Shield of Refuge (4 page)

G
arrett Matthews opened his eyes and fought the nausea back with more ice chips. “The police force is already shorthanded, Doc. I can at least do something in the office, can't I?”

“The CT scan looks good, but you'll need to take a few days off from full duty, make sure this concussion is fully gone before you're back out on the streets. You're going to be pretty sore for a while.”

“Nothing a few over-the-counter painkillers won't cure, right?”

“Maybe. The symptoms of whiplash very often don't show up for several days. You're not to push it. And I mean it, Garrett.”

It was just his luck that their family doctor happened to be in the ER with another patient when the ambulance arrived. There was no hope of fooling Dr. Call.

“Can you arrange to have someone stay with you tonight?” the doctor asked as he wrote on Garrett's chart.

Garrett rolled his eyes and shifted on the too-short bed trying to find a comfortable position. “I'm sure you've already called Mom and Dad. And yes, they'd be happy to watch out for me.”

“I couldn't reach them. Maybe one of your brothers could stay with you. I suspect Kira and her new husband might even take you in for the night if we called them.”

“I'm not calling the newlyweds. Nick is working tonight, and Mom and Dad will probably be home any time. They never leave their cell phone on. Kent and Renee have gone to Mexico on vacation.” Garrett felt the weight of his head smoosh the pillow.

“You rest here then until we reach someone. Headache starting?”

His eyes drifted closed. “No.”

“You can't go to sleep, Garrett. And it won't do you any good to deny the headache. You're not going back to work, in any case,” Dr. Call informed him. “I want to check you out in a week to clear you for full duty.”

“A week?”

“Not one foot in the car, Garrett Matthews….” Dr. Call demanded as much respect now as he had when Garrett was a kid.

“But…”

“Not one. I've fought with your father when he was still on duty, and won then, too. Just because I'm old, doesn't mean you can pull a fast one over me. Your eyes are glazed over, one pupil is dilated. You have a concussion and in that condition, you're more danger to the community than you are a help. I'm going to go find a nurse or hospital volunteer to sit with you and make sure you don't fall asleep. We want to keep you awake for a while longer.”

“I just want to help in the office,” he said lamely as the doctor left his room.

Garrett heard a gentle knock and turned, surprised to see the woman who'd run into him walk meekly into the room.

“I just had to make sure you're okay.”

He looked at her, reassured that she was just as pretty in the light. “I'm going to be fine,” he said, eyeing his uniform laying across the chair. “How'd you get in here?”

She shrugged, though a pretty pink tinge colored her delicate skin. “I slipped in the exit as someone was leaving. Things get kind of hectic in an ER.” She smiled softly, and Garrett felt the pain in his head ease up considerably. “The police wouldn't tell me anything. I'll leave as soon as I know you're okay, I promise. You didn't look good when they took you in the ambulance. I've been worried.”

Garrett laughed. “Sit down. The doctor says I have a concussion and has gone to pull someone off the streets to keep me from going to sleep. Care to volunteer?”

“Really?” she asked, a smile brightening her face. “You're not mad at me?”

“I wouldn't go
that
far,” he said, teasing her. “In my business, I'm well aware that accidents happen. I know you weren't out to harm anyone.”

She shook her head, a tired smile on her full lips.

“Everyone is busy,” Dr. Call said as he walked through the door. His scowl disappeared immediately when he saw Amber. “Oh, I didn't realize you had a…visitor. Good. That takes care of that. Should I keep calling your folks, or will your girlfriend be able to stay with you?”

Garrett didn't want to get Amber into more trouble. “Yes, please. Amber has had a long day.”

The doctor gave her instructions on when to call the nurse and left the room. “You didn't have to…” She bit her lip, and leaned her head to one side, as if trying to avoid the attraction.

He reached out his hand, hoping she'd take it. “Maybe I'm the one who should be apologizing, for selfishly committing you to staying awhile longer to keep me from falling asleep.”

“It's me that owes you. You kept me from getting into more trouble more than once tonight, and don't try to deny that.” She took a hesitant step closer and took hold of his hand momentarily. “I can't tell you how much I regret the accident, Officer.”

“If you're going to sneak in here under the pretense of my girlfriend and make sure I don't fall asleep, I think you'd better call me Garrett. Otherwise I'll have to call security, and neither of us needs to fill out any more reports tonight, do we?” He smiled, though he really wanted to go to sleep, despite the beautiful woman God had sent tonight to interrupt his life.

“I feel so foolish,” she said quietly. She blinked away tears, and he could see these weren't her first of the evening. Her mascara was already smudged. “I should have done something to scare the guy away. Maybe the girl would be safe and sound in her dorm room now.”

“No, you shouldn't have done any more. You definitely shouldn't. You could've been hurt. We don't know what the suspect's motive was. It might have been much worse. Don't blame yourself, Amber.” He listened carefully for the next half hour as she talked through the incident, including the feeling that no one believed what she'd seen.

When the doctor came back into the emergency exam room a while later, he had Garrett's shift supervisor and his brother Nick with him.

Nick spoke first. “You okay?”

“Apparently not enough to get out of here.”

The lieutenant looked at Amber and his smile faded. “How did you get in here?”

That look of fear returned instantly to Amber's face.

“It's okay, I approved her visit. In fact, I asked her to stay to keep me company until they could reach my folks to come take me home,” Garrett confessed, hoping it wasn't going to cost him more than a little razzing from the guys. “It's my fault.”

His brother studied Amber. “You own the bakery in Old Town, don't you? I think we met during the Harvest Festival, a few weeks ago.”

“Yes, I own it, but it's not just a bakery, it's now Parties Galore, with party supplies and planning services, and costumes…” She studied his brother, then smiled as she apparently remembered meeting him. “Oh, yes,” she said, looking at Garrett, then back to Nick. “You and a female officer made sure I got into the shop safely, didn't you? And then your partner came in and rented that chicken costume.”

“That's right.” He nodded, hiding a smile. “Things going okay?”

“Yes, it's been very quiet lately, since the festival anyway. Thanks for watching out for all of us downtown.” She looked sheepishly at him. “Garrett, since you have company, I'll say good-night,” Amber said as she stood. “Stop in the shop sometime. Coffee and pastries are on me.”

“Oh, wait,” Garrett said. “Nick, Amber's a…party planner. He's the one who might need help…with a party.”

Nick looked at Garrett as if he'd lost his mind.

“Sure….” She pulled a business card from her bag. “Give me a call. I guarantee I can give you a deal.”

She made a quick exit, and Garrett hated to admit he didn't want to see her go.

The lieutenant glanced out of the ER room and waited a few minutes before speaking. “You let the woman who turtled you keep you company in the hospital?” he asked in disbelief.

“Someone had to do it. The doctor was looking for volunteers,” Garrett replied, hoping Chavez was in a better mood than he looked. “I'm not kidding. She just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time twice tonight.”

Nick glanced at their supervisor then back to Garrett. “Sounds like you'll heal, you're cranky enough to scare any real damage away,” his brother said with a laugh, trying to lighten the mood.

“Did you find anything on the missing girl?”

Lieutenant Chavez shook his head. “I think Ms. Scott has an active imagination.”

Nick's expression wasn't as clear. “There's still a BOLO out, so every officer in the county will be watching for her.”

“May as well inform Wyoming by now. If I'd stuffed a body into a car, I wouldn't stick around,” Garrett muttered.

“We took Ms. Scott to the location she recalls seeing the incident, but didn't find anything to support her claim of a struggle,” his supervisor insisted.

“Not an abandoned car? Nothing?” His headache was getting worse. “It was in the area of the university, right? Maybe it was a coed who was going to work, or…”

“Ms. Scott insists the girl was getting into a yellow SUV. It was there, but the door was closed, and the vehicle is registered to a twenty-five-year-old male. We haven't located him yet,” Lieutenant Chavez said. “We'll need to wait for a missing person report to come in.”

Garrett looked at his brother in disbelief. Nick didn't look any happier than Garrett felt right now.

“Amber Scott saw something. She was not making it up.” That woman couldn't lie if her life depended upon it. He'd stake his life on that. He just had to figure out how to convince the lieutenant to find the suspect before he hurt anyone else. Especially before he realized someone from Parties Galore actually had witnessed the crime.

A
mber waited in the hospital lobby for the victim's advocate from the police department to give her a ride home. At least then she'd have contact with the police if there was a problem at the shop.

The lieutenant hadn't looked too happy to see her there checking on Officer Matthews. If only he knew how she really felt about police officers, he'd realize she was genuinely concerned. She paced from one entrance to the other, watching for Samantha Taylor, anxious to have this night end.

She glanced at the clock on her cell phone. It had been half an hour since she'd called. Maybe dispatch hadn't gotten the message to her.

“Amber?” a deep voice said from behind her.

She recognized the voice and turned toward Garrett. “You're going home? That's a relief.” He still looked very miserable.

“Yeah, Nick's going to drop me off at our folks' house so they can keep an eye on me. Dr. Call won't let me go home to an empty house. Could we give you a ride somewhere?”

Nick glanced at his watch, then to Amber. “Are you going to the bakery or home?”

She smiled. “Oh, the bakery is home now. My grandmother has moved to the senior center, so I'm the resident baker. After you and your partner scared the wits out of me that night, Bomma and I decided it was much safer for me to live there than come and go in the middle of the night.” She shrugged. “I'm getting to like it. It saves a lot of time, and if I get a chance to take a few minutes to rest, I'm right there.”

“Why don't we cancel your call for the VA and drop you off. We can make sure no one is hanging around,” Nick said.

Amber saw a look of concern on Garrett's face. “I appreciate the offer, Nick, but I've already caused your brother enough trouble. The victim's advocate, Samantha, I think it was, said she'd give me a ride. You should get your brother home so he can rest.”

Garrett's mouth formed an irresistibly devastating grin. “I appreciate your concern, but I'm going to be fine. It's no bother….”

Amber smiled back, wishing they'd met under better circumstances. The shadow of his beard accentuated the strength of his jaw. Even sitting in a wheel-chair with his bulletproof vest across his lap he looked just as strong and virile as he had when he'd stood tall from his toppled vehicle. She pulled her mind back to their conversation and to the fact that he was a cop. “I hope you're right about being fine,” she said, “but I don't think your boss was too pleased to see me here. I don't want to get you into any more trouble….” She knew she shouldn't let herself read anything into Garrett's chivalry, but it wasn't easy. She hadn't had anyone look at her like that in months. Apparently she needed to dress up more often. Why, of all the men in the county, did the one to catch her attention have to be a cop?

From the corner of her eye Amber noticed the victim's advocate pull up to the door. “My ride's here. Take it easy, okay?” She hurried out the door and to the police car before she was tempted to accept their offer. She had a lot of problems to work through before the shop opened in the morning. Number one was getting Garrett Matthews off her mind.

She directed Samantha to the Old Town shops, uncomfortable with the thought of going into the dark building alone, tonight more than usual.

Samantha Taylor must have read her mind. “I'll go in with you, if that's okay, just to check things out.”

“Sure,” she said, “I'd appreciate it.”

“So you're a party planner, huh?” the young woman asked. “Sounds interesting.”

“That's a good way to describe it. No two parties come off the same,” Amber said. “I mainly coordinate weddings, but I also help arrange engagement parties, anniversaries, and even a few extraordinary birthday bashes.”

“Rumor has it Sergeant Matthews, the brother of the cop you ran into, is unofficially engaged to his trainee. I don't suppose they've contacted you to plan their wedding, have they?”

Amber had been caught off guard at the accident when Garrett had asked her if the wedding shower was for Sarah. She wasn't going to slip again. “I don't discuss my client list—sorry. I do have several people willing to give a reference if you're looking for a planner….”

“No, I was just curious. It's just surprising how Nick had been single all these years, and suddenly he falls for his trainee. At least there's still one eligible bachelor in the family, though from what I can tell, Garrett has his sights set on a bigger career than being a street cop. He doesn't bend any rules, especially when it comes to the job. And I never see him with the same woman twice. It's like he doesn't want any baggage holding him back. I'll just bet he's having a coronary over his brother's scandal!”

Amber wasn't sure how to respond. She wondered what in the world made Samantha tell her all that, or if her reaction to Garrett Matthews was that transparent. She felt ridiculous now for going to the hospital to check on him. He probably thought she was a stalker. At least Samantha had answered Amber's question of Garrett's interest.

It would go nowhere, and probably the best for both of them. She didn't have time for a relationship right now, either. She was so worn out, she just wanted to go home and away from everyone. “I suppose that's best if he realizes he's not willing to settle down and make a commitment. No need complicating things for anyone.”

“I guess, though I'd love to change his mind about his priorities,” Samantha said with a smile.

Amber let out a polite laugh, thankful that they were almost to the shop. “Turn left down the alley, to the third mercury light on the right. That's my door.”

After Samantha checked the main level, she left. Amber didn't mention that her living quarters were actually upstairs. Surely if the cop didn't realize that, neither would an intruder. After all, it had a separate lock on it to assure the hired help wouldn't take liberties with her home.

Nothing was quite as reassuring as hearing the metal bolt on the steel door sliding into the latch. Her grandfather had installed a security alarm on the front of the shop several years back, when gangs started hanging out in the downtown area. Nana had managed to avoid making enemies with anyone, even the gang members, and Amber prayed she would be able to maintain a neutral relationship with them, as well.

Amber double-checked the alarm, then went upstairs to change into her baking clothes. Even though she was dead tired, she wasn't going to sleep well until she'd worked off some of this adrenaline. She at least needed to get the dough made and rising before she took a nap. Her phone rang after she'd changed. She checked the caller ID. It was Rachelle.

“Hi. How'd the shower go?”

“It was fun, sorry you had to miss it. I've been calling you for an hour now. What in the world took so long? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just shook up,” Amber said, then told her friend about the crime she'd witnessed. “I was following the car to try to get his license plate number when I ran into the cop. I couldn't believe it. The van just…scooped up the SUV and rolled it over, like it was made to do it. Then the SUV started spinning like a top.”

Rachelle gasped. “Oh, my gosh, you toppled a cop? There were so many cars at the accident, I guess I thought there were more than the two vehicles involved. You're lucky you aren't in jail for assaulting an officer!”

Amber pressed her hand to her head to ward off the headache that was quickly coming on. “You can say that again. At least a dozen cops were there doing nothing more than glaring at me.”

Her friend stifled a laugh. “Were they at least cute?”

Amber smiled, thinking of Garrett. Then she remembered him hanging upside down in the SUV, unable to get out, and the smile disappeared. “You're terrible. I nearly kill someone, and you're asking if the cops were cute. You know I'd never, ever, fall for a cop.” Even as she made the vow, her stomach did flip-flops as she recalled how Garrett had flirted with her.

“I just asked if they were cute. There's no harm in looking, is there?”

“My mind wasn't on the cops….”
Not plural anyway,
she thought. “I had bigger concerns than them, believe it or not. Number one, that poor girl.”

“Well, that goes without saying,” she said, her voice turning serious. “Did the kidnapper see you? I mean your van's pretty hard to miss with balloons all over the side of it.”

She tried to recall whether he'd looked in her direction. If he had seen her, what would he have done? Come after her? Had he rushed because he heard her? She felt sure it was unlikely he'd paid much attention to anything besides his victim. She wandered her apartment and looked out the windows.

“Amber? Are you sure you're okay?”

She let the curtain fall back into place. “Yeah. If he knew I was there, it wasn't obvious. He had all he could handle with the victim.”

Rachelle let out a deep sigh. “I'm worried about you. Do you want to come over and stay here tonight?” She could hear clanging dishes in the background just before the baby started crying.

“Thanks, but I need to get my dough ready and figure out what I'm going to do about deliveries now.”

“You can think here, where you'd be safe. I could send Tommy to come get you.”

She wanted to laugh. “Oh, he'd love that at midnight. I'm safe here, Rachelle, but thanks. I'll see you in the morning, okay? I need to get busy, before I crash and burn.” They said good-night after confirming arrangements for Rachelle to drop off her supplies the next morning.

Only problem was, Amber didn't crash and burn. She'd tried to go to sleep at three in the morning, but couldn't stop her mind from replaying the accident. She couldn't take her mind off that moment, and the officer who she'd hurt in her carelessness. She'd lain awake thinking of the tall, handsome officer who'd changed her mind about cops. She prayed over and over that Officer Matthews was okay. Prayed that the crime she'd witnessed was nothing more than a college prank. Prayed that the morning light would bring answers to her numerous concerns.

At six-thirty, the knock on the door nearly sent her through the roof. She'd already gone online and ordered wooden shutters for the glass-front windows to provide more security for the early-morning shift.

She looked out the peephole and opened the door for the two college girls who helped out around the shop. Thanks to the nervous energy, she'd finished the baking, leaving only glazing the pastries, brewing coffee, and filling display cabinets before the shop opened. While CiCi and Andrea washed up and put on their aprons, Amber filled them in on the challenges of the day, which were too numerous to ignore any longer. Time was getting away from her.

“Do you want me to deliver the day-old pastries to the shelter with my car?” CiCi offered. “I wouldn't want to put a full sheet cake in the hatchback, but we can box the pastries in the smaller boxes.”

“That would be great. I have a couple of errands I need to run,” Amber said as she scooped the coffee into the huge filter. “Sean should be here by seven-thirty to help with the before-work rush. I'll be gone most of the morning. Call if you have questions….”

The room was silent.

“Did I say something wrong?” she asked the two women. “Don't worry, I'm not asking to borrow your car. One of my stops is to rent a car for my own use. Rachelle is going to pick me up, and at the same time, deliver all of the supplies I picked up that were left in the van last night. I just hope the van is repaired before that huge wedding the weekend after next.”

Andrea was folding the boxes and getting the bakery cases ready to fill with fresh pastries. “Unless the damage was pretty minor, I wouldn't bet on it. My dad's car took almost two months to fix after his accident.”

Amber felt the weight of the world on her shoulders. This had been her grandparents' business. The memories here went deep—too deep to let go so easily. Especially not over a broken-down vehicle. Nana Scott had been ecstatic when Amber had asked if she could buy the bakery from her. Though her parents argued that she needed to go back to college and finish her degree, Amber was convinced that this was God's plan for her life. She was determined to prove to her parents that she could succeed without their help.

Amber yawned. “I have no idea how long it will take,” she admitted, “but I don't know what we'll do if it's not repaired by then. I'll have to find some way to get the wedding cake to the resort. I cannot give up this order.” The profit on it alone would pay this month's expenses, she mused. She'd had the van repainted and tuned up, hoping it would get her through a few more years while she got the new shop in the black financially. She just hoped they could make the repairs to keep it running. Another yawn escaped. This time Andrea and CiCi caught the wave of sleepiness.

“You haven't slept all night, have you?” Andrea asked.

Amber wondered if the half hour she dozed would really count as sleep. “I took a catnap, but it didn't help much. Since I finished decorating the cakes last night, I'll try to catch a little sleep after the lunch rush.”