Page 26 of Engaging the Deputy

Jaden didn’t have to go far. A few blocks away, he stopped at the home of Jenny and Tom Lee. Tom’s truck wasn’t parked in the drive and neither was Jenny’s car. But when he got out and looked in the garage, he found a dark gray SUV. He’d been bluffing back at Krystal’s about comparing the dirt on her boots with that of the dirt in the barrow pit near Olivia’s mother’s house.

But even peering through the dusty garage door windows, he could see the large SUV’s tires were caked with fresh earth.

* * *

Olivia hadn’t beenanxious to go back into the house after the deputy left and her mother went inside. She’d lived in this community for seventeen years before she’d left for college and hadn’t returned until a few days ago. She’d never been afraid. But then, she’d never had anyone who’d wanted to run her off the road.

Her cell rang. She saw it was Jaden and felt her pulse jump like it used to when he called, back when they were together. She had loved the sound of his voice, been lulled by it. She let it ring again before she picked up, reminding herself that he was probably calling because he was a deputy and she was a suspect.

“Hello?”

“Hey,” he said in a familiar way that set her pulse off again. “I just wanted to let you know that you shouldn’t be having any more trouble from the person who threatened you earlier.”

“You know who it was?” She heard him hesitate.

“It had nothing to do with Starling and what happened up there. Just a jealous girlfriend of Cody’s.”

“The blonde from the hospital. Who is she?”

“Krystal Lee. She’s Tom Lee’s sister, Jenny’s sister-in-law. But I’ve spoken to her. I think that’s the last you have to worry about her,” he said.

Olivia wondered about that, given how aggressive she’d been on the road earlier. “You didn’t arrest her?”

“No, not enough evidence to do that. I warned her. Just didn’t want you to worry.”

Good luck with that, she thought. “Any news about what happened at Starling?” She realized she was trying to keep him on the phone. Just the sound of his voice made her feel better. She’d missed it.

“Not yet. I’m getting another call. If you… Gotta go.” And he was gone.

She stood holding the phone. If you…what? What had he stopped himself from saying?

“You going to stand outside all day?” her mother called from the porch.

Olivia pocketed her phone, turned and headed for the house. She could feel her mother’s questioning gaze on her.

“Who was that on the phone?” her mother asked.

“Jaden. It wasn’t anything.” She stepped into the house, knowing her mother wasn’t going to let it go. She headed for the kitchen to make herself a sandwich, her mother on her heels. “You want a sandwich?”

“I ate in town. What did Jaden want?”

Digging out what she needed from the refrigerator, she said, “Earlier, someone followed me from the hospital, running up behind me like she was going to run me off the road.”

“She?”

“Cody’s girlfriend, Krystal Lee.”

Her mother’s expression told volumes as to how she felt about Krystal Lee. “Cody forgot to mention he had a girlfriend when he asked you out for Halloween night?” Sharon shook her head. “You still worried she’ll come after you again?”

Olivia concentrated on slicing a tomato before she answered. “I’m not worried.” That wasn’t entirely true, but she didn’t want her mother doing something foolish like going over to Krystal’s house and threatening her. It wouldn’t be the first time her mother had done something like that.

“So why do you look worried?”

She spread mayo on the bread, then layered on ham, cheese, lettuce and sliced tomato. “It’s the whole Starling thing,” she said as she completed her task and reached for one of the small bags of chips her mother kept on hand. “What if he never finds out who killed Rob and injured Cody?” she added as she sat down at the kitchen table. She took a bite of her sandwich.

“Jaden doesn’t really think you had anything to do with that,” her mother said as she joined her at the table. “He’s just angry at you for breaking off the engagement.”

Olivia looked up, finished chewing and set down her sandwich. “I didn’t break it off. Jaden did.”

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