The Soldier's Valentine--A Clean Romance

by Pamela Tracy

  A few minutes later, Gary knocked on Russell’s front door.

  Russell didn’t answer, and Gary didn’t blame him. No one could wound as deeply as someone you loved. And, it had been there in Russell’s eyes. No matter if an unknown situation had sent Jace running years ago, Russell still cared.

  Still worried.

  Still hoped.

  Scenarios that no longer lingered when it came to Gary and his father. The difference being that Russell and Jace were still in contact, even if they didn’t see each other often.

  “I’m still out here!” Gary called. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Finally, he heard footsteps and the door opened a crack. Russell looked a decade older. “I’m fine. You don’t have to check up on me.”

  “I got the feeling that if I didn’t check up on you, Leann would drive out here again. I thought I’d save her the trip.”

  “Fool woman.”

  Gary could tell Russell didn’t mean it. “She’s worried about you.”

  “And I’m worried about Jace. I’ve been sitting here thinking about the boy. I’ve tried and tried to get him to tell me what happened right before his graduation.” Russell’s face grew even more creased, and tears filled his eyes.

  “You don’t have a single idea?” Gary asked.

  “Only thing out of the ordinary was the visit from Leann’s brother Clark. He’d never been here before that I know of. But, he was polite and left when I said Jace wasn’t home.”

  “What did her brother want?”

  “I don’t know. He just asked me if Jace was here.”

  “You need to tell Leann.”

  “I never really thought much of it. Something funny, though,” Russell said. “Wasn’t but a few weeks later, Clark left, and he’s not ever returned either.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  LEANN WALKED THROUGH the station’s door and headed for one of the computer terminals behind the front desk. Typing in Jason Blackgoat’s full name, she waited for the information to load.

  “The hospital says Trudy Gilmore,” Lucas informed, coming to stand behind Leann, “has done little more than eat and snore. She is still insisting there is no one to call.”

  “No one?”

  “We found a mother living in Abilene, Texas, but she’s not answering her phone, and we can’t find a record of employment. I talked to an officer there. He’s sending a patrol car to talk to the mother or some of the neighbors.”

  “How old is Trudy?”

  “Fifteen.”

  Only three years older than Timothy. Why wasn’t a parent rushing to the hospital, thanking the police for finding their child, caring for her?

  Maybe Trudy’s parents were like Leann’s, who found it easy to let go. Her sister had the most contact with their parents. Their older brother hadn’t been in Sarasota Falls since he’d graduated high school almost two decades ago. Except for the occasional phone call, which she always instigated, he might as well have fallen off the face of the earth.

  Leann had another hour before her shift was over and she wanted to check on a few things. Jace’s file was still loading so she pulled out her phone and found a text from Gary with information from Russell about her brother and Jace. Immediately, she tried her brother’s number, although she wasn’t sure what she would say if he answered. Maybe she’d start by asking how well he knew Jace Blackgoat and end with—

  Before she could finish the thought, a prerecorded voice stated her brother was unavailable and advised her to leave a message. That never worked. She started to leave one anyone, but instead was interrupted by a new call.

  “Hey, Patsy,” she answered.

  “I’m just calling to remind you about tomorrow night. You’re still set to help out.”

  “Looking forward to it.” She was and wasn’t. If she could go as just a mom, she’d love the school dance. But, should something go wrong, like a fight between two kids or underage drinking, she’d be the one to deal with it, which likely wouldn’t earn her any points from her oldest, who would be embarrassed.

  She ended that call and glanced back at the file loading on Jace. It was almost complete. She had other ways to find out information. She stepped up to the front desk and started to ask Lucas a question, but he was dealing with Mrs. Edna Templeton, Leann’s third-grade teacher. Lucas unzipped a brown canvas backpack, saying, “Where did you find it again?”

  “At the park next to the library. My dogs found it under a bush.”

  “I’m not seeing anything with a name,” Lucas noted. “I think it must be a teenager’s. Look, here’s a book, a half bag of cookies, an art tablet—”

  “Young man,” Mrs. Templeton said, “simply put the bag in lost and found and be done with it. Someone will claim it or not.” Then, she turned to Leann and said, “Don’t pay attention to your mother. You’re doing a fine job raising your boys.”

  Great, there had been witnesses to Leann and her mother’s exchange outside the ladies’ auxiliary meeting.

  Mrs. Templeton marched out the front door.

  “Was she your third-grade teacher too?” Leann asked Lucas.

  “How’d you know?”

  “Because she called you young man.”

  Lucas laughed. “You had a question for me?”

  “Yes, did your daughter ever mention Jace Blackgoat or my brother? They’d have been near the same age, right?”

  “My youngest was in high school with them, but I don’t remember her mentioning anything.”

  “You ever attend one of the dances?”

  “I did, once. I was always working, it seemed.”

  Sitting at her computer, she read Jace’s details. Nothing about being arrested, although his stay in the Springer station had been noted.

  There was also a flag on his record stating he’d been a victim of identity theft. Interesting. But, they still had an eyewitness’s identification.

  Picking up the phone, she called Lydia. A friendly voice turned worried after Leann identified herself. “No, no,” Leann assured, “your grandfather’s fine. We’re just fairly sure Jace is in the area, and we’re trying to decide how to proceed.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We’d like to question Jace about a shoplifting incident.”

  Lydia was quiet for a few seconds, then said, “I realize this is what you might expect me to say because I’m his sister, but truthfully Jace has a job and money. He has no needed to steal. Please call me if you do find him.”

  Leann debated with herself, but common sense told her it would be a good idea to share everything. “I just came from your grandfather’s cabin. He’s missing about a hundred dollars and he says Jace wouldn’t have taken it.”

  Lydia muttered, “I told him not to hide things anymore. He’s right. Jace would never have taken it.”

  “When was the last time you spoke with your brother?”

  “A few weeks ago. He’s working in Nebraska.”

  Which jibed with what Russell claimed. “Do you know the name of his employer? Jace says it’s the post office.”

  “Actually, he works for a trucking firm they contract with. I don’t recall the name.”

  “Could you try calling him today? And, give him my number if he answers. We would like to talk to him.” Leann rattled off her seven digits. She wasn’t through.

  “Lydia, all those years ago, after Jace left Sarasota Falls, did he come to you?”

  “No. I was living in a dorm at Arizona State University. Whatever was going on with Jace, he didn’t want to mess things up for me. I’d have left school for him, though. I love him that much.”

  “Your grandfather has no clue why Jace left town. Do you?”

  “No. And I’ve stopped asking. He’s made it clear that he’s not willing to tell me why. I figure it’s just another sm
all-town mystery.”

  Leann could only nod.

  Her intuition told her the case she was working on hadn’t started with a bar fight or stolen bag of cookies but had begun decades earlier.

  * * *

  SATURDAY NIGHT, GARY left Wilma at the cabin. Goober happily sat on the passenger side, tongue lolling, waiting for whatever the evening presented. Peeve was staying with Russell, as both company and guard dog.

  Attending a school Valentine’s dance as a volunteer was the last thing he wanted to do, but his brother’s call this morning had given him little choice.

  “How do you forget something as important as a Valentine’s dance?” Gary had asked in amazement.

  “When you get the chance to go away with your own valentine, you forget about everyone else’s,” was Oscar’s long-distance response. “Besides, in my mind, I had it down as the weekend before Valentine’s day. I forgot they had to bring it forward because of a conflict. Listen, I can’t spend any more time talking about it. It’s expensive to use your cell on these cruises.”

  Gary wanted to ask Oscar if Leann ever talked about Clark, but Oscar ended the call before he could.

  The February wind carried a slight chill, and Gary was almost glad to be doing something besides practicing his German, working, or scanning the internet looking for information about Clark Crabtree, a single accountant who seemed to have no social media presence.

  Jace Blackgoat’s social media presence was much the same. Null and void.

  The elementary school was aglow with sparkling lights and giant cardboard cutout hearts. Gary walked inside, Goober at his side, following the handprinted directions to the school’s gym.

  “Hello?” A woman with a name badge reading Patsy Newcastle hurried up to him, peering into his face, and said, “Oh, you must be Oscar’s brother.”

  “Geraldo Guzman. Call me Gary and just tell me what you need me to do.”

  She stuck out her hand, gave a firm shake. “Your job will be the doors at the back of the gymnasium. With all the mothers here, I doubt you’ll have anything to do, but this dance is for sixth through eighth grade, and we have a few boys who think it’s cool to sneak off with their cell phones or a stolen pack of cigarettes and pretend they’re grown up.”

  “I can handle that,” Gary said.

  “I believe it. Leann says you can handle just about anything.”

  “Leann said that?”

  “She did. She’s my best friend and said you could handle anything except for dogs. But, this one seems to be behaving for you.” She bent down, rubbed Goober’s head and said, “And this is...?”

  “Goober. I’m watching her for a buddy.”

  Patsy made a face. “Goober?”

  “Consider her my emotional-support dog.”

  “Okay,” Patsy said slowly, adding, “By the way, thanks for pitching in.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  He thought about asking her about Clark, Jace, too, for that matter, but decided to wait, build a bit of a relationship. Plus, he didn’t want her mentioning to Leann that he was probing. Clark, being her brother, was something of a conflict of interest.

  Someone called her name and she quickly pointed out the doors where he’d be stationed. There were no kids yet, except for ones attached to mothers who were in volunteer positions. Quite a few last-minute details were being completed. While her son loved on Goober, Gary helped one woman hang decorations. Afterward, he set up a table that had a particularly difficult leg. Then, Gary walked the auditorium, snagging a few desserts and wondering who paid for the roses that were for sale: boy or mom?

  Oscar had always taken their mom to things like this. Gary never wanted to go. Too many people. Looking around, Gary took a deep breath. Would there be too many people tonight? Would he get that trapped feeling he used to get? Or, would the noise and the excitement rolling off kids and their parents overshadow the dread he seemed to feel, albeit less often lately.

  That feeling that something was wrong formed in the pit of his stomach. What, he didn’t know. Worse, there was no way to make the unease go away. “One, two, three,” he counted, heading for the door he was supposed to guard and continuing to count under his breath, trying to control his breathing. Goober walked stiffly, at alert, obviously aware that something was going on with Gary.

  “It’s all right,” Gary said, his voice sounding distant. He hoped no one else could sense his unease.

  Someone touched his arm, and Gary turned, his fist as clenched as his teeth. “You all right?” Leann peered up at him, her face full of concern. Her reddish-colored hair hung past her shoulders in a gentle curl. Her ivory blouse was tucked into dark brown slacks. The jewelry was all flame green, matching her eyes.

  “You all right?” she repeated.

  “Yes.” He wasn’t, though. The room had gotten darker, maybe because the dance was about to start but maybe because Gary was fighting off the remnants of a panic attack.

  Her hand went to his arm, her fingers wrapping around, bringing warmth and grounding him. Some of the tenseness left.

  “Sometimes these things are a bit overdone. I saw you talking to my best friend, Patsy. Was she giving you a hard time?”

  “Not really. She did happen to mention that you didn’t think I was too competent with dogs. She was also unimpressed with the name Goober.”

  Leann laughed loud and free. First time he’d heard it. It was sweet and musical. “I live with two boys,” she said, “I get the name Goober. I don’t appreciate it, but I get it.”

  “You volunteering, too?” Gary asked.

  “Some, but mostly I’m here with my sons. They’re over there.” She pointed to a long table loaded with food. Two boys were busy running back and forth from the door to the table delivering desserts. The bigger boy looked like he’d rather be anywhere else. The smaller one looked around, erroneously determined that no one was watching and swiped not one but two cookies.

  “Excuse me.” Leann marched across the room.

  Gary didn’t blame the kid. Most of the sweets came from Shelley’s bakery. They tasted great. Waiting until Leann had stepped away from the table busy telling her offspring “Just one!” he headed over and took two cookies for himself.

  “You’re supposed to wait.” The smaller kid appeared at his side and, completely ignoring his mother’s “Just one” dictate, took another cookie.

  “You going to tell your mom?”

  “What? No!”

  “I’m Gary Guzman.” He held out his hand, looking the boy over and deciding that there was no doubt as to his lineage.

  “Aaron Bailey. I don’t like to dance, but I love cookies.”

  “Me, too.”

  “My mom says you have three dogs. I like this one.”

  “This is Goober. Unfortunately, none of them are mine. I’m watching them for other people.”

  Aaron looked at him suspiciously. “You’re babysitting?”

  “Dogsitting.”

  “Are you getting paid?”

  It figured a teenager, or almost teenager, would ask the question that Gary apparently wasn’t asking often enough. Because no, Gary wasn’t getting paid. He’d just spent hundreds of dollars building a kennel and for what...temporary, nonpaying lodgers.

  He didn’t mind a bit when it came to Wilma or Peeve. Heck, Peeve would have carried the hammer for him, and Wilma? Well, Wilma was around for comic relief, and Max was his best friend. Goober, well, maybe he didn’t mind her either.

  Of the three dogs, she was at his side the most.

  Gary looked around, found a group of ten boys gathered around Goober all vying for her attention. The dog chose that moment to step away from her adoring fans to check out Gary’s whereabouts. Once she found him, the dog—content—returned to the children.

  “There are a few things more important
than money,” Gary finally said.

  Aaron appeared to consider that, then agreed, “Like dogs.”

  “Exactly.”

  Aaron shuffled his feet a bit and asked, “Did you ever give a girl a valentine?”

  “More than one,” Gary acknowledged.

  “No, not like you gave every girl one and just signed your name. I mean did you ever give a real girl a valentine?”

  Instinctively, Gary knew not to tease about the abundance of fake girls that had passed through his life. Instead, he asked, “You mean a girl you really like?”

  “Yeah.”

  Gary thought a moment. Maybe he hadn’t given any female a Valentine’s card. “Hmm, I gave flowers once.”

  Aaron frowned. “Did you pick them?”

  “No, bought them at the store.”

  “Too weird,” Aaron decided.

  “Hey, I gave my mother a special Valentine’s card. Made it myself. More than once!”

  Aaron sniffed. “Doesn’t count. I gave my mom a Valentine’s card. She said it was the only one she got this year. Then, she gave my brother ‘the look.’”

  Gary knew exactly what look Aaron was talking about when it came to ‘the look’ and suddenly wished he’d thought to buy Officer Bailey a Valentine’s card.

  Patsy came up to stand next to him, sending Aaron scurrying away. “The doors officially open in ten minutes. Go ahead and take your station.”

  “Yes, sir. I mean, ma’am.”

  She gave him the once-over. “Leann said you were cheeky.”

  “Leann seems to talk about me a lot.”

  “No, I don’t.” Leann stepped up next to him. “It’s just that my best friend likes to sensationalize any topic that revolves around single men.”

  Gary looked at Patsy’s left hand: ring.

  “Oh, not me,” Patsy protested. “I’m happily married. I just keep hoping Le—”

  “And I,” Leann interrupted, “keep hoping that she’ll find something more entertaining to do than bug her best friend about her love life.”

  “Lack of love life,” Patsy corrected.

  Gary couldn’t help it. He laughed. The unsettled feeling dissipated, completely, as he walked to his corner and stood guard so that no one left or entered. A few times he was called over to lift something heavy, and once he had to fix an electrical issue. Both Patsy and another woman brought him plates of food. Patsy did it with a smile and a smirk in Leann’s direction. The other woman—a tall brunette who looked like she’d be both loud and fun—had written her phone number on the paper plate right under the three chocolate chip cookies.