Читать книгу Small-Town Face-Off - Tyler Anne Snell - Страница 14

Chapter Four

Mara and Alexa were up and ready when Billy knocked on the guesthouse door the next morning.

“You’re late,” Mara greeted him, a hand on her hip. She nodded to the clock on the wall behind her. It was ten past seven.

“I thought I’d give you some wiggle room,” he admitted. He looked down at Alexa, who was, for the first time, wide-awake since they’d shown up on his doorstep. Her attention stayed on the stuffed dog in her hands as she played on the floor.

“There’s no such thing as wiggle room when you have a toddler,” she said with a smirk. It was meant as a quick comment, but Billy couldn’t help but wonder about the foundation it was born from. When had Mara learned that lesson? Whenever it was, all he knew was it was without him.

Mara’s smirk sank into a frown. She cleared her throat, humor gone.

“Listen, about Alexa,” she started, but Billy was already a step ahead of her. He held his hand up for her to stop.

“Again, I want to have this talk. I really would like to know why you kept my daughter from me,” he said, serious. “But not right now.” Mara opened and closed her mouth, like a fish out of water, trying to find what words, Billy didn’t know, but he didn’t have time to find out. “Right now we need to find Beck and figure out what it is he’s done and is trying to do so we can stop him,” he continued. “My first priority is to keep you two safe. You can tell me all about your reasoning for not letting me know I was a father later.” While he spoke with what he was trying to pass off as authority, he couldn’t help but hear the anger at the end of it.

He’d spent most of the night lying awake in bed, coming up with a plan of action for the day. In the plan was a large section related to how he wanted to handle Mara and Alexa. After hours of no sleep, he’d decided the best way to do his job—to keep everyone safe—was to detach himself emotionally from the dark-haired beauties in front of him.

However, maybe that was going to be harder than he’d thought.

“Okay,” Mara finally said. “I’ll follow you to the station.”

She grabbed her bag and scooped up Alexa. The little girl clung to her stuffed animal with laser-like focus. Billy wondered what other toys she liked.

“There’s a coffeehouse that opened up across the street that has pretty good breakfast,” Billy said as he locked up the guesthouse behind them.

“I actually packed enough cereal to last for weeks for this one,” Mara said, motioning to Alexa. “She’s a nut about Cheerios as soon as she wakes up in the morning.” Alexa swung her head up to face Mara and let out a trill of laughter. It surprised Billy how he instantly loved the sound. “Yeah, you’ve already scarfed down two helpings, haven’t you, you little chowhound?” Mara cooed at the girl. Together they laughed, bonded in their own little world.

One that Billy didn’t know.

He cleared his throat and Mara straightened.

“But,” she continued, expression turning to the same focus her daughter had worn before. “If they have good coffee, I won’t turn that down.” She smiled but it didn’t last long. “And, Billy, I know it’s not my place, but I noticed you didn’t have a tree or any Christmas decorations or lights...”

Billy sighed.

No matter what was happening in their lives, leave it to the women of the South to still care about Christmas decorations.

* * *

THE RIKER COUNTY Sheriff’s Department was located in the very heart of Carpenter but was by no means in an extravagant headquarters. That never stopped Billy from feeling a boost of pride when it swung into view. Placed between the county courthouse and the local television station, the sheriff’s department was two stories tall and full of men and women tasked with protecting their Southern home.

Wrapped in faded orange brick and concrete, its entrance opened up to a street almost every Carpenter resident had to drive along to get somewhere, while its parking lot around back butted up against a business park that housed a bistro, a coffeehouse and a clothing boutique called Pepper’s. Billy and Mara angled their cars into the assigned and guest parking, respectively, and headed straight to the coffeehouse. Billy had tried to convince Mara to ride with him but she’d pointed out his day could get hectic and she liked having the option of her own transportation. Not to mention the car seat was already in her car. Billy decided not to push the topic since she was a flight risk. Instead, he decided to act like everything was normal when they went into the coffeehouse. There they earned a double take from one half of the owner pair known as the Chambers. Becky, a bigger woman with short hair and an even shorter temper, was surprisingly tactful as she addressed them.

“Well, Sheriff, can’t say I was expecting to see you on your day off,” she started, then she switched her attention to Mara and Alexa. “And certainly not with two lovely ladies in tow.”

Billy ignored the affectionate part of the statement, along with what felt suspiciously like pride, and showed just how happy he was about being in on his off day with a frown.

“A sheriff’s job is never done,” he said solemnly.

“Not with that attitude.” Becky winked at Mara, but the dark-haired beauty’s gaze had been drawn to the corner booth.

“I’ll take my usual,” Billy said. “She’ll take one of your mocha iced coffee concoctions I always complain about.”

Becky raised her eyebrow.

“Does the lady not get a say?” she asked, voice beginning to thread with disapproval. Her changing tone must have snagged Mara’s attention. She turned back to them with a small smile.

“She definitely does, but this one here apparently hasn’t forgotten my guilty mocha pleasures,” she said. “With whipped cream, too, if you have it, please.”

Becky seemed appeased that Billy wasn’t rolling over Mara and went about making their drinks while they hung off to the side of the counter. Billy expected Mara to comment about his remembering her favorite caffeinated drink but the woman seemed focused on the corner booth again. So much so that she hardly noticed when he moved close enough to drop his voice so no one else heard him.

“What’s going on?”

Alexa looked up from her place on Mara’s hip and stared at Billy with an expression caught somewhere between inquisitive and concerned. He couldn’t help but stare right back into those green eyes. Like looking into a mirror when it came to the same green.

“That’s Donna Ramsey,” Mara answered, in an equally low voice. Billy broke his staring contest with Alexa and angled his body to glance at the other side of the room. True to her words, Donna Ramsey was sitting in the corner booth, head bent over the magazine and coffee on the table in front of her. He nodded.

“It is.”

Billy watched as Mara’s face grew tight. She furrowed her brow.

“Do you know Donna personally?” he asked, his own concern pushing to the forefront. Mara shook her head.

“I’ve only spoken to her once.”

“About?”

He knew Mara well enough to know that her thoughts had turned dark. From anger or sadness or something else, though, he couldn’t tell.

“About my father,” she answered, voice nearly lost amidst the clatter of the espresso machine. Mara lost her dark look and replaced it with something akin to nonchalance.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “It was before I left and nothing I didn’t already know.”

Becky bustled into view before he could question Mara further. She handed them their drinks and looked at Billy.

“Remember, Sheriff, complaining always makes problems ten times worse,” she said sagely. “So stop complaining and start drinking some of the best coffee this town has to offer.”

Billy couldn’t help but smirk.

“You got it, Becky.”

Mara waved goodbye while Alexa giggled, and soon the three of them were walking to the back of the station.

“I like her,” Mara commented.

“Next time you order from her, tell her that,” Billy said. “Suzy did and now she gets a discount.”

Mara laughed and Alexa started to babble. Billy craned his neck to look down at her face. Whatever she was saying must have been normal because Mara didn’t skip a beat.

“Suzy,” she started. “I—I haven’t seen her since you were sworn in.”

They had made it to the back door used by employees only. Billy pulled out his key and went ahead and addressed the elephant in their shared room.

“She’s still one of the few in the department who knows about us working together to bring down your dad. I never told anyone else about the other us. Or what we used to be,” he amended. With his key hanging in the lock he looked over his shoulder to the woman he’d been ready to spend forever with and then to their child. “I’ll leave it up to you what personal details you want to disclose to my staff. And I’ll follow your lead. But whatever you choose to do today, don’t think I won’t undermine it tomorrow if I need to.”

Then Billy opened the door and headed inside, mind already going into work mode. He had a murder to solve and a man named Beck to find.

* * *

IT WAS COMFORTING, in a way, to walk into the department alongside Billy. Because, unlike their lives in the last two years, the building hadn’t changed. At least, not any way that Mara could tell.

They took the back hallway that ran behind dispatch and the break room and turned the corner to where Mara knew offices lined one of the hallways that led back toward the lobby. Billy’s office was smack dab in the middle of the others. His nameplate shone with importance. Mara couldn’t help but feel some pride creep in at the sight of it.

“Walden, the sketch artist, said he’d be here by eight thirty,” Billy said, walking them past his office. “Until then I’d like you to officially make a statement about this Beck fellow. I’m going to double-check that no one fitting Beck’s description is a part of an open case with us or local PD.” He stopped two doors over and motioned her inside. It was the conference room and it definitely wasn’t empty.

Mara felt her cheeks immediately heat at the sight of mostly familiar faces. Alexa tucked her head into the side of her neck, suddenly shy. Mara didn’t blame her. Billy motioned to an open chair, one of many, around the long table in the middle of the room. Mara sat down with tired grace. Alexa’s sudden shyness didn’t help either one of them adjust from standing to sitting down.

“Most of you already know Mara, and Mara you know them.” Billy continued to stand. He motioned to Suzy, Matt Walker and Dane Jones. The last time she’d seen them Suzy had been a deputy along with Billy, Matt had been a deputy, too and Dane had been on his way to being sheriff. Now, sitting across from them, Mara doubted their titles were the same. She wondered what title Dane had now but she wasn’t about to ask for clarification.

On the same side of the table was the one face she didn’t recognize, a pretty young woman with curly blond hair and a smile that looked genuine. Before Mara could stop the thought, she wondered if Billy found the woman pretty, too.

“Mara, this is Cassie Gates,” Billy said, making the introduction. “She’s training to be a dispatcher.” Mara couldn’t stop the confusion that must have crossed her expression as to why a dispatcher, a trainee dispatcher, was in the room with them when the woman answered the question herself.

“I’m the youngest of six siblings, most of whom have a kid or two under their belt, so I’m very experienced in the art of keeping little ones entertained when their mamas need to do something important,” she said, voice as sweet as her appearance. She flashed a quick smile at Alexa and addressed the toddler directly. “And what’s your name? I bet it’s something pretty.”

The entire room seemed to wait as Alexa peeked out at Cassie. There was nothing like waiting for a toddler’s judgment. Seemingly based on some unknown factor, there was no telling how a child would react to something new. That included people. However, instead of hiding away again, Alexa seemed intrigued. She looked back at Mara for a moment, as if asking for permission.

“This is Alexa,” Mara introduced them with a smile, showing Alexa her approval of the woman next to them. She might have been a stranger to her but she wasn’t to Billy. Mara trusted his judgment. And Alexa trusted Mara’s.

“Well, what do you know. That is a pretty name,” Cassie said, animation in her words. It reeled in Alexa’s attention. The blonde reached for a bag next to her. From her seat Mara could see it was filled with books and toys. Billy had prepared for the morning, despite short notice. “If it’s okay with your mama, how about we go next door and play in the sheriff’s office? You could even help me read this.” Cassie held up the children’s book Pat the Pet and Alexa nearly lost it.

“Dog! Dog,” she exclaimed, already trying to get off Mara’s lap.

It earned a surprised laugh from Cassie. Mara reached into her own bag and produced the same book.

“Welcome to her favorite book,” she said to the trainee. “She likes petting the dog the most.”

Mara gave Cassie permission to go next door and play, since Alexa seemed to have lost any doubt about the woman as soon as the book had come into view. Mara didn’t miss the way Billy’s eyes stuck to the cover of the copy Mara had brought along. With more than a twinge of guilt, she realized that, like the stranger who was Cassie, he hadn’t had a clue in the world what his daughter did and didn’t like.

But Mara couldn’t change what she’d already done and turned to face what was left of the group. The men each gave her a friendly smile. Suzy, on the other hand, gave her a stiff nod. While the other two had known about their working relationship, Suzy alone had known about Mara and Billy’s romantic one and her sudden departure. As one of Billy’s closest friends, Suzy probably knew better than even her how he’d handled it, too.

“Now, Mara,” Billy started, setting a tape recorder in the middle of the table. “If you could start at the beginning, when the man named Beck visited you.”

Mara repeated the story she’d told Billy the night before, making sure to give them as clear a picture as she could of Beck. Before she could finish describing his clothes and car, however, a man knocked at the door. Despite his dark complexion, Mara mentally likened his expression to “looks like he’s seen a ghost.”

“Excuse me, Sheriff, we have a problem,” he interrupted. Like fans passing on a wave in a football stadium’s stands, Billy and his staff became visibly tense.

“What is it?” The man hesitated and looked at Mara. “It’s fine. Tell me,” Billy added, showing that Mara’s presence didn’t bother them with whatever news he had.

Which wasn’t good news at all.

“We just got a call about two teens who are being taken to the hospital,” he started. “They were both overdoses.”

Mara’s eyes widened. She asked him what everyone else was thinking.

“Of what?”

Bless him, he didn’t hesitate in responding to her, though Mara would have been happier if it had been with a different answer.

“Moxy. They overdosed on Moxy.”