Page 23 of Scotch: Unraveled

“What did ya get into today?” I ask.

“You know, it was so weird. A Sheriff’s cruiser followed me from the time I left work with the girls. We stopped off at the grocery store so I could cook dinner—oh, do you still like pot roast?” she bizarrely throws in.

“Back up, a police cruiser followed ya?!”

“Well…yeah. But I need to know about the pot roast,” she answers, brushing me off. I’ll give her that for now, though,onlyfor now.

“Been a while since I had it, but sure. Yars was always the best… Melts in my mouth. And those carrots and potatoes? Ya had to double up on ’em because I ate so many. Remember?”

She laughs into the line. “Oh, I remember. I bought you a large crock pot—housewarming gift. But if I’m being honest, it’s kind of for me, too.”

“Really?” I ask. “How so?”

“When I get back to your place, I’m pretty pooped. So if I get dinner going in the crock pot before I leave for work, it’ll be less hassle when I’m too tired to cook. It’ll be great for you when I’m back at my place, too. You’ll always have dinner ready for you and the girls.”

I don’t justify that with a response because I’ve made a decision. She’s not going back to her apartment. She’s sharing my life and my bed as long as I’m breathing on this Earth. “Making me pot roast?” I ask instead.

“If you let me know when you think you’ll be home, I’ll get it done then. We can have a celebratory ‘Rory’s home’ dinner.”

She’s totally mine.

Now that we got that out of the way we need to reverse this conversation back to the thing she said that I can’t overlook. “What about that Sheriff’s cruiser?”

“Oh—it was probably nothing.”

“Tell me anyway,” I prod.

“Well, he followed us to the store. But then, when I left the store, he was on my tail again. Followed me right to the turnoff that takes us up the mountain. Then he turned to go back toward town.”

She pauses and I’m pretty sure I don’t like the pause. I’m sure I don’t like any of this. That fucking Rodrick pulled me over, drew his weapon, and tossed me in jail on trumped-up charges. Now a Sheriff’s cruiser is following Frankie?

“Then,” she continues, “Caitlin came home while I was unloading the last of the groceries and I walked over to sayhi. She looked troubled, so, of course I asked what was wrong. She said a Sheriff’s Deputy pulled her over and insisted on searching her truck.”

“What?”

“Yeah, she told me she refused him because she hadn’t done anything wrong, so he threatened to bring her in and impound the vehicle for probable cause or something. Luckily, Tommy Doyle was passing by in his cruiser and recognized the truck, so he stopped. Caitlin explained the situation to Tommy and he and the deputy had words. The deputy wrote her up a ticket for speeding, which she insisted she hadn’t been at all, and left. Tommy escorted her back to Lords property before turning off.”

“Are ya okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just… something didn’t sit well, you know? That wasn’t the first run-in I had with a deputy. When I stopped for pizza the other day, the same deputy who took you in started harassing me.”

“What the fuck, Frankie? Why didn’t ya tell me then?”

“Because it was my fault and I didn’t want to make you mad. I wanted to enjoy the evening with you and the girls.”

“How was it yar fault?” I wipe my hand over my face, knowing that what she’s about to say will piss me off and I’m too far from home to do anything about it.

“I left the girls in the car—please don’t be mad. I couldn’t carry them and the pizza, so I left them; the car was locked and remote start kept it warm. I wasn’t even gone two minutes. Only long enough to grab the food, I swear.” Fuck. I gotta get home. Whatever’s up Rodrick’s ass, he’s escalating aggressions following women or having them followed. Whomever bothered Frankie, Rodrick’s stink is all over it.

“How’d he know ya were there with the babes? Ya got tinted windows.”

“Uh, well… he followed me from the daycare. I didn’t see him turn into Benny’s. But he was peeking through the back windows when I came out with the food.”

“Shite, Francesca… ya should’ve told me.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I just didn’t know what to do with them. If I’d only had one of the girls—”

“I’m not talking about the babes, ya blasted woman. I meant the deputy. Ya did fine withthem. I’d have done the same.”

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