Page 625 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

Sean’s eyes narrowed. “What?”

Buck leaned forward. “You’ve got a thang fer her. Ain’t no use denying it. I saw the look in your eyes when she got them flowers.”

Sean almost came off his seat. He slammed his hand on his desk. “Don’t you dare change the subject. A man was almost killed because you didn’t do your job!”

“And just when did you start caring about people dying?”

Buck leaned back in his seat and retrieved a cigarette from his shirt pocket. It was common knowledge that Sean didn’t allow smoking in his office. Buck took a long draw on his cigarette and then exhaled. “Did I ever tell you that my ol’ man used to raise hogs?” He didn’t wait for Sean to answer. “One time he brought home two of the prettiest little pigs I ever saw. My brother, Vernell, got attached to ’im. Even named ’im. Not me. I just called ’im by what they was gonna end upsausageandpork chops.” Buck laughed. “It like to of kilt Vernell when my ol’ man took his little pets to the slaughter house.”

Buck took another puff. “Miss Lassiteris a pretty little ol’ thang. That’s for sure.” He looked at Sean. “And you’re hanging onto her like a hair on a biscuit. But let’s face it. When the chips all come tumbling down—and I expect they will—in the end, she’s just a pork chop.”

The afternoon dragged by.Sydney tried to bury herself in paperwork. She was still smarting from the morning’s events. Part of the blame lay with her, she knew that. She should have never agreed to leave the escape door off her report. What was she thinking? And she should have followed up to make sure that Buck had kept his word. The truth of the matter was it had completely slipped her mind. If Crandall had died, it would have been on her head. She shuddered at the thought.

She looked at the roses. They were beautiful. She wouldn’t let Barb’s theatrics keep her from enjoying them. She rubbed her finger against one of the velvety petals. She inhaled deeply and let the sweet scent take over her senses. She frowned. Now she had to decide what to do about Kendall.

She turned her swiveled chair around and faced the window. She let herself get lost in the motion of the red birds fluttering in and out of the willow tree just outside her window. She watched a few more minutes before turning back to her desk.

“Time to face the music,” she said, using her dad’s words. She reached for her steel-toed boots that she kept stashed in the corner and then for her hard hat and clipboard. This time she was going to do an inspection on her own.

A cool breeze kissed her cheek after she finished her inspection, reminding her that fall was just around the corner. Fall was virtually nonexistent in Ft. Worth. She was looking forward to the changing leaves. She glanced up at the rolling mountain in the distance—Stella’s mountain. She felt a pang of guilt for not visiting her more often. She made a promise to visit her this week.

Her thoughts returned to the inspection. She’d found a few minor safety violations. But on the whole, the sawmill appeared to be in good order. She walked around the huge stacks of lumber and stopped in front of a pile of cedar. She loved the cedar most of all. She took a deep breath and absorbed the clean, fresh scent. It was the smell of Home Depot, magnified a hundred times. She ran her hand over the rough wood, feeling the grittiness under her smooth fingers.

Avery flashed in her mind, and she could see him propped against one of the stacks of lumber, smiling like a king overlooking his kingdom. How he’d loved this place. Without warning, hot tears welled and voices from the past rang in her mind.

“Come on, Cindy. We have to go,” Avery yelled. “Your mother will have dinner ready, and I told her we would only be gone an hour or so.”

“PleaseDad, five more minutes,” Cindy said for the umpteenth time and then dodged behind a stack of lumber.

“Sydney.”

The voice jolted her to the present. She turned and stood face to face with Sean.“What’re you doing here?”

“I saw your jeep parked up front and came looking for you.”

Sydney averted her face. Sean was the last person she wanted to see her in such an emotional state. He reached out and brushed a tear from her cheek. “Are you okay?”

His nearness was overpowering. Her heart beat bumped up a notch when she looked in his eyes. Was it genuine concern or pity she saw in them? “Yes, I’m fine.” She took a step back. “I was just doing a safety inspection.”

“Look, about this morning?—”

“You were right. I should’ve put the escape door in my report.”

“You should’ve never trusted Buck.”

She looked up at him. “You believed me?” It took a moment for the realization to sink in. “Why didn’t you take up for me? You knew Buck was lying, and you let me take the blame. Why?”

He leaned against the stack of lumber and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Regardless of what Buck did or didn’t do, you should’ve put the escape door in your report. End of story.”

“I know.”

“Look Syd, it’s just real important that you know who your friends are and who your enemies are.”

“Oh yeah, and which one are you?”

He looked intently at her.“If you don’t know the answer to that then I guess we’re both in trouble,” he said and walked away.

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