He smiled at her again. “Of course. Though I can’t guarantee you’ll be able to get through to Cambridge. I’m concerned the road will be blocked. The temperature’s dropping rapidly also. If that water is landing on the road…” He shook his head in dismay.
She understood. The entire surface would be ice.
Corbin grabbed his jacket and shrugged into it. He handed Laurie hers from the back of the chair.
Before she put it on, she reached out a hand toward Richards. “So nice to meet you.”
He clasped hers in both of his. “My pleasure. Hopefully we can meet again soon under better circumstances.”
She blew out a slow breath, relieved to find that Sheriff Richards gave off no vibe of ill will. For a second she wondered if she should mention the incident with Deputy Pete. She still hadn’t told Corbin or Zach. It was the least of her concerns right then. And besides, what the hell was there to say? Yeah, guys, that man gives me the creeps.
Corbin stared at her funny as they headed for the car. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” She tugged her keys out of her pocket. “I’ll follow you.”
“Why don’t you just ride with me? I don’t like the idea of you being alone.”
“We’re staying the night in Cambridge, right? You could be stuck for hours working. If I don’t take my car, I won’t be able to get back to the condo.”
He hesitated and then opened her door for her. “You’re right. I just don’t like you being alone right now. Stay with me, okay? I get a weird feeling about this.” He smirked.
“You get a weird feeling?” She felt like the entire world was coming to an end one small chunk at a time.
She shivered at the chill that could easily be explained by the cold and not her strange instinct. She lifted her face to the sky as she slid into the car. Was the temperature dropping even more? It seemed incredibly cold.
The drive was twenty minutes, and before they arrived, Laurie could already see the lights of emergency vehicles in the distance, illuminating the sky. “Jeez. That’s a lot of fire trucks.”
Corbin responded into her head. “Yeah. Erring on the side of caution, I’m sure. They had no way of knowing what they were up against.”
Laurie eased off the side of the road behind Corbin and climbed out of her rental car.
Holy shit, it was cold. It wasn’t even night yet. The late afternoon sun was dipping in the sky, but there was no reason for it to be this cold.
Several other deputies had already arrived before them and were making their way toward the enormous geyser shooting into the sky.
Corbin made his way back toward her and reached for her hand as she slid her mittens on. “You okay, babe?”
“Yeah. But it’s damn cold out here.”
“I noticed. The temperature’s dipping.”
Laurie lifted her head again. “That’s beautiful. I mean, if you can overlook the fact that it’s going to wreak havoc on traffic.”
Corbin chuckled. “Are you telling me you’re a glass half-full kind of gal?”
“Maybe? Or perhaps just stating a fact.” Funny how Zach had accused her of the same thing the day they met.
They approached slowly. Water was hitting the two-lane road and running across the entire expanse of pavement, leaving behind a coat of ice. No one would be able to pass through this section of road for a long time.
Melinda dipped into Laurie’s head. “What’s happening? I’m getting the craziest feelings from you. And Trace says there’s a water main break?”
“Hardly. I’d say this is much bigger than that. I think it’s natural. Not something manmade.”
“Are you there?”
“Yes. Just got here.”
“Trace is on his way.”
“It’s not passable. I’ll see him coming on foot from the other side then.”
“Should I come feel it out?” Melinda asked.
“No. Not really necessary. It’s a spectacle, but I don’t think there’s much to analyze—unless of course you include how fucking freezing it is out here.”
“I’ll turn on the Weather Channel. Check in with me if you figure something out.”
“I will.”
“Babe?” Corbin yanked her from the tail end of her communication. “You talking to Zach?”
“No. Melinda. She had a feeling.”
“I bet she did. Hell, even I have a feeling this time.” He hesitated. “You should stay here. Let me go talk to the other deputies. We need to divert traffic.”
“Is there another way around?”
“Yeah. It’s a long way though. People are going to be pissed.”