Chilling Effect (30 page)

“Okay. On three.”

“One.”

She pulled her toes away from the house and let her feet dangle

free.

“Two.”

She loosened her grip overhead.

“Th ree.”

She let go and allowed herself to fall. Down, down, down. And

then she was jolted and jarred. She opened her eyes. Joe’s arms were wrapped around her torso. Tears shone in his eyes.

It was over. She buried her face in his chest and breathed a

ragged sigh.

239

Ruby and Lily pulled into the drop-off circle in Isaac’s Tercel a few minutes before Aroostine and Joe walked through the spotless glass

doors with their wheeled suitcases on a luggage cart. Aroostine

glanced at the car, but didn’t register who they were because they

were so out of context. She was about to climb aboard the resort’s

airport shuttle, when Joe yanked her arm back.

“What’s wrong?”

He smiled and pointed at the red car. Lily was on her knees

waving frantically out the window.

“I think we’ve got a ride.”

“Oh!” She grabbed her suitcase and hurried toward the car.

Ruby popped the trunk and came around to help them load

their bags.

“Th is is a nice surprise,” Joe said.

“Lily insisted we had to see you off . I hope you don’t mind?”

“Don’t be silly,” Aroostine assured her. “We’re touched.”

CHILLING EFFECT

She grinned. “Th at’s a relief. I thought if I were you I’d never

want to see anyone connected to White Springs ever again.” Th e

grin faded, and Aroostine knew she was thinking of Boom.

She rubbed Ruby’s shoulder in what she hoped was a consol-

ing gesture. At least he would live to be judged. Sid had told her

Carole had managed to talk him out of the house after a sixteen-

hour standoff . By then, she and Joe were back at the resort, soaking in the oversized bathtub.

“You’ll come back from this—the tribe will pull together.”

Ruby blinked and plastered her smile back on. “Yeah, I’m sure

we will. Let’s get you two to the airport.” She slammed shut the

trunk and hopped back in the car.

Joe sat in the passenger seat, and Aroostine joined Lily in the

backseat. Th e girl’s nonstop chatter as she pointed out every sight worth seeing on the way to the airport—and more than a few that

weren’t worth seeing—fi lled the car, sparing the adults from having to make conversation. She was bouncing and giggling the entire

trip, but, as her mother slowed the car in front of the drop-off for Delta fl ights, she suddenly burst into tears.

“Hey, Lily, it’s okay,” Aroostine soothed.

Lily launched herself at Aroostine and squeezed her arms tight

around her waist. Th e gesture surprised her, and she tensed, quickly recovered, and hugged the girl back.

“I’m going to miss you,” Lily cried.

“I’ll miss you, too. I don’t know any fairies back home,” she

told her.

Th at earned her a wan smile. She wiped the tears from Lily’s

face.

“Can I visit you—in Pennsylvania?”

“If your mom says it’s okay, of course. Or you could even bring

her with you,” Aroostine promised.

Joe unbuckled his seat belt and peered over the headrest at them.

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MELISSA F. MILLER

“You can defi nitely come visit us, Lily, but I have a feeling you’ll be coming to Washington, DC,” Joe told her.

Aroostine wasn’t sure whose eyes widened more—hers or Lily’s.

“Where the president lives?”

“Yep. Aroostine’s going to get a big promotion, but I know

she’ll take a day off work to visit the White House with me and you.

Right, Roo?” Joe nudged her.

“Uh—tell you what. If you come visit us in Washington, we’ll

try to swing a tour of the offi ce where the president works,” she said slowly, her mind still trying to catch up. Could he be saying what

she thought he was saying?

“Really?” Lily’s tears were ancient history, as she squealed with

excitement. “Can we go, Mom?” She caught Aroostine in another

hug.

“Someday, baby. Maybe over Th anksgiving break. Now let go

of Aroostine’s neck so she can get out of the car before they miss

their fl ight.”

Ruby caught Aroostine’s eye in the rearview mirror and smiled.

After another fl urry of hugs, they lifted their bags out of the

trunk and stood at the curbside waving good-bye to the mother

and daughter.

As the car went around a curve and disappeared from view, Joe

slung an arm around her shoulder. He raised his wrist and checked

his watch.

“We have time for a drink before we board. I think your pro-

motion merits a beer for me and some fruity concoction for you.”

She wrinkled her brow but allowed him to lead her into the

airport. Inside, they stopped at an electronic kiosk that spit out

their boarding passes, and he consulted the directory of terminal

side shops and restaurants.

“Here we go—Th e Pineapple Man. Th at sounds like a place

that will have an umbrella drink that’ll suit you.”

242

CHILLING EFFECT

As they glided up to the second fl oor on the crowded escalator,

she leaned close to him.

“Th is promotion and move back to DC you’re talking about,

do you know something I don’t know?”

“Maybe.” He tried to hide his smile but failed.

He guided her toward a restaurant decorated like a tiki bar, and

the smiling hostess bestowed them each with a plastic lei before

leading them to a high top table for two.

She left them with laminated fl ip book drink menus. Joe picked

up his menu immediately and starting turning the pages.

“No way.” She put her hand down on his menu and forced it

back to the table. “Come on, what’s going on?”

He rested his elbows on the table and leaned across it. “Fine. You’re no fun. Sid called me this morning while you were in the bath—”

“He called you? Or he called me and you answered my phone?”

“Well, counselor, I stand by my answer. He called me.”

She narrowed her eyes. He went on, “Look, I mean, they’re

DOJ-issued cell phones. It probably didn’t take a lot of brainpower to fi nd me.”

“True. But why?”

Joe traced a circle on the table with his index fi nger. After a

moment, he cleared his throat. “I know you’re pretty private about, uh . . . everything. But I guess Sid got wind of your jackass husband who refused to honor his wedding vows and support your dream

when you moved to DC for the job.”

Th e sight of his downcast eyes and miserable expression tore at

her heart. She covered her hand with his and squeezed his fi ngers.

“Joe, I swear, I didn’t say anything negative about you—actually,

I didn’t say anything at all about you.”

“I know, Roo. Trust me, I know you play your cards close to

your vest. Maybe Rosie said something or whatever. Listen, that’s

not the point.”

243

MELISSA F. MILLER

“Okay.”

He looked up at her. “Th e point is, they want you back. And he

wanted to talk to me fi rst to make sure I understood how important this is.”

Her stomach did a fl ip. A complete upside-down fl ip. First,

it leapt up in excitement, then it lurched all the way around and

landed somewhere near her toes.

“I’m not sure I want to go back. You and Rufus aren’t cut out

for city living. And maybe I’m not either. I don’t know. Besides, it’s pretty wrong of Sid to go behind my back and talk to you fi rst.”

He weaved his fi ngers between hers.

“Before you get yourself into a feminist tizzy, you should hear

him out.”

She tilted her head. “Th is must be some job if you’re trying to

talk me
into
it.”

“It is. And it’s perfect for you. You’d be working at the Depart-

ment of Justice but in the Offi ce of Tribal Aff airs. Th ey want to create an interagency thingy between the Criminal Division and Tribal

Aff airs where you would consult to a whole bunch of departments on Native American issues and tribal justice and then basically do what you just did at White Springs—you would swoop in and handle particularly sensitive prosecutions and, uh, stuff . You could help set up tribal courts where there aren’t any and train the judges and lawyers.”

Th at did sort of sound like her dream job.

It was a role she didn’t even know there was a need for a week

earlier. And had she known about it, she would have scoff ed at the idea of working with Native American tribes in that capacity. But

now . . . now she wanted to pick up Carole Orr’s mantle and restore justice to her people.

Her
people.

Even thinking of Native Americans that way was new. But what

were Lily and Ruby, Eli and Ethan, Cathy Palmer, if not her people?

244

CHILLING EFFECT

“But DC?” she asked. She had to be convinced in her heart that

he was sure this time.

“Well, obviously, you’d do some traveling around, but you’d

be based out of DC.
We’d
be based out of DC. But Sid seemed to think that a lot of things could be handled remotely. We could

more or less split our time between the farmhouse and an apartment

or condo in the city. It’d be the best of both worlds. Who knows?

Maybe Rufus will turn out to be a city dog.”

Her stomach was inching its way back out of the nausea zone

and into excitement jitters.

“It sounds . . . intriguing.”

“Right?”

“Are you sure about this?”

He was about to answer when a grass-skirt-clad waitress hulaed

her way over to take their drink orders.

“You folks ready?”

“You know, we haven’t even looked at the drinks yet. What

would you recommend for a celebratory toast before we run to catch

our plane?”

Her green eyes lit up. “Oh, defi nitely a Maui Wowie!”

“Great, bring us two of those, please.” He handed her the menus,

and she went off to put in their drink order.

“Maui Wowies, huh?” Aroostine could feel her headache form-

ing already.

He waved the topic away. “You asked me if I’m sure. I’ve never

been more sure about anything, other than marrying you. You’re a

talented lawyer, Roo. And you really want to make a diff erence. Th is is a way you can make a diff erence for
your

y
people.

our

y

”

“And what about you? What’s changed so much that you’re will-

ing to do this now?”

“I want to do this with you. I mean, I can’t do the lawyer part,

obviously. But I want to help you solve problems and bring justice

245

MELISSA F. MILLER

to Native Americans who’ve been getting the short end. As crazy and demented as Boom turned out to be, I feel like
we
—our cultur
we

e—

played a big role in making him that way. Th is is my way of trying to turn it around. And I think we make a pretty good team.” He

grinned at her.

“Really?”

He pinned her with his intense blue eyes. “Really. And, there’s

one more piece to this. It’s my way of turning around our relation-

ship. I love you. I love us together. And I want to be here for you.

Starting right here, right now.”

A smile crossed her lips.

“Right here, huh? So the watershed moment in our relationship

is going to happen at Th e Pineapple Man in the Redmond Fields

Airport?”

“Yep. When we’re old and gray, and we’re looking back on your

career of distinguished government service and how you brought

restorative justice to Native American tribes throughout the coun-

try, we can say, ‘and to think it all started with Th e Pineapple Man.’”

She burst out laughing at the ridiculous turn of phrase as all

the exuberance and joy that had been building in her during their

conversation reached a crescendo. Th e waitress returned with two

hollowed-out pineapples full of Lord knew what.

He raised his. “To Th e Pineapple Man.”

She mirrored the gesture. “To us.”

246

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

My sincere and unending thanks to Alison Dasho, who plucked Roo

out of the pile, Mallory Braus, who may love my characters as much

as I do and who certainly helped them to grow, James Pierce and

Sara Peterson, who applied their eagle eyes to put a polish on the

book, as well as to the entire Th omas & Mercer team for the care and attention they’ve provided to my characters and me along the way.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Melissa F. Miller is the
USA Today