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No friends. No staying in one place too long. Keep Audra safe. The alternative is too terrifying to think about.
Harlan moves to the back of his truck, and after putting my duffel inside, goes to Jem’s car to clip Audra into her car seat. Once I’m back in the car with Jem again, she fills the silence with her website. I offer to show her my portfolio of websites that I’ve done and the maintenance packages that I offer when we get together.
Do I want to do the job for her after the painstaking lengths I’ve gone to in order to remain pretty much anonymous with my clients? Not really. But I need the money that she could potentially pay me for the work.
She shouldn’t be paying you at all, she bought you a freaking car seat and her brother-in-law is letting you stay at his house.
The thought is an uncomfortable one. But I really need all the money I can get right now.
I have no idea what the cost of repairs is going to be. I have no idea if the camper can even be fixed at this point, and it’s better that I plan for the worst, which is having to buy a whole new rig, then put my confidence in sunshine and rainbows of everything working out.
Nothing ever works out. Not for me at least. Not without a lot of blood, sweat and tears.
Jem drives out of town and pulls off the road onto a lightly paved driveway that’s flanked by pine trees.
“Harlan doesn’t live in town?” I ask, nervous at the thought of being out here alone.
Jem shakes her head. “No. He likes his privacy and being the sheriff, if he lived in town, people would stop over for every little thing.”
While it makes sense, again, the logical part of my brain just sees the lack of neighbors and the longer drive into town as trouble for me.
I don’t have a car. Or a way for me to get into town. I’m just about to bring it up to Jem when she says, “Don’t worry. Between the Calhouns and me someone will always be around to give you a ride if you need it.”
Not used to relying on other people, I don’t respond. First order of business tomorrow is finding a rental car company. I can put the cost on a credit card and worry about paying for it later. I can’t be without transportation.
Jem pulls in front of a two-story house. I eyeball the structure, but because it’s dark out, I can’t really see much other than the shape of it. But there are no other houses close and that makes anxiety stick in my throat.
Harlan pulls the sheriff’s vehicle next to us and climbs out. Jem and I both get out of the car, and before I can get Audra out of the back, she comes around the vehicle. “I’m going to give you a hug.”
She steps forward and lightly wraps her arms around me. The warning helps, and I manage to avoid flinching at the touch.
Once Jem lets go, she opens the back door and unclips Audra’s seat from the base and hands her to me before unlatching the base and handing that to Harlan, who came up behind me.
“Come on, I’ll show you the place,” Harlan says.
“We’ve got to take off. Boone’s gotta be up early for work and the morning coffee crowd waits for no one. I’ll be by sometime after ten tomorrow and we can chat,” Jem offers, and I nod.
Boone tips the bill of his ball cap in my direction. “It was nice to meet you. Holler if you or your girl need anything.”
I watch as they get in their car and drive off.
I’m officially alone with Harlan. And the look in his eye tells me he has questions.
Questions that I’m going to have to dodge answering.
Chapter 7
Harlan
Weak sunlight filters through the early morning clouds as I stare at the second story of my house.
The garage specifically.
There had been such a look of devastation on Maisie’s face when she saw the inside of the camper. Never mind the outside and all of the damage.
She’s running from something. I’d bet my badge on it.
The question is what?
