Safe at Home (Warm Springs Trilogy Book 1) (15 page)

Stephens didn’t know if he was holding onto the story because there was something there or if it was because they needed something, anything, to give them direction as to where to go next in the investigation.

Chapter 18

The little town of Warm Springs was buzzing. The afternoon air was warm and smelled of boiled peanuts and hot dogs on the grill. The window displays looked colorful and were sure to help draw in eager antique fanatics the next day.

“I think that’s as good as it’s going to get.” Mary sighed.

“Well, I think that’s pretty darn good,” laughed Sam. They were both tired. Sam was a little anxious about the following day. It would be her first busy tourist weekend. They walked out of the store, Mary locked the door behind them then they headed down the steps toward their cars.

“Hey guys,” shouted a familiar voice. “Wait up. I can’t walk any faster.”

“What’re y’all doing up here tonight?” Mary asked Ann and Alex.

“Uncle Spencer is going to give us a hayride.” Alex’s voice was full of pride and excitement.

“Oh, that sounds like lots of fun.” Mary used the kind of tone saved for cute kids and puppy dogs.

“Do you want to come, too?”

“You’re mighty kind to offer, but I think I’m going to head on home. I’m going to have a busy day tomorrow.” Mary smiled.

Alex turned his charms in her direction. “Sam, do you want to go?”

“Alex, I’m sure Sam has other things that she needs to do,” Ann replied.

“But, Mom, Sam went fishing with me and Uncle Spencer. She’s fun.”

Ann and Mary exchanged glances and Sam could feel the blush creeping into her face.

“That’s true, we did go fishing and I had a great time.” Sam reached over and tickled him. “You caught all the fish.”

“Sure did,” he said between giggles. “So, do you want to come with me? Mom can’t go. She’s too big to get on the trailer.”

“Hey now.” Ann reached over and ruffled her son’s hair.

“Well, she is,” Alex mumbled.

“I would love to go on a hayride. But can I eat a hot dog first? They smell too good to pass up.”

“Mom, can I get a hot dog, too?”

“Sure,” Ann said.

“Well, you guys have fun. Sam, I’ll see you in the morning.” Mary got into her car and rolled down the window. “Don’t stay out too late.” She waved and headed over the railroad tracks toward her house in the country.

“Let’s go.” Alex pulled his mom’s arm.

“We’re right behind you, Alex.” Once he was out of earshot, Ann turned her attention to Sam. “So, how are things?”

Sam fell into step beside her, enjoying the evening air. “Good. Tomorrow should be fun and very tiring. Why is there a hayride tonight?”

“Spencer usually does one for the local kids the night before since everything gets all touristy tomorrow. This way everyone gets to have fun. Plus, tonight it’s free.” Ann winked.

“Sounds good to me.” Sam watched a couple holding hands as they crossed the street. “I hope Spencer isn’t mad at me anymore.”

“Why do you think he’s mad at you?”

“Never mind. I shouldn’t have said anything.” Sam glanced at Ann beside her and realized she wasn’t getting off the hook so easily. Ann was eyeing her with an expression somewhere between amusement and confusion. “It’s just that the other day, I told him he didn’t need to spend so much time with me. I didn’t mean to offend him, but people were starting to get the wrong idea.”

“Um hm. So you don’t like Spencer?”

“It’s not that I don’t like him, but I’m just not ready for a relationship right now and I don’t want to string him along.”

“That’s good of you.” Ann wiped her mouth and wadded up her napkin.

“I mean Spencer’s a great guy. He’s caring, helpful and really attractive, but like I said . . .”

“You’re not ready for a relationship. I get it.” Ann smiled at her. “But, you think he’s attractive, huh?”

“I’m not dead. What’s not to like?” Sam laughed and then stopped suddenly. “I’m just no good for him.”

“If you ever want to elaborate on that, you know where to find me, but for the record, I think it’s too late. Spencer Malloy only has eyes for you.”

Sam’s heart fluttered and she pretended to study the handwritten sign to hide her smile. The three of them enjoyed a hot dog, or two, and when Alex decided he couldn’t wait any longer, he dragged Sam to the waiting truck.

Sam saw Spencer instantly and the same stirring occurred in her chest. She’d missed him. He was in tight jeans and a white tee shirt, his usual baseball cap missing. As he smiled while helping kids onto the trailer, Sam felt as though she was discovering a new side of him. One which made him even harder to resist.

When it was Alex’s turn, Spencer gave him a high-five and lifted him onto the waiting hay bale. “Where’s your mom?”

“She stayed at the table.” Alex pointed to his mom. “But, Sam came with me.”

Spencer turned and waved at Ann. He smiled at Sam and when she approached the trailer, he held out his hand to help her up.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.” He nodded to her and then turned his attention to the rest of the group. “You guys ready?”

At his words, everyone on the trailer erupted into excited squeals of delight. The truck bumped along slowly as they rolled up Main Street and turned past the flower store Spencer had taken her to. From her position, she could see his elbow propped in the window and his hand as he waved to people he’d known all his life.

“See, Sam, isn’t this cool? Uncle Spencer takes us every year.”

Sam leaned down to talk to Alex on his level. “Very cool. Thanks for letting me come.”

“Well, you’re not so bad, for a girl.”

“Thanks, you’re not so bad, either.” Sam stifled a laugh.

They went around the back of the shops and passed
Mac’s Barbecue
. The sun was beginning to set and the fire flies were coming out. The trailer rattled as Spencer made the final turn. She tilted her head back and enjoyed the simplicity of the moment and the cool air as it grabbed her loose curls and pulled them free from her ponytail.

Everything she said to Ann was true. Spencer was caring, thoughtful and she found him attractive, but it wasn’t enough. A small part of her wished she could have a future with Spencer. That maybe one day she would be riding in the truck beside him waving to friends of her own in a town she’d grown to love.

The truck pulled around in front of the stores again and stopped. Shaking her head, she came back to reality. All the kids bounced up and down in their seats giggling as they waited for Spencer to come around the back and help them down. They piled out one at a time and with waves and many thanks, families headed home for the night.

“That was fun.” She held out a hand and Spencer wrapped his around it as she hopped down. When his skin met hers, a jolt of excitement shot through her. “Thanks for the ride.”

“No problem.” He released her and took a step back. “The kids like it. It’s good to see you, Sam.”

“You too.”

“Have a good one. Maybe I’ll see you around tomorrow.” Before Sam had a chance to reply or feel awkward, he was getting back in the truck.

She walked back to her own car, deflated. He was doing exactly what she wanted him to do, but she felt his aloofness like a physical blow. She missed the easy flirting. She missed him.

It had been her voice. Just as Eric had known it would be. A tremor of excitement worked through him. He shoved his duffle bag into the trunk of the car between the crowbar and the containers of gasoline. They would offer enough fuel to get him to Georgia. He wouldn’t have to stop at any gas stations on the way down and risk exposure. There were too many cameras at those dumps.

He went back up the stairs one last time to say goodbye to his mother. “I’m going now. Are you going to be okay?”

“I’ll be fine.” She waved her cigarette nonchalantly, ashes dropping onto the floor. “When are you coming back?”

“I don’t know.”

“Don’t go getting yourself into trouble again.”

He bent over and kissed the top of her head. He was doing it all for her. He wasn’t just some screw-up. He was going to make things right. The system had failed them. The other men in their lives had failed them, but he wouldn’t.

He slid into the driver’s side of the car and started the engine. It wasn’t much. Just a piece of shit car he’d bought off a guy he knew back in school, but it would do the trick. He met with his parole officer the day before so no one would realize he was gone for the next week. And, he could do a lot in a week.

He pulled out his prepaid cell phone. There was only one number programmed into the phone, but it was the only one he needed. He pushed send and smiled to himself when he heard her voice on the other end of the line.

The next morning came too fast. Sam was still tired, but then she remembered what day it was. Her feet hit the floor and she hauled butt to the bathroom to get ready. As she was putting on her tennis shoes, she noticed her toe was turning a nice blue-black color where she had hit it the night before. She’d been upstairs when she heard the phone ringing and in her rush, she had about taken her foot off on one of the kitchen chairs. In the end, it hadn’t been Spencer. She’d hoped he would call after their meeting in town, but no such luck.

She turned her foot to the side and studied her toe. “That’s going to make for a nice day,” she muttered under her breath. All the drama and the rushing and she hadn’t even made it to the phone in time. She had answered in time to hear the phone click in her ear and to catch the word BLOCKED on the screen. She decided she needed a smaller purse, her cell phone always seemed to get lost in the chaos of her purse’s contents.

Sam pulled her hair back as she took the stairs two at a time, and grabbed a bagel to go as she flew through the kitchen. She was kind of excited about the next couple of days. Hopefully, she would stay busy enough to keep her mind off of a certain someone.

The morning light reflected off the store window as she pulled into her usual parking space. Mary’s car was already there. Sam climbed out and inhaled the cool air. She loved this time of day. Everything was quiet and new.

“Good morning,” Sam called as she entered the shop.

“Good morning, hun. Are you feeling up for it?”

“Always.” Sam tossed her purse and sweater onto the counter in the office and stepped back out onto the main floor. Mary was stacking receipt tape and muttering under her breath the way she did when she was checking things off her mental checklist. They both looked back toward the door when someone knocked. Jenny was outside waving at them.

“Good, our extra set of hands has arrived.” Sam opened the door and ushered Jenny through.

“Hey, guys. Okay, what do you need me to do first?”

“First, let’s make sure we have enough boxes and bubble wrap close at hand. Then, we need to get the drawer ready. I’ll light some candles and start some music to give the store some ambiance.”

Jenny clapped her hands. “Oh, very fancy, Miss Mary.”

The women laughed as they worked furiously over the next hour. Then it was time to open. There were already people milling about outside the door peering in through the windows.

The day flew by. Out on the main road, cars drove in circles waiting for parking places to open up. It was like watching a mall parking lot the week of Christmas. Inside, the girls were so busy answering questions and helping people carry packages to their cars, they barely spoke to one another. Sam had smiled and talked more in this one day than she had since arriving in Warm Springs. She felt normal, or was pretty sure she would have if she’d had time to notice.

Later in the afternoon, on her third trip out to one customer’s truck, Sam was struggling to carry a heavy box containing a marble statue. Another set of hands grabbed the box as she started to teeter dangerously on the stairs.

“It looked like you could use a hand.”

Sam blew out a breath secretly glad Spencer had taken the box. If he hadn’t, she may have dropped it when she heard his voice. She thanked the customer and then she and Spencer climbed the stairs together.

“I really appreciate it. That was heavy. You’re always around when I need you.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth she could feel her face heat.

“Always,” was all Spencer said as he held her gaze for just a moment too long. “I was just grabbing some water, so I better get back to it.” He touched the brim of his hat and was gone again as quickly as he’d appeared.

Feeling like a complete idiot, Sam walked back into the store to help close up. How could Spencer affect her so completely? After counting down the drawer, cleaning up and setting out new merchandise for the following day, Jenny, Mary, and Sam were all sitting around with their feet up and reveling in the day’s activities.

“You guys sure worked hard today, and I thank you kindly. This is just too much for one old bird to handle on her own.”

“Mary, you’re not old. Plus, you worked as hard, if not harder, than we did.” Sam stretched her arms over her head and stifled a yawn.

“You must’ve made a killing today. I feel as if there shouldn’t be anything left after everything you sold today,” Jenny added as she checked messages on her phone.

“And we have one more day to go.” Mary smiled and then they all groaned in unison.

Chapter 19

“Tell me something I want to hear, Stephens,” growled Detective Martin. “We need to make some progress.”

“I went over to the bank and spoke with Human Resources.” He paused and rubbed his chin. “It went pretty well, but . . .”

“But what, Stephens?”

“I think there’s something we should check into even though it’s a long shot.”

“What are you thinking?” Martin had been in this business long enough to know instincts were half the job.

Stephens told him what he’d learned about the attempted robbery leading to the death of two people. He used his notes to avoid leaving out any details.

Martin slumped back in his chair when he finished and cast his eyes toward the ceiling. “So, you’re telling me that a little boy, Jason was it, and another man were shot and no one mentioned this when we were interviewing the employees?”