Page 53 of Love & Other Disasters

“Her novel.”

His eyebrow raised. “What kind of novel?”

“I don’t know. She showed up at my house tonight and said that she and Geoff broke up, and she wanted me to help get her stuff.”

“Geoff?” he prompted, picking up the laptop, examining it, and sitting it back on the roof of the patrol car.

“Her idiot ex-boyfriend lives in the farm back there.” She pointed at the trees.

“Get in, please,” he said, and Violet climbed onto the hard, black vinyl back seat. The inside of a police car looked like a cage on wheels. The air coming from the vent greeted her inside. Officer Lanky gave nothing away, his face blank. It was a practiced look, but she couldn’t believe he was a seasoned vet. He looked so young. The dude was attractive, even though the short hair made his ears stand out from his head. He stood in the open car door making notes on what she’d said.

“What’s your name, Ma’am?”

“I’m Violet Murphy, and the moron running away from your partner is my sister Jill.”

He laughed, jotting down the information in his little notebook. “You were at the farm?”

“Yes. I went with Jill so she could get the laptop.”

“Have you been there before today?”

“No.”

“Why is the car parked out here?”

“Because she said Geoff kicked her out after she broke up with him and refused to let her get it. She wanted to sneak in and retrieve it without running into him.”

“At midnight?” He looked up from his notebook.

She shrugged. “Something about a gathering, and they’d be in the forest.”

“Doing what?”

“I don’t know… something about thanking the earth. It’s been a horrifying night.”

He nodded, still writing. The radio clipped to his shirt sounded. The officer closed the car door, locking Violet inside, then stepped further away from the car and pressed the button, speaking into the radio.

In the overhead light of the patrol car, it became clear the spot on the left side of her vision was mud on the lens of her glasses. With nothing to wipe it off, she stared out the window. What was the black cargo van about? Should she tell the officer? They might need to check that out? It could be something worse than she and Jill wandering through the woods. Where was Jill?

The door opened and Officer Musclebound shoved Jill, handcuffed, into the back of the car. She had mud splattered all over her front, but her back was clean.

“What on god’s green earth has gotten into you?” Violet asked. “Why did you run from the police?”

“I thought I could get away.”

“And go where? The cops blocked your car.”

“Don’t patronize me,” Jill spit out the words.

“Look around you,” Violet yelled. “You’re the reason we’re in this mess.”

“Shut up,” Jill yelled, kicking Violet in the knee.

Violet yelped and caught Jill’s foot as she tried to kick a second time. “No,” Violet shouted and reached over, smacking Jill on top of the head like she was playing a game of whack a mole with her bare hand. She struck her sister with an open palm several times. Jill screamed and thrashed about, but in a confined space wearing handcuffs, she was at a disadvantage.

“Ladies,” a voice boomed. They both stopped and turned. Officer Lanky had opened his driver’s side door and leaned in. “You both calm down, or I’ll separate you.”

Violet didn’t care if he separated them, then she wouldn’t have to listen to Jill’s mouth and her useless explanations. She sank against the hard bench seat. The air conditioner had hardened the mud, but their fighting softened it. Mud splattered the back seat and plexiglass partition between the front and back. The officer was still staring at them, she nodded. “Sorry about your upholstery.”

“No worries. It’s not the worst thing that’s happened back there. All of that hoses right off.”

Violet and Jill stared at each other for a beat, understanding washed over them. Both women shrieked in horror. Officer Lanky smiled as if he’d accomplished his goal. He slid behind the wheel. The cop was taking them to jail. She leaned against the door as tears slid down her cheeks.

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