“Right. Remember the girl I told you about? The night before boot camp?”
My dog sniffs a tree, raises his leg, and showers the bark. Ignoring his rude indifference, I trail after him down the street. “Don’t be like that. Damn, you should’ve seen her. She was amazing.”
Toby squats and finishes his business.
“You don’t understand. It wasn’t my fault. She even downed drinks as if getting up the courage to sleep with me. Did I mention how she licked her lips and eyed me like a thick steak? I’ve jerked off for ten long years remembering her sexy mouth. Now, hear me out. All I did was ask,your place or mine.I wasn’t crude or rude or any of those things. But you know Middlebury. By morning, the entire population will think I’m an asshole.”
“Grrr.” Toby growls at a squirrel.
“So, you think I should apologize?”
With an intelligent twist of his head, he turns my question back at me.
“Fuck. You’re right. I shouldn’t have assumed anything but her body language was all in. It’s not like we’re complete strangers. Remember, she put the moves on me, not the other way around.” I pick up his mess with a plastic bag, tie off a knot and when we get back home, toss it in the trash bin.
“Dammit. Hopefully, no one in town will complain to Sheriff Al before I get a chance to explain.”
Toby huffs and pads off to his doggy rug to sleep. A few minutes later, my phone rings and I hold my breath. Wondering if I’m about to get fired, I answer the dispatcher’s caller ID.
Janet, on the other side of the line, sighs. “Sorry Cole. There’re a few college kids on the ridge smoking pot. Mrs. Carrington caught a whiff and wants it dealt with right away.”
“Ay-yup. On it.” I don my heaviest coat and open the latest weather report.
Along with the dropping temperature, snow is expected. Hell, my day keeps getting better and better.
Out in my driveway, I dust off the speech, the one where I explain pot isn’t legal for those under twenty-one. The older folks around here have a right to some peace and quiet. There’s plenty of places on campus where collegiates can party.
Once I’m done dispatching the rowdy students, I knock on the widow’s door. “You’re all set, ma’am.”
“Thank you. Wait, there’s one more thing.” The gray-haired woman reaches out and touches my forearm.
“Yes?” A litany of complaints about to commence, I cringe.
“Did Danielle Adams attack you at Two Brothers?”
Whoa. I did not see that one coming.“No ma’am. Is there anything else?”
“No, no. Thank you again. By the way, I heard from Gertie who heard from her mom the lovely Ms. Adams is staying at The Inn. Buh-bye.” She closes the door and before I’m out of earshot, she’s talking shit about me on her phone.
Closing my eyes, I count to ten, and hop in my truck. Danielle Adams needs a piece of my mind so I head off in her direction.
Built in the early eighteen hundreds, The Middlebury Inn sits in the center of town. My vehicle idles in the street while I stroll over the wrap-around porch and pause at one of the front windows, foggy with condensation.
Legs beneath her, wrapped in a blanket, Danni curls up in a huge overstuffed chair by the fireplace. She talks into a virtual headset and waves a wired index finger in the air. I guess what my brother said is true. She plays video games for a living.
My cock missed the message she’s not interested in me and as such, remains captivated. Hot and bothered, I flash back to the night that changed my life forever.
I’m a healthy, red-blooded, heterosexual male but here’s the thing. Since then, I can’t help but picture her face as I come. If I were to talk to a shrink, which sure as hell won’t happen, I’m sure he’d say it’s normal to fixate on a simpler time. The moment represents a huge blip on my timeline. From that day forward, I was an adult, on my way to becoming a killing machine for Uncle Sam.
Even though I’ve upgraded laptops many times since I left home, I keep a folder of her emails which I read from time to time. Sure, I ignored her. What kind of man asks a woman to wait for a body bag? She deserved a life and I wasn’t sure if I’d make it home. At the time, I thought I was being noble. Now, with a few years under my belt, I wish I’d written her back, especially upon seeing her again.
Done watching her make strange, sexy, kissy faces, I return to my car. Too riled up to sleep, at home, I pour over Stacy’s autopsy. It’s clear she banged her head and broke her neck falling down the stairs. I suppose she could’ve been pushed but there was no sign of a break in. I trust the local coroner even if he is in his eighties. There is no reason to suspect anything other than an accident.
That is, until Danni showed me her email. On one hand, Stacy always was a bit of a drama queen. Nonetheless, the timing is worrisome.
In the morning, I’ll talk to Al and bounce a few ideas off him but the burial is scheduled for tomorrow. I’m not sure there’s much we can do.
Resting on my mattress, all-too-familiar visions come to mind. My cock twitches, begging for release. I’ve had a raging hard-on since Ms. City-Slicker walked into the funeral home. Inside my BVD’s, I wrap my fingers around my thick, hard, length and give it a yank.
