51: The Beginning Chapter 2 Part 4

As soon as they got in the car, Andy started it, and Lindsay called the sheriff’s department to let them know they were leaving the area. She asked them to call the phone company for Rita and ensure they knew it was an emergency, and to please repair her phone as soon as possible. That was more than Lindsay needed to do, but she also felt it was the right thing to do. She also gave instructions that she was to be called if Rita called again.

The drive back was pleasant and peaceful. It turned out that Andy was a good driver, so she was not nervous riding with him. She had ridden with some who made her want to kiss the ground when the car came to a stop. Lindsay surprisingly found herself enjoying the ride and gazing out the window at the stars. She could not remember the last time she had done either of those things. She was startled when Andy spoke.

“Sheriff, you know more about that call we were on than you are saying, don’t you?”

Lindsay took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. She was trying to think of what to say without sounding crazy.

“I have smelled that odor before, but I’m still not entirely sure what it is,” she said, waiting to see how Andy would react.

“It is why you were fired, isn’t it?” he asked.

“Part of it,” she answered. She was going to make him talk to her if he wanted answers.

“Will you tell me what really happened?” asked Andy.

“I will, but only if you tell me why you can’t talk to any women over the age of twelve. Would you like to have this conversation now or at another time?”

“I think maybe another time. Would you tell me tomorrow? I will tell you everything you want to know about my problem with women.”

Lindsay looked at him. He stared straight ahead and had the steering wheel in a death grip. It was hard for him to say even this much to her, and she could tell he was trying very hard.

Lindsay replied, “Tomorrow would be fine. Would you like to come in during the day shift or stop by my house after you start your shift? Wren will be at the house, so that might make it a little easier on you.”

Even though the car was dark, she could still see him blushing.

“Stopping by your house would be easier. I kind of get made fun of for it,” he said with shame in his voice.

“Don’t worry about what any of the other deputies say. You are still better at this than half of them. At least that’s how it looked to me today after I read through the personnel files and your reports,” she said, hoping it would make him feel better. It was all true. She just hoped he believed it.

Andy just smiled. The rest of the drive to the office was uneventful. Andy pulled up in front of the sheriff’s department, and they both got out and went in. Andy walked straight back to his desk without saying a word to the dispatcher. Lindsay looked at the dispatcher and realized it was Cat. Cat worked weekdays during the day. Why was she here at almost midnight?

“What are you doing here?” Lindsay asked with confusion.

“The evening dispatcher went home early because she was sick. I’m only here until the graveyard shift gets here, which should be any minute,” Cat answered with her trademark smile.

Lindsay replied, “That’s good. I was beginning to think you didn’t have a life, and you live here.”

“Oh no, not a chance of that. Anyway, I didn’t have a client tonight, so I was free. Tomorrow, I have a client, so if the dispatcher is sick, she will need to find someone to fill in, or she can work sick,” Cat said. “I saw your patrol car out front when I got here. Why didn’t you take it home?”

“I drove my personal car today and was going to pick it up tomorrow. However, Andy was at my house when he got a call, so I went with him, and I’m getting it now,” Lindsay answered.

“Then, here are your keys, and have a safe trip home.”

“Thank you.” Lindsay took the keys from Cat and walked out of the office. 

Lindsay was not going to ask any questions about the “client” she mentioned. She walked over to the car and unlocked the door. As soon as she got in, Lindsay realized two things: One, it was in desperate need of cleaning, and two, someone much taller than she was had been driving it. It took a couple of minutes to get things adjusted before she could pull out of the parking area and start home. Lindsay briefly considered calling home to let Wren know she was on her way, but it was now after midnight. The last thing she wanted to do was wake him. She knew that if he were still awake, he would have sent her a text message to check on her by now.

As Lindsay neared her house, she could see that a light was still on in the living room. She pulled into her driveway, shut off the car, got out, and locked it. She hesitated at the door. Lindsay hoped her dog, Crook, would not start barking and wake everyone up. She opened the front door, trying not to make a sound. As she stepped in and closed the door behind her, she saw that she did not need to worry about the dog. Wren was lying on the couch asleep with the television on the History Channel. Crook was lying on Wren’s chest. Wren was also sound asleep. Lindsay considered covering them both with a blanket and letting them sleep. She knew that if she did that, Wren would be sore in the morning, especially since the dog would be lying on him all night. She walked over and touched Wren on the shoulder. He instantly sat upright. When he did, Crook was rolled into a ball and was now lying on his back at the end of the couch, trying to understand what had happened.

“I’m so sorry; I didn’t mean to scare you,” Lindsay apologized.

Wren looked at her and said, “It’s fine. I’m sorry I did that.” He took her hand and held it. “How was the call? Everything OK?” He could tell something had unnerved her a little.

All she said was, “It was there again.”

Wren stood up.

“I’m OK, so don’t worry,” she added.

Wren just wrapped his arms around her and said,

“Let’s go to bed. We both need to try to get some sleep.”

Wren shut off the TV, and they walked to the bedroom. Crook was still on the couch. He had not moved from where he had landed. He had already gone back to sleep for the night, still lying on his back.