Nightwatch (14 page)

“I hafta
go
.”

Samantha chuckled. “Better take them both to the bathroom. I'll wait right here.”

Jill thought she was hurrying but by the time she returned, Samantha was pacing and glancing at her watch.

“Are we late?”

“Not very. Come on. We don't want the judge to get upset.”

Entering the small courtroom gave Jill a sense of déjà vu that made her shiver, made her stomach do flips and brought the taste of bile to her throat. Nevertheless, she persevered. This was no time to think of herself. These children were depending upon her for support. She wasn't going to disappoint them.

Natalie Stevens and a skinny, big-eared man in a gray suit sat at a long, rectangular table to the right. Behind them, in the rows of chairs that made up the gallery, Thad Pearson and several other townspeople were observing. Jill surmised that at least one of the women in the group was a newspaper reporter because of the camera hanging from a strap around her neck.

Trying to ignore everything else, Jill followed Samantha to a table opposite Natalie's. Pasting a smile on her face she nodded at the taciturn-looking judge as she helped the boys climb into the adult-size chairs. This time the judge was wearing the black robes of his office and they made him seem far less amiable than he had when she'd seen him in his office.

Samantha apologized for their slight tardiness, explained the reason and pointed out that a copy of her latest report was already in the judge's hands.

Jill sat down and began to pray, hardly hearing anything else that was being said. To her surprise and delight the hearing was completed in mere minutes.

While Natalie berated her attorney, Jill reached for Samantha's hand. “Thank you, thank you,” she said, blinking back unshed tears. “I had no idea it would be so easy.”

“It was this time. Each session is different.” The CASA volunteer patted Jill's hand. “At least we won't be back for a while.”

Puzzled, Jill frowned. “We won't?”

That question made Samantha chuckle. “You really do get freaked out in courtrooms, don't you? Natalie was just ordered to stop bringing frivolous suits. We won't be bothered again for at least three months. Maybe longer.”

“I can't believe I missed that!”

“Neither can I,” Samantha said, patting her on the back, then gathering up her paperwork and shoving it back into the briefcase. “Come on. Let's get out of here before somebody notices that your mind is in another world this morning and starts to question your sanity, too.”

“Is that what won? Did you prove that Natalie was unstable?”

“Among other things.” Samantha had been smiling. Now she sobered. “The decision was also based upon the chance that the other children may be in danger. You do understand that, don't you?”

“Oh, yes.” Jill was nodding slowly and holding each boy by the hand as before. “I understand that all too well.”

Just then, a bright flash blinded her. The young woman with the camera had edged closer while their guard was down and had just photographed the Pearson boys.

Samantha shouted, “No!”

Jill stepped in front of the children to shield them from another attempt. She needn't have worried. Before the reporter had a chance to try for a second picture Thad had grabbed her camera and was holding it out of reach while punching buttons on the back.

“Hey! You can't do that,” the reporter shouted.

Thad didn't say a word. Jill watched him finally hand the camera back to the irate woman.

He didn't smile at anyone, but Jill imagined a kindred soul. She sure hoped so. She and Mitch could use all the help they could get keeping these boys safe.

M
itch was stuck on duty at the fire station, as he'd feared, while the hearing was in progress. The county courthouse was located a short half block away but he couldn't leave on personal business without the chief's express permission and, unfortunately, Jim Longstreet's arrival that morning had been delayed.

Mitch was pacing the sidewalk in front of the station and shading his eyes to look toward the court square when he spotted Jill and the boys.

He waved, excited to see her and hoping that the spring in her step meant a positive outcome.

Tim and Paul returned his distant greeting while Jill continued to hold each child by the hand.

Mitch totally understood why she didn't want to let go. If he'd had his way he'd have kept both those kids—and Jill—on a very short leash, figuratively speaking, of course.

As soon as they were closer, he jogged up to greet them. One look at the elation on Jill's face told him all was well. “You won?”

“We all won,” she said. “Especially the boys. They
get to stay with me. Samantha says the judge told Natalie to stop wasting the court's time.”

“Praise the Lord,” Mitch said. “I think we should celebrate. I wish I could leave my post and take you all to lunch.”

“We can send out for enough pizza for everybody, including the other firefighters, and celebrate that way,” Jill suggested, glancing warily over her shoulder. “A pesky reporter has been trying to take pictures of us so we're better off staying inside, out of sight. Besides, Tim and Paul want to look at the fire engines and I promised them they could.”

Sweeping his arm in a wide arc, Mitch invited them in. “By all means. We love to show off the equipment. I have several elementary school visits scheduled for next month. Have to get them in before the end of the term.”

“Which reminds me,” Jill said as she led her charges through the open bay doors toward the enormous red, white and chrome engines. “What do you think about putting the boys back in class? The judge recommended it and Samantha agrees.”

His gut twisted. “I don't know. It seems kind of risky.”

“We don't want them to fall behind a grade because they miss their end-of-year testing. Suppose I took them to school and picked them up afterwards, myself, instead of letting them ride the bus? That should be safe enough.”

“Maybe.”

Mitch took a few minutes to think over the situation while he showed the boys some interesting aspects of
the closest engine and let them stand on the wide rear bumper.

Finally, he lifted them down and crouched to put himself on their level. “Some firemen used to ride back here just like that on the way to fires, but it was really dangerous. Now, we sit up in the cab with the engineer.”

“Cool.” Tim was grinning so widely his ears wiggled. Paul mirrored the expression.

“I always thought so,” Mitch said with a complimentary grin. “Maybe you can join the fire department and help people when you grow up.”

Tim shook his head. “Uh-uh. I'm gonna be a cop so I can find lost kids like Megan.”

“Good for you.” Mitch's gaze met Jill's and lingered. “The best way to get ready for that is to study hard and get really smart. That's why I agree with Miss Jill and the judge. You boys need to go back to school.”

“Awwww…” This time, Tim was anything but overjoyed. Paul looked as if he was about to cry.

“I
loved
school,” Jill piped up. “It was fun.”

Mitch began to chuckle. “Well, it is a necessity if a person wants to make a good living.” He winked at Tim. “Otherwise, how are you going to afford to buy all the pizza you want?”

“With sausage and pepperoni!” the boy said excitedly.

“See?” Mitch said, escorting Jill and the children the rest of the way into the station house by a side door. “Mention food and a hungry guy will forget everything else.”

“Does that work for full-grown men like you?” she asked, meeting his glance with obvious empathy.

Mitch shook his head and answered directly from his heart. “Not always.” His smile waned. “Not this time.”

 

Jill dropped the boys off at school the following morning, walked each of them to class, spoke with their respective teachers and showed them the court order so there would be no misunderstanding about who was—and was not—authorized to pick up the children. She doubted that Natalie would try to interfere again, given the judge's admonition, but she wasn't taking any chances.

Instead of heading straight home, she then swung by the fire station. There was nothing new to tell Mitch. She simply wanted to see him, to feel the full force of his emotional support. Since he had to bunk at the station when he was on duty, he hadn't joined them for meals lately, except when they'd shared the pizza. His absence had really pointed up how much he had been contributing to the upbeat atmosphere at home, not to mention giving the boys fatherly advice.

Before entering Mitch's office she paused long enough to smooth her jeans and adjust her jacket over the soft, blue sweater she'd worn, knowing he liked that color.

He jumped to his feet the moment she peeked through the doorway. “Are the boys okay?”

Jill smiled. “Relax. They're fine. I just dropped them off at school.”

He sank back into his chair as if he were a deflating balloon. “Thank goodness. When I saw you I thought…”

“I'm sorry. I should have phoned before dropping in.
I just thought it would be nice to talk to an adult for a change.”

“Kids getting to you?”

Jill shrugged, continuing to smile. “Not really. But I hate to go home when I feel like I should be taking some kind of action. I can't sit around twiddling my thumbs while Megan is still missing.”

“I know what you mean.” He gathered a stack of papers, evened the edges by rapping them on the desktop, then dropped the pile into a drawer. “So, where shall we go first?”

“Go? I thought you had to work?”

“I've made arrangements for a more flexible schedule for the next week or so.” He chuckled wryly. “I already owe the other firefighters so many favors I'll be an old man before I can pay them all back.”

“If you're really serious about leaving, then let's go see Harlan. I've tried phoning him but he refuses to tell me a thing. They must have some leads, some idea of where to look. If you and I did a little snooping around, what could it hurt?”

“Maybe plenty.” Mitch got to his feet and donned the navy blue baseball-style cap and zippered jacket that were part of his everyday uniform. “Still, it won't hurt to ask him. Last I heard he was waiting for test results from Little Rock.”

“You mean about the bomb?”

“Yes. We can't go poking around in the actual fire scene, but nothing says we can't at least take a look at the other buildings. Since they've allowed Thad to go back to work, that part of the plant should be accessible to anybody.”

“I don't know what we could possibly hope to discover that all those police investigators missed.”

Mitch arched his brows. “Did you come here to argue or do you want to find something useful to do?”

“
Useful,
yes. Useless, no,” Jill countered. “I can waste my time at home, by myself.” Realizing how ungrateful that sounded she blushed and waved her hands in front of her as if erasing a chalkboard. “Sorry. Forget I said that. I don't know what's wrong with me. I wasn't implying that being with you is a waste of time.”

“I understand. You're as worried as I am and it's made you edgy.” He opened and held the office door for her. “After you, Ms. Kirkpatrick. Shall we take my truck or your car?”

“My poor old Jeep rides pretty rough, as you well know. Let's splurge and take your truck.”

“Harlan's office first?”

“Absolutely,” she said, following Mitch through the station and waiting while he explained to his chief that he'd be gone for an hour or so on personal business. Judging by the knowing glance Longstreet sent her way, Mitch had briefed him fully. She didn't mind. Her only concern was making sure that the powers that be didn't assume she was carrying on with the handsome fireman while the children were housed with her, because that might cause them to be removed on moral grounds.

Ha!
Jill thought, feeling foolish and more than a bit cynical. There was less personal involvement between her and Mitch Andrews now than there had been before this whole tangle of events had begun.

He had continued sleeping in the boys' room when he could be there and had spent his off-duty, daylight
hours doing odd jobs around the farm, such as installing the new burglar alarm and outside lighting. That was pretty much the extent of their interaction. She got more TLC from Mugsy than she did from Mitch Andrews.

She also
gave
the dog more affection, she realized with a start. Well, so what? Mugsy didn't keep telling her what to do and what not to do. Knowing that Mitch had her best interests at heart wasn't enough to make his overbearing approach acceptable. Yes, she appreciated his help. And, yes, she wanted him there to help protect the children. But she wasn't willing to let herself be bossed around by a stubborn control freak.

That conclusion struck Jill as funny. She and Mitch were a lot alike, weren't they? They each had definite ideas of how things should be done and were both positive their way was best.

Sobering, she thought of Megan. In this case, she'd force herself to make any sacrifices necessary to find that little lost girl. It didn't matter whose ideas were right. All she cared about was success.

Letting herself dwell on the wisdom of submission—or at least full cooperation—as she walked with Mitch to his truck, Jill sighed. Nothing must distract either of them from their ultimate goal. Absolutely nothing.

Her cheeks suddenly warmed.
Not even the overwhelming sense of his closeness or the way I react to the accidental touch of his hand or brush of his sleeve?
she asked herself.

No. Especially not something like that.

Jill knew it wasn't enough to simply admonish herself; she must mean it from the depths of her heart. And she did. Only the more time she spent with Mitch, the
more she wanted to spend and the greater her desire grew to know he was nearby.

Fear had to be the underlying motive, she reasoned. Her home had been violated, more than once, and she was reacting by reaching out to him for security.

Okay. If that assumption was true, then why didn't she yearn to see Harlan or Boyd? And why hadn't she relaxed after Mitch had installed the alarm, complete with motion sensors to light up her yard if anyone came prowling around again? They'd tested the systems and knew they worked, so what was her real problem?

The word
loneliness
popped into her mind. That was ridiculous, of course. She had been devastatingly lonely right after Eric had died but she'd recovered long ago. She had her farm, her animals, all the children she could handle and enough investment income from Eric's insurance settlement to carry her through comfortably as long as she didn't squander the principal.

Therefore, what could be disturbing her usual peace of mind so much? Jill cast a sidelong glance at Mitch as he joined her in the truck and slid behind the wheel. Her stomach fluttered. Her heart sped. Her already warm cheeks began to burn.

When he looked over at her and smiled, she knew exactly what was wrong with her.

She loved him.

 

Harlan offered little information other than to mention that the authorities still considered Natalie, Thad and several former Pearson employees to be “persons of interest.” Other than that, and reports of possible sightings of Megan that had not panned out, there was nothing he seemed willing to divulge.

“What do you want to do next?” Mitch asked in disgust as they left the sheriff's office and got back into his truck. “Want to cruise Main Street?”

“That's probably as good an idea as any. I have until two-thirty before I have to pick up the boys. What I'd like to do is go looking for Megan.” She frowned. “Did you get the idea that Harlan was keeping crucial details of the case to himself?”

“I certainly wouldn't blame him if he was. You and I are not exactly pros.”

Bright, flashing lights behind them drew Mitch's attention and he eased his pickup to the curb to let the emergency vehicles pass. “Looks like the cops are going somewhere in a hurry.”

“Can we follow?” Jill asked, sounding excited.

“No way.” The disappointment reflected in her expression made him reach for his cell phone. He could have used the two-way radio he almost always carried but doing so would have meant Jill could have overheard both sides of the conversation. Choosing to keep it more private until he knew what was going on, he said, “I'll call dispatch and ask what's going on. Will that satisfy you?”

She pulled a face and gave him a lopsided smile. “Is that my only choice?”

“Yup.”

“Then I guess so.”

Chuckling, Mitch pushed speed dial and was immediately connected. He identified himself to the dispatcher on duty and adopted a casual demeanor. “Hey, how's it going, Elaine?”

“Fine,” the young woman answered. “You can relax. No fire department calls.”

“Funny,” Mitch drawled, “I just saw a couple of patrol cars rip past me. You sure there hasn't been an accident up on the highway?”

“Nah. We got another one of those false alarms about the missing girl. It won't amount to anything. None of 'em have.”

His hand gripped the cell phone so tightly his fingers began to throb. Schooling his features to try to hide what he'd heard, he realized the minute he looked over at Jill that he'd failed. Her eyes had widened and she was staring at him as if she'd read his innermost thoughts.