because it seemed like Cam wasn’t finished.

  “I’m sorry, Val, for getting you in trouble. You didn’t deserve anything that happened to you, but I shouldn’t have let you break into Mack’s and I shouldn’t have let you go to the church. I dragged you down, and that was wrong. I never intended—”

  Val took her hand. “Cam, stop. You’re not the one who should apologize.” She placed her other hand on her chest. “I’m the one who needs to say I’m sorry.”

  Cam began to interrupt but Val shook her head. “I thought you were lying to me. I didn’t believe you. After all you did to help me, I turned away from you and decided you couldn’t be trusted. That’s my M.O., Cam. I can’t see past my own upbringing and fears.

  “There you were, arms wide open, and I ran from you at the first sign that acceptance appeared to be inconsistent. That’s because deep down I was looking for it. And guess what?” She laughed at herself. “I found it. At least I thought I found it. But I was dead wrong.”

  She turned her leg onto the couch, resting on the side of her knee, so she could face Cam. “I’m the one who has to apologize. Not you. You got beaten because of me. I am so, so sorry.”

  It was Cam’s turn to chuckle. “I didn’t scare you away, then?”

  “My God, no.”

  “So are you saying your 45th parallel mug isn’t cursed?”

  Val caressed her swollen cheek. “Not in the slightest.”

  “What happens now?”

  “I need to stay in town during the investigation, and I may get arrested for breaking into Mack’s.”

  “Shit, Val,” Cam said.

  “It’s fine. I told them I was the only one, though. They didn’t need to know you were there, not after all you’ve been through. Mack may say you were, but he won’t have any proof. That’s one thing I can keep you from, and I will.

  “I’ll get a lawyer and hopefully the charges will be dropped. But even if they aren’t, I don’t care. My mom wanted something to be done about Nedra and the rest, and we were able to stop them. You and I.”

  “I like the way that last part sounds.”

  Val leaned toward her and they kissed softly. This was where Val wanted to be. Cam had her heart and would protect it.

  Cam was her fresh pine. She could close her eyes and take in all that this woman had to give and then give all of herself in return.

  “I love you,” Val said.

  Tears had come to Cam’s eyes. “I love you too, Val.”

  Val wrapped her arms around her and held her.

  The future had never been too forthcoming, and while it was still a huge unknown—what the police would do, what geographic challenges would arise—she had no doubt that she wanted to be with Cam.

  “When this craziness is over,” Cam said as her head rested against Val’s, “may we go out on our very first date?”

  “Wasn’t the other night, in the backseat of Mr. Harlin’s car, our first date?”

  Val felt Cam jiggle against her body as she chuckled.

  “All right, may we go out on our very first date when no one’s out to kill us?”

  “That clarifies your request much better.” She brought her fingers up under Cam’s chin, raising her beautiful face to hers. Before they kissed again, she said, “And the answer is yes.”

  About the Author

  Lisa Girolami has been in the entertainment industry since 1979. Her tenure includes ten years as a production executive in the motion picture industry and another two-plus decades producing and designing theme parks for Disney and Universal Studios. She is now a Director and Senior Producer with Walt Disney Imagineering.

  She received both her bachelor of arts degree and master’s in psychology from the California State University, Long Beach. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.

  She serves on the board of the Lambda Literary Foundation.

  Residing in Long Beach, CA, with her wife, Kari, they happily share their abode with cats Pierre, Penelope, Jersey, and Mama Kitty; a dog named Tessa; and Clyde, the desert tortoise.

  Books Available from Bold Strokes Books

  The 45th Parallel by Lisa Girolami. Burying her mother isn’t the worst thing that can happen to Val Montague when she returns to the woodsy but peculiar town of Hemlock, Oregon. (978-1-62639-342-4)

  A Royal Romance by Jenny Frame. In a country where class still divides, can love topple the last social taboo and allow Queen Georgina and Beatrice Elliot, a working class girl, their happy ever after? (978-1-62639-360-8)

  Bouncing by Jaime Maddox. Basketball Coach Alex Dalton has been bouncing from woman to woman, because no one ever held her interest, until she meets her new assistant, Britain Dodge. (978-1-62639-344-8)

  Same Time Next Week by Emily Smith. A chance encounter between Alex Harris and the beautiful Michelle Masters leads to a whirlwind friendship, and causes Alex to question everything she’s ever known—including her own marriage. (978-1-62639-345-5)

  All Things Rise by Missouri Vaun. Cole rescues a striking pilot who crash-lands near her family’s farm, setting in motion a chain of events that will forever alter the course of her life. (978-1-62639-346-2)

  Riding Passion by D. Jackson Leigh. Mount up for the ride through a sizzling anthology of chance encounters, buried desires, romantic surprises, and blazing passion. (978-1-62639-349-3)

  Love’s Bounty by Yolanda Wallace. Lobster boat captain Jake Myers stopped living the day she cheated death, but meeting greenhorn Shy Silva stirs her back to life. (978-1-62639-334-9
)

  Just Three Words by Melissa Brayden. Sometimes the one you want is the one you least suspect. Accountant Samantha Ennis has her ordered life disrupted when heartbreaker Hunter Blair moves into her trendy Soho loft. (978-1-62639-335-6)

  Lay Down the Law by Carsen Taite. Attorney Peyton Davis returns to her Texas roots to take on big oil and the Mexican Mafia, but will her investigation thwart her chance at true love? (978-1-62639-336-3)

  Playing in Shadow by Lesley Davis. Survivor’s guilt threatens to keep Bryce trapped in her nightmare world unless Scarlet’s love can pull her out of the darkness back into the light. (978-1-62639-337-0)

  Soul Selecta by Gill McKnight. Soul mates are hell to work with. (978-1-62639-338-7)

  The Revelation of Beatrice Darby by Jean Copeland. Adolescence is complicated, but Beatrice Darby is about to discover how impossible it can seem to a lesbian coming of age in conservative 1950s New England. (978-1-62639-339-4)

  Twice Lucky by Mardi Alexander. For firefighter Mackenzie James and Dr. Sarah Macarthur, there’s suddenly a whole lot more in life to understand, to consider, to risk…someone will need to fight for her life. (978-1-62639-325-7)

  Shadow Hunt by L.L. Raand. With young to raise and her Pack under attack, Sylvan, Alpha of the wolf Weres, takes on her greatest challenge when she determines to uncover the faceless enemies known as the Shadow Lords. A Midnight Hunters novel. (978-1-62639-326-4)

  Heart of the Game by Rachel Spangler. A baseball writer falls for a single mom, but can she ever love anything as much as she loves the game? (978-1-62639-327-1)