by J. L. Wilson
I stood and put my arms around him, hugging him gently. "Thank you, Jack. You saved my life." I sank onto the wide window ledge and he sat next to me.
"It's what I do." He lifted my hand to his lips and gently kissed it. "Thank you, Dorothy."
I stared at him in astonishment. "For what?"
"For letting me into your life, even briefly." His blue eyes were focused intently on me, flickering as he evaluated my reaction.
"Jack, I know it was all part of the--the--decoy or whatever you call it." I kept my voice light to show there were no hurt feelings.
"That's not quite true." He had lost weight so his cheekbones now were sharply accented when he smiled, giving him a chiseled appearance. "I wasn't acting, Dorothy. I'm attracted to you."
My face got warm. "I appreciate that, Jack. But I can't return your feelings."
"I want you to consider it." He gently tugged my hand to his face, rubbing my palm against the soft but scratchy stubble of his beard. I shivered at the touch. "Imagine it, Dorothy. You don't have to live in Broomfield, you know. You moved back here for a reason, but what's keeping you here now?"
I swallowed, wondering if he somehow read the secret thoughts in my innermost heart. Yes, I loved Broomfield and my life, but was that all I could aspire to? For one eye blink of an instant I visualized a different life, a life in a city where I went to restaurants and plays and fancy shopping malls, a life like that in movies or on TV.
Jack's hand was warm where it covered mine. I felt the bones of his face, his warm breath, and a faint tickle. "Think about it, Dorothy. Consider the possibilities."
I leaned back and my hand slid from his. I stared into Jack's eyes, as blue as the sky outside my window.
"Dorothy?" I tore my eyes from Jack's gaze. Leo stood in the doorway, leaning on the handles of a wheelchair. "I've got your chariot."
I stood. "I'm ready." Jack walked with me to the door. "When are you leaving town?" I settled into the wheelchair, almost tipping the whole thing over when I slipped.
Jack steadied me then retrieved the plastic bag of belongings I had set near the door. "Probably later today. I have a few things to wrap up first."
Was I one of the wrap-up items? I plopped my feet on the supports and gestured to Leo. "Let's go, driver." Jack stayed beside us while Leo pushed and kept up a steady patter of conversation about Mina and her legal woes.
"I got the dirt from Mandy who got it from a secretary who got it from Lawyer Sawyer's paralegal. Apparently Wade was in trouble with these bad guys and told them that Mina would help them. She was a realtor so she knew about all the houses in town. She was supposed to find them some place where they could process their drugs. They were going to use the caves for storage." Leo's hands jerked on the wheelchair and I swayed to one side. "Assholes. We're still not sure why she said she'd help him. Mina isn't known for her charitable impulses."
"I thought you mentioned blackmail?" I got out of the chair as Leo paused near the front door. "What about that?"
"We haven't found any proof," Jack said, handing Leo the plastic bag. "We're still working on getting all the details." He smiled at me. "I'd like to stop by before I leave town if that's okay."
I nodded dumbly. "Sure. I'll be at home."
"Good." He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. "Thank you, Dorothy." He nodded to Leo and went through the revolving door.
"I'll go get the car and bring it around." Leo dashed after Jack, almost tangling with the door.
I stared after them. What would a life with Jack be like? I had a good idea of what life with Drew would be like. I'd known him all my life. Drew would be safety, sweetness, and contentment. But Jack--Jack would be uncertainty, adventure, and newness.
Leo touched Jack's arm and he paused. The two men talked briefly then Leo hurried into the parking lot. A minute or two later, his Benz pulled up in front. Leo bundled me and my belongings into the car then we started off at a sedate speed.
"Drew said the reason Wade got in trouble was because he stole something from that gang." Leo rolled his eyes. "Trust Wade to do something stupid like that. Of course, it was stupid in the first place to get caught with his pants down. That's what happened, you know. They had pictures of him with an underage girl. That's why he started working for them, cooking their books."
I let the words wash over me, absorbing them for later evaluation. I stared at the homes we passed, thankful for warmth, sunshine, and quiet. I was emotionally and mentally exhausted. The last few days were like running a marathon. I was so glad it was over. "Is it over?" I murmured, thinking of Jack and the questions he raised.
"Drew said they got enough evidence to put the men they captured away for years. But they'll probably be back in another town." Leo scowled as he pulled into my driveway. "No one is safe from that kind of thing."
"We are, for now at least." I examined my house, expecting to see a broken door or window. It seemed surprisingly normal. "How did they get in? I thought I had a break-in." We walked through the open garage door to the kitchen entrance.
"Nope. Drew said they arrested somebody for prowling. The drug people never came in. He said Jack identified the prowlers as somebody you pissed off at the dog show?"
I stared at him in astonishment. "What? Those jerks?"
Leo flung open my door. "Apparently they were trying to scare you."
"They did a damn good job." I preceded him into my kitchen and turned around when I heard a sound.
"SURPRISE!"
People leapt from doorways, shouting. I was so startled I almost peed. Friends and family immediately surrounded me, my kitchen bursting at the seams with exuberance. Leo presided over it all, directing Miranda Tolliver to get a dish from the oven, telling Rosemary Gilley to set out silverware, pointing Sean the handyman to the back yard to man the grill. I ricocheted from hug to hug, talking, laughing, and crying with Mel, Hank, Baby Dot, the Professor. Arms and people enfolded me in love.
Thirty chaotic minutes later, I had a chance to sit in the now almost empty kitchen. "How did you do it?" I asked Leo, who stood at my counter, mixing a drink. I took a bite of a gooey peanut butter bar in front of me. My diet was definitely on hold.
"Everybody pitched in, so there was nothing to it. Do you like that dessert? I found these amazing recipes online. Paula Deen is my kind of woman. You won't believe the dishes she makes! It's culinary overload. I tried two or three for this party." Leo turned toward the doorway. "There you are! I wondered when you'd get here. I think I hear someone calling my name. Ta ta." He picked up his drink and started to leave.
Drew came into the kitchen from the living room. Today he had on his uniform shirt with all the badges, gizmos, and gadgets hanging from his gun belt. He put a hand on Leo's arm as Leo passed him. "Thank you," Drew said quietly.
Leo put his hand over Drew's. "We're friends, Drew. I'll always help take care of our girl." He smiled over his shoulder at me, winked, then left, waving to someone in the living room.
I was suddenly tongue-tied. I hadn't talked to Drew since the cave. "Are you okay?" I asked as he came into the room. "You look tired."
One corner of his mouth quirked. "There's a lot of paperwork involved in a Federal drug bust."
I leaned over to pet SoSo, who regarded me suspiciously from his kitchen chair. "Did you miss me?" He thumped to the floor and left the room. "I guess that answers that question," I muttered. "I thought my house got broken into."
"Nope." Drew leaned against the kitchen counter, his gun and handcuffs rattling against the edge. "It was somebody out to scare you by cutting your phone line and making noise." He hesitated. "Dorothy."
"Drew."
We both laughed. "You first," I said.
He stared at the floor then raised his head to regard me. "I meant what I said. I didn't make love with you as part of a plan. I love you. I always have."
His simple words made my breath catch. "What about Mina?" I asked, one of a million questions I had.
"Sh
e and I had a...thing back when you and I first broke up. Nothing since then."
"But she said you did."
"She lied. She lied about a lot of stuff. She was desperate." Drew ran a hand over his close cropped hair, making it stand up in little tangles. "She lied." His green eyes were guileless and sincere. "I love you, Dorothy. I want to be with you."
I stared at him, not sure how to reply. A voice in my head said, Say yes. Say yes. Another voice said, What about Jack? What about adventure? What about fun?
Drew must have seen my uncertainty. He continued talking, words tripping over each other. "I'm not sure why, but she was trying to help Wade. He stole information from this gang and they were after him. We haven't been able to find what he took, but it must have been important because they came after him."
"Why did he come here? Surely there were other places he could hide."
"I think he was desperate." Drew took the seat across from me. "He told them Mina would help them, to stall for time. And for some reason, she agreed to it." He laughed softly. "It wasn't love, I'm sure of it." When he said 'love' he watched me, his eyes bright with curiosity.
Now was my chance. Now I should say, I love you, too, Drew. I opened my mouth but closed it as Jack Tinsley walked through the door that led to the garage.
"Leo said you were having a party." He paused on the threshold, his gaze going from me to Drew. "Mind if I join you?"
I nodded stupidly. "Sure. Come on in. Join the crowd. We were trying to figure out Mina's motive for helping Wade."
Jack leaned against the counter like Drew had. "It had to be something in those papers he left you. Mina was anxious to get them. She asked me about them a couple of times." He glanced at Drew, who nodded.
I gestured to my sideboard and the envelope there. "Let's see." I got up, anxious for action, anxious not to face either man. I opened the envelope and dumped the contents on the table. "Help yourself. I can't figure it out."
The Professor wandered in from the back yard, Glynnis and Leo behind him. "What's all that?"
"It's the stuff Wade left me." I picked up the small trophy and set it back down. "We think there might be a clue here."
"What kind of clue?" The Professor lifted a sheaf of papers and stared at it. Glynnis moved around him, taking the photocopied journal.
"Oh, dear," she murmured. "I think I recognize this. So Wade did take it."
The Professor looked up from his reading. "That explains it," he murmured.
"Explains what?" Glynnis took the report from him. "It's a water abatement assessment report. According to this, abatement must be done in order for habitation or commercial use to be viable for the land at..." She squinted at the paper. "There's a bunch of numbers."
"That's the Mall," the Professor said, taking the paper back from her. "That's the longitude and latitude of the Mall." He smiled sheepishly when we all stared at him. "I'm a retired geography professor. It's a hobby of mine. I like to map things. Did you know we're exactly one hundred miles east of the geodetic center of the contiguous United States?"
I had no answer to such an odd question. "That's nice," I said automatically. "So that report is saying the Mall shouldn't have been built?"
The Professor frowned. "It says that sufficient abatement must be done for it and...hmm, yep." He nodded to Leo. "For our houses, too."
"The water in Rosemary's basement," Leo said thoughtfully. "My sump pump that runs all the time."
"But my house is fine," I protested.
The Professor waggled the pages at me. "Your house doesn't sit on an old bog. Our houses do. I wonder if Mina had the land drained before she sold the property."
We all stared at the pile of papers on the table and as one we made a dive for them. I pulled a clipped clump of papers toward me and as I did, the trophy slid to the floor. I scrambled for it but couldn't catch it in time. The acrylic star hit the hard wood floor, bounced once then the acrylic part flew off, skittering a few feet to the left. As it did, something small tumbled from the metallic base.
I bent to retrieve it but Drew was faster. He held out a small key. It was a safe deposit box key like the one that had been on Wade's keychain.
"His postcard," I said excitedly. "That's what he meant." I scrabbled through the papers on the table, finding the copy of the postcard Deputy Miranda made for me. I held it out to Drew. "See what he said? It's the one place I always wanted to visit as a player, not a fan. Oh, well. I still have my Glory Days." I waved the paper in front of Drew's bemused gaze. "His 'glory days.' He meant that trophy. And I'll bet there's a bank near that stadium..." I examined the paper. "Yeah, that Arrowhead place. I'll bet there must be a bank and in that bank, there's a safe deposit box."
"And evidence we need to get." Drew moved off to one side and put his cell phone to his ear.
Jack touched my arm and we went into the hallway outside the kitchen. "I'm going back to Kansas City tonight," he said quietly.
I watched Drew, his head bent as he talked on the phone. Sensing my gaze, he smiled at me before refocusing on his call. I looked at all the others gathered around my table. My friends and my family. Baby Dot, Mel, and Hank had joined the crowd, all of them talking excitedly. I suddenly knew exactly what I felt. "Have a good trip," I said softly.
Jack's eyes searched my face and he must have read my answer. "Are you sure? Are you doing it because it's convenient? Because it's safe?"
I blinked at him in surprise. "I never considered that," I admitted. Then I heard how it sounded. I should have immediately said, oh, no, of course not.
Jack shook his head. "You're one of the most honest people I've ever met. Don't you ever lie?"
I laughed ruefully. "I'm terrible at it. I don't even try anymore." I thought about what he asked. "I guess I've always sort of..." I hesitated, searching for words. I saw Drew across the room. He had holstered his phone and was watching as Leo brandished a clipped sheaf of papers.
Leo waved them at me. "It's copies of Mina's appointment diary. We can find out who she talked to about the water problems." He laughed, his brown eyes crinkling with glee. "If we can prove she didn't fix the problems before she sold us the land, she'll be liable for repairs."
"I'll bet she didn't," Glynnis said, her head bent down as she read the papers in her hands. "This is William the Bastard's diary. Mina made notes in here." She raised her head, her face pink. "There are a few people in town who would be willing to fudge some land records in order to keep certain information secret."
"Ooh, who?" Leo made a grab for the papers but Drew beat him to it, taking the papers and examining the page Glynnis pointed to.
"Old scandals might come to light," Jack murmured.
I watched as Leo tried to peer over Drew's shoulder. "I think I always thought of this as just a small town, no big deal, nothing special. But this has made me realize how important it is. When I thought those drug people might try to pollute Broomfield..." I saw Baby Dot, standing near K.K. "When I think they wanted to pollute our children and our town."
I moved closer to Jack, knowing I was trying to articulate a truth that had to be felt, not spoken. I tried anyway. "It's who I am, Jack. I'm Dorothy Gaylord, small town librarian and volunteer. I don't aspire to anything more." I smiled at Drew as he laughed with Glynnis, his laugh deep and hers so high and shrill. "I'm proud of that, and I'm happy to be who I am."
I watched the friends gathered in my little house. Drew seemed to sense my pensiveness because he smiled at me, his eyes alive with laughter. I suddenly knew I was exactly where I belonged, with the people I belonged with, in the place and time when I belonged.
"It's right for me, Jack," I said softly. "There really is no place like home."
-The End-
About the author
J L Wilson writes mystery novels, paranormal romance novels, and the History Patrol series which features romance, reincarnation, and time travel. She also teaches writing in a series of workshops and blogs on a regular basis in a varie
ty of spots online.
Want to know more? Catch up with her here:
Her web site: http://www.jayellwilson.com
Twitter: follow her @JLwriter.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/jayellwilson
And Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JLWilson
Would you like to read Jack Tinsley's story? It's coming soon in Gilt. Check J L's web site for the details. And if you want Dorothy's recipe (for her Delectable Dirt Dessert), check the web site, too. It's there!
Do you want to know more about the characters in Twistered and how they relate to the Wizard of Oz books? Check J L's web site for details -- it's all there, right down to the locations and the animals she used in the book. If you know Oz, you'll recognize some and may be surprised by others!
Table of Contents
Dedication
Acknowledgement
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
About the author