by Amie Denman
“Happy memories for almost everyone,” Virginia said. “I have only one friend who won’t ever come here, even though she still lives in Bayside.”
“Why not?”
“She blames herself for something that, I’m sure, wasn’t her fault.”
“That’s a shame,” Caroline said. Was this about the Loose Cannon? Although fascinated, Caroline wondered why Virginia was telling her this story.
“It’s always a shame when someone hauls around blame for something that’s not her fault,” Virginia said pointedly.
Because her brother had married into the Hamilton family, the entire family was aware of the sad story of her sister Catherine’s death.
Virginia meant well, but Caroline couldn’t talk about her sister right now. She cleared her throat and scanned the attendees to take her mind off her family’s tragedy.
She recognized a number of the seasonal employees. From her post on the midway, she saw dozens of them troop past every day. She also lived in a dorm housing police officers, dancers, balloon sellers, ride attendants. They were friends she hoped to stay in touch with all her life.
Caroline imagined Virginia and her friends enjoying a sunny, youthful summer thirty years ago. Everyone deserved happy memories. That was one of the reasons for her class—teach people to take care of themselves and be smart. Think fast. Use your instincts. The very skills she wanted to cultivate in herself.
And paying attention when someone is about to hand you a clue to a mystery you’re investigating.
“What does your friend blame herself for?” Caroline asked.
“She was working on the Loose Cannon the night of the accident. They never could figure out what caused the accident, so there was a rumor floated that it was employee error,” Virginia said. She shook her head. “Some people said the cars were loaded wrong.”
“Do you believe that?”
“No. We had good training back then. Not as good as it is now, but still adequate. I don’t believe any of my friends were careless in loading those cars. There was a procedure in place and we followed it, no questions asked. It was drilled into our heads.”
“But there was a formal investigation after the accident,” Caroline said. “They would have certainly interviewed the workers. Wouldn’t a ride operator error have come to light then?”
Virginia nodded. “That’s the mysterious part. No one knew what had happened. It was dark, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The ride operators weren’t officially blamed, but the suspicion hung over their heads anyway.”
Caroline watched two blond men take seats in the front row. Lucas Dunbar was an employee and required to attend, but Matt was a contractor. He certainly didn’t have to be here. Was he here because she had invited him?
“Maybe the ride had a mechanical error no one knew about,” Caroline said, trying to keep her thoughts on Virginia’s story while she watched Matt scan the area until he found her. He nodded, smiled. He had such a nice smile.
“They said there was nothing wrong with the ride, even though it was a new one.”
“Not faulty construction, being new?” Caroline prodded.
“No. They went all over that thing the next day and came up with not one piece of steel out of place.”
Perhaps the report for which she checked her post office box every day would have more details, but officially the construction company had been exonerated, the ride mechanics not held accountable.
Was it possible that the employees running the ride had been careless, despite Virginia’s insistence they weren’t? They were, after all, her friends. Could she be turning a blind eye? And if one of her friends wouldn’t come near Starlight Point after thirty years had passed, did it mean she felt guilty about something?
“I only tell you this old story because I want you to understand that I feel our employees are all our family members. I want them to have wonderful memories of their time here like I have,” Virginia said. She laid a hand on Caroline’s arm and leaned closer, a smile lighting her face. “And if they learn how to gouge out an attacker’s left eyeball, too, that’s just icing on the cake.”
Caroline laughed and turned her attention to the crowd of people listening to Jack as he explained the history of the program and reminded them to present their certificate of attendance to the personnel office. She tried to keep her mind on her lesson plan and mentally rehearse her safety speech, but her attention kept returning to the occupants of the front row.
Matt and Lucas Dunbar. She highly doubted either one of them needed self-defense classes. With their height and broad shoulders, they probably didn’t feel vulnerable when they walked down a deserted street at night. Probably didn’t check under their cars in dark parking lots or shine a flashlight in the back seat before they got in.
But they were vulnerable in other ways.
She hadn’t stopped thinking about her friend Agnes’s story about Lucas’s portrait, and she couldn’t help but imagine their young faces as their father was stuffed into a police car. Did they go to visit him in jail? Send him cards on Father’s Day?
The two brothers had endured a lot when they were far too young. So had she and her brother, Scott.
Perhaps that’s why Matt was so desperate to be a success. He needed a family legacy he could be proud of, his stepfather’s company, instead of his father’s disgrace and imprisonment. Although Caroline had begun to suspect Matt was covering up something involving the Corbin family and the construction of the Loose Cannon, Virginia had given her something to think about.
If all the reports said the construction of the ride was not to blame, they were probably right. And maybe she should give a man with a kind smile, green eyes and the whole world in the back of his truck more of a chance.
* * *
AFTER ONLY FIVE minutes of Caroline’s instructions on how to avoid physical confrontation if possible and then meet it head-on if necessary, Matt was convinced she was not someone who would back down from a fight. He just hoped she had no intentions of fighting with him about anything—especially the Loose Cannon.
He admired the way she stood, shoulders straight, no nervous fidgeting. She was one of the most confident people he’d ever met. As he watched her command the audience, he realized it was one of the first things he’d noticed about her the night she’d held him in her flashlight’s beam. The memory spread warmth through his chest.
He couldn’t deny the dozens of times he’d thought of her. Or looked for her outside his fence. Or wondered if she was on duty. Or what she did when she wasn’t.
Caroline gave a general lecture about being aware of one’s surroundings and avoiding high-risk situations. She cautioned the younger workers—most of them about her own age, Matt thought—about safety on campuses. He wondered if she’d felt safe on her college campus and even now in her dorm room. Matt swallowed. He wanted Caroline to be safe wherever she went.
After her initial speech, Caroline divided the group, directing participants to the cushioned mats where one of her colleagues waited. It was time for the practical, hands-on training that Matt had been looking forward to most. Although he’d found listening to Caroline far more interesting than he’d expected.
Matt was first out of his chair, certain he wanted to be in Caroline’s group. His brother followed him, along with at least a dozen girls who’d chosen the only female police officer’s group.
He didn’t know if the ladies in attendance felt more comfortable with a female instructor, but he had no intention of partnering with any of them. He and his brother could attempt to take each other down, for safety’s sake, of course.
Although they were both the same few inches upward of six feet, Matt had construction muscle whereas Lucas weighed a good twenty pounds less. They’d backyard-wrestled a few times, but by the time they were equal enough in size to
make it a fair fight, they were also old enough to know better.
They stood in a circle, waiting. Caroline kicked off her heavy black shoes, revealing neat black socks. No holes. Matt hoped she wouldn’t require everyone to remove their shoes. Were his socks clean? Was he wearing the pair with a hole right at the end of his big toe? He had no idea what his brother’s socks looked like. They’d probably have paint on them.
“You can leave yours on if you want,” she said, tossing her shoes to the edge of the mat. “I just took mine off so I’m less likely to leave a mark on someone.”
Some of the students exchanged nervous glances at the prospect of physical pain. His brother shot him a quick elbow and whispered, “She’s looking at you.”
Caroline was, indeed, looking at Matt. Her lips curved with a hint of a smile. He felt his heart stumble a moment on its way to the next beat.
“Sorry to ask, but I need a volunteer to help me out,” Caroline said, still keeping him in her sights.
If Caroline asked him to push her police car ten miles at that moment, he would have done it. He stepped forward into the circle and everyone saw him. There was no turning back.
“Before you volunteer, though, I should warn you,” Caroline said. “You might be sore tomorrow.”
Matt laughed, grabbed his younger brother’s shoulders and shoved him into the circle, attempting to trade places with him. Lucas elbowed Matt hard and ducked out of his grip.
“Nice evasion,” Caroline told Lucas. “But I can still give you some pointers.”
Lucas faded back and Matt stood in the middle. “I’m your volunteer,” he said. “But you have to take it easy on me or I’ll have to give my crew the day off tomorrow while I lick my wounds.”
“Trust me,” Caroline said. “You’ve easily got eighty pounds on me.”
Matt relaxed his shoulders. It was probably more like a hundred pounds. Caroline was maybe five foot five and so slender he wondered how she could defend herself. What made her choose a career as a police officer? He’d noticed her diligence and passion for the job, but was there a powerful motivating force? Something in her past?
Matt vividly remembered his first encounter with police from his childhood. Maybe Caroline had a positive experience somewhere along the way. Her brother was a firefighter, so perhaps public safety was in their blood. He’d love a chance to ask her about it.
“Which is why, ladies, I want to show you how to get the advantage even with a much larger opponent,” Caroline added.
Matt laughed. “Not sure I like the sound of that.”
“Lesson one,” Caroline said. “Pressure points. You can apply serious pain if you know where to press. It won’t cause permanent damage if you do it right, but it will certainly discourage an attacker.”
Matt drew a long breath.
“Remember, your goal is not to cause harm unless you have to. Your goal is to give yourself a chance to get away.”
Facing Caroline, Matt tried for an expression of cheerful cooperation.
“Ready?” Caroline asked. She raised one eyebrow and smiled a little. “I’m sorry in advance. If you want, I can just tell people where the pressure points are, but it’s more effective to show them.”
“Go ahead. I’m tougher than I look.”
“You’re a good sport.” Caroline put her hand on Matt’s shoulder and he did his best not to flinch. “Right here,” she said. She dug two fingers into the muscle near his neck and Matt felt his knees soften. He heard his brother laugh when he nearly fell to the mat.
“Sorry,” Caroline said. She rubbed the sore spot with the heel of her hand. “It’ll feel better in just a minute.”
“Wow,” said a young girl still wearing her sweeper uniform.
“I know,” Caroline said. “Wow. And in that moment when all he was thinking about was the excruciating pain, I could easily have started running and gained ground. See what I’m saying?”
“That’s amazing,” the girl added.
“Not exactly what I was thinking,” Matt complained.
In response, Caroline used her fingers to continue massaging the pain out of his shoulder. She kept one hand on his other shoulder, and the heat sank into his tired muscles.
“I’m completely at your mercy,” he murmured.
Caroline leaned close and whispered in his ear. “You can get up anytime you want.”
Her lips on his ear caused gooseflesh to sweep over his neck. Caroline had to notice it when he rolled his head in a circle. She smoothed her warm palm over his neck.
“I never want to get up.”
As Caroline laughed, stepped back and offered her hand to pull him up, he tried to remember the last time a woman had touched him with such tenderness. But he couldn’t.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“I OWE YOU, absolutely owe you, for letting me abuse you in the name of personal safety,” Caroline said. “Name your favorite late-night food, and I’m buying.”
“Now?”
“I’m wide awake after that class and I have to fuel up because I’m teaching another class tomorrow night. And the next night. And the next.”
“You’ll be run ragged.”
Caroline shrugged. “I love it. If I ever get tired of being a police officer—which I doubt—I can always teach at the police academy. Assuming I get in and assuming I graduate.”
“You will,” Matt said.
“I just need the recommendation of the police chief here.”
“Which I’m sure you already have.”
Caroline hoped she already had it. What would the chief think if he knew how far she’d taken her private investigation of the Loose Cannon incident?
She’d made a records request from the state, taken a trip to the library and asked questions of anyone who would talk—including Virginia Hamilton. Those were all innocent curiosity, but if he found out about her unauthorized snooping in personnel records, there was no way the chief could let it go. She would deserve whatever punishment she got, even if it destroyed her dreams.
“I hope so,” she said when Matt seemed to be waiting for her answer.
They were alone. All the employees, including Matt’s brother, had already left. Many of them were going straight to their dorms, but some left in groups, probably with plans to visit the local bars and clubs.
Matt rubbed his eyes with the heels of both hands.
“I’m sorry,” she said. He looked too tired to go out for a late-night meal.
“I’m not. If showing everyone how embarrassingly fast I’ll succumb to pain helps somebody out in the future, it was worth it,” he said. He raised an eyebrow and grinned. “Of course I’ll tell my crew I took it like a man.”
“Not about that—although I tried to take it easy on you. I mean I’m sorry I didn’t consider the fact that you’ll be back here at dawn working on the site. You probably want to go home and get some sleep.”
Matt smiled. “Remember the first night we met?”
How could she forget? A handsome man in a hard hat was the last person she’d expected to find on a trespassing call. He’d surprised her in many ways since that night almost two months ago.
“Of course,” she said. She sat on the edge of the stage in the ornate ballroom and tied her shoes.
“I think that was the last time I got any sleep.”
Caroline laughed. “Don’t tell me you actually slept in that tent on the Western Trail.”
“Must have been the fresh air. Even though I did spend some time worrying about lions.”
“Sorry about that. I have a wicked streak.”
“I noticed. It’s one of the things I like about you.”
One of the things?
She picked up her bag and headed for the panel of light switches along the wall of
the ballroom. The floor mats were staying for the ten-day string of classes as there were no other scheduled events.
Matt followed her to the wall and leaned on it while she turned off the switches one at a time. Darkness blotted out sections of the ballroom until there was only the space where she and Matt stood.
She paused, her finger on the switch. Did she want to be alone in the dark with Matt? She had nothing to fear physically. If his general sweetness wasn’t proof enough, he now knew for certain she could take him down with one hand.
It was a different kind of danger. They stood face to face and at least five seconds of silence passed. He leaned closer to her, only inches, but it was enough. He was going to kiss her. And what would she do?
She considered it for a sliver of a second, but he rocked back on his heels and added distance between them.
“Burgers and fries,” he said. “Maybe a beer.”
Nervous laughter escaped Caroline’s throat. “Not for me.”
“You’d prefer pizza or something else?”
“I meant the beer. I turn twenty-one next week.”
“Then I’ll owe you one,” Matt said.
Caroline flicked off the last light switch. They were back on solid ground now, but she still wondered what a kiss from Matt would have been like. She began walking toward the glass doors illuminated by the midway lights from outside.
“I believe I owe you tonight. So burgers and fries it is.”
“Do you want to get something here at the Point or go elsewhere?”
Caroline considered the question as she closed and locked the ballroom doors behind them. She pocketed her work keys and began walking along the midway as she considered Matt’s question.
The loudspeakers blaring summer music combined with the roller coaster noise made talking difficult. She appreciated the respite as she weighed her dining options with a man she found more intriguing than she wanted to.
