by Geonn Cannon
"Hot bubble bath," Jodie said. "Works wonders for me."
Lance chuckled and raised an eyebrow. She looked over Jodie's greasy hands, T-shirt and face and said, "I wouldn't have pegged you as a frou-frou girly bath kind of woman."
"I'm a woman of mystery," Jodie said. She aimed a finger at Lance and started backing toward the garage. "Rain check on the beers?"
"Definitely."
Jodie smiled and went back into the garage. Lance watched her go and then unlocked her car door. Real job and acquaintances. Look at me, Ma, I'm a real girl. She chuckled to herself and looked over her shoulder. Jodie was standing in the office talking to Daphne, shrugging out of her coveralls. She pushed the top half down to her waist, revealing a white muscle shirt. She put her hands in the small of her back and pressed them forward. And speaking of real girls...
Lance blinked, shook her head, and looked away. Building a real life or not, that was definitely not something she was in the market for. She pushed the disturbingly attractive thought out of her head and got into her car. She wasn't one for frou-frou girly stuff like bubble baths, either, but she had to admit the idea was definitely appealing after the day she'd had.
#
Interlude
Road Ends, Montana
Sheriff Andrea Tyler took the photograph and examined it for a long moment. Finally, she sighed and shook her head. She placed the photo on her blotter, between her and her desk, and folded her hands together underneath it. "Yes, I'm sorry to say that's her. I couldn't believe it when you called. She's really a criminal?"
Faye Mallory took the photograph back and tucked it into the breast pocket of her shirt. "I'm afraid so, Sheriff. How long was she in town?"
"About four or five months, give or take."
"And during that time—"
Tyler held up a hand. "I'm going to stop you right there. Yes, during that time she worked at my girlfriend's ranch. I'm...well, I'm humiliated to admit that she lived right under my nose all that time and I didn't even suspect. What did she do?"
"Murder."
Tyler blinked, but didn't betray anything. "Well, I'm certainly glad she managed to restrain herself while she was here. And I'm glad she saw fit to move along. We don't need her kind of trouble maker around here. Folks in small towns like things quiet."
Mallory stared at Tyler for a long time before she spoke again. "I've spent a lot of time reading people, Sheriff, and do you know what you're telling me right now?" Tyler lifted her shoulders in a shrug. "You're telling me you're full of shit. You knew who this woman was. You're no rube. And you don't give a damn what I'm here about; you're just determined not to help me. Is that right?"
"I'm always happy to help the FBI. Of course, seeing as you're a former agent," she put the stress on former and saw Mallory's lips press together in a tighter line, "that courtesy only goes so far. This Claire Lance person spent a few months on my girlfriend's ranch. She seemed a little quiet, but that didn't raise any red flags with me. Lots of roustabouts are tight-lipped. Doesn't mean anything."
"You had a situation about five months back, is that right?"
"You could say that."
"Joseph Drewes. I read about it in the newspaper. That's why I'm here, in fact."
"I sure recall the name." Tyler's voice had become like ice.
Mallory stared at the sheriff and finally said, "That all happened around the time Lance was here. She tends to attract trouble like that."
"Allow me to be frank, Agent...sorry, Miss Mallory. We did have some trouble while your Claire Lance was here. In fact, had she not been here, the trouble would have been a hell of a lot worse. I'm an officer of the law and I'm duty-bound to help you track down this fugitive. But seeing as she left here three months ago without a forwarding address, I'm not sure what exactly you expect me to do."
Mallory stood. "I understand your predicament, Sheriff. Claire Lance is definitely a charmer. Thank you for your help."
"I wish I could have done more." Tyler stood and moved toward the door.
Mallory offered a tight grin and said, "I'll show myself out, thanks." She stepped into the main room of the Road Ends Sheriff's Office and looked around. Only a handful of deputies, one of them not even in uniform. His badge was pinned to the pocket of his flannel shirt. It was no wonder Lance managed to slip through their fingers.
She left the station and looked up at the sky. Dusk was closing in, and there was obviously no point in sticking around here. Road Ends was a dead end, at least when it came to Lance. Now she had to figure out where, exactly, she had gone next.
Mallory got into her rental car and rested her hands on the steering wheel. Lance had come into Montana from the south. Going north would take her to Canada in a handful of minutes, but Mallory doubted Lance had left the country. East would take her back toward Illinois; not an option if Lance was still running as far and as fast as she could. That left the option of going west, to Idaho.
Mallory started her car and pulled away from the curb.
#
Chapter Two
Lance let the bathroom light fill her entire apartment, rather than turning on the living room lamps, and stripped down. She was surprised to find that grease and dirt had somehow managed to get under her clothes to mark her stomach, arms and thighs. There was a smear on her forehead, just under her hairline, but she knew she had caused that by brushing at hair that was no longer long enough to get in her face.
She started the water running in the tub and walked back into the living room. She turned on the TV in time to see the late news and retrieved the Thriftway bag she had gotten on the way home. She took out a tall, aggressively pink bottle of Mr. Bubble and stared at the cartoon spokesbubble with distaste. "I am a grown woman," she muttered. "Grown women do not take bubble baths." In fact, the last time had been in another apartment, in another state, in another life.
"Come on, Claire," Elaine said. She stood in the bathroom door wearing a terrycloth robe, closed but not tied, and she bent her knee so that her leg peeked out from between the two halves. "I'll let you do my back."
Lance smiled and stood up, already unbuttoning her blouse as she came around the couch. "What about your front?" Her hands slid into the robe and she pulled Elaine close for a kiss.
"We can negotiate," Elaine said against Lance's mouth.
There was a pang in her heart at the memory, but it was a familiar pang by now. Two years had passed since Elaine's death, and it still took a piece of her heart when she thought about it. She was, as always, torn between wishing she could be free of the pain and wanting to hold on to the memories as long as possible.
She sat on the edge of the tub, hand trailing in the rising water, and looked out the open bathroom door at the television. A Hispanic woman wearing a red pantsuit was standing in the studio. She turned away from the monitor and smiled into the camera. "If you'd like more information on the subject, check out my blog on the station's website. I'm Lindsay Le, and I am Looking Out For You. We'll be right back with sports."
Lance looked away from the TV, at the furniture her apartment had come with. It didn't look like hers, didn't feel like a place she could call home. And this was the place where she was hoping would be her first real home since Elaine's death? Maybe it wasn't a home for Claire Lance, but it was perfect for Carmen Landry. She looked at the couch with its alternating brown and blue stripes. That was Carmen's coffee table, and her ugly curtains. She was going to have to investigate Carmen, learn her likes and dislikes, if she was going to wear her skin for a while.
Lance stopped the faucet when the tub was three-quarters full and slipped into the foamy water. The warmth immediately wrapped around her legs, her hips and chest, and she sighed as she relaxed against the curve of the tub. She let herself sink down to her shoulders and felt the tension seeping from her muscles. She reached back and loosened her ponytail so her unfamiliar short hair could fall onto the porcelain to pillow her neck.
"I definitely owe Calico a
thank-you," she muttered.
Calico. Jodie Curran. There was something about her, something Lance couldn't quite put her finger on. The offer of a beer was unexpected, so she had automatically declined without putting too much thought into it. But now, she was wondering if maybe she'd been too hasty. After all, going out for a beer with your coworkers was what a normal, everyday person would do, right?
She closed her eyes and thought about the motorcycle Jodie had been on when she came to work. Owned by Tania, apparently. She wondered how two people could have an argument on a motorcycle if both of them were wearing helmets. It would definitely make it harder to hear the other person. Maybe they'd been fighting when Jodie realized she had to get to work, and they got onto the bike and rode the rest of the way in silence.
"And maybe you're spending too much time thinking of your coworker," Lance told herself.
She pictured the ass of Jodie's coveralls as she bent down into the engine of a car.
"Yeah. Definitely. Too much time." She plugged her nose and went limp so she could sink under the bubbles.
#
The next morning, Lance arrived at the garage to find Jodie was already there. Lance went into the office to punch her time card. Daphne was nowhere to be seen, and she took the opportunity to peek at the thermostat. It was 84 degrees outside, and 78 inside the office. Lance shook her head and went out into the garage. Jodie stood at her tool box, a man's voice coming from the stereo next to her and complaining he was jealous of her cigarette.
"Morning," Lance said. "A little slow today, huh?"
Jodie turned and said, "Well, hey, look what the cat dragged in. Guess I need to work harder to scare you away."
Lance gestured at the empty parking lot. "Hey, if you can handle all these cars by yourself, be my guest."
"No, please, don't go," Jodie said. "I need someone to bug when we're slow like this." She scratched her cheek. "Right now I'm just rearranging and washing my tools. Anything you can offer to distract me, please."
"Afraid I'm not too good on the distraction angle."
"In that case, we have books. Magazines, newspapers. Basically anything you don't mind putting down every five minutes. I tried doing Sudoku back when that was huge, but either my mind didn't work that way, or all the starting and stopping kept me from getting a firm grasp. Either way."
"Good. Okay." Lance looked into the office and saw Daphne had appeared. "Listen, I also wanted to say that if the offer is still good, I may take you up on that beer tonight."
Jodie nodded. "An offer for beer is always good. Are you new to town or just new to this garage?"
"New to town, new to the state."
"Oh, well. I shall take it upon myself to show you the finest bars this side of the Cascades. Starting tonight with Castaneda's."
"I appreciate it."
"De nada," Jodie said. A Honda Prelude pulled into the lot and Jodie clapped her hands together. "Aha, at last a fly wanders into my web. Here's hoping for a costly yet easy to fix problem."
The driver rolled down his window and Jodie bent down to speak with him for a moment. When she straightened, she opened the door and sent the driver in to the office. He nodded to Lance as he passed.
"Is it the mother lode?"
"Alas, no. Anti-lock brake sensor needs replacing. You know how to do that?"
"Not a clue."
Jodie motioned her over. "Come, young one. I shall teach you all the tricks of my trade." She noticed the radio was still playing and said, "Oh. The music is Hawksley Workman. If you don't like him, I have some other CDs."
Lance shook her head. "No, it's fine. I've never even heard of him, but he seems all right."
"Well, well. All kinds of worlds are opening up to you, Ms. Landry."
Lance smirked. "Focus on your work, Calico."
"Been here two days, she's already telling me what to do. We'll have to see about that."
Lance surprised herself by laughing out loud. She covered it by coughing, and then said, "The sooner you learn the pecking order, the better."
Jodie said something that sounded like "mutinous bitch," but Lance looked up and saw a smile on her face. Jodie began lifting the car so they could get underneath it to work, and Lance found herself staring at Jodie's body. When Jodie turned and bent down to adjust something, Lance got a clear view of just how well her new coworker filled out her coveralls.
Dangerous, Lance thought as she averted her gaze. Definitely dangerous.
#
Over the course of the day, Lance was too occupied by her work to think too much about Jodie. When Lance finished her last car of the day, she took her keys into the office to find Jodie was slumped in the waiting area with a magazine. Lance handed the keys to Daphne, who handed them to the owner. Money exchanged hands, the customer left, and Jodie dropped her magazine back on the table. "End of the day, boss."
Daphne looked at the clock. "Close enough anyway. You need a ride home, Calico?"
"Nah, Carmen's driving. I'm going to show her Castaneda's."
"In other words, you'll need a ride home in about three hours."
Jodie held up two fingers and said, "We'll be good, promise. We shall drink but not get drunk. Either that or we'll call a cab. Do you need a hand locking up?"
"No, you girls go on and have a good time. You're taking her to Castaneda's?"
"Yep," Jodie said. She rested her elbows on the counter and plucked a few grape lollipops from the bowl next to the cash register. "Carmen here is a Shepherd newbie, so I'm going to show her all the hot spots. And all the hellholes she'll be wise to avoid."
"Shepherd newbie?"
"Total," Jodie said. "Doesn't know a thing about it." She held a lollipop out to Lance, who refused. Jodie unwrapped the sucker and popped it into her mouth. She swept the stick back and forth with her tongue and clapped her hands together.
"Getting Castaneda's out of the way first, huh?"
"Might as well. You wanna come with?"
Daphne sighed heavily. "Oh, sure. You know how much I love being the anchor holding two young chicks down. Go, have fun. See you tomorrow. Don't stay out too late."
Jodie saluted and motioned for Lance to follow her to the back of the main room. There were cubby holes for their coveralls. Jodie slowed and unzipped the front of hers, then shrugged her shoulders and pushed the top down. Underneath the suit, she wore a white shirt with short sleeves that left her muscular arms bare. A strip of skin was bared between the shirt and her pants, and Lance looked quickly away before she could investigate that tantalizing bit of real estate any further.
They both shed their greasy coveralls and took a moment to make sure there weren't any stray smears on their faces before they went out into the cool night air.
Jodie took the lollipop from her mouth, licked her lips, and stuck it back in. She pinned it to her cheek with her tongue, the stick jutting out like a cigarette.
"What was all that about?" Lance asked.
"All what?"
Lance shook her head. "Never mind. This is me."
Jodie ran her hand over the hood as she walked around the hood. "Oh, yeah. Very nice. You can't be a mechanic without a beauty like this in your garage."
"But you can be a mechanic without any car whatsoever?"
Jodie winked. "It just means I have standards. I'm glad you agreed to come out with me tonight. I planned to bum a ride with you just so I could be in this car for a little while."
"Happy to do it. Is one of us is going to be the designated driver?"
"Depends on how much we drink. And which of us drinks the most," Jodie said. "Listen, seriously, do you mind giving me a ride and going to Castaneda's tonight? I could call a cab if—"
"Don't be ridiculous. Hop in."
Once Lance got the car started, Jodie said, "Thanks. I really do appreciate it. I don't have a car, and the person who usually gives me a ride—"
"Tania?"
Jodie frowned. "How...? Oh, right. You were there yesterday."
She scratched between her eyebrows and said, "Yeah, Tania." She settled in and looked around herself. "Seriously, Carmen. You win the car lotto. Sixty-seven?"
"Sixty-six."
"Nice. It's in beautiful condition. I love muscle cars like this. Tania's all about the dykes on bikes, except when she's showing off her Camaro." She sighed and brushed her hair out of her face. "Still. I can appreciate an amazing car."
"Daphne drove you into work this morning?"
"Yeah, she picked me up. I love the lady, but she quits smoking every two or three months, and then she only allows herself cigarettes in the car. We're talking two cigarettes in the course of the two miles between my apartment and the garage. Plus the stink. Good God, the woman has been smoking her entire life, and the smell has seeped into every surface of that vehicle. Why do people smoke in cars? Seriously, tell me." She hooked her thumb under the collar of her shirt, lifted it, and took a deep sniff. "God damn. I'll never get rid of this reek."
"Put it in the dryer with a bunch of dryer sheets, set it on tumble for one minute," Lance said.
"Does that work?"
Lance remembered Elaine, standing in their building's laundry room in boy shorts and a tank top, tossing her favorite slacks into the dryer as she griped about art patrons who insisted on smoking cigars. "Yeah," Lance said, pushing the memory aside. "It works. So, anyway, is that why you were at work this morning? I got the impression you were the afternoon shift and I was on my own in the mornings."
Jodie grinned and took the sucker from her mouth. She examined it, then stuck it back in. "Yeah, I came in a little early today. Guilty. Maybe I just wanted to hang out with the hot new mechanic." She nudged Lance with her elbow. Her smile faded when she saw Lance's forced smile. "Oh. Um, I'm sorry. I'm out with Daphne, and with most people, so I tend to... I didn't want to make you uncomfortable..."
"I'm fine with it. Don't worry."
Jodie exhaled. "I'm glad. I mean, I like you and all, but if I had to start censoring myself, I'd just tell Daphne to fire you in the morning."
"No worries about that," Lance said. She glanced in the rear view and said, "I think you're going to have to start giving me directions soon. Unless this Castaneda's place is like Starbucks and there's one on every corner."
