Page 30 of Two Favors Repaid

Emma hesitated but finally nodded. She worried her lower lip with her teeth. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her lips. “Okay, Rob, we’ll do it your way. You’re going back there, aren’t you?”

“I’ll be careful, I promise,” he said. “I won’t go alone.”

Just then Susan’s head popped in. “Emma, how are you? Glad to hear you’re okay.”

“Text me as soon as you know what time Emma’s going to be released, Susan. I’ll be back to pick you both up.”

“Sounds good, boss,” Susan said in a light tone. In a lower tone, she added, “I won’t move from here.”

“Thanks, Susan,” Rob said. On his way out, he bumped into Jessy. The marine biologist had a diet Coke in her hand and looked cool as a cucumber.

“Thank you, Jessy,” he began. “I owe you ... I owe you a big debt.”

Jessy arched her thin, sculpted eyebrows. A small smile played on her lips. “So it's like that, huh. I’ve discovered your big secret, Rob.”

He was about to deny it then shrugged. “I guess you have. We’re going to need to hear all the details from you again. Susan’s here with Emma, if you have time now. Or we could meet later, here or at the station.”

She waved her hand at him. “I’ll go through the details with Susan. I was planning on sitting with Emma for a bit anyway.”

Feeling better now that he knew Emma was safe, Rob strode back to his patrol car. He scrolled down the list of contacts in his phone until he reached Darryl Berner, Chief Firefighter and one of only four career firefighters in Sharp’s Cove.

The mayor kept trying to cut the number to two men, arguing budgetary constraints, but so far hadn’t managed. Rob hoped IAFF standards, which required two firefighters to an engine and two to a ladder minimum, wouldn’t change. The sheriff’s department and the fire department often collaborated on jobs requiring more people than they had on staff, so they’d both be in trouble without one another.

“Darryl, I need your help.” Rob knew his number would appear on Darryl’s screen.

“Where?” Darryl asked.

“Up at the school.”

“I heard what happened this morning. Did you really have to go out there on your own to check it out? That was stupid, Rob. Natalie would have your head.”

Rob nodded before realizing Darryl couldn’t see him. “I know. It’s just … he hurt Emma and I was so furious I guess I didn’t think. But he was long gone.”

“But you want to check it out again. I understand. Is Emma okay?”

“Yeah, just a graze. She was lucky.” Rob shuddered. He heard some shuffling in the background then the sound of a trunk slamming closed.

“I’ll meet you outside the school in fifteen minutes. Don’t go in without me, Rob. I’m serious.”

“Thanks, Darryl.”

#

Rob

“What do your SOGs say about this, Darryl?”

“Entering a building with an armed perpetrator inside?” Darryl grinned, showing off very white teeth. His warm brown eyes crinkled at the corners. Darryl spent a lot of time outdoors and as such enjoyed a year-long tan. “Haven’t gotten round to updating them for just this kind of incident, but I’ll put somebody on it later today.”

Rob knelt by the gate. The area around the lock was scraped. Somebody had used something sharp to displace it.

Beside him, Darryl flexed his enormous arm muscles. Even though they’d been friends for years, Rob still wasn’t used to just how strong Darryl was. Rob knew he was no slouch himself. As a former athlete whose job required him to be fit, he took care of himself and worked out hard, but he would never have arms the size of small tree trunks like Darryl did.

“So, Jessy was here as well?” Darryl asked in a conversational tone.

What is that about?

“Yeah, she was the one who drove Emma here. They’d said goodbye but something made her come back and decide to wait for Emma to come out instead.”