Page 15 of Justice for Samara

“Hey, could you… I mean, would you mind…”

“Meeting you there? Of course not. Wouldn’t mind at all. I’ll be there when you get there.”

“Thanks so much, Michael. I really appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome. See you in a few.” And the phone went dead.

Samara used her navigation feature to lead her to the property and, sure enough, Michael’s big SUV was sitting there. He was already out of the vehicle, leaning against the side, and she was struck by how nice he looked standing there. He really was an attractive guy, and she wasn’t sure why the women around him couldn’t see it.Probably because they grew up with him, she told herself. That always happened to people. It was why so many kids had boyfriends or girlfriends in adjacent counties. The low-hanging fruit didn’t appeal to them. They wanted something up closer to the sun.

She climbed out and took a long look. “Well now, this isn’t at all what I expected.” Instead of the run-down sixties aluminum and mint green monstrosity she’d been sure she would find, there was an almost-new, well-kept, very attractive park model trailer sitting there.

“Yeah, I was afraid it would be pink and aluminum,” Michael said as she walked up.

Samara grinned. “Yeah, me too, but I was thinking mint green. This is nothing like that.”

“Okay, so I asked my mom what the deal is. Mrs.Montgomery’s mother lived in it until she had to go to assisted living. She doesn’t really want to pull it out of there, and she isn’t really fond of the idea of renting it to just anybody. When Mom told her it was a deputy who wanted to rent it, she got all excited. Said she’d feel much safer with a deputy next door. Her husband is a truck driver, and he’s gone a lot,” Michael threw out as explanation.

Samara was ecstatic. “That means it’s a win-win.” He swept his arm toward the house, so she made her way up the front walk and climbed the stairs with Michael right behind her.

She knocked and the door opened to a short, cute woman in her late forties or early fifties who smiled brightly. “Can I… Oh, hello, Michael!”

“Hi, Mrs.Montgomery. How are you?”

“Very well, thanks. So are you the lady Marjorie called me about?”

Samara was struck by how sweet the woman looked. “Yes, ma’am. I was wondering about the trailer. I need a place to live and?”

“Absolutely! Let me get the key. Hold on.” She disappeared into the house and came back with a key ring that had a tag on it readingWinner’s Chevrolet. “Here you go. Feel free to go look. Everything’s still in it except her clothes and medicine. You’re welcome to use all of it, or if you want your own things, I can box it all up.”

“Thank you. We’ll bring the key right back.” She practically skipped down the steps, Michael right behind her.

The door of the trailer swung open and she fought tears. It was beautiful. “Wow. For an old lady, she had great taste,” she whispered.

“Yeah. Mrs.Lowry is a great lady. She was my Sunday school teacher when I was little,” Michael offered as explanation and pointed to a wedding photo from what looked like the fifties. “This is really nice.” She watched as Michael wandered and looked around. “Pots and pans, dishes, silverware. And I bet linens too. Whatever she’s going to ask for rent, it’ll be worth it.”

She peered into the shower. “I’m thinking that too. Oh, wow. Big walk-in shower.”

She could feel him right behind her as he looked over her shoulder. “Wow is right. That’s really nice.”

“Yeah, and how many blocks is this from the office?”

Michael snorted. “Like eight? Nine? No distance at all.”

“Uh, yeah. This is mine. I’ve seen all I need to see.”

She locked the door, then she and Michael went back to the front porch. “Well, what did you think?” Mrs.Montgomery asked when she came to the door.

“I’ll definitely take it.”

Mrs.Montgomery laughed. “I didn’t even tell you how much!”

“I have a feeling it’ll be worth it. Do you need me to sign something?”

The woman shook her head and smiled. “No, no. I know you’re good for it. And if you’re not, I can always find Michael.” Samara thought that was a weird comment until she spoke again. “I think the two of you will be very happy in it.”

Samara panicked. “Oh, no, ma’am. We’re?”

“No, no. We’re just coworkers, Mrs.Montgomery,” Michael damn near shouted. “She’s new to the area. I’m just helping her out.”

---