A Simple Misunderstanding (Corbin's Bend)

by Kathryn R. Blake

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Finally, a little respect.”

  She snorted. He regarded her with a raised eyebrow for only a second before he gave a reluctant chuckle. “Brat. I suspect the phone call was from Beth, who probably wants to arrange a viewing for Mitzy. I’ll take the call upstairs so I won’t disturb you. Before I do, I’ll bring Muffin’s new bed down, so she can stay with you, but don’t let her hop up on your bed. It could hurt her ribs. She has problems making some of the same movements you do, minus your self-control. So, Mommy, you need to set the limits.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  “That’s all anyone can ask. I’ll check on you later.” He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, then strode from the room while Elly left to get Muffin.

  * * * *

  Despite her persistent hopping at the door to come in, the moment Elly stepped outside, Muffin gave a yip, and then raced to the middle of the yard to indicate she wanted to play. “I’m not sure it’s good for you to chase a ball or a Frisbee while you’re still healing, little one,” murmured Elly, surprised when Muffin let out a bark and ran over to the fence on the opposite side of the enclosure where she started yapping excitedly.

  Mrs. Kline was in the dog park with Pepper, her elderly chihuahua. Muffin’s yaps drew Mrs. Kline’s attention, and she waved.

  “Elly, how are you dear?” The older woman called. “I was so worried about you. Come Pepper. Let’s—”

  “No, you guys stay put,” Elly called back. “We’ll come across to visit you.”

  Jerry’s clinic and another house and yard separated his home from the dog park. Though the park was visible from both his house and clinic, he had no direct access to it from his backyard. That meant if she wanted to chat with Mrs. Kline, she either needed to invite the other woman in, or go to her. Although Jerry had invited Elly to stay with him, she still felt like a guest, which meant extending invitations into his home wasn’t an option. Besides, both Pepper and Mrs. Kline were elderly, so making them come to her seemed not only unfair, but impolite.

  “I need to get Muffin and Jack’s leash, and we’ll be right over.”

  Mrs. Kline waved back to indicate she’d heard.

  Though the prospect of talking about her stay in the hospital didn’t thrill Elly, she wanted to find out what other members of the community believed had taken place Friday morning, and Edith Kline was one of Corbin’s Bend’s best sources for gossip.

  As Elly stepped inside to fetch the dogs’ leads, she recalled Jerry had specifically told her he didn’t want her going to the dog park; except he hadn’t said why, other than to remind her she was supposed to be resting. However, as far as walks went, the park was a baby’s crawl away. No more than three house lengths. Mrs. Kline didn’t expect her to rush over, so Elly could turn the walk into a leisurely stroll. Convinced a gentle gambol there and back couldn’t do her any injury; she decided Jerry was being overprotective. True she was still sore and a bit tired, but each day left her a little stronger. A little more herself. A short walk and a visit would be good for her.

  She should probably tell Jerry what she intended to do, but decided against it since they’d only argue. Besides, he’d most likely be tied up with Beth Little for a while, and Beth’s need was far greater than her own. Disturbing him now would be selfish on her part. Especially for something as picayune as a walk in the park.

  Her mind made up; Elly collected the dog’s leashes and led them over to chat with Pepper and Mrs. Kline.

  * * * *

  Jerry took the stairs two at a time up to his loft bedroom and dialed Beth Little’s number.

  “Oh, Dr. Douglas,” she said, sounding breathless. “I just saw him.”

  “Who? The man who hit Mitzy?”

  “Yes. He’s sitting in his SUV now.”

  “Where?”

  “In the lot, close to the dog park. Right near your clinic, in fact.”

  Though Jerry’s bedroom windows faced out onto his backyard, his loft allowed him to look out the front as well. When he glanced out, he didn’t spot a midnight blue SUV, but that didn’t mean the prick wasn’t parked nearby. Most likely, Benson had situated his van so it couldn’t be easily seen from Jerry’s house or clinic.

  Beth continued working up a good head of steam. “I’m going to go over and tell him exactly what—”

  “Beth, don’t. The man can be dangerous.”

  “Is it Arthur Benson? Did he hurt Elly? Harriet said she thought Arthur beat Elly.”

  Ah, the wonders of community gossip.

  “We do think it’s Arthur, and yes, he did hurt Elly. So, stay away from him.”

  “I never did like him. He wouldn’t even wave back when I said ‘hello.’ Rude, that’s what he was. He deserves a piece of my mind. He had no right to—”

  “Beth, if I hear you went anywhere near the man, I swear I’ll spank you myself.”

  She giggled. Yeah, he was such a fearsome top the ladies tittered whenever he threatened a spanking. He had to develop a tougher image.

  “I mean it, Beth. Refuse to obey me on this and I’ll have you brought up before the disciplinary board for endangering an ongoing investigation.”

  “I’m sorry, Dr. Douglas,” her voice sounded contrite. “I didn’t mean to make you angry.”

  “I’m not angry, merely concerned. Now stay inside.” He hung up and immediately dialed Brent.

  Not bothering with preliminaries, he dove right in. “Beth Little just identified Arthur Benson as Mitzy’s hit and run driver. She said he’s parked near the dog park now.”

  “I know, Jerry. Calm down. I’ve had people looking out for him since this morning. No doubt, he discovered Elly was released today. Don’t worry; we have things under control. The Boulder police are due here any second. Just keep Elly inside.”

  “At least that’s not a problem,” Jerry said with confidence as he rose to look out the windows facing his backyard. “I gave her strict instructions to— Shit.” There the lady was, pretty as you please, walking two dogs toward the dog park as he spoke. “Gotta go, Brent. Elly’s doing exactly what I told her not to do. Surprise—surprise. And I intend to give the little minx what for.”

  “Jerry—” But Jerry disconnected the call, shoved the phone back into his pocket and went out after his girl.

  * * * *

  Elly had swiped her key to open the dog park gate and was guiding the dogs inside when steely fingers dug into the soft flesh of her upper arm and whirled her around. Her stomach dropped to her feet as the fury emblazoned on Arthur’s expression registered in her mind. She didn’t even have time to protest before he drew her toward him and shut the gate, locking the charging poodle on the other side. Muffin’s furious yapping echoed through the park.

  Arthur’s grip tightened. “You owe me an apology, so I expect you to come with me quietly, or I shall teach you a harsh lesson in manners right here.”

  He’s a bully, Elly. You mustn’t back down. “You’re a dreamer, Arthur,” she insisted through gritted teeth as she attempted to jerk free of his hold. “Now let me go.”

  “Not on your life.” He started to drag her back toward his car, but she dug her heels in and pulled in the opposite direction.

  When he turned to glare at her, she decided to distract him. Surely, he’d been seen. Wasn’t someone after him for running over Mitzy? “You’ve got a lot of gall coming here today after nearly killing me and leaving me to bleed to death on our living room floor.”

  “I was after your annoying little dog, not you, but you shouldn’t have attacked me, Eleanor. I am your husband. Your lord and master. And you will obey me.”

  “Why should I? Because I spoke a vow on our wedding day? As I recall you promised to cherish and protect me, and you haven’t done a stellar job in either of those respects, yet I don’t hear you apologizing or begging my forgiveness for your failures.”

  “I also promised to guide you, and you are headed down a path of willful disobedience I refuse
to allow. I forbid you to have anything more to do with Douglas. He’s been a terrible influence on you.” His fingers clamped tighter. She suspected her arm would be bruised from his handling, but her attempts to resist only hurt her more, so she stood still and faced him directly.

  “You gave up any right to tell me what to do after you kicked me in the stomach and abandoned me. Your actions killed our unborn child.”

  His spine straightened as he regarded her carefully. “What child? You weren’t pregnant.”

  “Yes, I was. Not that you’d care. Now, leave before I scream loud enough to bring the neighbors.”

  “You never said anything to me,” he whispered, his voice choked.

  The pain she saw reflected in his expression nearly undid her. “I didn’t know,” she admitted, her throat tightening at the remembered loss.

  He shook his head as if to clear it. “I regret losing my temper with you, Eleanor, but I cannot be held responsible for an event I was unaware even existed. And none of this alters the fact you disobeyed me.”

  “Nor does it alter the fact your kicks caused me to miscarry, Arthur. What you did is considered abuse, if not murder, and I’m filing charges against you.”

  “I won’t permit it.”

  “Permit it? I don’t need your permission. Don’t you get it? I don’t want anything more to do with you. In addition to pressing charges, I’m also filing for a divorce.”

  “That’s not possible. Divorces aren’t allowed in my family.”

  “Are you serious? This is the twenty-first century, not the nineteenth. Women have rights now. Newsflash—we’ve been given the vote. Now, let me go, or I’ll scream.”

  “Go ahead and scream. This is Corbin’s Bend, Eleanor. As your husband and our HoH, I’m the one in charge, not you.”

  “Not anymore you aren’t.” And without giving a second thought to what she did, Elly moved in close to the man she’d married and slammed her knee between his legs. That gained her release, so she quickly swiped her card again and ducked inside the park, locking the gate against him. Grabbing the two dogs’ leads, she had to jerk Muffin’s leash to get her furiously barking poodle to follow her.

  “Muffin. Stop it. Come here.”

  Breathing hard, Elly knelt down in the cold grass and called Muffin to her. Though the little dog clearly wasn’t pleased, she obeyed. As Elly rewarded her poodle with some soft words of praise and a few pets, she began to calm down; certain Arthur couldn’t get to them now. The gate to the park required a key card, and she sincerely doubted he carried one with him.

  Unfortunately, she was wrong. Arthur didn’t need a card.

  His smile evil in its intent, Arthur withdrew a small gun from his jacket pocket and shot the gate open. A thousand voices rose in alarm, dogs barked and even car warning systems honked in protest as Elly’s world started to spin in lopsided revolutions. The gate’s mechanism wasn’t built to withstand bullets, so it swung open. The moment it did, Muffin leapt off Elly’s lap and charged.

  “No!” Elly protested, lurching forward to grab Muffin’s leash, but her dog was too quick. Then Arthur’s gun fired again and Elly screamed.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Oblivious to the reigning chaos and shouts, Jerry Douglas accelerated into protection mode and charged. Though the larger man topped him by a couple of inches and at least thirty pounds, Jerry grabbed Arthur’s wrist, wrenched the gun out of his rising hand, tossed it out of the way and whirled Benson around to face him. Acting on instinct and training, he punched the surprised man in the jaw with a right uppercut and followed it with a left hook. An unsuspecting Arthur Benson took an unsteady step back, and then crumpled to the ground like a wadded piece of paper. Jerry flexed his smarting knuckles with a measure of satisfaction.

  “You and I need to have a few words about reckless endangerment,” Brent murmured tightly, as he stepped over to stand beside Jerry. The police officers, who had been ready to arrest Arthur the moment he withdrew his gun, converged on the fallen man. Though Jerry had understood the plan, he feared law-enforcement protocol might make the officers seconds too late. As a private citizen, he’d been under no such restrictions, so he’d attacked.

  “I’ll gladly listen to your lecture, just not now.”

  Arthur might have known how to use a gun, but luckily for them, his aim sucked when directed at a small, charging target. The bullet served its purpose by stopping Muffin’s advance, then went harmlessly into the ground several feet away from all humans and animals. Elly was on her knees, sobbing with relief mixed with terror as she clasped Muffin to her while the little dog licked her face clean of tears.

  Closing his eyes, Jerry massaged his bruised fingers. College had been several years ago, and he hadn’t had a reason to throw his fists since.

  “What were you thinking, Jerry?” Brent asked, his voice tight with suppressed emotion as he launched into lecture mode. “You do realize charging an armed man when we have police officers on the scene, won’t go down as the wisest thing you’ve ever done? You had no idea what Benson might do, and though your left hook was impressive, the risks you took were enormous. And you should never toss a loaded weapon onto the ground, idiot. I have a good mind to bring you up before the disciplinary board myself for pure stupidity, if no other reason. Couldn’t you have put muzzle on that temper of yours and waited two more seconds?” Brent inquired with a touch of sarcasm as a couple of police officers wrestled a moaning Arthur Benson into handcuffs.

  Jerry glanced over at Elly whose face was so white it appeared bloodless as she clutched her dog close. “No, I couldn’t.” Jerry’s hands shook from the adrenalin release.

  Beth Little stepped forward to jab her index finger at Arthur.

  “That’s him. He’s the man who ran over and killed my Mitzy.”

  Taking a deep breath, Jerry shook his head with disbelief. Now he had two women who paid no heed to the instructions he gave. However, when he envisioned what might have happened to Elly, his blood ran cold. The woman had no sense of self-preservation. She’d not only disobeyed him, she’d deliberately provoked her husband into an attack. Imagining Elly lying on the ground bleeding from a bullet wound so infuriated him, Jerry started to tremble.

  Brent clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Easy, kid,” he cautioned, in a low voice. “No one got hurt.”

  “If that’s supposed to make me feel better, Brent, it’s not working.”

  “Look, she isn’t the only one who took a needless risk this afternoon, so I understand. A part of you would like nothing more than to pound some sense into her right now for not heeding instructions and endangering herself. Trust me; I get it. But remember, she just got out of the hospital.”

  “I’m all too well aware of her fragility. However, her weakened condition only serves as another reason why she should be in bed; not taking strolls or challenging abusive husbands who carry concealed weapons.” Jerry ran a trembling hand over his eyes and gulped in an attempt to swallow the solid ball of pain lodged in his throat. “She might have been shot, Brent. Hell, she could have been killed. Am I supposed to just pat her on the back, then forgive and forget?”

  “Time and place, kid. Time and place. I need to deal with this Benson situation, first, so don’t do anything drastic until we’ve had a chance to talk. All right?”

  Jerry gave a nod, but strode over to Elly and held his hand out. She gaped at him as though she didn’t understand, so he made it clearer. “Give me Muffin’s leash and go inside. Now.”

  “But—”

  “No, Elly. I will not discuss this with you out here. Go inside please. We’ll talk later.”

  “You’re angry.” Her expression turned to dismay as she uttered those words.

  “No. I’d passed anger when I first saw you strolling toward the park. I sprinted into fury when you foolishly challenged your husband, and I’m now doing what I can to keep from yelling at the top of my lungs while I gasp in livid rage. So I’d suggest you not press me further and do
as I ask.”

  As he’d forced his last two sentences through gritted teeth, her complexion had turned even paler. Realizing he’d frightened her, he took another deep breath to calm himself. “I’ll take care of the dogs. Go inside and lie down before you pass out. You’re white as a sheet.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  He snapped his fingers to bring Jack over to him and gave the dog a quick pat on the head. “I’ll stay here and talk to Brent for a bit until I’ve calmed down. In the meantime, I would deeply appreciate it if you’d do as I ask.

  She glanced over at Brent. Her uncertainty was palpable, so he bent down and reached for her arm to help her to her feet. Releasing Muffin, she jerked back from his touch with a wince and a hiss.

  A quick glance showed no blood. She hadn’t been shot, so he attributed her pain-filled reaction to Arthur injuring her again in some way. Battling back his anger, Jerry knelt down before her as the doctor in him took over. “Let me see.”

  “It’s nothing.” She protectively cradled her arm.

  “Elly, you’re lying, and considering how angry I am right now, I’d suggest you pursue a different tack, swiftly.” When she raised her chin with a glare of defiance, he sighed, then called, “Brent.”

  His mentor came over at once. “Problem?”

  Jerry gave a nod and collected Muffin’s leash. “Arthur manhandled Elly. Have someone photograph her arm as evidence. If it looks serious enough, ask Marcus to take a look at her. The dogs and I will be going on a long walk to keep me from doing something I’ll regret.”

  “Jerry wait,” Elly called, but Jerry kept walking; too angry to reassure her, and too upset over her reaction to hide how badly it bothered him. He needed distance to collect his thoughts.

  * * * *

  Jerry had no idea how long he’d walked about the community, but by the time he returned, the sun had set, the police and Arthur were gone, the dog park gate was fixed and Brent was waiting for him with his arms crossed over his chest. Not a good sign.