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Jennifer comes home to Georgia, divorced. The last thing she expects is loving again. |
| For a small town paper, the office at the Gazette was loud and hectic. It reminded her of the pressures of deadlines. She did not miss her job in Atlanta. Staying at home with her daughter suited her just fine. As did penning books. Mason spotted her through the glass wall of his office. He swung the door open and hurried towards her, weaving his way through the scurrying employees. “Mrs. Matthews, I was starting to wonder if you'd forgotten about your piece. I just sent a write-up to print.” Jennifer opened her briefcase and took out a copy of her article. “Since the deadline wasn't until six tonight, I figured I'd had plenty of time. I'm sure this will please the readers just as much as whatever you'd prepared.” The man's eyes narrowed. “I'll have to give it a read-through before I turn it in. Since I have a busy day, there is a possibility I won't get to it in time.” Jennifer gave him a false smile. “I suggest you get it done. I'd hate to have to send the police chief here for slander. And I'm sure my lawyer would have a thing or two to say about your piece and your renegading on our agreement.” A muscle twitched near Mason's right eye. “Speaking of the sheriff, I hear he's been spending a lot of time at the ranch. Is there a personal reason, or could it be due to all the problems y'all are having?” Jennifer took a step closer and looked down her nose at the oily man. Sweat dotted his forehead. “Neither my personal life, nor the chief's, is any of your concern. As for our “problems”, it's being taken care of. I don't see how any of it is the business of anyone else.” “The people of this town have a right to know what is going on in their community.” Jennifer threw her head back and laughed. “Oh forgive me. I was under the impression this was a newspaper, not the gossip mill. By all means, let's grab a cup of coffee and I'll spill my guts.” The man's eyes narrowed. “Vandalism is serious business. It's my duty to warn the people around here to be on guard. There's no guarantee the perpetrator is only after your family.” Jennifer's hands balled into fists. She moved forward until she was toe to toe with the sleazy reporter. “If you come near my family, or my ranch, I will neuter you. Are we clear?” She tried not to wince at the stench of sweat wafting in her face. Mason rubbed his shiny forehead. His eyes darted around the room. No one seemed to be paying them attention. He was at her mercy. “Fine. But if anyone else gets caught in this mess, I'm pointing the finger right at you.” Jennifer bobbed her head. “Fine. Put my article in.” She shoved the paper into his chest and turned on her heel. She felt his eyes boring into her back as she shoved the door open and stepped onto the busy sidewalk. Her stomach grumbled, reminding her that she'd skipped breakfast. She bypassed her truck and headed for the diner. At nine in the morning, the place still had a few breakfast customers. Roxanne noticed her as she walked in and made a beeline for her. “Morning.” Jennifer smiled as she slipped into their usual booth three seats back from the door. The sun shone through the window, reflecting off the white tabletop. Jennifer winced as she reached up and pulled the shade down. “Rough morning?” “You have no idea.” Roxanne sat down and started playing with a straw. “I have a few minutes. Tell me what's up.” Jennifer spilled about all the problems still occurring at the ranch, including the newest incident. Then she told Roxie about the scene at the newspaper. “I'm pretty sure this guy isn't after anyone else.” “Who is he?” She shrugged. “We can't figure it out. I have my suspicions about Allen, and I even thought Rick might have a hand in it. A way to get back at me for dumping him, ya know? But Jordan doesn't think either man is responsible. Oh, then there's the guy who's pretending to be the realtor from Atlanta. He's been to the ranch twice. We know he's a fake, but we don't know his real name.” Roxanne scanned the customers. “What's he look like? Maybe I've seen him.” “Black greasy hair, combed over to hide a major bald spot. Short and fat. He has evil looking gray eyes and a thin mouth.” Roxanne nodded. “He's been in here twice. Pretty rude.” Jennifer gasped. “Did he give you a name? Or maybe he used a credit card?” “Nope. He doesn't talk to anyone. Orders his food with disdain, like it's offending him to even be here. Pays with cash. He never leaves a tip.” Jennifer drummed her fingers on the table. “I need to tell Jordan about this. Damn it, I wish I could find my phone.” Roxanne laughed as she shook her head. “Leave it to you to misplace something that important.” “I didn't misplace it. It grew legs and walked off.” Roxie smirked. “You must have that new model. I heard they were bad about doing that.” Jennifer threw a piece of paper napkin at her friend. The bell over the door tinkled. Roxanne glanced over her shoulder. Jennifer watched the color rising in her friend's face. “Who is that?” Roxanne looked back at Jennifer. She gnawed on her lip as the older woman walked towards the bar. She sat down and turned to give the room a once-over. When she spotted Roxanne, she waved and grinned. Roxanne gave her a stiff wave back. “Roxanne?” “It's Craig's mother.” Jennifer felt her eyebrows raise. “You've made the introductions to his family?” “Yeah. Two nights ago. She's really sweet. And Skylar loves her. I'm just worried she'll be disappointed if things don't work out with me and Craig.” Jennifer reached over and patted her friend's hand. “At least you're giving it a shot. That's all anyone can ask.” “Speaking of which, how are things with you and our hunky police chief?” It was Jennifer's turn to have red cheeks. “Um, pretty good. He told me he loved me.” “Wow. How did Chloe take it?” “She was fine with it. She's really taken to Jordan. Better than I'd hoped.” Roxanne grinned. “That's great. I'm glad his plan didn't backfire.” Jennifer frowned. “What plan?” “You know, the whole let's pretend to be a date so our friends can get together.” Jennifer sat up straight. “Wait, you knew about that?” “Yeah, Jordan told me how he used my date with Craig to get you to agree to go out with him. I worried about how you'd act, but it seems like things are going good. I'm glad. It's about time you were happy.” She answered with a smile, but inside, she was seething. He'd manipulated her. Not that she should be surprised. Jordan had seemed eager to get her to agree to a date with him, from the second he'd pulled her over. The question was why. The door chimed again. Jennifer looked over to see the object of her thoughts walking in. He'd showered and changed into blue jeans and a blue tee shirt. Her heart sped up. He spotted her and sauntered over. “Morning ladies. Mind if I join you?” Jennifer scooted over and let him sit beside her. He reached under the table and squeezed her leg before putting his arm along the back of the booth. His fingertips brushed her shoulder. Jennifer had trouble remembering that she was mad at him. “We were just talking about you.” Jordan's eyebrow disappeared under his Stetson. “Good things, I hope.” Roxanne winked. “I'll never tell.” Jennifer took a deep breath. “Roxanne said she's seen that guy who's been at the ranch. He's been in here twice.” She watched Jordan go into cop mode. His back straightened and he propped both hands on the table top. “Did you catch a name, or where he's staying? What about what he drove?” Jennifer sighed. “I've already asked all of that. The answers are all no.” Jordan swore. He turned to Jennifer. “You need to come by the station. I want to get that sketch done so we can circulate the fliers. I've got a few questions for this guy.” “Did you find out where Allen was this morning?” “Bar in the next town. Multiple witnesses, all who say he didn't leave. Passed out drunk on a cot in the back.” Jordan rolled his shoulders. “I even checked out Rick. He was at some club in Atlanta. Credit card purchases show he stayed there until four, then rented some hotel room. Guy at the front desk remembers him because they had to threaten to kick him out if he and his guest didn't stop pawing each other in the lobby.” Jennifer tried not to feel touched that Jordan would remember her concern, regarding her ex-husband. “Back to square one.” Jordan nodded. “Grab something to eat and meet me at the station. I'll be waiting.” He pressed a quick kiss to her forehead before sliding from the booth. Jennifer watched him leave. She glanced around the room, wondering if anyone was watching her. No one seemed to notice, or maybe didn't care, of Jordan's PDA. “Want me to place your order?” Jennifer stood up. “I'm not even hungry any more. Thanks for the company Roxie” Jennifer caught Jordan just as he was sliding into his truck. He gave her a quick smile as she jumped into the passenger side. “I won't get you into trouble for riding up here, will I?” Jordan shook his head. “We're on official police business. No one will care.” He pulled up in the spot reserved for police chief and cut off the engine. “Never thought I'd see you parked here. Does it feel weird?” Jordan shrugged. “Never thought about it. I never thought of being a cop when I was younger, but from the time I moved away, I knew I wanted to be back here. Even after I realized you'd moved. I think in some way, I always hoped you would find your way back.” Jennifer sniffled. “For years, I dreamed of you. Of what might have been if neither of us left. It helped get me through hard times with Rick.” Jordan reached across the cab and pulled her into his arms. “Well all of that is behind us. It looks like this town knew what was good for both of us. Let's get this mess cleaned up so we can start our lives.” Jennifer slid across the seat and got out the driver's side. Jordan took her hand and led her into the police station. Edna, the receptionist glanced at Jennifer over her glasses. “Well hello dear. I'm so sorry to hear about the problems your grandparents have been having. Don't you worry now. Our good sheriff will take care of all of it.” Jennifer nodded in response. Jordan led her through the swinging partition and yelled for one of his officers. A short, round man popped his head over a computer screen. “What's up boss?” “Need you to get your pad and a pencil. Got a job for ya.” The man bobbed his head, causing his face to jiggle. Jennifer heard a metal drawer creep open then click shut. Papers rustled before the man stood up and walked towards them. “All set.” Jordan turned towards her. “I want you to give Bob as detailed a description as you can. Try not to leave anything out. He'll show you the image as you go along, to see if it looks familiar.” Jennifer took a deep breath and followed the officer down the hall. He led her into a small room, which she figured doubled as a break room. She sat down on a worn plaid couch and waited for the officer to begin. *** An hour later, Jordan escorted Jennifer back to town. “Where'd you park your truck?” Jennifer pointed down the street. “At the paper. Would you mind letting me out at the diner? I want to grab a burger and shake for Chloe before I go back.” He nodded and pulled up in an empty spot. “You did good at the station. I'm going to circulate these fliers to all the businesses. I want you to take one to the ranch. Ask all the ranch hands if they've seen the man around.” Jennifer took one of the white papers and slipped it into her briefcase. She smiled as she put her hand on the handle of the door. “Maybe this will get us somewhere.” He nodded. “It might. I have Bob running the image through facial recognition. If the man's in the system, we'll find him. It will just take a while.” Jennifer bit her lip. “How long?” “A day or two, maybe. That's if we're lucky. It is possible he is a first time offense. Or if he's not in the Georgia database, we'll have to start an out of state search. That's an even longer process.” Jennifer sighed. “Geez, TV makes it look so easy. Where's the gossip mill when we need it?” Jordan laughed and jumped out of the truck. Jennifer met him on the sidewalk. He put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. She felt tense beneath him. Not that he blamed her. Things were starting to get worse, despite his promises to fix everything. He had his doubts that the flier would help, but he wouldn't reveal that to Jennifer. She needed hope that he knew what he was doing. “I love you.” She looked up at him, her eyes wide with surprise. After a hesitant look around, she repeated the phrase. “Something wrong?” She shrugged and stepped away from him. “With everything going on, I'm not sure we should be announcing our relationship so publicly. I don't want people talking.” Jordan frowned. “No one will care that we're together Jennifer.” She grabbed her ponytail and started twisting the end. “Jordan, I'm not even divorced yet and I'm already involved in another serious thing. Whether you like it or not, there are going to be folks who have a problem with it.” “Who cares?” “You should. You've got this great reputation as being a hard-ass police chief. Now you're mixed up with a woman who's still married, and who has someone terrorizing her family. What if people think you're investigation is more than your duty?” Jordan tried to grab her hand. She shoved them into her pants. “You're over-reacting.” “No, I'm thinking clearly. Just give me time to adjust to how fast things are going between us before we reveal it to the world. Please?” He wanted to refuse. He shouldn't give in. Yet one look at the stubborn angle of her chin told him it would be pointless. “Fine. I have to do patrol. I'll see you later.” Jordan walked towards his truck. He hesitated at the door. He glanced to the sidewalk and saw Jennifer still standing there. Her face had paled and she stared across the street. He turned to see what held her attention. Two men stood at the door of the hardware store. Their attention seemed riveted on Jennifer. He felt jealousy rise in his chest. “Go inside.” Jennifer blinked at him before turning on her heel. She opened the door to the diner. A few seconds later, he saw her face through the plate glass window. He headed towards the store. It took his eyes a few seconds to adjust to the dimmer lighting. He scanned his surroundings, walking up and down each aisle. A few different locals stopped him to chat. Each time, he found it more difficult to exchange pleasantries when what he really wanted to do was find and beat the two gawking men to a pulp. As he walked down the final aisle, he sighed in defeat. The two men were gone. Probably sauntered right out the front door while he'd been held up. Sometimes, there was a down side to the small town life. “Hey Chief. You looking for something in particular?” Jordan turned towards the owner, George, who stood behind the counter, a dust cloth in his hand. “There were two men standing at the door a few minutes ago. Do you know them?” “They been in a couple times, but never they never give a name.” He removed his Stetson and scratched his head. “Let me guess. They purchase with cash too, huh?” The man flashed a toothless grin. “Yep.” “Happen to know where they're staying?” He watched the man's face scrunch up in concentration. “They never said. They do something wrong?” Staring at my woman. “Not really. There's been a stranger out on the Matthews' ranch. I was hoping those two might know who he is. Since they ain't from 'round here either.” “Well I can ask 'em if they come back in.” Jordan nodded. “That'll be good. Give me a call if they know anything.” He started for the door. “What's that stranger look like?” Jordan turned back to George. “Huh?” “The man bothering Ed and Martha. Know what he looks like?” Jordan pulled a folded paper from his hand and smoothed it out. He passed it to George. The man stared at it a minute before tapping it with an index finger. “I've seen him in here a few times too. He's rude as all get out. Don't bother engaging in small talk. Not even a 'hello' or 'thank you'.” Jordan's pulse sped up. “What did he buy?” “Let's see, last time he was in here was Wednesday. I was talking to Father Rokard about service that night. He walked down aisle three, lingered on five and grabbed a few things from nine. Spent fifty seven dollars. Gave me a hundred then got mad when I tested it for fraud. You can't be too careful these days you know.” Jordan nodded. “Glad you're doing your part in catching criminals. I guess his money turned out okay?” “Yeah. Marker didn't detect anything funny 'bout it.” “Do you remember the specifics of what he bought, other than the aisles he shopped on?” “Duct tape, some rope, a few boxes of light bulbs, some clear plastic and a box of nails. Oh and a hammer.” Jordan pulled out his notebook and jotted the items down. Nothing suspicious. All of the items were average, every day usages in this area. Jordan's mind couldn't help taking a sinister turn. What if the man was getting ready to dispose of a body or something? |
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