Two weeks ago, Ben had come to New Hope to talk to some of the residents. It was during this visit that the dam had collapsed, killing him along with two residents.
“All set, young lady,” the doctor said, patting her leg. “You did very well.”
“How many stitches did it need?” she asked, sitting up, just barely able to glance at the long cut that would surely scar.
“Four.”
And she had had to have a tetanus shot. Even at twenty-six, Jess hated shots. She swung her legs off the table, the area still painful even with the numbing agent he had given her.
“I’ll give you some Advil for the pain,” the nurse said.
“Thank you.” She went to rise and immediately took her weight off that leg, flinching with the pain.
“And a crutch to lean on at least for the next day or so, honey.”
“How did it happen?” the doctor asked, filling something out in a folder.
“Long story,” Jess said. “Can I go?”
“Sheriff’s waiting for you,” he said, giving her a look.
“That’s what I was afraid of,” she muttered under her breath. “Thank you, Doctor.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I’ll just take your insurance information out front,” the nurse said as she pushed the door open and held it for her.
“I’ll get you my card,” Jess answered, her eyes landing on the sheriff who stood when he saw her. She hobbled toward him, noting how he held her purse. She reached for it but he held onto it.
“You want me to carry you?” he asked.
She stared at him. Was he serious? “Um, no, thanks. I got it.”
“You all set here, Doctor?” he asked.
“Just need her insurance card, Sheriff,” the nurse said.
“I need my bag,” she said to him, hopping on one leg.
He handed it over to her. She took it, unsure what to make of his expression. She then hobbled over to the counter where the nurse handed her a small sample bottle of Advil.
“Thanks,” she said, taking it. She unzipped her bag and fished for her wallet, glancing over her shoulder at the sheriff as she passed her hand over the butt of her gun. “Here you go,” she said, taking out her insurance card.
It was a few quiet moments while the nurse copied some information, then handed the card back to her. She put it in her wallet. She rummaged through her purse in search of her keys, but was unable to find them.
“My keys?” she began, wondering if they’d fallen out at the site.
The nurse walked around the counter and held a crutch out for her. She paused. It was then that the fact of why the sheriff was looking at her like that dawned on her. She turned to meet his cool gaze.
“I hope you don’t mind that I went into your purse to get the keys and had my deputy get your car to your hotel.”
He knew. There was no way he would have missed her badge and definitely no way he could have overlooked her gun. She dropped her gaze, slinging the bag onto her shoulder. “No, of course I don’t mind, Sheriff. Thank you.” She took the crutch and thanked the nurse as well.
He opened the front door and let her pass, their bodies almost touching as she awkwardly made her way outside. They walked silently to his truck and she didn’t argue when he lifted her into it, taking her crutch and setting it in the back. He closed the door as she strapped in, placing Ben’s hat once again on her lap.
Once he was inside, he put the key in the ignition and started the engine. “You’ve got some explaining to do, Agent Manning.”
* * *
“There’s nothing to explain, Sheriff. I’m working undercover and…”
“Don’t bullshit me, Agent. FBI closed the case last week citing dam failure.”
He glanced over to find her scratching a piece of dirt from the hat, her expression not sassy like he expected it to be but more sad.
“How long have you been with the FBI?” he asked.
“Almost a year.”
He exhaled a breath. He was angry about the case being closed. He was angry at how quickly it had been deemed an accident with hardly any investigation at all and he was angry at how quickly Larimer had resumed operations. But all this paled against the human cost. That didn’t just make him angry. It made him furious.
“You said he was a friend?” he asked.
She nodded, although she wouldn’t look at him. He knew why she wouldn’t a moment later when one tear fell onto the hat. He turned away, giving her some privacy.
“I’m sorry for your loss, Agent.”
“Me too. And for the others who died and the families who lost their homes. It’s a terrible thing to have happened and I’m sorry for all of it.”
“You talk like it was your fault.”
She glanced at him. “Not directly, no.”
He pulled into the parking lot of the Dorado Hotel.
“How did you know where I was staying?” she asked, noticing that her car was parked in the lot already.
“There are only two hotels in town. It just took a phone call.”
He parked the truck and turned to her.
“Oh. Well, thanks for getting my car and… helping me with this,” she said, gesturing to her leg. “I guess I’ll go check in.” She pushed her door open.
“Not so fast, Agent,” he said, stilling her with a hand on her leg. She may be mourning a friend, but there was too much at stake and she could be the key to unlocking more of the mystery.
She glanced at it, at his big hand wrapped around one bare thigh, then met his eyes with suspicion in hers. “We need to talk. Care to do it here or in my office?” he asked.
“What is there to talk about? There’s nothing.”
“Well, for starters, there’s the fact that you not only entered an off-limits area but you removed something that could potentially be considered evidence from the site,” he said, glancing at the hat. He had no intention of taking it from her, but he would let her think that if he could get the information he needed from her.
“You said yourself the investigation was closed. It was ruled an accident,” she said. He knew from her tone she had no intention of backing down.
“The dam had been inspected just weeks prior to the ‘accident.’ I don’t believe there’s any way in hell it failed and I’m guessing from your presence here that neither do you.”
Her expression changed infinitesimally but he didn’t miss it.
“I’ll tell you another thing, Agent. I found it quite the surprise when the assistant deputy director of the FBI showed up on site here in our small town of New Hope, Georgia, to claim a body that had yet to be identified.”
“What?”
“You heard me,” he said, pausing, giving her a moment to absorb. “Something is going on in my town and my people are getting hurt. I have a feeling Larimer’s involved, but I’ve got no proof. Not yet anyway.”
“Listen, Sheriff, I’m here on my own. I’m on leave and as sorry as I am for what happened, there’s nothing I can do to help you. I only came to see where Ben had died.”
“Bullshit.”
“This is inappropriate, Sheriff,” she said, pushing the door wider. “You’re harassing me now.”
“I just saved your ass, Agent,” he said.
She glanced over her shoulder at him, giving him a look that told him to go to hell, and put her good foot on the step of the truck, balancing her weight on her arms and that one foot.
“You’re going to hurt yourself,” he said, opening his own door when he realized she wasn’t going to listen to him. When she tentatively tried to maneuver her way out, he jumped out of the truck.
“Ow! Ow! Ow!” she screamed. She had landed hard on her injured leg.
“You neither follow the rules nor do you listen very well,” he began, lifting her once again, this time tossing her over one shoulder.
There was a moment where he imagined she was processing her position before she began to beat on his back, but her
little fists barely made an impression as they landed. “Let me go! Put me down, you have no right. Let me the fuck down.”
“And that’s another thing, you have a foul temper and a mouth to match it,” he continued, walking her to the front office.
“Sheriff,” Aida, the old clerk began. “Looks like you’ve got your hands full,” the old woman said, taking in the scene, her expression mischievous.
“Evening, Aida. May I have the key for Ms. Manning’s room, please?”
“You do not get to have my key! Put me down… do not give him that key!” Jess yelled.
“Feisty little thing, isn’t she?” the old woman said, handing him the room key. “Carl dropped off her car keys a bit ago,” she said, handing them to him as well. He stuck them into his pocket. “And that’s her suitcase.” He picked it up and thanked the older woman before walking out of the office.
“This is not happening!” Jess kept going.
He had to hand it to her, she had some energy.
“Quiet down now, you’re calling attention to yourself.”
“I’m calling attention to myself? I am? You put me down this instant!” she called out. “You overbearing son of a…”
He slid the key card into the lock and pushed the door open. “You ready to calm down and behave yourself?” he asked.
“Screw you!” she yelled.
“I guess not then,” he said, setting her down carefully so she sat on the bed. Her face was bright red, her hair partially out of its bind, long, curly strands twisting all around her face and shoulders. She tried to stand, but it must have hurt because she sat back down and glared at him. He put her car keys on the desk.
“How dare you?”
“I have half a mind to spank the nonsense out of you,” he said.
Her mouth just fell open and she had no comeback.
“You just sit here and calm down.”
“I said screw you. Get out.”
“All right, I’m going to say that’s coming from the painkillers the doctor must have given you.”
“He didn’t give me any painkillers.”
He checked his watch. “It’s late. You get some sleep and I’ll be back to talk first thing in the morning when you can hopefully be more reasonable. You’re not to leave this room without my permission, understood?”
“Are you arresting me?” she asked, her eyebrows arched, her eyes wide, incredulous.
“I suppose you can call it a sort of house arrest. For your own safety. I’m not sure you wouldn’t try to head back up to the site and get yourself into more trouble.”
“You can’t. You have no right.”
“You’re in my town now, Agent. We do things differently here than in D.C. I’ll be back tomorrow morning early and we can try this again then.”
“I can’t believe this.”
“Good night, Agent Manning,” he said.
He walked out the door and back to his truck. It was fully dark now and he imagined she would stay in. Her leg would be hurting her and she didn’t know the area well enough to attempt anything stupid. At least he didn’t think so.
Chapter Three
Jess woke up in the morning feeling slightly better. Her head at least felt better, her leg still throbbed but it wasn’t as raw a pain as yesterday. She checked the time. It was half past seven. She threw the covers back and sat up, touching the now bruised skin around the bandage that covered her cut.
She stood, able to put some weight on her leg this morning. She had slept just wearing her panties last night as the air conditioner, although it worked hard, was no match for the heat and humidity that seemed not to let up even at nighttime. She grabbed her toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, and conditioner and went into the bathroom to have a shower, no longer able to put off processing what had happened last night.
Sheriff Jackson Montgomery would be harder to put off than she liked. Thing was, she had to do this alone. The FBI had closed the case too quickly. It stank of cover-up and what she had learned last night about the assistant deputy director coming to claim Ben’s body before the locals had even identified it only made her more sure. Dam failure seemed like convenient timing for somebody to not only commit murder but also to cover up evidence. Wiping out an entire neighborhood and the death of three people was collateral damage, she supposed. The sheriff did not believe the dam had failed. He too was suspicious. She wondered what evidence he had, but she couldn’t involve him. He was just a small town sheriff. He had no idea what he was up against.
She switched off the shower. She’d go up to the dam today, take some photos of the damage.
Photos. Crap! She grabbed two towels, binding her hair in one while wrapping the other around her body. She had taken a lot of photos at the site yesterday but she hadn’t seen the camera in her bag when she had taken out her insurance card. Her feet wet, she padded through the hotel room to her bag only to have her suspicions confirmed. No camera. She remembered putting it down when she was trying to get Ben’s hat but didn’t remembered picking it up again.
Crap.
She dressed quickly in a pair of shorts and a tank top and slid on her flip-flops. She picked up her car keys, hesitating for a moment as she considered the sheriff’s words last night. She then shook it off and made her slow way to the car. After all, he had no authority to put her under house arrest. She had done nothing wrong.
* * *
Jackson walked to his car with two take-away cups of steaming coffee and a box of donuts. Maybe last night’s approach hadn’t been the best way to have gone about things. She had been hurt after all, had had some painkillers. She had a lot on her mind and she didn’t know him. She didn’t trust him and that was fair. It was smart, even. They had just gotten off on the wrong foot, and today, he would remedy that.
It was just a few minutes past eight o’clock in the morning when he turned into the parking lot of the Dorado Hotel. His eyes narrowed immediately when he saw the empty space where her car should have been. The hotel had outdoor entrances and he stopped his truck in front of her room. He didn’t even shut off his car. Instead, he walked to her door and knocked, or really banged, with his fist. There was no answer and he could hear no sound of occupancy from within. He turned on his heel and climbed back into his truck.
He changed his mind, no longer doubting his approach. The only thing he was sure of this morning was that he’d been far too easy on her. He should have spanked her ass. She was irrational and naïve and after not quite a year with the FBI, inexperienced. She was going to get herself hurt.
* * *
Jess climbed out of the car, limping a little. She didn’t like the crutch but she could have used something to lean on. She muttered a curse at the sheriff. While he had been busy manhandling her last night, he had forgotten her crutch in the back of his truck.
She half hopped, half walked to the site and slipped under the police tape, feeling slightly good about doing it. She inhaled deeply but rather than taking in fresh air, the scent of marijuana filled her lungs. She looked around the site but hers was the only car and she heard no voices. This was strange. She took another inhale and sure enough, she smelled pot. It was coming from the one structure where a part of the wall seemed to still be standing. Someone giggled from that direction.
Probably teenagers skipping school and if they were high, they would be anxious to stay out of sight. She went to where she had found Ben’s hat and sure enough, her camera lay there out in the open. She was just glad it hadn’t rained and that the teens hadn’t found it.
She made her way to it and picked it up, checking it for damage, glad there wasn’t any. That was when she heard the same sound she had heard yesterday: tires on loose rock.
Crap. This could not be happening again.
She turned her head to look, recognizing the truck straight away. She inhaled deeply and exhaled, prepared to defend herself. And when he stepped from the car, she knew she would be doing just that.
“What part o
f my house arrest order was difficult for you to follow?” he asked.
Someone gasped and another someone let out a squeal. She and the sheriff both turned to watch three kids, about sixteen years old, run out from behind the structure.
“Hold it!” the sheriff called out.
Jess just stood back and watched as the kids ran in three different directions. But when he whistled once, they all froze. It was almost comical.
“Lisa, Renee, and Joey. Get over here!” he said, his tone absolute authority.
“We’re sorry, Sheriff,” the boy started. All of them walked over, one still holding the smoking joint. As soon as she realized it, she dropped it, stepping on it to put it out.
“Pick that up, Renee. Now!”
They all began to talk at once and Jess watched him stand there, his expression changing just a little, just enough to let her know he was only pretending to be so angry. And it was working because the kids were scared.
She stood back as he lectured them, listening to them plead not to tell their parents.
“If I find you out here or anywhere else for that matter smoking this stuff, I will make sure you’re all grounded until graduation next year, you hear me?”
“Yes, sir,” they all said, heads hanging.
“Now get your butts back down the road and to school before I call one of my deputies to pick you up!”
“Yes, sir, thank you, sir,” they said, all obviously relieved. They didn’t hesitate but ran down the hill.
“Well done, Sheriff,” Jess said. “That was actually really great.”
They both stood watching them. “A little fear, a little friendly. They’ll think twice next time but it doesn’t mean they won’t do it again.”
The kids disappeared from sight and he turned to her.
Her smile quickly faded when she saw his expression.
Dangerous Defiance Page 2