Saving Cassie (Fairfield Corners) (2 page)

After unpacking all the
boxes of my clothes, I realize how quiet it is. I’ve forgotten how quiet it can
be in a small town after dark.  I already miss the lights and noise of the big
city.  I got used to the quiet before, I can do it again I vow as I make my way
up the stairs, avoiding all the squeaky spots.

As the bath is filling, I
go to the linen closet and pull out sheets and towels.  I can make up the bed
after my bath, I decide as I take the sheets into my old room.  I’m not ready
to move into Gram’s room yet, it’s too soon.  I do go into her room and get her
old, threadbare robe, though.  I’m gonna need something tonight for comfort.

I strip and put my clothes
into the clothes chute just as I did when I was growing up in this house.  I
can see the steam curling up over the antique claw foot tub and admit that I
definitely missed this big tub, my apartment in New York only had a shower in a
tiny bathroom.  This is Heaven!

After my bath, I wrap
myself in Gram’s robe and make up my old bed.  I decide a glass of wine will
hit the spot as I finish the book I am reading.  I head downstairs to the
kitchen, checking that the front door is still latched on my way.  Thank
goodness it’s still latched, that was getting creepy!  I flip on the light in
the kitchen and head for the fridge for the bottle of wine I had put in there
earlier to chill.  I looked in the wine cupboard and saw that Gram has three
bottles of my favorite Moscato, one less thing to remember to buy at the
grocery.  She loved to have a glass of wine after dinner.  God, I miss her!

I head back up to my room
and settle in with my book.  After an hour I hear the stairs creak, as if
someone is walking up the stairs and doesn’t know which ones to avoid, sounds
like the third step from the bottom.  I grab my flashlight and put my feet into
my slippers.  Why didn’t I leave the hall light on? There’s another creak,
sounds like the fourth step from the top now; where’s my cell phone?  Why
didn’t I get the landline hooked up today?  I grip my flashlight tighter and
head to the bedroom door. About two steps from the door, the door handle turns
and the door begins to open.  Maybe if I scream loud enough James will hear me
next door!  The door swings open and standing in the doorway is Matt, dressed
as he was that night six months ago: jeans, biker boots, black t-shirt, and
leather jacket. He is holding out a butcher knife in his left hand, letting the
sleeve of his jacket ride up enough to see the tattoo on his forearm.  “Cassie,
please don’t leave me, I love you!”

I back up towards the bed,
this can’t be happening again!  Matt is supposed to be in jail in New York City
and getting treatment for his drug and alcohol addiction.  He moves toward me
and I begin to scream.  Suddenly, he is behind me, holding the knife to my
throat, I plead with him, “Don’t hurt me again!  If you leave now, I won’t tell
anyone you were here.  I swear!”

“Nobody will know I was
here, other than finding your body.  Don’t forget, I’m a cop so I know how to
stage a crime scene.”  He pushes me forward toward the rocking chair.  “Sit
down and shut up, why do you have to scream like that?  Trying to wake up the
whole town?”

I turn around to sit in
the chair and decide that I am not going to just let him kill me.  I rush him
and he stabs me with the knife.  The burning pain causes my legs buckle and I
find myself lying on the floor.  “No, no, no, please don’t hurt me again.  I
swear I’ll be quiet,” I whisper, the pain making it hard to breathe.

Matt reaches for my arm to
pull me up and somehow I scream again.  Suddenly, I am on my bed with my book
in my lap, screaming like a banshee.  I realize it’s just a nightmare.  I
haven’t had a nightmare about that night for a couple of weeks.  Weird, that it
took place here and not back in New York; that’s a new twist.  Matt stabbing me
is also new, wonder what brought that on?  I sit there with my arms wrapped
around myself, willing myself to calm down.  My hands are shaking as I get up to
check all the doors and windows.  All locked up, thank goodness.  I go to the
bathroom and get my sleeping pills out of the medicine cabinet and take two.  I
notice that there are only six more pills and make a mental note to call my
doctor in New York and get a refill.  I can’t be having those nightmares again,
walking through each day like a zombie from lack of sleep.  James will notice
and he won’t leave it alone until I tell him everything.

I get back in bed and wait
for the sleeping pills to kick in.  I have to start going through Gram’s things
tomorrow and I want to start to review the accounts for the store.  I have some
ideas I want to try and I need to see if there is enough cash flow right now to
implement them.

My eyelids begin to droop. 
The sleeping pills are finally working, I think as I settle in and get
comfortable.  Sure hope I don’t have another nightmare tonight!

I wake up the next morning
to the sun in my face; looks like it’s going to be another beautiful day.  Sure
hope this warm weather sticks around for a while.  September weather can be
really volatile in Indiana.  I head downstairs and thank God that the “Church
Ladies” stocked the kitchen for me.  Fresh coffee will sure hit the spot.  I
shuffle into the kitchen and get the coffee maker going.  Soon, the smell of fresh
brewed coffee fills the room.  As I turn to get a mug out of the cupboard I
hear someone knocking on the back door.  I look out the window and see James,
all decked out in his sheriff uniform.  Woohoo, perfect time for some Barney
jokes!

As I unlock and open the
door, I say, “Morning Barney, did you smell the coffee all the way over at your
house?  I was just getting ready to make some scrambled eggs for breakfast.  Want
some?”

“No thanks, I already had
breakfast with my wife, smart ass.” James replies.  “I will take a cup of
coffee though,” as he sits at the kitchen table.

“Such language from an
officer of the law.  I should report you to Sherriff Taylor,” I say, “Maybe he
can teach you how to speak to a lady.”  I pour and bring two mugs of coffee to
the table and sit across the table from him.

“When you act like a lady
I’ll talk to you like one.  I remember your Gram washing your mouth out with
soap more than once when we were growing up.  Pot, kettle, black, works both
ways,” he says with a grin.

“Are you here for a reason
or did you wake up this morning and decide I needed to be harassed today?”

“Just had to prove to
myself that it wasn’t a dream, you’re really back for good.” He gives me a kiss
on the cheek and heads out the door, taking the coffee cup with him.

An hour later I am at the
bookstore, going over the books with Mel.  Mel has been a godsend, keeping the
bookstore open while I went back to New York to say goodbye to my life there.  “I’m
so glad you were willing to keep the bookstore running for me Mel.  I’m going
to make sure you get some time off soon.”

“I know you will.  Let’s
give it a couple of weeks until you feel comfortable with the way things are
running.”

I smile at her as I glance
at the clock on the wall.  “Wow, look at the time, I’m meeting James for lunch
today.  Have Peggy come in some more hours so you can spend some time with Dan.
 I’ll be in early tomorrow, so sleep in and come in at 10 instead of 8.”

“Thanks Cassie, I’ll do
that. See you tomorrow.”

I walk down to the
sheriff’s office, noticing only one cruiser parked out front.  Good, Deputy
Miller must be out on patrol.  I need to talk to James about him; I still can’t
believe he gave me a speeding ticket.

I pull open the door and
walk towards the receptionist, letting the familiar sights and sounds wash over
me.  “Hey Maureen, is James in his office?”

“Hi Cassie! I heard you
were back.”  Maureen gets up and walks around the counter and gives me a hug, “Are
you doing OK?”

At my nod she pats my arm
and goes back to her chair and sits down.  “The sheriff just got off a
conference call with the mayor.  Go on in.”

I walk into James’ office
and plop myself in his lap and give him a great big kiss just to drive him nuts.
 I love it that James is turning bright red.  “Hey baby, have you told your
wife about me yet?” I say as a finishing touch.

I hear someone clear their
throat.  I look over and see it’s the pain-in-my-ass deputy, looking at me like
I’m pond scum.  His hat is gone and the aviator sunglasses are hanging from the
pocket of his shirt.  I notice his blond hair, just long enough that the ends
are starting to curl as my eyes are drawn to his eyes, they are an intense blue
and it feels like they are looking all the way through me; seeing all my most
private thoughts.

“I have that report you wanted.
 I’ll bring it back later,” he says, his disapproval of me evident on his face.

“Now is fine Logan.” 
James clears his throat and murmurs in my ear, “Cassie, get off my lap!” before
continuing, “Logan, this is an old friend of mine, Cassie Holt.”

“We’ve met.  I’ve got to
get back out on patrol.” He puts the file he was holding in James’ inbox and
turns and walks out of the office.

James looks at me,
puzzled, “You’ve met?  You just got into town yesterday.  Why didn’t you
mention it?”

“I was going to talk to
you about that.  He gave me a speeding ticket yesterday on my way into town.”  
I start pacing, glaring at the door.  “And he looked at me like I was a piece
of gum on his shoe!”  I plop down in a chair across the desk from James, “Where
did you find this guy?  I think he needs a personality transplant!”

“Now Reggie, give him a
break.  How do you expect him to act when he walks in on what looks like a
tryst between the two of us?  I really wish you would quit doing that, some
people just don’t understand.”

“Oh, loosen up James.  Can’t
he take a joke?”

“He’s by the book, no
wiggle room.  But he’s a great deputy.  Please try not to alienate him, Reggie,
I really don’t want to have to look for another deputy.  It took me four months
to convince the county board to hire him.”

Not wanting James to feel
like he won, I change the subject.  “Enough about him, let’s go to lunch. Where
do you want to go?”

“Let’s just go to the
diner across the street, I think they have chicken and noodles on special
today.”

“Sounds good, as long as
that deputy isn’t there.  What crawled up his butt?”

Outside the sheriff’s
office, Logan gets back into his cruiser after grabbing his hat off the desk.  What
a piece of work, he thinks, pulling on his sunglasses.  As he pulls out onto
Main Street he is thinking about Cassie sitting on James’ lap, wondering why it
bothers him so much.  He grins, thinking that James will have his hands full
keeping that one in line.  All afternoon the memory of her deep brown eyes
haunts him, making him wonder what secret she is hiding.

It’s been three days and I
have managed to avoid the deputy so far, maybe some time will mellow him out a little.
 It’s Saturday and tonight is the Harvest Festival Dance, the social event of
the year here in our little town.  The town goes all out, decorating the town
square and even having the refreshments catered.  Everyone loves the
opportunity to get dressed up and have a night out on the town. All the
businesses in town close early, even the only bar in town.  The town even
springs for a semi-famous band, no cheesy DJ for this shindig!  I take special
care  to do my hair and makeup, this is a special event.  Tonight, the town
council is going to honor Gram with a posthumous award for all her work for the
town through the years.  Luckily, I have a great dress that I bought for a
wedding in New York that I ended up not going to.  It’s deep green and seems to
make my eyes sparkle, the plunging neckline just deep enough to see a hint of
cleavage.  I’m glad the autumn weather is still warm, it’s just not the same
when we have to have the dance inside the town hall.

I am putting the final
touches on my makeup when I feel a breeze swirl my skirt around my legs. That’s
crazy, I closed all the windows about ten minutes ago to get ready to head to
the square, I’ve been locking all the doors and windows.  It’s going to take me
awhile to get used to leaving doors unlocked.  I must have missed a window
somewhere.

I hear the front door open
and James yell, “Hey Reggie, get a move on! The dance is about to start!”

“Don’t get your panties in
a bunch.  I’m almost ready!” I yell back, putting on my shoes.

I walk down the stairs and
get a wolf-whistle from James.  “Wow, Reggie, that’s some dress!” he exclaims,
thinking that he can’t wait to see Logan’s reaction to it.

James takes my arm and we
head out the door, heading for the town square.  Luckily, it’s only a couple of
blocks otherwise I would never have made it in my five-inch stilettos.  Marie
is already in the square, she is the decoration committee chairperson.  I find
her making some final adjustments on the refreshment table.  “Everything looks
great Marie, luckily the warm weather stuck around long enough to have the
dance outside. I love dancing under the stars!”

“Yes, we have been really
fortunate this year.” James walks over and grabs Marie and dips her and gives
her a big kiss.

“Wow, how do I rate such a
handsome husband?  I am the luckiest woman in Fairfield Corners!” James turns
bright red, completely embarrassed.

I see Dan and Mel across
the square and make my way over to them.  James and Marie watch me go.  “I
can’t wait until Logan sees that dress,” James snickers.  “Maybe that will
loosen him up.  I don’t know why he’s been in such a sour mood lately.”

“It must have something to
do with Cassie, he was fine until she got to town,” Marie replies.

James turns and scans the
square, “Speak of the devil, here he comes now.”

Logan walks over towards
James and Marie.  When he catches sight of Cassie he comes to a complete stop.  James
walks over towards him, “Hey Logan, what do you think of our little party?”  He
waits about 30 seconds and asks, “What do you think of Cassie’s dress?”

“What?” he asks, as he
drags his attention back to James.

“I asked you what you
thought of Cassie’s dress.”

“Oh, I hadn’t noticed.”  He
heads towards the refreshment table, watching Cassie the whole time.

“Well, I guess we know why
he’s been in such a mood the last few days,” Marie remarks as he walks away.  “He
couldn’t take his eyes off her.  How long do you think it will be before he
admits to himself that he’s attracted to her?”

“It could be awhile.  He
was treated very badly by his ex.”

“He’s not going to know
what hit him.  Ever since I met him I’ve thought that he and Cassie would hit
it off.”

Oblivious to Logan’s
stare, I drag Dan on to the dance floor when the band starts to play.  Flirting
with him brings back old times when I dated him in high school.  He is as sweet
as ever, I’m so glad he is with Mel.  He tells me stories about everyone in
town, making me laugh.  I don’t notice Logan getting more tense by the minute,
his piercing blue eyes following my every move.

The band finishes their
first song and starts their second, a romantic ballad.  I grab James and pull
him close for a slow dance.  Good thing Marie knows how I feel about him,
otherwise she would be jealous.  She knows I love him like a brother.  We dance
for a while until Marie cuts in, “can I have my husband back now Cassie?” she
jokes.

“Sure Marie,” I say,
bowing out gracefully.  I make my way over to the refreshments, stopping to
talk at almost every table, flirting with the guys I grew up with.  It’s so
great to be able to catch up like this, where everyone is having a good time.  I
finally pick up a glass of punch.  I find a table and sit down to just enjoy
the night and the music.

An hour later, after
dancing with most of the guys I went to school with and accepting Gram’s
posthumous award I go to one of the benches on the edge of the square away from
the dance and commotion.  The stars are shining brightly, I forgot how
beautiful the sky is away from the lights of New York City.  Memories of Gram
start to bring tears to my eyes again, time to get back into the center of
things.  Must keep the memories away tonight, the dance is not the time for
sadness.  The band starts to play a faster song and the teenagers take over the
dance floor.  I watch them, remembering how it felt to be so young and
carefree; thinking that nothing or no one could hurt me.  I remember my first
kiss, at this dance so many years ago when I was 14… Dan was 15 and a year
ahead of me in school, I felt so grown up!  Oh, to be that young and innocent
again.  I watch as Marie makes her way out on the dance floor with someone I
don’t recognize.  I watch Marie dancing with this tall stranger.  They’re doing
some really awesome moves.  They turn and I can’t believe my eyes!  It’s Deputy
Miller, and he looks very good out there on the dance floor.

Marie is laughing as the
band finishes the song and starts a slow song.  Logan and Marie start to slow
dance until James cuts in, “Thanks for holding my place with my wife Logan.  Why
don’t you dance this one with Cassie?”

Logan bows out, handing
Marie over to James.  He turns and looks at me, those piercing blue eyes find
mine.  He sighs and makes his way over to me, his expression unchanging.  

“Miss Holt, may I have this
dance?” he asks, holding his hand out to me.  How come Marie rates a smile and
all I get is this sour look?

I put my hand in his,
thinking it’s just a dance, what can it hurt.  “Why yes, you may, Deputy
Miller.”  We move out on to the dance floor, where Logan pulls me close and
starts to dance.  Wow, being in his arms makes me start to rethink my decision
on relationships.

“Figured I’d take my turn,
looks like you’ve danced with almost every other man here.  You sure seem to be
having a good time.”

“Yes, I am.  It’s been way
too long since I was here for the Harvest Festival Dance.  I have many
wonderful memories of these dances while I was in high school.”

“I just bet you do.  I’ve
been watching you holding court with all your past conquests, even rubbing
yourself all over James.  No wonder you’re no longer engaged!”

I stop dancing and just
stand there staring at him.  I move to slap him but his reflexes are too fast,
he catches my wrist and stops my hand.  “Let go of me, you horse’s ass!  How
dare you insinuate that I’m trying to break up James’ marriage!”  I turn and
stomp off the dance floor, heading for the bar and a good stiff drink.  I stomp
past James and Marie.  “Your deputy needs a lesson in manners!  What an ass!”  I
finally make it to the bar, ordering a rum and coke.  I drink it quickly, and
order another.

James comes up behind me,
“Slow down Reg, what did Logan say to get you so pissed off?”

“Go ask him, I don’t want
to talk about it!”

“Come on Reg, talk to me.  How
can I fix it if you don’t tell me what he said?”

Knowing that James won’t
leave it alone until I tell him, I yell,  “He had the nerve to suggest that I
was trying to take you away from Marie!”

 “Well, what is he
supposed to think?  I told you that someday your obsessive flirting was going
to get you in trouble.”

I cannot believe he just
said that!  “What?  You’re taking his side?  Just go away and leave me alone
James.  I don’t need a man in my life, not even you!”

“Now Reggie, you don’t
mean that.  You know you love me and you can’t live without me,” he grins,
thinking I won’t be able to resist it.

“Men!” I stomp off, taking
my drink to find a quiet corner to lick my wounds.  First the good deputy
insinuates that I’m a potential home wrecker and then my best friend agrees
with him! I don’t know why Marie stays married to him, he’s almost as bad as
that deputy of his!

A couple of drinks later,
I decide it’s time to stumble home.  I never made it to the refreshment table
so the alcohol hits me when I stand up to head home, making the world tilt
slightly.  I make my way across the square, hiding my anger behind my trademark
flirting.  I flirt to keep the men off-balance, don’t want anyone to get too
close.  I see that the deputy is watching me so I turn quickly to go the other
way, don’t want him to see the effect he has on me.  I catch my heel on the
edge of the sidewalk, twisting my ankle painfully.  I hobble over to the
nearest chair and take off my shoes, rubbing my ankle.

“Are you OK, Miss Holt?”
The Pain-In-My-Ass deputy asks.  Great.  Now he wants to be a white knight and
swoop in and rescue the damsel in distress.  “Yes, I’m fine.  Now go away, I
don’t need your help!” I tell him, loud enough that most of the people seated
on this side of the square can hear me.

“I saw you twist your
ankle.  Do you need a ride home?”

Is this guy stalking me? 
Seriously?  “No thank you, I would rather accept a ride from the devil himself.
 I can see myself home!”  I stand up and stomp my way past him, trying not to
wince at the pain in my ankle.

He laughs, “I’ve never
seen a woman as stubborn as you.  Good evening Miss Holt.”  He tips his hat and
walks to the other side of the square.

I walk across the square
to go home, forcing myself not to limp.  Good thing it’s only a couple of
blocks to my house.  When I get home I take some aspirin and head to bed.  Men!
Can’t live with them, can’t shoot them!