“There you are,” she said in a lower tone of voice. “Here.” She took a step closer, pushing the phone toward me.
“Who is it?” My eyes narrowed at her and my heart began thumping. There was that anxiety again, something that was beginning to feel all too familiar. I rarely received phone calls. And why was my mother acting so strange?
She practically grabbed my hand, ripped open my fingers and forced the phone into the palm of my hand. “It’s for you.”
I tried to slow my heart down by taking a deep breath. It didn’t help much. Had Emry Logan called me at my house? What was I going to say to him in front of her? I turned and walked into the dining room, an attempt to get what little privacy I could. “Hello?” I whispered into the receiver.
“Hey, Anna.”
I knew that voice. It was a male, but it wasn’t Emry.
“Do you know who this is?”
And then I heard him chuckle, and it confirmed my assumption. “Hi, Buck.”
He laughed again, a little louder this time. “Yeah, it’s me.”
And then a flutter began in the pit of my stomach, not out of nervousness but out of excitement. Buck had called me. I hadn’t had to track him down. He had come to me. This was all too perfect. “What can I do for you?” I turned around slowly, leaned against the back of one of the dining room chairs and caught sight of the bottom of my mother’s dress scurrying around the corner. No privacy, I thought.
“Well, you know Seneca’s Frost Fest started, and every year I try to go. I thought to myself, you know what, I’m tired of going alone. It’s just no fun. I should think of someone to go with me this year, and then I thought of you.”
“Me?” I probably sounded as surprised as I was. This was completely unexpected. Since when did anyone, let alone a guy, think of me?
“Yeah, you. I mean, we’re friends right? We practically grew up together and all.” I listened to the silence for a moment, not sure what to say back. I was just so excited that Buck had called, that now there was an even greater chance I could get the information I needed from him.
“So,” Buck said. “Were you planning on going? I mean, did you maybe want to come along with me?”
I smiled. I saw my mom peek her head around the corner this time. She caught me looking happy, and I saw her eyes burst to life with delight. “Sure,” I said. “Sounds like fun.”
“All right then. How about I pick you up tomorrow around noon?”
Tomorrow was Saturday. “See you then.” I turned the phone off and made my way back to the kitchen to face my mother. “What did he want?” she asked, bouncing up on her toes and then back down again. “He wants to take me to Frost Fest tomorrow.”
My mother clapped her hands together in excitement. “Is it a date?”
I watched her eyes grow wider as she waited impatiently for my answer. Her reaction almost made me burst out laughing. “I think so.” I raised my eyebrows.
She hugged me tight and then stood back to take a look at me.
“I’m not a child, mother. No big deal.” But it was a big deal. This was my big break. Finally something going my way for once.
“I know, I know. It’s just … Buck is such a nice young man. Your father just thinks the world of him, you know.” I nodded and then headed toward the stairs to go to my room. Did Buck have a crush on me? Impossible. I stepped onto my soft purple carpet and shut the door quietly. It had sounded like he was asking me out though. That’s not exactly what I wanted. I didn’t want to have to pretend to like him more than a friend just to get information out of him, but I would if that’s what it took. Maybe I wouldn’t have to cross that line. A little flirting wouldn’t hurt anyone. I wasn’t the least bit interested in Buck in that way. He was too short, he had these big glasses and he seemed so awkward pretending to be a big, bad police officer when he was truly so meek and scrawny. I could have come up with a long list of reasons why I could never like Buck in that way. He was just a friend, a friend that I needed to help me get back into Seneca County Prison.
How was I going to act toward him? Did I even know how to flirt? I laughed and went over to my mirror. I was grinning at myself, a devious sort of grin, and I knew the games were about to begin.
“What are you going to wear?”
I turned around to see my mother hovering over me as I picked through sweaters in my closet. “Probably a sweater and jeans. It’s Frost Fest, remember? It’s outside.” She ran her hand over the top row of shirts. She was on a mission. I had so many clothes, but I hardly wore any of them. Some were still left over from high school, some as far back as ninth grade. I just hadn’t taken the time to get rid of this stuff. I probably should, I decided. I was never going to wear half of these clothes again.
“Here.” My mother took down a hanger from the top and held out a black turtleneck. “This always looked nice on you, honey.”
I stared at it for a moment. “All right.” I grabbed the shirt and pulled the hanger out. Black turtleneck and jeans it was.
“And wear those cute boots, too,” my mother added as she left the room so I could change. “Those ones I bought you for Christmas a couple years back. You know the ones I mean.” I watched her disappear and quickly changed. I ran a comb through my hair and then smoothed it down with my hands so some of the static would go away. I sighed. I just prayed that I wasn’t going to slip and say something stupid. All I had to do was be friendly. I needed Buck to trust me.
The clock on the wall said 11:45. He would be here any minute. I glanced out the window. Buck’s shiny silver sports car pulled up beside the house. I grabbed my purse, tucked it under my arm and headed downstairs.
“Morning, Mrs. James.”
“Why hello, Buck.” My mother opened the door wider so he could come in.
“How are you doing, Buck?” My father took a step toward him to shake his hand. “Just fine, sir.” He shook my father’s hand and looked my way.
I walked in and shuffled past my parents. They were making this a big ordeal. Of course, I had never gone out on a date before, so I guess this was all new and exciting to them, especially since they liked the guy so much.
“Ready?” I asked, anxious to get away from my parents.
“You look nice.” He smiled at me.
I blushed and quickly put my head down so no one would see. “Thanks,” I mumbled.
“Have a good time!” I heard my mother shout behind us as we walked down the steps of the porch toward the car. Buck opened the car door for me, and I quickly got inside. The smell of a very strong strawberry air freshener filled my nostrils. I tried to hold my breath for a moment, the smell hitting my sinuses full force as I could feel the sudden twinge of a headache developing.
“So did you go to Frost Fest last year?” Buck asked as we drove down the wet back roads toward the highway.
I tried to breathe normally as I slowly eased myself into getting used to the smell. “It’s been awhile.”
“I try to come once a year. They have some great ice sculptures. This year’s theme is fairy tales.” “Oh.” I tried to sound excited, but walking around in the blistering cold was not really my idea of fun. I would rather stay in the warm car and ask a million questions about Emry Logan. It was on the tip of my tongue, but I clenched my jaw together tight. Get control of yourself, I thought over and over again. Gain his trust, be nice, that’s all.
I was surprised at how many people were actually out walking about on this chilly day. The streets of downtown Seneca were covered in beatifically carved ice sculptures from Cinderella’s carriage to Tarzan swinging from a tree made of ice. There were food stands all around too, the smell of piping hot apple cider filling the air.
“Let’s go get some of that cider to warm us up a bit,” Buck suggested.
“It smells wonderful.” Better than your car, I thought.
I sipped on the delicious warm apple cider as we walked around. We saw a few people from our church, each one giving us a surprised, but ap
proving smile, as they saw us there together. We walked around for a while, and then my fingers started to go numb from the cold. I scolded myself silently for forgetting my gloves at home.
Buck and I made small talk as we walked, enjoying the day and the sights around us. He seemed genuinely happy I was there by his side, and I was happy to be out of the house and building a friendly relationship with a cop.
We headed back toward Buck’s car, and he shut the door behind me as I got in. I figured he was about to take me home. Where do I go from here? I had to ask to see him again, but I didn’t want to sound too interested in him either. I rubbed my hands together as he turned on the heater and tried to sift through the thoughts going on in my head, trying to make sense of what exactly to say.
Buck turned toward me. “Hey, are you hungry?”
I paused, thinking about it for a moment. I actually was kind of hungry. All that walking had made me build up an appetite. “I am actually.”
He grinned. “Me, too. We could go grab a quick bite to eat, that is, if you didn’t need to get back home or anything.” “No, I don’t need to get back. Let’s go.” I smiled back at him, even though his sickening air freshener was rushing to my brain. This was absolutely perfect. Dinner would give me an opportunity for some serious talk with Buck.
The restaurant he took me to was a family favorite. It was Mae Mae’s, and it was kind of rundown looking in the inside, but the food was all homemade and fantastic. We sat and ordered and waited for our drinks. I folded my hands together in front of me and looked up at Buck who sat directly across from me, his lips pressed together as he studied my face.
“You know, I’m still trying to figure you out,” he said.
I raised my eyebrows. I had no idea what that was supposed to mean. “How so?”
He played with a small pink packet of sugar that had been sitting on the table and flipped it between his fingers. “Why is it that a girl like you doesn’t have a boyfriend?”
A girl like me? I pretended to be thinking about what he had said for a moment before giving any sort of answer. “I’m a pastor’s daughter.” “That just means you were raised right, Anna, not that you have a warning label on your forehead.” The waitress set Buck’s iced tea down on my side and my water in front of him.
“Thank you,” I mumbled to her and then politely waited until she was out of sight before switching glasses. “Well, sometimes it feels that way. Certain things are expected of me, and I think it intimidates guys.”
Buck took a noisy slurp of his iced tea. “Are you trying to say that men aren’t attracted to you, Anna?” His eyes narrowed as if he were offended. “Or is it that you aren’t attracted to men around here?”
Great. A trick question. “Well,” I began, trying to be cautious not to upset him. “From my point of view, it’s like you grow up with everyone here. From the time you’re five you know everyone and you know everyone they’ve dated in the past, and it’s just like, you almost wish a new group of people would come in, people you know absolutely nothing about.”
“Oh, I see. We’re boring to you.” I laughed at the way he said ‘we’. I could sense his irritation and we hadn’t even been served our food yet. I was ruining my chances. “That doesn’t go for everyone, Buck, especially not you.” I thought I’d sounded convincing enough. I waited for his reaction, and I saw his eyes soften a bit and realized I was making progress. “How could someone like you be boring? You’re a policeman. You have a dangerous job.”
Buck sat up a little straighter in the booth. That had done the trick. I had gone straight for the ego boost, and he had taken the bait. He was too easy to figure out. Being a policeman to him meant obtaining the title of, watch out, I’m a big, bad cop now, so stay out of my way, even though that title didn’t apply to him. “It is dangerous.”
I had to refrain from rolling my eyes. That was exactly Buck’s problem. Buck actually thought he played that part. At least I didn’t deny the dullness that made up my life. “So tell me a little bit about your job, Buck.”
He grinned with pride. “Well, you know, it’s bad guys versus good, protecting the innocent and locking up scumbags.” “Do you ever think that some of those scumbags could be innocent?” I asked, twirling the straw around in my water.
He looked up, a confused expression on his face. “No.”
“No? Never?” His response had been so cold-hearted.
He paused to think for a moment. I guessed he was going over the inmates in his mind.
“Here you go,” the waitress said, putting down our plates of food in front of us. “Anything else I can get you right now?” “No, thank you,” Buck replied.
I shook my head, and with a turn of her heels, she walked away.
Buck stuffed a fork full of pulled beef into his mouth and started talking with his mouth full. “You know, there are a few men in there, they did minor things, robbery, assault, things like that, and they’re pretty tolerable as people. I can actually have a conversation with them and call them by their first name, that sort of thing.”
“So,” I said, picking through my salad and digging out a few brown pieces of lettuce and putting them off to the side. “Not everyone in there has done something terrible?” “No, not everyone, but we do get a lot of inmates who have done the unthinkable. Ever since they made the jail so much bigger, it seems like that’s a lot of who goes through there, but sometimes they don’t stay long.”
His words alarmed me. “What do you mean?” Buck took another noisy slurp of his drink and set it down on the table just as obnoxiously. “Well, some of them get transferred to other prisons.” He paused and took a good look at what I was doing. “You’re that interested in my job?”
I wasn’t sure if this turn of subject was the beginning of an interrogation, so I decided I should stop asking so many questions. “Of course.” I gave him a huge grin. “I don’t know much about the police life.”
“You just know the church life.” Buck grinned back.
I sighed, realizing he wasn’t catching onto anything. “How’s your dinner?”
“Great,” he said patting his belly.
I laughed.
“Yours?”
“Delicious. We always come here when we go out to eat.”
“Best place in town.” Buck waved down the waitress to get another drink.
We sat there in silence, finishing up our meals. My salad actually wasn’t that great this time, but I kept managing to pick through it and act like I was truly enjoying it.
Buck finished his food first and then wiped his mouth with a napkin. “So, I hope I didn’t scare you when you were down at the jail with the way I was acting.”
“Not at all.” I was glad he was talking about this again.
“Good. I mean, those guys can be real jerks, and I can’t just let them walk all over me. I didn’t like to show you that side of me.” “Really, I understand, Buck.” I bit my lip hesitating for a moment, but my impatience was getting the best of me. “There was that one prisoner, the very last one.”
He looked over my shoulder off into space trying to recall exactly who I was talking about.
“You didn’t seem to like that one very much. He must be one of those ones who did something unthinkable,” I said, anxious for some sort of answer. “Oh, yeah, I know who you mean. Logan.” The way he called him by his last name with such emphasis of emotion showed how much he really loathed him. “He’s definitely a scumbag. That’s the one that I slipped your name to. Sorry for that. I overreacted on that one.”
That one. He couldn’t even bring himself to say his name again. “That’s okay,” I quickly said. “No, I feel bad. I was a jerk. He just really gets to me.”
“Don’t feel bad, Buck. You’re a good police officer.” I wanted to ask more. Should I? Buck could be such an emotional mess. One minute he was extremely happy and the next he seemed so down. It was hard to juggle the situation without knowing which way it would turn out. “What did he do? L
ogan, I mean.”
Buck waved down the waitress again. “Do you want another drink?” he asked me. “No.”
“Can we get the check, please?” He turned his head toward me again. “I’m not really supposed to talk about those kinds of things.”
“Oh.” Disappointment filled me again. Was I ever going to be able to find out why he was in there? Buck must have been able to read the disappointment written all over my face. “Hey,” he whispered, putting his finger under my chin and lifting my head up. “I know I can trust you, Anna. This stuff I talk about, cop stuff, it’s between you and I, right?”
I felt a little glimmer of hope as I was breaking down the wall. “Of course. You have my word.” I regretted saying that as soon as it had slipped out of my mouth. I never liked to promise things. I grew up getting scolded whenever I said that. It wasn’t supposed to be used lightly. I guess Buck probably knew that and that’s why he found me so trustworthy.
He leaned across the table to get closer to me. I felt myself leaning in as well, the suspense taking hold of me. What was he going to say? Emry’s a thief, a drunk, or a drug dealer?
“He killed his best friend. And not by accident either. He threw him off a really high tower,” Buck whispered.
I had been way off. Buck was saying that Emry was a murderer. I suddenly felt like I couldn’t breathe. I backed away from Buck, probably too quickly, and struggled to regain control of myself. Could this possibly be true? Could beautiful, wonderful, sweet Emry have done such a dreadful thing and furthermore, to his own best friend?
Buck immediately saw my shock He rushed to the other side of the booth to sit next to me and put his arm around my neck trying to comfort me, but my mind was still spinning from the picture forming in my head of Emry looking down from a tall tower to the ground where his friend’s body lay motionless.
“Hey now,” Buck hissed. “It’s okay. Please don’t be upset. I know it’s scary to think about, but I’m sure he’s forgotten about you. I’m positive he has. He’s not going to come after you or anything. I wouldn’t let that happen anyway.”
Strange in Skin Page 4
