His father peeked around the corner from the front office. “You threatenin’ me again, son?”
Very slowly, Jake said, “I didn’t threaten you the first time.”
His dad drew his phone from his pocket. Exasperated, Jake threw himself on the bunk, listening to his father’s side of the conversation.
“Birdie? Where is she?… She’s leavin’ the rental place… I know you tried to hold her up… Okay. Don’t worry about it. I’ve got this.” He snapped his cell shut and slid it back into his pocket.
“You were talking to Birdie?” Jake asked.
“Yep.”
“Does she know what you’ve done?”
“Yep.” He closed the distance between them, stopping outside Jake’s holding cell. “You know, I’ve only ever wanted what’s best for you.”
Sprawled on the bunk, ankles crossed, hands behind his head, Jake gave a low, brittle laugh. “You sure have a funny way of showing it.”
“I know I was hard on you at times, but I wanted you to grow strong. Be a man.”
Jake knew that was all he’d get. Howie Parker never said he was sorry.
“Your mom, your grandmother want you home. Want to see you settled.”
“And you?” Jake asked.
“Me too. I missed you.”
Jake was glad he was sitting down.
“I’m doing the best I know how, Jake.”
“Tell you what. Why don’t you let me decide what I want instead of pushing your wants down my throat?”
Howie hesitated. “I hope to heck that’s what I’m doing.”
Jake frowned at his father.
“Randy’s out front manning the desk if you need anything.”
“I need the hell out of here.”
“Anything but that.” Howie Parker walked away.
Lucinda was miserable. Miserable to the point of feeling sick, she debated whether she needed to pull to the side of the road. When she heard the siren, her brow crinkled. She glanced in the rearview mirror and spied flashing red-and-white lights. A quick peek at the speedometer assured her she was well within the speed limit. Somebody had a problem, but thankfully it wasn’t her.
The lights drew closer, and she slid to the berm to let him pass.
On the seat beside her, the Chia Pet rolled out of the bag she’d tossed there. Go figure. She’d been hard-pressed to buy a wedding present for Donald; an impersonal pen set had been the best she could do. Yet the second she’d spotted this silly thing in the junk store yesterday, she’d known she had to have it for Jake. He could set it in the living room right next to his other family heirloom.
Checking the mirror, she gasped in surprise when the patrol car fishtailed in behind her. What in the world?
Howie Parker got out of the car. Her pounding heart slowed slightly. She’d never been pulled over before.
She rolled down the rental’s window. “Hello, Sheriff Parker.”
No reaction showed on his face. “Ms. Darling, I wonder if you could show me your driver’s license.”
“Sure.” Doubt crept in as she dug in her purse for her wallet and held it out to him.
“Remove it from your wallet, please.”
Frowning, she slid it out.
He took it, studied it. “Would you step out of the car, please?”
Fear spiked through her. What was going on? “Why?”
“Step out of the car.”
She did.
“I’m afraid I’m gonna have to take you in, Ms. Darling.”
“In? In where?”
“To jail, ma’am.”
Her mouth opened, but no words came out.
“It appears you’re driving a stolen car.”
“A stolen—You have to be kidding.”
“Wish I was, ma’am.”
“I rented it.”
“So you say.”
“Your daughter took me to pick it up!”
“So you had an accomplice?”
“An accomplice?” The earth shifted beneath Lucinda as though she was standing in quicksand, sinking deeper every second. “No, Birdie’s not an accomplice!”
“You stole it yourself, then?”
“I rented it myself!” She waved a hand. “Run a computer check. That’ll clear everything up.”
“Can’t. Computer’s down.”
She seriously doubted that. “I could have your job for this.”
“Yeah, you could.”
Her mouth dropped open.
She watched, horrified, as Sheriff Parker collected her purse, locked the rental car and pocketed the keys. He didn’t cuff her, but sat her in the backseat of the patrol car.
The short ride back to town seemed to take hours. When they got there, Howie whisked her inside the station house. “Randy, take her back and lock her up.”