Page 9 of Jessica's Hero
“It’s up to you,” I tell her. “If you want me to leave, I will. But I’d like to help, if I can.”
Jess stares at me for a few long seconds before nodding. Then the doors make a telltale click and she says softly, “Okay. The door’s open.”
Once I get into the passenger seat, I turn towards her. The inside of the car is dim, lit only by the street lamp above us, but I’m struck all over again by just how pretty she is, even pink-eyed and face wet and flushed from crying.
Jess reminds me of one of those nymphs in the stories my mom used to read to me when I was little. A wood nymph—slender, almost reed-like, with long, chestnut hair and eyes the color of the forest at sunset. She’s gentle and quiet like the nymphs in the stories, too, but with a core of strength that can’t be broken.
Though it’s not my car, I rummage in the glove box until I find a small stack of napkins. Then I hand them over to Jess, and she takes them with a tiny, rueful smile. She wipes her face and nose before saying, “I probably should have thought of those sooner.”
“Nah.” I return her smile with a comforting one of my own. “Half the time, I can’t find anything in my car.”
Jess draws in a deep breath. On a heavy exhale, she says, “I’m really not sure if it’s even a good idea to tell you this.”
“Tell me what?”
Her gaze dips to her lap. “What happened tonight. The woman I talked to inside, she told me…” Trailing off, she looks at her lap again. Her teeth dig into her lower lip.
A weight settles in my stomach. I have a sinking feeling I’m not going to like her answer. “Told you what?”
“That I was wasting their time,” she replies in a low monotone. “That it’s a crime to make a false report. Thatif I keep pulling this… nonsense… I could end up with charges against me.”
“What?”I’m horrified. Who would say that to Jess? Andwhy?
Although I’ve been trained to always consider the possibility of guilt, even with someone who seems so clearly innocent, it’s hard for me to believe it.
Jess? Filing a false police report? The same Jess who insisted on giving back the dollar extra she got in change the last time I saw her at the Hungry Horseman? It doesn’t make sense.
“Who did you talk to?” I ask as I mentally run through the officers on duty today. “Officer Daniels? Or Officer LeFevre?”
“Neither.” Jess lifts her gaze from her lap to look at me. “I talked to Simone Wells. She’s the one who told me to leave.”
“Simone?” My voice rises in surprise. Simone’s a receptionist,nota cop, and shouldn't be tossing around accusations of crimes or telling a potential victim to leave. “Shesaid that?”
Jess nods. “After I told her what happened at my house, she accused me of making it up. To get attention, she said. Then she said I’d be arrested if I made a false police report. That I should leave before I get myself in even more trouble.”
My jaw clenches as a rush of hot anger hits me. “She has no authority to tell you that, Jess. Only an officer can talk about possible charges. And she definitely has no right to tell you to leave the station.”
“I know.” It’s quiet. Defeated. “But I thought… she’d tell everyone I was lying. Or she’d make something up about me. It just seemed easier to leave.”
“Easier?”
She sighs. “You wouldn’t understand. People… they don’t believe me. And after the last couple of times I called the police and they turned me away?—”
“What?”My head jerks back in surprise. “You called before? About what? Are you saying no one responded? Did you call 911? Who did you speak with?”
Her eyes widen. Belatedly, I realize I probably shouldn’t have fired questions at Jess like we’re in an interrogation. Gentling my voice, I add, “Sorry. Let’s try that again. What happened?”
Jess hesitates, long enough for me to think she’s not going to answer.
Then she sighs again and says, “The first time I called was two months ago. I spotted footprints around my house. Big ones, like a man’s shoe. There were some by the windows, like someone was looking inside.”
My muscles tense. “And?”
“That time I just called the station, since I didn’t think it was an emergency. But the officer who came by told me it was nothing. He said it was probably just someone working for the utility company.”
“Which officer?”
Jess flushes. “I don’t want to cause any trouble.”
