by Smith, C. P.
* * *
“Mom, can you hook this for me?” I finished clasping the buckle on my boot and stood up, looked in the mirror and laughed. I was so getting thrown in jail. Bailey entered, stopped, whistled and then said, “You better hide Jack’s gun.” She was not wrong; in fact, she was so not wrong I considered changing. This outfit may be poking at Jack a little too much.
Throwing that idea aside for now, I moved to Bailey, and she spun around so I could hook her necklace. She was wearing a less revealing cowgirl outfit, but not by much. Thankfully the skirt was longer than my shorts and her boobs were covered. The overall look was flirty, but not risqué. She’d left the slut look to me.
“I’m having second thoughts about this outfit.” I announced while trying to cover my butt.
“No, you look hot, Mom, it’s perfect and Jack will love it.” Thinking she really didn’t understand Jack; I explained.
“Jack will love it in private, it’s the public part that concerns me.” My bravado about wearing whatever I wanted was faltering the closer the time got to leaving. Jack was gonna go ballistic, I just knew it, and more to the fact, I didn’t think I was that comfortable showing this much skin either.
“Nope, you’re not changing. This is a statement to Jack that you will always do as you please, no matter how much he yells.”
“Says the girl who is flying out in the morning and won’t be here to endure his anger,” I laughed.
“You rock the outfit, you’re wearing it, so grab your coat and let’s go.”
I looked one last time in the mirror, felt like making the sign of the cross to prepare myself against the up-coming war with Jack, and then grabbed my coat and purse. As I made my way to the front door, I snatched the Witches Ball invitation and bottle of wine. I’d called Lorraine to ask if she knew who was throwing the ball, and she informed me it was quite an honor to receive the invitation, and it was hosted by a group of town leaders. “Only the who’s who of Gunnison got invitations,” she’d replied, so I figured with my new position at the paper I shouldn’t decline, bought wine, and planned to make an appearance after enjoying the festival. We headed to my Jeep, and as I climbed in, for some reason I felt like I was heading to my doom. Chuckling for being so dramatic, I pulled out and turned my Jeep towards Gunnison, and my first Colorado Halloween.
* * *
Gunnison business owners had pulled out all the stops. Each business was decorated to the nines with a ghoulish atmosphere, and plenty of candy for the goblins and ghosts. The bars and restaurants were open and thriving, tourists and locals all getting in the spirit of the holiday. Partiers were decked out as vampires, witches, the boy’s from Duck Dynasty, and Bailey, and I fit in and we had a ball. The Sheriff’s department had barricaded the ends of several blocks so no cars could pass through, allowing everyone to mingle in the streets. With my hat and aviator glasses on, most I knew didn’t recognize me, and that afforded me the luxury of being seen by the deputies and Jack from a distance, but not having a badass Sheriff breathing down my neck. I heard lots of comments like “You can cuff me anytime,” and “I’ll break the law if you haul me to your cell.”
Food and drink flowed and we saw a few fights between teenage boys, but all in all, the festival seemed to be a success. It was nearing time to leave to head to the Witches Ball, when my phone rang, illuminating, “Bossy calling,” so I answered it.
“Hello?”
“Where are you? I thought you’d have made it here by now.”
“We’ve been here a few hours, we didn’t want to bother you.” I lied. Truth was if he didn’t see me; he couldn’t yell.
“I’m taking a break, you wanna meet up?” Oh lord, decisions, decisions.
“We’re getting ready to leave. We got invited to the Witches Ball.” There was a pause then an angry Jack spoke.
“You’re not fucking going.” He snapped out.
“What?”
“I said you’re not going anywhere near that fucking ball.”
“Can you explain to me why, or is this just your general response to anything I want to do?” I replied getting angry myself.
“I can give you two fucking reasons.”
“And they would be?”
“One, the Mayor organizes that party and he will be there.” I heard from behind me.
“And two, you’re not going anywhere else in that fucking costume, except straight home,” he barked as I turned around and looked up. Shit!
Hands on his hips, glaring down at me, his eyes raked over my body, as his jaw got tight. I could tell he was about to blow, but unfortunately for a drunken guy who walked up, slapped my ass, then shouted, “I want to confess, torture me, and I’ll tell you where the body is buried,” he let loose on him instead. It all happened quickly; Bailey started laughing, she’s twenty everything is funny, the drunk threw an arm around my shoulder, and before I could remove the arm, Jack’s head spun around in a move comparable to the “Exorcist,” then his eyes rolled back in his head as he lunged for the guy, grabbed his arm around my shoulder, and pinned him to the ground. He looked back at me and spoke through gritted teeth.
“Put your fuckin’ coat on and cover yourself, then get your ass home before I kill someone.” I went to say something, and he cut me off.
“It doesn’t require a comment, just put your coat on now.” He barked.
I still didn’t move ’cause his bossy had stepped up to a whole new level, and moved right into jerk. I narrowed my eyes, and he watched me get pissed as he stood with the drunken guy, holding his arms behind him, and again ordered,
“Put. Your. Fuckin’. Coat. On. Now.” Bailey grabbed my arm and broke my stare, whispering, “I think you better put your coat on.” I was trying to decide if doing as he wished was giving in, and allowing him to dictate to me, or if giving in was just the right thing to do since it bothered him, when I heard him counting.
“One, two—”
“Are you counting down?” I hissed.
“I get to five, and that coat isn’t on, we got problems. Three—”
“You are not counting down like I’m a child.”
“Four—” I looked at his eyes, as he paused to see if I would comply, and I could tell he wanted me to disobey. Insufferable man. So I decided to spoil his fun, and put my coat on. He didn’t grin in victory; he stayed angry. Still holding the drunk and pulling out his cuffs, I decided it was time to go. I put my arm through Bailey’s and pulled her with me; then I gave Jack an “I’m not speaking to you look,” as Bailey and I headed off towards my Jeep. I heard Jack call from behind me, “Straight home,” but that hit me wrong, so I turned back to him, and he raised an eyebrow in question. Since I was a good twenty feet away, and he couldn’t reach me, I felt bold, and replied, “Don’t wait up Jack, I have a ball to attend,” and with that parting shot, I turned, and kept on walking, quickly I might add, since I was only brave with distance between me and Jack. Bailey leaned in and whispered, “I think the costume pissed him off.” I rolled my eyes at her intuitiveness and laughed, “Yeah, it pissed him off, and then he became a jerk, and pissed me off. Pissed I can handle, jerk, not so much.” Bailey turned around to see if Jack was following then turned back and said, “That Mark guy is behind us.” I looked over my shoulder, and he raised a bottle of beer at me. “Walk faster,” I begged, and we picked up the pace. I didn’t need him mixed in with the already bad situation. I just kept walking, dragging Bailey with me, and when I saw my Jeep, we double timed it and got in.
“Witches Ball or home?” Bailey inquired.
“Honestly, I was tired and thinking home before Jack went all he-man jerk on me, so now I say Witches Ball, just out of protest.”
“Awesome, that’s the spirit, Jennifer, show him who’s the boss.” Smiling at my daughter and her skewed view of Jack and me. She’ll learn just as I had; there’s only one person wearing the pants in this relationship; I’m just trying to ignore the fact.
* * *
Stari
ng up at the huge luxury cabin decked out in orange and black twinkle lights, Bailey whistled. I just stared in envy. A two-story log cabin that looked like it belonged on the cover of a magazine stretched out before us. Wrap around decks on both levels were filled with people in all sorts of costumes. Bailey whispered, “Wow,” then grabbed my hand and tugged me up the front steps and into the foyer. Inside, the furnishings screamed money, western and cabin décor that was tasteful and staged to an inch of perfection, proving that sometimes money could buy happiness. It. Was. The. Bomb. Huge, but comfortable, not ostentatious, more Ralph Lauren meets Gunnison. The party had all the trimmings; champagne fountains flowing on both levels, tables overflowing with food, chefs manning the stations carving prime rib, while bowls of shrimp, pâté, canapés and crabs legs stared back at us. Never had I been to a gathering like this, or seen a spread of food like this. To say I wanted to pull out my phone and snap a picture to post on Facebook, stating, “You won’t believe where I am” was an understatement. Bailey, being twenty, and not caring, read my thoughts and snapped a picture, then posted it, tagging my name.
“Shall we?” I asked my daughter; the food table laid out in front of us.
“I suppose you could twist my arm,” Bailey laughed and then grabbed my hand and we hit that table like a cow to a trough. In other words, we loaded up.
Moving through the crowd, observing who’s here and keeping an eye out for the Mayor; Jack may not want me here, and truth be told, I didn’t want to have to deal with the Mayor either, but I figured with this many people if I kept my eyes open I could avoid him. Standing off to the side we people watched. Bailey and I loved to go to the mall when she was younger and watch the people, making up identities for them.
“Two o’clock, pudgy man with the blonde bimbo. I say he left his wife at home, and picked up a hooker for the night.” I turned my head to the right and spit out my drink, when I locked eyes on Bob, my editor, and Amber Welsh. Bailey laughed out loud at my display, pounding my back as I choked on my drink. My luck was not shining on me this night. Amber heard the commotion and turned her head. Recognition hit her, and I saw her look around for Jack. I had a very bad feeling when she didn’t see him, round two was approaching, and without Jack here to hold me back, I might not hold my tongue. And with my boss standing at her side, I really, really needed to hold my tongue.
Using my head for once, I grabbed Bailey’s hand and starting walking towards the staircase, Bailey laughing as she followed. “Wait do you know them?” She asked, and I whispered as we made our way down the stairs. “That’s my boss and the bimbo is an old girlfriend of Jack’s. She doesn’t like me, as in she hates me, so let’s go downstairs,” I replied moving fast down the stairs. When we got to the bottom and turned the corner; I ran straight into Mayor Hall. Swear if I didn’t have bad luck I’d have no luck at all.
“If this is what the Sheriff’s department is hiring these days, I’ll make sure to increase the budget for more.” Bailey being my daughter, of course, sensed he was a player the minute he opened his mouth.
“You must be the Mayor, Jack’s, mentioned you,” Bailey interrupted.
“And you must be Jennifer’s daughter, you’re just as beautiful as your mother.” John’s eyes made their way to her chest then her legs, and I instinctively stepped between them, grabbing his arm and moving her out of his line of sight.
“Mayor nice to see you again, and thank you for the invitation.” John leered at me, his eyes moving now to my chest. He tried to put his arm around me, so I stepped back, right into Amber Welsh, fucking, fucking hell.
“I see while Jack is working, you’re out enticing all the other men in Gunnison. I knew when I laid eyes on you in Mike’s you were a slut.” I sucked in a breath, and then heard Bailey suck in a breath, and before I could shove the pointed toe of my boot up her ass, Bailey stepped in. Oh, dear lord I hate when Jack is right, I shouldn’t have come.
“Bailey,” I snapped and grabbed her arm before she defended my honor. She turned back to me, pissed the hell off, and I couldn’t blame her, but I needed to defuse this situation now.
“Get our coats, Ok, I’ll be right with you.” Bailey looked between us both then nodded and headed for the coatroom at the front of the house. I turned to John and Amber and speaking through my teeth said, “Pleasure as always seeing you both, if you’ll excuse me, we’ll just be leaving.” Without a backward glance, I turned in the direction my daughter went. I’d made it three steps when I bumped into someone. Stumbling back, I turned my head and smiled.
“Fancy meeting you here.” I laughed.
“Follow me, I saw the altercation and I know a short cut.”
* * *
Jack
Finally finished for the night, I was heading to my truck, I had a wayward woman to find, and I’d better find her ass at home if she knew what was good for her. My phone buzzed in my pocket, so I grabbed it and saw it was Bailey calling. If she thinks I’m letting her off the hook for that stripper outfit she put her mom in, she better think twice. If she wasn’t heading back to school, I’d tan both their hides and ground her for a month, then again?
“Tell me where you are, and I’ll considered not grounding you for a month.”
“Jack, oh god, Jack, help me, Mom’s missing.”
Chapter Twenty-eight
BOLO
“Jack,” Bailey shouted, when I arrived at the Mayor’s house. She was waiting for me on the front steps, so I climbed out of my truck and watched as Barry, Grady, and Phil pulled in next to me. When I reached Bailey, she was a bundle of nerves, shaking and crying, so I grabbed her and held on while she buried her head in my chest. “Bailey, I need you to talk to me so we can find Jenn.” She pulled back, wiping her face with the backs of her hands, nodding and taking a deep breath.
“Mom and I were people watching; I commented on some blonde bimbo, and she panicked when the woman looked at us, and then hurried me downstairs to get away from her, she’s some ex of yours.”
“Amber?” I questioned, and she nodded.
“When we got downstairs, Mom ran into the Mayor; he was putting the moves on Mom, and she was trying to move away then Amber came downstairs, saw it, and called Mom a slut. So I got pissed, and Mom told me to stop, and go get our coats, we were leaving, and that’s the last time I saw her. She never came looking for me, and now I can’t find her anywhere.” I looked over at Grady and the boys and ordered, “Search the grounds, inside and out,” then I turned back to Bailey, “You said someone saw her walking with a man?”
“When she didn’t come for me, I went looking for her, found the Mayor and asked where she went. He said she was chatting with some man and left with him.” I felt my anger spike at the thought of Jenn talking with another man, but shut it down; I didn’t have time to react, I needed to keep my head on straight and look at the evidence. Jenn wouldn’t leave her daughter stranded for a man, something wasn’t adding up, and I needed to find John and make him talk.
Inside the Mayor’s house, I noticed no one had stopped with the festivities. A woman was missing, and everyone was drinking and eating like nothing had happened. I felt my temper spike higher and looked around for John. I caught a glimpse of him with Amber in the corner and headed their way. When I reached them, Amber turned to me and sneered, then with her claws bared, attacked.
“Heard that slut of yours left with another man, abandoning her daughter just to get laid? You sure know how to pick ‘em Jack.”
“Considering Jenn’s the best thing to ever happen to me, by a long shot, I’d say that’s a compliment.” Amber flinched and turned her eyes from me. My bulls-eye had hit dead center, so I moved on like she wasn’t there.
“Mayor, Jenn’s missing, and you’re the last person who saw her. You wanna fill me in on this man she was talking to?” His arrogant demeanor turned cold and calculated as he responded, choosing his words carefully for maximum effect.
“Jack, be a man and accept when a woman leaves yo
u high and dry for another one. Don’t use your authority as Sheriff to eliminate the competition,” the Mayor openly laughed, repeating my own words from two weeks before. And it took everything I had not to touch him…then I decided fuck it and lunged, shoved him into the wall, pressed my arm into his throat cutting off his air, getting right in his face.
“Jenn is fucking missing, you piece of shit. She didn’t abandon her daughter, now tell me who the fuck she was talking to, or I’ll arrest you for obstruction of justice.”
I kept my forearm on his throat and watched as he looked around, then I noticed the silence. The room behind us had gone quiet; we had an audience, and I didn’t give a fuck if it got me answers, so I didn’t back down. John looked back at me and raised his shoulders in a shrug, answering my question, but giving me nothing.
“Never seen him before.”
“You got a description; hair color, eye color, height, weight, tattoo, any fucking thing that will lead us to him?” I ordered.
“Average height, average weight, dark hair, decent looking, wearing jeans and a white t-shirt, not in costume, no visible tattoos and from the reception she gave him she knew him.” That piqued my interest.
“You could tell she knew him?”
“Yeah, she said, “fancy meeting you here.” I pushed off him, glaring, and turned to Bailey, who’d been waiting and watching the whole time.
“Bailey did Jenn indicate she knew any of the people here?”
“No, we hadn’t been here that long, we got food and were just people watching.” Her head jerked, and she looked at her phone, reading something on the screen and looked puzzled.