since she’d had a nice, normal, boring day.
Several hours later, the ringing phone woke her with a start. Alex fumbled with the light and grabbed the receiver as Jessica sat up in bed. No good news ever seemed to come when it was still dark outside. The clock read 5:00 a.m.
Alex spoke in a surprisingly crisp voice, which suggested he was already awake. He hung up abruptly and looked at her. “That was weird,” he said.
“Who was it?”
“Frank Smyth. He asked me to go out to Billy’s place. Since I’m not technically back at work, he’s hoping I can keep the visit under the radar. Don’t ask me why.”
“Is something wrong?”
“I’m not sure. I guess the chief got a call from Billy’s mom but he wasn’t explicit about what she said. You know how the chief worries about his public image.... I guess that’s why he wants to handle it this way.” He leaned over and kissed her lips. “I’ll be back before you know it.”
“I’m going with you,” she said.
“Absolutely not,” he said, pulling on his jeans.
She was already out of bed and looking through her drawer for jeans of her own.
“Jess, I’m serious,” he insisted. “I don’t want you to come.”
“You don’t want me in any danger,” she said, stepping into leggings. Her jeans had been getting a little tight in the waist lately.
“Of course I don’t want you in danger,” he said.
“From Billy’s mother? Really? Anyway, you’ll protect me,” she said on her way to brush her teeth.
“This is police business,” he announced as though that sealed his argument.
“No, it’s not,” she called from the bathroom, then turned to look back into the bedroom. “Smyth asked you to take care of it because you’re not on the roster yet.” She watched Alex open the gun safe as she started brushing. He took out his service pistol and put it in a shoulder holster, which he strapped over his T-shirt. They passed in the bathroom door as he went in and she came out.
She shrugged on a light sweater and slipped her feet into moccasins. “Why would she call the chief directly?” Jessica asked as she gathered her hair into a quick ponytail.
“I have no idea,” Alex said as he set aside a hand towel. “He just said he couldn’t take the call. I don’t know why, but I got the feeling he wasn’t even at his house.”
“His wife just came home, where else would he be? Anyway, the reason I’m going with you is that Billy trusts me. He’ll be more likely to talk if I’m there.”
“I don’t even know if Billy is there.”
“Where else would he be?” she repeated as she walked out of the bedroom. After a few steps, she called over her shoulder, “Are you coming?”
She heard him swear under his breath as he caught up with her. It sounded like he said, “Damn stubborn woman.” She laughed out loud. At least they’d finally had a genuine honest moment.
Chapter Four
Back when Alex had been on patrol, he’d been called out a number of times to the Summers house for various disturbances. Nothing serious, just one of those situations where occasional loud arguments, late-night noises and unbelievable clutter brought complaints from neighbors.
The last time he’d seen Lynda Summers had been a good three or four years before. That time, neighbors had called because of the five old broken-down cars in her front yard and a putrid rotting smell emanating from the shed out back. It turned out the shed housed dozens of sacks of garbage and at least one dead opossum.
The road that led out to her place was called Blue Point but he often thought it should have a more ominous name as it was narrow and twisty, a challenge to manipulate on a foggy morning before the sun had a chance to burn it away. By the time he and Jessica pulled into the front drive of their destination, they were both tense from the trip.
The lights in the house shone through the fog as the door opened and Lynda Summers stepped outside. “Where’s Frank?”
Several hours later, the ringing phone woke her with a start. Alex fumbled with the light and grabbed the receiver as Jessica sat up in bed. No good news ever seemed to come when it was still dark outside. The clock read 5:00 a.m.
Alex spoke in a surprisingly crisp voice, which suggested he was already awake. He hung up abruptly and looked at her. “That was weird,” he said.
“Who was it?”
“Frank Smyth. He asked me to go out to Billy’s place. Since I’m not technically back at work, he’s hoping I can keep the visit under the radar. Don’t ask me why.”
“Is something wrong?”
“I’m not sure. I guess the chief got a call from Billy’s mom but he wasn’t explicit about what she said. You know how the chief worries about his public image.... I guess that’s why he wants to handle it this way.” He leaned over and kissed her lips. “I’ll be back before you know it.”
“I’m going with you,” she said.
“Absolutely not,” he said, pulling on his jeans.
She was already out of bed and looking through her drawer for jeans of her own.
“Jess, I’m serious,” he insisted. “I don’t want you to come.”
“You don’t want me in any danger,” she said, stepping into leggings. Her jeans had been getting a little tight in the waist lately.
“Of course I don’t want you in danger,” he said.
“From Billy’s mother? Really? Anyway, you’ll protect me,” she said on her way to brush her teeth.
“This is police business,” he announced as though that sealed his argument.
“No, it’s not,” she called from the bathroom, then turned to look back into the bedroom. “Smyth asked you to take care of it because you’re not on the roster yet.” She watched Alex open the gun safe as she started brushing. He took out his service pistol and put it in a shoulder holster, which he strapped over his T-shirt. They passed in the bathroom door as he went in and she came out.
She shrugged on a light sweater and slipped her feet into moccasins. “Why would she call the chief directly?” Jessica asked as she gathered her hair into a quick ponytail.
“I have no idea,” Alex said as he set aside a hand towel. “He just said he couldn’t take the call. I don’t know why, but I got the feeling he wasn’t even at his house.”
“His wife just came home, where else would he be? Anyway, the reason I’m going with you is that Billy trusts me. He’ll be more likely to talk if I’m there.”
“I don’t even know if Billy is there.”
“Where else would he be?” she repeated as she walked out of the bedroom. After a few steps, she called over her shoulder, “Are you coming?”
She heard him swear under his breath as he caught up with her. It sounded like he said, “Damn stubborn woman.” She laughed out loud. At least they’d finally had a genuine honest moment.
Chapter Four
Back when Alex had been on patrol, he’d been called out a number of times to the Summers house for various disturbances. Nothing serious, just one of those situations where occasional loud arguments, late-night noises and unbelievable clutter brought complaints from neighbors.
The last time he’d seen Lynda Summers had been a good three or four years before. That time, neighbors had called because of the five old broken-down cars in her front yard and a putrid rotting smell emanating from the shed out back. It turned out the shed housed dozens of sacks of garbage and at least one dead opossum.
The road that led out to her place was called Blue Point but he often thought it should have a more ominous name as it was narrow and twisty, a challenge to manipulate on a foggy morning before the sun had a chance to burn it away. By the time he and Jessica pulled into the front drive of their destination, they were both tense from the trip.
The lights in the house shone through the fog as the door opened and Lynda Summers stepped outside. “Where’s Frank?”
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