by Brenda Novak
Sadie blinked at her in surprise. “Excuse me?”
“Sly will be here any minute, and he’s pretty pissed. Who knows what he’ll do?” She started to walk out, but Sadie caught her arm.
“You called him?”
Although Dixie didn’t respond, her silence confirmed what Sadie had already guessed.
“Dixie, I know you’ll probably attribute this to jealousy, but I promise you it isn’t. This is one woman trying to look out for another. You don’t know Sly, not the way I do. Unless you want to screw up your life, stay away from him. He’s no good.”
Jerking away, Dixie made as if to leave but turned back at the last moment. “Why would you want to help me?” she asked, suddenly uncertain.
She’d obviously marked the sincerity in Sadie’s voice. “Because I wouldn’t wish a man like Sly on anyone,” Sadie said.
With a brisk nod that suggested she accepted the truth in that statement, Dixie hitched her purse higher on her shoulder. “Like I said, get out of here. That’s me returning the favor.”
Except they’d been hoping to run into Sly. That he’d been alerted that they were at the bar, and was coming to see for himself, was perfect—providing they could avoid an altercation.
“Sounds like Sly’s upset. Do you think we’ve done enough?” Sadie asked Dawson as they watched the door swing shut behind Dixie.
“Just by having a drink and doing a little dancing? No.”
The old uneasiness crept up on her. “Did you say no?”
“We need to put an end to what’s happening, Sadie—the sooner, the better. And the best way to do that is to piss him off so badly he’ll come out to the farm tonight for sure.”
She pictured the expression on Sly’s face when he’d nearly pulled his gun the night of the fire. “That’s a little terrifying, don’t you think? He might not settle for peeping, and I don’t want this to get you killed. Me, either, as far as that goes.”
“We’ll only be safe once he’s behind bars. Let’s deliver him into Chief Thomas’s hands and hope that Thomas will see what’s been going on all along—and put a stop to it.”
Taking a deep breath, she nodded and let him lead her back onto the dance floor.
* * *
Dawson wasn’t looking at the door, but he knew the second Sly walked into the bar. He could sense the change in the room. Sadie seemed to feel the same disturbance. The way she tightened her grip on him as they danced indicated she was uneasy.
“Don’t worry,” he murmured. “We’re in public. He can’t do anything here.”
“He could always follow us home,” she said.
“He has that meeting at the station, remember? We’ll stay until he leaves. Then we’ll go to the farm and wait for him there.” He pulled her slowly toward the far side of the room, where Sly would have to go to some effort to watch them. Dawson didn’t want to make it too obvious that they were tweaking his nose.
Sadie craned her head to get a peek at her ex. “I can see him searching the crowd.”
“Maybe you should stay at Petra’s tonight,” Dawson said. “Let me handle this.”
“What are you talking about? You know Petra and her family took Jayden with them to her parents’ place in Ojai.”
Thank goodness Petra had been willing to do that, or Sadie would’ve been even more nervous. “Doesn’t mean you can’t sleep at her place, out of the fray.”
“No. I’m not staying there, or anywhere else, alone.”
She made a good point. What if Sly didn’t come out to the farm but went to Petra’s instead, hoping to get hold of Jayden? That would be the worst possible outcome—for Sadie to have an encounter with him on her own. Dawson fully believed he’d harm her if he could. “What about a motel? He won’t be able to find you if we put you in a motel.”
“I’m not leaving you, so don’t even suggest it.”
Dawson was tempted to insist. He probably would have if the chief of police wasn’t coming to the farm. How out of control could things get as long as Thomas was there? “Okay.”
The crowd parted as Sly cut through. “Where’s our son?” he demanded, confronting them while they danced.
“He’s with Petra,” Sadie said.
“Don’t you think he spends enough time there?”
“What are you talking about? He’s hardly there at all anymore. I’m able to keep him with me now that I work for Dawson.”
“I’m going to get him.” He turned as if he’d act on those words, but she spoke before he could get more than a step away.
“They’re out of town, Sly. Won’t be back until tomorrow. She took Jayden with her.”
“What kind of mother are you?” he snarled.
Dawson wanted to punch him in the face. No one had ever deserved it more. But if he started a fight, he’d only enable Sly to claim he was the aggressor, would be playing right into Sly’s hands.
Sadie ignored him, too. They continued to dance until Sly had no choice but to move out of the way. But he didn’t leave. He leaned up against the closest wall and glared daggers at them.
“Hey,” Dawson murmured to Sadie. “Look at me.” He could tell she was worried when she lifted her face. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” she said and surprised him by kissing him—deeply and with far more passion than he would’ve expected in public.
“He deserves that,” he whispered, trying not to laugh.
“I didn’t do it for him,” she said.
He framed her face with his hands. “Good. Just stay focused on me.”
Sly trailed them around The Blue Suede Shoe from that moment on. If they went to sit down, he followed as far as the bar and stood with his hand resting on the butt of his firearm as if to suggest he had the ability to enforce whatever he wanted. If they danced, he leaned against the wall as close as he could get, wearing a menacing frown.
Whenever Dawson caught his eye, Dawson grinned as if he wasn’t bothered at all. He knew that was probably going too far, but he couldn’t help it. What gave Sly the idea that even a police officer could act the way he was acting?
When it came close to eight—time for the meeting at the station, according to what Chief Thomas had told Dawson—Sly left, as expected, and, shortly after, Dawson guided Sadie out to his truck. “Let’s get home while we’ve got the chance,” he said. He was eager for Chief Thomas to show up so they could explain what Sly had been doing and, hopefully, put an end to it. But just as they pulled into their drive, he received a text message from Thomas.
Something has come up. I’m not going to be able to make it tonight. Will call you tomorrow.
* * *
Sly couldn’t believe it. He sat in the police chief’s office, stunned, as Thomas railed at him. Only the chief wasn’t yelling loudly. He was speaking in a harsh but low voice so that the other officers milling about the station couldn’t hear. His wish for secrecy, more than anything else, told Sly that he was really in trouble this time. Usually, Thomas didn’t hesitate to scream regardless of who was around. “I told you not to go anywhere near that farmhouse!”
“I haven’t!”
“Stop saying that. Do you think I’m an idiot? You’re lying, and I know it!”
“I’m not lying!”
He opened a folder and slapped some pictures on the desk. “Then what the hell are these?”
Sly pulled them closer so that he could take a look. There were no landmarks in the photos, just an up-close shot of some tire impressions in brown dirt. He didn’t recognize their significance until he noticed the water pump in one corner. “Oh shit,” he mumbled, covering his face before Chief Thomas could say any more.
“Those tire tracks match the brand of tires on our cruisers,” he said. “I checked.”
That meant any cruiser could�
�ve made those tracks. These pictures weren’t good enough to show the small imperfections that set his tires apart from all the rest. But Sly knew better than to make that argument. He’d lose all credibility if he tried.
“You’re a police officer, for God’s sake,” his chief went on. “What are you doing stalking your ex-wife?”
Sly shot to his feet. “She’s not my ex!”
“Only because you won’t let her go. What’s the matter with you?”
“Nothing’s the matter with me! I’m trying to protect her, that’s all. I’m terrified that he’s going to hurt her. He’s a murderer!”
“We’ve been over this. She has the right to stay with anyone she wants.”
“The cop in me agrees. But the man behind the badge? How do you think I’d feel if she were to wind up like the Reeds? And what about my child? Jayden lives out on that farm, too. You can’t tell me you wouldn’t be hanging around in case of trouble if it were your wife and child.”
Thomas rubbed a hand over his face. “I’ll be honest, Sly. That’s the only reason we’re sitting here. Dawson and Sadie set up a little trap for you tonight. They asked me to come out there, to be waiting for you when you showed up at this particular spot.” He tapped the pictures. “But I couldn’t do it. You know why? Because if I caught you out there, I’d have to suspend you for disobeying my direct orders. Instead, being the nice guy that I am, I’ve decided to give you one more chance to remain on the force. Do you hear me? I understand that you care about Sadie and Jayden, so much that losing them is making you a little crazy. But you can’t break the law and expect to keep your job. Stay away from the Reed farm. This is your final warning.”
Sly bowed his head as if he was taking every word to heart. “I will. I swear. Thank you.”
“I mean it,” Thomas reiterated as Sly headed for the door. “This is your last chance.”
Hunching his shoulders as if he’d been sufficiently berated and felt terrible for the trouble he’d caused, Sly nodded again. But as soon as he was free of the station, he straightened. He’d never been more livid in his life, never more determined. Sadie and Dawson would not make a fool of him. He wouldn’t take his cruiser back to where he’d parked it before. But he would go to the farm, and he’d do what he should’ve done already: prove—at least to everyone else—that he’d been right about Dawson Reed all along.
The fact that Jayden was with Petra tonight gave him the perfect opportunity.
28
Sadie couldn’t believe that Chief Thomas had canceled on them, especially at the last minute. Obviously, he didn’t believe Sly was a real threat. No one did. They saw his uniform and his badge and judged only by that; with Dawson, they saw the media reports and did the same. But how could Chief Thomas not see the reality? He’d witnessed Sly’s behavior around her. She’d gotten the impression he was on her side during their visit to Sly’s house.
It was because Sly was such a good liar, she decided. He could lie his way out of anything...
The moment they received the chief’s message, Dawson had her go inside and lock the doors. He also told her to keep her cell phone handy so they could contact each other at any given moment. Then he went out back to dig a small pit where Sly had been backing into the artichokes. Dawson said, because the moon was full, he should have barely enough light, and once Dawson covered the hole with plants and straw, Sly would never expect it to be there. If Sly returned to the same spot, he’d back into it when he tried to leave and wouldn’t be able to get out. And if his car was there in the morning, or he had to call for a tow, they’d have proof that he was still harassing them—proof that didn’t depend on Chief Thomas seeing Sly on the farm with his own eyes.
Dawson said it wasn’t much, but it was better than letting Sly peep into their windows at night without any repercussions.
After seeing the look on Sly’s face while they were at the bar, however, Sadie was afraid he’d do far more than peep. She’d never made him so angry, mostly because she’d spent their entire married life trying to appease him. And if Thomas had given away the fact that she and Dawson knew about his late-night visits, Sly wouldn’t fall into Dawson’s trap. He wouldn’t go anywhere near it. All of Dawson’s work would come to nothing.
Hoping to talk Chief Thomas into fulfilling his commitment, she called the police station. She was told he’d left for the night, so she tried his home. That didn’t help, either. His wife simply said he was “unavailable.”
What the heck did that mean? Sadie wondered. Where could he be? What could he be doing that was so important? She and Dawson were in trouble. She felt as if Sly had finally snapped. The way he’d behaved at the bar—so openly hostile despite the presence of many witnesses—proved he was dangerous. To make matters worse, he had no fear of punishment, believed he lived above the law, because he could live above the law so long as Chief Thomas supported him. Something terrible would have to happen to change that, and Sadie didn’t like to consider what that “something” might be.
She paced in the kitchen while waiting for the police chief to return her call, but that call didn’t come. His lack of response was beginning to smell like a purposeful dodge. He was acting to protect his officer, just as Dawson had always thought he would. And it was only getting later and darker. By now, Sly would be off work and out of the meeting—if there really had been a meeting.
She sat down to compose a couple of letters—one to Chief Thomas and one to Jayden. After she sealed them each in a separate envelope, she called Petra and asked to be able to say good-night to her son.
“Where’s Dawson?” Jayden asked once Petra put him on the phone.
Sadie couldn’t help smiling at that. He was so enamored with the new man in their lives. “He’s still working.”
“In the dark?”
“In the dark.” That concerned her, too. She’d been trying to suppress the worry that plagued her by telling herself that it was early yet. But Sly could still show up, could just as easily shoot Dawson while he was out on the tractor as any other time.
She hurried to the back door so she could check on him, just in case, and was mildly reassured by the rumble of the tractor. He was okay for now.
After closing and locking the door again, she returned to the kitchen.
“He needs to come in now,” Jayden was saying. “It’s bedtime.”
Sadie chuckled at her son’s bossy tone. “You’re right. I’ll make sure he does.”
After she told Jayden she loved him and that she’d see him tomorrow, Petra took the phone back. “He’s having a good time, is about to go to bed,” she said. “Don’t worry about him, okay?”
“I won’t. Thank you. I hope... I hope it’s not too much of an imposition that I asked you to take him with you.”
“Not at all. I know you wouldn’t ask unless you really needed it. And my parents love him. How are things in Silver Springs?”
She drew a shaky breath. “Tense.”
Petra’s voice took on a more serious tone. “What’s going on?”
Sadie had shared a little of her concerns about Sly. That was why Petra had agreed to take Jayden. Otherwise, she would’ve said she couldn’t babysit, that she wasn’t going to be home. “Sly is acting a bit...threatening.”
“He is.”
“Yes.”
“You’re frightened.”
“I am,” she admitted. “If anything happens to me, would you—”
“Whoa,” Petra broke in. “You don’t think this thing could go that far.”
“No, of course not.” She didn’t want to scare Petra, but, in Sadie’s heart, she believed it could get that bad. She’d always believed it could get that bad, or she wouldn’t have let Sly control her for so long. “I’m just saying if the worst happens—not that it ever would—Sly’s mother will take Jayden. But
will you make sure he gets the letter I’m putting under the front porch of the Reed farmhouse? He won’t understand what it means at this age, of course. So wait until he’s older, if you can. There should come a time when...when it will be important to him.”
There was a long pause before Petra said, “This is sounding pretty ominous, Sadie.”
“It’s a worst-case scenario, that’s all,” she said, trying to play it off. “Since most of our things are gone—” also thanks to Sly, she was fairly certain “—I’d like Jayden to at least have my words, my love. That’s all I’ve got to give him.”
“If you’re writing a letter like that, I think it’s time to call the police. I mean...someone else on the force, besides Sly.”
“Yeah. I’ll do that,” she said, even though she’d already tried—to no avail. “It’ll all work out. Just wanted you to know about the letter.” She didn’t tell Petra about the second letter. She figured Petra would find it when she collected the one for Jayden—and then Chief Thomas would understand how badly he’d misjudged both Sly and Dawson.
“I’ll keep it in mind. I hope it never comes down to that, though.”
“So do I.” She heard Dawson come in.
“Sadie?” he called.
“I’ve got to go,” she told Petra.
Her former neighbor seemed reluctant to end the conversation. “My parents have a guesthouse. Maybe you should come stay here in Ojai with them for a month or two. Sly wouldn’t know where to find you and...and maybe some time will be all that’s necessary to get things to settle down.”
“That’s a nice offer, but I’m the one who got Dawson into this. I can’t abandon him with the problem.”
“What about Jayden? Your leaving town would be better for him, don’t you agree?”
She shoved a hand through her hair. “I do. Definitely. But...maybe I’m just tired and blowing this out of proportion. I hope that’s the case.”
“Either way, I guess we can talk about it tomorrow,” Petra said.
