She walked over to pour three more beers when Jerome came by. “Are you okay? You seem a little preoccupied.”
“Sure thing. I just had a call to make.”
“I meant with Jake, Hal, and Billy. Those three have their eyes on you.”
“Well, they can look all they want, I don’t date.”
“Really, because those three could use a nice girlfriend like you, instead of the snotty, two-faced—”
“What?” she found herself asking.
Jerome looked toward the guys and then back at her. “Just an old man talking stupid. I hope everything is okay. If you need a friend, I’m here for you and I know that Burt is, too.”
“Thanks, Jerome.” She smiled. Then she brought the three beers over toward the men. As they said thank you, another set of people ordered more drinks, and she spent the next hour catching up on drink orders and declining offers of dates and trips around town.
* * * *
Burt was getting ready to close up the place for the night. It was four o’clock in the morning, and the last few stragglers were accompanied by Jerome to their awaiting cabs home.
Jerome walked back inside and locked the door.
“Well, another Friday night gone and went. I haven’t seen it this crowded in a while,” Jerome stated.
“That’s because of Smiley,” Burt replied as Michaela turned off the lights by the bar after washing everything down and preparing the bar for tomorrow.
“That’s not true. Stop trying to give me a big head,” she replied, coming out from behind the bar with her backpack.
“You have made quite the impression, young lassie. I seen all those men trying to give you their phone numbers. Doesn’t it get hard declining them all?” Burt teased.
“I’d like to see who the lucky one might be that she says yes to. That will surely cause a fight or two,” Jerome said and then sat down by the table.
Michaela took a seat. “Not going to happen. I don’t date. It’s not on my agenda right now.”
“And what is, may I ask?” Jerome asked.
“My house, fixing it up, trying to make it into a home.” She looked at Burt, he smiled.
“Which is why you need two friends like us to count on. So why not continue where you and I left off in the back room earlier. What’s going on and how can we help?” Burt asked. She looked at Jerome, who stared at her intently.
“Burt, it’s not that simple.”
“Sure it is. You tell us what’s going on and we help you to figure things out.”
“There’s nothing to figure out.”
“Then why the secrecy, the police, the call in the back room, your resistance to talk about yourself, where you came from, your family?”
“I don’t have any family. It doesn’t matter where I came from because I’m here now. And I don’t like to talk about myself.”
“How do you do that?” Jerome asked.
“Do what?”
“Twist it back so we can’t ask you the same questions again? Burt thinks you’re in trouble. After twenty-five years on the force, I can tell that you’re hiding something, so what gives?”
She threw up her hands in frustration. “Listen, I think that you’re both really nice men. I like how you run this place, how you gave me a chance to work here, and how you’re so willing to help a stranger. But I don’t need any help. I don’t need anything. I’m just trying to fit in, survive, and stay out of trouble.”
“Then what’s the trouble following you?” Burt asked her.
She sighed. She stared at Burt and Jerome. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t talk about it.”
“If there’s going to be some trouble around here, we want to have your back and be prepared,” Jerome stated.
She stood up, placed her backpack onto her shoulder. “I promise not to bring any trouble here. I’ll be long gone before it even reaches this doorstep. Good night, guys. See you tomorrow.” She headed toward the back door.
“You taking your bike home?” Jerome asked.
“Yep, it’s the easiest form of transportation around here.”
“We can give you a ride,” Jerome told her.
“I’m fine. But thank you, again.”
“Text me when you get home, so that I know you got there safely,” Burt told her, and she chuckled.
“I will.”
After she left, Burt looked at Jerome. “I hope there isn’t someone trying to hurt her.”
“You think so?”
“It sounded like something like that on her phone call. She did say that she would leave town if she had to.”
“Leave town? What could be so bad that she would have to do that? Unless she’s running from the law?”
“No way. If she were, she never would have stepped into that sheriff’s department, nor would she react to Jake the way she does.”
“You saw that, too? All three of them like her.”
“What’s not to like? Mary and I raised our sons well. They know a good woman when they see one.”
Jerome raised his eyebrows at Burt.
“Oh hell, I know, but Lisa was bad news. I knew it and you knew it from the start. But my sons couldn’t see past her bullshit. I still don’t know how it all ended so badly, but whatever that woman did to them, it scarred them deeply.”
“I know. And they haven’t looked at another woman since.”
“Until now. Until Smiley.
“Now wouldn’t that be something else?” Burt smiled.
“It sure would be, but Michaela doesn’t seem interested.”
“Oh she is. She’s just scared, and it probably has something to do with what she’s keeping secret. Maybe my sons will get her to talk.”
“Are you going to tell them about your concerns?”
“No need to. Jake seems like he’s thinking similar thoughts. I’ll just let it be, and who knows, maybe in a few months, I’ll gain myself a daughter-in-law.”
“That’s a bit presumptuous of you.”
“Hey, you’ve known me most of my life. How often have I been wrong when it comes to women?”
“Never.”
“Thank you, sir. Now let’s get the heck out of here. We gotta do this all over again tomorrow.”
“Burt, it is tomorrow,” Jerome teased and Burt chuckled.
Chapter 4
Joyce was at her desk in the sheriff’s office going over some faxes that had come in. Joyce had already taken out the unimportant ones and handed over a stack of others. There were pictures of suspects wanted in various crimes around other states, and she would cross-check the information into the national computer system to see if the suspects had been caught, spotted anywhere, or could be in the vicinity of town. Treasure Town was nestled in between two major tourist areas on the shorelines. However, on both tips of the island were areas that only locals occupied.
Across a small bridge, always filled with traffic daily, with visitors coming and going between islands, there was a Marine Patrol base that secured and patrolled the area on water, maintained water safety, and also stood as a training facility for military personnel.
Joyce cross-checked the pictures and information she received through those databases as well. When she came up with one individual still wanted, she read the information. Seeing that the man was also wanted for questioning in a murder investigation by the FBI, she immediately brought it to the attention of the sheriff. Treasure Town was a safe place to live. Most people around here thought that had a lot to do with the sheriff and his deputies, as well as how on top of things they kept. Having so many military residents and a base nearby helped, too. No criminal murderer from New York was going to try and hide out here in Treasure Town. Not if Joyce had anything to do with it.
* * * *
Sheriff Jake McCurran sat at his desk and looked over the paperwork Joyce handed him earlier. He would be sure to get the picture of the guy out to his deputies.
As he finished going over some e-mails on his computer, his curiosity got the better of him as he searched the Internet for the video. He was pretty pissed off at whoever made a copy of the in-house surveillance footage. He gathered the deputies for a meeting and explained the ramifications to the department, never mind to Miss Smitt, who was after all, a victim in the whole incident.
As he came across multiple copies of the video, he clicked on the one with the most hits. He blinked his eyes and read the number a second time. Was that a million, six hundred and forty-two hits?
He ran his hand along his chin and shook his head. The damn Internet was a dangerous tool. An entrepreneur’s gold mine and a predator’s playground.
He hit play and watched the video unfold. It was upsetting to see how the stupid rookie deputy undid Leonard’s handcuffs as Leonard pretended to speak nicely to the receptionist. It was obvious by Leonard’s body language that he was under the influence. Jake felt pissed off all over again, and as he watched the entire video, he felt sick to his stomach seeing Leonard touch Michaela. It was nauseating, and really, he couldn’t blame her for her reaction.
As he watched her manipulate the gun from Leonard’s hand, twist his wrist, grab the gun, force him to the ground, knee him in the spine, and then hold the gun to his head, he was shocked at how quickly it all went down. He stared at her thighs, her skirt lifted to practically her waist as she straddled Leonard and held the gun like a professional officer of the law.