He collected his gear and strode outside to the patrol car. Expectancy pervaded his being. Would Cadi be at the barbecue?
It’s none of my business unless she’s doing something illegal.
He tried in vain to squelch further thoughts of the curvy blond with the enormous eyes. Okay, so he found her attractive. He’d admit at least that much. Except his emotions wanted to take a step further, and that was far from typical for him. He thought he’d become immune to feminine charm. What was going on?
It’s the long hours I’ve been working. . . .
Seconds later, a very different idea struck. Maybe this was part of her plan. Distract the sheriff’s department. Befriend the mayor. Disarm them all with her wiles and then—bam! Cadi and her Disaster Busters could scam poor, unsuspecting souls in no time.
A tight grin pulled at his mouth as he started the vehicle’s engine. Now things made more sense.
❧
“It’s five dollars for adults and two dollars for kids under twelve,” Cadi informed the gathering crowd pressing in on her. She pointed at the sign she’d made earlier. “All the money raised will be divided and distributed to the victims of today’s disaster.”
A queue had already formed, and Will, Bailey, and Jeff collected the money. After people paid, they filed in under the large roofed picnic area and claimed tables for themselves and family members. Meanwhile, the grills, attended by volunteers, smoked outside the open-ended shelter.
Mayor Elliot told Cadi the village would take care of the cost of the hamburgers and hot dogs, while a local grocery store donated buns and condiments along with carrots, pickles, and potato salad. Cadi had never been so impressed with a community coming together to help each other. Even now several female residents of Wind Lake were arranging the food table in preparation for the huge buffet, and folks were beginning to help themselves to the fare.
“This was a great idea, Cadi.” The mayor stood beside her and watched the goings-on. He puffed out his chest beneath the dark blue cotton dress shirt he wore tucked into his tan trousers. “I’m glad I thought of it.”
“So am I. We’ve got a great turnout.”
He nodded then snapped his pudgy fingers. “I almost forgot—I’ve made arrangements for you and your friends to stay at the Wind Lake Inn tonight.”
“Thank you, but it’s not necessary. We can drive back to Waterloo.”
“No, no. I insist. It’ll be dark and very late by the time our fund-raiser ends tonight. I’m sure you and your crew will be exhausted, and the hotel is very comfortable.”
“Well, then, all right.” Cadi saw the wisdom in the mayor’s decision. “Thank you. We appreciate it.”
A glitter in the distance caught her eye and she turned in time to see Sergeant Frank Parker making purposeful strides toward them. His shiny badge reflected the late afternoon sun. To Cadi, the deputy looked as daunting as an approaching thunderstorm.
The mayor must have noticed her sudden discomfort. “Some people take themselves far too seriously,” he said with a glance in Frank’s direction. “Don’t let him cow you.”
She laughed to cover her unease. “Don’t worry. I won’t.”
“Good.” Mayor Elliot gave her shoulder a pat of encouragement and sauntered off to greet several members of the media. He seemed in his element as he spoke to reporters.
Cadi grinned and moved to find something to do to help with the barbecue, but before she could inch forward, Frank Parker stepped into her path.
She sucked in a startled breath. When she last saw him, he’d been nearer to the street than the tent.
“Hello, Sergeant.” She gathered her wits again, which she seemed to be having trouble keeping track of around this man. He seemed like a towering oak tree at this close proximity.
“Looks like a lot of money you’re collecting there.” He flicked a glance in Will, Bailey, and Jeff’s direction. “I thought tonight was supposed to be a free event to thank the volunteers and emergency personnel.”
She caught his meaning. “Oh, well, if it’s the five dollars you’re worried about, forget it. You can eat for free. After all, you helped this afternoon, too.”
She stepped to the side and once more Frank blocked her way.
“That’s not what I’m getting at.”
“Oh?” Cadi felt confused.
“The money you’re collecting. . .” A dark frown deepened his shadowed features. “I suppose it’s for charitable purposes. Or is it to pay your expenses?”
“What?” She tipped her head then gave it a shake. “Listen, if it’s a permit you’re looking for, ask the mayor.”
“The money, Miss Trent. Where’s it going?”
The slur was unmistakable, and while Cadi could usually handle herself in a dignified manner, she felt close to losing her patience with this man. “If it’s all right with you,” she began facetiously, “we plan to divide up the money at the end of the night and give it to the victims of today’s explosion.”
“Oh, yeah?” He leaned forward, and Cadi got a whiff of some tangy scent he wore. “Well, I’m going to personally see to it that the victims get that money. Every last penny.”
At first Cadi didn’t understand, but then it dawned on her like a brilliant sunrise.
“Are you implying I’m some sort of thief?” She placed her hands on her hips and raised her chin.
“Maybe you are and maybe you aren’t.” He stood to his full height, which Cadi guessed to be well over six feet. “All I know for sure is that I’m here to protect the citizens of Wind Lake.”
“Kind of like a vicious watchdog, eh?” Indignation sliced through her. “Well, I’ll be sure to whistle for you when we’re ready to count the money—unless you’d like to stand guard over it all night. We have nothing to hide, so whatever you decide is fine with me and my team.”
He stood statue still as though stunned by her reply and Cadi thought she saw a sparkle of amusement in his brown eyes—unless it was raw infuriation.
No. It was amusement. Definitely amusement.
Cadi felt her tense muscles relax somewhat, but in the next moment her attention was captured by the little girl dressed in a yellow, hooded sweatshirt and brightly printed corduroy slacks who’d flung herself around Deputy Parker’s tree trunk of a leg.
“Daddy!” she squealed.
“Hi, Emmie.” A smile lit his face like a flame in the darkness. He lifted the girl into his arms. Moments later a boy about eight or nine years old appeared. His greeting, like his attire, was much more subdued, and Cadi watched as he leaned against Frank’s hip. “Hello, son.” He tousled the boy’s hair with his free hand.
Cadi watched in sheer amazement as the stony officer, who’d given her a difficult time since her arrival, morphed into some warm and fuzzy creature right before her very eyes.
She folded her arms. “I get the feeling that your bark is worse than your bite, Sergeant Parker.” She grinned, feeling disarmed.
“These are my kids,” Frank began proudly, despite the choke hold his daughter had him in. “Emily and Dustin.”
“Nice to meet you both.” She thought his children were beautiful with their golden-brown hair and amber eyes. “I’m Cadi.” She glanced around, expecting to see a Mrs. Parker nearby. When the moments that ticked by didn’t produce his wife, Cadi’s curiosity mounted. The kids couldn’t have appeared out of nowhere.
What do I care if he’s married or not?
“Well, I need to get back to work,” she said.
“Sure. Just whistle if you need anything.”
The sarcastic quip wasn’t lost on her. She grinned and busied herself with the numerous tasks at hand.
❧
After his mother fed the kids and took them home, Frank devoted his time to the steadfast scrutiny of the Disaster
Busters team, particularly its leader, Cadi Trent. He had to admit he liked the way her short blond hair flipped up all over, matching her sassy personality. When he first confronted her about the donation money, he thought he’d scared her, and his conscience pricked. But soon he realized they could match wits with little effort.
Vicious watchdog. Yeah, right!
Frank stifled the oncoming snicker and watched Cadi interact with the community. Most of the older citizens in Wind Lake knew each other, although the village had expanded. Cabins now lined the nearby lake, and novelty shops sprouted along Main Street. Soon tourists would be tying up intersections and crowding sidewalks. There would be boating accidents and petty thefts to investigate, not to mention the bar fights to break up in the wee hours of the morning. The handful of police the village employed during tourist season couldn’t keep up with the problems, and Frank knew from years gone by that the sheriff’s department would be busy.
“Frank! Oh, Frank Parker!”
He turned and found Mrs. Corbin at his side. She’d been a schoolteacher in her younger days, and Frank knew her from church—when he used to attend regularly, that is.
The elderly woman placed her hand on his arm. “See that girl in the pink shirt?”
He followed her gaze to Cadi. “Yes, ma’am. I see her.” He’d been watching her all night.
“Well, she’s the nicest thing. She’s agreed to help my friend Bettyanne file an insurance claim.” A nippy gust of wind blew strands of her short white hair off her wrinkled forehead. “Bettyanne lost almost all of her belongings this afternoon. Such a shame. She’d just moved into that new duplex. She was renting, you know? Everything was so clean and nice. . . .”
Frank’s ears had perked up at the mention of filing an insurance claim.
“And her antiques. . . Bettyanne loved to hit the antique shops on Thursday afternoons. Of course, the ones around here in town are far too commercial for her liking. Bettyanne prefers estate sales where she can find the true deals.”
“Cadi offered to file an insurance claim for her?”
“Yes, that’s right.” The woman straightened her spindly frame. She stood all of five feet. “Cadi said she’s staying overnight and she’d call the insurance company for Bettyanne tomorrow morning. They’re meeting at the bank around nine o’clock. Bettyanne has her policy in a safe deposit box. Good thing that didn’t go up in flames.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Suspicion reared its ugly head, and Frank clenched his jaw.
“Isn’t that good of Cadi?” Mrs. Corbin prattled on. “She’s a nice girl. Cadi asked Bettyanne if she needed housing, but she’s going to move in with me for the time being.”
“Nice girl, yeah.” Frank’s gaze burned into Cadi’s shapely form. So the scamming had begun. He looked back down at Mrs. Corbin. “Thanks for letting me know.”
“Oh, of course. Bettyanne’s so relieved that she remembered she purchased a renter’s insurance policy. I’m glad, too, that she might be the least bit compensated for her loss.” Mrs. Corbin smiled. “But that’s what insurance is for, isn’t it?”
“That’s right.” He pushed out a smile for her benefit then meandered over to where Cadi stood over a box of clothing. She rummaged through its contents.
“I hear you’ve agreed to help an elderly lady file an insurance claim.”
“What?” Cadi brought up her head so fast that she almost caught Frank right in the chin.
“Insurance claims—do you have experience filing them?”
She straightened. “Not really, but I can probably stumble through the process.”
She tipped her head, and even in the dim lighting of the battery-operated lanterns, Frank could still see the curiosity that shimmered in her blue eyes. Then she shivered and looked back into the cardboard box.
“I know there’s a clean sweatshirt in here. . . .”
In spite of himself, Frank assisted her in locating the thick, zippered garment before helping her into it.
“Thanks.”
“Sure.” He cleared his throat. “Now, what’s this I hear about an insurance claim?”
“Does someone need help filing one?”
Frank felt somewhat enchanted as she stared up at him. “Um, I understand you offered to help one of our senior citizens—”
“Oh, right. Mrs. Binder. Was there someone else?”
“No.” He couldn’t believe how clumsy and tongue-tied he’d become.
Cadi seemed to grow uncomfortable under his ogling. The truth was, Frank felt just as awkward, but he couldn’t seem to help himself.
She glanced at her watch. “Well, I suppose we should count that money and divvy it up. Are you available?”
Frank bobbed his head in reply and cleared his suddenly parched throat. “Sure.”
A teasing grin spread across her face. “Want to hear me whistle just for kicks?”
He drew himself up. “That’s not necessary.”
“Lucky for you,” she retorted, spinning on her heel. “You and your eardrums, that is.”
Four
“I just have a little business to take care of, and then we can spend the day together.”
“But, Daddy,” Emily whined, “you said we’d go to the zoo.”
“We will. Right after I finish my business.”
“I thought it was your day off.” Dustin took his spoon and poked at the cereal floating in his bowl.
“Look, you two, I just want to stop at the bank, okay? Then we’ll go to the zoo as promised.”
“Why can’t we go to the bank with you?” Emily said, kneeling on her chair and then throwing her tiny frame into Frank’s lap.
“One of these days you’re going to miss and land on the floor.” He sat his daughter back down in the kitchen chair. “Now, eat your breakfast.”
“I don’t want to go to Gramma’s again,” Dustin complained.
Frank blew out a breath of exasperation. His children were not cooperating this morning, and he needed to get to the bank in time to make sure the Disaster Busters didn’t swindle an old lady out of her insurance money. Of course, he couldn’t tell his kids that. What’s more, he was off duty.
“All right. Tell you what. You can come to the bank with me, and then we’ll go to the zoo.”
“Hooray!” Emily shouted.
Dustin raised his arms, his fists balled in a silent victory cheer.
Pleased with the outcome, both ate their breakfasts, and the ambiance in the kitchen went from gloomy to bright and sunny. Then, while the kids dressed themselves and brushed their teeth, Frank threw together several peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. He placed them into a cooler, along with a cola for himself and juice drinks for the children. Minutes later they all were ready to walk out the front door.
Driving into town, Frank wondered how best to handle the situation at the bank. He couldn’t very well come out and accuse anyone without proof, but he hoped his mere presence would deter Cadi and her cohorts from robbing a defenseless, aging widow.
He arrived at the bank after nine and pulled into its adjacent lot. After parking his vehicle, he killed the engine. The kids released their seat belts and hopped out of the sport utility vehicle, following Frank into the financial institution like a pair of ducklings.
Inside, Frank’s gaze summed up his surroundings and he spied Cadi seated at a long table in a glass-walled conference room just off of the lobby. The older woman who sat across from her was no doubt Mrs. Binder. He completed his own transaction at the teller window, keeping a watchful eye out; then he moseyed over and rapped on the pane.
Cadi glanced up and waved. Frank entered without further invitation.
“I had personal business here today,” he said, his kids still on his heels. “When I saw you ladies, I thought I’d say hello.”
/> Cadi smiled and turned to the woman sitting across the table from her. “This is Sergeant Frank Parker. He’s a sheriff’s deputy. He was on duty yesterday.”
“Nice to meet you, Sergeant.” The elderly woman seemed to force her polite smile.
“Frank, this is Mrs. Binder.”
“A pleasure, ma’am.”
“I phoned the insurance company this morning,” Cadi said, “and they faxed over a claim form. Mrs. Binder is filling it out now. The bank manager offered to fax it back once she completes it and signs it.”
“It’ll never replace my valuables,” she lamented, “but it’s something.”
Cadi agreed. “But just remember, Mrs. Binder, the insurance company said the check could take eight to ten weeks to arrive.”
“I’ll remember.”
Frank decided to jump into the conversation. “And if you have any troubles after you submit your claim, come see me.” He pulled out the business card that he’d strategically dropped into the breast pocket of his shirt. The county had cards printed up for all its deputies as folks often liked to know the name and business phone number of the responding officer, particularly in the cases of motor vehicle accidents.
“Thank you,” Mrs. Binder said. “I’ll remember your offer.”
“You do that.” And if she doesn’t get her check, Frank added to himself, I’ll know just who to call. He glanced at Cadi and grinned.
Moments later, he felt a collective presence behind him. He pivoted and found the four other Disaster Busters members standing behind his kids.
“We’re going to the zoo,” Emily told them.
“Great day for it,” the brunette said. Frank thought he recalled her name being Meg.
“I haven’t been to a zoo in ages,” a woman with long, brownish-blond hair remarked. She stuck out her right hand to Frank. “I’m Bailey Schmid, and this is my husband, Jeff.” She indicated the tall, slim guy at her side.
Courting Disaster Page 3