Dire Straits

by Melissa Pearl

  “Quite the party at Bill’s the other night,” Jarrett commented.

  Donovan’s eyebrows lifted. “Oh? Were you there? I don’t remember seeing you…”

  “Lots of people,” Jarrett said. “Probably a little hard to keep track of everyone.”

  “Indeed,” Donovan murmured. He sipped the glass of liquid he was drinking. Jarrett thought he could smell alcohol mixed with the soda.

  Jarrett shoved his hands in his pockets. The clock was ticking, so he decided to dive right in. “Shame about that Katie girl.”

  Donovan looked at him questioningly.

  “The woman at the party,” Jarrett clarified. He watched Donovan closely, waiting to see how he would react to what he was about to say. “The woman who left? She was found dead shortly after. Apparently had an accident or something and was found about forty miles downstream.”

  Donovan’s mouth gaped open. “What?”

  Jarrett pressed his lips together and nodded. “Very tragic. No one knows what happened.”

  Donovan shook his head in disbelief, and Jarrett had a sinking sensation in his stomach. Either this man was a terrific actor, or he really had not heard the news about Katie Simmons.

  “That’s just terrible,” the older man said. He took a sip of his drink. “How awful for everyone involved.”

  “Did you know her? Katie Simmons?” Jarrett asked. He hadn’t intended to be so blunt, but he felt like it was worth a gamble, especially if asking that kind of question might throw Donovan off-guard.

  Donovan’s expression clouded. “No, not at all. I didn’t know anyone other than Bill and his wife, to be honest. Bill’s dad and I go back a long way, and I thought I’d stop by for a quick hello since I was in town.”

  “Oh, where do you live?” Jarrett hoped his tone sounded conversational instead of interrogative.

  “Colorado,” Donovan answered. “Just in town to check on business and do this.” He waved his hand in the air.

  Jarrett nodded and swallowed his disappointment.

  Donovan Smith was looking very much like a dead end, at least where Katie was concerned.

  There was nothing suspicious about his answers to Jarrett’s questions. He didn’t seem like he had anything to hide.

  Which meant their trip to Duluth had been a complete and total waste of time.

  21

  Sunday, July 1st

  12:15 pm

  “Well, that didn’t exactly pan out, did it?” Jarrett muttered.

  Jessica struggled to keep up with Jarrett as he strode out of the clubhouse and into the parking lot.

  The conversation with Donovan Smith had not gone well.

  Strike that. It had gone just fine. Despite his penchant for ogling younger women—i.e. Jessica—he’d been friendly enough, and had been willing to answer Jarrett’s questions. Jess was still in awe as to how he managed to get information out of people. He’d never lied to Donovan about who he was, if they knew each other, or even if Jarrett had been at Bill’s party. But Jarrett had maneuvered the conversation, sidestepping questions with either vague statements or questions of his own. And Donovan Smith had been none the wiser.

  Unfortunately, it also became pretty evident that he didn’t have a clue as to who Katie Simmons was or the fate that had befallen her. He’d seemed genuinely concerned upon hearing the news.

  And Jarrett was not happy about that.

  Jess knew he’d had high hopes for their conversation with Smith. Hell, she did, too.

  But they’d walked away with nothing.

  They got in the car, and Jarrett turned the engine on to get the A/C going. There was a nice breeze coming in off the lake, but it was still warm, and Jess’s dress was sticking to the back of her legs.

  “I’m sorry,” she said.

  He glanced at her. “About what?”

  “About this,” she said. “About not getting answers.”

  He shrugged. “Happens sometimes.”

  She wanted to ask what they did next, if anything. If Donovan Smith was a dead end, where did that leave them? But she didn’t voice the question. Jarrett probably needed to decompress a little.

  She was pretty sure she needed to.

  Jarrett tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “So,” he said, facing her. “What now?”

  “I guess we head back?” she offered.

  There didn’t seem to be much reason to stick around the Duluth area; at least not as far as the Katie Simmons case was concerned.

  Case.

  She grimaced.

  The word brought her earlier worries crashing back down on her, how much hell she would catch if Kellan knew she was up in Duluth, pseudo-investigating Katie Simmons’s death.

  But she’d brushed those worries aside.

  And here she was, sitting in a car with Jarrett Pryor, a reporter for their local paper, tracking down potential leads that the AFPD probably wasn’t even aware existed.

  She swallowed.

  She was pretty sure she could get fired for this.

  And then she swallowed again, because she wondered if that would even bother her. Getting fired.

  She would be the first to admit that she felt stuck.

  She just wasn’t sure she wanted someone else to be making life decisions for her. If Kellan decided she’d crossed the line, she could potentially lose her job. She wasn’t sure being a police officer was what she wanted to do anymore, but she wanted to be able to walk away, not get kicked to the curb by a superior.

  But it might already be too late for that, she realized. Especially if Kellan got word of what she’d been up to over her vacation.

  They drove in silence, both of them wrapped up in their own thoughts. Jess tried to shift her focus to the scenery, to the majestic trees and the sun-dappled lake that stretched like an ocean out the driver’s side window. It was like a salve to her soul, and she realized how much she missed living in this part of the state. Aspen Falls was a sweet town, but she was pretty sure the North Shore would always be home to her.

  “Shit,” Jarrett muttered.

  Jess looked at him and then, following his gaze, out at the hood of the car. Something white—smoke or steam, she couldn’t be sure—was billowing out of the front of the car. Jarrett pulled over to the shoulder, the tires crunching the gravel underneath. He waited for a minute, his eyes glued to the dash, before finally shutting off the engine.

  “What’s wrong with the car?” Jess asked.

  Jarrett was already out the driver’s side door. “Car is overheating.”

  Jess got out, too. Jarrett popped the hood and propped it open. He visually inspected the engine but didn’t do anything to it.

  “Can you see what’s wrong?”

  “No, and I’m not about to touch anything,” he told her. “Engine’s way too hot.” He sighed. “Looks like we’re going to need a tow.”

  He pulled out his phone. They were just north of Duluth, only a couple of miles from the exit where the university was.

  Jess stared at the opened hood. She didn’t know a ton about cars, but she had a sinking feeling that whatever was going on under that hood wasn’t going to be a simple fix. Especially on a Sunday afternoon.

  “Tow truck’s on its way,” Jarrett said as he shoved his phone back in his pocket. He kicked at the gravel and swore under his breath.

  “I’m sorry,” Jess said, because she felt like she should say something.

  He glanced at her. “It’s not your fault,” he said with a small smile. “Cars are machines. They break down. I’m just sorry it happened three hours from home.”

  She nodded sympathetically.

  He shielded his eyes and glanced down the highway. “Suppose we could get a rental. Drive home today and then I could come back up tomorrow to pick it up. Or whenever it’s fixed.”

  “A rental? How much is that going to cost?”

  He shrugged. “Forty bucks or so, probably. If we can find one.” He was already looking at his phone.


  Jess hesitated. She had another option to offer…if she could get herself to do it.

  “I could call my mom,” she said.

  Jarrett’s fingers stopped moving. “What?”

  “I could call my mom,” Jess repeated. “It’s still early in the day. Maybe the repair place could get it done today. We…we could go to my mom’s and hang out for the afternoon, and then she could drive us to wherever it’s getting fixed.”

  Jarrett’s expression was doubtful. “I don’t know. I wouldn’t want to impose…”

  “It wouldn’t be an imposition. I promise.”

  This was true. Jess knew her mom; she’d be absolutely delighted to have Jess and Jarrett over for the day. The only problem was Jess had canceled her trip to see her. Not canceled, she reminded herself. Postponed. She’d given her some vague reason, something about needing to catch up on a few things before heading up north, so how was it going to look when Jess called and asked for her mom to come rescue them? In Duluth?

  She took a deep breath. It didn’t matter.

  They were stranded on the highway with an overheating car three hours from home. Sure, they could do what Jarrett had suggested and rent a car, or even wait at the repair shop to see how long it would take to fix, but both of those options weren’t nearly as inviting as the one she’d offered.

  There was a house nearby where they would be welcome.

  All she had to do was make the call.

  An hour later, Jessica was staring at her childhood home from the back seat of her mom’s car.

  Her mom had answered the phone right away, and after a brief, awkward pause after Jess had explained their predicament, had offered to come and get them.

  It had taken her a while, of course. Cloquet was south of Duluth, and the car had conked out on the north end of the city. But by the time the tow truck driver got Jarrett’s car towed into town, with Jess and Jarrett both riding shotgun in the cab next to him, and they’d gotten the car checked in with the guys behind the desk, her mom was already there, waiting in the parking lot.

  Introductions had been brief, and Jess had ceded the front passenger seat to Jarrett, certain he’d need the extra legroom in her mom’s tiny Ford Focus.

  They chatted pleasantries during the drive back, and Jess was grateful her mom hadn’t asked the questions she knew were on the tip of her tongue.

  Jess winced.

  Those questions would come later.

  But for now, she focused instead on the view in front of her. Her family’s property was tucked off one of the main county roads that cut through the small town, perched on the backside of an impressive hill. The view from their backyard had always been one of Jess’s favorite things about living there. The lake wasn’t visible, but being up that high had almost made her feel like she could fly.

  And when she was little, sitting on one of the Adirondack chairs on the back patio, her knees tucked to her chest, staring up at the night sky, the Milky Way clearly visible, she always felt a little closer to her dad in heaven.

  A twinge of sadness flitted through her and she closed her eyes for the briefest of moments. Despite the comfort coming home offered her, there were other emotions she felt, too, every single time she drove up the drive or walked through the front door.

  Sadness that her dad was gone.

  Anger that he’d been taken away from her.

  Guilt over leaving her mom behind.

  Worry that she’d never make her dad proud.

  “This is a great house,” Jarrett commented. He was staring out the windshield, and even though Jess couldn’t see his expression, she could hear the awe in his voice.

  It was a great house, Jess had to admit. A cabin, really. A log home. Her dad’s dream house.

  The log cabin was modest in size, only 1200 square feet, but it had been the perfect home for the three of them. It was a solid post and beam construction, with massive windows and a pitched roof over the lofted areas that housed the home’s two main bedrooms.

  Jess’s mom cut the ignition and got out of the car. Jessica marveled at how she seemed to never age. Fit and trim, with her graying brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, the only other outward signs of aging seemed to be the tiny crow’s feet that crinkled around her eyes when she smiled.

  Which was what she was doing now. “Here we are.”

  Jess grabbed her purse and joined Jarrett and her mom in the driveway.

  Jarrett let out a low whistle. “This is unbelievable.” His head swiveled from side to side as he took in his surroundings.

  Jess felt a small surge of pride. She’d always loved her home, and hearing Jarrett’s obvious admiration was further validation that it really was magnificent.

  “You take care of all of this yourself, Trina?” he asked.

  She nodded. “I hire someone to power wash and re-stain the exterior, but that’s about it. I love to garden and take care of the yard so those things never feel like chores.”

  Jarrett nodded and then wandered toward the side of the house, leaning close to inspect the thick wooden logs. Jess could almost see the wheels turning inside his head.

  Jess’s mom immediately caught her attention. “Your phone call was such a surprise.”

  Jess looked at her, always startled to see her own brown eyes staring back at her when she looked at her mom. “I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t want to call and bother you, but we were sort of in a bind.”

  “Nonsense.” Her mother adjusted her purse on her shoulder. “I already had the house ready for your visit. The other visit,” she clarified, dropping her voice to a whisper as Jarrett headed back toward them. “The visit you canceled.”

  “Postponed,” Jess muttered.

  Her mother smiled. “I thought you had things to take care of at home.”

  Jess opened her mouth, trying to find words that would answer the questions she knew her mother was going to have.

  “Apparently there were other, more important things to take care of,” her mom commented, letting her gaze drift to Jarrett.

  Jess blushed seventeen shades of red when she saw her mother’s appreciative gaze.

  Inwardly, she groaned.

  Maybe coming home with Jarrett had been a bad idea after all.

  22

  Sunday, July 1

  6:30 pm

  Jarrett couldn’t remember a nicer evening in recent memory.

  He was standing inside Jessica’s family’s log cabin, staring out at the back deck.

  He’d stepped inside briefly to use the restroom and top off his glass of iced tea, and was headed back out when something stopped him.

  Jess and her mom were seated next to each other in wood Adirondack chairs. The early evening breeze tossed their hair: Jess’s shorter strands tickled her cheeks and her mom’s long ponytail swayed a little, almost like a mare swishing her tail. Their heads were leaned close, and Jarrett couldn’t help but notice the warm, easy smiles and laughter between them.

  Trina Claret reminded Jarrett a lot of Jessica. Not just in looks—if they’d been closer in age, he would have pegged them for sisters—but they shared a lot of the same mannerisms. Even their speech patterns were similar.

  Trina had been a perfect hostess, despite their rather unexpected intrusion on her day. After picking them up at the auto repair place, she’d whisked them home and they’d spent the better part of the afternoon visiting with each other. Jarrett had listened to the gossip and the stories, just enjoying the pleasant conversation. For the first time in forever, he hadn’t patted his pocket for a pen or searched around for a pad of paper.

  This wasn’t a story.

  This was real life.

  They’d had a delightful dinner of grilled venison burgers and a strawberry spinach salad, which they ate out on the deck. Despite the constant buzz of mosquitoes and the occasional bites the annoying insects landed on his bare arms and legs, he had enjoyed it. The views and sounds of nature were like the best kind of tranquilizer, mellowing his thoughts
and his mood. He wasn’t even that concerned about how much the car repair bill would be—which, for anyone who knew him, said an awful lot.

  He approached the sliding glass door, intent on once again joining the two ladies sitting outside. The door was partly open, and he reached for the handle.

  “—so happy, sweetie,” Trina was saying.

  Jarrett’s hand stilled.

  He watched as Jess’s cheeks turned a soft shade of pink. She blushed a lot. And he loved it.

  “I don’t know about that,” she told her mom.

  Trina frowned. “Oh, please. You’re practically glowing. You’re not pregnant, are you?”

  Jess’s eyes widened in horror, and Jarrett had to stifle a chuckle.

  “Oh my God, Mother. No, I’m not pregnant!”

  Trina grinned and threw a hand out in front of her. “Don’t be offended. It’s a good thing!”

  “Your mother accusing you of being pregnant?”

  “It wasn’t an accusation.” Trina shook her head, her ponytail bouncing from side to side. “It was simply a question. And I only asked because you look radiant.”

  Jess shifted in her seat. She was holding her own iced tea, the lemon wedge still attached to the side of the glass. “Oh. Well, thanks, I guess.” She quickly added, “But I’m not pregnant.”

  There was a brief pause, and Jarrett reached for the handle again.

  And then stopped.

  “Jarrett seems like a nice young man,” Trina commented.

  Jess rolled her eyes. “He’s not a young man, Mom. He’s in his thirties.”

  Jarrett frowned. He had just turned thirty, thank you very much.

  “Well, he’s younger than me,” Trina pointed out. “How do you guys know each other? If you’re not dating, I mean.” Her eyes narrowed. “Or are you dating?”

  Jarrett pressed his lips together, his shoulders shaking with laughter as he watched Jess turn a glorious shade of red.

  She gulped her iced tea. “We are not dating,” she told her mother.