CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Ace
“Requesting back up at the bottoms, down by the boat ramp.”
I can hear Tank’s voice on the radio. It seems amused, tired, and inquisitive as he requests another patrol car to come help him. I’m in the area, so I pick up the radio and call in my position. Flipping on my lights, I accelerate so that the police package in my cruiser responds. Carefully, I make my way through the bottoms, and in minutes I’m pulling in behind his car, turning off my siren.
Getting out, I take in what I see in front of me. Tank’s got what appears to be a teenage guy and a teenage girl leaning against the back of his patrol car. He doesn’t have them cuffed, so I’m assuming it’s not that big of a deal, whatever went down, so now I’m wondering why he called for backup.
“What’s going on?”
He turns to me so that we face each other, but neither of our backs are to the kids. “I was doing a round down here, making sure nobody was loitering or doing anything they weren’t supposed to be doing, when I saw this car.” He grins, chuckling. “The damn thing was rockin’, I’m not kidding you. So I roll up and get an eye-full of this dude’s ass while they’re goin’ at it.” He turns his head, laughing.
“Aww damn, why didn’t you just leave ’em alone and let them finish? If they were out here, you know they’re trying to get away from parents. You cock-blocker. Are they both eighteen?” I look over at them again, holding the smile back from my face.
“No, they’re sixteen, so there’s no issue with consent or anything like that. But when I looked in the front seat of the car, I found that.” He points to a clear glass container of moonshine sitting on the ground next to the car. “For that, I had to interrupt.”
“What are you going to do?” I hook my thumb in my gear belt as I glance over at the two kids, who are doing their best to not touch one another.
“Separate them. I’m almost positive she’s drunk. I could smell it, and it was under her seat. Wouldn’t surprise me if he brought it for her, but I’m wondering where the hell he got it from.”
“You take him? I’ll take her?”
Tank nods. “You’ve got those movie-star good looks, abs of steel,” he jokes.
“How the fuck did you know about the nickname?”
“Ole Tank knows everything.” He winks and flicks the cotton of his shirt in a swagger-filled move that could only be his.
I fuckin’ hate that guy. Sighing I walk over to the girl. “You got your ID on you?”
She nods, silently handing me her license. Jackie Sampson. “So Jackie, what were you doing down here today with him?”
Tears are slightly streaming down her face and her voice is squeaky as she speaks to me. “Winston is my boyfriend and my daddy said I couldn’t see him.” She rubs a hand over her nose. “But I told my parents I was spending the night with a friend. He picked me up this afternoon about two miles from my house and we went riding around.”
“Who had the moonshine? You or him?” I relax my stance, giving her non-verbal cues so that she knows I’m listening and not a threat.
“He did. The first couple of times we’ve had sex” – her cheeks burn a bright red – “it’s hurt a lot.” She puts her hand up to her lips. “Because he said I wasn’t relaxed enough. He wanted me to be relaxed enough this time.”
“How much did you drink?” I eye the bottle sitting at our feet next to the car.
“It was full when he gave it to me.”
There’s about a fourth of it gone, and not knowing how strong the liquor is inside has me worried. Especially after what happened at the barn party last year. “You feeling sick?”
“A little, but mostly embarrassed and scared you’re gonna call my parents.”
“Well honey, that’s definitely gonna happen. Do you know where he got the moonshine from?”
She shakes her head, looking miserable. “No, but it’s all over school. You mention you need some and it just appears the next day in your locker.”
That’s news to me, and I’m sure it’ll be news to the rest of my colleagues. I make a note in my phone. “Okay, wait here. I’m gonna have someone come check you out. A kid died from drinking bad moonshine last year, I’m sure you heard about it.”
Her face looks stricken. “You think I could die?”
“I think you don’t know what the hell you just put in your body, and we don’t know who had that before your boyfriend over there, so I think we should be on the safe side. Don’t you?”
She nods as I key the radio on my shoulder and request EMS assistance. “I’m going to give your parents a call, anything else you wanna tell me before I do?”
“No.” She folds her arms over her stomach. “Just that the sex so wasn’t worth this.”
Chuckling, I look over at the boy. Poor guy, he’s got a lot to learn. “In a few years, when you meet a guy who’s willing to make it not hurt for you, you’ll see what all the fuss is about. My advice to you right now? Drop this dude like a bad habit. If it’s still hurting after a few times, he don’t know what he’s doing, and dear Lord, please tell me you were safe while you were doing it.”
“I’m a cheerleader who has a shot at a scholarship to the University of Alabama next year. I’m on birth control because I don’t want to mess it up, and I always made him use a condom.”
“You’ve got a good head on your shoulders, Jackie. You’ll get a citation for being drunk in public, but as soon as EMS checks you out, you can be on your way.”
Looking over, I see that Tank is done interviewing the boy.
“She said it was his,” I tell him as we meet in the middle.
“He confirmed. Said he got it at school.”
“That’s what she said too. You say you want some and it just appears in your locker. I bet they gotta leave money though.” My brain is working overtime. Somebody has to be deeply connected with the school in order to have free rein of the hallways when kids aren’t in class. “By the way, I sent for EMS; she drank a lot and I wanna make sure she’s okay after what happened last year.”
“Good call, I’m going to report in to Havoc.”
Adrenaline courses through my body, because after almost a year of nothing, it appears that another supplier has moved in. And he’s targeting our most vulnerable, which will never happen on my watch.
Violet
My classmates have already turned in the test we’re taking today, but I want to check one last time, make sure my answers are right. I’ve done well in this class, and I’d like to pull an A.
Glancing at the clock on the wall, I sigh, unsure of one of the answers.
“Take as long as you need, Violet. Just because everyone else rushed through it doesn’t mean you have to. Be happy with the answers you’ve given, and turn it in when you’re ready.”
I nod, going back to the question that’s got me stumped. I’ve gone back to it three times, and in the end, I decide to go with my gut. Since I trusted my gut to stay in Laurel Springs, things have gone well for me, even if Brent did get put in jail and I had a hospital stay. I’m coming to learn that those were bumps in the road to the happiness I have now.
“Here ya go, Karina.” I fumble with my purse as I hand in the test. “Sorry it took me so long.”
“No problem.” She gives me a smile. “I wish everyone took this as seriously as you do. It’s not too late. Do you want to go have a drink at the coffee shop? I have an empty house to go home to, and I just don’t want to do it tonight.”
I’m kind of thrown off by the invitation, and I wonder for a second if she’s hitting on me, but I don’t have many friends in town that aren’t connected to Leighton or Anthony, so I quickly accept. “Sure, they have a raspberry tea refresher I love.”
* * *
“I know I probably freaked you out asking you to come for a drink with me, but the truth is, I don’t know many people in town,” Karina explains as we have a seat in the back of the shop.
I take a drink and make a noise of relation. “I’ve only been in town a short time myself, but I was lucky to be integrated into the Moonshine Task Force group of friends. They kinda take over your life and then you wonder how in the world you lived without them. So what brought you here?” I ask, I’ve never heard her story and everyone knows mine, so I’d like to hear hers.
“Oh man.” She situates herself in the seat, crossing her legs. “You know those stories where women don’t know they’ve been cheated on until three days before their wedding?”
“I’ve seen enough Hallmark and Lifetime movies to know what you’re talking about.”
She raises her hand. “That’s me. I came home from the salon, after getting everything waxed and plucked, was packing the small bag I had for my honeymoon,” she emphasizes small, “when I heard a noise in the spare bedroom of my house. I honestly didn’t think about it, but we had a dog so I went to check it out. Imagine my surprise when my best friend and my soon-to-be-husband were fucking without a care in the world. I stood there for a good minute, trying to figure out if what I was seeing was the truth or if I had conjured up some horrible dream. But they didn’t even notice me. It wasn’t until he came and laid down on his back that he saw me. I don’t know why I stood there, but I couldn’t move. It was like I was stuck in this trance, and I couldn’t knock myself out of it…” she trails off.
“I’m sure it was a shock.”
“More than a shock, I felt like my entire world had ended. Every plan I had was altered, every dream I had was gone.”
“I’m sure you’ve heard my story.” I take a drink of my tea. “I can relate.”
She gives me a small smile.
“How did you end up here?”
“Answered an ad for a high-school teacher, and haven’t looked back. When I got here, I started teaching these classes too. I’m originally from Pennsylvania so I don’t know how I’m going to handle not having snow for Christmas. It was cool last year, but I have a feeling this year I’m going to miss it.”
“But we have biscuits and gravy here.” I wink. “And the Moonshine Task Force.”
“You do have a point, but I’m lonely,” she admits. “I think I’m ready to start dating again, I just don’t know how.”
“I’m of no help to you; I’m still married and trying desperately not to break my own rule by sleeping with the man who seriously makes my heart skip a beat. I’m a horribly bad influence.”
She laughs. “Oh Violet, I signed up for a dating app, I just can’t seem to make my profile public.”
“Do it!” My smile is bright. “Look, I know this sounds weird, but I’m here to tell you that since I came to town, I’ve watched three couples come together and I’m waiting on my own chance. Laurel Springs has something magical about it, Karina.”
“What if there’s no one worth meeting on here?” She holds up her phone.
“Then just keep swiping left until you see your happily ever after. In some way or another it’s worked for the rest of us. Why mess with a proven track record?”
Seems as if her decision is made when she looks down, tapping on her phone. After what she’s been through, I send up a small prayer that she can find someone who can make her as happy as Anthony makes me.