Page 104 of High Density

Rachel bursts out laughing, and immediately returns, “You can wear whatever the hell you want, as long as you show up.”

That earns her a barely-there smile. “Fair enough.”

“Can we get off the damn porch already?” Pa grumbles.

With Rachel having passed Ma’s scrutiny, she’s waved inside and everyone else follows behind.

Janey and I are last, but she stops me in the entranceway, placing her hand on my chest and smiling up in my face.

“I love your family.”

Janey

“Who was that?”JD asks when I join him in the barn.

He’s already got Sterling saddled and is working on Red, who is still a little skittish, despite the work JD did with him the past two weekends.

I got waylaid by a phone call just as we were leaving the house so he went ahead.

“Special Agent Shane Wilcox.”

“Really? How is he doing?”

Wilcox is the agent who got shot by Mackey, two months ago.

“He’s doing well, he called to let us know an arrest warrant has been issued for Osborn Senior.”

As expected, the councilman ended up resigning from office last month, and since then, he and his wife disappeared off the radar.

“Apparently, the charges against him are for his involvement in his son’s murder spree. I think he said aiding and abetting, obstruction of justice, and accessory after the fact. According to Wilcox, David Osborn stands to face a long time behind bars.”

JD hands Sterling’s reins to me, and leads Red out of the barn. Sterling is a good girl, and stands perfectly still while I mount, but Red twists and turns, trying to make it difficult for JD to get in the saddle. He bucks half-heartedly when he feels the weight on his back, but JD controls him quite easily and motions for me to go ahead and take the lead.

We steer the horses on a trail that runs into the woods at the back of my property. We discovered it a few weeks ago when wetook Ginger—who is fully recovered and loves her exercise—for a long walk. We picked today to pack a lunch and go exploring.

“What about the drug smuggling? Is Kramer still working on that angle?” JD asks from behind me.

“Actually, it sounds like Wilcox has taken over the lead on both cases,” I share.

I was a little hurt to have to find that out from him, since Stephanie and I had been in touch over the past few months. When she’d come to town we’d try to meet up over coffee or a meal, and we shared quite a few phone calls. I would’ve thought she’d be the one to tell me something like that.

“He said Stephanie took a leave of absence.”

“Really? Seems odd to walk out on two big cases like that. And didn’t you talk to her just last week?” JD reminds me.

“Yeah, I know. Anyway, Shane didn’t know or didn’t want to tell me what was going on. I tried calling her after I hung up with him, got bumped straight to her voicemail, but apparently the inbox is full. I can’t even leave her a message.”

“Maybe she needed a break. Took a vacation,” JD suggests. “I’m sure she’ll be in touch.”

I suppose it’s possible, and I hope he’s right, she’ll get in touch at some point, but I shouldn’t let it spoil the ride. I’ve been looking forward to this all week.

It feels good, breathing in the fresh fall air. We’re far enough from the road, you can’t even hear traffic noise anymore, just the horses’ footfalls and the sounds of nature.

This is not something I would’ve ever done before meeting JD, taking time for recreational purposes. I’ve always been all work and no play. Not that it was a hardship at all, I love my job, but there’s something to say for taking an occasional day off and doing something for the sole purpose of nourishing your soul.

So I’m capitalizing on the fact Frankie helped me find Suzie Wong, a veterinary technician with a new baby. She wants towork part-time hours for a few years, which works out perfectly for me, since I don’t yet have the money for another full-time employee.

I take in my surroundings, occasionally turning my head to point something out to JD or shoot him a smile, as Sterling sets a steady pace up to where the trees grow a little more sparse.

---