Homecoming Day Read online

  “I know. I know I was stupid to get in the car with Courtney. I wasn’t drinking. You can ask that cop. They Breathalyzed me. No alcohol at all in my system. But I knew Courtney’d had a beer. I swear I didn’t know she was drunk, if I did, I wouldn’t have gotten into the car with her, but I’d’ve stopped her from driving, too. I could have taken her keys. I mean it, Ms. Watson. I never would have—”

  “It’s okay, JT. I believe you.”

  Her shoulders sagged, as if Laura’s belief had eased something in her.

  Laura studied the girl. JT was tiny. She didn’t look as if she could be in high school, not even a freshman. She was maybe five feet tall. She’d shaved her auburn hair almost as short as the lieutenant’s. She had a row of earring studs in each ear, one in the side of her nose, and a small hoop in her right eyebrow. And JT wore a lot of black. Today, she had on skintight black pants, a small T-shirt and black leather jacket.

  “My mom’s going to kill me,” she said miserably.

  “I’m sure she’s going to punish you, but I doubt death will be involved.”

  JT’s expression said she didn’t believe a word Laura was saying. But she didn’t say as much. Instead she asked, “So how are you feelin’? The kid’s comin’ soon, right?”

  “I’m feeling fine, and the baby’s fine, too. Thanks for asking.”

  “Did you get a room ready for it yet?”

  “I’m working on it.” The room was filled with boxes and bags. Laura had dutifully bought what the baby needed, but couldn’t find the enthusiasm to assemble furniture, sort clothes or even decorate. Every time she thought about starting, she’d think of Jay, and how they’d planned on doing it together and she simply couldn’t do it alone.

  “It will get done in time,” she said more for herself than to JT.

  “I was thinking…” JT stood and pulled a sheet of paper out of her back pocket. “I mean, you do art, and I’m sure you’ve got the kid’s room painted real cool, but if not, maybe you’d like something like this…” She shrugged, offered the paper to Laura, then turned away to stare at some indistinct point on the slate-gray wall.

  Laura studied the well-worn piece of notebook paper. It looked as if JT had carried it around in her back pocket for a long time. The girl had sketched in a beautiful mural. There was a castle and, judging by their crowns, a princess and prince riding on horseback in a field that surrounded it.

  “I figured if it was a girl, she should know right off that she can do anything a boy can do, and if it’s a boy, he should learn that girls are just as good. Might save you some headaches later.”

  Laura chuckled as she continued looking at the sketch. There was a dragon setting a table for tea, and a tree that appeared to be growing… “Bubbles?” she asked, pointing.

  JT nodded. “Yeah, anyone can paint an apple tree. But a bubble tree? Now that’s something. I have this idea of iridescent paint and… Well, if you’re interested.”

  “I’m more than interested, JT. I’m delighted. The baby would love it.”

  JT took the paper back, folded it along the creases and stuffed it in a pocket. “Well, maybe if I’m not grounded forever, I could do it for you as a baby gift.”

  “It would take a lot of time. And I know that you’re behind in a few classes.”

  “I—”

  Whatever JT was about to say was cut off by the woman who charged into the room. “JT, what the hell?”

  “Mom, I wasn’t drinking. You can ask him.” She pointed at the lieutenant who was standing behind JT’s mother in the doorway.

  “The test said she wasn’t, ma’am,” he confirmed. “But she was in the car with a friend who had been drinking and was driving.”

  “You really work at making my life miserable, don’t you? You’re like your father. Two of a kind. Maybe it’s his turn to take you.” The woman paused, then said, “Oh, wait, he doesn’t want you, either.”

  Laura was aghast that any mother would speak to her child like that. “Mrs. Thomas, I don’t think that kind of talk is beneficial. Maybe—”

  JT’s mom ignored Laura and spoke over her, addressing the officer. “Can I take her now?”

  The lieutenant nodded. “Yes, ma’am. You signed the papers, right?”

  “Yeah, I signed your papers. Come on.” JT’s mother grabbed her arm and pulled her from the room. Laura picked up her purse and followed them down the hallway, not sure what else to do.

  The lieutenant walked beside her, not saying anything.

  They got outside and Laura saw Mrs. Thomas and JT climbing into their car. It was obvious they were fighting. But when Mrs. Thomas reached over and smacked JT, Laura’s jaw dropped, as if she’d been the one who’d been slapped.

  The lieutenant brushed by Laura and charged across the small parking lot. He knocked purposefully on the driver’s side window. Laura couldn’t hear what was said, but he leaned in and spoke earnestly to the woman for a minute, then stepped back as she pulled out of the parking space and drove onto the street.

  A gust of cold wind blew by and he hurried toward the building.

  “You let her go.” Laura had wanted to chase after JT’s mom as well, but given her size, walking was enough of a trial.

  “There’s nothing more I could do. It was only a slap, I’d be hard-pressed to make an abuse charge stick. The woman was disciplining her daughter.” The lieutenant’s words sounded calm, but there was a hint of something in his tone—something that said he was as upset at that slap as she was.

  “I don’t believe in hitting kids. Ever,” he said. “But I don’t write the laws. I simply enforce them. But I did tell her that I’d be checking in with JT next week at school. And you’ll contact me if you see anything I can make stick.” He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a business card. “Call me. Anytime.”

  “Thank you, Lieutenant.”

  Laura clutched the card as she started across the parking lot to her own car.

  “Laura,” came a voice that wasn’t the lieutenant’s. She recognized it and knew that her luck had run out. Every fiber of her being wanted to keep walking, but she didn’t. She turned to face the man who reminded her of what Jay might have looked like if he’d lived to be his father’s age.

  “Sir.”

  Mr. Martin looked as if he’d aged a decade since Jay’s funeral. She’d made it clear that she didn’t want to see him or his wife, and they’d stayed away, though they called to ask about the baby’s progress. The conversations were stilted and uncomfortable at best. But now, here he was and she’d been right, seeing him hurt. “How are you?” he asked.

  “The baby’s fine,” she answered, knowing that was his real question. Chief Martin wanted to know about his grandchild, not his son’s almost-wife.

  “We’ve missed you.”

  Laura looked at her watch. “I’m sorry. I have to go.”

  Knowing she was a coward, but not caring, she hurried to her car as quickly as she could given her ponderous size. And she purposefully didn’t glance back at the man she’d once thought would be her father.

  Her hand rested on her stomach. This baby was all the family she’d have.

  And that was enough.

  SETH WATCHED THE TALL BLONDE waddle to her car.

  “Why was Laura here?” Chief Jameson Martin asked Seth.

  The deputy chief’s voice was choked with emotion, but Seth understood the unwritten code of manly conduct and ignored it. He simply answered his boss’s question. “One of her students, Chief. Ms. Watson came to wait with her until the girl’s mom picked her up.”

  “You gave her a card?”

  Martin didn’t miss a thing. “Yeah. She’s worried about the girl. So am I. The mom smacked the kid, but no reason to suspect anything more than a parent at her wit’s end. Still, I talked to the mom and I told Miss Watson to call me if she saw any evidence that there’s more than an isolated slap going on.” He paused and asked, “You know her?”

  “She was Jay’s fianc�
�e.”

  Shit.

  Seth knew Martin had lost his son last spring. He’d gone to Kloecker’s Funeral Home, like the rest of the department. They’d all filed through, offering condolences, shaking hands, even hugging Mrs. Martin.

  He remembered there was a fiancée, but he hadn’t known until now that she was pregnant. And from her reaction, things were not very amicable between her and the chief. Seth wasn’t sure what to say about it or what to do, so he stood and waited.

  Martin finally spoke, breaking the silence. “She doesn’t want anything to do with us. If we call, she’s polite enough, but she’s put a wall between us. It’s killing my wife. That baby is our last connection to our son, but more than that, my wife loves Laura.”

  Seth was pretty sure it was killing Martin, too, but he didn’t say it.

  “I’m sorry.” His mother once told him that there are some pains that are so great that those are the only words that can be offered. And yet, he wished he had something more to offer his chief. “Maybe she’ll come around.”

  “I’d like to think she will, but…” Martin’s voice cracked, and he was silent a moment. “You’ll tell me if you see her again? If there’s anything she needs, you’ll let me know? A lot of guys from Jay’s group have been taking care of some work around her house. Not that she asks. She keeps insisting she’s fine. But how can she be?”

  There were three patrol groups on the Erie Police Department. Martin’s son, Jay, was assigned to a different group than Seth’s. They’d known each other, but never worked together. Seth figured Jay’s group would consider Laura Watson one of their own, as they should. Even if she insisted she didn’t need their help, they’d help.

  “Sure,” he promised. “I’ve got to go into her school next week. Why don’t I make it a point to check in with her about her student?”

  “I’m not asking you to spy on her, or break any confidence,” Martin assured him hastily. “It’s that she’s our only link left with Jay. Her and the baby. But it’s more than that. We loved Laura as if she was our own. When we lost Jay, we lost her, too, and it hurt. We’d do anything for her, if she’d let us.”

  “Sure thing, Chief. I’ll keep an eye on her.”

  He turned and walked back into the office, his mind on Laura Watson.

  The very pregnant Laura Watson.

  And that thought made him remember Allie. Not that he ever forgot her. She was there with him, every day. At first, Allie had been there every minute, a constant pain that ached with every breath he took. Now, that pain wasn’t as fierce or frequent, but as it faded, he was left with this huge hole in his life. And he didn’t know how to fill it.

  He could really understand Laura Watson’s pain at losing her fiancé. Losing that one person you loved more than life itself—it was the kind of thing you never actually got over. You might learn to live, despite the loss. But you were never truthfully the same.

  He shut off such thoughts. He was at work and couldn’t afford the distraction. Later, tonight, he’d remember, and if he was lucky, he’d dream about Allie.

  That’s all he had left.

  CHAPTER TWO

  TUESDAY AFTERNOON, LAURA looked at the sullen girl wiping down the chalkboard. JT was not impressed that she was doing her detention with Laura instead of in the usual auditorium. While she was cooperating, she made her displeasure clear with every movement, every monosyllabic response.

  Gone was the girl who’d called on her for help.

  Laura ignored JT’s mood. “When you’re done with that, why don’t you sit down and start your homework?”

  “Yeah, whatever.”

  Laura had gone to the principal’s office first thing Monday morning. She’d told him about the police station and had asked if JT could do her latest round of punishment with her rather than in the auditorium with the rest of the students. Mike Asti had readily agreed. “It doesn’t seem like the normal route is working with JT. She’s a C to D student with little academic motivation. And she’s had daily detentions a lot this year. It’s definitely…not the most auspicious way to start a high school career. Maybe something a bit less traditional would help her,” he said. “And let’s face it, she’s only a freshman, and so far every one of her teachers has complained about her, but you. Maybe she needs someone on her side.”

  Laura watched as JT stomped across the room, slumped into one of the desks and picked up a book. Their second day of detention wasn’t going particularly well. Somehow, she intended to reach the girl.

  Laura was mulling over what she should do about or say to JT, when someone knocked on the door.

  JT jumped up as if she were going to see who it was.

  “I’ve got it,” Laura assured her. “You, homework.”

  JT slammed back into her seat with an audible thump.

  Laura opened the door and found Lieutenant Keller standing in the hallway. His dark blue uniform was very starched and perfectly pressed. She’d noticed his eyes at the police station the other night, and was drawn to them again this afternoon. But this time it wasn’t their golden-brown color that softened his whole look, it was his expression—a sort of look that said, you can trust me.

  She’d hazard a guess that small children gravitated to him. She could imagine them spilling their secrets and showing him their treasures, and he’d take it all in with a sincere interest.

  She realized she’d been silently studying him longer than was polite. “Lieutenant, what can I do for you?”

  “I’m looking for JT. I said I’d stop in and check on her.”

  Laura nodded her head toward the student who was hiding behind a book.

  Seth raised his eyebrows questioningly toward the girl. Laura realized he was asking if she minded if he talked to her. She smiled, silently giving him her permission.

  Seth entered the classroom and folded himself gingerly into the desk next to JT’s. “Hi, JT. I’m Lieutenant Keller from the other night.”

  “Yeah, I remember. Once a guy locks you up, he sort of becomes memorable. I went home and pulled out my very pink diary and wrote, Dear Diary, guess who I met tonight?”

  “You know, you can lie to other people, but you should never lie to yourself or your diary. What you should have written was, Dear Diary, This very nice, understanding and probably very intelligent cop put me in a waiting room after I made a boneheaded decision.”

  Laura thought she saw a ghost of a smile flit across JT’s face, but it was so fast she couldn’t be sure.

  The girl simply scowled at the police officer and shrugged. “Yeah, whatever.”

  Seth didn’t appear phased by her sullenness, but forged ahead. “I was worried about you and wanted to be sure everything’s okay at home.”

  “What you’re asking is if my mom beats me? I mean, you saw the slap in the car and you’re worried that I’m abused. But no, she doesn’t beat me or abuse me in any way. Ms. Watson asked, too. I’ll tell you what I told her, my mom’s not interested enough to beat me. She was annoyed that I’d ruined her date, that’s all.”

  “I’m sure—”

  JT cut him off. “So am I. I am utterly positive that my mother doesn’t beat me. I’m not abused. Ignored, maybe, but I don’t think that’s a crime. Listen, Officer, I’m fine. Mom slapped me ’cause she was pissed. She went back to her date and forgot all about it. She even forgot to ground me. So, don’t worry. You’ve done your duty.” She glanced at the clock. “And so have I. Detention’s over, so I’m gonna go. Okay, Ms. Watson?”

  Laura glanced at the clock and nodded. “Yes. I’ll see you here after school tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, whatever.” JT gathered up her books, stuffed them in her backpack and rushed out of the room.

  Laura waited for the door to slam before she apologized to the officer. “Sorry she was rude, Lieutenant—”

  He unfolded himself from the desk and corrected her. “Seth.”

  “Seth,” Laura agreed. “It was nice of you to check on her.”

&nb
sp; “Listen, I know it’s a bit early, but I want to grab something to eat before I head for the station. Want to get a slice of pizza at Porky’s and we can talk about JT?”

  Laura wasn’t sure she wanted to at all. As a matter of fact, she was pretty positive she didn’t. Porky’s was close to City Hall and frequented by the entire police department. She didn’t want to run into any of Jay’s friends, but she did want the lieu—Seth, she corrected herself. She felt something ease in her as she altered his name in her head. It was easier to think of him as Seth than as a lieutenant.

  And Porky’s or not, she did want his advice on JT.

  She missed having Jay to bounce things off of. Problems with students. The small triumphs. None of the other teachers had been overly interested in JT. Most had decided she was a problem student, and a few had totally written her off. Seth seemed genuinely concerned, so maybe he’d have an idea. “Sure. I’ll follow you there.”

  SETH WASN’T SURE WHAT possessed him to invite Laura to join him for dinner, but he was glad she’d accepted the offer. He was also glad to see her in an all-wheel drive vehicle, which he’d noted on their way to Eighth and Myrtle. It might be only early November, but that wasn’t too soon to think about winter. And the winters in Erie could be brutal. Some people in town drove cars that simply weren’t suited to the climate. But not only was the all-wheel drive suitable, the cherry-red color suited her somehow, too.

  He kept glancing in his rearview mirror. Stopped at a red light, he blatantly stared at her. It appeared that Laura was a singer, and whatever song was playing must be a favorite because she wasn’t merely singing, but doing a little head-bop, as well.

  He couldn’t help smiling as she parked behind him at a meter. He waited and walked across the street with her.

  “What are you grinning at?” she asked.

  “So, what song was playing?”

  “Huh?”

  “Something you like was on the radio as we drove here.”