Reclaiming (14 page)

“I do… I…” Daniella interjected.

Kim held up her hand again and waited for Daniella to calm down.

Once satisfied she had, Kim continued, “If you were in a position here that I could find a replacement for, I wouldn’t even be having this conversation right now. I don’t enjoy being stern with you this soon after you’ve come to work here but I want to be clear we are on the same page. And I also wouldn’t go through all of this trouble if I thought you didn’t have real potential. I have plenty to do here every day,
believe me
. I need to know that I can count on you to do your job without me having to hover over you. Do you understand what I am saying?”

“Yes,” Daniella replied. “I think so.”

“Good,” Kim said. “Now, I have to make a note of this for your review. That said, I expect this to be the sort of thing that you won’t overlook in the future. Can I count on you for that?”

“Yes ma’am…”

“Okay,” Kim said as she put her reading glasses back on again. “You may go.”

“Alright.” Daniella replied as she stood and collected her things.

“Please close the door on your way out.”

Daniella nodded and closed the door. As she headed back to her office, she knew she
’d dodged a major bullet but now she was on Kim’s watch list. Any more slip ups like this one would certainly result in a bad ninety day review, or something much worse.

The good news was that the rest of her work week went by without any more disasters. Even so, before she left the office Friday, Daniella made doubly certain there were no fires for her to put out. Up at Owen
’s cabin, cell phone reception was spotty at best so if anything needed to be handled, it had to happen before she left.

As she finished her day, Victoria and
Candi showed up.

“
Whatcha doin’ this weekend?” Candi asked.

“Oh um, not much.” Daniella replied. “What about you?”

“Well,” Candi replied. “I think Victoria is going to try to sleep with her pizza delivery man at some point…”

“Hey!” Victoria exclaimed. “You’re the biggest slut in town. Everyone knows
that.”

Candi
laughed and stuck her tongue out at Victoria. “You know I love you…” she said.

Daniella stood from her chair.
“Well, I’m sure you two will manage to find plenty of men to torture this weekend.”

“Um,” Victoria said. “Not so fast there…”

“What?” Daniella replied.

“You didn’t tell us what you were doing.”
Candi replied.

“Oh,” Daniella said. “My mom is coming into town this weekend. I haven’t seen her for a while so it was time for us to get together.”

“That’s nice I guess…” Victoria said.

“Nice and boring if you ask me.”
Candi replied.

Daniella winced at her.

“Daniella,” Victoria said, “Marlon asked about you at the Turtle the other night. What gives? Why don’t you call him?”

“I will, I promise…” Daniella replied. “I just have a few personal things going on right now but I mentioned that to Marlon. He seemed okay with it.”

“Hmm,” Candi replied. “Well, I wouldn’t wait too long… Hot guy like that? Yummy.”

Daniella promised not to let the opportunity pass her by any longer. She managed to get out of the office without too much more interrogation and fifteen minutes later, she was on her way home to get ready to go to Owen
’s cabin.

***

After a stressful week at work, Daniella was eager to return to the relative serenity of life at Owen’s cabin, if only for a little while. As crazy as it sounded, what was going on with Jett was the most enjoyable part of her life at the moment.

She pulled out of the parking lot and turned on the radio. Her favorite song
was on and for whatever reason, it sounded better than ever. She cranked up the sound and reveled in the beat, rhythm and lyrics. But as the tune built to the pinnacle of the crescendo, her cell phone started to ring.

“Ugh!” she groaned. “Can’t I get a second to myself…
”

Daniella reached inside of her purse and retrieved the offensive noise maker. She turned it towards her face.
Mom
flashed across the display. Daniella rolled her eyes. Over the years, her friends told her how fortunate she was to have the sort of relationship she did with her mom. Most of the time Daniella agreed but right now wasn’t one of them.

“Dear Lord,” she muttered, “please, just this once. I will never, ever ask you for anything again as long as I live. Make this as quick and painless as possible. Amen.”

Daniella lowered her head a bit, bit her lip and pressed ‘talk’.

“Hi Mom,” she said with a wince.

There was nothing but silence on the other end of the phone.

“Hello…” Daniella said.

“Is this my daughter? Daniella Jennifer Tanner?” her mother said. “Is this the same young woman that I raised to have manners, etiquette and, just maybe, a shred of consideration for other people?”

Daniella
’s skull slammed into the headrest.

“Mom,” she exhaled. “Am I supposed to have any idea what you are talking about right now? Because let me tell you that I don’t.”

“Not what…” her mother replied. “But who.”

“I’m not following, Mom.”

“Harold…. Barb’s boy?” She said.

“Yeah,” Daniella replied as she shook her head. “What about him?”

“Oh, I don’t know, Daniella.” Her mother began. “Last Saturday night… you agreed to go out with him?”

“
Ohh,” Daniella replied. “Oh… I…”

“Yeah,” her mother exhaled. “That’s what I thought. Really, Daniella… Do you have any idea what sort of situation this puts me in with Barb? She’s my bridge partner for heaven’s sake!”

“Oh Mom,” Daniella replied. “I really am sorry.”

“Yes, right. Very nice Daniella.” Her mother said. “Well, you need to call the poor man and at least set up a time for the two of you to get together. What in the world is going on with you anyway?”

“What?” Daniella replied. “Nothing, Mom. I just forgot about it. Don’t you ever forget anything?”

“Daniella,” her mother replied. “This is not about me. Now call Harold and apologize to him right away.”

“I can’t right now but I promise I will.” Daniella replied.

“Why can’t you?”

“I’m busy, that’s all.”

“Well, okay, but please don’t let this go on any longer.”

“I won’t, Mom. I promise.” Daniella said. “Anything else?”

“No, dear…” her mom said.
“Are you sure everything is alright?”

“Yes, Mom.” Daniella replied. “Don’t you think I would tell you if that wasn’t the case?”

“I’d like to think so but the past week or so I haven’t heard from you at all.” Her mom began. “That and the fact that you completely forgot about Harold… I’m just concerned.”

“Well, don’t be Mom.” Daniella
said as she pulled into her apartment complex and parked. “There’s nothing to be concerned about. Is there anything else? I just got home and I’ve got things to do.”

“No sweetie.” She replied. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, Mom.” Daniella replied. “I’ll talk to you later.”

After she hung up, Daniella rushed upstairs to grab a quick shower and change before she headed back to Owen
’s cabin.

***

After about an hour, Daniella exited her apartment with a small overnight bag in hand. She closed the door and as she turned to lock it, a voice from behind said, “Going out of town?”

“Yes, Billy, I am…” she began as she turned around to face Sergeant Holder.
“That’s not against the law. Is it?”

Billy leaned against the opposite wall. He chuckled a bit and took one last drag on his cigarette before he crushed it out with his foot.

“Nice,” Daniella said. “This is a non-smoking building by the way.”

“Call the police,” he said with a smirk as he walked towards her. “How’s things Daniella? Been a while since we talked, hasn’t it?”

In the past, Billy’s machismo had never been anything other than mildly humorous to her. It was a tolerable personality quirk. It was much more preferable to the one he’d kept hidden from her since the day of Jett’s arrest. Now, he was little more than a common liar… and a bad one no less.

“What do you want, Billy? I’m in a hurry.”

“Oh yeah? Where are you headed?”

“I don’t see how it concerns you.”

“Judge says it does…” he began. He gestured towards the parked sedan across the street. “That car sitting there says it does so it seems to me it
does
concern me after all.”

“I don’t know where he is, Billy. If that’s what you are driving at.”

God she wanted to curse him out. With each second that ticked by, she grew more disgusted with his very presence.

“Did I say you did?” He replied. “All I asked is where you are headed. See I just need to make sure my officers have enough of a fuel stipend to follow you.”

“Follow me?”

“Yes, is that… a problem?”

“Yes, Billy!” She exclaimed. “When this all happened, you promised me this ‘surveillance’ was temporary and now, here we are going on six plus weeks later and I’m still being watched day and night. That is a problem in my book.”

“Well,” Billy shrugged. “All you have to do is tell me where he is. You do that and all of this…
” he said as he pointed towards the undercover car, “it stops.”

Daniella exhaled.
“I don’t know where he is, Billy.” She said. “How many more times do I have to say it?”

“And I happen to think you do…” he replied.

“So what are you saying… that I am lying to you?”

“In so many words, yeah.”

“You’d know all about being a liar, wouldn’t you?” She muttered.

“What?” He said. “What was that?”

“Nothing,” she replied. She reached down to grab for her bag. “Look, I have to go so just do whatever you need to do but get out of my way.”

Billy inserted himself between her and the bag.
“I’ll get it.”

“No, thank you!”

He grabbed her forearm as she reached for it. “I insist.”

“Fine…” she said as she yanked her arm from his grasp.

As he lifted her bag, she walked away from him and began to head down the stairs. From behind, she could hear his footsteps.

“I’m only doing my job, Daniella.” He said as she increased the length of her stride. His tone had a conciliatory ring to it.

Still, Daniella’s blood boiled.

“What the hell kind of detective work is this anyway?” She said as she reached her car. “As far as I can tell, the only thing you guys have done is follow me everywhere I go hoping against hope you’ll find something. I mean, you are even staking out his parents’ house for God’s sake!”

Billy nodded. “That’s true but how would you…” he said. His voice trailed off.

A sudden breeze caused Daniella
’s hair to cover her face. She shook her head and did her best to pull it out of the way.

“What Billy?” She said as she battled with it. “How did I what?”

“Hmm? Oh, it’s nothing…” he replied. He cocked his head to the side, placed her bag on the ground and nodded, “You know… you’re right, Daniella. You are absolutely right.”

A confused look came over Daniella
’s face. “I am?” She said. “What about?”

“The surveillance… here,” he replied. “I’ll take my men off detail for a while. Would that make you happy?”

“I don’t know. I mean, I guess so.” She said with incredulity in her voice. “I don’t understand… Just like that? You are going to just stop looking for him?”

“No,” Billy replied. “I didn’t say that. I just said I’d take my men off the surveillance detail here. That’s… what you wanted, wasn’t it?”

Daniella shrugged. “Well, yeah, but why the sudden change of heart?”

Billy smiled and slipped another cigarette between his lips.
“Just something you said,” he replied as he lit it. “Something you said…”

He turned and started to walk away.

“What did I say?” Daniella called out. He continued to walk without a reply.

“Billy!”

She stood by her car and looked as he crossed the street and headed towards the parked sedan. As he neared it, he motioned for one of the nighttime guys, Mitchell, to roll down the window. She chewed on her lower lip as the men chatted. After a couple of minutes, Billy slapped the roof of the vehicle and the car sped away. Billy turned back towards Daniella, flicked his cigarette and waved at her. As she lifted her hand to return the gesture, he climbed into his patrol car and drove off.

What the hell was that all about?

Dumbfounded by the chain of events, Daniella shrugged and tossed her bag into her car. It was still a good drive to the cabin and she knew the last thing she and Jett needed to do was cover the distance of the trail at night.