Chapter 16
Officer Rainey’s broad shoulders filled out his uniform as he smiled proudly and approached the hot chocolate stand.
After strapping his duty belt around his waist every morning, he always hoped his wallet would be the only item he would need to reach for.
Of course this personal item wasn’t part of the heavy belt but tucked just below in the pocket of the black pants he wore.
“Levi, Laney, what do we have here?” He parked his patrol car in the neighboring lot after cruising by and spotting the kids standing behind the table waving at him. Before he could get out though, their excited voices chimed through the radio on his shoulder.
“A hot chocolate stand,” Laney answered matter-of-factly.
“Well you know police officers have to stay hydrated too, so I will take a cup.”
“One cup of hot chocolate coming right up,” Levi announced.
“How much do I owe you?” Rainey asked while glancing at the wallet in his hand.
“We are taking donations,” Laney explained.
Since the debacle this morning, the kids changed their pitch and were pretty sure they raised more money this way.
Rainey dropped a wrinkled five-dollar bill into the jar, nearly filled to the brim. “It looks like you two have been busy today.”
“We have made six gallons of hot chocolate,” Levi shared, his face glowing like a lightbulb.
“Wow, that’s amazing. I’m so proud of you both.”
“When we saw you, we hoped you weren’t coming to shut us down,” Laney mentioned.
“What? Why on earth would I do that?”
“Earlier that Georgia lady said she would call the police if we didn’t shut down. Then Mr. Kevin and Mr. Sam showed up, and Mom and Georgia came outside, and they let us stay open for now,” Laney explained.
Rainey wondered how the adult version of the story might sound, but the perspective the kids offered made him empathetic toward their cause.
However, in his line of duty, he learned to control his emotions, especially before drawing conclusions.
On a side note he was also curious to know who Mr. Kevin was.
“Maybe I need to arrest Ms. Georgia,” Rainey declared in a teasing manner before taking a sip from the cup.
Laney and Levi chuckled erratically.
“Yeah do that,” Levi agreed.
The three of them chatted a bit longer while Rainey sipped on the beverage before deciding to step into the candy shop to collect the full scoop. “I am going to run in and talk to your mom and Mrs. Madelyn really quick,” he mentioned. “Sell some more hot chocolate while I’m inside.”
When Cavin’s driver dropped him off at the curb in front of the rental house, Cavin handed him cash, grabbed his bag, and then walked to the trunk to collect his new golf clubs.
All the while he heard what sounded like a loud vacuum but couldn’t quite figure out the origin of the noise although it sounded close.
Cavin tapped the trunk’s lid and then waved to the driver letting the man know he retrieved everything.
The guy drove off, and when Cavin rounded the rear of the sunken SUV on the driver’s side, the source of the noise became apparent.
Cavin immediately set everything in his hands down, and the man kneeling near the vehicle’s front tire looked up.
Upon recognizing the person’s face, Cavin drew the nine iron from his bag ready to defend himself.
“What are you doing here?” Cavin bellowed attempting to speak above the roar of the air compressor.
The man reached down, flipped a switch, and the tank shut off. “What are you doing here?” he reciprocated.
“I am staying here,” Cavin explained while nodding toward the house letting the golf club dangle next to his leg. “But you already knew that because you followed me and Georgia here last night and flattened my tires.”
Keaton shot him a perplexed look. “Yeah I flattened all your tires last night, woke up feeling guilty, and came back to put air in them for you,” he replied sarcastically, raising an eyebrow.
Although Cavin’s thoughts in the moment ran more on adrenaline than logic, he had to admit that the narrative did sound pretty weird.
However, what if that was simply the story this guy told because he got caught?
What if he came back to do further damage to the tires or maybe even something more extreme?
“How do I know you are not back to steal my tires?” Cavin quizzed.
Keaton glanced at the air compressor, the tires, and then Cavin. “In broad daylight?” he quizzed, raising the second eyebrow.
“It happens in Atlanta all the time,” Cavin pointed out.
Keaton chuckled. “We’re not in Atlanta, boss. This is Beaufort, North Carolina. You can’t get away with stuff like that here.”
As if on cue a patrol came cruising down the road, and Cavin waved his hand and golf club in the air to draw attention.
“Oh geez,” Keaton murmured. A moment later the blue lights flashed on and the vehicle pulled to their side of the road. “You see what I mean? I guess I should start running now.”
“Sounds like guilt speaking,” Cavin projected.
“Now I understand why my sister said you’re a troublemaker.”
“Excuse me?” Cavin interrupted just as the officer approached them from his vehicle.
“Everything okay here?” the policeman checked.
“This man is messing with my vehicle,” Cavin explained. “I am trying to get to the bottom of it and could use your help.”
“Rainey, this is all a simple misunderstanding,” Keaton declared. “We don’t need your help.”
“Yes, we do,” Cavin disagreed.
Keaton began unscrewing the hose’s nozzle from the nearly fully inflated tire’s valve stem.
“Keaton, take your hands off the man’s vehicle while we discuss this.”
“Rainey, my hands are not on the man’s vehicle; my hands are on my air compressor’s hose and nozzle. I’m taking it off so he can figure out this dilemma on his own.”
“Keaton, just stop what you are doing so I can better understand this situation.”
Keaton raised his hands in submission but shook his head.
“Sir, can you tell me your side of the story, starting at the beginning?” Rainey asked Cavin.
“Rainey,” Keaton butted in. “Since you made me take my hands off this here air compressor weapon, can you have him put down the golf club so that we all feel safe?” he teased sarcastically.
Rainey breathed out a heavy sigh. “Sir, please set down the iron while we all talk,” Rainey requested. “Like adults,” he added, glaring in Keaton’s direction.
Cavin set the club on the nearby grass and then with an outstretched hand slowly reached toward the officer. “My name is Cavin Dawson,” he announced.
“Oh brother,” Keaton mumbled.
“I am Officer Rainey,” he responded while shaking Cavin’s hand firmly.
“My name is Keaton,” Keaton called out waving his hand.
Both men looked at Keaton, and then he grinned.
Cavin told the story about Keaton harassing him and Georgia last night then shared the news about discovering the flat tires this morning. Lastly, he explained finding Keaton fooling with the tires when he returned from playing golf.
“Is all that true?” Rainey asked Keaton.
“I simply tried to warn this guy about Georgia last night because he looked like innocent prey. I didn’t harass them.”
“Were you drunk?” Rainey interrogated.
“I had some drinks, but so did they.”
“Keaton, how many drinks did you have?”
“I don’t remember. Maybe you should do a breathalyzer test now because I may be acting under the influence as a Good Samaritan pumping up four flat tires for this stranger.”
Rainey had to admit that a lot of things didn’t add up, and he ignored Keaton’s comment. “Did you flatten this man’s tires last night?”
“No,” Keaton answered.
“Did you set foot in this yard at any point last night?”
“Nope.”
“Can you confirm this man’s tires were flat last night or this morning?”
Keaton laughed. “Nice try, but I can’t. I wasn’t here.”
“So why are you here now?”
“Finally someone poses a sensible question,” Keaton acknowledged. “My sister called and asked if I would pump up this man’s tires as a favor to her.”
Officer Rainey and Cavin both immediately expressed confusion. Cavin, recalling Keaton's earlier comment about Keaton’s sister saying Cavin was trouble, wondered who his sister was while Rainey began connecting the dots.
Officer Rainey quickly determined that Cavin must be the Kevin the kids mentioned earlier although he never got a chance to hear Noel’s perspective on the hot chocolate stand dilemma.
She and Mrs. Madelyn were busy with customers when he entered the candy shop before departing to head in this direction.
“Do you know Keaton’s sister?” Officer Rainey checked.
“And do you know why she would ask her brother to inflate your tires other than for obvious reasons?” Rainey added as he studied the tires again.
“I’ve driven by here a couple of times today and couldn’t help but wonder who the owner of this vehicle ticked off. Honestly, I’ve been expecting a call.”
“Who is your sister?” Cavin asked Keaton.
Keaton laughed out loud. “Maybe we should play a guessing game to see how many women you have met in this town in your short time here,” he posed. “I am beginning to think you are not so innocent after all.”
“Keaton,” Rainey warned.
“What?” Keaton responded harshly. “This could be evidence. I am helping with your investigation; this information might lead you to the perpetrator who flattened all these tires.”
“Is Georgia your sister?” Cavin considered out loud. That would explain why she said this man wasn’t a threat last night.
Keaton laughed once more. “Nope, not a chance. Try again.”
“Who else have you met?” Rainey asked in order to humor Keaton’s curiosity.
“Really? This guy is messing with my tires, and I am the one being interrogated?” Cavin questioned.
“Seriously, dude, what is your hang-up on me having anything to do with your tires going flat? I was here to fix your problem, and now you are creating another one.”