Page 4 of Stand By You
“He sure is excited,” Jillian said.
“That he is,” Mrs. Hudson agreed, pulling away from the curb.
“I can’t remember when I’ve seen him so animated.”
“Now that we have some time alone, are you going to tell me what happened to you yesterday?” Mrs. Hudson asked. She was, Jillian knew, a get-to-the-point kind of person. Stalling her would be a waste of time.
“A man came at me from nowhere, knocked me down, but didn’t take anything. There were witnesses so that is why he ran off and didn’t try to rob me.”
Mrs. Hudson frowned. “This is twice in a matter of weeks.”
“I know,” Jillian said.
“Do the police have any leads?” her friend asked.
“I don’t think they do,” Jillian said. “The detective I saw yesterday oversaw the first mugging I reported, and he was just as baffled by it happening to me again.”
“You have to tell Mr. McGinty,” Mrs. Hudson said sternly. “Wedding or not this time.”
“I will,” Jillian said.
Mrs. Hudson shook her head and continued her drive across town in silence. Pulling up besides Jillian’s car, she said, “Be careful when you go to the police station today and come home safely.”
“I will,” Jillian assured her, getting out and going to her car. She quickly drove to the police station to give her formal statement hoping this would settle matters and she wouldn’t have to do it again. When she made it there without incident, she felt things were going well and she parked across the street in the pay lot. Then she crossed at the corner.
Luckily, Detective Simons was in, and she didn’t have to wait long. When she’d finished giving her statement and signing it, he walked her to the door to see her outside.
“Thank you for coming down this morning, Miss Grant,” he said. “I hope this wasn’t too much of an inconvenience.”
“It was no problem,” she replied. “I wanted to get this over with in hopes you can catch whoever is doing this to me.”
“I hope we can as well,” he said. “You be careful going home.”
“I will,” she said, heading for the crosswalk. She was halfway in the middle when a car came out of nowhere, speeding right toward her.
“Miss Grant, watch out,” Detective Simons yelled.
She started to run to the other side of the street, but the car surged forward, hitting her and then sped out of sight.
CHAPTER 2
“Damn,”Nick Bardou muttered, as he entered his condominium and grabbed his trilling cellphone from the foyer table. He never left it when he did his morning beach run, but he did this morning. He hit accept on the keypad and said, “Bardou.”
“What took you so long?” Kenneally’s gruff voice asked.
“I went jogging and forgot my phone,” he explained, easing off his shoes.
“That’s unlike you,” Kenneally said.
“I know. What’s up?” Nick asked as he made his way to the kitchen for a bottle of water. “How’s Louisiana and married life?”
“Both are great.”
“Good to hear. I’d hate to hear you were regretting moving south,” Nick said.
“Let me get through my first Louisiana summer before we rule that out,” Kenneally said with a chuckle. “I suspect it’s going to be hotter than South Carolina ever thought of being.”
“That’s right, you did grow up down there, but nothing can compare with Miami weather,” Nick said.
