The adorable toy poodle came bounding into the room, and leaped up onto the couch where Caleb had sprawled. “Good baby.” There was nothing like puppy kisses and cuddles to take his mind off unpleasant things.
* * * *
Inside the stuffy trailer, Jesse shrugged out of his clothes and pulled a uniform from the closet. As he dressed for work, he couldn’t stop thinking about his neighbor. The man’s odd behavior and general unfriendliness were reasons enough, in his opinion, to keep an eye on the guy. Add to that his mysterious arrival in the wee hours of the morning weeks ago, and Jesse couldn’t help but be curious.
It was possible that a lot of people moved into a new place at three in the morning, but it seemed strange to him. He supposed it also played into the mystery about the neighbor, ensuring Jesse would continue watching him, working it all over in his mind.
He’d never seen the man at the store or anywhere out in public. Chances were, in such a small town, they would have run into each other at the local grocery store at the very least. The guy had to be getting food somewhere, unless he was stocked up in preparation for doomsday. He wouldn’t be the only one in El Jardin to do so.
Jesse did glean some things about his neighbor, like that he must be a sucker for animals, because there was a yappy dog in the big back yard sometimes. There was also a gray tabby cat that was, as far as Jesse could tell, more than a little on the feral side. The few times he’d tried to approach the cat had resulted in the tabby bolting for cover. Still, he’d seen the animal crouched on the porch, nibbling away at a pile of cat food. The free meals didn’t put a dent in the tabby’s hunting stints. Jesse was pretty sure the cat was responsible for the deaths of a quarter of the local bird population, despite the meals his neighbor provided.
Is the guy just crazy, though? Or is he suffering from the aftereffects of whatever violent event happened to him before he moved here?
More fuel had been added to the fire last week when Jesse had overheard Lisa down at the tax office talking about how the house had been purchased in a woman’s name. Shannon, Lisa’s coworker, had pointed out that her sister worked for the utility company, and those too had been put in a woman’s name. It had been on the tip of Jesse’s tongue to inform them they were sharing information that, by law, they shouldn’t have, but he had listened. Besides, a scolding from him wouldn’t have stopped them anyway, and it’d just have made Jesse look like a prick.
All these things pushed Jesse to find some answers. The truth was, on the off chance someone had personally assaulted his neighbor… Well, it would be better for the neighbor if Jesse knew that, even if the person responsible were in jail. If it was some sort of accident, maybe he could drop a hint about that here and there around town, try to turn the tide of small-town disapproval. Nothing major, just some basis for telling the wagging tongues to back off.
Was he going a little too far with his determination to find out more about the man? If he was, he wasn’t alone. There were enough people in the dinky town just waiting and watching, wondering what the odd new guy in El Jardin was doing. At least Jesse only wanted to know because his cop senses were tingling. He had no intention of spreading gossip. And it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he found himself oddly attracted to the man.
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About the Author
A native Texan, Bailey spends her days spinning stories around in her head, which has contributed to more than one incident of tripping over her own feet. Evenings are reserved for pounding away at the keyboard, as are early morning hours. Sleep? Doesn’t happen much. Writing is too much fun, and there are too many characters bouncing about, tapping on Bailey’s brain demanding to be let out.
Caffeine and chocolate are permanent fixtures in Bailey’s office and are never far from hand at any given time. Removing either of those necessities from Bailey’s presence can result in what is known as A Very, Very Scary Bailey and is not advised under any circumstances.
Bailey loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website details and author profile page at https://www.pride-publishing.com
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