“So you did purposely fire it at us.” Marissa glared at him.
“That’s not what I said, sweetie. You best be careful putting words in someone else’s mouth and making accusations.” Joe cast her a veiled glance. His smile was almost like a sneer.
“I can see you accidently firing and missing the can you were shooting at, but way over here? Give me more credit for having brains, moron,” Marissa said, giving him a frosty look. “And don’t call me sweetie.”
Joe’s smile turned to a frown. “I don’t like the tone you’re using.” He stepped toward Marissa, and Campbell stepped between them.
“She’s on my property and she can say whatever the hell she pleases,” Campbell said, his voice gruff.
Marissa looked over as Riley was getting out of the sheriff’s cruiser with one of his deputies. They walked up to where Marissa, Campbell, and Joe were standing.
“What’s going on here?” Riley asked.
There was silence for a few minutes.
“Well, don’t you all overwhelm me with your statements. Campbell, you called it in, what the hell’s going on?”
“I’ll tell you what’s going on, Sheriff, but you probably won’t believe me anyway. We were target practicing over there and one bullet went flying over here. Campbell, along with his sidekick here, seems to think that I deliberately fired a shot at them,” Joe said.
“Where did the bullet go?” Jack, the deputy, asked.
“Over there,” Marissa said, pointing in the direction that the bullet went.
Jack walked over to where the bullet hit a rock and followed the trajectory until he found the bullet.
“Ferguson, show me where you were supposedly firing your guns at.”
“This way, Sheriff.” Joe walked toward the trommel where they were firing shots, and Riley followed him.
“We were shooting at the cans on that large rock over there.”
“Just how the hell could you miss so badly that you ended up firing a bullet over there at them?” Riley asked, then his eyes narrowed. “Better still, are you guys drunk?”
“We had a few beers, but we’re not drunk.”
“Like hell you’re not. I’m arresting you now, for drunkenness and mishandling a firearm while intoxicated.”
“Aww shit, wait a minute, Sheriff. We are not drunk, and we didn’t fire at them on purpose,” Joe said as Riley spun him around and handcuffed him.
Jack came up to where Riley and the Fergusons were, and Riley told him, “Arrest Ryan and handcuff him. They both reek of alcohol, and they’re in possession of firearms and firing them while intoxicated. I’m surprised that they didn’t catch on fire after shooting off the guns.”
“Yes, sir,” Jack said.
“You just can’t stay out of my jail, can you, Joe?” Riley said as he led Joe to the cruiser.
“You and your men are always picking on me. It’s like you guys follow me around all the time, waiting to arrest me.”
“That’s because you’re always starting trouble in my town, and I aim to run you the hell out.”
“Good luck with that, Sheriff. We’re thinking of making our home here.”
“Not if I can help it.” Riley put Joe in the back seat while Jack brought his brother up to the cruiser and put him in the other side. “I’ll be right back,” Riley said.
Riley walked up to where Marissa and Campbell were standing.
“I was hoping you’d take my advice and stay away from here until I got these men out of town. They’re dangerous. This is one of their games, to fire their gun off toward you to run you out of here. They did this in Colorado. We’ve been arresting them several times a week because of their drunken brawls in the local bar in town. They’re drunk now, and they could have shot one of you and it would have been a real mess.” Riley’s tone was civil in spite of his anger.
“We are not going to be chased off our claims by those two hotheads,” Campbell said, his every muscle tensed.
“There’s more than the two of them. Once the others find out about this, they’ll be out here ready to take you two on, and what will you do then?”
“We’ll keep an eye out, Riley, and if they show up again, we’ll leave and go back over to my property or just stop digging for the rest of the day,” Marissa said.
Riley looked at Marissa and then back at Campbell. “I should just issue an order to keep all three of you—Campbell, you, and the Fergusons—from coming out here and digging anymore,” Riley replied sharply. as he spun around and walked back to the cruiser.
Marissa’s gaze followed him. He got in the vehicle and drove away. So, he could have done that, but he didn’t. If Mark had been in that position, he would have done it to spite her.
* * * *
During her lunch break on Monday morning, Marissa made a long distance call to St. Petersburg, Florida.
“Hello, Mr. Feranand, it’s Marissa.”
“Hello, my dear. How are you doing?”
“I’m doing fine. I’m calling you because I have some quality sapphires for you to look at and a couple small nuggets and gold dust to show you.”
“How delightful. Is it worth me coming out for a visit?”
“Yes, I think it will be well worth your time to come and see the gems.”
“Excellent. Let me clear my schedule and call you back,” he said.
“Okay. You have my new phone number, correct?”
“Yes, I do. I’ll call you later today with my arrangements.”
“Great. Thank you, Mr. Feranand.”
Marissa wondered if she had enough funds to get her furnace running. She wanted to do her research on furnaces because she didn’t want to be told she needed a new one and not have the money to get it. After that, she hoped to come up with the funds to get the openings in the wood lath filled in on the outside of the house, and get her porch steps replaced. She needed to get her home ready for winter. Even though it was leaning dangerously to one side, she wanted to clean out the garage so she could pull her car into it. She hoped the garage lasted the winter in its current condition.
Mr. Feranand called Marissa back the next evening with his flight arrangements. Marissa arranged to take Thursday and Friday off so she could drive to Reno, Nevada, to meet with him.
Chapter 13
Late Wednesday morning, Riley stopped by Southerlyn’s Jewelry and Gem store.
“Hey, Riley. How’s it going?” Dave asked.
“Going good. Is Marissa here?”
“Yeah, she’s in the back.”
“Okay.” Riley walked into the back room. “Hi, Marissa.”
She looked up and smiled. “Hi.”
“Are you doing anything for lunch?”
“I brought my lunch.”
“Would you rather go to Stage Coach Wagon with me at one o’clock?”
She hesitated for a few minutes, running her fingers through her hair and wrapping it behind her ear. “Okay,” she said.
Riley smiled wide. “Let’s meet at the restaurant.”
“Sure. I’ll be there at one.”
* * * *
At one PM Marissa walked into the restaurant and headed over to where Riley was sitting.
“How many restaurants does Frankenburg have now?” she asked as she sat down across from him.
“There are five restaurants. A few of them, like this one and The Lunch Box, are only opened until two in the afternoon. The pizza place and the Rock Creek Inn are only open in the evening. Mill Creek Restaurant is open all day, and a few bars have a grill in them to serve up fast food.”
“I don’t remember Frankenburg having so many restaurants within a few square miles.” Her mouth curved into a smile.
“So how’s your week going?” Riley asked.
“It’s going good.”
“Have you been out to the Red Rock River digging since Sunday?”
“Yes, we were there on Monday night, and we’ll be there tonight.”
“Have the Fergusons b
een bothering you?” Riley asked. Marissa could tell by the sour look on his face he was displeased with the information.
“No. We haven’t seen them. I thought you arrested them and they were still in jail.”
“I did, but they were able to post bail.”
“Oh.”
“Are you going to the Annual Waffle House event at the Mill Creek Restaurant this Saturday?” Riley asked.
“Yes. Heidi has talked me into going with her and her kids. Will you be there?”
“Yeah, I’ll stop by.”
“Cool. Maybe you could join us.” She couldn’t believe those words came out of her mouth.
“What time are you going to be there?”
“I’m meeting Heidi there at nine in the morning.”
“Okay. I’ll keep an eye out for you.”
Casey Devereaux, a waitress at the Stage Coach Wagon, came over to their table and took their order. Marissa was again self-conscious about people staring at them while they sat and waited for their lunch, but Riley seemed indifferent to it. She wondered if she would ever get over the nervousness she felt when she was with him and being seen in public with him.
“Why does it bother you so much to be seen with me in public?” Riley asked.
Marissa’s mouth dropped. How did he know it bothered me? “I’m not used to being stared at by people. I don’t understand why everyone is staring at me…us. Even at my tea visit with Mrs. Buell, she asked about us being together.”
“There aren’t many people in town who are seeing each other. I think the town is just wondering if we’re serious or not, and where it will all lead.” Riley smiled at her.
The whole town is probably gossiping about us.
Marissa and Riley continued to chat until Casey brought their lunches out.
“Thanks,” Riley said.
“You’re welcome,” Casey replied, then walked over to another table.
Marissa noticed discoloration on Casey’s arms. She also noticed that Casey seemed nervous. She was constantly looking around as if she was expecting someone to show up.
“Do you know anything about Casey?” Marissa asked Riley as she studied Casey.
“No. I don’t, really. We’ve been called to her home a few times due to fights, but she seems to keep to herself most of the time, unless she’s with Melody. Sometimes I don’t think that friendship is as hot as it once was.”
“Why do you say that?” Marissa asked.
“Used to be that Casey and Melody went everywhere together. They went to all the bars, all the events, and a lot of times, they were drunk and acting like total jerks. I don’t see Casey doing that as much anymore.”
Marissa knew why. She had all the classic signs of being in a physically abusive relationship.
“Is she living with someone? She did tell me she wasn’t married.”
“Hangs out with a guy who thinks of himself as part of the Hells Angels group. He’s got a mean-looking motorcycle and a violent temper.” Riley glanced over at Marissa. “You think she’s in an abusive relationship?”
“I don’t think it, I know it. I can tell by the way she’s acting, and those are bruises on her arm, and she has missing teeth. Her parents paid a lot of money to put those teeth in braces when we were younger.”
“Nothing I can do about it unless she comes to us for help.”
“Can you talk to her, tell her that there are programs available to help her?”
Riley studied Marissa’s face for a moment without replying. His gaze was intense, and she wondered what he was thinking. Finally, he gave a single nod and said, “Yeah, I can talk to her. I’ll stop by and have a word with her.”
“Thank you.” she said. “The person being abused won’t leave the abuser unless he or she knows they can make it on their own, or that the abuser won’t come after them. It will take more than your talking to her, but it’s a start in the right direction.”
“You speak as if you’ve had experience with this.” Riley stared at her intently.
“Just things I’ve learned.” Marissa cast her gaze downward. Yes, I have a lot of experience with this. I’m just not going to tell him about it.
“Why don’t you talk to her?”
“She’s not a friend of mine, and she’d just take it as me butting into her personal business.”
“Okay.” Riley’s gray eyes met hers.
* * * *
After lunch, Riley walked Marissa back to Southerlyn’s, and then he went back to his office. So there was abuse in Marissa’s past. He saw it in her eyes and heard it in her voice. The bastard, whoever did this to her, left her a very scarred person. They ruined her self-esteem, and it was no damn wonder why she was always nervous around him. She couldn’t trust her own instincts.
He wanted to take her into his arms and kiss away every tear she ever shed because of that jerk. It would take time. Time and patience. She wasn’t going to come around quickly, that he knew.
Why did he care so much? Mostly, he guessed, it was just the way he was. He cared about people and their problems. During his years in Iraq, it was hard for him not to get involved and care for the people whose lives were ruined or devastated not only by Saddam Hussein, but also by war. He knew that he needed to be careful, not to lose his heart over her. At least, not until he could break through the barriers and find out what she was keeping from him.
* * * *
Marissa left early Thursday morning to head to Reno, Nevada, to see her client. She stopped occasionally along the way to get something to eat and to gas up. She arrived at the Hilton in Reno at five-thirty that evening and checked in. After she got to her room, she called Mr. Feranand to let him know she was there.
“Hello?” he answered.
“Hello, Mr. Feranand. I just arrived at the Hilton, and I’m in my room.”
“Excellent, let’s meet in the lobby at six o’clock.”
“Okay, I’ll see you then.”
She rode the elevator down to the main floor and walked into the lobby. He was sitting at a table in a secluded place at the side of the room. She walked toward him, and he stood up. When she got to the table, he leaned over and gave her a hug.
“How are you doing, my dear?” he asked.
“I’m fine. How are you doing?” she asked the frail, old man. Marissa noticed that he seemed bent over more and was walking with a cane now.
“I’m doing better than they expected. My sons are counting down the days where they think I’ll die and leave everything to them.” He laughed.
“How was your flight here?” Marissa asked.
“It was fine. One thing to remember, if you ever fly, always fly first-class. Everyone waits on you, and it makes for a much more pleasant ride. So tell me, how have you really been?” Mr. Feranand reached over and took her hand in his.
“I’ve been doing well. It was rough for a while, but I’m seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.”
“I wish you had let me help you out, my dear. You didn’t deserve such horrible treatment from the Simpsons, and I felt awful that you had been subjected to their abuse.”
“I’m out of it now, thank God. I’m rebuilding my life, back in my hometown where I grew up.”
“Have you met any nice gentlemen there?”
“Um, yeah. The sheriff is a nice person. We went out a few times.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear your ex hasn’t broken your spirit,” Mr. Feranand said.
“No. My spirit was heavily damaged, but I think it’s being revitalized.”
“I’m not surprised. You are definitely resilient, and I applaud you for that. So you’re back to gem hunting, and you have some gems for me?” he asked.
“Yes, I bought a used faceting machine, and I got quite a few very nice quality sapphires. Most of them weigh in at about one to one and a half carats.”
“Let me see what you have.”
Marissa pulled out the gem jars and handed them to him.
“These look really go
od,” Mr. Feranand said as he opened the cap of one jar and dropped the contents into his hand. He pulled out his eye-loupe and looked at the stones. “Very nice, very clear.”
“I had to heat-treat these two.” Marissa handed him another gem jar.
“Okay.” Mr. Feranand looked at the ones in his hand a little more closely. “These are perfect.” After he looked at all ten stones in the gem jar, he put them back, and then he looked at the two heat-treated ones. He used his eye-loupe again. “Perfect,” he said, smiling. “As usual, Marissa, you always get me the best quality gems. Were these out of the mountains of Montana?”
“Yes. Near Gulch Mountain, along Red Rock River. It used to be my dad’s claim, and I’ve been paying on it, so it’s mine now.”
“I understand you have gold pieces too.”
“Yes, here are the gold nuggets, flakes, and flowery gold.” Marissa handed him a glass tube containing the gold.
“Gold is getting to be quite an expensive commodity now. They are expecting the gold prices to start climbing in the near future.”
“Yes, I’ve been hearing that,” Marissa said.
“Well, let me do my calculation, and get my funds arranged. Let’s meet here at eight and go to dinner tonight at Club Reno, and we’ll discuss the finances, shall we?”
“That sounds great, Mr. Feranand. I’ll see you at eight.” Marissa put the gem jars back in her purse and got up.
Two hours later Marissa and Mr. Feranand met up at the same spot. They walked out the main lobby to a waiting cab.
“Take us to Club Reno,” Mr. Feranand said to the cab driver.
They arrived at Club Reno a few minutes later, and Mr. Feranand paid for the cab.
They walked into the restaurant, and the hostess greeted them. “Good evening. Do you have reservations?”
“Yes, we do. Name is Feranand.”
“Oh, yes, sir. Right this way, please.” The hostess led them to a table off to the corner where they could talk intimately without being stared at.
Mr. Feranand always took Marissa to the most expensive restaurant, and he always paid, and she’d learned never to argue with him about it. She remembered when she met him ten years ago. He was impressed with her work. Whenever she got her hands on excellent quality stones, she contacted him. He always gave her the fairest price for the gems. He treated her with the utmost respect, and in the later part of the ten years, he had begun to look upon her like the daughter he never had.
Blue as Sapphires Page 14
