LITMIR.BIZ

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made it on time—well, practically on time—for her first day of work.

      “You’re late, Mrs. Michaels. Try to be here on time in the future. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done.” Mabel stood behind her desk outside Gabriel’s office, her expression stern, her stance reminding Rebecca of a drill sergeant.

      Rebecca stopped halfway across the room, aware of Gabriel to the side, talking with one of his officers. He turned toward her, a scowl on his face, and her heart sank.

      A smile transformed Gabriel’s face almost immediately. He said a few more words to the officer, then headed toward Rebecca, his eyes warm with a welcome. “I wanted to be here to greet you your first day at work.”

      Everything would be all right, Rebecca thought, forgetting other people were nearby while she basked in the warmth of Gabriel’s greeting.

      He slid a glance toward Mabel, who stood behind her desk watching them, and lowered his voice. “She’s tough on the outside but soft on the inside. Give her time.”

      Rebecca eased her tense muscles and returned Gabriel’s smile. “I didn’t think I should get a speeding ticket my first day on the job. Probably wouldn’t look very good.” She peered at Mabel, who was tapping a pencil against her desktop. “But then, maybe I should have.”

      “Just between you and me, no one’s out patrolling at the moment so you’d have been safe. In fact, trying to catch speeders isn’t a high priority for this department. But I don’t condone that kind of behavior, so don’t let anyone know,” Gabriel said in a tough voice while merriment danced in his eyes.

      “Wild horses couldn’t drag it out of me.” Rebecca pressed her lips together to emphasize her point, caught up in Gabriel’s playfulness. He had a way of wiping away her worries, of making her see this job was a start to a new part of her life.

      “Now don’t be alarmed, but Mabel is heading this way with a look of determination on her face. I realize her nickname is Dragon Lady, but I don’t know what I would do without her. She’s been here so long that she knows where the skeletons are buried.”

      Rebecca turned toward the Dragon Lady, who came to a halt right behind Rebecca. Smile, she told herself, and forced her mouth to curve upward, drawing comfort from the fact that Gabriel was next to her. He made her feel she was capable of doing anything. He made her want to lean on him when she knew she couldn’t.

      Rebecca stuck her hand out to Mabel. “I’m so glad to be here—”

      “Mrs. Michaels,” Mabel said, ignoring Rebecca’s outstretched hand, “we have a lot of work to do today. With Jenny gone these past few days, things have been piling up. If you’re through chitchatting, come with me.”

      “Yes, Mrs….” Rebecca realized she didn’t know Mabel’s last name, and somehow she was sure the woman wouldn’t want her to call her by her first name.

      “Ms. Preston.” Mabel pivoted and marched toward a desk in the far corner.

      Rebecca threw Gabriel a helpless glance, then followed Mabel, all the while eyeing her new desk, which faced a wall with old brown paneling. A pile of folders threatened to topple. Papers scattered across the battered desktop mocked any sense of order.

      The older woman waved her hand toward the papers. “I don’t like to talk ill of anyone who isn’t here, but as you can see, Jenny didn’t work much these past few months, ever since she started dating her new husband. I won’t tolerate that from you.”

      Dating or not working? Rebecca wanted to ask, but diplomatically kept her mouth shut. “How long did Jenny work here?”

      “Not long, and frankly, even if she hadn’t left for Oklahoma City, she wouldn’t have been here much longer.” Mabel gestured toward the pile of folders. “These cases haven’t been filed in a month. This wouldn’t have happened if Gabriel hadn’t made me take a vacation. I don’t tolerate slackers on the job. It’s just you and me keeping this place running. And a police department must have order and efficiency to work properly.”

      Rebecca wondered what the woman did tolerate, but kept her mouth shut. She needed this job, and even though Gabriel was the police chief she suspected Mabel ran things around the station. “I’ll do my best.”

      “You better, or…”

      The unfinished sentence hung in the air between Rebecca and Mabel. Rebecca swallowed past the sudden constriction in her throat.

      “Now.” Mabel placed her hand on top of one stack of folders. “The first thing you need to do is log these into the computer under complaints, then file them over there.” She pointed across the large room to a bank of file cabinets. “When you’re through with that job, I’ll explain what else you need to do.”

      After Mabel gave her the password to get into the computer files, she strode away. Rebecca released a slow breath while she scanned the messy desk, so out of place in the orderly station. She heard a cough behind her and looked to see Mabel waiting for her to get busy. Rebecca scrambled into the hardback chair and switched on the computer, hoping she knew the software program. She didn’t want to ask Mabel for help. She only had so much bravery for one day. Thankfully the computer was similar to the one she’d had in Dallas.

      As she checked the hard drive, trying to find a place to log in cases, she couldn’t help feeling like a fish out of water. She looked up from the computer and stared at the brown paneled wall in front of her. It must have been part of the station since the sixties. Noticing at least a dozen nail holes in the paneling, she thought about bringing some pictures to hang and maybe some flowers from home to brighten her work area.

      “Mrs. Michaels, is there a problem?”

      Wincing, Rebecca clicked on an icon and found what she was looking for. “No, Ms. Preston. I’ve got everything under control.”

      Two hours later Rebecca regretted saying she had anything under control. She frowned at the offending computer screen, wondering what Mabel would do if she threw it at the brown paneled wall.

      “It can’t be that bad.” Gabriel leaned against the desk, gripping its edge, while he stared at her.

      The minute Rebecca saw his face crinkled in a grin, a sparkle in his eyes, the past few hours’ troubles vanished. She relaxed in her chair.

      “What’s wrong? You’ve been staring at that computer for the past hour as though you’re gonna do bodily harm to it. I have to remind you, ma’am, we’re in a police station, and that kind of behavior is frowned upon.”

      “Did anyone bother to check how competent Jenny was with the computer?” she asked with a laugh. “Nothing’s where it should be. I’ve spent the past hour moving files from one folder to another. I haven’t had a chance to log in any of these yet.” Rebecca trailed her hand up the foot-high stack taunting her. “And to make matters worse, Ms. Preston has been coming over here every fifteen minutes and watching what I do over my shoulder. I can feel her breathing down my neck. I’m sure I have scorch marks on my flesh.”

      Gabriel’s grin widened. “Mabel’s just trying to make sure another Jenny doesn’t happen.” He bent forward, invading her personal space. “You see, Jenny is the mayor’s daughter, and we sort of had to hire her. But I don’t think Mabel has forgiven me for that yet. Everything will work out.”

      His clean pine scent washed over her, and Rebecca imagined a spring day spent hiking in the woods. “Easy for you to say. I don’t see her dogging your every step. I’m even afraid to take a bathroom break. By the way, where is it?”

      “Come on.” He grasped her hand and pulled her to her feet. “You haven’t had a tour of the station yet, and every new employee deserves at least that.”

      With his touch, again Rebecca visualized walking in a pine forest, the sun streaming through the trees, bathing her face in radiance much as his smile did. Everything will work out. In that moment she believed those words.

      Chapter

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