Page 96 of Playing With Fire

A tremor ran through Jodi; alarm, joy, despair, yearning... She took a mouthful of lukewarm tea and nearly gagged.

“Can you forgive me?”

It was all too much. Jodi stood up, spilling cold tea on her pants. The reflection in the big window showed a tall wild-haired woman in baggy clothes with damp spots on her shoulders and a pale, blotchy face. Every man’s dreamboat she was not.

“I don’t know.”

His eyes widened. She corrected herself. “I mean...this is not really like you saying, sorry I messed up, Jodi. My bad. Like you forgot that I don’t like glace cherries in fruitcake.”

She tipped the tea dregs in the sink and began feverishly wiping down the already clean bench. Then she dabbed at the wet pink spot on her pants.

Full marks for the hostess with the mostest.

Ricky clambered to his feet. He watched in silence.

Jodi finally put down the cloth. She folded her arms, leaned back against the fridge, and looked straight at him.

“The thing is, Ricky, I’m not good with being treated like the proverbial mushroom. My mom dumped Jaylee and me with Gramps, but no one ever told us she and her new husband weren’t coming back. It was always ‘as soon as we get settled in a nice town with good schools’, ‘looking for the perfect house’. Never happened.”

She looked around at the small, elegant apartment. Her place.

“So I don’t know how I feel about your secret, I really don’t.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I do know that you are...important...to me. And I don’t know how I feel about that either.”

She knuckled her eyes, which were dry and scratchy, and tried for a smile.

Ricky stood for a second longer, his face unreadable. Then he stepped forward, cupped her face gently, and kissed her on the lips. He turned, gathered his keys, and left, closing the door behind him.

Jodi stood. She stared at the space where he had been, her fingers on the lips which still bore the imprint of his kiss. Her mind was churning, a kaleidoscope of images and emotions.

Lioba. Now there was an unusual name.

***

The next week unfolded at a speed which left all the players breathless.

Chief Leroy Browning let it be known that he had reconsidered his run at the mayoral role on account of his dedication to keeping the citizens of Temple Mountain safe. Spending more time with his family was also mentioned, with his daughter Bonnie taking stress leave from Temple Mountain Retirement Village.

“And not a word about the firebug.”

Dougie Moon glared at the new press release that had arrived in his email, fresh from media relations. His front-page story reporting the discovery of the missing boys and the dismissal of the firebug charges had been a fine piece of journalism.

Getting follow-up information had been virtually impossible, though Jodi knew that Dougie had done his darndest.

“It’s not good enough. The Brownings can’t simply close down the media because they don’t like it. Haven’t they heard of freedom of the press?”

Jodi shrugged. They had been through this. The newspaper’s management board had huddled together with their legal team and decided to hold their fire. No speculation. Just the facts, ma’am.

“Jodi? Are you listening to me?” demanded Dougie. There were red patches on his normally pale cheeks. “We’re talking First Amendment here!”

She raised her head from the email she was reading.

“Give me a sec.”

The faint pulse in her forehead picked up pace and she was suddenly lightheaded. Excitement warred with dread and won the day. She tapped out a brief reply and then a text, and turned to Dougie.

Focus, she told herself sternly. One bombshell at a time.

“Now I’m all ears.”

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