Full Circle (16 page)

The house intruder alarm went off at 3:05 am. Josie grabbed her lockbox unlocking it while Alex skidded into her bedroom barefoot wearing pajama bottoms and a tee shirt. She slipped a clip into her Glock .40-caliber handgun.

There was a crash, a breaking of glass and the smoke alarms activated.

"Josie?" the boy, big-eyed and panicked, looked to her.

"Run down to the last bedroom and climb out on the balcony, from there go down the trellis. Go straight to Mrs. Jenkins' house and pound on her door. Take my phone and as soon as you are on the ground hit speed dial #1—that's dispatch. The alarm company will also be calling the sheriff's office and the fire department."

"You've got to come, too!"

"I'll be right behind you," Josie promised. "Go and don't stop moving until you are at Mrs. Jenkins. When I get over there, you'd better be with her or there will be hell to pay!"

The boy ran, and she followed to watch him start down the trellis. Then she descended the stairs slowly. Smoke was filling the hallways and the front room area. Josie fumbled, shoved a picture frame aside and grabbed a fire extinguisher from the compartment behind it. She searched for the source of the smoke. She didn't see any fire. If the fire were in the basement, she would go out the front door fast. She tripped over the source, went to her knees and held her breath as her eyes stung from the chemicals. A metal canister was spewing smoke. She blasted it with foam from a fire extinguisher, but it continued spraying out chemical smoke. She picked up the hot canister and pitched it through the already smashed picture window out onto the lawn.

She could hear the sirens and knew help was on its way, since she was only four streets over from the fire station. She opened the front door, looked to her neighbor's house and saw Alex standing on their lawn. She went back inside and began opening doors and windows. She disabled the home-alarm system so that part of the noise stopped. She went from window to window opening them, taking a deep breath of clean air and going to the next to let the smoke out of the house.

Jack's Jeep wheeled into her drive, skidding to a stop in the front yard. He sprinted across the lawn in his bare feet.

Josie was opening another window when Jack yanked her off her feet, tossed her over his shoulder and carried her out to the edge of the road.

"I'm all right, Jack!" she shouted as fire trucks filled her driveway and lawn and volunteers pulled their trucks and cars to the side of the road wherever they could find an empty spot and came running.

"Tim!" Josie shouted, dodging Jack and running towards the fire trucks.

"Josie! Is everyone out?" the Fire Chief demanded.

"Yes, Alex is at the neighbors," Josie answered and looked again to verify that he was still firmly in place on her neighbor's lawn.

"Where's the source?" Tim demanded.

"I don't think there's a fire. I think it was a smoke bomb," Josie said, pointing to the still spewing canister on the front lawn. "The window was smashed and the canister was lying on the living room floor. The smoke alarms won't quit until the smoke clears. The intruder alarms went off before that, so someone was trying to break-in."

The Fire Chief was barking out orders to his firefighters as they cautiously entered the house. Meanwhile, the sheriff's vehicle pulled off the side of the road along with another deputy's vehicle, and they came running.

Jack was at her side again, spinning her around and zipping her into his nylon jacket. That was when Josie realized she was wearing only a skimpy tee shirt and boy-cut Joe Boxer panties.

"Oh crap, I'm half naked," she exclaimed tugging the jacket down although it already covered her nearly to her knees. She pulled the magazine out of her gun and put the gun and magazine into her pocket.

"I don't mind," grinned one of the younger volunteer firefighters as he winked at her on his way past.

"Deke Saunders! Keep your mind on the job and your eyes off me!" Josie scolded.

"I need you both to back off to a safe zone until I tell you it's clear," ordered the Fire Chief.

Josie and Jack joined Alex on her neighbors' lawn and watched the busy firefighters running back and forth.

"They haven't turned the hoses on," Josie said. "That means they haven't found any fire yet." She wrapped her arms around Alex and pulled him to her, and Jack pulled both of them close to him. They stood banded together watching firefighters going in and out of the house.

"How did you know?" Josie asked, leaning back against Jack.

"I bought a police and fire scanner," Jack said, shrugging at her surprised look. "You're in the law business; I figured that way I'd have some idea what you were up against."

Mrs. Jenkins, her neighbor, brought out a tray of coffee and hot chocolate while her husband offered Jack and Alex flannel shirts.

More volunteer firefighters showed up bringing large fans. After a while, the firefighters began to reel back the hoses and put their gear back on the trucks.

Tim Miller, the Fire Chief, came over to them. "It's strictly smoke damage, Josie. We've checked out everything. There's no sign of fire. The side door looks like someone might have tried to jimmy it open. That's probably what set off the entry alarms. Whoever was trying to break in threw the smoke bomb as a diversion to cover their escape. We'll leave the big fans going for now, and I'll send someone out to retrieve them in the morning."

"Why?" Jack demanded. "Why would someone set off a smoke bomb? Why would someone trying to burglarize a house be carrying a smoke bomb? It's not exactly something people keep lying around."

"That's for the sheriff and Josie to figure out," the Fire Chief said, shaking his head. "I don't think there's much damage, but there might be some chemical residue on your walls or ceilings. You'll have to call your insurance company about getting someone out to clean up the damage. The new sheriff is inside checking on that door."

"Thanks for responding so quickly," Josie said. "Tell the guys to pick a night, and I'll treat them to hamburgers and steaks on the grill at the firehouse."

"I'll bring that up in tomorrow's meeting," Tim said with a smile. He gave his men a wrap-up signal and the trucks began to roll out.

"Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins," Josie offered sincerely.

"Now honey, if it's too smoky in there, you all come on back, and we'll put you up for the night," Mrs. Jenkins called out as they walked across the lawn.

Stepping past the large blowing fans, Josie and Jack both looked upwards at the ceilings to see how much damage the smoke had caused.

Alex stepped past and went straight to the refrigerator. "Do I still have to go to school?" he demanded.

Josie nodded and looked to the clock. "Yes, in about three and half hours." When the boy looked like he was about to launch a protest, she held up her hand. "You'll be the one with the most exciting story to tell."

He seemed to consider that and nodded his head. "Can I go back to bed?"

"I don't see why not, but no dragging about when I do tell you it's time to get up," Josie warned as he trudged off.

"I don't see any damage," Jack said, surveying the rooms. "I think you got the smoke bomb out fast enough and the air flow going quickly enough that the smoke didn't linger at the ceiling level. Call your insurance company in the morning and ask them what they want to do about it."

Josie nodded absentmindedly, walked over to the sink, turned the cold water on and held her hand under the running water.

Jack frowned and walked over to pick up her hand. There was a silver-dollar-sized blister in the palm of her hand. "Damn it, Josie, you picked up that hot canister with your bare hand!"

"I didn't think about it, Jack, I reacted. I didn't even feel the blister until later. What is going on? First, there's a fire at your place. Now an attempted break-in and smoke bomb here."

"Where's your first-aid kit?"

"There." Josie pointed to a cabinet and sat down at the kitchen bar knowing Jack would take care of the first aid for her hand. She looked around. "That smoke bomb landed on one of my good rugs. It's a wonder the heat from the canister didn't ignite the rug. The rug saved the hardwood though. Where would you even buy a smoke bomb? Do gun stores carry them? I've bought guns and ammunition, but I don't know if they carry smoke bombs."

"They usually do," Jack said. "Gun shops, paramilitary suppliers, Army surplus, probably even the Internet, if you connected with the right people."

He smeared some salve on her hand and began to bandage the burn when there was a pounding on the back door. "Hold that in place," he said, as he got up to answer.

Buck Marshall barreled through the door. "I heard there was a fire out here," he yelled. "What the hell is going on?"

"I don't need this right now, Buck. What's going on here doesn't concern you," Josie snapped and tried to move, but Jack held her in place while he finished bandaging her hand.

"Josie, I know you don't believe me," Buck said gruffly, "but it does matter to me. Sooner or later you're going to have to believe me."

"Don't count on it," Josie exclaimed. "Go home, Buck! My business is not your business!"

"That's a matter for debate, Missy," Buck said. "What was on fire?"

"There wasn't a fire," Josie snapped.

"How'd you get burned, if there wasn't a fire?" Buck demanded.

"Buck, go home," Josie repeated. "There was no fire and I don't want Alex up again. Get out of here before you wake him up. So help me if you do, I'll find something to charge you with and stick your butt in jail to get you out of my hair!"

"Fine, but I'm coming back later!" the older man yelled as he stomped out of the kitchen. He stopped at the door. "I also want to know who painted graffiti on your garage!"

Jack and Josie exchanged looks, went to the back door and waited until he drove off. They walked around the carriage house to the far side of the building where Buck had parked. There was a mix of black and orange fluorescent threats and disgusting expletives sprayed across the newly painted garage.

"Someone is pissed at me," Josie exclaimed with a sigh. "Couldn't they have done this before I had it painted?"

"That's not funny,"

"No, it isn't," she agreed. "I'll have to call Charles back. Obviously, he wasn't looking at this end of the house since it faces the woods. I'll call it in after Alex goes to school. I don't want him to see this."

"This is personal," Jack said, viewing the threats as they returned to the house.

"I know. Thursday is Alex's last day of school. I've already got it cleared for him to go to the baseball camp. That way he'll be out of here by Sunday. I don't know what's going on, but I don't want him here right now. I'll have to call Mrs. Tarry. If my address shows up on a police report, they might notice it." Josie picked up a legal pad and jotted a note on it.

"Will social services hold this kind of thing against you?" Jack asked.

"They shouldn't, but we could be in for a legal battle over Alex. His mother is out there somewhere and she's unstable. It seems to me that the law keeps bending over backwards to protect her rights, but Alex, who is the one that needs protection, is being ignored. The baseball camp is a way of getting him out of town. The camp will be good for him. If Mrs. Tarry questions me about the break in, I'll come up with something."

"Don't lie. That only compounds the issue," Jack warned. "Be straight with her. You're trying to protect him. You've given up your badge, what more could they want?"

Josie closed her eyes and leaned into Jack. He lifted her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist while he carried her over to the couch.

"With all these fans going, it sounds like an aircraft-carrier tarmac," he said.

"You would know about those things?" Josie asked, shifting her eyes to him.

"I would," Jack agreed with a grin. "We'll keep them going for a little while longer to make sure all the fumes are out."

Josie laid her head on his shoulder. "I'm glad you came."

"I'm not leaving," he warned.

She nodded. "I figured this would trigger all those macho instincts. You can only stay until morning, and we can't go near the bedroom. I don't need to break the rules."

Jack laughed and patted her bottom. "I didn't think I'd ever hear those words from you, Hellion."

Josie disabled the yard lights and slipped out of her house. She was wearing black from head to toe. She was going to prove what she had suspected for the last two nights. She kept low, and as the dark SUV came up her street without headlights, she slid behind a bush and hunkered down. The SUV and Jeep met in the middle of the street as the drivers' windows went down. She crept between the two vehicles, keeping her face down and covered. When she was in position, she slammed a flat hand against the doors of both vehicles with a loud POW!

"Shit!"

"Damn!"

Josie popped up between the vehicles and two men while pulling off her black ski mask. "Would you two assholes explain to me why you're watching my house?"

"Shit, Josie! What the hell do you think we're doing?" Jack demanded, having lost his normal unflappable calm.

"What I think, is there is one Jackass, and one Butthead that are about to get arrested for stalking!" Josie exclaimed. "Go home, Jack! Go home, Buck! If I catch you here again, I will arrest you!"

Josie stalked off to her house as Jack and Buck looked at each other.

"She caught us dead to rights!" Buck said. "You owe me twenty bucks and I'm out of here! I told you she was too sharp to fall for this."

"I'll go cool her down," Jack grunted.

"Good luck with that," the older man said, turning on his headlights and driving off.

Jack parked his Jeep behind Josie's truck, blocking her in deliberately. Following her into the kitchen, he was smacked in the head with a sopping wet tea towel.

"Damn you, Jack! I've been feeling creeped out every night this week and all the time it was you! I ought to bash your head in!" Josie was not, in fact, screaming; she was whispering, but she was furious.

"You wouldn't let me stay," Jack said softly, realizing that if he played this right, he could keep her from exploding. She didn't want to wake up the boy.

"I told you why I can't let you stay. You went behind my back and kept me under surveillance this entire week," Josie hissed.

"There were threats written out in plain view on your garage wall," Jack reminded her.

"Vague, stupid, childish threats," Josie snapped. "They weren't serious enough to warrant this much attention. You went behind my back and were working with HIM!"

"Buck Marshall is as concerned about your safety as I am, and we were splitting shifts," Jack said calmly. "It was for your own good."

"Fuck off, Jackass!" Josie fumed through gritted teeth.

"Get a grip," Jack snapped back, stepping into her space enough that she backed off two steps. That brought her up against the kitchen counter. "Threats are threats and I wasn't about to let you get ambushed by some idiot. I take any threat against you seriously. So does Buck!"

"I don't want that man around me!" Josie snapped, punching her finger into his chest.

"He's your father!"

"He's the son of a bitch that walked out on us," Josie yelled the first three words before realizing it and lowering her volume. "I do not need the two of you working against me!"

"We're not working against you," Jack said. "Sheriff Malone decided that the spray painting was separate from the break-in and smoke bomb. How he figures that, I don't know, but since he's not taking it seriously, we are. I won't let anything happen to you, Josie."

"You're working with
him
!"

"We aren't working against you. We're working for you! We were worried and trying to protect you. If you'd stop being so damn stubborn, you could try listening."

"I heard him, Jack, and I don't buy it," Josie snapped. "Poor Buck, off fighting for his country, only to come back, and find his wife and kid gone. He searches, but there is no trace of his missing daughter. Bullshit! How hard would it have been to look up his wife's family? I was dumped off on Mason when I was seven-years old and never left this town until I was seventeen. I lived in Rawlings where his wife's family history goes back a hundred and thirty years! My last name was changed to his wife's maiden name. Get out!"

Jack's chin snapped up. "What?"

"Out!" Josie snarled, punching him in the chest with her knuckles. "This is my decision, Jack, not yours! I don't want anything to do with Buck Marshall. If you do, you're out!"

Jack caught both her hands and kissed her. She came up for air and struggled against him, and he kissed her again and again until he felt her relax under his assault on her senses.

Josie laid her forehead down against his chest. "You don't fight fair!"

Jack chuckled. "Call me MacGyver. I use my talents where they work the best." Jack rubbed her shoulders and back. "Calm down, Hellion. I'm not working against you, and neither is Buck. We didn't want to take any chances with your safety and the safety of Alex."

"You could have told me!" Josie snapped. "I haven't slept for two days, thinking someone menacing was out there. I thought it was Marcy Carter."

"Trying to snatch Alex back," Jack guessed and she nodded her head. "It could be, I'm sorry—really. You should have said something."

"I should have said something?" Josie questioned incredulously. "Would you have admitted that it wasn't her? That it was two jackasses messing with my head?"

"Yes, if it would have put your mind at ease," Jack admitted. "I'm moving in tonight. With someone else here, Buck can stand down."

"He never stood up in the first place," said Josie sadly.