Page 118 of Jagger

While I’d face condemnation the moment I walked in that door, I was prepared for it. I wasn’t to blame for the video even though I’d agreed to be a part of it. For two pairs of eyes only.

Another deep breath, a shift of my hands down my jeans, and I opened the door.

As expected, every single person in the place took a beat, including Poppy. But soon afterward she smiled, pointing to a booth at the end of the row. Maybe Denise was the one who’d been more embarrassed since she was sitting as far away from people as possible.

I felt as if I was walking down a row of shame since I felt the heat of everyone’s stare. But I did it and was proud of myself. As soon as I slunk into the booth, Denise lifted her eyebrows, giving me a nod of approval.

“Well done, girl. You’re stronger than I am,” she told me.

“I highly doubt that. But it’s time to live again.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that.” She was keeping her hand on top of a manila file. No good things came in manila files. I knew that to be true.

How many cases had I worked on where I’d used my paper file when talking to a family about a complicated surgery? More than using my iPad. Paper was comforting to those who had no idea what was going on.

But to me, I was terrified at what was lurking underneath the thin cover.

“How’s Jagger holding up?” she asked.

“Jagger is a tough man, but he’s suffering.”

“Hopefully, he can start to live again.”

I nodded. “I think he’s more worried about me.”

“Because he loves you.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“All you need to do is to look in his eyes to know what he’s thinking. It’s obvious the way he feels. Do you share that same feeling about him?”

I could tell she was fishing. Poppy brought coffee before I could answer.

“Don’t be a stranger, honey,” Poppy said. “You’re too good for this town.”

“No, the town is too good for me maybe.”

Poppy sighed. “I gave that fucking asshole a piece of my mind. Thank God he’s being shipped out of here. We don’t want his kind here. Any cherry pie this afternoon?”

“Not today, Poppy. But thank you. Jagger didn’t even get a piece the last time.”

She winked. “We’ll need to take care of that. You okay, Denise?”

“Just fine, Poppy.” Only Denise’s voice suddenly held a tenseness that hadn’t been there before.

As soon as Poppy left, I leaned forward. “Sheriff Young is leaving his position?”

“Yes, and internal affairs out of Roanoke is looking into his behavior as well.”

“How did that happen so fast?”

She shrugged and I wagged my finger at her.

“You did something. Didn’t you?”

Denise winked. “I just told the chief of police in Roanoke what was going on. They run the show down here. I ensured they knew I was a former detective with the Charlotte Police Department since I registered a formal complaint.”

“You are so bad.”

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