Authors: Holly Copella
I
t was early the following
morning. The Remington farm was neatly groomed, the fences were mended, and
several horses grazed in the pasture. The house appeared almost pristine with
fresh landscaping and paint. The sheriff’s blazer pulled up to the house.
Vaughn got out of the blazer and looked at the jeep and car parked in the
driveway as he walked toward the house. The garage door was partially open to
reveal a black, vintage sports car, which briefly caught his attention. He
walked onto the porch, approached the front door, and promptly knocked on it.
A moment passed before the door opened to reveal Diesel in only a pair of
floppy shorts. His muscles had muscles, and his mere presence was overpowering
with testosterone. Vaughn stared at the large man who towered over him by
several inches and seemed surprised by the barely dressed stranger who answered
the door.
“Yeah?” Diesel snorted with
little interest.
“Sheriff Holt,” Vaughn
announced casually. “I’m here to speak to Casey about an incident at the
tavern.”
Diesel stared at him only a
moment without emotion. “She’s in the shower. Come back later.” He shut the
door.
Vaughn stood before the
door with a shocked and dumbfounded look. The door once again opened to reveal
Ruger, who smiled timidly.
“Sheriff Holt? I’m sorry
about Diesel,” Ruger announced. “He’s not really a people person. Please,
come in. Casey will be along soon.”
Vaughn eyed Ruger and
uncertainly entered. He followed Ruger across the kitchen. Diesel sat at the
island counter and read the sports section of the newspaper.
“Could I offer you some
coffee and doughnuts while you wait?” Ruger announced pleasantly.
“Uh, yes, thank you.”
Vaughn eyed Diesel and
leaned against the nearby counter. Ruger opened the doughnut box and appeared
surprised when he discovered it was empty.
“Huh? Fresh out of
doughnuts.”
“Coffee will do,” Vaughn
replied simply and kept an eye on both men.
Ruger poured some coffee
into a mug and handed it to Vaughn. Grey entered the kitchen, glared at
Diesel, and rolled his eyes with disgust.
“God, Diesel. Put some
clothes on,” Grey scoffed. “It’s too early in the morning for all that
testosterone.”
Diesel didn’t react or
bother looking up from his newspaper. “Fuck off.”
Grey approached the
doughnut box, opened it, and groaned with disgust. “What happened to all the
doughnuts I bought this morning?” he demanded then glared at Diesel, who didn’t
bother to look back. “A dozen doughnuts--?”
Diesel glared at Grey.
Grey grabbed his car keys with disgust and left without acknowledging Vaughn.
Ruger casually prepared two mugs of tea. Vaughn observed the scene in the
kitchen and remained curious.
“I’m sorry; I didn’t catch
your name,” Vaughn finally initiated an introduction with Ruger.
Ruger glanced at him and
maintained his cheerful mood. “I’m Ruger Quinn and that’s Diesel Mann.”
Diesel didn’t bother
looking up or even acknowledging the introduction. Vaughn focused his
attention on the seemingly approachable man.
“Are you the uncle we’d
heard about?” Vaughn asked while leaning on the island counter.
Ruger grinned and appeared
humored. “I’m an unofficial uncle. It’s an honorary title. Friend of the
family.”
Diesel snorted a laugh.
Ruger glared his disapproval at Diesel, who still didn’t look up, and then
looked back at Sheriff Holt with a charming smile.
“Just ignore Diesel,” Ruger
announced. “His manners are the only thing worse than his attitude.”
Casey entered the kitchen
in a worn tank top and a pair of old shorts. She saw Vaughn standing by the
island counter, immediately stopped, and groaned lowly with disgust.
“Oh, God. What now?” she
muttered.
It was too early in the morning
to deal with Sheriff Holt. Mornings were particularly difficult for her. She
was never quite herself until early afternoon. Her emotions usually ran
rampant in the morning. She was liable to say anything. Ruger noticed her and
smiled warmly. She’d been seen. There was no chance to retreat to her room
and avoid the hellish morning awaiting her. Casey forced a smile and
approached Ruger by the counter. He smiled and handed her a cup of tea. She
kissed him on the cheek, took the tea, and eyed Vaughn.
“Good morning, Sheriff,”
she announced while attempting to hide her sneer. “To what do I owe the
pleasure?”
Vaughn removed a carefully
folded paper from his jacket and tossed it onto the island counter. “The
Harford boys are pressing assault charges against you.”
Ruger casually picked up
the paper, glanced over it, and appeared curious. “Assault? You mean
self-defense.”
“Broken fingers, sprained
wrist, broken jaw, cracked scapula, three cracked ribs, fractured cheekbone,
and a dislocated shoulder,” Vaughn informed him.
Casey appeared stunned and
uncertainly shook her head. “That can’t be,” she protested then smiled slyly.
“I distinctly remember breaking someone’s foot.”
“This is serious, Casey. I
have to arrest you,” Vaughn informed her.
“Yes, I’m sure you’re very
excited about cuffing me again but hold that thought,” Casey announced while
grinning.
Ruger removed a laptop from
the counter behind him, placed it on the island counter, and opened a file. A
video of the entire incident played on the screen taken from a spy cam. Vaughn
watched the entire incident with astonishment. Once it ended, he looked at
Casey.
“You knew they’d do that,
didn’t you?”
“I knew they’d do
something,” she casually replied. “I just needed to walk into the room. This
is what they do to women. Someone had to do something about it.”
“If that’s the case, why
hasn’t anyone ever reported it?” he asked with a curious look.
“Because nothing ever
happens,” she growled, quickly losing patients. “It just gets swept away. My
mother pressed charges against Wayne once. A week later, the report
vanished.” Casey folded her arms across her chest and glared at Vaughn. “I
read it in her journal.”
The accusation surprised
him. “I never heard about that.”
Casey smirked knowingly.
Vaughn appeared tense and
quickly considered his next move. “I’m going to need a copy of that video to
get the charges against you dropped,” he informed her. “I’d also like to see
your mother’s journal.”
“You don’t need a copy of
the video,” Casey informed him. “Grey sent it to Judge Burke, Mayor Ridgeway,
Wayne’s wife, and a dozen or so guys from the tavern.” Her look hardened. “As
far as my mother’s journal--that’s private.”
“It could help solve the
murders,” he informed her and appeared surprised at her reluctance to share
it. “Why would you withhold it?”
“Because there’s nothing in
there that implicates anyone. I’ve read through it dozens of times,” she
informed him bluntly. “Besides, it’s my mother’s private thoughts.”
Vaughn placed his hands on
his gun belt and stared at her while shaking his head with disbelief. “I can’t
believe you’re this uncooperative. You know I’m trying to help,” he announced
then appeared disgusted. “And I hope you realize that by sending that video
around town, those boys will just want a bigger piece of you next time.”
“The feeling’s mutual.”
Vaughn stared at Casey and
appeared more defeated then surprised. “You’re digging yourself a grave,
Casey,” he announced firmly, “and your pleasure over it scares me.” His look
softened. “Why won’t you trust me?”
There was an odd silence as
she stared at him. Her look caused him to tense almost as if he already knew
her response.
“It’s difficult trusting
the law when they follow a corrupt mayor,” she finally replied.
“I take the law very
seriously,” he informed her with sincerity in his tone. “Things are different
since I became sheriff of Darwood Falls.”
Casey cleverly raised her
brows and tilted her head. “Weren’t you dating the mayor’s daughter?”
Vaughn stared at Casey in
silence or was it surprise. Ruger stared at his tea while hiding his smile.
Apparently, he was enjoying the sheriff roast. Diesel finally looked up and
grinned his humor. If Vaughn was disturbed, he hid it well.
“Briefly, but that had no
influence on the law,” he replied with some reluctance.
“Never underestimate the
value of a good blowjob,” Diesel retorted then chuckled.
All three glared at
Diesel. He smirked and looked back at the sports page without further
comment. Vaughn set down his coffee and appeared disgusted.
“Obviously, I’m not getting
through to anyone here, so I’ll be in touch.”
Vaughn left the kitchen and
headed from the house. Dina appeared in the doorway as Vaughn left, stared
after him, and then looked at Casey.
“Is this a bad time?” Dina
asked.
“When Sheriff Holt stops
by, it’s always a bad time,” Casey muttered.
Dina approached her near
the island counter, eyed Diesel without his shirt, and appeared amazed. “Oh,
wow--” she said softly to Casey. “Thanks, but I didn’t get you anything.”
Casey snorted a laugh.
That was the standard reaction to Diesel without his shirt on. At least he
wore shorts. His willingness to strut around in his brief underwear was
quickly shutdown by Ruger a long time ago. There were just some things no man
wanted to see first thing in the morning. A muscle-bound man in briefs
sporting morning wood was high on that list.
Dina’s look turned more
serious. “Can we talk?”
Casey nodded to the kitchen
door. Dina left the kitchen with Casey, only briefly glancing back at Diesel
on the way out. They walked onto the porch and sat on the recently restored
rocking chairs. Casey glared past the porch to the sheriff’s blazer that
remained parked out front. Vaughn was standing alongside his blazer in the driveway
while talking to Grey with his box of doughnuts. Dina noted Casey’s cold stare
at the sheriff. Dina tensed and shifted in her chair.
“Why didn’t you call or
write?” Dina finally asked, breaking Casey out of her death stare at the
sheriff. “I thought I was your best friend.”
As Casey stared at Dina,
her expression softened, and she lowered her head. Things were more
complicated than she could possibly explain. “I was in a very bad place for
quite some time,” she said softly and drifted into her own thoughts.
An image of Casey and Grey
arguing flashed through her mind, although their words were inaudible. Casey
suddenly punched Grey in the mouth. He clutched his bleeding mouth and looked
at her with the horror evident in his eyes.
Casey snapped out of her daze, avoided
looking at Dina, and fidgeted.
“When I finally sorted out
my life, it just seemed like too much time had passed,” Casey replied gently.
“I wanted to help you. I
was here for you,” Dina said sternly. She suddenly appeared defeated, looked
down, and spoke more softly. “They were like parents to me too.”
Casey could only stare at
Dina. It pained her to know she caused such turmoil for her longtime best
friend. She finally shifted in her chair and avoided looking at her friend.
“I’m really sorry, Dina. I
was just
angry
.”
Angry was an
understatement. She was insane with anger and consumed with grief. Only one
thing kept her focused, and that’s what brought her back to Darwood Falls.
Dina again spoke, snapping Casey back to reality.
“I would have taken anger
over nothing,” Dina replied then inhaled deeply and attempted a tiny smile.
“Well, I’m glad you’re back, even if I am still mad at you.” She then appeared
curious and attempted to hide her smile. “So what’s the deal with the living
god in there? Are you and he--?” She lustfully raised her brows in
suggestion. “--you know.”
Casey suddenly laughed.
“No, he’s a free agent,” she replied then appeared to give it some thought and
added, “and he’s kind of a whore.”
“Yeah, but--who cares,”
Dina said while grinning. “With a guy like that, one night is more than
enough.”
Casey rolled her eyes and
hid her smile. She wasn’t about to agree with her friend on that, but Dina
always did like the popular guys. Loosely translated--town studs. A thought
then occurred to Casey.
“What happened with
Tucker?” Casey asked. “You were so hot for him. I know Melanie dumped him.
Did you ever pursue that?”
Dina snorted a laugh and
shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “To be honest,” she announced, “I had my
chance with him, and I just couldn’t do it.”
“Really?”
“It’s stupid, but I just
kept hearing this voice in the back of my head saying, ‘he’s Melanie’s
leftovers’.” Dina rolled her eyes. “I just couldn’t bring myself to sleep
with the same man as that girl. The thought sickened me.”