The Guarded Widow (5 page)

She sipped her wine and realized, since seeing him earlier at the game, her mind was now dominated by thoughts of Officer Rafferty.

“Are you planning to share the other little tidbit of news that you’d mentioned earlier today?” Maddy asked as she twirled a blond spirally curl around her finger and wondered why Olivia was frowning.

“Hmm? Oh it was nothing,” she quickly responded. “So what’s going on in your life, Maddy? How are things at
Cool
Springs
Elementary School
?”

“Oh, it’s as fascinating as ever. Believe me, when you’re a kindergarten teacher life is never dull. But since you asked, there is a new long term substitute teacher for fifth grade. His name’s Thad Wolfe and he’s very handsome. I thought of you immediately when I met him.”

Maddy smiled and sipped again, noting that her sister wasn’t fully listening.

“Hmm? Oh really, Maddy?” Olivia absently responded, currently lost in the memory of a careless collision with mocking blue eyes.

“Yes. I think he’d appreciate someone showing him around town one evening,” Maddy slyly whispered and then grinned when Olivia murmured, “That sounds like a good idea.”

Yes, it truly does, Maddy thought.

A victorious smile graced her elegant face as she sipped her wine and congratulated herself on arranging her sister’s first step back into the world of dating.

After completing her last patient’s prophy on her schedule, Olivia set about cleaning and preparing her operatory for the next business day. Anxious to finish up and head home, she sighed when the cell phone in the pocket of her scrub pants vibrated, alerting her to an incoming call. In a gesture that was second nature, she succinctly pulled off her gloves and read the display on her phone.

“Hi Tommy,” she quipped, mentally running through a list of what needed to be completed yet.

“Hey Mom, you’re not going to believe this. We’re locked out again. I know I returned the key to the porch last night like you told me too, but it wasn’t there when we got home from school,” Tommy explained, his teeth chattering. “We’re cold. It’s really cold out, Mom.”

That’s odd, Olivia thought, her mental checklist suddenly forgotten. She flipped off the lights to her room and hurried down the hall toward the time clock.

“Listen, I’m heading out the door right now. I’ll be there soon, Tommy,” Olivia assured him as she walked out to the parking lot.

In the background, she could hear her other sons groaning and complaining about the cold.

“Drive careful, Mom.”

Since Tom had died, whenever the boys knew she was traveling anywhere, they always reminded her to drive carefully. Those three words still made her heart ache, even after almost two years.

That’s very odd, she thought again as she steered the SUV onto the busy street, heading toward home. I distinctly remember checking on the key this morning. A heavy lead foot allowed her to gun down the last road nearest the entrance of her driveway, in record time. Turning in, she sped down the long winding lane and as the house came into view she could see the boys bouncing around on the front porch.

Tommy rushed down to meet her on the sidewalk as she hastily strode toward the house.

“Mom, I know…”

His sentence was cut off by his mother’s vigorous hug and soothing words.

“These things happen sometimes,” she told him, trying to think positively while battling an internal uneasy feeling.

She slid her house key into the deadbolt, disengaged it, and entered her home. Once inside, she immediately noticed the wedding portrait hanging in the foyer was slightly askew and the powder room door, which was always kept closed, was now ajar.

Shuddering, Olivia murmured, “The boy’s wild imaginations must be contagious.”

With hopes of subduing her anxiety, she habitually hurried into the kitchen to check the answering machine for messages. But as she strode by the kitchen island all hopes of her own wild imagination having shifted into overdrive, were dashed by a glint of light reflecting off the granite surface. Instinctively, she sucked in air before spinning around to ensure that her eyes were not playing tricks on her.

Unfortunately, they weren’t.

The missing spare key was now laying dead center, in the middle of the kitchen island. Eyes wide with shock, she swallowed hard against the bitter bile threatening to rise up in her throat.

Unnerved, she whispered, “Someone’s been in my house.”

Officer Ron Barton received the call from Olivia Jones and within minutes, was sliding behind the wheel of his police cruiser. Gavin, having seen his friend’s hasty departure, strode over to Ron’s driver side window and rapped
his knuckles against the glass.

“You leaving on a call?” he as
ked as Ron put down his window.
“Yeah!” Ron cocked his thumb toward the precinct. “Just got a call from Olivia Jones, she claims someone broke into her house.”

“No kidding?” Already rounding the rear of the cruiser, Gavin threw open the passenger door and climbed in.

“Guess your coming with me then?” Ron asked dryly, shifting the car into reverse. “She’s probably just spooked living out in those woods by herself with all those kids.”

“I don’t know,” Gavin replied, remembering the stubborn lift of her chin. “I don’t think Olivia Jones is the type of woman who scares easily.”

She had tried soothing her nerves with a glass of white wine as she cleaned up dinner. It didn’t help. She’d also felt compelled to travel throughout the entire first floor of the house, glancing out the windows, not even sure what she was searching for. And as the sun went down, Olivia kept checking and double checking the locks on the doors and windows.

So when the doorbell finally rang, it startled her and she gasped aloud.

Tommy called out from the family room, “Mom, you ok?”

“Oh yes! Boys, keep on watching your movie. I’ve been expecting company,” she replied, being sure to sound cheerful. Then she kicked back the remaining wine in her glass before heading for the door.

Olivia swung open the front door, not realizing how relieved she was to see Officer Ron Barton’s familiar face; she proceeded to lean forward and embrace him.

“Oh Ron, I’m so glad to see you,” she breathed out.

Uncomfortable with her physical greeting, he hesitated before placing his arms around her and then cast a quick, speculative glance at his partner crossing the threshold. Olivia followed Ron’s gaze, noticed Officer Rafferty and promptly stiffened in response.

Abruptly pulling away from Ron, she glared up into Gavin’s face.

“Officer Barton can investigate my breaking and entering without your presence, Officer Rafferty,” she hissed.

“Well, Officer Barton, I guess that means no welcoming hug for me,” Gavin sarcastically drawled, enunciating each word. Then he arched an eyebrow at Ron. “Do you want me to wait for you in the car?”

Briefly wondering why Olivia would respond to his partner so vehemently, Ron stated,

“Officer Rafferty and I will be investigating, together. Now let’s hear it, Olivia. What happened?”

Resigning herself to the fact that Officer Rafferty was here to stay, she turned to face both men.

“I prefer to talk in here, away from the kids,” she said, leading them into the kitchen. “I don’t want to scare them.”

Olivia began by explaining how the boys were locked out this afternoon because the spare key was mysteriously missing. Disgruntled by the officers’ subtle exchange of doubtful eye contact, she stressed the fact that she’d checked on the key before leaving for work this morning. She deliberately hammered home the fact that she’d tested the front door before she’d left and it had been securely locked. Then she described finding her home with subtle changes and the shock of finding the missing key brazenly placed in the middle of her kitchen island.

Both men listened, in silence, without interruption.

Before she’d even finished, Officer Barton had already drawn his conclusion. He’d decided she must be one really stressed out woman. She’s probably run ragged and stretched thin by the demands of single parenthood, all the time. She probably misplaces things very easily, especially with all these kids running around.

However, as Officer Rafferty listened to her recant the entire experience and glanced around the room, he instantly surmised that Olivia Jones was an organized woman. And he figured, if she truly believes someone entered her home then that must be the case.

Unfortunately, Ron spoke first.

He chose to use a childhood endearment, hoping to soften the blow.

“Listen Livvie, you’re a single mom with four active boys, either you or one of them, probably just moved the key.”

Clenching her fists, Olivia angrily narrowed her eyes and fired back at him.

“Don’t tell me to listen, Ron! Or shall I call you Officer Barton?” She paused briefly and closed her eyes, trying to gain control of her temper. Then she drew in a deep breath and lowered her voice so as not to distract her sons. “Look, it’s obvious to me that you’re already through investigating my claim that someone was in my home. Believe me, I know when my house as been violated. And I definitely know when I’m the last person to leave my home, exactly where a key has been left!”

“Livvie…,” barely passed Ron’s lips before her thinly controlled temper began to erupt. Olivia reared back fully prepared to unleash it on him when she heard her own name, spoken fiercely.

She whirled around, leveling her eyes on the man she hadn’t even wanted in her home to begin with. “Officer Rafferty, please do enlighten me with your conclusions about my suspicions.”

Although his tone was softer when he spoke, he did so with complete authority, looking over Olivia’s head at Ron Barton and then back at her. “I believe you. I honestly do. I believe someone’s been in your house.”

Then he addressed his partner. “Barton, why don’t you take a look around the premises? I want to speak with Olivia, alone.”

Officer Barton nodded, and then stalked outside to begin a search of the perimeter of the property.

Silently, Olivia studied Gavin’s face and then, after much deliberation, finally decided she at least owed it to him to be congenial. “Do you want a cup of coffee?”

“Sure,” he replied, having sensed her reservations.

He took his turn at remaining silent while he watched her move around the kitchen, preparing to brew the coffee. Then, he asked her, “You didn’t say anything to your boys yet, not even to warn them?”

She glanced up at him before filling the water reservoir. “I decided I should talk to the police first,” she said, flipping on the automatic coffee maker.

She’d told herself she wasn’t going to ask, but sheer curiosity forced her to do so anyway. “Why did you believe me when Ron, a childhood friend, didn’t?”

Gavin’s blue eyes captured hers as he spoke casually. “Well, I quickly surveyed how orderly your house is and I realized you’re not the type of woman to readily misplace things. I also don’t like to jump to conclusions.”

His voice dropped lower, followed by his gaze as he indulged himself in a lengthy perusal of her mouth.

“I don’t think you spook easily, Olivia,” he said, his voice rougher.

A fluttery response within her stomach caught her off guard, prompting a sudden desperate need to keep busy. Not wanting him to recognize her response to him, she initiated a search for coffee cups stored within the kitchen cabinet behind her.

I need to stop reacting to him like this.

But when she turned around to face him again, she found his striking blue eyes watching her with a fierce intensity. Heat evident in his hard gaze.

Casually swinging his flashlight as he strolled back toward the kitchen, Officer Barton paused at the doorway. His interest piqued as he evaluated the expression on his partner’s face.

Well, well, what do we have here? Ron wondered to himself as he reentered the kitchen. He kept his voice subdued as he glanced toward the family room.

“There’s no sign of forced entry or vandalism. But Liv, I did find a set of large footprints with deep treads, looks like boots, out in the woods behind your house. They seem to trail off deeper into the forest.” Ron shrugged casually. “They didn’t look fresh though.”

Olivia paled slightly. “Thank you for following up on this for me. Nothing seems to be missing. I just thought I should probably report this incident.”

Gavin, having been closely watching her, noted how her face had registered a look of alarm, and wondered what she wasn’t telling them.

He pinned her with a stare. “Anything else you’d like to share with us, Olivia?”

She made an honest attempt to reply casually as she reached for the coffee pot, “No, nothing at all.”

“We’re going to have to take a rain check on the coffee, Liv,” Ron said apologetically as he checked the screen on his cell phone.

He was anxious to leave, already looking forward to brow beating his friend about Olivia Jones.