Diana Anderson - Entering Southern Country 01 - Famous in a Small Town (21 page)

Cal shifted in his seat.

“I can tell by the look on your face that you have. I haven’t read it yet. Hadn’t had the time to. But I heard all about it at work today. Some of the nurses and a few of the doctors have read it or know someone who has. If she wrote it on the belief that everything she was told while she lived here was true, then she is living a lie and will leave here believing that lie for the rest of her life.”

“What do you know that you aren’t telling me?”

“Everything out of Caldonia’s mouth is and always has been a lie. Callie has lied to Raven since she was a child.”

56

Bull frogs croaked in the lake while the tree frogs chirped in the nearby trees surrounding the cabin. A slight breeze blew, rustling the leaves on the trees.

Gabriel smelled the shrubs near the front of the cabin and then hiked his leg. While Raven waited on the front porch for him to finish his business, she glanced up at the bright stars over head in the black night sky. A sight she didn’t see in New York City. She’d always loved living in the country, but it had come with a heavy price, and one she wasn’t willing to pay anymore. She looked back at the dog. She would miss him. The only friend she’d found since she’d been back.

Well, there’s Ted,
she thought.

He’d been a good friend to her. He was kind, gentle, and caring. How he ended up with her mother was a mystery.

A person would have to be hard up to want to live with that woman.

But her mother had fooled many people over the years. Raven was just one of the few who knew her up close and personal. She touched her still swollen lip where Callie had left a sting. A reminder that, even though Raven was a grown woman now, Callie would try to continue that abuse if Raven stayed on much longer.

Headlights lit up the short driveway. She shielded her eyes with her hand and looked. The squad car came to a stop. Cal got out from the driver’s side and Justin from the passenger side.

Gabriel trotted over to greet them. Cal patted him on the head, and then walked to the porch, and stood in front of the steps. Justin waited by the car.

“Sheriff, what are you doing here?” she asked.

“I’ve been told that you plan on leaving tomorrow.”

“Yes. There’s no need for me to stay any longer.”

“We had an agreement,” he said.

“No, you had an agreement. I never agreed to anything.”

“You said you’d stay if I gave you a get out of jail card.”

“And did you? I don’t remember you giving me a card.”

“Well, no, but … it was a make-believe card.”

“I don’t believe in make-believe. I never have and never will.”

He shook his head. “I’m telling you, you can’t leave right now.”

She shrugged. “Well, that’s too bad, Sheriff.”

He took a step up. “Turn around, you’re under arrest.”

“You can’t arrest me.” She folded her arms across her chest. “You’re out of your jurisdiction.”

He stopped and then swore under his breath.

“What?” she asked. “You didn’t think I was smart enough to find a place to stay out of your jurisdiction?” She watched him a few seconds. “Or you thought I was stupid enough to go along with you willing.”

He threw his hands up. “You’re making a terrible mistake if you leave here tomorrow and go back to New York.”

“Well, it’ll be my mistake to make … won’t it?” She looked at the dog. “Come on, Gabe. It’s time for bed.”

57

The house had been empty when Callie arrived. She’d gone upstairs to her room with the novel and had flopped across the king-sized bed. After she’d read the last page, she sat up and threw the book across the room. It made contact with a large mirror and jarred it loose from the wall. The mirror crashed to the floor. Shards of glass scattered across the plush carpeting.

She’s ruined me. I’ll never be able to show my face in town again. Lying bitch!

Callie sat on the edge of the bed and grabbed two handfuls of her hair, and pulled while she sucked air in and out through her gritted teeth. Her face turned red. After it’d become too painful, she let go, stood up, and began pacing the floor. She stopped and fisted her hands. She looked toward her bathroom. She hurried inside and on into her closet.

She pulled a suitcase off an upper shelf, dropped it to the floor, and unzipped it. She flipped through hangers and slid them across the bar. When she found the items she wanted to pack, she yanked them off the hangers and tossed them into her suitcase. She pulled one of her designer dresses off a hanger and noticed the hem was wet. She examined the skirt and then felt the material. She brought the fabric to her nose and sniffed. Her brows puckered and the corners of her mouth turn down.

“Oh gross! Dog piss!”

She flung the dress out of the closet. It landed on the bedroom floor. She grabbed several more outfits and shoes, and stuffed them into her suitcase, and tried to zip it but couldn’t. She crawled on top of it, bounced a few times, and then zipped it. She stood up and eyed a garbage bag in the corner. She picked it up and put it in the bedroom.

Twenty minutes later, she came out of her bathroom. She wore a hot pink mini skirt with a white stretch lacy top and a pair of silver strappy stilettos. She collected her things and then headed out of her bedroom. A tote bag full of makeup and toiletries hung by its strap over one shoulder and her purse hung on the other. She carried the garbage bag and rolled the suitcase behind her. When she got downstairs, she left everything but her purse at the foot of the stairs and headed to the study.

She entered the room, headed straight for a large painting on the wall, and took it down. After several twists and turns of the knob on the safe, she had it opened. She took out an envelope in the back that Ted had told her was emergency money in case of a disaster. The only money he’d ever kept in the safe, and was not near enough for her to get by on for one month.

But every little bit helps.

She stuffed it inside her purse and hurried to retrieve the garbage bag.

With the garbage bag in her hand, she rushed out the patio door and around to the back of the house to the gardener’s building. She opened the door and stepped inside. After her eyes adjusted to the room, she walked to the back of the building, opened the garbage container, and dropped it inside. She closed the lid and turned to leave but stopped in thought. She looked back and scanned the shelves and the workbench. Her gaze landed on a roll of duct tape. She snatched it off a peg and tucked it into her purse.

A minute later, she was back in the house. She hurried into the den. The doorbell startled her. A fisted hand beat on the door. She walked across the room to the foyer. With a finger, she moved the curtains aside and peered out the side window. Her eyes grew wide. She let go of the curtain and scampered back across the room. She slipped the tote bag over her shoulder, grabbed the handle of her suitcase, and then headed toward the kitchen. As she crossed the kitchen floor, she fished around in her purse for her car keys. She latched onto her keys and then opened the door to the garage. The suitcase wheels banged as she hurried down the steps.

She opened the trunk of her BMW, shoved her suitcase and tote bag inside, and closed it. Her heels tapped across the concrete as she hurried around to the driver’s side. She slid in, started the car, and hit the garage door opener. She placed the gearshift in Reverse, stepped on the gas, and came within inches of the garage door before it had opened all the way. Her mouth gaped. She slammed on the brakes and stopped in time. Angus’ car was parked behind her.

Angus rounded the corner and screamed obscenities. She flipped the switch that locked the car doors. He grabbed the passenger door handle, stuck his face to the window, and glared at her through the glass. With his fist, he banged on the window.

She dropped the gearshift into Drive, cut the wheels to the left, and took off. Angus couldn’t hold on and fell to the ground. He had let go right before she plowed through the shrubs. The back tires slung grass and dirt into his face.

She sped across the yard and turned the wheels sharp. The car fishtailed when it hit the driveway. She fought with the steering wheel until she had it under control.

Five miles down the road, she breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn’t seen any headlights behind her, but she wasn’t taking any chances. She held the gas pedal down. She knew Angus would kill her if he ever got his hands on her.

“Nothing has gone according to plan. I can’t stand living in this one horse town any longer. Bunch of lowlife gossips who think they’re better than anybody else.”

Fifteen minutes later, and after she’d made a stop at the bank’s ATM, she circled the block around the sheriff’s department. Satisfied that Cal and Justin were gone for the day, she parked around back and got out. She walked the distance around to the front of the building and kept in the shadows. When she got to the front, she looked up and down the street and then hurried up the steps. She stood on the top step, looked down, and eyed her boobs. She pushed each one up. When she was satisfied, she opened the door and stepped inside.

She noticed a young deputy sat at Justin’s desk. Another deputy sat behind a desk across the room from him. He had a paperback in his hand and was reading. He hadn’t looked up from the book. She squinted at the book and then dropped her shoulders.

You’ve got to be kidding me! Is everybody in this town reading that damn book?

She shook it off and sashayed toward the young deputy at Justin’s desk. He looked up from his paperwork, and as she’d hoped, his eyes glazed over. He scanned her body from top to bottom and back up again. She smiled at him.

“Uh …” he stammered, “can … may I help you?” Blotches of red popped out on his face.

She stopped in front of his desk. “Maybe. Are you the sheriff?”

“Uh … no, ma’am. I’m Deputy Lansing. The sheriff’s gone for the day.”

Her jaw clenched, but she kept her smile. When she straightened her shoulders and took a deep breath, her breasts lifted. “Well, I don’t know then.” She glanced around the room as if in thought, but checked on the dispatcher. His eyes were still glued to the book.

“I can call the sheriff for you,” he said as he turned and reached for the receiver.

She jerked her head around, leaned over, and grabbed his hand. He held on to the receiver and turned his head back toward her, but his eyes didn’t go any farther than her cleavage.

“No,” she said, “I’m quite sure that you’re more than able to help me.”

“Uh huh, I … I mean I’ll try.”

She let go of his hand, placed both of hers on his desk, leaned closer, and gave him a better view. “I was in here earlier today about a speeding ticket.”

He looked up at her. A look of disappointment covered his face. “Oh, ma’am, I can’t let you off of that. You’d have to talk with the judge.”

“Oh no! I wouldn’t expect you to. I was just going to say that I ran off and left my cell phone here, and I thought that maybe y’all might have a lost and found.”

He smiled at her. “Oh. Uh … sure.” He stood up. “It’s back here. I’ll go check for you.”

He walked toward the hallway. As she hurried to his side, she glanced at the other deputy. He still hadn’t looked up.

“Oh, may I come too? I mean, you don’t even know what kind of phone it is you’re looking for.”

He hesitated, and for a moment she thought he’d say ‘no’, but instead he led the way down the hallway. He stopped in front of a door across from the sheriff’s office, reached in his pocket, took out a set of keys, and unlocked the door. He opened it, reached inside, and flipped on the light. He stepped aside to let her inside. She glanced around the room as he walked over to a desk in the corner and opened the bottom drawer. Her gaze landed on a large safe in the far corner of the room. She reached behind her, closed the door, and locked it.

When he heard the door close, he turned, and watched her do a slow striptease as she walked toward him.

Timing … it’s all about timing.

58

The dog stuck his cold wet nose to Raven’s. She lifted her brows as she tried to open her eyes, but drifted back to sleep. He stuck his nose to hers again. She rubbed the end of her nose. He sat back on his haunches and watched her sleep. He whimpered, stood up, and stuck his nose to hers again. She tried to rub the end of her nose once more, but felt his nose instead. She opened her eyes, blinked several times, and then tried to focus. She looked down his snout into his eyes.

“You’re an early bird,” she said. “Give me a minute.”

He stepped back and wagged his tail. She stretched and then threw back the covers. He scampered back as she slid out of the bed. She padded to the bathroom.

“Sorry, kiddo! I get to go first.”

A few minutes later, she walked back into the room, grabbed the leash, and took him outside.

An hour and a half later, after a shower and gathering her things, she and the dog had gotten into the car and were headed to the Rayburns’ home. She pulled the car into their long, winding driveway and parked. She got out, came around to the other side, and let Gabriel out. She leashed him and walked him to the front door. The door opened before she had a chance to ring the doorbell. She looked up, and her jaw went slack.

“Cal! What are you doing here?”

“Arresting you.”

”Oh no you’re not!”

He brought the handcuffs around in front of him. “You’re in my jurisdiction now.”

She dropped the leash, turned, and bolted toward her car. Gabriel barked and took off after her. Justin appeared from the side of the house and cut her off.

She came to a stop. The dog ran into her butt. She tittered but managed to stay upright. She looked behind her. Cal took long strides as he walked toward her. She glanced around and then darted across the front lawn. She headed toward a fence line that ran alongside the main road. The dog chased after her.