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Instead of scowling, the sheriff smiled and leaned across the desk. “I usually take ‘em the day I receive ‘em, but it won’t hurt for me to drag my feet ‘til Friday. That work?”
I blinked with surprise. “That would be perfect. Thank you!”
“We do our best to work with people,” he said. “Now, about the motel and parking fees…”
I wrote him personal checks for those.
“I have to say, the town looks cleaner than it has in years,” he said. “You did a fine job, young lady.”
I grinned while tearing the final check from my checkbook. “It was easy with Jayce’s help. Many hands make quick work.” I handed the check across the desk.
He stared at it and frowned. “He helped with the early work,” he said casually. I was so excited to leave that I didn’t even notice something was wrong.
“He helped witheverything.” I paused before ratting him out for not showing today, then went on anyway. It was his problem, not mine. “Today I worked alone, since he didn’t show up. Must’ve been hungover.”
I grinned, but the sheriff’s mouth was hanging open. He took the check from my hand and put it down without taking his eyes from me.
“You’re telling me,” he said slowly, “that Jayce Simone Hawkins stopped doing community servicetoday?”
“That’s right.” Now I knew something was wrong. “What’s the matter? Should I have not snitched on him? I honestly don’t care whether or not Jayce gets in trouble for no-showing today. I just—”
“Jayce shouldn’t have been helping you,” the sheriff snarled. “He was already released from all obligations by the judge. He finished his community servicetwo weeks ago.”
45
Charlotte
I was stunned. I stared at the sheriff, who looked back at me with an increasingly intense gaze.
“Two weeks ago?” I asked. “That’s impossible…”
“Filled out the paperwork myself,” he replied. “Right after y’all finished on the judge’s fence. How much did Jayce help?”
I’m in trouble,I realized. “I don’t know.”
“Sure you do. How much?”
“I mean, he drove the truck with the supplies,” I admitted. “He did as much work as me.”
“And you let him?”
“Why—why wouldn’t I?” I stammered. “He told me he wouldn’t be done with his community service until a couple of days after me!”
But the sheriff was already turning away from me to dial a number on his phone. “This is not acceptable. Judge Benjamin needs to hear about this. You didn’t complete a proper hundred and twenty hours of service if you had help the whole time.”
“I didn’t know…” I said weakly.
“Doesn’t matter what you knew. Only matters what youdid.”
I don’t remember standing up and leaving the police station. The next moment I was walking down the main street of town, the sheriff’s angry voice drifting behind me, demanding that I come back and sit down. I pretended like I didn’t hear.
Jayce had finished his hours weeks ago. He could have left Eastland without fearing that the law would catch up to him and arrest him, like he’d said. But he didn’t leave. He stayed. Every day for the past two weeks he’d woken up, driven into town, and helped with the most mind-numbing work two people could do underneath the Georgia sun.
And he’d done it forme.
I reached the diner before the sheriff caught up to me. Mindy was wiping down Flop’s booth even though he still sat there with a cup of coffee. They both looked at me with confusion.
“What’s wrong? Did that goddamn judge screw you over?” Mindy tossed down her rag, then pointed at my face. “He can’t do this. Not to someone like you, someone who’s put her head down and worked hard every damn day.”
