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Authors: Geralyn Dawson
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who'd be in her late fifties or early
sixties now. She'd kept the jukebox at the Dairy Princess playing nonstop.
"She started a riot in downtown Brazos Bend the day the Beatles announced
their breakup."
"She makes a pilgrimage to Graceland every year."
Luke eyed Maddie's features, searching for a resemblance to the
woman he remembered from his youth. "Whoa. Are you her daughter? The one
who ran away?"
Maddie shook her head. "I'm not Sparkle. Kathy and I aren't
family. She's my friend."
"Why? How? How about you tell your story in one piece so that
it makes some sense? How did you get to be friends with Brazos Bend's queen of
rock and roll? What? Are you Ringo's lost love child or something?"
She blinked. After visually weighing her words, she said,
"Kathy wrote to me in jail. We became pen pals, and she invited me to live
with her when I got out."
Luke could tell there was more to that part of the story, but he
pursued what he considered to be a more important path. "So what were you
in for?"
She closed her eyes. "Possession of a controlled
substance."
Luke's mouth curled and he shook his head in disgust. "A
goddamn doper."
"I've never taken drugs in my life!"
"No? I suppose you sold them. Like seeing little crack
babies, Maddie? Like how they scream for a fix?"
"I don't deal, either!" One of Knucklehead's plastic
chew toys lay on the floor, and she gave it a swift kick. "It was my
boyfriend. He planted the grass on me and it was only a small amount. Less than
an ounce. It was my first and only arrest."
Grass? Brows arching in disbelief, Luke scoffed, "And they
sent you to jail for that? Sorry, hon. I know the way the system works. I know
better."
"I'm telling you the truth. I wasn't dealing. It was
possession, and the evading arrest charge was just bogus. They made an example
of me because of who I am."
Evading arrest, too. This just got better and better. He held up
his hands, palms out. "And you're who? The queen of Sheba?"
She opened her mouth, then abruptly shut it. "Oh, just forget
it. Forget everything. I was a fool to think you might help me. You're a man!
How could I have forgotten that? You dangle the evidence in front of me every
chance you get. Just take me back to the marina tomorrow, and I'll go on to
plan B."
"My evidence doesn't dangle," he fired back, setting his
gun into the nightstand drawer. "It... presents."
Maddie snorted.
Ignoring that reaction, he asked, "What's plan B?"
"I don't have one yet, but I'll think of something."
She turned to leave, but Luke lunged forward and grasped her arm.
"Wait. Back up a minute."
"Would you put on some clothes!"
"Tell me the rest of it, Red. Start from the top, and tell
the truth this time."
"Don't call me 'Red.' I've always hated it."
"So who are you, really?"
She rolled her eyes in frustration, then pursed her lips and
thumped them with her index finger a moment before saying, "I was born a
poor coal miner's daughter in the Black Hills of—"
"Oh, for God's sake. You are such a brat." He grabbed
his trunks and tugged them back on.
"Forget about it, Luke. Just go fishing."
"I will. Don't worry." First, though, he wanted answers,
answers she suddenly didn't appear willing to give. Brushing past her, he
crossed to her bedroom and scooped up her purse.
"Hey," Maddie protested. "Stop it. That's
private."
He ignored her completely and dropped her keys on the table, then
a compact. When he tossed her plastic tampon case next to her keys, he saw her
cheeks flush with embarrassment.
Next Luke pulled her wallet from her purse. He flipped it open to
her driver's license. Then he opened a drawer beside the galley sink, dug out a
cell phone, and thumbed the power button. "Damned roaming charges."
"This from a man who owns a floating palace."
He held Maddie's gaze as he punched in a number, then said,
"Hey Deidre, it's Luke."
After listening a moment, he replied, "Fine. It was nice. No,
Terry would understand why you couldn't make it. He loved your
sixties now. She'd kept the jukebox at the Dairy Princess playing nonstop.
"She started a riot in downtown Brazos Bend the day the Beatles announced
their breakup."
"She makes a pilgrimage to Graceland every year."
Luke eyed Maddie's features, searching for a resemblance to the
woman he remembered from his youth. "Whoa. Are you her daughter? The one
who ran away?"
Maddie shook her head. "I'm not Sparkle. Kathy and I aren't
family. She's my friend."
"Why? How? How about you tell your story in one piece so that
it makes some sense? How did you get to be friends with Brazos Bend's queen of
rock and roll? What? Are you Ringo's lost love child or something?"
She blinked. After visually weighing her words, she said,
"Kathy wrote to me in jail. We became pen pals, and she invited me to live
with her when I got out."
Luke could tell there was more to that part of the story, but he
pursued what he considered to be a more important path. "So what were you
in for?"
She closed her eyes. "Possession of a controlled
substance."
Luke's mouth curled and he shook his head in disgust. "A
goddamn doper."
"I've never taken drugs in my life!"
"No? I suppose you sold them. Like seeing little crack
babies, Maddie? Like how they scream for a fix?"
"I don't deal, either!" One of Knucklehead's plastic
chew toys lay on the floor, and she gave it a swift kick. "It was my
boyfriend. He planted the grass on me and it was only a small amount. Less than
an ounce. It was my first and only arrest."
Grass? Brows arching in disbelief, Luke scoffed, "And they
sent you to jail for that? Sorry, hon. I know the way the system works. I know
better."
"I'm telling you the truth. I wasn't dealing. It was
possession, and the evading arrest charge was just bogus. They made an example
of me because of who I am."
Evading arrest, too. This just got better and better. He held up
his hands, palms out. "And you're who? The queen of Sheba?"
She opened her mouth, then abruptly shut it. "Oh, just forget
it. Forget everything. I was a fool to think you might help me. You're a man!
How could I have forgotten that? You dangle the evidence in front of me every
chance you get. Just take me back to the marina tomorrow, and I'll go on to
plan B."
"My evidence doesn't dangle," he fired back, setting his
gun into the nightstand drawer. "It... presents."
Maddie snorted.
Ignoring that reaction, he asked, "What's plan B?"
"I don't have one yet, but I'll think of something."
She turned to leave, but Luke lunged forward and grasped her arm.
"Wait. Back up a minute."
"Would you put on some clothes!"
"Tell me the rest of it, Red. Start from the top, and tell
the truth this time."
"Don't call me 'Red.' I've always hated it."
"So who are you, really?"
She rolled her eyes in frustration, then pursed her lips and
thumped them with her index finger a moment before saying, "I was born a
poor coal miner's daughter in the Black Hills of—"
"Oh, for God's sake. You are such a brat." He grabbed
his trunks and tugged them back on.
"Forget about it, Luke. Just go fishing."
"I will. Don't worry." First, though, he wanted answers,
answers she suddenly didn't appear willing to give. Brushing past her, he
crossed to her bedroom and scooped up her purse.
"Hey," Maddie protested. "Stop it. That's
private."
He ignored her completely and dropped her keys on the table, then
a compact. When he tossed her plastic tampon case next to her keys, he saw her
cheeks flush with embarrassment.
Next Luke pulled her wallet from her purse. He flipped it open to
her driver's license. Then he opened a drawer beside the galley sink, dug out a
cell phone, and thumbed the power button. "Damned roaming charges."
"This from a man who owns a floating palace."
He held Maddie's gaze as he punched in a number, then said,
"Hey Deidre, it's Luke."
After listening a moment, he replied, "Fine. It was nice. No,
Terry would understand why you couldn't make it. He loved your
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