Chapter Nine
By Monday when she returned to school, Jane’s sprained ankle was only slightly swollen. When Lena came through the door, Jane heard news that froze her to the spot.
“Miss Conroy, did you see me at the cider mill?”
Jane’s heart skipped a beat. “No, Lena. Were you there?”
“Yep, my daddy took the whole family to buy cider.”
Jane wanted to quiz the child for more details, but cautioned herself. A coincidence. That’s all it was.
“I wanted to watch the waterwheel and say hi to you, but Daddy made us sit in the car while he talked to a friend.”
Jane struggled to keep her voice calm. “Maybe next time,” she said, her pulse racing. Sam Malik went to talk to someone? Could it be he went to push someone? She couldn’t allow herself to think about it. She remembered her plan to lay her burdens on Jesus, but they clung to her, and the fear chilled her to the bone.
As soon as Jane saw Kyle, she told him about Malik being at the mill. But as always, the police could do nothing. Kyle warned her to stay rational. His attitude jolted her with disappointment.
Frustrated, Jane’s mind whirled. If the police would do nothing, she would do something. She pulled out a notepad and listed everyone she knew who’d been at the cider mill. Kyle, Celia, Len—and now Sam Malik. Had it been one of them? Or someone lurking in the shadows? Kyle and Celia? Never. Weighted with shame, she rested her chin on her folded hands and thought.
By Wednesday, her ankle seemed almost back to normal, and she pushed the fear as far from her as she could. At school that morning, heading for her teacher’s mailbox, Mary handed her a note.
Jane glanced at the memo, and her heart sank. She had another meeting after school with Mr. Malik. Then, remembering Skylar’s instructions, she caught Mary’s attention.
“Would you ask Mr. Skylar to sit in on my parent conference this afternoon? Mr. Malik is coming in to go over Lena’s test results, and Mr. Skylar suggested he should be there.” Suggested? He’d demanded.
Mary’s brows knit together. “He isn’t in today, Jane. He’s at a two-day conference.”
Two days? “Postpone the meeting then.”
Mary shrugged. “That’s up to you. The man sounded rather adamant that he meet with you today.”
“What do you think I should do, Mary?”
She shook her head. “It’s up to you.”
Jane dealt with the problem. She used the conference phone and called Sam Malik, but nothing would change his mind. He insisted meeting with her after school. When she replaced the receiver, she folded her hands and prayed.
Heading to the classroom, she felt burdened with too many problems. Tonight, Malik, and tomorrow, a meeting with her co-workers that could prove difficult.
With Halloween approaching, Jane, along with other teachers who opposed the school’s traditional celebrations, agreed to discuss an alternative activity, something special for the classes. She prayed that most of the teachers would agree to find a more acceptable way for the students to celebrate the harvest.
Morning class plodded along, and at noon, Jane gulped her lunch and spoke with Betty Durham, the special education teacher. After they reviewed the test for the second time, Betty offered to sit in with Malik, but knowing Malik’s attitude, Jane refused.
At the end of the day, Jane took a deep breath and met with him, despite Skylar’s orders. She covered the test scores point by point. When she finished, he leaned back against the chair and sneered.
“I expected as much,” he said. “I know my daughter. No matter what you say, she’s slow and needs help. If you can’t provide my daughter with a proper education, you’ll hear from my lawyer.”
“But, Mr. Malik, I really—”
“No ‘buts’ about it, Miss Conroy. You and I’ll be sitting in court.”
He rose and stalked from the room.
The second weekend after Jane’s fall, Kyle lounged in her living room, watching her pull a piece of pepperoni from the top of a double-cheese pizza. He studied her slender fingers as she plucked the round disk from the mozzarella, raised it to her mouth, then dropped it between her lips.
He couldn’t keep his attention away from her soft, pliant mouth, longing to kiss her. Somehow she kept her emotions in check like a bulldog. He admired that.
Unsuccessfully he’d tried to do the same. Their kisses had been few, considering how eager he was to lavish her with them. And often he wondered if he were protecting her or himself.
Being a cop made falling in love dangerous. How many times had an officer been shot down, trying to avoid gunfire…thinking about his wife and kids? Wife. He let his gaze explore every inch of Jane’s slender frame.
“Why are you staring at me?” She licked her messy fingers. “Suppose you think I’ll drop over from high cholesterol.”
Her look sent waves of emotions charging through him. “No, I was wondering what it might be like to be that pizza.”
“Huh?” Her nose wrinkled.
His heart skipped a beat with his developing plan. “I’ll show you.” He rose from the chair and moved to the sofa, slipping his arm behind her as he settled.
Her expressive eyes followed him in question.
“See, I’ll be that piece of pizza. Now…you do your part.” He leaned toward her, and she did exactly as he requested.
She met his mouth eagerly, savoring the first taste, then nibbled his lower lip, teasing, lingering for a moment before she covered his mouth again.
When he thought he might die, she drew back to catch her breath.
“Whew!” he said, looking into her laughing eyes. “Now that was some pizza. But I should mention I always have more than one slice.”
She braced both palms against his chest. “Not this pizza you don’t. But here you go.” She snatched a slice of the real thing and raised an edge to his lips while she nipped at the other end.
He licked the sauce from his mouth and protested, “Delicious, but not fair.”
“Not fair, but safer.”
Wilcox rose from his curled fur ball and slithered over to Jane’s feet, wrapping himself around her ankles.
Kyle gestured to the cat. “See. There’s someone who won’t settle for wishful thinking. He wants food.”
“I’m not worried about the cat,” she said. “Just about you.”
Wondering how long he could hang on, he took a deep breath and prayed. He cared about her too much to let anything jeopardize their growing relationship.
Jane nuzzled her head against his shoulder. “I feel safe when you’re here, Kyle. I’m so jittery. I jump at every sound. But it’s been quiet for a couple of weeks. I don’t know if it’s over or just a welcomed lull.”
She looked at him with fearful eyes, and he ached for her. “If I could do something, I would. Not just me, but the department.”
“I know, there’s nothing concrete. You told me that. Everything could be accidental.”
“Not anymore, Jane. Now, we have the notes on file. They dusted, but no fingerprints. Still, if something clicks to give us a clue to the perpetrator, we can build a case and file charges. But we need a suspect. Any thoughts? That art teacher, Larry, or the teacher you replaced, Dale Keys?”
“It doesn’t make sense. Why would they want to hurt me?” She shook her head. “But I’m keeping notes.”
“That’s good. You’re probably right, Jane, but please, don’t play detective.” Kyle drew his finger down her jaw to her lips. “Are things better at school?”
“Not really. Since the Malik situation, Skylar’s giving me those pursed-lip expressions.” She shifted to face him. “Did I tell you that our meeting about the autumn celebration went well?”
“Autumn celebration? What’s that?”
“An activity to replace the Halloween party. Being a Christian, I don’t like the witch and goblin thing. So I talked it up at the meeting, and we decided to have a harvest celebration.”
He admir
ed her courage. Like his brother, Paulie, she wasn’t afraid to stand up for her beliefs. “What will you do?”
“We’re going to a pumpkin farm. After a hayride and farm tour, they help the children paint pumpkins. The workers even dress like scarecrows.”
“That sounds fun. I’m proud of you for standing up for your beliefs.”
“You are?”
He nodded, then raised his hand and caressed her hair, feeling the mass of curls beneath his fingers. Although unwanted, his mind drifted back to the stalker situation. “Jane, we still need to come up with a suspect. Are you thinking about people you know…or people you knew years ago who might be involved in this?”
“I don’t know. I’ve asked myself a million questions about everyone, Kyle.” She lowered her head, and a faint flush rose on her cheeks.
“And?” He could guess what she was thinking.
“I’ve even wondered about you.”
As she lifted her head, he saw her eyes filled with sadness, and he hurt for her.
She shook her head. “I can’t believe it. But once in a while, I remind myself that you’ve been nearby during most of the incidents.”
“I suppose I have. The tires, the notes, the book.”
“And at the cider mill,” she added.
How could he blame her? He could be as guilty as anyone.
Jane pulled her hand through her curls. “I even wondered about Celia after you mentioned the guilty person could be a woman. But in my heart, I know it’s neither of you.”
Kyle wished he could do something to ease her fears. He slid his arm around her shoulders. “I don’t blame you for wondering, Jane. I keep wishing something might trigger your memory. Someone who was jealous of you in your past. Someone who wants revenge. Maybe you were a beauty queen and stole the crown from a ‘wanna-be’?”
“I wasn’t a cheerleader or the queen of anything. I told you. I’ve gone over it so many times. I even asked my friends Perry and Betsy.”
“Nothing, huh?”
“Nothing. They both agree I’m purely delightful.”
Her flickering grin caused him to smile. “Well, then. We’ll wait and see.”
“I don’t want to hear ‘wait and see’ anymore.” She raised her finger and traced the line of his mouth.
His stomach tightened, and he wondered what she was thinking as he studied her serious expression.
“Kyle,” she said finally, “you’re wonderful. Handsome and brave and…I—I don’t understand.”
Her look put him on edge so he went for humor. “You don’t understand why I’m wonderful, handsome and brave?”
“No, why you’re single. Why you haven’t married. You could have a girl on every corner.”
“What makes you think I don’t?” he joked, but her question was a direct hit.
“You always make a joke when I ask you something serious,” she said. She stared at him, waiting for a response.
How could he answer her? It was a feeling more than anything else. Families hurt when loved ones died. He knew the pain himself. Marriage and cops? He wasn’t sure the two went hand in hand.
As he searched for an answer, Jane studied him.
“I scare women off with my wonderfulness. Do you believe that?”
“Kyle, that’s another joke. Please.”
He owed her this one, no matter how difficult it was to explain. “Family, maybe. I value families, and I’ve watched my parents’ pain…and felt my own when Paulie died. His death blasted a hole in my family as horrible as the bullet that put a hole in him.”
A long time had passed since Kyle dealt with these feelings. The pain swelled in him like a sucker punch.
Jane seemed to sense his distress. Caressing the back of his hand, she didn’t speak, but her face said she understood.
“When I leave for work in the morning,” Kyle continued, “I never know if I’ll come home at night. I’ve asked myself many times if I want to put the woman I love, maybe even kids, through that kind of agony. You’ve lived it, Jane. You told me. You understand.”
Her head drooped. “Then…what about us?”
His serious words were cushioned with a comfortable awareness. “Emotions don’t seem to use reason. They just grow into relationships. I can’t fight it anymore, Jane. Like the old song says, ‘Whatever will be, will be.”’
Her stressed face softened to a smile. She lifted her empty fingers, pinched them together as if holding something, and waved them back and forth. “Can you tell what’s in my hand?”
“You’re directing a band?”
“It’s my white flag. I surrender,” she said with a shy look Kyle had never seen before.
For a moment, he lingered on her smile. When he leaned forward to kiss her, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and he could feel her hand waving the imaginary flag above his head.
Chapter Ten
On Wednesday of the next week, Jane stopped at a neighborhood café for dinner before she returned to school for her first parent open house. Though Kyle was working the afternoon shift, he said he’d try to join her, and she grinned when she saw him come through the door.
“Things are quiet tonight,” he said, sliding into a chair across from her. “I called in my dinner break. They’ll radio me if there’s a problem.”
“I’m glad. I miss you on this shift.”
He slid his hand over hers. “I miss you, too.” His seasoned eye studied her face. “Something wrong?”
Lying to him made no sense. He could read every nuance of her expression. “A little nervous, I suppose. This is my first parent open house. I’m not sure what to expect.”
“Thinking all your parents will be like Malik?”
“Something like that.” She glanced again at the menu, then laid it next to her place setting. “My room looks nice though.”
“Anything special?”
“I’ve put up all the science and social studies projects. The drawings of Michigan birds and flowers are pretty. And then we made a fort out of Popsicle sticks. Not bad if I do say so myself.”
“Wish I’d had a third grade teacher like you.”
Before she could respond, the waitress stopped by to take their order.
When she left, Kyle gripped her hand more tightly. “Okay, now it’s my turn.”
His face appeared relaxed, but his words frightened her. “Is something wrong?”
“Not really.”
He was lying. She saw it in his face. Her pulse skipped. “Is it something about me?”
He didn’t respond, but she saw a teasing glint in his eyes.
“Come on, Kyle.”
“It’s about us, but I’m not sure you’re ready to hear this.”
“Say it.” She shook her hand captured beneath his. “You’re driving me crazy.”
“That’s it, Jane. You’re driving me crazy. You’re all I think about.”
Her galloping pulse became a stampede of wild horses, but she struggled to keep some focus on reality. No matter how much he made her heart skip, he was a cop. “But we’ve only known each other such a short time.”
He lifted her hand to his lips and brushed it with a kiss. “It’s been less than two months, I know. But is time really that important?”
“It’s not just time.” She eyed his familiar blue uniform, the badge, the weapon. Memories and fear sailed into her mind. It was too much too soon. “Since I met you, I’ve been under so much pressure. And…my dad, well, I have a lot of negative feelings about—”
“I’m not your dad, Jane. And I’m not pushing you for anything right now. I just want you to know what I’m feeling.”
“Then I’ll be honest. You’re important to me, too.” But was important enough? Would time soften the excitement and fade into bad feelings and resentment— old hurts resurfacing?
He nestled her hand between his. “Just remember.”
“How can I forget?”
But Jane sensed he had something more serious on his mind.
“What else, Kyle? You’re thinking again about something.”
He studied her. “I’m thinking about your past, Jane. Does anyone you work with seem familiar—someone you knew years ago? Skylar? Charlie, maybe? Or how about Dale Keys?”
Irritation surged up her spine. “You’re stuck on this past thing, Kyle.” She flung her hands out to her sides. “I recognized Perry right away. People change, but not that much.”
“I’m sorry for pushing you, Jane, but…forget it. Don’t worry about it.”
Though his expression looked apologetic, she glowered at him. “Don’t worry? Easy for you to say.” Immediately she was sorry.
“You carrying the cell phone?” he asked.
She nodded, recalling the black compact telephone in her shoulder bag, which should be giving her a sense of safety. But it didn’t.
Kyle became thoughtful. Jane looked at the concern on his face and wanted to reach out and hug him…kiss him for his goodness. He’d done everything he could, and she acted so ungrateful.
The day they met rose in Jane’s mind. She remembered how his uniform caused a gate as thick as a castle wall to drop between them. But Kyle’s gentleness and good humor punched holes in the barricade she’d built. Little by little it was crumbling away.
Still, at times, the memories rose, tearing at her like a wild circus lion, and she would hold them back with the whip of reason and sensibility. Then the lion transformed to a kitten again, purring against her chest, becoming her best friend.
Jane refocused as the waitress appeared and slid the platter of pesto pasta in front of her, its savory aroma tempting her appetite. Tonight she’d appease her stomach. If she could only do the same for her thoughts.
Before the parents arrived for the conference, Jane organized her displays and set out students’ math workbooks. She jumped when Celia leaned into the room. “Can you do me a favor?”
Jane chastised herself for her jitters. “Sure. What?”
“Unlock my door.”
Unlock her door?
A Love for Safekeeping Page 10