What You See (12 page)

I got my coffee and sat down. I felt it was my place to tell
her about last night. I gathered my nerve and began the task of explaining. She
just sat there, taking it all in.

“Things must not be too bad,” Mom said. “Cole’s coming over
at ten and we’re all going out to the breakfast buffet at the fire station in
town, unless, of course, you don’t want to go.”

“He is?” I asked. Maybe things weren’t so bad after all.

Breakfast
was pleasant. The food was good, the price was fair, and the company was
excellent. I didn’t know what to expect from Cole after the fiasco last night,
but he didn’t say a word about it in front of Mom or Dad. Was he waiting until
we were alone?

We rode to breakfast in the minivan. When we got back to the
house, Cole and I switched to his Jeep Wrangler. Mom asked me to try to make it
home for dinner since our neighbors, Sharon and Joe, were coming to dine with
us. She made it a point to invite Cole.

“I think my mom’s trying to make sure you get a home cooked
meal,” I stated as we were pulling out of the driveway. “What with your being
single and all.”

He turned his head and laughed. “I was wondering when you
would get around to asking me about Rachel. Listen, I didn’t tell you because I
don’t like to talk about her. It was a mistake. I don’t like to even think
about her.” He gave me a forlorn look as he shifted gears. “I guess Billy
filled you in on the details last night, huh?”

“Actually, the only thing we talked about was that crazy
woman who killed her husband.” I hesitated a moment, then slyly asked, “Can you
and I talk about Mrs. Miller, or is that off-limits?”

“We can talk about certain things concerning the case, but
there are privileged areas we can’t go into. You can ask me, but if I say I
can’t tell you, you’re going to have to let it go at that. Okay?” he replied,
smiling. “What do you want to know?”

“Are you going to try to pry stuff out of me that I shouldn’t
answer without an attorney present?” I laughed, but I was being serious.

“I see you learn fast. Did Billy warn you to watch what you
say in front of me?”

“To be honest, he told me if I was going to be friends with
you, I had to always remember that you’re a cop. He said cops could be tricky,
so why don’t we lay down some ground rules right now? I promise never to lie to
you, if you promise never to trick, or use me. What do you say? Do we have a
deal?”

“You play a tough game,” he answered as he made the turn onto
Rt. 33, heading in the direction of
Skyline Drive
.

The ride in his Jeep was bumpy, but it was also masculine
just like him. I kept stealing glances, sizing him up. He was a good-looking
man. His body was firm, yet he had an air about him that conveyed a gentle
side. I kept wondering what kind of lover he would be. Would he be soft and
gentle like his personality, or would he be tough and brutish? Are big men
rough lovers?

“Did you hear me?” he asked.

“I’m sorry. I was thinking about something else,” I replied,
bringing myself out of the trance I’d slipped into. “What did you say?”

“I said it was a deal. If we’re going to have any kind of
relationship, it has to be based on honesty and trust.”

“Are we going to have a relationship?” I asked. My heart
fluttered.

He looked at me with a huge grin on his face and continued,
“That’s one of the things I admire about you, Jesse. You don’t pull any
punches.”

“You just don’t know me that well. Wait until you get to know
me better before you make up your mind.”

We spent the next couple of hours enjoying the ride and
talking about ourselves; what we wanted out of life; what was important to us;
family; all the things people talk about when they’re trying to get to know
each other. The subject of last night didn’t come up until we were on our way
home.

“I know you like Billy, but I’m worried about you, Jesse. I
don’t think you have any idea what you’re getting into. This detective stuff is
a dangerous business.” He reached over, picked up my hand and kissed it. “I
like you and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

My heart skipped a beat. His intense blue eyes made my body
turn to mush. I knew I was falling for him and there was no turning back.
Unfortunately, I always fall in love with the men I date. That was my weakness,
but not anymore. This time it was going to be different. I wouldn’t let myself
be sucked into the same game I’ve played so many times.

I pulled my hand back and said, “Billy’s a good man. I trust
him.”

“You don’t even know him!” Cole growled. “You’ve known him
for what... two, three days?”

“It doesn’t take me long to size up a person... to know if I
can trust them,” I said, defiantly.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. Billy’s a good man. You can trust
him, probably more so than anybody you’ll ever meet. I’m not attacking his
character, just his line of work.”

“You’ve made your point. I’ll be careful, and if I ever have
any doubts about something, I’ll call you. How’s that?”

“Do you promise?”

“Sure,” I swore.

When we pulled up in the yard, the first thing I noticed was
Billy’s blue truck. Cole hadn’t said a word to me about why Billy’s truck was
still here, so I did what I thought was right and offered an explanation.

“Billy’s letting me use his truck for a couple of days, until
I decide what to do about my car. Dad says I need a new one because mine’s
shot. It’s not worth fixing... something about a rod knocking.”

“I know, Mack told me. I told him I could probably help you
find another car, one you can afford and rely on to get you through our harsh
winters. That’s important when you live in the mountains.”

“What did he say?”

“He agreed.”

Fortunately, our dinner table was big enough to hold eight
people. Besides our invited guests, we had an added addition. Ralph just
happened to drop by right at dinnertime. I had the feeling that his explanation
about his wife being gone for the weekend and leaving him to fend for himself,
was an excuse to be invited for supper. In the course of the meal, I learned
that he was in business for himself. He offered services in land excavation and
almost anything you needed to have done with a bulldozer. His wife, Carol,
didn’t work. Fortunately for her, he does such a thriving business... blah...
blah... blah.

Joe and Sharon didn’t talk much about themselves, but what
they did say, I found delightful. It was obvious they were happy together. They
found their jobs fulfilling, and they adored their dog, Harry.

“In a couple more years, we plan to start having children,”
Sharon
stated, with a gleam in her eyes as
she glanced over at Joe. That brought a round of cheers from everyone, except
Joe. I think it was news to him.

After dinner, Dad served mixed drinks to the men, and wine to
the ladies. Since I had forgotten to take my drugs for many days, I figured it
wouldn’t hurt, and it might help me to relax.

Amazingly, the first one went down so smoothly, I had a
second one. By
eight
o’clock
, I had turned
into a silly mess. I was giggling and snorkeling like a crazy fool. I was going
to regret this tomorrow, but tonight I was intensely uninhibited, and having a
good time.

I caught Mom giving Cole the eye as he stood up and announced
that he had to leave.

“Jesse, why don’t you walk our guest to his car?” Mom asked.

Cole said good-night, while I followed behind him the way a
child does when their parents suggest they do something they don’t have enough
sense to think of themselves. Who cares? I wasn’t embarrassed. I was having
fun, and wanted it to continue.

The radiant glow of the full moon, combined with the cool,
gentle breezes, made everything seem so summery. Next weekend was Memorial Day.
I love Memorial Day. It was the official beginning of the summer season. All
the stores at the beaches, from Nags Head to
Buckroe
Beach
, would be coming to life. It
wouldn’t be long before people would be out in full force, having picnics or
cookouts, lounging by the pool, hanging out at the beaches, and enjoying the
summer sun. But I wasn’t at the beach, I was in the mountains. What would we be
doing? Taking a dip in the stream? Cutting down trees to have firewood for the
winter? Those thoughts ran through my mind as I followed Cole to his Jeep.

I knew it was the wine. I hadn’t had a drink of alcohol in so
long, I forgot what it tasted like. However, I never forgot the feeling it gave
me. It made me want to do things I wouldn’t normally do, and say things I
wouldn’t normally say. That’s probably why I don’t miss drinking. I can screw
up enough on my own without having alcohol to help me along.

Standing by Cole’s Jeep, he turned to me and put his hands on
my shoulders. “I would love nothing better than to take you in my arms and kiss
you, but I won’t. Not now. I know there’s something between us. I feel it, and
I know you do, too,” he murmured as he ran his fingers through the hair hanging
down around my neck. His hands slid down my arms and back up to my face. “I’ve
spent too much of my life in meaningless relationships. I’m tired of it. I want
something real. I think you and I can have something together, and I want you
to be in control of your emotions when I take the first step.” He leaned over
and kissed me softly on the lips. He got into his Jeep and pulled out of the
driveway, leaving me standing there with my lips still puckered out.

What happened here? That’s it, no more wine for me. Something
just went down, and I missed it. I walked back into the house.

“Is Cole gone?” Mama asked.

“Yes,” I whispered as I started upstairs. “I’m going to bed,”
was all I could manage to say before I suddenly felt sick. I made it to the
bathroom, turned on the fan to muffle the noise, and threw up. The wine didn’t
taste as good coming up, as it did going down.

I set my alarm, stripped down to my underwear and then
crawled into bed. Monday morning was going to be a rough day.

The alarm went off at
6 a.m.

Athena, who now slept at the foot of my bed and not on the
floor, started dancing on top of me.

“I’m up!” I rasped out. My head was pounding. I fumbled for
my purse and fished out a bottle of aspirin. I successfully made it downstairs
without falling down, went to the kitchen, and gulped down two aspirins. Ah,
relief was on the way! I scrounged around and found the fixings for a pot of
coffee. Once the coffee was on, I trudged back upstairs to take a shower,
wondering what new and exciting thing was going to happen to me today.

I left a note on the bar, listing my number at work and
Billy’s car phone number. I gave Athena a pat on the head, and headed off to
work. I was looking forward to another day of intrigue and suspense. Hopefully,
none of Billy’s clients would kill anyone today.

Billy was already at the office when I walked in. I smelled
the aroma of fresh coffee. The cup I had earlier, was sitting in the pit of my
stomach, gnawing away. I dropped my purse on the desk and headed to the coffee
room, while the beep-beep of the door alarm was still going off in my head. I
opened the refrigerator door and grabbed a coke, popped the top, and guzzled
the cold liquid.

Billy walked into the room with a big smile on his face. “O-s-da
sunalei!” he said, with a cheerful smile on his face.

“Yeah, o-tis sunny to you, too,” I sneered.

“Did we have a bad night?” he asked. “Your date with Cole
turned out to be a rough one, huh?”

“What are you talking about? How did you know about our
date?”

“You mentioned it Saturday night.”

“The date was fine. The wine after dinner was a little more
than I could handle.”

“Don’t tell me he tried to get you drunk on the first date.
I’ -na-dv!”

“What does that mean?” I scoffed. “If you’re going to talk to
me in that funny Indian talk, you’re going to have to tell me what it means.” I
was getting indignant. I hated it when someone said things I didn’t understand.
I made up my mind, right then and there, that I would learn some of his
language. If we were going to work together for any length of time, I wanted to
know what he was saying. As a matter-of-fact, this could help us in our work.
If we ever got into a situation where we needed to communicate without anyone
knowing what we were saying, a second language would be a big plus. Maybe I could
learn just enough to get by.

“I’-na-dv means snake,” he replied.

“He’s not a snake!” I assured him. “He’s nice... sweet...
charming... sexy... good-looking...” I drifted off again, remembering Cole’s
gentle kiss.

“You’re crazy about him, aren’t you?” Not waiting for a
reply, he continued, “You’ve only known him for two days and you’re already
hooked. I don’t get it. What makes women go crazy for this guy?”

“It’s been five days, if you must know,” I hissed. “Funny, he
said something similar about you. He doesn’t trust you.”

“Jesse, forget it. He’s a cop. He’ll use you and then break
your heart. That’s all a cop knows how to do. They live and breathe their job.”

“It won’t be the first time some guy used me. Isn’t that what
you all do? You use us, and then dump on us.”

“My, aren’t we bitter?” he fussed. “Why don’t I drag out the
old peace pipe, and see if we can’t get you in a better mood?”