She had seen movies and television shows, but nothing had prepared her for just how busy life in New York City would be. No longer under the eyes of the opinionated citizens of her small, hometown of Ombrea, she was one of thousands crowding the streets, a stranger among many in a big city. For the first time in forever, Jenny Dale was beginning to feel like she was in the right place, at the right time.
She had only two short months to plan and prepare the upcoming magazine spread. She would have to choose models, follow trends, select styles, determine what colors to use and the like. As daunting as the workload was, Jenny couldn’t wait to get started on the new project. In her mind, she had been preparing for this for years.
She decided a celebratory coffee was in order. Her mother had always said no work meant no play, but Jenny felt she deserved a little play after all the work she'd put in over the past seven years.
She waited in line at Starbucks, so engrossed in her own success that she almost didn't hear the musical notes of her ringtone from inside her handbag. Expecting a crisis at the office, something that came with the territory when working in the fashion industry, she quickly retrieved her cell phone, catching the call right before it slipped to voicemail.
“Miss Jenny Dale?”
The caller sounded brusque. It wasn't a voice she recognized.
“Yes, speaking,” Jenny replied.
“This is Chief Joseph Cartright from the Ombrea Police Department. I'm so sorry to have to tell you this, ma'am, but your brother, Joey Dale, has been arrested. He was taken into custody this morning.”
“Arrested?”
It was a very familiar word when it came to her younger brother. It was exactly the reason she had chosen to avoid contact with him over the past seven years. He was much more trouble than he was worth, and Jenny had long ago decided not to get any more involved with his life than she had to.
“That's really not a surprise to me, sir. What did he get himself involved in this time?”
“He is charged with first-degree murder,” Chief Cartwright answered calmly.
Jenny couldn't believe what she was hearing. Ever since their parents had died, during her junior year of high school, Joey had been in and out of trouble for things like petty crime or vandalism, but he had never been arrested for anything even remotely violent, and the last arrest had been before he’d turned 18, as far as she knew. She had always been grateful that despite his numerous shortcomings, he had never done anyone physical harm.
For Joey to be accused of first-degree murder seemed almost unbelievable, and for the most part, she had believed everything she heard about her brother.
“What?”
She swallowed hard and began again.
“Who did he…” she said, unable to find the words.
“Chloe Dale. His soon-to-be ex-wife,” the man answered.
Jenny felt the world circling around her. She had to grip the phone tighter against her ear as her hands began to tremble, to make sure she didn’t drop it and miss anything. Her chest constricted with grief, and tears threatened to spill from her eyes as she tried to hold it together.
My best friend, she thought to herself but didn't say aloud.
From what Jenny had gathered from the sporadic phone calls she and Chloe had shared over the past few years, Joey had been working at turning his life around since the birth of their daughter. He had taken on a job as an officer at the local station and was trying to stay on the straight and narrow.
The powers-that-be at the police station had obviously seen something in him that no one else had. Either that or they were desperate for fresh blood, because from what she knew, they had taken him on immediately, in spite of his past grievances.
For his own officers to have arrested him, there had to have been some serious evidence connecting him to the crime. It must have been Joey who’d murdered Chloe.
Jenny was completely shocked.
“Did you say, soon-to-be ex-wife?” Jenny asked.
As far as she knew, despite their marital problems, Chloe and Joey had never divorced or even separated. Chloe had been aware of her husband's difficulties with his sister and vice versa, so they had avoided mentioning him in their phone calls. Apparently the silence had caused her to miss so much of her best friend's life, and now it was too late to change that.
“I didn't know they'd been divorced,” Jenny said, still in shock.
“They were planning to separate. In a small town like Ombrea, gossip travels rather quickly. They'd been at odds for years, or so I hear. The situation was a rocky one,” Chief Cartwright offered.
Jenny nodded to herself. That was true. Whenever Chloe and Joey fought, Jenny could hear the strain in Chloe's voice, a tightness that suggested she was on the verge of breaking down. Jenny felt guilty for never having pressed too hard to find out the cause of her friend's sadness. It had always been so blatantly obvious, like an elephant in the room. Another conversation about Joey was the last thing she wanted, so she selfishly avoided giving Chloe the opportunity to share.
Sure, Joey had never been an easy person to get along with. He was stubborn and quick to anger. He had an innate ability to draw on a person's weakness and use it against them. When they were kids, he tormented her if she didn’t do as he said, or if she wouldn’t give in to his demands. He was a hard case then, and even more impossible to deal with as an adult. Chloe definitely married a man who needed more help than she could ever have given him.
“You’re listed as his only surviving next of kin. That means you become the guardian of their young daughter, Isabelle,” the chief stated after a long pause.
Having forgotten that piece of the puzzle, her eyes went wide as the realization struck her. She had to pinch herself to see if it was really happening, or if it were some sick joke or a dream.
“Right,” she said softly, realizing it was all too real.
Jenny's turn had come in the queue, but she dropped into the nearest empty chair instead, her coffee no longer an immediate concern. At that moment, all she could think about was that Chloe was gone for good and that her brother was to blame. It was a lot to take in at once, especially when the day had been going so well.
“Right now, she is in the custody of our local branch of the Children's Aid Agency, but you will need to collect her as soon as possible, ma'am. We don’t have adequate resources to look after a child here.”
“Right,” she said.
It seemed to be the only word she could muster in her confused state.
She heard the soft click of Chief Cartright ending the call. She sat in silence collecting her thoughts, and for the second time today, Jenny Dale couldn’t believe her luck.
What was she going to do with a child, and what did this mean for the fall lineup?
Chapter 2
As soon as her old Dodge Neon reached the Ombrea town limits, Jenny’s chest began to constrict and her hands were shaking against the steering wheel.
Long ago memories pushed their way through her subconscious. The mix of good and bad thoughts toyed with her emotions, making her feel like she was about to crack. She swallowed hard and forced the thoughts back into the dark shadows of her mind. It wouldn't do any good to dwell on the past. Not when there was so much to be done here and now.
She considered how easy it would be to turn around and head back to where she’d come from. She told herself that she could flee this place again if she really wanted to. It had been the most freeing experience of her life when, seven years ago, she packed up her belongings and left this town behind her. She hadn't looked back even once.
None of this was really any of her concern, she reasoned with herself. Her brother's mess was entirely his own, just as it had always been. She didn't need to have a hand in it if she wasn't ready to. He didn't deserve her help, especially not after what he had been accused of. He'd stolen a life. He'd taken away her best friend. He needed to be brought to justice.
Right?
Jenny co
uldn't help thinking about her young niece Isabelle. She hadn't seen the girl in a number of years, not since she was stumbling around in diapers.
Chloe had kept her updated with news and photos, like the doting mother she was, and Jenny had dutifully put them up on her fridge with all the pizza coupons and take out menus.
Chloe had been a doting mother, Jenny thought, but she was gone now. That wouldn't change. She could feel the tears pooling in her eyes as she passed the familiar streets of her childhood.
Jenny was all Isabelle had, and the very thought of leaving the innocent child behind made her feel guilty. She considered that the child had never had the chance to know her either. Jenny had left at the first opportunity, so she couldn't imagine that Isabelle knew her as more than a picture in a frame or some woman in one of her mother's stories. They had no connection other than by blood, and the Dale family blood wasn't that thick. It was thinner than water.
Given their scarce association, Isabelle probably wasn’t keen on the idea of being taken in by her long, lost aunt either. If roles were reversed, Jenny would feel the same. It really was madness that they were being thrown together with no choice but to make it work.
Jenny pushed on despite her nervousness. Chief Cartright had spelled it out to her. Isabelle had no other surviving relatives. It would have to work out one way or another. They would grow to know each other no matter what it took. That's all there was to it.
Jenny didn't even entertain the thought that her brother might be found innocent or that he would one day walk free. He had made so many bad decisions over the past fifteen years, why would he be innocent now. Although he had not previously shown any violent tendencies, she supposed that this step up from his minor crimes had simply been coming all along.
Besides, he and Chloe hadn't exactly been a loving and devoted couple. It came as a surprise to everyone when, in her senior year of high school, honor roll student Chloe had taken up with rogue, bad boy Joey Dale. Their relationship was moving extremely fast, and five months before graduation, Chloe discovered she was carrying his baby.
The day after graduation, Joey and Chloe were wed in the town chapel to appease her strict parents. Isabelle arrived only a few months later.
Since then, the lovebirds had seemed somewhat dissatisfied with their life choices. Chloe mentioned to her once how their arguments and spats were well-known around town. Rumor had it, Chloe told her bitterly one afternoon, that Joey had been sleeping on the couches of everyone in town.
Now, if convicted of his crime, Joey would be lucky to see outside of the prison walls.
When Jenny pulled up outside the Ombrea Police Station, it was almost noon. She took a long, deep breath, hoping to settle her nerves. She had to pull herself together.
The desk clerk, an older woman with her hair pulled into a severe, gray bun, showed Jenny into Chief Cartright's office.
The police chief's office was sparsely furnished. A picture of a bulldog hung on the far wall, and a plaque honoring him as Ombrea's Citizen of the Year two years prior provided the only other decoration in the small space.
The desk was cluttered with papers and numerous manila file folders. Crumbs from various baked goods adorned the top of his keyboard. It looked to be the office of a man who had little regard for cleanliness or order, not unlike her boss.
Sitting behind the desk and piles of folders sat Chief Cartright. Jenny couldn’t help but notice he was quite a handsome, older man. His dark hair was cut short and beginning to go gray at the temples. He was tall and well-built for his age.
He stood when she entered and leaned over his desk to shake her hand. His lips curved into what she considered a pleasant smile. She was caught off guard when he held her hand, though. It felt as though he didn't want to release her. His dark, steely, blue eyes were focused on her face in a way that made her feel somewhat uncomfortable. She took a step back and he had no choice but to let her hand go.
“You’ll have to forgive the mess,” he told her, directing her to a seat with a wave of his hand. “It’s been hell in here over the last couple of weeks.”
Jenny watched as he piled a few case files together in an attempt to clean up his workspace. She couldn’t imagine a small town like Ombrea being so busy a place as to create a mess this size. Not much happened while she was growing up here, and she doubted it were any different since she left. And her brother was behind bars now. That must have brought the crime rate in this small town down by at least half.
“Is my brother here?” she asked cautiously.
She didn't want to see Joey at the police station at all. She couldn’t face him after what he had done to her best friend.
She hated him for his inability to behave himself as a teenager. That resentment only intensified after learning he had killed Chloe. It was a completely unforgivable crime and one she would rather not be involved with.
“He’s here in our holding cell. We can't transfer him to the courthouse just yet.”
The Chief studied her carefully. His eyes were steely, and she found them unsettling when he looked across at her.
“Are you going to want to see him while you’re here?”
Jenny held up her hands in defense.
“Oh no. I definitely do not want to see Joey again. We're not that close. I just wanted to know. I just wanted to be sure.”
“Sure of what?”
“That he is locked up. I wanted to be sure that he was secure.”
She wanted to drop the conversation. Just like she had done many years before, she told herself her brother was not her concern, and he hadn't been for a long time.
“It's fine.”
It wasn’t fine.
Sensing that the conversation needed to be changed, the Chief nodded to a sheet of paper on his desk. He scanned over it quickly before handing it to her.
“Chloe Dale's funeral is scheduled for two days from now at the local church. Someone has already gone over her will and designated what goes where. She didn't want any kind of a big show. The station will be sending an arrangement of flowers, of course.”
“Thank you,” Jenny said as she folded the paper and tucked it into the front pocket of her handbag. “That’s very kind of you.”
“As for your brother, I can keep you up to date on when he’ll be transferred.”
“That's really not necessary,” Jenny interrupted.
The last thing she wanted to do was return to talk of her brother.
“I'm sure everything is being done that should be done. I don't need to know anything else about him, to be completely honest with you.”
The Chief raised a dark eyebrow. Jenny was used to it. Many people she had met over the years had difficulty understanding her absolute refusal to hold a conversation about her brother. As far as she was concerned, she was a family of one. She didn’t have a brother.
“Okay. If that's the case, there isn't much more I can tell you, Miss Dale. Your brother's house is yours to live in as you see fit. The child is now in your care. You’re welcome to take her with you now, in fact.”
“Right, the child.”
“Isabelle.”
The Chief suddenly became doubtful of this arrangement.
“You have taken care of a child before, I'm assuming?”
“Never.”
Jenny decided brutal honesty was the best course.
“You're shaking like a leaf,” Chief Cartright said, concerned.
“It's been a tough couple of days,” Jenny answered.
“You can say that again.”
A knock came at the office door, and Jenny turned to see the desk clerk waiting for her.
“Children's Aid brought her in about twenty minutes ago.”
The woman's tone was curt and to the point.
“She's been waiting in one of our interrogation rooms. I gave her a spare pad and a pen, but I think she's just ready to go home.”
The Chief raised himself up slowly from behind the desk.
/> “If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to call.”
He reached out and gave Jenny a firm handshake.
It's been nice to meet you, Miss Dale. I wish it had been under better circumstances.”
“Of course,” Jenny said as she pulled her purse over her shoulder and headed for the office door. “Thank you for your time.”
The Chief nodded his head briefly before dropping back down behind his cluttered desk.
The clerk led Jenny from the room and down a dark hallway to another closed door. Jenny felt her heart pounding wildly in her chest. She wasn't ready for any of this. If she had her way, she would turn tail and make a run for it. She could make a break for New York and head back to the life she had created for herself before any of this madness. It would be impossible to pick up where she had left off in this town. There was no sign of the life she had lived before her departure.
She didn't know how to start again. Something about her demeanor must have given her away, for the clerk paused a moment before opening the door to the room where Isabelle was waiting.
The woman’s expression suggested that Jenny really ought to pull herself together.
“Are you ready for this?”
Chapter 3
“It won’t do the girl any good to see you looking so nervous,” the clerk warned.
Jenny cut the woman’s judgment short.
“I will be okay, honestly.”
“You better be. There's no one else to care for the child. She’s relying on you to be the strong one here.”
“Believe me, I know that.”
The clerk felt Jenny was way in over her head, but nothing more was said about it as she turned the knob, letting the light from inside the small room flood out into the hall.
The eight-year-old girl that stood before her in faded pink dungarees was almost a complete likeness of her mother. Dainty, blonde curls framed a small, heart-shaped face. The blue eyes that stared innocently up at her were a mirror image of Chloe’s. Jenny felt her breath catch in her chest.
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