Chapter Seventeen
Vinnie sat in the living room nibbling on an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie from the box Noah had set out on the table. He’d vanished long enough to come back with coffee and snacks for all of them from the local diner.
The arrival of the Sin brothers had precipitated a sudden interest from the sheriff’s department, who were now here collecting evidence.
So they could destroy it. She’d never once questioned the integrity of the department before, but there were some who’d do anything to protect one of their own.
Surprisingly, or maybe not, Wilkes was nowhere to be found, but Sheriff Kingman was on scene.
She and Cyrus had been questioned separately.
She’d put her foot down when they wanted to question Adam by himself.
He was underage, and she didn’t trust them not to try to pin this on him.
A couple of weeks ago, that would have been unthinkable.
Now the only people she trusted besides herself and her son were Cyrus and his brothers.
“How are you holding up?” she asked Adam. He was sprawled on the sofa with his eyes closed, but he wasn’t asleep.
“Someone shot out the window, Mom.”
“I know.”
He turned his head toward her and opened his eyes. “I don’t understand what makes someone do something like this. You’ve always gone out of your way to help people.”
She leaned forward, resting her forearms on her legs.
“Sometimes mean doesn’t need a reason. Some people are angry, feel entitled to do whatever they want.
They believe themselves to be above the law, above consequences.
” She knew the sheriff was standing a few feet away listening to every word.
Good, she hoped this conversation was making him damn uncomfortable.
Kingman cleared his throat. “We’re done here, Vinnie. I can contact Marcus at the hardware store about getting the window fixed, if you’d like.”
“Don’t bother. I’ll take care of it.” It was too little, too late. He’d basically forced her to resign from a job she’d done with integrity from the moment she’d put on the uniform. He didn’t get to soothe his conscience that easily.
“I guess I’ll be going then.” He hesitated, but when she offered nothing else, he gave her a nod and hightailed it out the front door.
The sudden silence after a few hours of nonstop activity was a welcome respite, but there was glass all over her kitchen. “Guess I better get to work.”
“We’ve got this.” Armed with a broom and dustpan, Cyrus began to sweep the dining area.
Noah was busy plugging in the vacuum. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
The big bad wolf was sweeping. He caught her staring, straightened, and leaned on the broom.
“Who do you think cleans our place? When Mama was alive, she let us all know in no uncertain terms that she wasn’t a maid.
We all had chores. Knowing how to take care of yourself isn’t a male/female thing.
It’s a survival skill. Same as cooking.”
“You can cook?” The shocks kept coming.
“I can manage well enough to keep myself fed.”
“What he means is he can cook a steak, bake a potato, and make breakfast food.” Noah pointed at himself. “He lacks my skill, but he does okay.”
“Grandma tried to teach me, but I’m not much good at it,” Adam admitted. It came out sounding like a confession, making Vinnie frown.
“Lots of time to learn.” Cyrus began to sweep, gathering shards of glass.
“I’ll teach him,” Noah interjected. “It’s best to learn from someone who knows their way around a kitchen.”
“Where’s Zach?” She suddenly realized he was missing.
“Hardware store.” Cyrus loaded up the dustpan before dumping it in the garbage. “We’ll have the window replaced in no time.”
“You can do that?” She’d expected to have to hire someone to do the work.
“Daddy and Mama built the lower level of the cabin, but Josiah and I were old enough to help with the upstairs when we needed to expand. All of us do maintenance. Not the first time we’ve replaced a window.
” Shrugging like it was no big deal, Cyrus deposited another load of glass.
Through the entire conversation he hadn’t stopped working.
“I’m up.” Noah turned on the vacuum, discouraging further conversation.
The next few hours went by in a flurry. The storage pod arrived while the brothers were replacing the window. She and Adam got busy sorting and packing the boxes the company had brought with them. Noah left long enough to grab a very late lunch for all of them from the local takeout.
Seated around the coffee table—none of them were keen to sit by the newly replaced kitchen window—they feasted on fried chicken and sides.
“We’ll help with the packing as soon as we’re done eating.” Cyrus loaded up his plate for a second helping of everything. “Won’t be long before we can start loading the storage pod.”
Everything was moving at lightning speed. Vinnie shifted mental gears. “I need to get to the bank before closing.”
“That can all be handled online, if you prefer.” Zach waggled his fingers at her. “I can also cancel your utilities, if you’d like. All I need is a bill with your provider’s name and an account number.”
It was almost automatic to decline. She’d fiercely guarded her independence, always feeling she had to prove herself to the world.
There’d been too many people watching, waiting for her to fail.
Not everyone, but enough that it had made her wary of accepting help.
She was the one who helped people, while handling the difficult situations on her own.
“I didn’t mean to overstep.” Zach frowned, his eyes filled with concern.
“You didn’t. I was just thinking.” Cyrus was seated directly across from her and caught her gaze.
You’re not alone. Not anymore.
His words echoed in her mind. No one was keeping score or measuring her strength.
They genuinely wanted to help. “Zach, I’d appreciate you taking care of that for me.
I need to go to the bank personally to empty out the safety deposit box.
My grandma’s jewelry, important papers, and other things are in there.
I also need to drop by the sheriff’s office and pick up the final report on Adam’s case. Assuming it’s ready.”
Biscuit jammed in his mouth, Zach opened his computer and began to type. She cleared her throat. “We’ll talk more after lunch.” She didn’t want Adam thinking it was okay to hack into a restricted and heavily protected database.
Cyrus wiped his mouth with a napkin to hide his smile. “I’ll go with you. That’s nonnegotiable. Someone shot at the house this morning.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I wasn’t going to object. I was going to tell you to finish eating. The afternoon’s wasting. We’ve got less than two hours until the bank closes for the day.”
He tossed down his napkin and stood. “What are we waiting for? I’m done.” He held out his hand. “Come on, woman, daylight’s wasting.”
Adam laughed outright, while his brothers tried, but failed, to hide their amusement.
The teasing glint in Cyrus’s eyes invited her to play.
It also did the impossible. It made her smile.
Considering the day she’d had, it was a miracle.
“I’ll get my purse and the key to the deposit box.
You’re in charge of packing while I’m gone,” she told Adam.
“We’ll keep an eye on things,” Zach told her. Noah began to clean up the remains of the meal. When the Sin brothers decided to move, they didn’t waste time.
She barely had a chance to grab what she needed before she was being escorted to Cyrus’s SUV.
A few of the neighbors were outside; a couple of kids rode their bikes up and down the sidewalk.
It was all so normal. It jarred her that she no longer felt as though she belonged.
The heat was oppressive until the air-conditioning kicked in.
They were pulling away when it struck her. “None of them waved.”
“What?” He stopped at the end of the street before making the turn.
“None of the neighbors waved or called out a greeting.” It was such a small thing, but the implication was huge.
“This is the South and I’ve lived on that street all my life.
Not one person knocked on the door to ask if I was okay.
At the very least, they should have wanted to get the latest gossip.
” She swallowed heavily, her throat constricting.
“This would kill my mom. There wasn’t one of them she didn’t help at some point in their lives.
” And as a deputy, Vinnie had done her share of lending a helping hand through the years.
Cyrus reached out and took her hand. “I can’t say I understand how you feel. It’s always been my brothers and me. We’ve never been part of a community. But it hurts you. For that, I’m sorry.”
The lack of platitudes and insight showed real understanding. “Me, too. The bank is up on the left.”
He pulled into an empty parking spot a few doors down. “Before we go in, there’s something you should know.”
She dug in her purse for her sunglasses, slipping them on. “What?”
The call Deputy Winslow took this morning. It was from Wilkes.”
****
Coming on the heels of the blow Vinnie had received from her neighbors, Cyrus wondered if he’d done the right thing by telling her, but once again she surprised him.
“I figured as much.” When she reached for the door handle, he stopped her.
“Hang on a second. That’s all you have to say?” He’d expected her to be angry, if nothing else.
“Right here and now, yes. Do you have any idea how many eyes are on us?” She was right about people watching them. He could both see and sense them. “I know you overheard the conversation, so I’ll want the details once we’re done here.” She was out the door before he could tell her to wait.