“And if I don’t?” she said evenly.
“I’d have to serve you with a notice and remove you from the premises until the house meets the building code.”
“Really,” she replied in a low voice, taut with anger. “I guess I’ll contact the inspector tomorrow and see when I can get someone out. Is that all, Sheriff?”
“For now. Tell me, Marissa, how have you been?” Riley asked. “You haven’t been here in a long time.”
“I’m doing well. Thank you,” she replied icily. A suggestion of annoyance hovered in her eyes.
“So, are you married? Do you have children?”
“No, and no, and why?”
It seemed to Riley that Marissa was being evasive and noncommittal. She sure was an attractive woman, maybe a little too thin, but she had a lovely face and perfect rose-colored lips. Something about her piqued his interest.
“I just wondered how you were. Is this the first time you’ve been back to Frankenburg since high school?”
“Yes.”
“What brings you back?”
“I wanted to come back.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
He was aware of her annoyance, he tried to coax her into a better mood, but failed.
“Marissa, if you’d like, I could make you an offer on the twenty acres of land. That would give you enough money to buy a nice home in town and live more comfortably than you would here.”
“Why are you so bent on me leaving this house?” Marissa shot him a cold look, uncrossing her arms and squeezing her hands into fists.
“I’m not bent on anything, but I told you before I think the house is dangerous to live in.”
“Well, it’s my problem, so I’d appreciate it if you would mind your own business.”
“Why are you so testy? We’re a tight community here in Frankenburg, you know that. We look out for each other and try to help when we can. I’m only trying to be neighborly and keep you safe.”
“I’m not interested in you being neighborly and keeping me safe. I’m capable of taking care of myself, and I don’t need any help.”
“All right, Marissa, but you get that inspector out here as soon as possible.” Riley’s voice was smooth, but insistent.
“Yes, Sheriff.” She spat out the words contemptuously, did a mock salute, whirled around, walked into the house, and slammed the door in his face.
Riley walked to the cruiser and got in. He looked back at the house. Why the hell did she go off on him like that? She was hiding something. She gave simple, straight answers and didn’t elaborate at all. Was she always that way? Why wouldn’t she take advantage of selling her parents’ property and getting something a lot nicer in town?
Something painful had to have happened to her to make her like that. Right? Maybe she wanted to be left alone, however, that was something that wouldn’t happen there. Their town didn’t let people live in isolation, and she would soon find that out.
* * * *
Marissa stomped back into her parents’ bedroom to finish cleaning. The last thing she wanted was Riley sticking his nose in her business. But since he had brought up the subject of marriage, she wondered if he was married. In high school he used to date Rachel Langley.
Why am I interested in whether he’s married or not? He reminds me of Mark. He wants to exercise control over me, and that isn’t going to happen.
When she finished her parents’ bedroom, she went to her own bedroom and went through the stuff sitting on top of her dresser. She picked up her class ring and tried it on. It was too big now, and it was bulky and awkward on her finger. She ran her fingers through the tassel that came off her graduation cap. That summer was the last summer she’d spent in Montana with her mom and dad before she went off to Nevada. She spent that summer going to Red Rock River with her dad, digging for sapphires. She held up a vial and looked at the sapphires she’d kept for herself. She would add those to the collection she hoped she got when she started digging at the river. Her parents got beautiful gems from there, which helped pay for their new home in Florida.
After Marissa left for college, she never returned to visit them in Frankenburg, but she visited them a lot in Florida. Each time she thought of her parents she felt sad, and tears formed in her eyes. She wiped a tear that slipped down her cheek. Being without her parents left a big ache in her heart.
She looked at the awards she’d gotten in school. There was an award for being a choir member. She’d also received one for being a student safety officer where she walked children across the street at the school intersection. Finally, there was a recognition award for playing the clarinet in the high school band.
She opened the first dresser drawer, and her fingers landed on the piece of paper that was laying there. It was a note, supposedly from Riley, telling her that he liked her and found her sexy. He wanted to see her after school on the bus. He wanted to fuck her and take her to the game that night. He told her to meet him on bus number four-eleven at three-thirty that afternoon. The note had been left in her locker. At first, she was excited about it. At the time, she didn’t know what ‘fuck’ meant, but she was interested in finding out. Then she turned to walk to her next class and saw Melody Johnston and Casey Devereaux, along with a few other girls, standing off to the side, looking at her and laughing. She held her head down and hurried by them. She wondered if they had dropped the note in her locker or if Riley really wanted to meet her. She had excitedly shown the note to her best friend, Heidi Carmichael, who promptly told her it was a practical joke and they were all going to laugh at her, so she was not to go near that bus.
For the longest time Marissa wondered if it was a joke or if Riley did write the note. Now, of course, she knew it for what it was—a practical joke pulled by those girls. But thanks to her friend, she hadn’t given them anything to laugh about. While she was an introvert, Heidi was the opposite. Heidi had many friends and was always going out and doing things. How Heidi ever became best friends with her was beyond her imagination. However, they were best friends, and they walked the school halls and ate lunch together. Pulling her thoughts back to the present, Marissa wadded the paper up and took it to the trashcan. She didn’t know why she’d kept it.
Now Riley was the sheriff, and she had come home practically destitute. But she was determined she would survive and no one would help her. No one would know about her life after she left there and went to the university all those years ago. Riley might think he was going to evict her from her parents’ house, but she’d get that damn inspection for him, and then maybe he’d leave her alone. She had no interest in the man or his beautifully sculpted body. Yeah, right. So why does my heart beat just a little faster at the sight of him?
After cleaning her room, she put water in the stockpot on the stove and turned the burner on. She ate a granola bar and drank a glass of water, then when the water was hot, she took her bath and washed her hair. By that time, she was tired. She went into her parents’ room and got ready for bed. Once settled in the bed, she drifted off to sleep.
“What the hell are you doing?” Mark said.
“I’m fixing you a drink, the way you like it,” Marissa replied.
“I didn’t ask for that drink. I want something else.”
“Okay, what do you want?”
“Don’t give me that tone of voice!”
“I’m not trying to give you a tone of voice, just trying to get you a drink. What would you like?”
“You’re being a smart-ass, and I don’t like it,” Mark yelled.
“No, I’m not. Really. Please, Mark, let’s not fight.”
“You are nothing but a low-life bitch. I don’t know why I ever thought you were attractive or worth anything.”
“Don’t say that to me. You loved me at one time.” Marissa got scared.
“I never loved you. You tricked me into thinking I loved you. Then you used me to get out of your poor, meager life. I should divorce you and leave you penniless.”
&nbs
p; “No, you don’t mean that.”
“The hell I don’t. I hate you for trapping me in this loveless, useless marriage.”
Marissa could smell alcohol on his breath as he walked toward her, and she knew he was drunk and it was going to be a bad night. She turned to run away from him, but he caught her by the arm and yanked her around to face him.
“No, Mark. Don’t hit me.”
He drew his hand back and slapped her across the face. “You slimmy bitch.” He shoved her against the wall and then pummeled her with his fists. She could hear her bones break as he hit her. She put her hands up to deflect his fists. Her face couldn’t take any more beatings.
“You fucking bitch, I’m gonna kill you.”
“No!” Marissa yelled and sat up with a start. Her heart thundered fast in her chest. She put her hands over her face. Oh my God, will I ever be rid of these nightmares?
She waited until her heart rate returned to normal, then got up and went to the kitchen for a glass of water. While sitting at the table, she heard the town’s air raid signal go off. A few minutes after that, she heard the sheriff’s cruiser speed by with the siren and lights on. After all these years, they still used the air raid to get firefighters to the station before getting to where the fire was at. It seemed some things never change. However, other things changed dramatically.
Why did she keep having those nightmares? Why couldn’t she have a dreamless, restful sleep? The caseworker in Nevada told her she might find she needed professional help to deal with the unresolved issues and other problems that might come up during her healing process. But I’m out of the situation and I’m safe, so there shouldn’t be any other problems. Things should settle down and I should be able to go on with getting my life in order. Right?
Chapter 3
The six o’clock alarm blared next to Riley’s head. Aw hell. He could use two or three more hours of sleep. He hit the off button on the alarm clock and laid there for a few minutes. Last night’s one AM fire alarm pulled him out of a deep sleep, and he didn’t get home and get to bed until four-thirty. He rolled over on his back and stared up at the ceiling. Man, his eyes burned.
He got out of the bed, going straight to the kitchen, and got the coffee machine going. He went into the master bathroom and shaved, then stepped into the shower. Damn, it had been a long time since he’d been with a woman, and it was wearing thin. His thoughts drifted to Marissa. He imagined her blue eyes and her luscious lips. He could imagine his hands as they moved from her shoulders to her arms and to her soft curves. He lathered up the soap and then stroked his shaft. As he pictured Marissa and thought about how beautiful she was, his erection got harder until he had his release.
When he finished his shower, he got out and dried off, then padded out to the kitchen in the buff. He got a cup out of the cupboard and poured himself some coffee. He walked to the living room window and took a sip, careful not to burn his mouth or spill any on his naked body. He didn’t want to go to the hospital for coffee burns, especially on what made him a male.
He looked out across the hills and mountains, enjoying the view before him. He guessed he lived an active life. After a period with the Denver Police Department, he came back to Frankenburg and became a deputy sheriff. During election year, he ran for sheriff and won. He knew everyone in town, and he loved and enjoyed his life there. He had the guys from the fire department and the sheriff’s department over once or twice a month to do something such as fishing, hunting, and snowmobiling in the winter.
Occasionally he’d find an attractive woman and have a date, but it’d been a long time, and the last date he had… Well, I won’t go there. It would be so nice to have someone to hold, to sleep with, and to sit and have a morning cup of coffee together.
His gaze wandered around the land before him until it came to rest on the little house down the hill. Marissa was a snappy person, that was for sure. From what he could remember, she had always been a shy girl, and quiet. He remembered her being teased a lot, and the only friend she seemed to have was Heidi Carmichael.
Now she didn’t seem as shy, but more like she was afraid to be involved with people. What had happened to her to make her that way? His gut instinct told him that there was abuse in her life.
She had the prettiest, rosy lips, and he’d love to kiss them. He loved her blue eyes. He had never seen such beautiful blue eyes on another human being. They were bluer than the bluest sapphire. One other thing he’d noticed was that she was very thin, maybe too thin. It didn’t look as if she had any meat on her bones. He wondered if she was starving herself, or if she had a medical problem.
He knew how to turn on the charm and have the ladies swooning over him, but Marissa seemed unaffected, more as if he annoyed her, which bugged him. When he got a few minutes, he would investigate and dig into her last few years before she came back to Frankenburg. He finished his coffee, got dressed, then headed into work.
* * * *
Marissa stood from the chair on the porch and went into the house. Going into the bathroom, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Great, dark circles under my eyes. The faint scars were more visible too. She would have to put on extra makeup today to hide them. She’d been unable to get back to sleep last night, so she pulled her sleeping bag off the bed, wrapped herself up in it, and sat in the chair on the cold front porch. Occasionally she ran her hand over the rocks on the card table, looking for sapphires.
After she got dressed, she sat out on the porch again to watch the sun rise over the horizon. She knew the best plans were made early in the morning, before the day got convoluted with other things. Her plan was that the money she made at the jewelry store she’d live on. The money she got from selling the sapphires and gold would get the house in order, hopefully before winter arrived. She prayed that she would find sapphires and gold on the claim she held. She was determined to survive, because right now, she was starving herself, but not on purpose.
She arrived at work and hung up her coat and purse in the locker. She went to the kiln and pulled out the sapphires. As she studied the gems through an eye loupe she noted that the stones were good, quality gems. She pulled a small crucible out that held the gems and noticed the name. Campbell. The old man she met at the river? If he got this from digging near her claim, she had even greater hope that she would find a few high-quality gems.
Campbell came into the store when it opened at eight that morning, and Marissa could hear his voice from the back. “I’m here about my gems you were to heat-treat,” he said, his voice croaky.
She grabbed the crucible she put the gems in and walked out to the store to give it to Dave.
“What the hell is she doing here?” Campbell asked.
“She’s a gemologist hired to help me with the gems,” Dave answered.
“She’s a gemologist?”
“Yes, she is. Marissa, please show him his gems.”
She placed a black velvet cloth on the counter and opened the crucible and laid the gems out on it. She handed Campbell a magnifying glass to look at them.
“Are there any cracks in them?” Campbell asked.
“No. They’re all top-quality gems. There’s not a crack in any of them.”
“How do you cut the gems so they look the best in settings?”
“I’d use a polariscope to register the amount of reflective light that goes through it and my refractive index of 1.762-1.770. I base my cutting on that.”
“A what?” He looked at her with his eyebrows arched.
“A polariscope.”
“I’ve never heard of that.”
“It’s a tool gemologist use to test the gems.”
“I see. Can you give me the weight and dollar value of each of these stones?”
She hesitated for a few minutes and then lifted a yellow sapphire. Dave strolled over to assist. He pulled the scale out and put it on the counter. She laid the sapphire on the scale.
“This weight is one-fourth carat. Heat-treated sa
pphires are less in value than natural sapphires. So, I’d say the value of this one would be two hundred and twenty-five dollars to three hundred and fifty dollars per carat after being cut.” She pulled another sapphire out that was a cornflower blue and placed it on the scale. “This one is one and a half carats.”
She went through the others she had heat-treated and weighed them out, so he could do the math and figure out the value of the gems.
“Do you know anyone who would be interested in buying the sapphires?” he asked.
“No, I don’t,” she answered a little too quickly. She wasn’t about to let anyone in on her secret. The buyer she worked with wanted strict privacy and would only buy through her.
Campbell gave her an odd look as if he didn’t believe her.
“There’s a store a block and a half from here called Townsend’s Gem and Mineral. The man that owns the store is Brian Townsend, and he will make you an offer for your gems,” Dave said.
“Thanks. How much do I owe you for heat-treating these?”
While Dave was adding up the cost, she put the gems back in a crucible and handed it to Dave.
“It will be two hundred and seventy-five dollars,” Dave said.
Marissa turned and went to the back room.
* * * *
When Riley got to the office and sat at his desk, Sergeant Don Miller, the night shift supervisor, entered. “How was your night?” Riley asked.
“Same old stuff, the usual cases of drunk drivers, drunken bar brawls, neighbors partying and making noise. But it does seem that we’re getting more calls than usual at Coyote Bar.”
“Really? New people in town?” Riley asked, one eyebrow arched.
“Yeah, a new gang. Called the Ferguson gang.”
“What kind of trouble are they causing?”
“Last night they got drunk and hit on the girls serving them drinks. One gal’s significant other didn’t take to kindly to it, so we had to separate them.”
Blue as Sapphires Page 3
