Some Day Somebody (44 page)

Carrie followed, of course, just in time to hear, more than see, someone hit the fence at a full out run. She knew the intruder cleared it when Toto ran to the corner of the yard, barking until whoever it was disappeared from his domain.

“Here, boy!” she said, waiting until the dog came to her. She showered him with praise, and straightened as Toto ran over to examine something on the ground. She walked over to the still glowing cigarette and held it up for Sam to see. “Looks like he’d just lit up when Toto surprised him.” She leaned over to scratch the dog’s ears again. “Good boy,” she crooned.

Sam’s shoulders stiffened angrily as he shook his head.
“That son of a bitch!
Tomorrow I’m installing a security light in this yard. Maybe even two of them,” he growled. “This really chaps my ass.”

She stared into the darkness and nodded. “He’s got some balls, doesn’t he?” she said, trying to cover her concern.

Sam swore again. “I need to tell Doug about this,” he said, as Carrie’s sedan pulled into the driveway.

The twins stumbled out of the car, and Lauren reached Carrie first. “Mom, we almost got hit!”

“But it wouldn’t have been Grant’s fault,” Gretchen finished for her. “Some dude peeled out of a driveway in a big truck.”

“He ran the stop sign on the corner over there.” Lauren pointed just west of their street.

“What street, Nick?” Sam asked his son.

“It was Second Avenue and Tenth Street, Dad. That guy almost plowed into us. It would have been bad if Grant hadn’t slammed on his brakes when he did.”

“Did anybody recognize the truck or driver?” Carrie asked.

Grant spoke up first. “I’ve seen that truck somewhere, Mom. It has to be from the Gardiner or Lake Erin area. What happened?”

Carrie held up the cigarette. “He was here again. This time Toto surprised him and chased him off. That guy jumped the back fence to get away from vicious here.” She turned to Sam. “You think it’s the same guy that nearly hit them?”

Sam nodded slowly. “Could be, that’s just one block over. If he’s in decent shape he could easily have run that distance in the time we’ve been out here.”

“And Toto chased him off.” Lauren said, bending down to hug the dog.

“Good dog,” Gretchen added, lavishing praise onto the ecstatic animal.

“What kind of truck was it? Can any of you describe it?” Sam directed his question mainly toward the boys.

“Chevy Z-71...Newer model with lots of chrome,” Nick said.

“Big tires and V-8 engine, by the size and sound of it. Like Nick said, lots of accessories,” Grant added. “The truck was either Navy blue or black, but our lights reflected off of all that chrome.”

“I didn’t see any kind of custom paint job, did you, Grant?” Nick threw in, as Grant shook his head.

“Did it have a tool box or anything else in the back of it?” Sam asked.

The two young men looked at each other and shook their heads. “Nope,” they answered in unison.

“The inside of the truck was dark. Maybe the windows were tinted,” Lauren said.

“Grant, remember how you accidently turned the dash lights off of dad’s truck and we couldn’t figure out how to turn them back on?” Gretchen asked brother. “You remember how it was so dark inside the truck it was scary?” She turned to Sam. “Well, that’s how dark it was, so maybe he’d turned them off.”

They went inside to jot down the various descriptions of the truck. When they were satisfied, Sam walked over to Doug’s with the list and the cigarette butt in a plastic bag, while Carrie and all four kids stayed at her place. Occasionally, she walked to the back door to make sure Toto was still playing the role of sentinel and guard dog to the family. He’d look up at her with his big brown eyes and thump his tail exuberantly, but remained at his post just outside the back door.
Good Dog.

Sam returned from Doug’s about fifteen minutes later. “Doug called in the incident as well as the description. He said since it’s so quiet around here because of the holidays, he thinks the truck driver is our man. Grant, I told him what you said about recognizing that truck from either Gardiner or Lake Erin. It’s just too bad there were no identifying decals or custom paint job to make the truck stand out. That’s a popular truck, and navy blue and black are common colors. They’ll beef up the patrol in this area, swing by with their spotlights. He said they’ll let the Gardiner PD know about it, and that’s about all they can do for now.”

Carrie lifted her chin and smiled at the group. “I bet he stops now that he knows we’re not such easy targets.”

“I still don’t like it, Mom. Let me hide in a corner with a baseball bat,” Grant remarked.

“Or a tire tool. We could take care of this guy for you,” Nick added.

“Oh yeah, sure y’all could,” Gretchen teased as Lauren snorted with laughter.

“No one’s hiding anywhere with anything,” Carrie said, as she turned to Sam, who wore a troubled expression.

“I’m leaning toward Grant’s suggestion,” he mumbled, once the kids had all entered the house.

“It’ll be fine,” she reassured him as she pulled him by the arm. “Let’s go see what movies they chose.”

The five of them sat down to watch “X-Men”, the movie of choice, with “What Women Want” waiting in the wings. Carrie kicked off her shoes and curled her feet up on the comfy couch, snuggling closely to Sam. When the movie ended, Sam and Nick got up to leave. The kids all said their goodnights and Nick walked on home. Carrie stood out on the porch, alone with Sam.

“Smell anything?” he asked, as he watched her lift her nose to the air.

“Nope.
He’s gone, thanks to Toto.”

Sam pulled her into his arms. “Look, I don’t want to scare you, but just because Toto chased him away tonight doesn’t mean he won’t come back and try something later.”

“I doubt he’ll think I’m worth that much trouble,” she snorted.

Sam smiled down at her. “He’d be wrong,” he said, pulling her close for a kiss.

She allowed the one kiss then pushed gently away from him.
“Sam, my kids.”

“What...” he groaned. “They already know I’m crazy about you.”

“I can’t stand out here on the porch and neck with a guy they saw for the first time yesterday. I need to set a better example than that.” She patted his chest as he nodded patiently, his jaws tightly clenched. “How about you come for breakfast tomorrow before I leave for work?”

“I’ll be here, but keep that radio on,” he said, pulling her toward him for another kiss.

He ended the kiss, leaving her weak-kneed and wanting more. “The radio...Yeah...I’ll...I’ll keep it turned on,” she stammered as Sam touched his forehead to hers.

“Looks like the radios won’t be the only things turned on tonight,” he growled, giving her one more, light kiss on the lips before backing away from her.

Carrie walked
into the office the next morning at five minutes to seven. She sniffed appreciatively as the smell of fresh brewed coffee reached her.

J.C. glanced up at her from his desk. “Hey Carrie, did you have a good Christmas?”

She nodded and set her purse down on her desk. “I did have a good Christmas. I got moved into my new place, so it was busy.”

J.C. nodded. “So, you heard any from Sam? I wonder what he’s been up
to?
”

Carrie remained silent as she walked into the kitchen to pour herself a cup of coffee, followed closely by J.C.

“I mean, when the rest of us left here that last day of work, you two were still here. I just thought maybe you two got a chance to talk,” he continued.

She prepared her cup in silence and took the first swallow before finally turning to face him. “We talked, and...
other
things,” she said, wondering how long he’d last.

“What
kind
of other things?” he asked, obviously past the point of simple curiosity.

Carrie grinned at him. “Just spit it out, Nosy Rosy. You know you’re dying to.”

“Are you two a couple now, or what?” he burst out.

She paused briefly before answering her co-worker. “We’re a couple.”

“I
knew
it,” he exploded. “Even when you were pissed off at him on your second day here, I had this feeling.” He pulled up a chair at the small table in the kitchen. “Tell me everything.”

“It’s just you and me here today. We’ve got all day to talk.” Once she’d filled him in on all the happenings over the holidays, he shook his head in awe. “Sam wasn’t too afraid to leave you alone today?”

“I asked him to stay home and watch my place instead. My kids are there.”