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“How do you plan to do that?” Sonny asked.
“I’ll be spending nights in her house until this issue is resolved,” Aaron said.
“Don’t you think you’ve gotten too involved too fast with this woman?” Sonny asked.
“I’m not involved. I’m empathetic. She’s just a younger version of my mother, only she has no one for backup. Mom had us. She should have left the man she married years ago, but she didn’t. She thought four boys needed a father. And we did, but not him. Not Clyde Wallace. Dani Owens did fight back. And she did leave her entire life behind to start over, and I’m her backup…sir.”
Sonny gave Aaron a long, steady look and then nodded.
“Understood. And since she’s a key witness in the Raines case, the Jubilee police force will be your backup if the need arises.”
“Thank you, sir. I’m going to need a mug shot of Tony Bing. Maybe I’ll spot him when I’m on patrol.”
“Stay focused. Don’t lose your cool,” Sonny said.
“Always,” Aaron said. “Is it okay to ask one of the detectives to pull up that mug shot for me?”
“Yes,” Sonny said. “Tell them I sent you.”
“Thank you, sir,” Aaron said, and left the office.
A short while later, he was back in his cruiser and patrolling his sector of Jubilee. When lunchtime arrived, instead of eating, he went by both hotels, showed them the mug shot, asked if a man named Alex Bing had checked in, and struck out both times.
That left Reagan Bullard’s campgrounds, so he drove out to the office and went inside. Within a couple of minutes, he learned a man named Alex Bing was registered there. He showed the mug shot to verify the ID and got a description of the man’s car and tag number.
“Is he wanted for anything?” the clerk asked.
“No. It’s for something else entirely,” Aaron said. “However, you’re being asked to say nothing about my inquiry to him or anyone else. Understood?”
“Sure, sure,” the clerk said. “As long as he’s no danger to the other guests, we’re fine, too.”
Aaron eyed the cabin in the distance as he walked back to the patrol car, verified that a gray Ford Bronco was parked at one of the small cabins, and drove away.Now he knew what he looked like, what he drove, and where he was holed up.
He called home on the way back into town.
Shirley saw Aaron’s name come up on her phone as she answered.
“Hi, honey. On your lunch break?” she asked.
“Sort of,” Aaron said. “Listen, I’m going to be spending a few nights at Dani’s house until we get a problem ironed out for her. I guess you could say the past has come back to haunt her,” Aaron said.
“Oh no,” Shirley said. “Is there anything I can do?”
“You already did, Mom. We’ll talk more when I get home. I need to pack some stuff to take with me to her house, and dig out my sleeping bag.”
“I’m so sorry this is happening,” Shirley said.
“So am I, Mom. So am I.”
Dani went back to the supermarket to get more groceries. If Aaron Pope was going to camp out in her house, she would need to feed him. She was just coming out of the supermarket when she saw a man drive up in a truck and park.
At first, she thought it was Aaron and waved; then he got out, and she realized he was older and taller than Aaron, and she’d just embarrassed herself with a stranger. Then she saw an immense white animal in the back seat, and when she realized it was a dog, shestopped and stared. She’d never seen a dog that size in her life and wondered how much it must cost to feed it.
The man was coming toward her as she walked. When he saw her, he nodded cordially.
Dani paused. “I waved at you because I thought you were my friend Aaron. Then I saw you get out of your truck and realized you’re taller and a little older. My apologies.”
“No problem. Are you talking about Aaron Pope?” he asked.
