Читать книгу Judging Joshua - Mary Wilson Anne - Страница 10

The place looked empty until Joshua let Riley go and she heard, “Hey, there.” She turned to see a cop coming out of a rear area, through a metal lockdown door. The cell area. She knew without asking. He left the heavy door open and headed across to them, speaking to Joshua as he got closer. “Wes said you’d be back,” he said. He was older, maybe in his mid-fifties or so, with a discernable paunch under his uniform and a lopsided way of walking.

“Charlie, this is Riley Shaw. Miss Shaw, this is Deputy Sloan, Acting Sheriff around here.”

Riley nodded to the man, but he spoke directly to Joshua. “Is this the GTA you called in?”

“Yes, I picked her up just past the inn, driving a stolen BMW.”

He shook his head and laughed gruffly. “Well, I’ll be. You never know, do you? Do you want to take care of the case?”

“It’s not a case,” Riley said quickly. “I’m not staying.”

Charlie looked at her and actually smiled again. “Well, miss, I think you will be, even if it’s just while we straighten out this grand theft auto business.” He came around to undo her handcuffs, then tugged the metal bracelets off of her. “We’ll get these off, then get you settled in a cell until we can sort this out.”

“No,” she said quickly, pulling her freed hands to the front and rubbing at her wrists. “No.” She was ready to dig in and make them drag her to the lock-down area.

Joshua exhaled. “The cell is temporary, just until we see if you’re going to be booked or not.”

“No, please, just…” She looked around, the idea of being locked up making her physically sick to her stomach. “Can’t I just sit in a chair? I mean, you can handcuff me to the chair or the desk. You know, one of those bars you screw to a desk? Anything. Just put the handcuffs back on and—” She held her hands out to Joshua, wrists together. “Just secure me anywhere out here.”

“Sorry, you’ll have to go by our rules while you’re here,” he said, and slipped off his sunglasses.

Damn, she’d wanted to see his eyes before, but when she met his unprotected gaze, eyes that were green with hazel flecks, she tensed horribly. Her stomach clenched so sharply that she had to press a hand to her middle. “Oh, man, I’m going to be sick,” she said in a low voice.

“Don’t start histrionics,” Joshua said as he tucked the sunglasses into his jacket pocket, then looked at Charlie. “Is a cell ready?”

“No, I mean it,” she gasped, swallowing hard to keep the nausea at bay. She was going to be sick, right here and now. “I’m sick. I…”

She was looking at Joshua, the sickness coming in waves. Suddenly the world began to spin and blur, and before she could figure out what was going on, she was falling forward. She hit something solid, then she was being held and supported, but that didn’t stop her descent into a black void.

JOSHUA HAD BARELY put his sunglasses away when he saw Riley Shaw go horribly pale, then proceed to faint dead away in his arms. At first he thought it was a ploy of some sort, but the instant she was in his arms, he knew it was for real. He gathered her deadweight, shifted to lift her in his arms and spoke to Charlie. “Get the door to the cell open.”

“What’s going on?” Charlie asked as he rushed ahead of Joshua into the lockdown area.

“She fainted,” he said, following Charlie.

“Which cell?” Charlie asked.

Joshua looked down the aisle with its row of six cells. Most were seldom used, and they were cookie-cutter copies of each other, with cots, toilets, sinks and one table each. He opted for the closest one. “Cell One,” he said, and Charlie flipped the switch on the wall to release the lock. He pulled the barred entry open and let Joshua into the eight-by-ten-foot cell.

He carried her to the stripped cot along the back wall and eased her down onto the bare mattress. She fell limply onto the cot and he hunkered down to press the tips of his fingers to the side of her throat. She looked painfully pale, but her pulse was there, light but steady.

“I’ll call the clinic and ask Doc to come over and check her out,” Charlie said, and hurried back into the main room.

When Joshua touched Riley on her cool cheek, she stirred slightly and he eased back. Dark lashes arched on her pale skin, then they fluttered and her eyes opened. They were unfocused at first, but at the same time they started to sharpen, she jerked up, almost hitting Joshua in the process. He reached for her shoulders and tried to ease her back down. “Hey, take it easy,” he said.

She was shaking, but refused to lie down. Her eyes darted around the cell. “Oh, no,” she breathed, and twisted to face him as she swiped at his hands. “What happened?”

He pulled back, but stayed hunkered down and at eye level with her. “You fainted. Just take it easy. The doctor’s coming.”

“No, no doctor. I don’t need a doctor.” She shook her head. “I just need to not be here.”

He knew the feeling, but that didn’t change facts. “Charlie wants the doctor to check you out.”

She released a breath on a shuddering hiss. “I’m okay,” she said, and twisted, pushing with her hands to get to her feet.

He moved back as she stood, but he didn’t miss the unsteadiness in her stance. “I told you to—”

Charlie was back at the door to the lockdown area. “Doc’s on his way. Says to keep an eye on her, not to leave her alone.” The buzzer from dispatch sounded on the speaker. “Stay here with her,” Charlie said briskly over his shoulder as he took off on a jog to take the call in dispatch.

Joshua turned to Riley. She was very still, her arms clutched around her chest, and she was looking right at him with startling blue eyes. “Lie down. The doctor will be here soon,” he said, automatically reaching to help her sit.

Before he could make contact, she swiped at his hand, striking him on the wrist. “Don’t. You can’t do this,” she said.

“Miss Shaw, I’m not doing this because I’m enjoying it.” He rubbed at his wrist and stopped himself before he said, “I’m just doing my duty.” He remembered hating his dad saying that when he was growing up. “I’m just trying to make this as easy for all of us as I can.”

She bit her lip and slowly sank onto the cot, but she stayed sitting up and stared at the floor. “Listen, I didn’t steal that car. I really didn’t.”

“Okay. I’ll make inquiries, and if that’s true, I’ll apologize to you and fill your gas tank on the way out of town.”

Her eyes lifted and he met her blue gaze. Why in the hell did he feel like such a heel for only doing what he’d said he’d do?

“Well, polish up on your apology and find some cheap gas,” she murmured.

The vulnerability he’d seen in her when she’d fainted and after she’d come around was gone. It was replaced by a hard look and sarcasm. “We’ll see,” was all he trusted himself to say.

Charlie was back. “Got problems at the lifts. Kids getting out of hand. Rollie got the car and Wes is on his way to the lifts. You stay and cover the calls, and take care of Doc when he gets here.” Charlie glanced at Riley, then, with a nod to her, left.

Joshua looked back at Riley. “While we wait for Doc to get here, I’ll make some phone calls to see what I can find out.”

He moved toward the cell door, but as he turned back to say one more thing to her, he stopped. She was right behind him, reminding him of a puppy dog who wouldn’t stay put and insisted on being at your heels. “Don’t leave me here,” she said, that vulnerability there for a flashing instant in her blue eyes.

“Miss Shaw, you can’t—”

She lifted her chin with determination. “But the doctor said not to leave me alone.”

He’d forgotten all about that. “You’ll be fine.”

“No, I could faint again.” She pointed at the cement floor. “If I hit that instead of having you to catch me…” She met his gaze without blinking. “I could really get hurt, and if I get hurt because you’re negligent and you’ve brought me in here wrongly, well…” She let her words trail off with the threat implied instead of stated.

Vulnerable? Not hardly. “Okay, you can come out with me until a deputy gets back or the doctor arrives.”

Without a word, she went around him, and he found himself in the ludicrous position of following the prisoner out of the lockdown area into the main squad room. She hesitated, then turned to look at him. “Where do you want to chain me?” she asked with what seemed to be complete seriousness.

He walked around her and crossed to his dad’s office near the side entry hall. “In here,” he said, letting her pass him into the work space. As he went in after her, he shrugged out of his jacket and hung it on a hook by the door, then turned.

This had been his dad’s office for as long as he could remember. It had seemed dark and threatening to him when he’d been a kid, but now it looked tired and mellow. There were worn leather chairs, a wooden desk scarred from thirty years of wear, and filing cabinets that he hadn’t even looked in since filling in at the station. The bottom half of the wall that it shared with the main room was dark wood; the upper part was glass, lined with plain old horizontal blinds. His dad had always kept them open. They were still open.

“You can sit there,” he said, motioning to one of two straight-backed wooden chairs that faced the desk.

She took a seat, then looked up at him and said, “Go ahead. Do your duty.”

She was serious, but he couldn’t be. He found himself smiling at her. “Please, just sit there and be still.” He moved around the desk to drop into the leather swivel chair, and turned to Riley.

“No chains or handcuffs?” she asked.

“No whips and torture, either, if you’ll just promise me you’ll stay put until the doctor gets here.”

“I will, if you promise me you’ll call Chicago and find out the truth.”

He was more than ready to do that. He reached for a notepad and pen. “Okay. First, why don’t you give me the name and number of the attorney who supposedly hired you to drive the car?”

She frowned intently as she sat forward on the wooden seat and pressed the palms of her hands against the edge of his desk. “It begins with an N. Nil-land. No.” She closed her eyes tightly and whispered, “Think, think, think.” Then she said, “Nyland.” Her eyes opened. “Alvin Nyland.”

He had his pen ready. “What’s his number?”

She shrugged and he could see her fingers pressing hard against the wooden top of the desk. “I don’t know. I didn’t think to bring it. But surely he’d be listed. He’s got a huge office in Chicago, takes up a lot of floors in this towering building by the lake, and there are four or five partners in the firm’s name. You know, one of those big, overblown, fancy, money-making law firms?”

Yes, he knew very well what she meant. “Okay, what are the names in the big, overblown, fancy, money-making law firm?”

“I don’t remember, but it sure sounded important and his name’s part of it. Not at the top, but second or third, I think.” She let go of the desk and motioned to the phone. “Just call and give his name to Information. They should have a listing for him. Alvin Nyland,” she repeated, and slowly spelled out the last name letter by letter.

He lifted the receiver and put in a call to Information for Chicago and asked for Alvin Nyland, Attorney. They came up with the number right away, and he hit the button to dial it through, then heard a voice on the other end. “Good afternoon. Wallace, Levin, Geisler, Nyland and Yen. How may I direct your call?”

“Alvin Nyland, please.”

There was a click, soft music, then another voice picked up. “Mr. Nyland’s office.”

“Mr. Nyland, please.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Nyland isn’t available. May I take a message?”

He knew well enough that not being available could mean anything from being in the restroom to being dead. “I need to speak with him. It’s important.”

Riley was sitting forward now, her elbows on the desk, and he didn’t miss the way she crossed her fingers, much the way an earnest child would. “Is he there?” she asked in a tense whisper.

He shook his head as the woman on the other end of the line said, “I’m sorry, sir, he’s out of the office.”

“Where is he?” he asked.

“May I ask who’s calling?”

“Deputy Joshua Pierce from the Silver Creek Police Department in Silver Creek, Nevada. I need to speak to Mr. Nyland about an important matter.”

“Well, I’m so sorry, that’s not possible. He’s on vacation and out of touch.”

“Where?”

She hesitated, then said, “Florida.”

Joshua exhaled. “Okay, maybe you can help me.”

“Any way I can,” she said quickly.

“I need to have some verification about an arrangement he made for a car delivery.”

“A car delivery?” she asked.

“To San Diego. A new BMW sedan.” He watched Riley as he explained the situation. “I need his verification that Miss Shaw is supposed to have it in her possession, and an explanation about the car being reported stolen.”

“Sir, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Mr. Nyland is an investment attorney, and he certainly wouldn’t be involved in car transfers.”

“Do you know the name Riley Shaw?”

“No, sir. I don’t.”

“When will Mr. Nyland be back?”

“I don’t know, sir. I’m sorry. He just said next week sometime.”

Before Joshua hung up, he asked, “Does he have clients named Mindy Sullivan or Barton Wise?”

“Sir, I can’t tell you about his clients. That’s privileged information.”

“All I need is a yes or no, nothing else. If I have to, I’ll get the Chicago police up to your office with the proper legal papers. If you’ll just tell me yes or no, we’ll drop it.”

“Well, just a minute,” she said, and the music came back on the line.

Riley was nibbling nervously on her bottom lip and he had the idea while the secretary was searching her database, that Riley Shaw was either a great liar or a true innocent. As a cop, he prided himself on being able to read people, but this woman was hard to peg.

“Deputy?” the receptionist asked, interrupting Joshua’s thoughts.

“Yes, I’m here.”

“All I can say is, I have never personally heard of Mindy Sullivan or Barton Wise.”

“I appreciate that,” he said, then gave her his number. “If Mr. Nyland calls in for anything, could you ask him to contact me immediately?”

“Yes, sir, of course,” she said.

He thanked her and hung up, all the while watching Riley sink back in her chair. “Nothing,” he said, and she glared at him as if he’d failed in the most miserable way possible. He explained, “He’s on vacation in Florida and out of touch, and his receptionist doesn’t remember Sullivan or Wise.”

Riley felt as if she had fallen into some black hole. “I swear, he’s the one who gave me the money and the directions and said to take the car to San Diego.”

“Where in San Diego?”

“I’m supposed to call Mindy Sullivan when I get to the city, and she’ll tell me where to deliver it.” Her stomach was hurting again and she wrapped her arms around it. “I can’t believe this,” she breathed, rocking front to back slowly.

He looked worried again and she knew she must look horrible. “Miss Shaw—”

“Riley. My name’s Riley.”

Before she could tell him to call Mindy Sullivan, a buzzer sounded and Joshua was up and heading out of his office. “Hey, Gordie,” he said. “We’re in here.”

Riley stared at the worn wooden top of the desk until she heard another voice right behind her. “Okay, so what’s going on?” a man’s deep voice asked.

She twisted around to see a tall man bundled up in a suede jacket with a heavy fur collar, a matching fur hat pulled low on his head. He was gripping a stereotypical black bag in one hand; with the other, he skimmed off his fur hat. He was pleasant-looking, maybe in his late thirties, with irregular features and an aura of kindness. Riley hardly ever thought that about anyone she met.

“Gordie, the prisoner fainted,” Joshua said, coming to the other side of Riley’s chair.

The doctor had sharp blue eyes and an easy smile as he studied her. “I’m Dr. Gordon.” He flicked a glance at Joshua. “Although some persist in calling me Gordie.” He crouched so that he and Riley were eye-to-eye. “So tell me what happened.”

“I don’t know. I just fainted. I’ve never fainted before,” she said. “I’ve never even come close.”

“No. I mean, why did they arrest you?”

She blinked at him, wondering if he was joking. But he seemed serious as he took some things out of his bag and started examining her while she answered. “They say I stole a car.”

He reached for her wrist, pressed his fingertips to her pulse and studied a watch on his other wrist. “So you’re a car thief, huh?”

“No, I’m not.”

He chuckled and glanced at Joshua. “They’re all innocent, aren’t they?”

She looked up at her arresting officer, who was watching the two of them. She could take the doctor joking, but she couldn’t take the smile on Joshua’s face. “This isn’t a joke,” she muttered.

Joshua sobered, but it was the doctor who spoke up. “Well, if you take life too seriously, you’re doomed.”

She stared at him. “I just want to know why I fainted.”

As he got out a stethoscope, he explained, “I don’t have a clue yet. Headache?”

“No.”

“Nauseous?”

“A bit.”

“You’re not diabetic?”

“No.”

“Pregnant?”

She could feel the fire in her cheeks. “No.”

He pressed the cool stethoscope to her chest where her shirt was open. “Drugs?”

“No,” she muttered tightly. “Never.”

“Okay, when’s the last time you ate?” he asked, frowning as he listened to her heart.

“A few hours ago, maybe three or four.”

“What did you eat?”

She shrugged. “I don’t remember. Oh, a corn dog, some nachos, a soda and some candy bars.”

“You’re lucky to be breathing after eating that,” he murmured as he put the stethoscope back in his bag.

“It was either that or sausage on a stick and jelly beans.”

He smiled. “The lesser of two evils?” He took out a blood pressure cuff, tugged up her sleeve, then fastened the cuff on her upper arm.

“Definitely,” she said.

“Just relax,” he said as he pumped up the cuff. “Think of sunny beaches and lazy days under a palm tree.” He slowly deflated the cuff, listened, then finally undid it. “Good blood pressure.”

With all the stress she’d had since the squad car flicked on its flashing lights and siren, she figured having a normal blood pressure was a near miracle. He took her temperature with a digital thermometer, then placed it back in his bag with the other equipment.

“What’s wrong with me?” she asked.

He stood and looked down at her. “Besides a horrendous diet, my guess is you fainted.”

“Well, that’s a no-brainer,” she muttered.

“Sorry,” he said with a smile. “I’ve been taking care of too many skiers who forget to get out of the way of a tree, then expect me to say they were tricked by the damn tree. It couldn’t be they’re terrible skiers.” He shrugged. “Honestly, I can’t find a thing wrong with you, except your diet. What was happening when you fainted?”

She nodded toward Joshua as she tugged her sleeve down. “He was going to put me in a cell.”

The doctor considered her words, then looked at Joshua. “You were locking her up?”

“She was driving a stolen car.”

“I was not,” she said quickly. “It’s not stolen.”

The doctor looked back at Riley. “Ah, therein lies the rub.”

A doctor who quoted Shakespeare? “Rub or no rub, I didn’t steal it,” she said tightly. “And he’d know that if he ever got around to doing his job and finished checking things out.” She exhaled. “I think it’s a violation of my rights to hold me and do next to nothing to find out the truth. Someone needs to teach him how to play cop.”

“He’s not playing, and he’s not just a cop. Back in his real life, he is…well, was, the head crime-buster in Atlanta.” He snapped his bag closed and picked it up. “Big office, maybe a big career in politics. Big man.”

She looked at Joshua. “Atlanta?” He just nodded. “How did you end up here?” she asked.

“All roads lead to Silver Creek,” the doctor said.

Hers sure had. “Too bad,” she murmured.

“Oh, Silver Creek’s a nice place, Miss Shaw,” the doctor said. “And my theory is, if you’re born here, you end up here. It’s that simple.”

She looked at Joshua again, but he spoke to Gordie. “That’s enough, Gordie. Thanks for coming.”

“Just make sure she eats something decent, something bland, and have her checked on periodically.” He looked at her with a shake of his head. “Sure hate to see a pretty thing like you in a dump like this.”

“Me, too,” she said.

He pulled his hat back on, reached for his bag, then spoke to Joshua. “I’m on my way to set another leg.” With that, he left.

Riley wished she could follow him, head out the door, close it behind her and keep going, all the way to San Diego. But she was left behind sitting at a desk, trying to figure a way out of the nightmare that had become her life in the past hour or so.

Joshua stood over her and she finally realized he was staring at her. “What?”

“I was going to ask how you’re feeling,” he said as he went around the desk to take his seat again.

“I’d feel better if you were as efficient as the doctor.”

That brought out a bark of laughter. “Gordie? Oh, he talks a good game. He always has.”

“At least he can see how stupid this all is,” she muttered, then added, “Now, are you going to contact Chicago Police or not? They can get this all cleared up.”

“Chicago,” he said as he reached for a thick book on the desk, flipped it open, then reached for the phone. He punched in a number and introduced himself to whoever picked up on the other end. Reading off the information about the car, Joshua ended with, “I need to speak with whoever’s in charge of the investigation.” He listened for a moment, then said, “Sure, put me through.”

While Joshua spoke and took notes, Riley sat there wishing this was all just a dream. But once he’d hung up and addressed her again, Riley knew this was a nightmare come to life.

She was beginning to feel horribly sick again, and couldn’t think straight. She just lunged for the phone, and the next thing she knew, she had grabbed his hand so tightly hers was aching.