Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes (30 page)

Joe squeezed my hand in reassurance. I knew I shouldn’t trust him, but he was all I had at the moment. I squeezed back, trying to slow my breath and calm down, the panic building. Joe put his arm around my shoulders and whispered in my ear. “It’s okay, Rose. I’ve got you.” I turned to look at him. His eyes were so sweet and gentle I couldn’t believe he would ever hurt me. Why would he go to all this trouble if he wanted to kill me?

He took my stare as encouragement and kissed me. The plane, the fear, the stupid flash drive were all gone and the only thing left was Joe. He pulled away and smiled a smile that looked so genuine I’d bet my life on it, in fact I knew I had. I was literally betting my life on Joe McAllister.

I was either incredibly smart or incredibly stupid. Either way tomorrow would tell.

Chapter Twenty-Two

After Joe helped me calm down, I loved the rest of the flight. When we landed, we went back into town to get lunch at Little Italy. Joe didn't ask any more questions about Sloan or hint at a flash drive. We acted like normal people on a normal date.

I tried to forget about Hilary’s phone call. I kept telling myself there was more evidence that I could trust Joe than against.

I had no proof that Joe broke into my house. In fact, the way he acted last night seemed to prove otherwise. I had no proof he broke in the second time either. I didn’t even know if he had a set of keys. But what about the gun? And the phone message?

After lunch, we sat in Joe’s car and he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. “The only things left are ride a motorcycle, play in the rain and number thirteen.”

“And fifteen.”

“I think you have fifteen covered. Of course, we need to review the Seven Deadly Sins, to see if you’ve covered them.”

I’d forgotten about the Seven Deadly Sins and fifteen wasn’t covered.

Joe’s cell phone rang and his smile disappeared when he looked at the number. “I’ve got to take this.” He said then got out of the car.

I watched his two-minute phone call unfold, wondering who he could be talking to and what could produce such an animated conversation. Joe was clearly upset when he got into the car. “Do you still have to go to Walmart?” he asked, jamming the keys in the ignition.

“Yeah.” I answered, confused by his abrupt change of attitude.

“We need to go there now.”

“Okay.”

We drove in silence and dread crept back in, a now semi-constant companion. If Joe really wanted the flash drive, he would find it odd when he saw me buying one. I needed to tell him I didn’t have it.

“Joe, about Sloan and….”

“Rose, stop.” He cut me off, his voice harsh. “Don't say another word.”

“But you…”

“Not another word.” He said through gritted teeth, gripping the steering wheel so tight I thought it would bend under the pressure.

Joe pulled into a space near the back of the parking lot. “I’ll wait here.” He looked straight ahead, his mouth in a tight line.

I started to protest, but changed my mind. It was probably better this way.

I bought the flash drive in the electronics section and headed out of the store, suddenly uncertain I made the right decision about Joe. I stood outside the entrance doors, people streaming past me on either side. If I wanted to ditch Joe, it was now or never. I had my keys in my purse and I could easily walk the mile to my car at the funeral home. I’d hide somewhere until it was time to meet Daniel. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a win/win situation. If Joe was bad, I needed to ditch him when he least expected it. If he wasn’t, I’d apologize later.

I walked down the sidewalk in front of the store, away from Joe’s car. I stopped at the corner of the building, preparing to cross the parking lot.

“Going somewhere?” Joe asked, leaning against the side of the building. He sounded bored, but I knew he was anything but.

My heart stopped and I twisted the bag in my hands. “Uh…I was looking for you.”

“You must have really gotten turned around. The car’s back that way.” He looked casual, standing with his back against the brick wall, pointing in the opposite direction with his thumb. But he clenched his jaw and his eyes were cold.

“What are you doing over here?” I asked, keeping my tone light, as though we had just run into each other by accident.

“Making sure you don’t get lost.” He pushed away from the wall and took my hand in his, but it wasn’t a friendly hold. He meant it when he said he was making sure I didn’t get lost.

We walked to the car and drove home, both of us on edge. Joe’s anger simmered under the surface and my anxiety choked all conscious thought. We were almost home when Joe finally spoke up. “Where were you going, Rose?”

“I told you….”

“Where were you going?” He growled.

“My car.”

He let out a long breath. “Why didn't you just ask me to take you there?”

“I didn’t want to bother you.”

Joe pulled into the driveway, looking toward my house. “I wish I could ask you what you’re up to, but I don’t want to know, not now.” He turned to face me, his eyes serious. “But I’m begging you to stay home and wait this out.”

“Wait what out?” Did he know about my meeting with Daniel?

Joe sighed and closed his eyes. He opened them and the anger was gone, replaced with worry. “You’re gonna do it, aren’t you?”

I didn’t answer, just stared at him, wondering what he knew. He got out and went into his house, leaving me in his car.

I sat there for a moment, wondering what had just happened. I got out and brought Muffy outside, watching her sniff around the yard. Maybe Joe was right. Maybe I should just stay home. I didn’t have the flash drive. If I showed up without it, Daniel Crocker would kill me. If I didn’t go, Daniel Crocker would kill me. I decided I’d rather be dead in the comfort of my own home. I’d just hide my rolling pins.

Relieved to have made a decision, I went inside and found an envelope on my kitchen floor. My name was handwritten on the front, a photo inside. A photo of Violet. Written on the back of the picture, in carefully printed block letters:

See you tonight
.

I squashed the paralyzing terror that wanted to take me over. I had to think this through and panic wouldn’t help anything. I sat down and took several deep breaths trying to clear my head. What was supposed to be on the flash drive? I decided to call the other employees at the DMV. While I doubted they would tell me anything, I figured I had nothing to lose. But I needed to hear Violet’s voice first.

“What’s up, Rose?” The children’s voices were in the background.

“Nothing, I just wanted to call and check on you.”

“Why? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine. I just wanted to call and say I love you.”

“I love you, too, Rose. Hey, I think we’re throwin’ together a cookout tomorrow, want to come?”

“Sounds fun,” I said, forcing the cheerfulness in my voice.

“Great! See you at four.”

I’d just have to figure out how to live until tomorrow afternoon.

I’d started looking up employees’ phone numbers in the phone book when I heard the sirens in the distance, coming closer to the house.

My cell phone rang in my purse. I picked it up, surprised to see Joe’s number.

“I’m sorry,” was all he said.

The sirens stopped out front.
What did he do
?

The police pounded on the door and shouted for me to come out with my hands up. Muffy whimpered next to my leg. “It’s okay, girl,” I said as I rubbed her head, positive it wasn’t. I opened the kitchen door.

Five of Henryetta’s finest greeted me at the door. Apparently, it was a slow crime day.

“Keep your hands up where we can see them,” one of them shouted.

I walked out with my hands in the air, fuming. I could wring Joe McAllister’s neck with my bare hands. Then the Henryetta police department would
really
have a reason to arrest me.

“Ms. Gardner, we have reason to believe you murdered Sloan Cooper on Wednesday night and the murder weapon is on your premises. Do you give us permission to search your property?”

My heart skipped a beat and my head got fuzzy. Joe had planted the gun on Thursday night. He set me up all along. I was too angry to be hurt. I could be hurt later. “Where exactly do you want to search?”

“Your shed.”

I knew I should call Deanna, but I didn’t have time to waste. It was already five o’clock and I had to be at The Trading Post at ten. It could take Deanna an hour to get here. Besides, I knew the gun wasn’t there. “Sure.”

Joe stood on his front porch, gawking like all the other neighbors. The look on his face when he heard me give approval was priceless. I gave him a cold hard stare.

Muffy whimpered in the doorway.

“It’s okay, girl,” I said. She was unconvinced and paced back and forth at my feet. I addressed the closest officer. “Can I put my hands down now? You’re making my dog nervous.”

He turned me around and patted me down. “Yeah.”

Several police officers had already opened the shed and were removing items, tossing them into the yard.

Muffy came out of the house and stood by me, whining. I leaned down and petted her head.

“May I ask why you think I did this?”

“An anonymous tip.”

“Yeah, I bet it was anonymous,” I muttered under my breath. “I have an alibi for that night. I stayed the night at my sister’s.”

“Are you making a statement?” the officer asked, surprised.

“Take it for what you will.”

The crowd on the sidewalk grew quickly. You would have thought it was the second coming of Jesus from the rapt attention the people were giving my shed. By that point, the shed was at least halfway empty, the lawn mower one of the items in the yard. I looked over at Joe to see his reaction. The disbelief and confusion on his face gave me momentary satisfaction. I gave him a smile so sweet it would have killed a diabetic.

“I think I’d like to call my lawyer now,” I said. The policeman went inside with me to watch me use my phone. Muffy tagged along.

Deanna was furious with me for allowing the police access to the shed and said she’d be right over. The only reason I called her was because I saw the kind of damage they were doing to my yard, and I doubted they would restore it to its previous state.

I went outside to wait for Deanna. Muffy kept whining and followed close behind.

The contents of the almost empty shed lay tossed in the yard. Even the metal shelves lay on their side. It looked like a redneck yard sale.

A car tried to drive down the street, a difficult task considering all the people crowded on the pavement. It was an older muscle car owned by the high school boy who lived on the corner. Any other person would have driven around the block, but curiosity got the better of him and pushed his way through the crowd.

When the car reached Joe’s house, it backfired twice in rapid succession, sending the crowd into screams and bedlam that rivaled Armageddon.

The officers in the shed began to shout, “Get down! Take cover!” To my amazement, the stout policeman standing at my side dove on top of me, throwing us both to the ground. The crowd panicked even more, running into each other and diving under bushes and cars.

Muffy lost it.

She began to howl and run in circles, nudging me with her nose and whimpering. The policeman swatted at her. She took off running down the street past Joe’s house and into the screaming mob.

“Muffy!” I yelled with what little breath I could get into my lungs, while trying to push the officer off my back.

It took some effort to move the policeman, especially considering his girth. I supposed I should have thanked him for putting himself on the line to protect a rolling-pin-wielding, gun-hiding murder suspect but I was more worried about my dog.

“
Muffy
!” I screamed again, starting to run after her when I finally broke free.

One of the officers grabbed my arm and dragged me back, pulling out a pair of handcuffs and cinching my hands behind my back.

“What are you doing?” I cried out in disbelief.

“You were fleeing the scene of a crime investigation.”

“I was running after my
dog
!” I screamed and turned to the street. “
MUFFY
!” And then I began to cry. I’d been fine up to that point, but I was afraid I’d never see Muffy again and I broke out into wails of anguish. Just when I thought I’d seen it all, Joe ran off his front porch in the direction Muffy had gone.

The crowd reassembled. It wasn't every day they saw someone handcuffed. I sat down on the grass by my driveway, not an easy task when you can’t use your hands to help yourself down. People took out cell phones and snapped pictures. I was big news for Henryetta, especially with tears and snot dripping down my face that I couldn’t wipe away, seeing how my hands were preoccupied.

The police got the crowd settled down and they confirmed the noise to be backfire. Everything back under control, the officers returned to the task at hand, cleaning out my shed.

Deanna showed up, furious when she discovered me sitting in the grass wearing handcuffs. She asked for a search warrant, just in time for the police to announce they had emptied everything out of the shed and found nothing. The anonymous tip said the gun would be wrapped in a yellow towel under the lawn mower, but all they found was a wrench wrapped in the towel. Deanna told them my sister and aunt would confirm my whereabouts Wednesday night.