I heard a gunshot and screamed.
TWENTY-SIX
I’d heard of time standing still, but until that moment, I always thought it was a figure of speech. When Crocker turned over with the gun, a million things happened at once, yet I was aware of every single one of them. Shouting and crashing downstairs. Crocker pointing the gun. Joe throwing me to the floor. Muffy rushing for Crocker’s arm. The sound of the gunshot. My scream. Even with all that knowledge in the moment, I didn’t know what I’d find on the other side.
When I looked up, Joe still stood where I last saw him, so I took that as a good sign. Muffy was growling and Crocker shouted and cursed, the gun still in his hand, pointed to the ceiling. Another shot. I jumped up to my feet, trying to get out of the way of any stray bullets.
Muffy had a death grip on Crocker’s arm, shaking as she snarled. Joe kept his gun pointed at the man rolling on the floor but couldn’t get a good shot with Muffy in the way. I looked on the desk for something to use as a weapon and found a crystal geode bookend. I picked it up, surprised to find it so heavy.
Crocker tried to shake Muffy off but when that didn’t work he started hitting her with his free hand. Muffy held on.
Seeing him hit Muffy pissed me off. And once I let that feeling wash through my head, fury followed right behind it. How dare he hit my dog? And tear up my house, not to mention my new blouse? Who did he think he was, beating people up and killing them? He’d messed with the wrong woman.
“Get your grimy hands off my dog!” I flung the rock at Crocker’s head.
The geode hit him square in the temple, and his arms crumpled into a heap on his chest, the gun tumbling to the floor with a clatter. Joe ran over and picked up the gun as Muffy hopped off Crocker’s body. Joe turned to me, disbelief on his face and just a hint of anger.
“He was messin’ with my dog,” I said in my defense.
Joe rolled Crocker onto his stomach and pulled his hands behind his back.
“Did I kill him?” I asked, scared I’d broken another of the Ten Commandments. I was really on a roll.
“No, but he’ll have one hell of headache when he wakes up.” Joe jerked the electrical cord of a floor lamp out of the wall. He pulled a pocketknife out of his pocket and cut the cord from the base, then wrapped it around Crocker’s wrists.
He walked over to me and tugged me into his arms. I let myself relax into his chest. “Is it over?” I asked.
“Yeah, it’s over.” He sighed with relief, blowing hairs on top of my head.
We clung to each other for a minute, thankful we could, then Joe grabbed my arms and pulled me away to face him, anger burning in his eyes.
“What the hell did you think you were doing coming here? You could have gotten yourself killed!”
“I was savin’ you, thank you very much!”
“I told you to stay in the house. I gave you a direct order.” He gritted his teeth, making his words muffled.
“You are not the boss of me, Joe McAllister! And besides, Muffy came back and was whining and barking at the back of my house. I couldn’t just leave her out there!”
“I told you to stay in the house!”
“If I had, they would have found me! Right after I got to Muffy, four men showed up and busted into your house lookin’ for me and found my shoes. So there!”
That caught him by surprise.
“Then I went to get another pair of shoes out of my house and found it trashed by them again…”
“Again?” His voice rose. “There was a first time I didn’t know about?”
I ignored his question. “Well, it just pissed me off, having to get another cleaning crew to come and clean up his mess again.”
“So what? You came here to make him write you a check?”
“No, I came here to save you.”
“I didn’t need you save me.”
“Yeah, I could see that, what with the gun pointed to your head and all.”
His face softened and reached his hand up to touch my bruised cheek. “I almost lost it when he hit you.”
“Well, I’m glad you didn’t. It would have ruined everything.”
“What? You had a plan?”
“No, I just kind of winged it.”
“Why in God’s name did you taunt him into bringing you up here? When I heard that gunshot, I almost had a heart attack. I had to push my way through the DEA agents that showed up to bust the place. I nearly got myself shot trying to get up here to you.”
“I had a gun. The gun you hid in my shed. I thought if I got Crocker alone, I could keep him from you until what you needed to happen, happened.”
“So you knew how to turn off the safety?”
“Safety?”
Joe’s eyes got as big as the pancakes they serve at The Waffle House.
I shrugged. “I figured out it was loaded, not an easy task, and I stuck it in the waistband of my jeans. And then when all the noise started happening downstairs, I bit him on the lip.”
I could have sworn Joe’s face paled and then reddened.
“You realize there were so many problems with that plan that you are lucky to be standing here.”
“It was all I had.”
“No,” he growled. “You could have stayed away.”
I groaned in frustration. “That again? I had to do it, Joe. Could you have sat at home, watchin’ a show about prairie dogs, knowing I was probably gonna be killed?”
He didn’t answer.
“Yeah, you proved that you couldn’t last night. Why is what I did any different?”
“Because I’m a cop!” he shouted. “That’s what I’ve been trained to do!”
I stepped backward in disbelief. “What?”
“I was undercover, investigating this mess. I’m with the state police.”
“So you’re not a criminal?” I wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or angry. I let myself have both. “You lied to me?”
“Yes, no.” Joe shook his head, looking frustrated.
“You really were just using me?”
He didn’t answer right away, and I had all the answers I needed. I headed for the open door.
Joe stepped in front of me. “Rose! Wait! I was investigating Crocker’s stolen-parts ring. I was a mechanic and worked on the delivery trucks that came in for their bogus maintenance runs. Instead, they were leaving with stolen parts and the pot Crocker grew in his warehouse. I wasn’t even involved in the drug trafficking part until Sloan got into trouble with Crocker over the missing flash drive.”
“And me.” I reminded him, my voice cold. “Until you thought I had the flash drive. You really wanted it for the police, but it got you into Crocker’s good graces.”
The look on his face confirmed it. I tried to step around him again.
“So what’s on this precious flash drive everyone wants? It must be something special to kill people and waste time foolin’ stupid me.” I glared up at him.
“Rose, I swear it wasn’t like that!”
“You just saved me last night because it was gonna look bad that an innocent taxpaying citizen got killed by mistake.”
His face hardened. “You’re wrong there. They offered you immunity up until Saturday afternoon, the phone call I got after lunch. Then they said they wanted you to go through with meeting Crocker. They were worried if you didn’t show, the big meeting today wouldn’t happen.”
My heart dropped into my toes. “I see,” I said, letting it sink in. “So how did you save me then? Why?”
“By disobeying direct orders. When my superiors find out what I did, I’m liable to lose my job. But I wouldn’t have been able to live with the guilt.”
“Am I supposed to feel grateful or sorry for that?” I shouted, about to burst into tears. “I saved you because I care about you Joe McAllister! Not because I felt guilty! Okay, a little because I felt guilty, since I thought you were gonna die because of me. But I saved you because I couldn’t bear for something to happen to you. I like you.
Or I thought I did.” I stepped to my left to get around him.
Joe moved in front of me again. “Rose, that came out wrong, that’s not what I meant!”
“You were gonna arrest me, weren’t you?”
He didn’t answer, guilt in his eyes.
“Get out of my way, Joe McAllister.”
Hilary stood in the doorway. “Joe, we need you downstairs.”
I stared at her, then back at Joe. “So is she your girlfriend or not?”
“Was. What I told you the night we ate Chinese was true.”
I studied the man I thought I knew, my heart shattering into pieces. “Thanks for tellin’ me the truth about something.” I walked around him and Hilary backed out of the doorway onto the stairs.
“Rose! Wait!” Joe shouted, running after me.
Hilary blocked his path. “She just needs some time to think this through and you have work to do.”
I walked down the stairs, realizing my shirt still hung open, my black bra hanging out for the world to see. Even though it seemed the least of my worries, I grabbed the torn edges with my hand to hold it shut.
“Rose, you can’t leave yet,” Hilary called out. “We still need a statement from you.”
“I don’t care. I’m going home. You know where to find me.” I walked through the handcuffed men and DEA agents in bulletproof vests, then headed for the wide open doors in the center. Muffy appeared next to me.
“Come on, Muffy. Let’s go home.”
***
I parked Mildred’s car in her driveway, like nothing had ever happened. I would have filled up the gas tank, but I didn’t have any money. Heavens knew where my purse was.
As soon as I got in the house, I called Violet at Aunt Bessie’s. I assured her I was fine and that it was all over. When she asked about Joe, I told her he was fine, too. I didn’t feel like explaining anything else. Turned out he’d told her the night before that he was with the state police. I guessed I was the last to know.
I took a long shower, my body aching from all the beating it had received. I was thankful I didn’t have to worry about someone coming in and surprising me. I also felt a sense of relief, knowing that Muffy stood guard next to the tub if they did. I’d never doubt her guard-dog capabilities again.
I spent the rest of the afternoon sorting through my house, the events of the last couple weeks playing in my mind, exhausted but too riled up to sleep. Around seven, I heard the whine of a small motor in the kitchen.
The side door stood partially open and Joe had a drill, removing my locks.
“What are you doin’?” I asked, irritated at the little skip in my heart at the sight of him. I stopped in front of the opening.
He stood up and reached out his right hand to me, wanting to shake my hand.
I tilted my head and looked at him like he’d just escaped from the funny farm.
“I’m Joe.” He shook my hand and gave me a hesitant smile. “I’m your next door neighbor. I saw you had some broken locks and thought I’d do the neighborly thing and fix ‘em for you.”
“You don’t have to…”
He picked up the drill again, working on the screws. “I’m a mechanic. And a cop, although I’m not sure I’ll be one for much longer. I grew up in El Dorado. My parents still live there. My little sister lives in Little Rock.” He looked up, his eyes pleading with me to listen. “That’s where I live, too, in Little Rock. I have an apartment there.”
“Joe.”
He put the drill down, stood up and took my hand in his. “Here’s the thing. I met this girl, this beautiful woman who’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met. She’s funny, and brave and has packed more into her life in the last few weeks than most people do in their entire lives.”
My eyes started to burn.
“I find myself thinking about her all the time. But I hurt her. I didn’t mean to hurt her. I’d do anything to take back the pain I caused, but I don’t think she’ll listen to me. So the only thing I know to do is start over, then maybe she’ll give me another chance.” When I didn’t say anything, he pulled me into his arms, looking into my eyes for a sign that I forgave him. “Do you think there’s any way she can give me another chance?”
I’d wrestled with myself all afternoon. I knew Joe was doing his job, that it wasn’t personal. I had to look past my own feelings and look at the bigger picture. But how did I know what was real and what wasn’t, especially in regard to his feelings for me.
I cleared my throat, trying to dislodge the lump that had formed. “This woman, perhaps she doesn’t know what to believe. Maybe she forgives you for doing your job but feels like everything else was a lie.”
The soft pitter-patter of raindrops beginning to hit the leaves and the cars caught me by surprise. The dark clouds that had shrouded the sky all day finally let loose.
Joe cupped my cheek carefully with his hand. His thumb ran under the bruise on my cheekbone. “My feelings for you weren’t a lie. But that’s why I wanted to wait to sleep together, so there wouldn’t be any doubt in your mind.” He paused, searching my eyes. “I would do anything to prove it to you.”
The corners of my mouth lifted into a small smile. “I’m Rose. I’ve not done much living in my life, but I met this guy who makes me want to live it. He doesn’t even think it’s strange that I have visions, but he wasn’t who I thought he was.”
Joe’s eyes clouded.
“I hope to get to know the real him. And besides, he promised to help me fulfill my last wish, play in the rain.”
Joe’s face lit up right before he kissed me, almost making me forget about the rain. He was always making me forget things. He didn’t forget anything though. He grabbed my hand and pulled me outside. He kissed me again as the gentle rain seeped into our hair and clothes.
“Joe McAllister, I thought we were supposed to be playing in the rain.”
“I am playing.” He laughed before kissing me again, happiness radiating from him. “And I’m only getting started.”
TWENTY-SEVEN
I didn’t want to go to work the next day, but I’d already taken two weeks off and couldn’t afford to take off any more days. I was out of vacation time. I had all of Dora’s money, but I hadn’t figured out what to do with it. So, for the moment, I pretended it didn’t exist.
I almost called in sick anyway. I looked like a domestic-violence victim with the bruises on my cheek and slightly swollen eye, making me wish I had gotten concealer when I bought my other makeup. It didn’t help that I was sleep-deprived. Between giving my statement to Hilary, who showed up around nine, and Joe keeping me up half the night, I was beyond tired.
But happy. For the first time, I felt like I actually had a life worth living.
I still hadn’t gotten my car back, so Joe drove me to work. I suspected he would hold off getting it as long as possible. He was trying to find a way to spend every minute he could with me before he went back to Little Rock in a few days. Neither one of us wanted to talk about it, but we also knew our relationship was too new to promise each other anything other than the vow to see each other as often as possible. It hung over our heads like a big cloud of loneliness.
At work, I settled into my desk and turned on the computer, making sure the drawers were stocked with forms, the printer full of paper. Suzanne sat down next to me a few minutes later and was surprisingly quiet. I expected her to mock my bruises or be hateful that I had just taken off another week, but she sat at her desk, subdued.
Just then, it occurred to me the DEA had never figured out who had the real flash drive.
I spent the morning trying to figure out how to get her to confess, like she’d tell me she had a flash drive wanted by law enforcement officials and crime lords. She wouldn’t even tell me what she had for dinner the night before. But she seemed sad, so I tried being nice.
“Is everything okay?” I asked in a moment when neither of us had clients.
“What do you care?” she asked with a sneer, but I heard
the tears in her voice.
“Look, Suzanne, I know we’ve had our differences, but I can see you’re upset and I just want you to know if you need someone to talk to, I’ll be happy to listen.”
“Why would you do that? I’ve been nothin’ but mean to you.”
“Because you look like you’re hurtin’.” I surprised myself when I realized it was true. I wasn’t just trying to get information from her.
Customers appeared at both of our counters and we were busy for another half an hour before we had a rare lapse close to noon.
Suzanne looked my direction, her eyes shimmering with tears. “My boyfriend left me last night. With my best friend. I never saw it comin’.” She bit her lip as her chin quivered.
I handed her a tissue. “I’m so sorry, Suzanne.”
“I thought he was different.” She blew her nose and looked at me, narrowing her eyes. “Honey, don’t let no man do that to you.” She pointed to my face. “They say they love you and they’re sorry, but they’re just mean, selfish sons of bitches. You can do a whole lot better than that.”
My mouth fell open in shock. If someone had told me two weeks ago that Suzanne would be nice to me, I would have suggested they try to sell me some snake oil, because I would have been far more likely to buy that. But I’d changed, and I realized sometimes people acted mean because they were hurting. Suzanne had obviously been hurting for a long time.
I thought about telling her I didn’t get my bruises from my boyfriend. The Weston Garage bust had been big news. Daniel Crocker had been locked up in the hospital while he recovered from dog bites and a gunshot wound to his leg. He would soon face multiple charges that included murdering Sloan and my Momma, but that hadn’t been released yet. Amazingly enough, my name had been kept out of it. But I had to wonder how Suzanne knew about my boyfriend. I hadn’t told anyone. The person with the flash drive would probably know a lot about me since I took the fall for him. Or her.
We got busier and I didn’t have time to think about it. Two o’clock rolled around, when I usually took my lunch break. I’d brought my lunch since Joe would be tied up with official state police stuff. He was still waiting to hear what his punishment would be. Joe said he didn’t care. Let them fire him, he’d said. But the look in his eyes told me it would hurt him a whole lot more than he’d admit.
Crimes of Passion Page 84