Playboy Ever After

by Chance Carter

  He didn't like that she had thought to go to the police station without him. Chief Cartright clearly had it out for them, and it didn't seem right to send her into the lion's cage alone. They had planned on placing the call to the police commissioner as soon as he returned home. Now it looked like that would be delayed once again.

  The note didn't state when she had left the cabin, so he had no clear idea of when she would return. He debated driving out to the station and to join her but he couldn't leave Isabelle. Jenny had already told him the dog had proven useless as a guard when the stranger had been creeping around outside. He slept right through it, in fact, more concerned with staying close to the girl than he was with keeping intruders at bay.

  Roy sent Isabelle and her friend out onto the beach to play while he attempted to get his thoughts in order. He couldn't shake the idea that Jenny may be putting herself in danger. After all, Chief Cartright had to know by now that they were building a case against him. Roy had even come to the conclusion during the drive home that it had been the police chief he had chased through the woods the other night. He imagined Cartright had realized where he had dropped his badge and went back to retrieve it, only to find Roy had got there first.

  Roy had originally left the badge locked away in a dresser drawer, but in the past two days, he had taken to carrying it around with him in the pocket of his windbreaker. He didn’t want Chief Cartright to break into his place in search of the badge. He had already done enough damage when he ransacked his truck. Roy had taped a piece of cardboard across the window until he could find the time to drive it down to the garage at the bottom of the hill and have the glass replaced.

  He stood up from the kitchen table and looked out the window. He was hoping he would see Jenny's coming down the lane, but all was quiet.

  He hoped she knew what she was doing.

  Chapter 29

  Jenny followed the desk clerk down to the holding cells.

  Having been reprimanded by her boss, the clerk was reluctant to give Jenny her usual attitude. Instead, the walk was in silence. Jenny didn't mind. It gave her time to get her thoughts in order. She had, after all, only a half hour in which to tell Joey everything that had happened over the past couple of days.

  She waited impatiently as the desk clerk unlocked the door and pulled it open. The clerk waved her inside and closed the door firmly behind her.

  Joey stood up from his bunk when she entered. He looked surprised to see her there again but smiled. It was a welcome change from the distrust she had seen on his face at their last visit.

  “You're back.”

  He stepped up to the bars.

  “I'm being moved in two days, Jenny. Chief Cartright wants to transfer me out to the medium security prison in the next town.”

  He looked worried, and Jenny's heart went out to him. If she could have dragged him from this mess right this instant, she would have, but it would all be over soon, and he would once again be a free man.

  “I don't think that's going to happen,” she told him. “I'm calling the police commissioner.”

  “What?” Joey was wide-eyed as he looked through the bars at her. “Jenny, you don't understand. He's going to want solid evidence. He won't leave his office for less.”

  “But we do have solid evidence, Joey.”

  She reached through the space between the bars and squeezed his shoulder.

  “You're going to be out of there soon, little brother. Just hold on a little while longer.”

  Joey still didn't look entirely convinced by her claims.

  “What evidence? What do you have?” he asked.

  “Roy went back to your house.”

  “I thought you said it had been damaged in the fire.”

  “Only the ground floor. Fire Chief Miller gave him the key so he could go in and do a little investigating of his own.”

  “Isn't that illegal?” he cut in suddenly. “They could get in big trouble for doing an unauthorized search like that.”

  She waved off his question.

  “I'll get back to that.”

  She continued on with her story.

  “Roy searched your bedroom to see if there was anything the police may have missed. He was looking for something that would pin the murder on someone else.”

  “I doubt there was anything there.”

  He studied her smile critically, as if he weren't sure he could entirely trust it.

  “He found something under the bed. It was a police badge. Roy said that the number printed on the front isn’t yours.”

  “No, it wouldn’t be,” Joey told her. “My uniform is here. It was confiscated when I was placed in here, because it had Chloe's blood on it. Chief Cartright has it locked away somewhere as evidence.”

  “Roy wrapped it up in a handkerchief and has kept it with him ever since. He thinks Chief Cartright came back for it the night he was going through your room.”

  “Chief Cartright?” Joey looked stunned to hear the news.

  Jenny realized with horror that she had never actually told her brother that she and Roy had come to that conclusion. She felt a sinking feeling of guilt in the pit of her stomach. This wasn't the way he should have found out.

  She watched as he sunk down onto his cot with his head in his hands.

  “Joey, I'm so sorry.”

  Joey looked suddenly up at her. His face was drawn in pain, and she immediately wanted to step past the bars and go to him.

  “He was the one having an affair with Chloe?” Joey asked.

  He stared at her until she nodded her head slowly.

  “Damn it,” he cursed under his breath.

  “I'm so sorry I told you like that.”

  Jenny felt tears welling up in her eyes. She had wasted so many long years not caring what her brother was doing with his life or how he was doing. Now, it was one of her highest concerns.

  “Chief Cartright was sleeping with my wife.”

  She knew Joey was barely listening to her. His head was so wrapped up in the news he had just heard.

  “That bastard was with Chloe.”

  “Joey.”

  Her voice wavered as she looked in on his broken face. She didn't know what else to say.

  “Damn it, Jenny. Why did it have to be him, of all people? I get that Chloe wasn't happy with me. We married young and had Isabelle. But why did she have to go out of her way to hurt me like that?”

  He looked up at her, tears streaming down his face. “Was I that horrible?”

  “No,” she told him gently. “Chloe should never have started an affair. She should have known better.”

  There had been many conversations with Chloe where she told her best friend that Joey was the one who should have known better or Joey should be the one making sure Chloe knew he cared. It seemed strange to have the conversation in reverse now. She wished that her best friend had just been straight with her. She had never agreed with the concept of having an affair, but she thought Chloe could have told the truth.

  “Did she ever tell you about it?”

  Jenny had been expecting the question. She would have asked the same thing.

  “No. Chloe never said a word to me about it. I think she knew what I would have told her.”

  “To leave me, take Isabelle and head for the city?” Joey muttered.

  “No, I never would have told her to leave you.”

  “You hated me,” Joey reminded her. “So why didn't you?”

  “Because.”

  “Because what?” he demanded.

  “Because that's not how you sort things out!” she yelled back at him. “You don't run and hide. You face things and make sure they get sorted out, or you just end up sad and alone with nothing to live for.”

  She dropped back, her throat sore from raising her voice. Tears pricked at her eyes. She knew she was talking about herself when she made that statement. Running away had been exactly what she had done all those years ago. She could have stayed and made amends wit
h her brother. Heck, she could have left and still made an effort to reconnect with him.

  Instead, she had put more distance between herself and her brother. In light of the events of the past few days, she was becoming more unsure of why she had left Ombrea so many years ago. It was clear that if she had stayed and worked at building their relationship back up, she would have benefited greatly.

  “Oh, Jenny, we’ve got the world's worst sibling relationship, don't we?”

  “I think we got most people beat,” she said with a playful smirk.

  He looked up at her cautiously.

  “Think we could ever fix it?”

  “Busting you out of this place is a start.”

  He held up his hands like a man looking for salvation.

  “Hallelujah! If you can get me out of this hell-hole, I’ll be the best little brother in the world.”

  “I'd settle for my brother back.”

  Chapter 30

  Roy was relieved when Jenny's Neon rolled into view.

  He had grown tired of pacing the cabin and had taken a beer out onto the front porch to wait. That one beer had quickly turned into two as he impatiently anticipated her return. Isabelle and the dog had been too distracted to notice that Jenny hadn't come home yet.

  Jenny raised her hand, waving as she closed the driver's side door. He stood as she came to meet him and stepped up onto the wooden deck. He took her in his arms and held her there tightly.

  “What kind of an idiot move was that?” he asked into her hair. “You think it was a good idea to walk into the lion's den alone like that?”

  “Well, he didn't eat me,” she responded as she tilted her face up to meet his dreamy eyes. “He tried, but I put up a good fight.”

  “I wasn't joking,” he cautioned her gently. “Chief Cartright is no fool. We've got to be smart about how we handle him.”

  “It looks like we weren't smart enough.”

  Jenny nodded toward his deck chair, and he sank back into it. She settled into the one beside him.

  “He knows that we went to see Lawrence.”

  “What?”

  Roy sat forward, concerned. He looked across at her.

  “What happened at the station?”

  “Chief Cartright mentioned to me that he knew we had been. He made out like we were harassing Lawrence by going.”

  “Because he's done the old man so many favors,” Roy muttered sarcastically. “He's been an absolute saint.”

  Jenny nodded.

  “He said Lawrence was a sensitive fellow who liked to keep to himself.”

  “That's a threat if I've ever heard one,” Roy told her. “He thinks he has the upper hand because he could unleash Lawrence’s secret at any time.”

  “Right.”

  Jenny still felt horrible for what she had told her brother earlier. It wasn't any easier telling Roy what had happened. “There was something else, too. I accidentally told Joey that our prime suspect is Chief Cartright.”

  He realized that he hadn't even considered what it would be like to share that news with Joey. He had been more focused on proving the guy’s innocence than he had been about keeping him in the loop. He had been to visit Joey before, last week, in fact, before Jenny got to town. Joey had told him everything he knew and not once had Cartright’s name come up. It was clear Joey didn’t have any idea his superior had been sleeping with his wife.

  He suddenly felt guilty for not having at least mentioned that it was a possibility. After Roy had started trying to get the town on his side about Joey, Chief Cartright made it very clear he wasn't to show his face around the station anymore. Roy backed off, but his investigation continued, much to the Chief's annoyance.

  Roy had never thought to tell Jenny to explain what their investigation had turned up to Joey, either. They had both been more concerned with letting him know he was soon to be a free man.

  “Hey, now.”

  He caught sight of Jenny's tears and reached out his hand. She took it gratefully and squeezed tightly.

  “Where are those tears coming from? It's only going to get better from here, I promise you that, Jenny.”

  “He looked so heartbroken. He knew she had been having an affair behind his back, but he hadn't known the traitor was someone so close to home.”

  “If it was going to be anyone, it had to be someone in town.” Roy reminded her gently. “Whoever it turned out to be, Joey was going to know them to some degree. That's what a small town is all about. Everyone knows everyone else and a large amount of their business, too.”

  “I worry he's going to do or say something while he's in there that gets him in even deeper trouble.”

  “Joey is a pretty smart guy. You told him about the call to the police commissioner, I assume?”

  She nodded her head.

  “Then he already knows his time in there is about to come to an end. He wouldn't be so foolish as to risk it all now when he's so close to being free.”

  “He might still act on it, regardless. He looked so hurt in there. He was like a caged animal.”

  “But he has to be considering the bigger picture, too,” Roy pointed out. “He has Isabelle to think about. He wouldn't jeopardize returning home to her by acting like an idiot in there. You've got to give your brother a little more credit.”

  “I guess I do.”

  She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

  “I guess there has to be a first time for everything.”

  “I have another first for you,” Roy told her as he dropped her hand to rise to his feet. “You, Jenny Dale, will soon have your first phone conversation with a police commissioner.”

  “How dreadfully exciting.”

  He was grateful to see her smiling again.

  * * *

  Bright and early the next morning, Jenny waited nervously on the line as the phone began to ring.

  She knew what she had to say to the police commissioner. Roy had coached her through a basic story that would get them off the hook for one or two of the illegal aspects of their investigation, such as the circumstances surrounding the retrieval of the police badge. As much as she hated lying, but if they admitted to being in the house after the fire, it might give reason to suspect that they had planted the badge at the scene. The police had done an initial search, after all, and had not discovered it.

  “Chief Cartright wouldn't have wanted them looking too hard. He probably hurried the search for clues, insisting that they had their man already. Joey had cradled Chloe's body in his arms when he found her, so he had her blood all over his uniform shirt. Joey was a sitting duck. ”

  Jenny agreed he was probably right.

  Just when she was ready to end the call, a woman came on the line. She sounded out of breath as if she had rushed to answer the call.

  “Police Commissioner Gatrall's office, who, may I ask, is calling?”

  “Uh, this is Jenny Dale.”

  She was rattled. The commissioner’s name hadn't been the same one that Roy had found scribbled on a piece of paper in his office. She held the phone a little tighter.

  “My brother is Officer Joey Dale of the Ombrea Police Department. I would like to speak to the police commissioner about how his case is being handled.”

  “Your brother has been accused of a crime, ma'am?”

  “Murder.” Jenny swallowed hard. Her mouth felt horribly dry. She thought she would have more confidence when it came to making this call, but even the receptionist was making her nervous.

  “The Ombrea police department, did you say?” Jenny could hear computer keys clicking in the background.

  “Yes, it's in West Virginia.”

  “I know where it is, ma'am. Hold on one second.”

  A burst of jazz suddenly replaced the receptionist's voice.

  “Well?” Roy mouthed at her as she turned to him.

  “I think she put me on hold.”

  He gave her a thumbs-up.

  “That's a good sign.”

/>   She switched the phone to her other ear so she could rub her hand on her jeans. It was slick with sweat.

  “I don't think I can do this.”

  “Relax, you're doing great so far. Just stay calm.”

  “Hello?” A male voice suddenly replaced the jazz music in her ear.

  “Miss Jenny Dale?”

  “Just Jenny, please.”

  It was clear she had been taken by surprise. Roy hoped she could keep it together.

  “Well, Just Jenny, what can I do for you? My receptionist says you’re calling in regards to your brother, Joey, who is an officer with the Ombrea Police Department.”

  “He is. I mean, that's exactly why I'm calling. He's been arrested for the murder of his wife, Chloe.”

  “I think I've heard about this case.”

  The commissioner didn't let on to how much he knew.

  “I've got the time to listen to whatever it is you want to tell me about it.”

  “You see sir, he didn’t' do it.”

  “No?”

  “No, he was set up. I have the evidence to prove it, too, sir.”

  “Set up by whom?”

  The commissioner didn't seem confident in her claim.

  “And what evidence is this?”

  Jenny took a deep breath before she continued. “I believe he was set up by Chief Cartright, sir.”

  “Chief James Cartright?”

  She could hear the commissioner moving papers around on his desk.

  “You're telling me that your brother was set up by his own supervising officer?”

  “Indeed, I am, sir. Like I said, I have evidence to back up my claims.”

  “Go on.”

  “I'm the last surviving relative of my brother's daughter, Isabelle. I came to Ombrea to take care of her while her father is in jail,” Jenny explained.

  She kept her eyes on Roy for strength as she continued.

  “I was cleaning up the house. I didn't think Isabelle should have to see the bedroom where her mother had died in such a state. I found a badge tucked under the bed.”