Page 28 of Seeking Justice

“Any idea who H.M. is?” Sam asked.

Wyatt shook his head. “I’m searching through her computer now.”

Sam stood. “Good job. Looks like we might have a few more leads to follow.”

“Finally, we are starting to get somewhere.” Jo sipped her coffee and looked at the empty desk. “Have you heard from Kevin? I hope Nettie and Rita aren’t giving him a hard time.”

CHAPTERNINETEEN

“Officer Kevin, look at this! That ornery chicken has devoured my prize-winning rose bush!” Rita demanded, her hands planted firmly on her hips.

Kevin looked down at the rose bush. It was too late in the season for blooming, but he could see quite a few peck holes at the base.

Nettie retorted with equal vigor, “And that goat of hers ate my new housecoat. It was drying on the line, and now it’s ruined!”

The two women, both widows well into their seventies, stood on the border of their adjoining properties, their arms crossed over their chests, their brows knitted in both annoyance and a faint plea for attention.

Kevin stood between them, the unlikely arbitrator. “Now, ladies,” he began, the corners of his mouth struggling against the urge to smile. “We can’t have this feud every other week.”

Rita’s sharp eyes softened a bit. “Well, I wouldn’t say a thing if her feathered beast didn’t terrorize my garden.”

“And I’d keep quiet if her goat didn’t have a taste for laundry!” Nettie shot back.

Kevin nodded, understanding the undercurrent of loneliness that often prompted their disputes. “Rita, I’m going to bring you a new rose bush this weekend. How does that sound?”

Nettie’s eyebrows rose. “Since when is gardening a service of the police department?”

Kevin straightened up, all business now. “It is now,” he said, and the simple statement seemed to settle the matter.

Rita beamed, the creases in her face deepening with genuine joy. “Well then, Officer Kevin, I’ll have to make you my famous fruitcake as a thank-you. Not that dried-up old thing Nettie makes.”

Nettie huffed, but the sparkle in her eye gave away her affection for her old friend. “My fruitcake isn’t dry. It’s traditional.”

They both looked to Kevin, expecting him to take sides, but he just shook his head, the image of peacekeeping authority. “Now, now, no need for any more of that. We’re all neighbors here.”

There was a beat of silence before Rita offered a truce. “I’ll trim back Bitsy’s roaming area. No more housecoat incidents, Nettie.”

“And I’ll… I’ll keep the chicken on my side,” Nettie conceded but only with a playful roll of her eyes.

Kevin tipped his hat. “Thank you, ladies. You both make White Rock the place I’m proud to serve.”

He climbed back into the cruiser, a feeling of accomplishment blooming in his chest. He’d done it! His first call since being out of the hospital, and it had gone as smooth as butter.

As he looked in the rearview mirror, Nettie and Rita were already chatting over the fence, their argument forgotten as quickly as it had ignited.

As calls went, this one was pretty run-of-the-mill. Maybe that was a good thing since he didn’t have his service gun back yet. But it was a big step forward. So far, he’d been relegated to office work and organizing things in the evidence room that they shared with other regional police departments. In fact, he was scheduled to work the evidence room that afternoon.

He chose the scenic route back to town, allowing the thread of roads less traveled to draw him away from the straight path home. The old diner appeared almost as an afterthought along the road that was once more highly traveled, a drab structure that stubbornly defied the passage of time.

Kevin had eaten in the diner a few times. The food wasn’t that great. He supposed it had once been better back when this was the main road and the diner got more traffic. Right now, only three cars were parked outside, and it looked fairly empty inside.

The woman sitting at the booth by the window caught his attention. There was something familiar about her. Wait… Wasn’t that Jo’s sister?

Kevin slowed the car. Bridget’s presence there was unmistakably out of place, her innocent air clashing with the seedy atmosphere of the diner.

The man she was with raised a red flag in Kevin’s seasoned mind. His demeanor, even viewed from a distance, screamed trouble. Was Bridget in some kind of trouble? She’d kept his secret about the filing cabinet, and he wanted to return the favor by helping her… if she needed it.

Kevin pulled into the parking lot. At the least, he could use a cup of coffee. If she was fine, he would leave reassured. If not, he’d be there to assist.

---