Room Service

by Chance Carter

  “I figured she must have picked it up in town while she was shopping. I was hoping to get another one for tonight.”

  “Okay.” The old man stepped out from behind the counter and led the way to his wine selection. “White or red?”

  “It was a white wine.”

  “Do you remember the name?”

  Jenny cursed herself for not having written it down.

  She shrugged.

  “No, unfortunately. I put it out in the recycling box without even thinking about it. Sorry. But there is one thing very distinctive about it.”

  “Go on then. What is it? I bet I have it in here someplace.”

  “It came in a light-blue bottle.”

  She kept her eyes fixed on the old man. And she was glad she had, because made a noticeable jump in surprise. His eyes widened for a brief moment before he began to pull himself together. He shook his head quickly.

  “I know the wine you mean, but I don't sell it here. I don't think I have ever stocked it.”

  He forced a smile for her benefit.

  “She must have picked it up somewhere else or perhaps a friend gave it to her.”

  Jenny was sensing that something was up. Two of those blue bottles had shown up in the past five days. It seemed unlikely that someone would be making the drive to the city just to pick up some wine.

  “Are you sure you don't have any in the back?”

  Jenny followed him as he scurried back to the counter, clearly uneasy with her line of questioning.

  “Or could I possibly order some from another store to be delivered here?”

  “This isn't New York, Miss. Dale,” he barked, his good mood evaporating before her eyes. “You’re better off gathering up your things and leaving this place far behind you. You won’t find your wine here.”

  He disappeared behind the plastic curtain and she stood disheartened for a moment. Something wasn't right about this, and she would bet money that it had something to do with Chief Cartright.

  Chapter 20

  Roy stepped out of the cabin when he saw Jenny drive up. He had spent the entire morning with Isabelle and then sent her to bed for a nap. Despite her initial complaints, she fell fast asleep within only a couple of minutes. Cabin life was doing her some good.

  He waved to Jenny as she stepped out of the car. As she approached, he could sense that things had not gone according to plan.

  “Well, how did it go?” he asked gently. “Did you see him?”

  “Oh, I saw Joey alright. We had a good talk.”

  She smiled gratefully. Roy was glad she’d had a good talk with her brother and that they had no doubt mended bridges that had been broken for a very long time.

  “That is great news. You've been gone a while.”

  “I was only allowed an hour.”

  “Well, we knew he wouldn’t make it easy.”

  “I think he’s smarter than we give him credit for.”

  Jenny hooked her arm through Roy’s and led him down to the lake.

  It was mid afternoon, and the air was beginning to chill. The summer days would soon be coming to an end, and autumn would be taking over.

  “What makes you say that?” he asked.

  “When I was leaving the station, he stood outside and waved good bye. It was weird. It felt like a threat. Like he was letting me know he had his eyes on me”

  “He’s just trying to intimidate you. He’s afraid, because he doesn’t know if we have any real evidence to support Joey’s wrongful arrest. And if we do have something, he has no idea what it is.”

  Jenny was glad to have Roy on her side. He had a knack for putting her at ease.

  “So what happened after you left the station?” Roy said, urging her to continue.

  “I went to the local liquor store. I wanted to find out more about the blue wine bottle used in the fire.”

  Roy suddenly became tense.

  “I saw Cartright leaving the store as I was arriving. He had one of those brown, paper, liquor bags in his hand. He looked around as if he didn't want to be seen and then went up the street to his car.”

  “Rosaceae,” Roy murmured.

  “What's that?”

  “The name of the wine in the blue bottle.”

  Roy nodded when she stopped to look up at his face, her hand clenched tightly around his thick biceps.

  “It’s a family of roses. Chief Miller from the Ombrea Fire Department called while you were out. I had him check out the blue glass fragments at the scene, and they were a match.”

  “That’s good news. Except,” she paused, “when I went into the liquor store, the owner was super friendly and helpful until I mentioned the wine in the blue bottle. Then, he became agitated and I felt as if he wanted me out of there. He said he had never stocked it there.”

  “That is odd behavior for Lawrence. He's always willing to order something he doesn't have on hand.”

  “I asked him if I could do that. He shouted at me that this wasn’t New York, and if I wanted wine like that I should get out of town immediately.”

  Roy frowned.

  “And you say Chief Cartright had been in there only minutes before you arrived?”

  “He was just leaving before I headed in. Why? Do you think he might have said something?”

  “Intimidated Lawrence into lying through his teeth?” Roy said. “I do think he’s capable of that. I just know he is involved somehow. We just need to find out how.”

  “How are we going to do that?” Jenny asked as they resumed their walk. “We could search his house to see if we can track down a similar bottle of wine? But we risk getting charged with B and E.”

  Roy shook his head.

  “We have to go back to the beginning and figure out what we might have missed.”

  “The crime scene? The house is a disaster, Roy. It's not safe to go back there.”

  “Only the ground floor was damaged,” Roy reminded her. “The second floor is still standing and was in relatively good condition when I was there last. I’ll run it by Adam Miller, but I don't see it being a problem as long as I leave things as they are.”

  “But you said already that there wasn't much to see.”

  “There wasn’t, but I might have missed something.”

  There was no way of talking Roy out of it. He was going to search that master bedroom until he found something.

  “I've got to do it, Jenny.”

  God, she wanted him in that moment. His determination and his passion were such a turn on. After their discussion this morning, she knew she couldn’t make a move, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t be all over him if he started something.

  “Okay, but you have to be careful.”

  “Of course.” He loosened his grip on her to bend down pick up a shiny, flat pebble from the beach. He stood back up to skim it across the water. The surface rippled as the stone bounced toward the horizon and eventually sank into the icy depths of the lake.

  “I'll be back before you know it.”

  “You better be.”

  Jenny reached up and kissed Roy on the cheek, his stubble scratching her soft lips. She moved her hand to his lower back and massaged him affectionately. For one, long moment, she thought she had made a horrible mistake. He didn't move or speak.

  Finally, he reached out to find her hand. She felt a deep sense of relief as he held it tightly in his own. It seemed they had made it past their disagreement from earlier in the day. Maybe this was heading somewhere after all.

  Chapter 21

  Jenny watched from the kitchen window as Isabelle waved goodbye to Roy from the deck. Isabelle had taken a real shine to him, and Jenny was grateful for it. Roy was a good man, and he had come into their lives at just the right time.

  When Roy's truck was out of sight, Jenny continued to watch Isabelle, who remained on the deck, Roy’s dog on guard at her side.

  Isabelle patted the dog's head and led her down to the lake. The light was beginning to wane, but neither the
child nor the dog had any intention of coming inside the cabin just yet.

  It had only been recently that Roy allowed the dog into his home at all. He rationalized his decision, stressing that the nights were becoming colder and that he didn’t want her shivering outside all night.. Isabelle was over the moon.

  Jenny felt a tugging at her heart strings. She loved that little girl. It was inevitable. Isabelle was adorable.

  Jenny was finding it more and more difficult to rationalize taking her niece away from her life in Ombrea. She was happy here, with Norma and now Roy and her faithful, four legged friend to support her. And the freedom of the outdoors was something that Jenny could not provide in the city.

  At least, she thought, if they could prove Joey’s innocence, Isabelle wouldn't have to move away. She could go back to living with her father, and her life, for the most part, would be as it once was. She would have to come to terms with the loss of her mother, but Jenny knew from experience that time would help to heal those wounds. And Jenny would be there for her. She had a lot of lost time to make up for.

  Jenny cried. It had been an especially rough few days, and she was desperate for a resolution. She was homesick. She missed her life and her job and the freedom of a solitary life.

  Still, she had warmed up to her hometown over the past couple of days, recognizing its drawbacks, but allowing herself to see the goodness in it as well. Roy, Isabelle, Norma and now after so many years she had her brother back.

  Thinking about Roy sent her heart spinning. Ever since he had taken her hand at the lake, it felt like she was floating on a cloud. She wished it didn’t have to end.

  * * *

  Roy pulled up in front of the Dale house just as dark was setting in. He made a point of dropping in on Norma on the way by, so the elderly woman wouldn't call the police when she saw someone snooping around the house.

  He packed a flashlight and a spare. If the army had taught him anything, it was to be prepared.

  Roy scanned the property but saw no sign of another vehicle. He opened the gate slowly, the creak of the old wood echoing in the silence of the night, and then he closed it quietly behind him. If he were followed, the old gate would alert him to the intruder.

  Roy cut across the garden and stepped up onto the old porch. He paused, aware that the shadows of the garden made easy hiding spots for anyone who might have come before him.

  Satisfied that he was alone, he pulled at the yellow, crime-scene tape and located the padlock that secured the temporary front door. Adam had given him the key with the promise that he would have it returned to him by morning. He was risking his job, but Roy was a reliable man and Adam trusted that Roy would have it under his mat by the time he woke.

  Roy closed the makeshift door tightly behind him. The house was deadly quiet, the strong smell of wet smoke difficult to bear. He lifted his shirt sleeve to cover his nose as he took a look around. With his flashlight beam he searched the floor, careful to watch where he was stepping. The ground was littered with soot and debris, and he did his best to avoid stepping on anything sharper falling through a hole in the damaged floorboards.

  Roy carefully ascended the staircase, doing his best not to make too much noise. He used his flashlight beam to scan the upstairs landing as he climbed. If anyone were waiting at the top, he wanted to know ahead of time.

  The smell of smoke was less intense in the upstairs hallway, allowing Roy to drop his sleeve from his face and keep his extra hand on the Swiss army knife he had tucked into his belt.

  Roy knew his way to the master bedroom and headed there immediately, his heavy footsteps muffled by the hall carpet. He pushed the door open and used his flashlight to scan the room. If someone had been in the house before him, they hadn't moved anything, not that he could see, anyway.

  Roy got to work quickly. He checked through the wardrobe and chest of drawers, pulling everything aside in search of anything that might lead them to the identity of the killer. All that turned up was a lottery ticket from last weeks draw. Joey's signature had been scribbled along the bottom. A lot of good winning the lottery would do him now.

  He scanned the carpet, careful to step around the blood stain still staring garishly up at him. He had seen casualties in the army, but the sight of blood still made him recoil and his stomach churn. Nothing stood out that he hadn’t noticed before.

  Roy dropped to his knees on the side of the bed that didn't have blood on it. He laid low on his stomach and shone the flashlight beam under the bed. He turned onto his side so he could shine the beam toward the end of the bed.

  That was when he saw it. He recognized the Ombrea Police Service badge immediately. Not wanting to tamper with the evidence, he dug around in his pocket until he found a clean, white handkerchief. He reached out and wrapped the soft fabric around the badge, and pulled it carefully out from under the bed.

  Roy held the badge in the palm of one hand and shone the light down on it. The number was clearly visible. It was not Joey's badge, he knew that for sure. He knew his partner's number as well as he knew his own.

  He placed the new evidence gently on the nightstand while he did another sweep under the bed. There didn't seem to be anything else there.

  If he was a betting man, he would say that what he had just found belonged to Chief Cartright. It could have come off when he was undressing for a roll in bed with Chloe or maybe during the struggle the day Chloe had been killed.

  Chief Cartright hadn't come back to find his badge because he had already arrested Joey for the crime. People trusted the Chief. Roy and Joey with their colored pasts in Ombrea held very little credibility compared to Ombrea’s former Citizen of the Year.

  This badge was as good as a smoking gun. Chief Cartright was going down.

  Chapter 22

  When Roy stepped back outside, he thought he felt something strange in the wind.

  He padlocked the makeshift door behind him and slipped the key into the back pocket of his jeans for safe keeping.

  Darkness had really set in while he was in the house. Roy kept his flashlight beam steady on the ground as he dropped down off the wooden porch and made his way along the crooked garden path. He paused suddenly in his tracks.

  The garden gate, his trusty alarm system, hung wide open. It swayed in the wind, but he hadn't heard it creak when it had been opened. He cursed himself for not having been more aware. He couldn't say for sure if the gate had simply blown open or if someone had pushed it open upon entering the property. And he was sure he didn’t want to find out.

  Roy turned to look at the house behind him. He didn't see anyone. And he didn’t want to stay longer than he had to. He had what he needed for the investigation. He needed to get the hell out of there.

  He cut through the garden and walked swiftly to his truck. He still had the badge wrapped up in one hand, so he slipped the flashlight between his teeth while he hunted for his truck keys. He almost had his set of keys out of his pocket when he saw something shining on the ground beside his truck.

  He gave up his search for a moment to duck down to his knees. He took the flashlight out of his mouth and reached the shiny object.

  It didn't take him long to find the shards of glass. He stood back up quickly, looking his truck over for damage. Sure enough, the back window on the right-hand side had been popped out. Someone had used the time he had spent inside the house to go through his vehicle.

  “Damn it,” he hissed.

  There was nothing worth stealing inside the truck, apart from a few tools and some spare coins for coffee. He doubted that whoever had broken in had taken anything of real worth.

  An old army buddy had instilled in him the need to always check his vehicle if it looked to have been tampered with, so Roy dropped back to his knees and checked the undercarriage with his flashlight. Next, he lifted the hood and checked the engine to see if that had been messed tampered with. Nothing seemed out of place, as far as he could tell. It would be safe to drive back to the cabi
n at the very least.

  Roy looked back up at the house one more time. In the stillness of the night, it was oddly haunting. He climbed into his truck and slamming the door closed behind him, he stretched over to put the package containing the badge inside his glove compartment where it would be safe until he could show it to Jenny.

  Roy was already cooking up a plan. And Jenny was going to be an important part of that plan.

  As he turned over the ignition, he saw a retreating figure who, caught in the headlights, quickened their pace to escape from view.

  Roy reached into the back of the truck and found his black windbreaker. He pulled it on, zipping it right to the top. Next, he unlocked the glove compartment and reached for the police badge. He unzipped one of the front pockets on his jacket and secured the package inside where it wouldn't fall out or be lost in the chase.

  The figure had a decent head start on him. Roy raced across the dirt and into the cover of the dense woods circling the Dale property. He was quite familiar with the land around the house and made assumption on the intruder’s route based on that knowledge. He pushed on, branches whipping at his face and body.

  Somewhere up ahead, a night creature screeched. Roy took it as a sign that the animal had been startled and turned toward the noise. It didn't take him long to hear the crash of footsteps through the underbrush on the hillside a few yards ahead of him.

  Roy knew he must be gaining on the other man. The thudding of footsteps and snapping branches was getting louder as he hurried to his left. He could make out the faint sounds of the water running through the creek on his right. He was further along the Dale property than he thought.

  A twisted root took him suddenly by surprise and he lost his footing. The slope, still slippery from last night's rain caused his feet to move out from under him. He reached out frantically for something to hold onto, but each branch he found was too fragile to hold his weight. He had no other choice but to hit the ground hard. He cried out in pain, his back aching as he lay on the cold, wet ground. His right ankle throbbed where he’d caught the root.