Through The Window

by Wendy Campbell

  Nothing mattered anymore, nothing except saving her niece. Carley had to believe her. “That’s my secret, Carley. I know yours. You know mine. They’re the same. Only now, I’m old enough and smart enough to put a stop to his tricks.” She hoped.

  “You took stuff, too?” Carley’s voice broke, and she hiccupped.

  “I’ve been in and out of so many houses I stopped counting. I hated taking things. I hated Mick for making me.” Resolved, she put her arm around Carley and led her to the living room.

  “Is that why you call him Mick?” Carley asked.

  “Yes. After that, I couldn’t bear to think of him as my father. He became Mick. Just Mick.”

  Together, they stared at the knapsack on the floor. “Did you really stay with a girlfriend last night?”

  Carley nodded. “But the day before, Grandpa and I,” she shrugged, “you know.”

  “It’s okay. Let’s see if we can spend the day together. Maybe you can even stay the night at my place.” This was the only way she could protect Carley, until she figured out what to do.

  Carley called, and groaned after she hung up. “Mom said I have to do my chores first. They’ll probably take all day.”

  “You’re exaggerating.

  “Only a little.”

  “Carley,” Mel said on the way to Last Chance. “How did Mick get you to do this?”

  She was silent for a while. “At first, he said it was a game and it’d be fun. But I was too scared. He got really mad. Then he said if I didn’t, Momma’s store would burn down, like your office, and Momma wouldn’t be able to afford to keep me and Eric. Kids are expensive, you know. Dad wouldn’t take us because he hates us, so we’d be put in foster homes with mean people. Will that happen?” she whispered, looking at Mel with pleading eyes. “Now that I told?”

  “No, it won’t. I promise. Pinky swear.” Mel held out her fist, pinky lifted, and they joined fingers. “You know Jordan. He’s a firefighter, and I’ll ask him to watch the store. And if Sara ran out of money, your aunts and Uncle Alex would pitch in to help. You’ll never be taken away from her or us. Never.”

  They stopped in front of the store. “Call me when you’re done. I’ll pick you up, and we’ll start making a plan to fix this.”

  “I forgot. I’m supposed to meet Grandpa at nine.” Carley looked scared and very small. “He’ll be mad if I’m not there.”

  Mel sucked in a breath. “Then we’ll fix it tonight.”

  While Carley did her chores at the store, Mel sat in her back yard and called Steven. After listening to him rant for a few minutes, she quit her job and hung up. So much for an employment reference from Schuster, but she wouldn’t need one in prison.

  With grim determination, she tried to figure out how to catch Mick and keep Carley safe. Charm raced after the ball while she discarded each idea, until only one was left. She didn’t like it, and she needed time to work herself up to the first step.

  Lying in the grass on the shady side of the yard, she felt Charm brush against her and wander off. She dialed and closed her eyes. The number of her cell phone would probably appear on their caller-ID, but she’d promised.

  “Cedar Valley Fire Department, how may I help you?” The woman on the line was the same one who’d called when the office building burned, but Mel couldn’t remember her name.

  “I’m calling to inform you of a possible planned arson at the Last Chance store. I don’t know when, but can you have them watch the store? The threat was made by the same man I believe burned the office building on Westland Avenue a few days ago.”

  She hung up, and with her eyes still closed, rested the phone on her stomach. This would all be over tonight. Despite the trepidation and an odd sense of relief, she couldn’t forget sitting in that closet with Carley, the tears, the fear, the yellow box. They’d gotten lucky. What if Carley had gotten caught? What if the person was drunk, or a lunatic? The thought gave her chills.

  Charm sat by Mel’s side. The puppy’s presence felt like a hug and she really needed that. She’d miss Charm, but for now, she was grateful for the company.

  “You know,” she told the puppy, “it could have been worse. It could have been a lunatic.”

  “Sounds like one to me.” The deep voice was the same one who’d whispered wonderful words in the dark.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Mel covered her eyes with her forearm. How could she have forgotten Jordan moved like a damned ghost? Of course, he heard the entire conversation. If he called the police—she sat up so fast her head spun.

  “What are you doing here?” The words tumbled out. He leaned against the fence with a blank expression, his thumbs tucked into the front pockets of worn Levis that had a frayed hole in the left knee.

  “I thought you left for Denver. Since you didn’t leave Charm at my place or with Sara, I wanted to check on her.”

  “You think I’d leave her here alone?”

  “No.”

  “Then what?”

  He shrugged. It figured. Jordan cared about the puppy, not her. She got to her feet. “You can take her now. She’ll be happy at your place.”

  “Why aren’t you in Denver?” His neutral tone made the question a simple courtesy.

  “Change of plans. I’ll get her things.”

  “Didn’t your boss say you’d get fired if you didn’t go back today?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did you get fired?”

  She walked to the back door and looked over her shoulder. “No. I quit.” After she put Charm’s bed, toys, and food on the front porch, she stuck her head out the bathroom window. Jordan was still leaning against the fence.

  “Her stuff is on the porch.” She didn’t wait for a response, just closed the window and splashed cold water on her face. Saying goodbye to either of them was more than she could bear.

  When her head cleared, she went back to the kitchen. Jordan sat at the table. Damn, how could she have forgotten to lock the door?

  “What happened to your TV and stereo?” Jordan obviously missed nothing.

  “I needed some cash.” She shrugged and pretended she didn’t care that Mick had stolen her stuff. “Go away.”

  “Melanie, we need to talk,” he said, leaning his chair back so it rested on two legs. A hint of tightness marred his blank expression.

  The overwhelming desire to snuggle into his arms and finally lean on someone nearly swamped her, but she couldn’t. Not now. So she marshaled her defenses. “No, we don’t.”

  “Why are you giving me Charm, if you’re not leaving?”

  “Because—” she bit her lip as, “I’ll be in jail” tried to slip out. Instead, she said, “I’m not staying here.”

  “I see.” He gave her a level stare, but the front legs of his chair hit the floor with a thud. “Who is he?”

  She met his stare. “How much did you hear?”

  “All of it.” A muscle twitched in his jaw, one more contradiction to his casual approach. Jordan’s control was slipping, and that made her nervous. She’d never seen him lose control.

  “Didn’t anyone tell you it’s rude to eavesdrop?”

  “More than once.”

  “Then you know you had no right to hear anything. Now get out.” She pointed to the door, and snatched her hand back when her fingers started to shake. Jordan obviously noticed, because he narrowed his eyes and gave her a speculative look. Her body vibrated with nerves. She needed to get him out, but she couldn’t figure out how. Running would make her feel weak and cowardly, but she couldn’t spend another minute near him without coming apart. Coward, coward, coward ran through her brain as she snagged her keys off the table.

  ****

  Jordan clamped a hand around her wrist.

  “Who is he?” Jordan tightened his grip so she would know he meant business. “Why do you think he’s targeting Last Chance?”

  As he watched, Mel’s defiance drained away, only to be replaced with a heartbreaking look of defeat. For some reason
, that pissed him off even more. He leaned forward, but she jerked her wrist free.

  “Because that’s what he said,” she shouted. “Dammit, Jordan, leave me alone.”

  “No.” Someone was out to destroy her and her family. He couldn’t let that happen. “Even if we didn’t have things to straighten out, I have a vested interest in arson.”

  “I won’t let him burn the store,” she said, but it sounded more like a plea. “I promise. Now leave.”

  “Not until you answer my question. Who is he?”

  She sank to the chair. Her hands moved constantly, picking at her nails, twisting the ring she wore. Finally, she spoke. “I’ll make you a deal. If you leave without asking any more questions, and promise not to call the police, I’ll tell you everything tomorrow morning. Even why I was in your bedroom when I was twelve.”

  Alarm bells rang in his head. “You were there to get my jersey.”

  “No, I wasn’t.”

  The tortured look in her eyes said this wasn’t a lie, but he wasn’t going to be sidetracked, not with her life on the line. “You’re not going to tell me who’s doing this to you?”

  “Tomorrow.” She rubbed her hands over her face. “Jordan, if he finds out anyone knows about him, he’ll vanish. He’s done it before.”

  “Then tell me now. The cops can get him before he has a chance to run.”

  “I don’t know where he is.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “I don’t. I know you don’t understand, but right now, it’s only my word against his. I can’t leave it this way.”

  He didn’t care if she was insulted. “What’s to keep you from running?”

  She gave him a wobbly smile. “You’ll just have to trust me.”

  The sound that escaped from his throat tried to be a laugh, but it was anything but funny. He got to his feet and braced an arm on each side of her chair, hemming her in. Fixing her with a murderous expression, he lowered his face near hers. “Listen to me, Melanie Quinn,” he said in a low, hard voice. “You’re playing with fire and arson’s a deadly game. We almost lost three men when the office building collapsed. They barely escaped out the back. If this guy starts another fire and someone dies trying to fight it, that death will be on your head. Yours. Do you understand?”

  She looked thunderstruck. Her face paled, her eyes went wide. “You didn’t tell me about them,” she said in a choked whisper.

  “I didn’t want to worry you. I wanted you to relax, to trust me. You stayed at my place. We made love. Instead, I should have dragged your ass around that building to see the fear on their faces. I should have forced you to see the children who almost lost their parents, and who still might if this guy isn’t stopped. I should have made you worry enough to tell me who the hell’s doing this.” He pulled away. “I won’t make that mistake again.” Without waiting for a reply, he walked out the door.

  ****

  An hour passed, but Jordan’s words still echoed through Mel’s head. Three men...children who almost lost their parents...if someone dies...

  Mick wouldn’t get the chance to burn another building, not after tonight. She wanted to tell Jordan everything, to make him understand, but she’d be in jail. She took out some paper and wrote.

  Dear Jordan,

  When you read this, I’ll be in jail. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you this before, but I hope you’ll understand.

  Who am I kidding? You couldn’t possibly understand. If I’d known how far our relationship would go, I’d have run the other way. I never wanted to put you through this. I thought the past would stay where it belonged, but it didn’t. I know saying I’m sorry doesn’t begin to cover it.

  I want to tell you I didn’t do all the things I’ve been accused of, but I can’t. I did them all, and more. I burglarized houses for years, starting when I was ten. He told me they owed him for work he did, but they wouldn’t pay, so I’d take just enough to cover the bill.

  That’s why I was in your house. I was supposed to take whatever I could find, but once I realized who lived there, I knew he was wrong. He said he’d made a mistake, put me in the wrong house. He kept up the charade until I finally realized no one owed him. It wasn’t a game. I had no way out, so I ran. When he was arrested last year, I thought I could come home. Big mistake.

  By the time you get this, you’ll know everything. Or maybe not. I don’t know how much they’ll tell you, although with Roger being a cop, you might hear it all, except my story. You need to understand, I never intentionally killed anyone. Never. You have to believe that, if nothing else. I didn’t know Joseph Lankin, but he died at my hand. Yes, I’m a murderer. And a thief. Even so, I don’t want lies hanging between us. I’m coming clean. So I want you to know when I canceled our first date, I wasn’t home with food poisoning. Mick brought me home, after I emptied my bank account and took a draw on my credit card for him, to keep him from pulling someone else into his game. I have to stop him before he ruins another life.

  I’m sure I’ve written more than you ever wanted to know, but despite what you might believe, I do keep my promises. I can’t fit everything in a letter, and since visiting me in prison is the last thing you’ll want to do, this will have to be enough. I do love you. I have since the first time you spoke to me in middle school. No matter how hard I tried to forget you, I never could. I never will.

  Melanie

  She put the folded paper in the only envelope she could find, a large, bright blue one that came with the birthday card she’d bought for Carley.

  ****

  Mel drove over the thin layer of gravel topping the rutted driveway. Dandelions sprouted in the center, and innocent looking nettles hugged both sides. Maple trees spread their branches over the top, creating a beautiful sun-spackled tunnel. It looked like a slice of Heaven, but she knew where it led. Straight to her personal hell.

  She would never have dared to come here, to face the suspicion that never dimmed in Roger Stone’s dark eyes. Only her fear for Carley gave her the strength to face him.

  When she got to the charming one-story house, the hills fell away to reveal an amazing view of the valley. A police car sat next to a blue Honda in front of the garage. Mel got out, took a few deep breaths and knocked on the front door. A pretty, pregnant woman in a flowered sundress answered.

  “Is Roger here?”

  “Rog,” she yelled over her shoulder, “it’s for you. Would you like to come in?”

  “No. I’ll wait here.”

  Roger came to the door in a blue T-shirt, athletic shorts, and a Mariners baseball cap. His easy smile vanished. “What are you doing here?”

  “I need to talk to you. It’s important.”

  “I’m off duty.”

  “I know, but no one else would understand.”

  He grunted. “And I will?”

  “Yes. Just give me five minutes, Roger. Then if you want me to leave, I will. I promise.”

  “From what I hear, your promises don’t mean squat.”

  With trembling fingers, she handed him the sheets of creased white paper she’d spent the last two hours working on.

  “What is this?” he asked as he scanned the pages. He flipped to the last one and looked at her with an indecipherable expression. “Beth, we need a few minutes.”

  “I’ll make some iced-tea.” The woman disappeared inside.

  Roger gestured to the patio, where a cheerful umbrella shaded a table and four chairs. “Sit.”

  “Can we walk instead?” When he nodded and pointed to a path, she started walking and he stayed by her side. “I’m not sure where to start.”

  Roger lifted the papers. “Jordan was right, wasn’t he? Someone’s gunning for you.”

  She nodded. The trail led to a scenic overlook where the hill dropped away. She rested her hands on the split rail fence that bordered the path, stared at the various shades of green in the trees. “I think I should start at the beginning. My parents divorced the year I turned eight. My father became a handy
man and did odd jobs for people around the Valley.”

  “Get to the point. I’m not a shrink, and I don’t have all day.”

  Anger replaced her reluctance and fear. “Do you want to hear this or not?”

  He shrugged. “You’d probably have better luck with a jury.”

  Focus, she told herself. Antagonizing the one person who could help her was a bad idea. “Okay, I’ll give you the condensed version.”

  “As long as it takes less than ten minutes. Then we’re going for a drive.”

  Surprised by his willingness to give her more time than she asked for, she started talking. “Mick, my father, built sheds, swings or porches, things like that. Occasionally someone wouldn’t pay him. He figured taking his payment was easier than sending them to collections. At least that’s what he told me.”

  “Convenient.”

  “Anyway,” she shot him a quelling look. “With his bum leg, he couldn’t get stuff himself, so he sent me. It became a game. He’d tell me how much they owed, and we’d argue over how close I got to the amount with the stuff I brought out. When I wasn’t scared, it was easy. I’d be careful not to disturb anything, and I was selective. I’d take a few of these, a couple of those. It became a matter of pride, I guess, to take things without anyone being the wiser.”

  “People know if expensive items go missing.” Roger stood a few feet away, watching her intently.

  “Not if it’s a single pair of earrings, or a few twenties from a secret stash. Especially if the wedding ring is still sitting on the vanity or a wad of cash in a money clip is left untouched. I didn’t want them to know I’d been there, or I’d lose the game. Then I went in your house.” A muscle in his neck twitched and she looked away.