Playboy Ever After

by Chance Carter

  Roy could feel Jenny's eyes on the package as he cautiously pulled it open. Inside was a number of black and white, glossy photographs. Roy glanced over each one in turn before he passed them aside to Jenny. He hoped she would see more in them than he could. She took them silently. He watched her reaction to the content, but her face was expressionless.

  The photographs were of a younger Lawrence. If she were to judge correctly, he was in his mid to late twenties. He wore an old-style waiter's uniform. The people in the background looked like they were well to do.

  “I don't understand. What are these photos supposed to reveal?” Roy asked gently.

  “That I'm still a wanted man.”

  Lawrence took the photos back and carefully slid them into the manila folder. Then he locked it back away in the drawer.

  “Forty years ago, a few friends and I were seniors in college. To make ends meet, we took jobs as waiters at the yacht club in town. It started as a little light thievery, but then it quickly became more advanced. Before long, we were six, cocky kids who just took whatever we wanted. We never got caught or charged for our crimes. I bought a nice house and made a life with a wife and kids with money I’d stolen. I took a gigantic step back from that risky business and bought this liquor store instead. I was determined to turn legit”

  “But he threatened to turn you in if you didn't do what he said.” Roy nodded, finally understanding.

  “He didn't want anyone to know he was having that special wine ordered here. He came in yesterday and reminded me that I had a shady past he was willing to expose if I dared to tell anyone that it was him who had the orders.”

  “He was covering his tracks,” Roy said.

  Lawrence nodded. “And he was doing a fine job of it, too. He has kept me on my toes these past few months. Every time he comes in the shop, I think it’s going to be the end of my life as I know it.”

  “Well, it’s blackmail, and it’s all about to end, I promise you.”

  Roy rose to his feet and gestured for Jenny to follow suit.

  “Chief Cartright won't get away with what he's done. We found his police badge at the crime scene. With that and the evidence you provided today, we have enough to have him investigated.”

  “I can't let this information get out.” Lawrence was at the door in an instant to stop them from leaving. “If any of it becomes public knowledge, I'll be arrested for what I've done. I can't go to jail now. I have spent far too long rebuilding my life.”

  Roy patted the man on the shoulder.

  “I'm going to make sure that never happens to you, Lawrence. I promise you that. As far as I'm concerned, you've made amends for your crimes in this community.”

  “But you're not law enforcement anymore,” Lawrence pointed out.

  He wasn’t convinced despite what Roy had told him.

  “To those in a position of power, I'll just be another petty crook who got away with it. I'll be thrown in a jail cell for my crimes, regardless of how long ago I committed them.”

  “We will make sure the people who matter see it our way.” Jenny stepped in, her voice reassuring and gentle. “We promise you, Lawrence, that we won’t let you go to jail for this. You’ve provided good information today that will help put Chloe Dale's killer in jail.”

  “It feels like this nightmare will never end.”

  Lawrence moved hesitantly aside let them pass to the front of the store. Everything was quiet on the street beyond the window, but Lawrence refused to leave the safety of his desk. “Thank you both for coming to hear me out. I'm relieved I got to tell my tale, no matter what the consequences will be.”

  “Everything will be fine,” Roy reassured him again. “But if you need anything, you know where to find me.”

  Everyone made bad decisions once in a while, and Roy believed that everyone should have the chance to make amends for them. He would make sure to talk to the police commissioner about letting Lawrence off with a warning for his help in solving the case.

  Chapter 27

  After returning home from the liquor store, Roy insisted that Jenny take a nap while he ran out to Norma’s in his truck to pick up Isabelle and the dog.

  Jenny didn't know how Roy was managing to stand up straight, let alone keep his eyes open. He had gotten less sleep than her, yet he seemed energized. She imagined he was running on pure adrenaline. After all, they were getting so very close to freeing Joey from his horrible fate. In a matter of days, Joey would be free to step back out into his life and his name would be cleared.

  Jenny couldn't have imagined a better ending. It was a far cry from the one she had envisioned when she first arrived in town. If the old Jenny had stuck around, Joey would be no closer to freedom. She didn't know how she could have lived with herself if she had never taken Roy up on the offer to explore other ideas.

  Without Roy, she didn't know where she would be. He had a knack for surprising her. Often, he tested her limits, she found she enjoyed that. He gave her hope, especially when things were impossibly hard. He was her knight in shining armor.

  She turned over in his double bed wishing he could have joined her. Their hot shower together still burned fresh in her mind, and she delighted in recalling the more passionate details of the experience. Roy had given her a new lease on life, not just in general, but in the bedroom as well. Before him, she hadn't been so cold when it came to lovemaking, but Roy drew out her deepest desires and passion. She couldn't imagine being intimate with anyone but him after that.

  She was in a quandary. She wanted to be with Roy, but what would their future look like? And would they be on the same wavelength?

  She had a career and a life back in New York. She had responsibilities to attend to there. Sooner or later, she would have to go back and face it, either to regain control or to begin packing up her things. As much as she found herself falling hard for Roy, the idea of moving back to Ombrea didn’t sit well with her. Instead, she felt dread. Dread for what her life would be like without a job or money.

  It didn't seem fair that she would have to choose between love and money.

  * * *

  Roy was taking longer than planned, so Jenny assumed Norma had invited him in for dinner. Roy probably assumed she was still asleep and had taken her up on the offer. It had been a few days since Isabelle had seen her good friend, Norma, and so a little extra time would be just what the pair needed.

  Jenny didn't feel like sleeping any longer. Instead, she preferred to keep busy. She had promised Roy she wouldn't call the police commissioner until he returned home, and she intended on keeping that promise.

  She took a quick shower to wake herself up a little more. She wished he could have been in there with her. The memory of their last sexual encounter was still playing vividly in the back of her mind.

  She fumbled through her duffel bag for something to wear. The pieces she had brought with her seemed foreign as she picked through the silk blouses and designer jeans. For the first in years, she just wanted to wear something simple, something that didn't make her stand out. She pulled on the most basic pair of jeans she had and turned to Roy's chest of drawers for her next bit of inspiration.

  Finding an old army T-shirt of his that fit a little loose, she pulled it on. She didn't think he would mind. If he had a problem with it she would take it off for him. The thought brought an easy smile to her face. It had been far too long, she thought, since she’d had anything fun going on in her life.

  Her work at the magazine had been enjoyable, but now that she had been away from it for a while, she found she didn't miss it quite as much as she’d thought she would. After her quick departure to Ombrea, she assumed the job offer had been voided, and wondered if she had a position at the magazine at all.

  She didn’t mind. There were always other jobs and other positions in the fashion industry she could fall back on if she really had to. When she was out here in the cabin, the only thing she was really concerned about was a life with Roy. Having a big, fa
ncy career and a closet full of designer clothes suddenly seemed much less of a priority.

  Family also mattered. She decided to visit her brother in jail one more time.

  She thought he must be lonely. If she were in his position, she knew she would be feeling that way. She felt a strong desire to tell him that this whole, horrible ordeal was almost over. They had enough evidence to go on and enough pin the murder on Chief Cartright.

  Her stomach turned at the very thought of him. His stare still unsettled her. That was when the thought hit her. The stare of the stranger in the woods had the same effect.

  But what would Chief Cartright be doing hanging around in the woods beside the cabin, she thought, as she took a seat on the edge of the bed. She remembered Roy had told her he had seen a stranger in the woods at the Dale property too.

  Was Chief Cartright watching them, or was he looking for what he had left behind the day Chloe was killed?

  After the attack on her at the Dale House with the Molotov cocktail, it was obvious he would do anything to keep his crime a secret, even going so far as to commit another murder. He had to be stopped before he tried anything else.

  She was filled with an increased need to see her brother. She had to tell him everything that had happened since they last spoke. She checked out the kitchen window to see if Roy's truck had pulled back up the beach, but he was still nowhere in sight.

  He didn't own a cell phone, recluses rarely do, so she penned him a note on a piece of scrap paper from his office and left it on the kitchen table for him to find. That way, he wouldn't be concerned if he came home to find the house empty. He would know that she was not in any danger.

  Unless going to the Police Department were a dangerous place. Even if it were, it wouldn’t stop her from going to see Joey. Her little brother was stuck in that place feeling hopeless, and she wanted to put an end to it. He had to know that soon he would be a free man, and she wanted to be the one to tell him.

  She grabbed her handbag and headed out to her car.

  Chapter 28

  The desk clerk looked up in surprise when Jenny entered the Ombrea police station that evening.

  She didn't park in the lot. Instead, she chose to park downtown and make the walk up the hill to the station on foot. The idea of leaving her car in the lot like a sitting duck unsettled her. She didn't know what Chief Cartright might try and pull. Plus, it provided the added bonus of catching him by surprise.

  “Miss Dale.”

  Jenny forced a polite smile at the desk clerk's greeting.

  “How may I help you today?”

  “I'm here to see my brother again.”

  Jenny stepped right up to the desk, this time not letting the older woman intimidate her. “Right away, please. It's important.”

  The desk clerk raised her brow.

  “You can't just walk in here and expect to see a prisoner whenever you want. This isn't a social club.”

  “You can call whoever you need to call, but I have a right to see my brother. And I am not leaving until I do. He is still here, isn’t he?”

  “He is. But he's being transferred in the morning.”

  “Is that so?”

  Jenny smiled at the very idea of it. So that was what Chief Cartright had in the works, was it? He was going to move her brother to a state penitentiary while he awaited trial. A trial, she reminded herself, that would never happen.

  But what if something happened to Joey while he was in there? Her mind suddenly entertained all kinds of horrible scenarios, most of which she had seen on television late at night in her apartment. Joey could be injured or worse, killed in that kind of facility. Maybe that was what Chief Cartright had in mind when he planned to send Joey out there

  “I need to see my brother. Now.”

  The desk clerk reached for her phone. “I'll have to call through to Chief Cartright and make sure he agrees.”

  “Forget it.”

  Jenny pulled the strap of her purse higher onto her shoulder.

  “I'll go speak to him myself.”

  The desk clerk looked nervous. It was clear she didn't like protocol to be broken.

  “But you can’t,” she said coming out from behind the desk. “That's not how we do it here.”

  “It's how I’m doing it,” Jenny told her as she strode down the hallway.

  The desk clerk hurried along at Jenny’s heels.

  “If you think acting like this is how you are going to get your way, you are sadly mistaken. The Chief won’t stand for it. He will send you away without a second thought.”

  The door to his office was closed, but Jenny knew Chief Cartright had to be in there. The desk clerk would have sent her away and told her he wasn't in if he weren’t there. She knocked once and then a second time a moment later. Not wasting any time, she turned the handle and pushed the office door open.

  Chief Cartright was cleaning his service weapon when she entered. He dropped the gun in surprise. Luckily it was neither loaded nor in one piece or her entrance could have caused quite a tragic chain of events. He pushed it aside on the desk as he stood. Judging by his face, he did not liked to be interrupted and especially not by Jenny Dale.

  “What’s the meaning of this?” he roared at the clerk. “We have an intercom system for a reason at this station. Visitors can't just walk around here doing what they damn well please!”

  “That's what I told her, Chief,” his employee replied nervously, “but she demanded to see Joey Dale, and she wouldn't wait for me to page you.”

  “That's enough.”

  Chief Cartright waved her away with the back of his hand.

  “Go back to your desk and get back to work. I'll take care of Miss Dale.”

  Jenny glanced back to see the desk clerk nodding vigorously. Her face was white. She closed the door and left them alone together. Jenny could hear heels scurrying off down the hall.

  “You've got some nerve, girl.”

  Chief Cartright didn't sit back down. Instead, his steely blue eyes stared menacingly across the desk at her.

  “You think this place is your own personal playground? In my police station, you respect my rules. You don’t just walk here unannounced.”

  “I want to see my brother.”

  “Why?”

  Chief Cartright's lips tightened, his eyes squinting.

  “I heard he is being transferred.”

  His smile widened and she wanted to punch him in his idiot face. Just like Joey had done, she thought.

  For the first time in her life, she realized she was proud of her younger brother. The bruise around Chief Cartright's right eye had faded, but it was still visible.

  “I wanted to come and see him before you smuggled him away to another facility.”

  “I'm not smuggling your brother away. He committed a crime. He has been arrested, and now he is awaiting trial. Our courthouse here is too small, so he has to go to the next town, one with a suitable facility.”

  His smile didn’t fade as he spoke.

  “It’s procedure, I assure you. It is all above board.”

  Jenny laughed.

  “Since when has your police work ever been above board?”

  Chief Cartright's smile disappeared.

  “Is that what you think, Miss Dale? Do you have some kind of complaint to file in regards to my police work?”

  “I'm not here to discuss your shortcomings.”

  “You're just here to see your younger brother.”

  He nodded. It was clear to her that he was enjoying sparring with her.

  “To say goodbye, or to talk about his shortcomings.”

  At least he has never killed anyone, she wanted to say.

  “I'm sure you are far too busy to stay here chatting with me.” Jenny smiled sweetly. “So why don't you just get that nice woman out there to fetch the key to the holding cell and I will get out of your hair.”

  For a second, Jenny thought he would deny her request. He had the power to do so, aft
er all. He could even have her forcibly removed from the police station if he really wanted to.

  Instead, he reached for his desk phone and paged through to the clerk.

  “Miss. Dale will be going through to see the prisoner. Make sure she’s in there no longer than a half hour.”

  He placed the phone down forcibly in its cradle before he looked back up at Jenny.

  “Will that be sufficient, Miss Dale? No one likes a long goodbye.”

  Jenny didn't give him the benefit of a response. She turned for the door went back out into the hallway where the desk clerk would surely be waiting.

  “Oh, by the way,” Chief Cartright's called out behind her, “I hope you didn't upset Lawrence too much when you went by the shop earlier. He is rather a sensitive man. Likes to keep to himself, you know.”

  He was smirking when she glanced back at his face.

  He was baiting her, and appeared to be waiting for another fight. He truly was making her uncomfortable, even though she fought to remain strong. She felt concern for Lawrence. They had visited him at closing time with the hope that they wouldn't be spotted. It seemed as if their best efforts had been for nothing. Chief Cartright had either seen them or been alerted by someone else.

  “I don't know what you are talking about,” Jenny told him calmly. “We were there for a bottle of wine. Roy said Lawrence knew a good brand he thought I might like to try and was kind enough to let us in after hours to sample a glass. I hope that doesn't get him into any trouble, Chief.”

  “What wine was that?” Chief Cartright asked.

  “You might not know the brand since it's only sold in major cities. It's called Rosaceae. Comes in a neat, blue bottle.”

  Jenny didn't give him a chance to respond as she closed the door firmly behind her. She knew her words had made an impact, even if she had not been there to witness it.

  * * *

  When Roy arrived back at the house with Isabelle and the dog in tow he found the cabin surprisingly empty.

  It was Isabelle who found the note on the kitchen table and handed it to him. For one horrible moment, he had wondered if she had simply taken off for New York. He cursed himself for being so distrustful. He didn't want to doubt Jenny. He wanted to trust her completely. In the space of a few days, she had become everything that mattered to him.