Читать книгу Unraveling The Past - Elisabeth Rees - Страница 11

THREE

A flutter rose in Joanna’s chest as she realized that she and Tyler were trapped. Two police vehicles had screeched to a halt outside the motel, and four armed officers stood by the cars while the skinny teenager from the front desk pointed up to their rooms on the second floor.

“They’re here for us,” she said, feeling her heart begin to pound, galvanizing her into action. “They’re coming up the stairs.”

Tyler grabbed her arm and led her into the bathroom. “I already anticipated this, so I parked the motorcycle around back late last night and hid the helmets in the bushes.”

Before Joanna knew what was happening, he had lifted her up and was pushing her through the bathroom window onto the fire escape. The metal was covered with a white frost, glinting in the winter sun. The two black bags containing their weapons and Tyler’s personal items were pushed through next. They thudded on the metal landing, closely followed by Tyler himself. He yanked the overhead fire escape ladder and pulled hard, sending it sliding to the ground in a whooshing movement.

“You first,” he said, directing her to place her feet on the ladder while he threw the bags onto the grass below. “Don’t panic but move fast. I’ll be just behind you.”

Joanna felt her feet slip on the rungs in her sneakers. These shoes weren’t made to be functional; they were made to look fashionable, and the grip was useless, particularly on the slippery metal.

“Stay calm,” Tyler urged, seeing her stumble and hold tight with freezing fingers onto the sides of the ladder. “I’m right here.”

“I’m plenty calm,” she muttered, feeling a little irritated. “I’m doing fine.”

Why did her sheriff never seem to see her as strong and capable? No matter how hard she tried, he always assumed she would mess up. He sometimes infuriated her.

Up above their heads, she heard loud knocks on the door of their motel room, followed by the words, “Open up. This is the police.”

Joanna reached the last rung of the ladder and dropped to the hardened ground as gracefully as a cat. Then she pulled her weapon from its holster and began to scan the area, searching for any hostiles. She found none, yet she felt the familiar tingle of excitement in her belly that only came from confronting danger head-on. It filled her up. It occupied those parts that were empty and hollow.

It was only when Tyler’s voice broke through her thoughts that she realized she had been lost in her own world, tensed up, ready to tackle imminent threats.

“Joanna,” he called from the motorcycle, holding a helmet in his hand. “Put this on and let’s go.” He glanced upward and she did the same, seeing the face of a police officer peering out the open bathroom window.

“Stop right there!” the officer yelled. “You’re under arrest.”

Tyler started up the motorcycle and flicked the kickstand with his foot. Joanna had no time to secure the fastenings of the helmet. She flung the straps of a bag around her shoulders and sprang onto the pillion. Tyler accelerated so fast that she almost lost her balance with the thrusting power of the engine. She was forced to grip his waist tightly as he took the motorcycle over the frost-tipped grass and onto the parking lot. The tires squealed loudly, as Tyler changed direction quickly to take them out onto the highway, heading northeast, back toward the Missouri border. She felt exhilarated, with the wind rushing through her open visor and the sound of the engine rumbling beneath the tires. They had escaped.

She glanced behind to see the officers scrambling to get into their vehicles and pursue, but their patrol cars were no match for the speed of Tyler’s powerful motorcycle. Within seconds, the cruisers were little more than dots in the distance, red and blue lights flashing in the early-morning haze. Yet the officers would be calling for backup. More would come. She hoped that Tyler had a plan because heading for the Missouri border probably wasn’t in their best interest.

Tyler clearly did have a plan, as no sooner had the thought entered her mind than he switched direction, exiting the highway and taking them onto a back road. They were now on an eastward path, leading to Tennessee. She watched the greenery whizz by in a blur of color, allowing her senses to calm once more. Being in close physical proximity to danger was the only way she could feel part of the human race. It seemed to be the only way she could feel much of anything.

As soon as the opportunity arose, Tyler pulled into a deserted rest area and guided the motorcycle to a secluded spot behind a bathroom block. He cut the engine and she took off her helmet, rubbing her hands together for warmth. Her face was numb.

“Wow, that was exciting,” she said. “What a rush.”

Tyler slid his helmet from his head, his sandy hair bouncing with the movement. His face was angry. “No, that was not a rush,” he said forcefully. “It was a really close call, and you need to start paying better attention to your surroundings. You’re way too careless.”

She rolled her eyes. She had heard this speech many times from Tyler: she was too careless, reckless, irresponsible and a whole bunch of other adjectives that were variations on the same theme.

“What did I do this time?” she asked. “Did I fail to lace up my sneakers with a safe and secure double knot?” She knew she was being childish, but Tyler often hit a nerve.

He pointed down the quiet road. “Crusher was there at the motel.”

Joanna flung a hand up to her face. “What? Crusher? Where?”

“He was in a car in the parking lot, just sitting there, watching.”

She felt sure she had scanned the area thoroughly. “Are you sure? I took a good look around.”

“No, you didn’t,” Tyler said, raising his voice. “You think you were on your guard, but in reality, you were unfocused and sloppy. At one point I actually thought you were enjoying the dangerous situation.”

Joanna shrugged. “I wasn’t enjoying it,” she said, feeling the need to defend herself. “But neither was I scared. I thought bravery was a good attribute to have.”

“Being brave is not about being gung ho,” Tyler said, speaking quietly and slowly, as if trying to contain his irritation. “It’s about being able to defend yourself properly. Crusher was right there in front of us, and you didn’t see him because you were caught up in the moment. He could have fired on you or pursued us or tried to run us down.”

“But he didn’t,” she argued.

“And that’s probably because there were two police cars sitting only yards away from him.” She could see Tyler’s frustration bubbling. “We were fortunate this time. Crusher has no idea what direction we took from the highway. You should always remember that bravery is not the same as recklessness.”

She smiled.

“Did I say something funny?” Tyler asked, crossing his arms.

“You said those exact same words to me seven months ago,” she replied. “Right before I went undercover with The Scorpions. You didn’t want me to take the job. You said I wasn’t ready for an assignment like that.” His lack of belief in her abilities still hurt deeply. “You tried to persuade me to wait until I’d undergone more intensive training before agreeing to any undercover work.”

He raised his eyebrows. “I can see why I would say that.”

She crossed her arms, mirroring his defensive stance. They were going over old ground, yet for Tyler it was brand-new.

“Your objections to my assignment were vetoed by the Southern Missouri Drug Task Force,” she said defiantly. “And I did a good job of being an undercover officer, no matter how little faith you have in me.”

He sighed, no doubt guessing he had perhaps come down a little hard on her. “I’m sorry. You put yourself in the line of fire on a very important assignment, and you deserve far more than criticism. Well done, Deputy Graham. I’m proud of you, despite my objections to your style of working.”

She tried so hard not to smile, but it was impossible. Praise from Sheriff Beck was hard to earn, and she basked in its warm glow.

“Thank you, Tyler. I appreciate you saying that.”

He checked his watch. “We’re heading into Tennessee where a buddy of mine is going to meet us and help us out. If we avoid the interstate and major highways, we should be okay, but please try to stay alert. If you see anything, and I mean anything, that concerns you, tap me on the shoulder, okay?”

Joanna placed a hand over her rumbling stomach. She was famished. “Okay.”

“I’ll stop along the way to get us some food,” he said. “But let me do the talking. I don’t want you mess...” He stopped. “Just let me do the talking.”

She slid her helmet over her head, knowing the exact content of Tyler’s unfinished sentence. The scant praise from Sheriff Beck was short-lived. He had placed himself in charge again, and she was back to being the wild card.

* * *

The log cabin in the Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park was perfect, set in beautiful dense woodland, far from any neighboring properties. The forest was spectacular, with a mixture of oaks, American beech, hickory and sweet gum. At any other time, Tyler would be incredibly excited to explore their temporary new environment. But this wasn’t a vacation. This was a hideaway.

Tyler pushed his motorcycle inside the garage around back. Joanna watched him with steely eyes, sipping from a bottle of water they’d picked up from a large store in the town of Millington, along with some food provisions and ladies’ clothes. Joanna had discarded her neon pants and bright purple sweatshirt and chosen some blue jeans and warm sweaters that would allow her to blend in better. The store in Millington had been full of Christmas shoppers with laden carts, perusing the aisles to the sound of festive songs. The children lining up to meet Santa added to the noisy excitement in the air. Tyler and Joanna must have looked like any regular couple, doing last-minute shopping, and, for a little while, he wished it were true. Spending Christmas in the bosom of your own family was a blessing that many failed to appreciate. Since his grandmother had died, the holidays were mainly lonely and painful, at least those he could recollect. Yet with Joanna by his side, the pain eased a little. The pretense of being a happy couple at Christmas was too much to resist.

His forced his thoughts to return to their immediate situation. He had already scouted out the cabin and the surrounding area, leaving him satisfied that this was the safest place they could possibly be. His earlier heated exchange with Joanna had given him a better understanding of why their relationship hadn’t worked out. She truly was hotheaded and impetuous, whereas he was meticulous and measured. He smiled to himself, imagining how she must have driven him crazy—how she still drove him crazy. Yet a lingering feeling of affection for her remained, and he knew that she must have gotten under his skin.

Joanna had said very little while shopping, only asking questions after he had taken a call from Ed, informing them that the cabin had been opened up by a naval officer and was ready for them to inhabit. Their Dark Skies buddy, Dillon Randall, had arranged for the property to be at their disposal until it was required by navy personnel, which wouldn’t be for a good while yet. Tyler was beyond grateful. He closed his eyes and said a brief thank you to God for providing them with avenues of help at every turn.

Joanna obviously saw his prayer. “Put in a good word for me, will you?” she said with a strangled laugh. “I need it.”

He opened his eyes. She had tried to disguise her misery with humor, but he saw through it in an instant. “You’re feeling a little lost, huh?”

“You could say that.” She suddenly seemed more vulnerable. “I think God forgot about me somehow.”

Tyler walked over to her and sat on the porch step, leaning forward with his forearms on wide apart knees. “God never forgets about anybody,” he said softly, watching his breath swirl in the coolness of the air. “Did you ever read that poem about footprints in the sand? When you see only one set of footprints, that’s when the Lord carries you.”

A sound rushed from her mouth, like a sob, but she quickly turned it into a snort. “Carries me?” she said with incredulity. “Wow, if this is how it feels to be carried, then I’d hate to know how it feels to be put down again.”

He couldn’t help or counsel Joanna unless he knew more about her, and they had another few hours to wait for Ed to arrive, so he wanted to use it wisely.

“Tell me about yourself,” he said. “I’d like to know you.”

She smiled. “You know me already. You just forgot all of it.”

“Exactly,” he said. “So tell me again.”

She sat on the step next to him. The late-afternoon sun was pleasantly warming, and it lit up Joanna’s face with an orange glow. She really was beautiful, with smooth, clear skin and an expressive face, framed by a mass of deep brown hair. Yet he couldn’t see any joy in her heart.

She took a deep breath and stared into the woods beyond. “I grew up on a farm about ten miles from Godspeed. My dad worked the farm while my mom homeschooled me and my brother.”

“So you never went to a public school?” he asked. If Godspeed was also her hometown, this would explain why he didn’t remember her from his childhood days. “You didn’t go to regular classes with other kids?”

“My mom was an amazing teacher,” she said with a note of intense pride. “I had plenty of friends in the area, and I never needed to go to a public school. Whatever I wanted to learn, Mom would show me, and I had a natural ability for understanding biochemistry. I loved studying the way living organisms work, the chemical processes that allow them to function the way they do. The complexity of life in all its forms is fascinating.” She clearly noticed the smile light up on Tyler’s face. “Yeah, sorry, I can be a bit of a nerd sometimes.”

“Never apologize for being intelligent,” he said. “Your intellect took you all the way to Harvard. That’s pretty incredible.”

“I never really thought I had the brains to go to Harvard.” She threw her hands into the air. “I mean...me...at an Ivy League university. I was just a hick girl from Missouri who liked looking at cells under a microscope. But I was offered a full scholarship to study molecular and cellular biology.”

“So,” Tyler said, rubbing his chin. “How does a girl studying molecular and cellular biology end up serving as a sheriff’s deputy for Yardley County? It’s quite a career change.”

“Well,” she began, “after I graduated, I went to work for the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases in the Harvard School of Public Health. And for the next eight years, I worked on all kinds of amazing projects, trying to find ways to combat the spread of things like malaria, HIV, tuberculosis.” She dropped her voice. “And cancer.”

“What happened?” he asked. “Why did you leave?”

“I was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after my thirtieth birthday. It was a particularly aggressive type, and I was only given a twenty percent chance of recovery. I was off work for months and months, just focusing on beating the disease and getting well again. My mom came to Boston to take care of me.” She wound her fingers tightly together. “I’ve never really discussed this in detail with you. I was worried you might see it as a weakness.”

“Really? Is that how you see me?” He was disappointed in himself. “I’m sorry. I wish I’d offered you a better shoulder to cry on.”

“It’s not all your fault,” she said with a wave of her hand. “I’m not an easy nut to crack.”

“Well, now that I have no recollection of our history, why don’t we start over?” He sensed her beginning to relax. “How did your cancer diagnosis make you feel?”

She looked into the distance, seemingly reluctant to answer.

“Please,” he coaxed. “I’d like to know.”

“Okay,” she said. “My diagnosis made me look at my life from a totally new perspective. It’s so difficult to face your own mortality, to question whether you’ve made the most of all the exciting opportunities that life has to offer.”

He was beginning to see the reason for her impetuousness. “And you didn’t think you’d grasped life by the horns?” he asked. “You felt something was missing?”

“Yes,” she said. “When the doctors told me I was in remission four years ago, I knew it didn’t mean I was cured. I know exactly how cancer works. I’ve studied it in molecular detail. If cancer returns, it’s usually within five years of treatment, so I’m kind of living day to day just hoping and praying that I’ll stay in remission. I’ve had reconstructive surgery, so on the outside I look perfectly normal and healthy, but the cancer changed me. When I was well enough to return to work, the thought of going back to the lab and handling petri dishes all day was too depressing. I might not have much time left in this world, and I want to make the most of it.” She took a deep lungful of air, as if breathing in the vitality of the natural world around them. “I want to feel alive.”

“You could have taken up an extreme sport like rock climbing or bungee jumping.” He glanced at her, and she shook her head irritably. Maybe he didn’t quite fully understand what she was saying.

“I want to make a difference,” she said. “Rock climbing and bungee jumping may be great experiences, but they only benefit me. I want to benefit other people. I want to help those who need it.”

He nodded with a better understanding. He knew how it felt to want to make a difference.

“So why did you choose the sheriff’s department?” he asked. “There are plenty of organizations where you can do good work and help people.”

In truth, he was asking the same question of himself. Why did he choose the sleepy county of Yardley over the SEALs?

“While I was working in Boston, I knew that Missouri had a growing problem with the production and trafficking of methamphetamine, but when I moved back to the area, I learned just how bad it had become. It seemed like the ideal opportunity to try to do some good. I underwent police training and joined the sheriff’s department immediately.” She gave him a broad smile. “But I chose to live in Godspeed for the same reason as you, Sheriff. I wanted to go home. Sometimes when everything around you has fallen apart, there’s only one place you want to be, and that’s home.”

He wondered whether his reasoning had been the same. “Did I return to Godspeed because I wanted to go home?”

“That’s what you said when you ran for the position of sheriff. You’d already served a year as a police officer for the Godspeed Police Department, but you didn’t always get along with Chief Crenshaw. You thought he allowed Mayor Landon too much influence over police matters and—”

Tyler put up his hand to interrupt. “I noticed that the mayor was standing right beside the chief on the news this morning. Are they close?”

“Almost joined at the hip,” Joanna replied. “I rarely see one without the other. The mayor is really concerned with the meth problem in Godspeed, so he takes a very close interest in trying to halt the growth of The Scorpions. He’s also heavily involved in the Southern Missouri Drug Task Force.”

“That’s the organization that placed you undercover with The Scorpions, right?”

“That’s correct. It’s a team specially designated to deal with narcotics. It’s a multiagency task force that includes numerous police chiefs from Southern Missouri, elected mayors and some of the top officials in local government.”

“And me?” he asked.

“For a little while, yes,” she replied. “But you were quite critical of how the task force was managed, so Mayor Landon forced you out. The board elects a new leader every three years, and Chief Crenshaw was given the job right before the undercover operation began. You said that somebody with more experience in undercover assignments should be the leader, and you caused a bit of a stir. Landon led a group that voted you off the board, so you played no part in the undercover operation after that.”

“But I obviously released you from your duties so you could go undercover.” He wondered why he would do this if he had no faith in the assignment or those running it.

“You said it was my choice, and you would never try to stand in my way. My background in chemistry made me the ideal person for the job, and I was able to infiltrate the gang by posing as a radical chemistry student who didn’t believe in government control. It was terrifying at first, but the adrenaline rush was incredible, knowing that I was putting myself right at the heart of a dangerous meth gang.”

There it was again: the reckless edge she couldn’t control.

“So what was your job in the gang?” he asked. “Surely you weren’t cooking meth yourself?”