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Oh, lord. He was giving her some sort of sobriety test.
It was hard to think but she had to try. Rubbing her eyes, warding off some of the wooziness, she looked up at the officer through the fringe of her eyelashes. “Are you sure I should?”
“Traffic is slow this time of night,” he assured her. “It’ll only take a minute. Arms out, miss. Fifteen steps down the line, fifteen back.”
Tess took in a deep breath. Thirty steps. Piece of cake. She could so do this.
Holding her arms out, wondering how the hell she got into this mess, Tess held her shaky head high and took the first step. One… Two… Three. She wobbled and just barely kept her balance. Four. Five— Damn it!
The officer rushed over to her side the instant she started to stumble. With a rock solid arm around her waist, he hefted Tess back onto her feet. Once she was steady, he didn’t let go. Instead, he guided her toward his cruiser.
She didn’t realize how much trouble she was actually in until he helped her into the backseat.
5
Nothing, Tess discovered, sobered her up faster than the harsh sound of cell bars clanking shut.
She jumped at the ringing noise, then stumbled forward. Her knees knocked into the edge of the bench seat that took up the length of the cell. The lingering fog in her head disappeared. Turning, she watched the broad back of the blond cop as he started to head away from her.
“Wai—” Her throat dry, the words seemed to catch. Swallowing roughly, she tried again. “Wait! You can’t leave me here!”
When he turned around, the expression on his face was apologetic. “It’s for your own safety, miss. Even if you were in any shape to drive, your car wouldn’t make it far. I saw the flat myself, and the way the rim is starting to bend out of shape. No, it’s better if you stay here, sleep it off.”
Tess started to argue. He cut it off with a small shake of his head. “If you make it easy on both of us, all you’ll get is a warning and a ride. In the morning, I’ll take you down to the garage so you can get your car looked at. How’s that sound?”
“No, no. I won’t be any trouble, I promise. But, please—” She squinted at his nameplate. “—Mr. Walsh, I can’t stay.
I—”
“Deputy.”
Tess blinked at his interruption and went right on without missing a single beat. “Right. Deputy. As I was saying—”
“You can call me Mason, miss. We’re not so formal in Hamlet, and you saying Mr. Walsh makes me think my dad is here.”
He was charming, she realized. And that could be dangerous. She shook her head, desperate to clear it. Much of the night was hazy, but she definitely remembered him stopping by her table at the bar.
Tess raised her hand, careful to show off her wedding band again.
“My husband,” she blurted out. “He’ll be angry if I don’t come back to the hotel tonight. We’re not from around here, and he’ll worry something has happened to me.”
The deputy—Mason—pursed his lips, a few lines marring his brow. The keys to the cell were hanging loosely from his belt and while he fingered one absently, she could tell from the set of his jaw that she would be trying to make herself cozy on that bench shortly.
And then he said, “Well, I don’t suppose it would do any harm to give him a shout,” and Tess was so relieved that even the prospect of a sore back and a stiff neck didn’t seem so bad.
Reaching behind him, Mason produced something that looked like a walkie talkie. It was bulky and thick, mostly black with a yellow case and a flashing red light next to an antenna that reminded Tess of her pinky finger. He fiddled with one of the three knobs on the side before pressing a button.
A shock of static cut through the air, followed by a soft voice. “Hamlet Inn. Who are you trying to reach?”
“Caroline? It’s Mason, down at the sheriff’s office. How’s everything going?”
“Going fine, fine. Little late for a buzz, though, isn’t it? I was just going to wake up Roy, have him take the desk for a couple hours so I can get some shut eye.”
When the deputy glanced behind him to look at the clock, Tess followed his gaze. It was already half past one in the morning. Her shoulders tensed and her stomach dropped. How had it gotten so late?
“Sorry about the buzz. But, hey, you got some guests fresh in tonight. Yeah?”
“We did. Two outsiders. First ones we’ve had this fall so you know that storm was real wicked earlier. That’s why I’m making my husband take over for me. I would’ve locked up otherwise. Hold on, I got their check-in right here.”
