It was Tuesday, and Matt was still shorthanded at the station. He looked at his watch, it was 3 p.m. He had relieved Dalton who was on traffic duty. Before he had left the station, Mindy stopped by with lunch. They had eaten together in his office. Matt adored her, but she wasn’t Jodi. He didn’t feel the same emotion with Mindy as he did with Jodi. Matt had to sort this out. He had to get to the bottom of what was going on with Jodi and either work it out with her or stick with Mindy. Mindy deserved a man who could devote himself to her and only her. Matt thought about his career. That was the main thing that was keeping him and Jodi apart, for the exception of the big secret she was hiding. It was obvious that Jackie and Billy were helping Jodi to hide it. He loved his job. Yeah, the hours could be long and some of the situations got nasty, but he loved it. Matt loved protecting and serving the community he grew up in. It was a part of who he was.
Matt had dragged Billy into the station and put him in lockup. It wasn’t a big deal no one else was down there. Matt had searched Billy’s car. He had found a tennis bracelet, a sapphire ring the size of a dime, a box of diamond earrings, a box of sapphire earrings, and a diamond necklace. There was a box full of long-stemmed red roses. Matt had also found dress boxes that had two skirts, two silk robes, nightgowns, and three tops. The clothes were Jodi’s style.What was the little shit trying to do? Get her to marry him? Matt had asked Billy why he had bought all those things for Jodi. Billy wouldn’t say. He had asked Billy to tell him what Jodi was hiding. Billy had kept his mouth shut. So, Matt had frisked him and slapped the cuffs on. He had told Billy that he was arresting him for reckless driving. Matt had Billy’s car towed to the station and he confiscated the items in the backseat.Matt didn’t make a report. He didn’t want this in the system. However, he did ask Dalton to discr
Jodi’s heart thudded as Billy escorted her down the hall at the station. Williamson, Lawrence, and Dalton stared at her. She felt like she was walking the last mile. She willed the office to be further away than what it was. Jodi didn’t know if she was ready for this, but she had no choice now.Between Matt showing up at Garvey’s on orgy night to arresting Billy for no good reason this afternoon; she had no choice but to tell Matt everything before he ruined his career and his future. It was almost eight o’clock in the evening. Billy had taken a shower and changed. He looked very dapper in his blue slacks and white silk dress shirt. Jodi had waited for Billy because she didn’t want to come to the station alone, even though Jacobs was going to meet her there. She was also trying to put this off until the last possible moment.Billy and Jodi had told Jackie they were going out for a ride. Jodi didn’t want her to worry. She would tell Jackie everything once this was over with.When Will
Matt felt cold and hot. Everything was blurry. He felt sorrow, sick, disgusted, angry, and shocked.He had listened to Jodi, the only woman he had ever loved, explain how she tricked and lied to him for months. Matt had listened to how she manipulated people to help her do it. She had confessed to gallivanting to Malibu to frolic in the sun with his son in her belly while Matt had died a little inside every day because she was gone. She had gotten lonely in Malibu, so she convinced Rita Jetsen to take her in. In Vegas, Jodi had patted her growing belly and ate junk food.His blood had run cold as he had listened to the horrifying details about how his son died. Her pain. Her depression. Her sadness. Her lose. It’s all about her. Love? That woman didn’t know what love was.He could hear Jacobs calling him from a distance. Matt’s vision came into focus. The three of them stared at him like he was the elephant in the room. This was his office. Matt glared at Jodi’s pouting lips and red e
Matt hadn’t been to the station in three days. He sat on his plaid living room couch staring at the television. His jean shirt was open, exposing his chest. The jeans he wore were faded. He had his bare feet propped on the coffee table.There was a knock at the door. Matt ignored it.They knocked again. The door creaked open. “Matthew?” Mindy called out softly.Matt turned his head to look at the door. “Mindy,” he said. He had meant to call her yesterday. He had been thinking about her - with her silky blonde hair and big blue eyes.She stepped into the house and closed the door. It was dark inside for the exception of the light that was trying to shine through the closed curtains. Mindy gently stepped over and around the beer cans, newspapers, and magazines that were all over the floor.“Have a seat. If you can find one,” Matt said and picked up a plate that had a half-eaten sandwich on it off the sofa. He put his feet down and put the plate on the table.Mindy was carrying her trust
A week and a half had gone by since he had found out about his son. Matt looked at his watch. Neil Walker, the mayor, would be arriving at any minute. Matt had asked Walker to meet him at his house. He had refused to go to the station. Matt still wore the shirt and faded jeans he had on when Mindy came over a week ago. He wasn’t going anywhere. What was the point in changing clothes? Carter brought him anything he needed. The only thing Matt wanted was alcohol and a sandwich now and again.He kept the shades drawn. He had thought about washing the dishes, the ones that weren’t broken, and picking up the beer cans before the mayor arrived, but Matt had decided the hell with it. Let Walker see him in his natural habitat.There was a knock on the door.“It’s open,” Matt said gruffly. He stretched his arms out on the back of the sofa. He held a beer can in his right hand. He propped his bare feet on the coffee table. “Goddamn,” Walker whispered as he entered the house. He closed the door
Matt’s head snapped around to his front door. Walker stepped out onto the porch.“Good afternoon, Mayor Walker.”Matt rolled his eyes and turned back around. It was Jackie. She had finally shown up to give him the tongue lashing he deserved.Took her long enough.“What are you doing here?” Walker asked.“I went to the sheriff’s office to request some extra patrols along the route to Garvey’s,” Jackie answered.“Oh, what’s been happening?” Walker asked with concern.“We just have loiterers. Nothing serious, but I don’t want it to become a habit. The deputies thought we should run this by Sheriff Kirby for the best plan of action,” Jackie answered.“There’s a lot of land out there. A lot to cover,” Williamson commented.“I’m sure he will be happy to help you,” Walker said sweetly.Jesus Walker, I know you’re grateful to her for bringing in tourists, but you don’t have to lick her feet.“Kirby, button your shirt and assist Ms. Garvey. Take that leave of absence right after,” Walker order
Matt couldn’t believe how his men rallied around him. As soon as Jackie had left his house, Dalton had started making coffee. Williamson had grabbed trash bags to put all the beer cans, liquor bottles, and various other garbage in. Matt had drunkenly gone upstairs to take a shower.The deputies had insisted on coming with Matt to Lynx Lake. Patty, the switchboard operator, did, too. The three college students from Phoenix who worked the late shift had been happy to cover for Patty while she was gone. They needed the money. Williamson had been able to get six cops from surrounding counties to watch the town while they were gone. Williamson had told Mayor Walker that they were taking Matt away for some R&R. Walker had been ecstatic and had no problem with all the guys leaving town at the same time. Walker believed it would do Matt a world of good.They pulled up to the cabin late Monday afternoon. Daniel’s car was at the other cabin when they arrived. Matt assumed Barb was with him. The
Matt knew Billy acted too familiar with her. Suspecting it and hearing about it from Billy’s mouth were two different things. The sight of Billy lying on the bed with his hands behind his head and his chest puffed out next to Jodi made Matt’s blood boil. He didn’t know whether to just kick his ass out right or throw him out by the scruff of his neck. Once Billy got over the initial shock of Matt coming out of the bathroom, he had the nerve to smirk at him. “There’s no way in hell that thing is real.” “Billy, this is not the time for your cute zingers,” Jodi said with her head down. Her fingers pressed against her forehead. “Yeah, Billy. Take her advice,” Matt sneered as he approached the foot of the bed. “You said you two were just friends in college,” he said to Jodi. She lifted her head to look at him. “We were friends.” “With benefits,” Billy added. He was still in that same ridiculous pose on the bed.
An hour later, they were in the shower. Matt tickled her as she tried to wash his hair. She giggled so loud that she was afraid that everyone upstairs heard her if they were awake. Matt rinsed the soap off of her.Jodi got out and grabbed a soft towel. She was drying herself. She turned around and stopped when she noticed Matt watching her. The water beat on his chest as his head leaned to the side – checking her out.“Stop it,” she said and swung the towel at him.He let out a playful chuckle.“Wash the rest of that soap off before you turn into a prune,” Jodi said as she held the towel against her.“I will if you promise to get back in bed and wait for me,” he said with a smirk.“I promise,” she said and wrapped the towel around her.He winked at her.Jodi giggled as she left the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Jodi hummed as she picked up their clothes. She folded Matt’s clothes on a chair across the room and placed his boots under the chair. Jodi hung Matt’s black Stetson o
Jodi woke up with Matt’s arms around her. She looked up at his sleeping face. He looked so peaceful. She glanced at the clock on the wall. It was 5:03 a.m. Jodi sighed with regret. She had to wake him. He had to get back to his cabin.“Matt, Matt. Wake up,” Jodi whispered and lightly patted his shoulder.“Mmm,” Matt groaned and kept his eyes closed.“Matt, come on. It’s 5 a.m.” Jodi said and kept patting his shoulder. “Matt, it’s 5 a.m.”He groaned and slowly opened his eyes. “So,” he said hoarsely and tightened his grip around her.“So? You should go before the sun comes up.”“Bunny, don’t you think we’re safe out here? Everyone in both houses knows about us for Pete’s sakes.” He seductively growled.She smiled. “True, but I don’t want to shock them to death. As far as everybody knows you went back to your cabin last night. People have a way of flooding my bedroom in the mornings - whether I’m here or at the hotel.”Matt groaned in protest.“People are going to start stirring in an h
Jesse gave Jodi a small jar of moonshine and an envelope with cash in it. She tried to refuse the money, but Jesse wasn’t having it. He told her to buy something nice for herself.When she got back in the cabin, Matt wasn’t in the kitchen. She wasn’t sure if he was still there or not. Jodi didn’t see him walk back to the cabin when she was outside, but it was dark. She looked around and she didn’t see his hat or jacket.She went downstairs to the office to check on Billy. He had on his gold wire-rimmed glasses. He was rubbing his head as he was pouring over information on his laptop. His next conference call was in thirty minutes. Jodi made Billy a fish sandwich and warmed some fried potatoes. They were leftovers from last night. She sat them down on the desk along with a can of soda. Billy looked up at her and mouthed the words thank you as a man was frantically talking on the speakerphone.“Going to bed?” Billy mouthed.She shook her head and leaned down to give him a kiss on the ch
Matt looked up at her. A tear came down her face. He lay down next to her and wiped it away with his finger. He propped his head up on his hand and looked down at her. “No, I’m sorry. I was an asshole two weeks ago. A monstrous asshole. I know you were taking care of yourself. I know you loved our son. I’m sorry for being stupid; for not seeing it before. You were sick before you had left town. Fainting in the diner, you were fatigued, how pale you were. In hindsight, it was obvious you were pregnant. I was too self-absorbed to see it.”“No. My god, you were working around the clock. You were dealing with all the awful things Marty, Paul, and Ghost were doing. There was no way you could have known.”“That’s another thing. You had to have been frightened during that time. You were sick and pregnant while bodies were piling up around you. Your sister was being threatened and your friends were being killed one by one. You didn’t tell me because I was stressed. You were trying to protect
Matt went outside. Billy stood next to Jodi on the deck. She held a small red cooler and the shawl Rita knitted her. A large wicker picnic basket was propped on a rocking chair.Jodi’s hair was tied in a ponytail with a sheer white scarf. It hung down her shoulder. She wore a yellow sundress that came above her knee. Her feet sported white flat sandals. Jodi smiled as Matt approached them. He smiled back.“There you are,” Billy said cheerfully. “The path is a few feet that way,” he said as he pointed to the far left. “You probably saw it when you pulled in on Monday.”“We did. You sure walking a quarter of a mile won’t be too much for you?” he asked Jodi.“No. I need the exercise,” Jodi said with a smile.“She’ll be fine, just don’t let her carry the basket. It’s heavy,” Billy said.“All right,” Matt said.“Have fun, Pussycat. I’ll see later,” Billy said and kissed her on the forehead.“Don’t work too hard,” Jodi said softly.Matt balled his fists in his pockets to keep from punching
Later that day, Jodi sat at the kitchen table with a wicker picnic basket and a small cooler in front of her. She was waiting for Billy to get off the phone so they could go on a picnic and watch the sunset.Jodi’s mind drifted to the service. She was glad she had invited Matt. It gave him peace. That’s what she wanted. Jodi was surprised Matt didn’t bring Mindy. At the town celebration, he had seemed completely taken with her. Jodi had figured he had confided in her. She had to admit that she was a little too gleeful when Mindy wasn’t at the cabin last night. Not that she had a chance with Matt anymore.Jodi let herself get caught up in the memory of how handsome Matt had looked this morning; the captain with his soldiers behind him in dark suits and ties. They all had looked good. Jodi put her finger to her mouth. Her mind drifted to last night. The sight of Matt – rugged and shirtless; his tan muscles proudly out for her to admire. Her lips parted, her tongue wetted the tip of her
Matt, Patty, and the deputies walked down to the lake shore. The deputies marched in formation behind Matt and Patty. They all wore dark clothing. Patty held a lantern and a white rose. Carter held a lantern as he walked in front of the deputies and behind Matt and Patty. Williamson held a lantern as he walked behind the rest of the deputies.Jackie had come over last night and gave them lanterns. She had given Patty a rose to drop in the water. And she had given Matt a bottle with a cork and a bag of blue sand. She had said it was for him to write a letter to his son. Matt was to put his letter in the bottle with the sand. When Matt was ready, he was supposed to drop it into the water. Once they got to the lake, Williamson stood next to Matt. The sheriff’s department stood perfectly still as they watched a row of lights come from the direction of the Garvey cabin. The clergy walked in front of them with a lantern.The two groups stood at the lake’s edge. The clergy stood in front of
Matt couldn’t believe how his men rallied around him. As soon as Jackie had left his house, Dalton had started making coffee. Williamson had grabbed trash bags to put all the beer cans, liquor bottles, and various other garbage in. Matt had drunkenly gone upstairs to take a shower.The deputies had insisted on coming with Matt to Lynx Lake. Patty, the switchboard operator, did, too. The three college students from Phoenix who worked the late shift had been happy to cover for Patty while she was gone. They needed the money. Williamson had been able to get six cops from surrounding counties to watch the town while they were gone. Williamson had told Mayor Walker that they were taking Matt away for some R&R. Walker had been ecstatic and had no problem with all the guys leaving town at the same time. Walker believed it would do Matt a world of good.They pulled up to the cabin late Monday afternoon. Daniel’s car was at the other cabin when they arrived. Matt assumed Barb was with him. The