This Hero for Hire

by Cynthia Thomason

  “Not wait up for someone going to the soda machine?” she said to Boone. “Obviously Omar knew something was going on. He questioned Randy until he got enough information to know that our new employee was planning something and it didn’t sound good. Remembering the argument from two weeks ago, and the fact that Randy hadn’t let his disgust for the fertilizer plant drop, Omar put two and two together. He tried to persuade Randy to stay at the motel, but it was no use. Randy left and Omar called me.”

  Boone rubbed his hand over his mouth, taking in what she’d told him. “And you did exactly the same thing as Randy did? Snuck out of the house?”

  “I went there to try and stop him. I certainly wasn’t in support of whatever cockamamie plan he had cooked up. All I could think about was diverting him from fulfilling it. I knew his actions could destroy all the work we’d done.”

  “And it didn’t occur to you, not once, to wake me up and tell me what was going on?”

  If he only knew. She’d stopped at his bedroom door, her fist poised to knock. Then she’d reconsidered. Randy could be stopped, she’d believed. She didn’t want to see him arrested, and Boone surely would have done that if he’d determined that Randy had broken the law. But there was another reason she hadn’t knocked, and that’s the one she told Boone now.

  “I considered waking you, but this was my problem. I’d brought trouble to Mount Union, and I had to clean it up. And...”

  He blinked hard at her. “And?”

  “I couldn’t risk that you’d tell my father. I know you’ve promised to keep my secret, but if Randy was planning something illegal, I didn’t know if the promise would still stand. I thought I’d talk sense into Randy, get him back to the motel and crawl back into my bed without you knowing I’d been gone.”

  “You’re right about one thing. If I’d caught Randy breaking the law, all bets would have been off.” He didn’t dwell on the fact but just said, “So, what happened when you got to the plant?”

  She explained the chaos she discovered when she arrived. All fertilizer manufacturers are required to have natural ventilation in case of a leak, and Randy had opened one of the emergency windows with his crowbar. Randy, being extremely thin, had shimmied in the slight opening with no problem. Omar had to spend precious moments widening the gap so he could enter the warehouse. When Susannah hoisted herself through the window, she saw Omar basically chasing Randy around the interior of the plant.

  “Omar couldn’t catch him?” Boone asked.

  “No. Randy had already opened several valves on the sprinkler system and water was pouring onto the bagged fertilizers and pesticides that had been stacked on pallets for distribution to stores. Knowing the damage that would cause, Omar tried to shut off as many as he could while still attempting to get closer to Randy and stop him from doing more damage.”

  “At least I know how you got soaked,” Boone said.

  Susannah plucked at her tank top. “And you know how the bags got soaked too. I can’t begin to imagine how much product was ruined.”

  Boone cocked his head to the side. “You know what, Susannah? You’re going to find out. And if it’s as bad as you think, I wonder if your father is going to get you out of this one.”

  Her blood chilled. “I can’t ask him, Boone. He’d never speak to me again. There are things you don’t know...”

  “Would one of those things be that the Lawson Fertilizer Company is one of your father’s financial backers in the upcoming election?”

  Her breath caught. “You know that? I didn’t think you followed politics.”

  “Why would you think that? Because I’m a dumb cop whose intellectual environment doesn’t exceed the boundaries of one little Georgia town?”

  “No, of course not. I don’t think that at all. I think you’re the most...” She stopped herself before she revealed just how wonderful she was beginning to believe he was, how much she depended on him, how often she thought of him sleeping in the next room, keeping her safe. She swallowed and said, “I certainly don’t think you’re dumb.”

  He smiled. “I guess I am a little dumb,” he said. “I don’t know what water can do to fertilizer when it’s packed in bags. Why don’t you tell me?”

  “It’s potentially explosive,” she said. “Which is why they have the sprinkler system to begin with. It can even be toxic.”

  “But when it’s sold to the consumer, it’s in the form of small granules, making it somewhat safer to handle.”

  “Yes, that’s right, but when the granules are still bagged, and water is added, it clumps, becomes as hard as rock. And it’s unusable.”

  “I see.” Boone tapped his finger on the table. “So every bag that got soaked tonight is a loss?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Then your friend, Randy, is in a boatload of trouble.”

  They were both silent, considering the ramifications of what Boone had just said, when he suddenly asked, “So, how’d you get caught?”

  “Sensors in the building. They detected movement and initiated the silent alarm, which was heard in the sheriff’s office.” She looked to Boone for sympathy, which she knew she wouldn’t get. “Stupid, right? Even the most inexperienced criminals would know about sensors.”

  Boone stood. “Okay, at least I know what happened.”

  “You believe me?”

  “I believe you. If Randy does the right thing and clears you of all responsibility for the damage, I might be able to get you released.”

  She felt a burst of hope. “Really? Tonight?”

  He shrugged. “It’s a possibility.”

  As he walked by her to the door, she stopped him, taking his hand in hers. “You may not believe this, but it could have been worse.”

  He stared down at the juncture of their hands. “How?”

  “Randy destroyed the property in the safest possible way. He could have started a fire. He could have ripped open the bags before he turned the water on. Then we’d have poisonous fumes over the area and possible harmful runoff into our water system.”

  Boone gave her an incredulous stare. “That Randy. He’s a heck of a guy, isn’t he?”

  She disengaged her hand. “I used to think so.”

  “I’ll let the officers outside know we’re done here and then I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Can you help Omar also?” For a moment she thought she’d gone too far with that request, but he almost smiled.

  “I’ll try.” He stopped at the door and faced her squarely. “Hopefully I’ll be able to take you back to the house with me tonight...” He glanced out the narrow ceiling window where the first rays of sun were peeking through the dirty glass. “Make that this morning. And if I do...”

  When he paused, she said, “If you do, then what?”

  “I’m not going to let you out of my sight, Susannah. Not until your father gets home. If I have to lock you in your room, or move my bed...”

  He didn’t finish the thought but instead shut the door behind him, and Susannah smiled. Boone hadn’t abandoned her. He’d believed her. And now he was going to bat for her with the sheriff’s department. She was going home with him, and right now nothing seemed more wonderful than that. The words he’d just said had been meant as a threat, but she knew there were worse punishments than being in his company all day and all night.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  WHEN BOONE, SUSANNAH and Omar left the sheriff’s office in Boone’s truck, they headed toward the fertilizer plant, where Omar could pick up his vehicle. Boone had been told that Randy’s truck had already been impounded so it could be searched from top to bottom.

  “I don’t suppose there’s anything we can do for Randy,” Susannah said when they’d gone a couple of miles.

  Boone gawked at her for a moment. “Are you serious? The man ju
st destroyed thousands of dollars in private property, and you want to help him out.”

  “I know how that looks. But he was our friend. At least he was until this happened.” She looked at Boone. “What do you suppose will happen to him?”

  “He’ll be arraigned before a judge and no doubt be held for trial.”

  “What about bond?”

  “I can’t see anyone around here arranging bond for him. No one knows him well enough to assume he wouldn’t be a flight risk.” Boone pictured the unreliable youth. “And something tells me he doesn’t have much collateral to secure his own bond.”

  “No,” she agreed. “He barely made ends meet on the salary we gave him. But I don’t think he’s a total screwup. He told the police the truth when they asked him about Omar’s and my involvement.”

  Boone had been surprised that Randy had corroborated their stories. “You wouldn’t be in my truck right now without his confession to the sheriff. He did speak up for you guys. But don’t forget...” He glanced first at Susannah in the seat next to him and at Omar in the seat behind. “Neither one of you can leave town until the judge says so. Your testimony will be needed at trial.”

  “We don’t intend to leave,” Omar said in his precise, clipped accent. “We are happy with the land Susannah found for us. Your land. I’m quite encouraged by the initial planting we’ve done. We want to be here for the fall harvest.”

  Boone flexed his fingers on the steering wheel. Didn’t this guy realize what trouble Randy had caused? How he might be implicated? Or did his life revolve solely around planting vegetables? Suddenly aware of his own involvement with Susannah’s friends, he realized he was into this scheme waist deep. He’d provided the land, he’d rescued the princess from the dungeon, he was keeping secrets from the king. What was left but a swift beheading?

  He wondered if anything good, other than maybe a few overpriced vegetables, would come out of the entire enterprise. And then he stole another look at Susannah, and he knew he was wrong. She was something good—pure and caring—and he would scale walls and swim moats to protect and support her.

  “What about the cost of the fertilizer Randy destroyed?” she asked. “If we had the money, I would pay it, but we don’t. We won’t realize a profit until the first fall crop comes in.” She looked over the front seat. “And I’ve already told Omar that we’d use some of the money to bring his wife and children here to see him.”

  “I asked the sheriff about that,” Boone said. “The fertilizer manufacturer, a man named Harold Lawson, was well insured. This falls under the category of vandalism, and he’ll be covered. But that doesn’t let Randy off the hook. Lawson will probably want him prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

  “So, jail time, you think?”

  “I’m sure of it,” Boone said.

  Susannah focused on Omar. “Should we get him an attorney?”

  “I’m not in favor of it,” he said. “Randy brought this problem on himself. And besides, in your country an attorney is appointed by the court, isn’t that right? Randy will have representation.”

  They’d reached the fertilizer plant, and Boone pulled alongside Omar’s old Ford and Susannah’s equally rundown Suburban. Susannah started to get out of the truck.

  “I’ll take you home,” Boone said.

  “But my truck will be left here.”

  “It’ll be fine. After what you’ve been through, I don’t think you should drive.”

  Her jaw dropped with indignation. “Oh, come on, Boone, you don’t think I’m such a delicate flower that a little breaking and entering and a few hours in lockup would render me incapable of driving?”

  He wasn’t going to lose this argument. He’d seen her hands tremble in the conference room. At one point he was certain she was close to tears. She’d sat for hours in wet clothes. She hadn’t eaten or slept, and she’d suffered a major disappointment at the hands of someone she trusted. Either he was going to protect her, or he wasn’t, and the job started for real right now.

  “I’m taking you home, Susannah. That’s how it is. Later, after you’ve rested, we’ll come back for your truck.”

  She almost smiled. So did he. Maybe she was going to listen to reason from now on. Her gaze scanned the immediate vicinity where law enforcement officers were scrambling around the exterior of the building. Crime scene tape blocked much of the parking lot. “I guess this is a safe enough place for a fifteen-year-old truck,” she said.

  Omar got out of the back after he and Susannah made plans to meet at the farm later that day. If the other two on their team could accomplish enough by themselves, they would each try to rest for a while. Later they’d regroup and decide what they needed to do to take up the slack left by Randy’s arrest.

  * * *

  THERE WAS SOMETHING so comfortable about Boone. And safe. As they headed back to the house, Susannah leaned her head against the seat and closed her eyes. For a few moments she actually dozed off but was jarred awake at the click of the truck’s turn signal.

  “Back already?” she said.

  “You were asleep,” Boone said. “Go on up to your bedroom and I’ll ask Maria to fix you a sandwich.”

  Susannah grinned at him. “If she doesn’t want to fix a sandwich at eight o’clock in the morning, would you fix me one?”

  “I might. If you promise to stay put.”

  “Which reminds me,” she said as they both got out of the truck. “You said things were going to change around here. Is there something else you want to tell me about that?”

  He stopped on the front entryway steps and looked down at her. “Are you sure you want to get into this right now?”

  She sat on a concrete step and brushed off the area next to her, inviting him to join her. “If we don’t, I think your head might explode.”

  “Okay. You could be right.” He sat next to her.

  She wanted him to blow off the steam that she’d practically seen coming from his ears since she’d sat with him at the police station. Boone wasn’t the sort to overlook a few indiscretions, and he had to be seething over her behavior. This was the second time Susannah had planned on not getting caught, and the second time she’d been rounded up like a loose calf. She was going to have to come up with new plans of escapes because clearly she was the getting-caught type.

  “I’m going to assume you are terribly disappointed in me,” she said.

  “Disappointed? I might be disappointed if you burned the toast, but this...” His eyes narrowed threateningly. “You snuck out of the house. You didn’t tell me where you were going. You ignored the only rule we’ve established between us—full disclosure. If your father hears about this...”

  “I spoke to the sheriff before we left,” she said. “I asked him to keep my name out of the media if he could. Considering I’m not going to be held or charged, and because he’s a Rhodes supporter, he agreed. I don’t think there’s any way Daddy will learn of this.”

  “Unless I tell him,” Boone answered matter of factly.

  “You wouldn’t!”

  “It’s what I thought about during my drive to the sheriff’s office. I seriously considered bagging this whole assignment, telling your father that I want no part of protecting his sweet little Georgia peach...”

  “Now you’re just being condescending.”

  “Maybe this is exactly what you need to hear, Susannah, because this stunt today was the pattern of a woman who sees herself as somehow entitled, above the law, and if I were smart, I’d hightail it right back to being a simple small-town cop.”

  “First of all, you’re not simple, not at all. And I do not see myself as entitled. You’ve seen my truck, my clothes. For heaven’s sake, that ratty old straw hat I wear in the sun is more than five years old and traveled with me from India. We’re financing this project with state
money and the bits of profit we’ll manage to save from selling our produce.”

  “I’m not talking about your work ethic. I know you believe in what you’re doing and willing to do whatever it takes to succeed. But your actions tonight were those of someone who’s never had to take responsibility for anything she’s ever done. You’re not entitled to act as if you’re the only one who lives on this planet. You’re not alone in the world, Susannah. You’re not alone in this state. You’re not alone in this house. Like it or not, you have to answer to me, your father, even Maria at times, but did that even enter your head tonight? Don’t answer. I’m sure it didn’t.”

  That speech was probably the most words she’d ever heard Boone put together at one time. She wanted to believe that he was being totally unfair, but she knew that at least part of what he said was the truth. “I told you why I didn’t involve you. This was my problem.”

  “And what’s my problem?” he asked.

  She squared her shoulders. “I know what you want me to say. You want me to say that I’m your problem.”

  “Yes, because it’s true. And you are your father’s problem, too. Can you even begin to imagine what this stunt could have cost him in supporters? His daughter out ruining property belonging to one of Albee’s main financial backers. Property that probably ninety percent of the farmers in this area depend on to survive?”

  “Okay, well, yes, this could have been a disaster, but we’ve avoided all that.”

  “Because it’s still all about who you know in this town, isn’t it, Susannah? And you know the sheriff and the governor and even some poor stupid patrol cop who got roped into playing nursemaid to the first family of Georgia.”

  Oh, no. She was going to cry. Her eyes stung. Her nose began to run. “Don’t even say that about yourself!” she admonished him. She swallowed to keep her voice from cracking. “You’re not stupid, and you’re certainly not a nursemaid. You’re an honorable man who couldn’t say no to his governor. There is no shame in that, Boone Braddock.”

  She turned on the hard concrete and clasped both her hands over his forearms. Her knuckles were turning white because she was squeezing so hard, but he didn’t wince. “Don’t give up on me, Boone. Please.”