Page 36 of Protecting Vidalia
Vidalia’s mouth was dry. “S-she recorded it? You’ve listened to the tape?” Oh god, this was where they started yelling at her. She cringed and shrank back. “T-then you know I failed her,” she stuttered. “I-I’m so sorry...” Her voice trailed off and she dropped her head unable to face the censure she knew must be coming.
Barbara lifted her chin and smiled. “I’d like to think Dani did this on purpose because she loved me and was scared she might not survive. I realize that’s probably just a foolish mother’s imagination, but either way, this tape has brought me such comfort; I’ve listened to it a thousand times. You were there for my little girl, every step of the way. She had someone to talk to and she wasn’t alone. You can’t know how much that means to me.”
Her voice broke as she tried to hold back a sob. “I’ve wanted to thank you for so long. It’s every mother’s nightmare to imagine her child alone and scared with no one to turn to, but you were there, Vidalia. You didn’t abandon her and you didn’t stop trying to help her. The police said she must have been climbing on the roots when they gave way because they found root pieces in one of her hands, and one stuck in her t-shirt material.”
“Oh my god,” Vidalia whispered brokenly, tears suddenly overflowing. “She really did try, didn’t she?”
Barbara nodded. “Yes, she did. And all because you were there and cared enough to do your job to the best of your ability. Thank God for dispatchers like you, Vidalia. Where would we all be without you?”
Vidalia would never forget the joy she felt in that moment as the burden of guilt lifted off her soul leaving her drained and spent. “You can’t know what this means to me either,” she whispered weakly.
Clay cleared his throat. “The parks department has finally approved our request to put a memorial bench near the top of Rangers Pass for our daughter. We plan on having a candle-light vigil there in memory of Dani. Would you like to come?”
Vidalia nodded, unable to speak. She reached out to Jake and he took her hand and held it in his warm grip. Suddenly an idea occurred to her and she found her voice, albeit croaking. “Do you mind if we borrow one of the closer shots of the bears? If the parks service can zoom in on the mother, they might be able to tell if it’s the same bear I saw. And if it is, that means Dani is the first person to submit a shot of the new baby.”
Barbara looked confused and Vidalia chuckled and sniffed. “They’ve awarded me the honor of naming the baby bear since mine is the first picture they’ve received. The mother’s name is Sushi, but if this is Sushi, then I think Dani should have the honor of naming the baby. Do you have any idea what name she might like?”
“Wait here,” Barbara said, her eyes lighting up with excitement. She left the room and returned holding a stuffed black bear. “We bought her this last year because she fell in love with it when we visited a gift shop in Montana. She named him Buttons because of his black eyes.” She smiled a sad little smile.
“Buttons, I love it,” Vidalia said, taking the bear in her arms and staring down at it. Then she smiled at Barbara. “It’s perfect. Sushi and Buttons.”
“May I?” Jake asked picking up one of the photographs. “We’ll let you know if this is Sushi, but even if it’s not, we’ll find out the name of this pair for you if it’s possible.”
“And I’m naming Sushi’s cub Buttons in honor of Dani anyway,” Vidalia added with a smile. She handed the stuffed bear back to Barbara and they spent the next hour visiting and looking at photographs.
By the time Jake pulled up to Vidalia’s cabin, she was yawning widely. They had stayed in town after visiting with the Owens’s and gone to lunch then went to a local mall. Vidalia knew Jake was keeping her busy to keep her mind off things and she appreciated it. He’d even taken her out for Mexican food before they headed back to the canyon.
They sat there in the dark for a few minutes, the headlights spotlighting the steps up to the deck, the truck idling. She was exhausted. Finally, it occurred to her that he might be waiting for her to get out so he could leave. She frowned, not sure how she felt about that. Yeah, she’d been giving him flack for inviting himself over every night of her stay so far, but she’d gotten used to it, and now tonight he didn’t seem inclined to stay.
“Thanks for today, Jake,” she finally offered in the suddenly awkward silence. Come to think of it, he’d been strangely quiet after they’d left the Owen’s home. She’d been so engrossed in her own emotions she’d barely noticed, but now she was remembering. Guilt swept over her.
“You’re welcome,” he replied quietly.
“Are you coming in?” she asked timidly, wondering if she’d gone so far as to actually offend him. Jake was hard to offend in her book, but he wasn’t being his usual arrogant, take-charge self either. Or could it be that now he figured he’d solved all her problems he was ready to move on? Her heart clenched at that thought.
He turned to face her, His expression was guarded, his eyes dark in the moonlight. “Are you asking me in?”
She snorted then. “Since when do you need an invitation?”
He sighed and turned off the engine. “Come on, you’re so tired your eye bags have bags. You need to rest.”
“Well, that’s flattering,” she retorted, but she had a sneaking suspicion he was right. She opened the door and was sliding out of the truck when he came around to help her. When her toe caught on the edge of the step she tripped into his arms.
“How many times have I told you to let me help you?” He scolded. “That one step down is a long stretch for short legs.”
“My legs aren’t short,” she sassed back. “I’m five foot five inches.”
He grunted and took her hand to help her across the uneven ground in the dark and up the steps. Not even a friendly swat for her sass. Her heart sank further. Never in a million years would she have thought she’d miss it.
She hadn’t left the porch light on because she hadn’t thought they would be gone the entire day. They fit well together, his long arm around her waist and gripping her side in case she stumbled. She felt safe and protected. “Uh, thanks,” she said breathlessly as they stopped in front of the door while she fished for the key in her pack.
Once she finally got the door open, she reached in to flip on the lights. “I’m going to shower and change my clothes,” she muttered heading for the bathroom where she’d left her yoga pants and t-shirt this morning.
He grunted something non-committal and headed towards the kitchen. Probably to get a beer, she decided. Staring in the bathroom mirror she realized he was right. Her eye bags had bags. She looked like a real hag with red-rimmed eyes. “No wonder he didn’t want to stay,” she muttered. “I wouldn’t want to stay with me either. I look like death warmed over.”
As she stepped into the shower, her mind drifted over the day. Was there something else bothering Jake? Hamal perhaps? She’d been pretty self-absorbed today, maybe she needed to rethink it.
