AllFreeNovel
Share Us
* * *
“Ms. Garrington, I’m Sheriff Beckham.”
The sheriff had knocked on my door, which surprised me. I’d expected a follow-up call, maybe. Not a visit. That was almost as unnerving as the reason I’d contacted the sheriff’s office in the first place. I stared at his badge and opened the door wider, noticing the locksmith I’d hired was watching intently. Did everybody need to know my business? The contractor had been thirty-eight minutes late and it wouldn’t be long until Snake showed up. I could only imagine his reaction when he realized what was going on. Additional stress I didn’t need.
“What do I owe this pleasure to, Sheriff?”
He glanced around my small place before turning to face me. At least the man had a pleasant smile. “I thought I’d talk with you myself. I did have a chat with Drake Myers.”
“Oh, you did?”
“He admitted to placing the flower petals on your desk.”
I wasn’t certain whether to be relieved or not. “Did he send the flowers?”
“He did say he purchased them.”
“With thorns.”
The sheriff laughed. “I don’t think he had anything to do with that. From what I could ascertain, it would seem to me that the man is very attracted to you.”
Wonderful. A dead end. While I should feel another sense of relief, the nagging in the back of my mind remained. Exhaling, I shook my head. “And the phone call?”
As the sheriff scratched his head, I sensed he was conflicted about the answer. “Well, no. He insisted that he wouldn’t do something like that and from what I understand, the call was made to your personal cellphone that isn’t listed on any of the hospital sites. Is that correct?”
“You’re right.” Shelly had also checked on that, including talking to a member of the IT department. There’d been no obvious breach in security.
“And unless you gave it to him, accidentally of course, I honestly don’t think he made the call. Unfortunately, it would appear the call was made from your office, but I have to tell you that hackers can spoof any number easily.”
“Meaning it’s a dead end.”
“At this point, yes. Now, do you want to press charges against Mr. Myers? It’s my understanding that he was fired from his job.”
Hearing the news hit me hard. “I didn’t want that to happen, not for a sweet gesture. No, I don’t want to press charges.” Just then I heard a loud motor and glanced at my watch. Snake was early. Great. How was I going to explain the locksmith and the sheriff?
He also heard the noise and smiled. “I don’t want to interrupt your day.”
“I appreciate you coming all the way out here.” Why did I have a sense he wanted to ask me additional questions? When he glanced at the locksmith, I took a deep breath.
“Just out of curiosity. Did someone bother you at the house?”
What was I supposed to say, that my crazy mind had pictured someone going through my things? “No, I just lost my keys.”
“Ah.” It was obvious he didn’t believe me given my weak attempt at lying, which I wasn’t very good at. “If anything else happens, don’t hesitate to contact us again. Okay?”
Nodding, I followed behind him to the door, noticing my date had arrived on one big, steel Harley. As Snake climbed off, I was forced to take a deep breath. He was dressed in all black, looking very much like the stud he was. My heart skipped several beats, my stomach full of butterflies.
He was taking me at my word.
After the sheriff walked out, he shook hands with Snake, both conversing for a few seconds. Great. They knew each other. I could only imagine the questions I was going to get.
“Are you about finished?” I asked the locksmith.
“Almost.” He stood, trying the lock. “That should do it. Here are your keys.” He walked closer, placing a set of them in my hand. “I’ll email you the invoice if that’s alright.”
“That’s fine.” As the contractor pulled out a pad to write down the address, I glanced over his shoulder. Snake had lifted his head, staring right at me as he and the sheriff continued their conversation. After providing the email, I checked the lock myself, backing away as Snake took long strides in my direction.
If I didn’t know better, I’d swear his limp was much better after the session. He’d surprised me, working hard, only expressing his anger once. I took that as another win. I was racking them up, which gave me a smile.
