“Police! Search warrant!” ring through the house.
I pull the sheet against myself again as police officers storm into the room with guns raised.
I almost drop the sheet in fright, Storm cold as ice behind me, slowly raising his hands as two officers move to handcuff him. He’s still naked, cock swinging between his legs.
“Dan?”
My cheeks burn as Dan enters from the back. “For god’s sake,” he says, “let him put some pants on.”
“Why, jealous?” Storm taunts.
“Take this scumbag away.”
One of the officers grabs jeans from a drawer and together with his friend they lead Storm out. He doesn’t make a fuss. He just goes calmly. It’s like he expected this all along.
Dan bends over and with the tip of his gun picks up my panties from the floor. He dangles them between us as more officers swarm in and start ripping the place up.
“How dare you!” I start, embarrassment turning to fury.
“Hey,” says Dan, letting the panties fall to the carpet, “I’m just doing my job. We had a tip your man here’s hiding a stash. It’s my job to follow that up.”
“You came looking for me, didn’t you?”
“Your parents rang, concerned. I said I’d look into it.”
“God.” I reach for a shirt, my jeans. “He hasn’t done anything wrong.”
Dan steps closer. “How do you know? You’ve been here all of a few days and you think you know what these Millertown kind are like? Let me tell you, you don’t know nothing.”
“Sherriff.” An officer’s holding a white baggie by the door.
Dan grins. “Bingo. Okay, boys. Wrap it up.”
The officers start to leave and Dan gives me one final look. “He’s no good for you, Alice. You deserve better. Remember that.”
I watch through the window as they load Storm into a patrol car, the whole spectacle wheeling away in a dusty procession.
My heart beats hard. What the hell just happened?
*
You want to pay his bail, that low-life?
The deputy on the front desk doesn’t seem to get the idea.
“Yes, how much is it?”
He takes his time pulling up the records, fingers tapping on the desk. “Hmm, five large, little sis.”
I hand over a bag of bills, deducting the amount. “That should cover it.”
It’s practically all the savings I have. I still don’t know why I’m doing it.
The deputy eyes me with suspicion. “You sure about this?”
“Yes,” I conclude, not entirely confident.
“Your funeral,” and the deputy is off. He arrives with Storm a few minutes later.
Storm struts over, still without a shirt, feeling his wrists, which are ringed red from the cuffs. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Was it yours, the drugs?”
The looks past me when he answers.
“No.”
“Are you saying they planted it?”
“Yes.”
“What’s going to happen?”
He starts walking out of the station. “Not a damn thing, like always.”
“You can’t just let them get away with it?”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s not right!”
He laughs. “Not right? Nothing’s right around here, Alice. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”
I stop. “Let me help. I can talk to Dan.”
‘Won’t do any good.”
“Please.”
“No, and what the hell happened before? With the picture?”
“Tim and I dated, in school. I freaked out. It’s just too weird.”
“You were there, weren’t you, when he died?”
“Yes.”
He rakes his hands through his hair. “This is too much to take in.”
“I know, but we can talk about it. I can help you. Let me.” I realize I’m pleading now.
He places his hand on my chest, holding me back. “No. Just let me go. It’s better this way, trust me.”
I do, helpless. I watch him walk down the road until he becomes a speck on the horizon.
Chapter Thirteen
The next day an envelope with $5000 in it arrives for me in the letterbox. There’s no questioning who it’s from.
Dad’s been on my case all morning. “You really shouldn’t go hanging around Millertown, baby girl. It’s just not
I pull the sheet against myself again as police officers storm into the room with guns raised.
I almost drop the sheet in fright, Storm cold as ice behind me, slowly raising his hands as two officers move to handcuff him. He’s still naked, cock swinging between his legs.
“Dan?”
My cheeks burn as Dan enters from the back. “For god’s sake,” he says, “let him put some pants on.”
“Why, jealous?” Storm taunts.
“Take this scumbag away.”
One of the officers grabs jeans from a drawer and together with his friend they lead Storm out. He doesn’t make a fuss. He just goes calmly. It’s like he expected this all along.
Dan bends over and with the tip of his gun picks up my panties from the floor. He dangles them between us as more officers swarm in and start ripping the place up.
“How dare you!” I start, embarrassment turning to fury.
“Hey,” says Dan, letting the panties fall to the carpet, “I’m just doing my job. We had a tip your man here’s hiding a stash. It’s my job to follow that up.”
“You came looking for me, didn’t you?”
“Your parents rang, concerned. I said I’d look into it.”
“God.” I reach for a shirt, my jeans. “He hasn’t done anything wrong.”
Dan steps closer. “How do you know? You’ve been here all of a few days and you think you know what these Millertown kind are like? Let me tell you, you don’t know nothing.”
“Sherriff.” An officer’s holding a white baggie by the door.
Dan grins. “Bingo. Okay, boys. Wrap it up.”
The officers start to leave and Dan gives me one final look. “He’s no good for you, Alice. You deserve better. Remember that.”
I watch through the window as they load Storm into a patrol car, the whole spectacle wheeling away in a dusty procession.
My heart beats hard. What the hell just happened?
*
You want to pay his bail, that low-life?
The deputy on the front desk doesn’t seem to get the idea.
“Yes, how much is it?”
He takes his time pulling up the records, fingers tapping on the desk. “Hmm, five large, little sis.”
I hand over a bag of bills, deducting the amount. “That should cover it.”
It’s practically all the savings I have. I still don’t know why I’m doing it.
The deputy eyes me with suspicion. “You sure about this?”
“Yes,” I conclude, not entirely confident.
“Your funeral,” and the deputy is off. He arrives with Storm a few minutes later.
Storm struts over, still without a shirt, feeling his wrists, which are ringed red from the cuffs. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Was it yours, the drugs?”
The looks past me when he answers.
“No.”
“Are you saying they planted it?”
“Yes.”
“What’s going to happen?”
He starts walking out of the station. “Not a damn thing, like always.”
“You can’t just let them get away with it?”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s not right!”
He laughs. “Not right? Nothing’s right around here, Alice. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”
I stop. “Let me help. I can talk to Dan.”
‘Won’t do any good.”
“Please.”
“No, and what the hell happened before? With the picture?”
“Tim and I dated, in school. I freaked out. It’s just too weird.”
“You were there, weren’t you, when he died?”
“Yes.”
He rakes his hands through his hair. “This is too much to take in.”
“I know, but we can talk about it. I can help you. Let me.” I realize I’m pleading now.
He places his hand on my chest, holding me back. “No. Just let me go. It’s better this way, trust me.”
I do, helpless. I watch him walk down the road until he becomes a speck on the horizon.
Chapter Thirteen
The next day an envelope with $5000 in it arrives for me in the letterbox. There’s no questioning who it’s from.
Dad’s been on my case all morning. “You really shouldn’t go hanging around Millertown, baby girl. It’s just not
Similar Books
