we’ll see about that, won’t we?”
“Thornhill Road, same place as last time. Meet me there.”
“It’ll have to be tomorrow, I’m afraid.”
Damn, she thought . By then Jack will probably be here. “All right. Ten tomorrow morning.”
“I look forward to it.”
Soon after she rang off Miles walked into the living room. “Everythin’ all right?” he asked as he watched her putting the cordless phone back in it’s cradle.
She nodded in the affirmative, rose from her chair, and left the room. She didn’t trust herself to speak.
* *
She arrived at the Thornhill Road location early to give herself time to slow her breathing, get her emotions under control. When she saw Croop’s vehicle in her rearview mirror she got out of the pickup and waited, leaning against the rear fender. She was trembling, a combination of anger and nervousness. She had no clear concept of what this meeting would involve. Another plea for sympathy and understanding was most likely to be unproductive, but what else was left to her?
Croop came to a stop behind the pickup and slowly emerged from his car. She was surprised to see he was in his Colville Police Department uniform, complete with .45 caliber Heckler & Koch on his hip. There was a hint of swagger as he approached her.
“Hello, baby,” he said.
“Don’t call me that,” Callie said. She wanted to sound in control but her demand came out more as a plea.
Croop smiled. “So … you wanted to meet.”
Callie willed herself to calm down. She had rehearsed what she wanted to say. “Look, John, I’m just looking to … I’m asking you to be a friend. I need you to stop calling me. There’s never going to be anything between us, you must know that. Can you please just accept it and move on?”
Croop shrugged. “Well, seeing as how you put it that way, why not?”
For a fraction of a second her hopes rose. Could it be that simple?
“On one condition,” Croop added.
She should have known nothing could be that easy. “Which is?” she asked, dreading his reply.
“One more tussle in the sheets.”
Callie shook her head in disgust. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“It’s up to you,” he responded. “One little toss and it’s the last you hear from me. Guaranteed.”
Callie had not the tiniest bit of confidence that Croop was sincere. It was very plain that she was going to have an ongoing problem with him. Something major had to happen to change that. But what?
Croop crossed his arms across his chest, confidently awaiting her response. “Okay, then,” he said when she didn’t answer. “Well, I’m sure Jack will be very interested to hear what you’ve been up to. When do you expect him exactly?”
His arrogant and self-assured attitude ignited something deep and primitive in Callie. A solution to her problem flittered through her brain. “Where?” she said.
Croop almost laughed at how easy it was to control her. “Fairmont’s good. Why mess with a good thing?”
She felt an almost irrepressible urge to puke. “Fine. I’ll follow you.”
“No, we’ll take my
“Thornhill Road, same place as last time. Meet me there.”
“It’ll have to be tomorrow, I’m afraid.”
Damn, she thought . By then Jack will probably be here. “All right. Ten tomorrow morning.”
“I look forward to it.”
Soon after she rang off Miles walked into the living room. “Everythin’ all right?” he asked as he watched her putting the cordless phone back in it’s cradle.
She nodded in the affirmative, rose from her chair, and left the room. She didn’t trust herself to speak.
* *
She arrived at the Thornhill Road location early to give herself time to slow her breathing, get her emotions under control. When she saw Croop’s vehicle in her rearview mirror she got out of the pickup and waited, leaning against the rear fender. She was trembling, a combination of anger and nervousness. She had no clear concept of what this meeting would involve. Another plea for sympathy and understanding was most likely to be unproductive, but what else was left to her?
Croop came to a stop behind the pickup and slowly emerged from his car. She was surprised to see he was in his Colville Police Department uniform, complete with .45 caliber Heckler & Koch on his hip. There was a hint of swagger as he approached her.
“Hello, baby,” he said.
“Don’t call me that,” Callie said. She wanted to sound in control but her demand came out more as a plea.
Croop smiled. “So … you wanted to meet.”
Callie willed herself to calm down. She had rehearsed what she wanted to say. “Look, John, I’m just looking to … I’m asking you to be a friend. I need you to stop calling me. There’s never going to be anything between us, you must know that. Can you please just accept it and move on?”
Croop shrugged. “Well, seeing as how you put it that way, why not?”
For a fraction of a second her hopes rose. Could it be that simple?
“On one condition,” Croop added.
She should have known nothing could be that easy. “Which is?” she asked, dreading his reply.
“One more tussle in the sheets.”
Callie shook her head in disgust. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“It’s up to you,” he responded. “One little toss and it’s the last you hear from me. Guaranteed.”
Callie had not the tiniest bit of confidence that Croop was sincere. It was very plain that she was going to have an ongoing problem with him. Something major had to happen to change that. But what?
Croop crossed his arms across his chest, confidently awaiting her response. “Okay, then,” he said when she didn’t answer. “Well, I’m sure Jack will be very interested to hear what you’ve been up to. When do you expect him exactly?”
His arrogant and self-assured attitude ignited something deep and primitive in Callie. A solution to her problem flittered through her brain. “Where?” she said.
Croop almost laughed at how easy it was to control her. “Fairmont’s good. Why mess with a good thing?”
She felt an almost irrepressible urge to puke. “Fine. I’ll follow you.”
“No, we’ll take my
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