Chapter 8
8
W ith the emergency order in hand, Heath opened the door to Bob’s Auto Shop and let a young mother and her child outside before slipping into the showroom. A cartoon cutout announcing a giant sale stood beside a stack of tires. Popcorn popped in the corner of the empty waiting room and a television mounted on the wall played a local news station.
He bypassed everything and made a beeline for the front desk.
Bob, the owner and a staple of Water’s Edge, stood behind the register glancing through paperwork. What was left of his white hair hugged the side of his round head, leaving the top bald. Wrinkles and dirt marred his navy-blue work shirt, but the crisp white patch in the corner boasted his name.
The auto shop was the only one in town and had a good reputation. Bob was known to take chances on his employees, wanting to give them a helping hand when they were down on their luck. Heath had learned Bob gave Mitch a job the year before when he’d lost his teaching position and been arrested the first time, then must have given him back his job once he was released from jail.
As much as Heath admired Bob for his good heart, the older man was about to discover not all bad men could be redeemed.
“Afternoon, Bob,” he said. “How are things?”
Bob grumbled then tossed the paperwork on the counter. “Can’t complain too much, Deputy. What brings you by? Have an issue with your cruiser?”
“Nah, not this time. I’m here to speak to Mitch Parson. Is he available?” Just saying the other man’s name hiked up his blood pressure. He wished he could do more than deliver the order to stay away from Clara and the kids, but his hands were tied.
Besides, as an officer of the law, it was crucial he believed that justice would prevail—that allowing the system to work the way it was intended would protect those in need. Even if it wasn’t perfect and had failed Clara before, he had to keep fighting the only way he knew how.
Bob scratched his double chin. “Mitch, huh? Boy’s only been back to work a day. Already having problems?”
“We just need to have a conversation.” He tapped the envelope he’d come to deliver against the counter.
Bob clenched his jaw, but concern showed on the deep lines around his eyes. “He’s out back in the garage. You can speak to him in my office if you’d like.”
“This won’t take long. Thanks.”
Rounding the corner, he pushed through the glass door that connected the show room to the garage. The smell of oil and gasoline wrinkled his nose, and he ignored the curious glances from the two other employees currently working on an SUV. He wanted them to look, hell, even to hear this conversation.
Mitch hunched over a sink and scrubbed his hands. The water turned a murky brown as it disappeared down the drain.
“Mitch Parson?” Heath asked, stopping a few feet away.
Mitch swiveled. The expression on his face stayed pleasant, but something in his eyes told Heath how hard it was to keep his temper in check.
Go ahead and snap, big boy. Give me a chance to punch that look off your face and slap on a pair of handcuffs.
“You found me,” Mitch said.
“Didn’t take much. Lucky for me your probation officer has your employment and residence on file. You know, those pesky terms for your release. Makes it really easy for everyone in my department to keep an eye on you.”
Mitch tilted his head to the side. “Is that what you’re doing? Keeping an eye on me? I’m surprised not to find you with my wife again. She feed you the same bullshit she’s fed everyone else? Don’t fall for it. Besides, we both know she’s not done with me.”
“Your ex -wife is the reason I’m here.” He extended the envelope, holding it in the air between them until Mitch snatched it from his fingers. “And your kids. This is an emergency order from the judge. I’m sure you can read, but I’ll spell everything out for you so there are no misunderstandings. You are to stay one hundred yards away from Clara and your children. You are not to visit her place of work or her home. If you violate this order, you will go straight to jail to serve the remainder of your sentence. Do you understand?”
Cold fury vibrated from the muscles bulging in Mitch’s neck. He fisted the envelope in his meaty hand, crumbling the paper.
“You realize what’s in that order needs to be adhered to whether the paper is in one piece or not, right?”
Mitch tossed the envelope on the ground and stomped his boot over top. “I understand, all right. And hope she does, too. I’m sure she does, or she wouldn’t have run away last night.”
“And how would you know that?”
Lifting a shoulder, Mitch glanced over Heath’s head as if bored by the conversation. “Just a guess. I’ve known Clara a long time. I know how she operates. And you and I both know, she’ll come around eventually. She always does.”
Heath clenched his fists at his sides. He couldn’t let this guy get to him. Bait him into something he’d regret. “It’s going to be awfully hard to convince her when you can’t see or contact her.”
Mitch smirked. “Don’t you worry about that. My relationship with my wife isn’t any of your concern, Deputy.”
“Ex-wife,” Heath repeated. “And it’s very much my concern, as well as the concern of every other deputy in this county. We take protection orders very seriously. And I, for one, will be all too happy to throw your sorry ass back in a jail cell.”
“She’s really gotten to ya, hasn’t she?” Mitch laughed and shook his head. “She does have a way about her. Watch yourself, copper. You’d hate to put yourself in a bad situation.”
“Is that a threat, Mr. Parson?”
Mitch lifted his palms and widened his eyes in mock innocence. “Never. I was raised to respect the law and all who uphold it. Just a friendly warning is all. Now I need to get back to work. You have yourself a good rest of your day.”
Silent rage triggered his adrenaline, demanding he do something to quiet the smug piece of shit in front of him. But reacting to his taunting wouldn’t help anyone. Without another word, he stormed back into the storeroom, the sound of Mitch’s laugh trailing behind him.
“Everything all right?” Bob asked.
“You’re a good man, Bob. I respect the hell out of you and so does the rest of the town. Do me a favor and just keep an eye on that one.” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder toward where he’d left Mitch standing moments before. “I don’t like him. I don’t trust him. And the safety of a woman and two children are at stake. There’s only so much I can do to help.”
A weight seemed to press down on Bob’s shoulders and he frowned. “I hope you’re wrong. I believe in the justice system as much as you do, and I pray that boy came back into the world with his head on straight. But I understand what you’re saying. If I see or hear anything, you’ll be the first to know.”
“Thanks.” Heath slid a business card across the red counter. He walked into the fresh air not feeling any more confident Mitch would leave Clara alone than he did when he got there. But he’d done his job and acquired an ally. All that was left to do was wait.
* * *
Clara refused to sit around and wait to see how her life would turn out. If she wanted to make sure Mitch would never lay a hand on her again, she had to find a way to send him back to jail. Her gut told her whatever he’d hidden in Avery’s stuffed dog could contain that information.
Now she had to locate the computer he’d used and pray that same information was still on the hard drive.
Since Elsie had promised to keep an eye on the children-turned-pirates, she’d recruited Laura to come with her back to the house. Mitch might have gone through the home and taken the USB stick, but chances were low he realized she’d kept a few boxes of his things in the shed—the one trip she’d taken to his parents to deliver his belongs too emotionally taxing to do again.
Laura parked in the driveway and faced her. Her long blond locks were pulled into a low ponytail, showing off her high cheekbones and pouty lips. “You ready for this?”
Clara offered her friend a smile, appreciation for her concern warming her core. “Ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s get this over with.”
Hopping out of the little red sedan, she braced herself against the cool rush of air. She kept her gaze on the green blades of grass she crossed on her way to the back yard. She didn’t want to even see the house, to think about what she’d found earlier that day. Not like refusing to see the white siding and blue shutters would ever be enough to erase the stain of her memories. But if she could delude herself into refusing to acknowledge the evil energy that still lingered inside, she would as long as possible.
Laura stayed in step beside her, her arm linked through Clara’s in support. “I hate that Mitch is doing this to you. It’s not fair. The police should be able to do more.”
Clara snorted, understanding Laura was one of the few people who had actually lived the nightmare she found herself in. “I know getting a restraining order will just spur him on. The most I can hope is he’ll do something stupid. I’d gladly take a smack in the face if it meant putting him back in jail. I’m just afraid that this time he’d take it much further.”
“Don’t talk like that.” Laura pulled her even closer as they rounded the side of the house to the back yard. “I know you’re scared, and you have every right to be. But you have a village surrounding you and those kids.”
“Sometimes even that’s not enough. But maybe we can find something that will give us more ammunition against him.” Stopping in front of the shed, she swung open the door. The hinges creaked like the rusted tin man. Stacks of boxes took up the limited space inside. “I didn’t label any of the boxes. I was in too much of a hurry.”
“That’s all right,” Laura said, her voice way too cheery. “We have plenty of time to dig through all of this.”
“Here goes nothing,” Clara muttered, searching for even a bit of the ever-present positivity her best friend carried around in spades. “It’s been cold the last week. I hope that won’t damage the laptop.”
Laura grabbed two boxes and placed them on the ground. “It should be fine. The temperatures didn’t drop drastically until yesterday, and it’s not too bad in here right now. Heck, maybe you even packed the darn thing with a bunch of blankets. Wouldn’t that be lucky?”
Ripping open the tape from the top of the cardboard, Clara flipped open the lid and peered inside. “If I was really lucky this would be what we needed, and I wouldn’t be looking at Mitch’s boxers right now.”
“Gross.” Laura wrinkled her nose then kicked the box aside. “At least a quick look told you what you needed to know. I’m sure that will be the same with most of the boxes. How about I grab them and place them outside while you look through them? That might be the most effective way to do this.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
For the next ten minutes, the only sound that rang in Clara’s ears was the thick strands of tape tearing away from the cardboard. Residue clung to her chilled fingers, making them sticky. Each box brought on another onslaught of memories that assaulted her senses. The coat Mitch wore the night he came home drunk from the bar, the tie he used to tie her down and humiliate her, the glass mug he’d thrown at her head, barely missing her before chipping away the wall in the kitchen.
Each memory attacked her like a missile, sending her back to the moments she tried so hard to forget. Her chest tightened as though gripped in a vise and her breaths barely squeezed through her windpipe. A gentle hand on her shoulder lifted her gaze to Laura’s concerned blue eyes.
“You need a break?”
She shook her head. “I just want to get this over with.”
“Okay. There aren’t many more boxes left.” Laura set another one at her feet.
Sighing, Clara tore at the flaps, revealing an orange blanket with the University of Tennessee’s emblem on the top. She ran her finger over the soft material then stilled, flipping over the edge to reveal Mitch’s laptop. She couldn’t stop the burst of laughter at the discovery.
“What is it?” Laura asked, peering over her shoulder.
“The universe is a weird place. Here’s the computer, packed inside a blanket.”
Laura chuckled. “See. Things work out. Now let’s get these boxes inside and get out of here.”
Leaving the box with the computer for last, Clara helped Laura replace everything back in the shed. She plucked the laptop from the last box and held it to her chest while Laura placed it on the top of a stack and closed the door.
As they made their way to the car, hope swelled inside her. For the first time, she was taking action. She was following her instincts and hopefully once again the universe would step in and make things right. But deep down, she knew that even if nothing was on this stupid computer, she’d find a way to continue building a better life for her and her kids. Laura was right, she had a village that loved and supported her.
The rev of an engine down the street caught her attention. With the laptop in her arms, she turned to find the source of the noise. Mitch sat behind the steering wheel of his truck, his gaze fixed on her.
Fear fisted her heart and threatened to paralyze her. But she wouldn’t let it. Not anymore. She wasn’t sure exactly how far away he was, but she wouldn’t let him terrorize her.
“Take this,” she said, handing Laura the computer. With her hands free, she found her phone in her pocket and pulled up the camera. She marched into the middle of the street, pointed her phone in Mitch’s direction, and snapped his photo.
If he wanted to keep playing games, she’d no longer be another pawn for him to move around an invisible board he created. She’d make the next move, and this time, she’d do anything to take him down.