No Plans for Love (11 page)

He tossed his cell phone on the passenger seat and reached up to take the remote from the dash. He slapped it down in her hand hard enough to hurt.

"Mark, I'm sorry. This was not my idea. She just showed up. Uncle Roy put her out. What am I to do? She is my mother. I don't want it this way but this is the way it is. Please don't be angry with me."

The hard lines of his features softened. "I'm sorry, too, Sherry. I love you. I want to be with you. Your mother's watching from the window."

"Kiss me." Sherry stood on tiptoe to meet him. When the kiss deepened, she stepped back. "I have to get back inside before she steals what little money I have. Good night, Mark."

"I'll stop by to see you on the way home tomorrow." He got in the truck and closed the door.

But I won't be here
, she thought
, I'll be working
. She finally made a decision she'd been struggling with all day. She would go to work tomorrow. She walked slowly back to the house.

Alison sat at the table with her coffee. "That shut him up."

"That wasn't necessary, Mom."

"Woo-hoo. Do I detect a note of jealousy?"

Sherry made a sour face and began to take supper from the box.

Chapter 9

"I thought you were going to be late," Frank said when Mark stomped in the milk house.

"She is about as hard headed as a woman can be," Mark grumbled.

"Try independent," Frank suggested.

"I love her," Mark declared. "I want to be with her. I want to help her, to protect her. I want to make love to her. I want to wake up beside her the rest of my life."

Frank looked at his son quizzically. "You know what's wrong with what you just said?"

"What?"

"Two words: I want. Are you so egotistical that all you think about is yourself? What about what she wants? Love is sharing and caring. Giving up part of yourself for the other."

"Thanks for the insight, Dad," Mark said sourly.

Frank stopped putting the milkers together and looked at his son. "Right now Sherry is having a difficult time about what she really wants. She has plans and goals that require devotion to the future. She hasn't left any room for the reality of life. She's on a collision course with destiny. When she crashes, she is going to need you around to help her pick up the pieces and move on. Just give her time and space until she tells you she needs you."

"What if she doesn't need me?"

"You will have to learn to live with it. You can't make her love you. But if you pressure her by trying to control her, you will alienate her and lose whatever chances you have. Enough philosophy. We have cows to milk."

After supper Mark headed for the stairs. He had tests to grade. When he finished, he walked around his room, his mind on Sherry. He had a strong feeling that something was wrong. He glanced at the clock beside his bed. "Eight-thirty," he murmured. Sherry would be getting off work in half an hour. That stirred him to action.

Downstairs, he found his father snoring in the recliner with the television on. He picked up the remote and pressed the off button. Then he shook Frank by the shoulder. "Dad."

Frank roused and looked up. "Time to go to bed?"

"No. I want you to come with me. I have this feeling that Sherry's in trouble."

"You're twenty-four years old. You don't need Daddy for a chaperone."

"Dang it, Dad. Get out of that chair and come along."

"Wait till I get my shoes on and go to the bathroom."

In the kitchen, Mark grabbed the truck keys from the rack and went out the door. When Frank came from the bathroom, Jan asked, "Where are you two going?"

Frank kissed her. "He thinks Sherry's in trouble. Have the bed warmed up for me when I get home."

****

Judy helped Shelley with the things she'd purchased. As she stepped back and closed the back door of Sherry's wagon, she glanced down. "You have a flat."

"Oh, no," She responded. "The front one's flat too! She ran around the front of the car as Judy ran around the back. "I'll have to call someone for help." She took her cell phone from her purse just as it rang. She looked at the number. "Hello, Mark. My car has four flats." She could hear Judy on her cell phone to the police.

 "It's Frank. We're only a few miles out. The way Mark drives it won't take long to get there."

While she'd been on the phone to Frank, Judy called the police. As she put her purse in the car she saw the police cruiser coming with its red and blue lights flashing.

"I better take this cart back to the store." Judy set off pushing the cart across the lot.

Scotty stopped his car right in front of Sherry's. He got out with his flashlight and walked around the car. He came back to tell Sherry, "Someone took the valve caps off and the valve guts out. They must have taken them with them because I don't see them on the ground anywhere."

Judy came back to inform the cop, "There's a dark colored car parked over in the lot next door. That lot's usually empty this time of night."

"I'll check it out when I leave. Maybe someone's working late." He got out his camera and took a picture of each flat tire. Then he dusted around the valve stem of the left front tire and examined it closely in the beam of the flashlight. "No prints just smudges. Must've wore gloves. Do you have a way to get home?"

"Frank and Mark Blakely are coming. If the tires just have the air left out, they can be taken to somewhere and pumped up." Sherry was uncertain but she believed Frank would make it right. "Here they come now."

Mark drove the truck in a semi-circle to park behind Sherry's wagon. He got out and ran to Sherry. "I knew you were in trouble."

Scotty explained about the missing valve guts. "I don't know where you'll get any this late."

"In the glove compartment of my truck," Frank said as he came up with others. "This is a farm truck. I even have an air compressor behind the seat." He went back to the truck for the needed items. "Mark, you can get that air compressor out and pull the truck up beside her car. Sherry, I need you to hold the flashlight."

"Now that everyone is here, I'm going home," Judy said. "Mom doesn't like it when I'm late."

Scotty prepared to leave. "That car next door is gone. Did any of you see it leave?"

"It might have left the same time Judy did," Mark guessed.

"Mark! Stop standing around jawing and get these tires pumped up. I want to get home so I can get my Z's."

Mark plugged the compressor into the cigarette lighter and squatted down beside the tire to fasten the hose to the valve stem. "You were already sawing wood when I woke you."

The throbbing of the little motor had a comforting sound to Sherry as she and Frank went around to the driver's side. Frank knelt down and inserted the valve gut into the stem and used the little tool to screw it in.

Sherry stood by shivering. It had been warm when she left home but now the night chill reminded her that summer was over. She'd have to remember to bring her jacket tomorrow.

Frank stood up and took off  his dark green jacket and draped it around her shoulders. "The air gets cool quickly after the sun goes down." He moved on to the back tire.

Sherry put her arms in the sleeves of the jacket that was warm from Frank wearing it. Mark pulled the truck around to the drivers' side. When he saw Sherry hugging his father's jacket around her he cursed himself for not thinking of it first. He stepped down from the truck and squatted down to blow up the front tire. "If you're cold get in the car. Start it to warm up the engine so you can use the heater."

Frank had walked around back of the store and now came striding back to the vehicles. "Sherry do you have your cell phone? Mine's at home on the charger."

She dug the phone from her purse and gave it to him. He pushed the on button and squinted at the screen. "Good. You have Scotty's number." He spoke into the phone. "Scotty, that car didn't leave. It's parked behind the building. Maybe you should come have a looksee. Or do you want me to do it?" Frank turned off the phone and handed it back to Sherry. "He doesn't want civilians getting mixed up in police business. Here he comes now. Couldn't have been too far away."

"Get out of the way, old man," Mark said. "Or do you want me to pump you up, too?"

Sherry got in the car and started the engine. Frank leaned close to Mark. "I think I should drive Sherry's car home. You can follow in the truck."

"I was going to suggest the same thing. I'll tell you one thing. There is no way I am going to allow Elena to get to Sherry again."

They heard a shout from the next building over followed by the squall of tires. A black sedan tore across the parking lot followed by Scotty's police car with lights flashing and siren blaring. The car ran the stop sign at the end of the road and headed for the four lane with Scotty in hot pursuit.

"At least they're going the opposite direction from where we'll be headed," Frank observed.

When the last tire was inflated, Mark turned to his father. "Give me a few minutes to put this compressor away and get turned around. Then I'll be right behind you driving interference. No matter what you see going on behind you, get this wagon home and in the garage with the door down. I want Sherry safe inside."

"Let me get that earphone to plug into Sherry's cell. That way we can keep in touch." He leaned in the truck cab and pulled the suction cup cell phone holder from the dash along with the ear phone while Mark put the compressor in the truck.

Frank opened the driver's door on Sherry's car. "Scoot over. I'm driving."

"Why?"

"You've been through enough for one day."

She didn't argue but slid across to the passenger side and buckled the seat belt. Frank crawled in with his knees almost against the steering wheel. "One of these days I'm going to fix this seat so it can be moved back. I feel like a grasshopper."

Sherry giggled. "The woman I bought it from got tired of her teenagers pushing the seat back so she pounded a penny into the track so it couldn't be moved again. Have fun taking it out. Dawn's father tried but finally gave up."

He stuck the suction cup to her dashboard. "Give me your cell phone." He plugged in the ear phone and stuck it in his ear. He scrolled to Mark's number and pushed the button. "Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear. I'm going to put this phone on speaker and put it in my shirt pocket. Tell me if you can hear me." A few seconds later, Mark asked, "Can you hear me all right?"

"A little faint, but yes. I can hear you." He knew Mark wanted to have both hands free to drive.

Frank put the car in drive and headed for the parking lot exit. He looked over with a grin and continued their conversation about the seat. "I don't give up too easily. That's why I'm still farming."

Despite Frank's too-big jacket and she was still cold. "How long does the car have to run before it puts out heat?"

"About now." He turned on the heater. Sherry's phone rang and he pushed the talk button expecting Mark to be on the other end but it was Scotty. "I lost him. I'm halfway to Lewistown and no sign of him. He must've gone some other way."

"I'll let Mark know. Scotty, do you think Elena has someone helping her? How big was the guy?'"

"Who do you have in mind?"

"Steve Sturgis. He was with Elena last Monday morning when Mark stopped to see if she had anything to do with the break-in at Sherry's."

"She didn't. That was Brian Winnette. He's Roy's oldest boy. The staties arrested him Saturday. He's back home in Roy's custody."

"I know about that. That's why Roy kicked his sister out. He blames her for giving the boy the idea. She living with Sherry now."

Scotty was silent for a moment. "The size is right but I don't think Steve Sturgis would do something like this. Besides, if the gossip is true..."

"That's enough right there," Frank said sharply. "It's only speculation. I gotta let you go. I want to keep in touch with Mark. He's behind me driving interference in case Elena tries anything. Talk to your later." Frank rang off and connected with Mark again. "Mark, do you think Steve Sturgis could be involved with Elena enough to be helping her in this?"

Mark didn't even have to consider it. "Steve's a good egg. I can't see him deliberately breaking the law. I've never known him to be mixed up with anything illegal. Why do you ask?"

"I just talked to Scotty. He lost the guy he chased out of the parking lot next to the Dollar Store. I thought maybe Steve..."

"I just picked up a tail. A car but I can't tell what kind and color. Get Sherry home as quick as you can. Now!" Mark slammed on the brakes and whipped the wheel sending the truck in a sideways slide.

"What the heck are you trying to prove?" Frank yelled into the phone.

"Get Sherry home and don't ask questions but stay in touch. The driver's getting out." Mark turned the crank to open the window, as the person in the car got out leaving the door open. The interior light cast a soft glow showing dirty too-big coveralls and a billed hat. But there was something familiar about the driver's movement.

 "That's some disguise, Elena. Where'd you get that idea?" Mark wasn't quite sure it was her until he noticed the gloves. He yelled out the window at her. "You made a mistake, Elena. You're wearing the gloves I bought you." He took his cell phone from his pocket so she could see he was talking to someone.

"Who are you talking to?" she demanded.

"Wouldn't you like to know." He lowered his voice. "Can you hear her, Dad?"

"Not to understand what she says."

Mark decided to try to trick her. "Chad tells me there is a court order for you to stay away from Sherry as part of your bail deal."

"Are you talking to Chad Wertman? You set a trap for me, didn't you?" She piled back into her car and revved the engine. She made the quickest three-point turn on a country road he'd ever seen. He laughed as he rolled up the window. "Dad, call Scotty and tell him Elena's headed back toward town at a high rate of speed. Call the PSP, too."

"We're in," was all Frank said.

"I'll be there in a minute. Boy, do I have a tale to spin. She thinks we set a trap for her."