Sheriff in Her Stocking (15 page)

She lifted her
head and pulled on his shoulders turning him around to face her. “You’ve been
friends since you were kids. Don’t throw away a lifetime of friendship because
of something someone else did. Jake didn’t pull the trigger. You said yourself
you didn’t have any idea why Mr. C walked into that alley that night. He could
have--”

“I know why.”

Rick and Delaney
looked at Jake.

Jake slumped
into a chair. “He told me right before he died. He walked through the alley to
take a shortcut home. He’d finally gotten up the courage to ask Ms.
Shively--you know the lady who worked in the bakery down the street--for a
date. He was running late. Last minute prescription needed to be filled before
he closed. He wanted to shower and put on some new aftershave before he went
over to pick her up. Otherwise he would never have been there.”  He pinned
his gaze on Rick. I’m sorry, I’m so goddamn sorry.”  His voice was low and
filled with torment. “I should have been the one to take that bullet. . .not
Mr. C.”

There had been
so much hurt, so much anger over the years and an ocean of grief under the
bridge. Rick felt the hurt and anger he’d held for so long ease in his chest
and sooth the bitterness in his heart. He looked across the room at the man
he’d grown up with; the kid who’d slept over at his house countless times,
eaten God knows how many meals at his family’s table.

His mother had
taken care of him when he was sick because his own mother had to work nights.
For the first time in years, he saw past his own anger and hurt to the misery
in Jake’s eyes, a burden of sadness Rick had never bothered to see before.

All he ever
thought about was his own. The loss of Mr. C and the shadow of suspicion cast
over him, the distrust that cost him his career with Chicago P.D. But then he
never would have moved to Avery, made the life he’d made, a better life with
people who cared about him and people he cared about in return.

Rick caressed
Delaney’s cheek with his finger. She smiled. He never would have met Delaney,
the other half of his soul.

He walked over
to his friend and held out his hand.

Jake exhaled a
deep breath, blinked back tears and ignoring his outstretched hand, drew him
roughly against his chest.

Rick slapped
Jake’s back hard a couple of times as Jake hugged him. They drew apart and Rick
smiled at him. “You’ve still got a hell of a punch.”

Jake chuckled.
“You too, buddy.”  He rubbed his chin. “My jaw will never be the same.”

* * * * *

The next day Rick
saw Oliver Harden’s new Mercedes parked outside the convenience store. Rick had
overheard Oliver’s wife talking about an expensive remodel of their house that
would start in the spring. Again he wondered where he got the money. He made a
U-turn and headed for the bank. It wouldn’t hurt to stop in and ask a few
questions.

A few minutes
later, he strolled into the bank. He felt relaxed and loose more than he had in
years. He supposed it was because of Delaney. This feeling was more than the
awesome sex he’d shared with her, it was the woman he had come to know and
respect. After she helped him and Jake heal their past and make things right
again between them, he could definitely say he trusted her. No amount of
forgiveness could ever bring back Mr. C, but at least he and Jake could begin
to recover the foundation of friendship that began in their childhood and
continued through all of their shared memories and experiences.

Rick opened the
bank’s glass door and stepped inside. The lobby was quite large with marble
floors, brass railings. There was an area crowded with desks, where customers
could apply for loans and open new accounts. He waved to a couple of people he
knew then made his way over to Amy Larimer’s desk. She had helped him secure
the loan for his house. She hung up the phone as he approached. Amy was in her
late forties to early fifties with a June Cleaver hairstyle and conservative
suit. Her husband was the only electrician in town.

“Hi, Rick, how
are you today?”  She motioned to a chair in front of her desk. “Have a
seat. Would you like some coffee?”

Rick smiled.
“Hi, Amy. No, I just finished a cup before I left the office.”  He sat
down and they exchanged after a few minutes of idle chit chat.

Amy sipped from
a mug sitting on her desk. “How can I help you today?”

Rick leaned
forward and rested his arms on his thighs. “I need to some information about
Oliver Harden.”

Amy sat back in
her chair. “Rick, you know I can’t discuss details about a customer’s bank
account. Not without their permission or a court order anyway.”

Rick held up a
hand. “I understand. I’m not asking for specifics, just generalities. And I
wouldn’t be asking if it wasn’t important. I’m just trying to get my mind
around how a man who runs a convenience store can afford to drive a Mercedes
and buy his wife expensive jewelry at the same time.”

Amy smiled and
nodded, tiny lines fanned out around her green eyes. “Everybody in town is
wondering the same thing. Roberta flashes that ring every chance she gets. I
must admit anyone who sees it needs a pair of sunglasses to shield their eyes
from the glare.”  Her smile faded and she frowned. “Do you suspect Oliver
of criminal activity?”

Rick shook his
head. “No, I’m not suggesting anything like that.”

“Okay, what
would you like to know?”

“Has he made any
large deposits over the past couple of months?”

“Let me bring up
his account.”  She keyed in some data on her computer then looked at Rick.
“He came in back in September to ask if he could expand his credit line. At the
same time he asked about the notification limit on cash deposits to the IRS. I
explained that any amount over ten thousand had to be reported.”  She
looked back at the screen. “Over the past couple of months his deposits haven’t
been over ten thousand. They range from five to nine thousand.”

Interesting.
 “Have they all been in cash?”

“Yes, all cash,
no checks.”

Rick sat back
and thought for a minute. “Does he have a credit card through the bank?” 
He knew the Mercedes and the jewelry couldn’t have been paid with just a few thousand.
The Mercedes cost a bundle and the ring cost God knows how much. “Amy can you
check his account and see if he wrote checks to a dealership or jeweler and the
amount of the checks?”

Amy tapped a
finger on her computer mouse. “I’m sorry, Rick I can’t do that without a court
order.”

“Okay, can you
tell me if he has a personal credit card through the bank?”

“No, he doesn’t
use our services.”

“What about any
electronic deposits from another bank?”

She shook her
head. “No, nothing like that. He has a personal and a business account but no
unusual activity, just normal transactions and deposits. Nothing exorbitant or
unusual.”

Rick knew most
retail businesses processed checks and credit card purchases. The money had to
come from somewhere. He noticed when he drove by the store that Oliver’s new
SUV had been purchased from Trent Mercedes up in Great Falls.

 He thanked
Amy and left.

Rick went back
to the office and made a call. When he hung up he had an answer to his question
but still no idea where the money had come from. Oliver had paid sixty thousand
in cash for his truck. Sixty grand was quite a chunk of change for a man whose
store did a good business but not enough to afford a luxury vehicle like a
Mercedes.

He received a
call from an elderly woman who lived on 10th street asking him to come by and
rescue her cat. After, Rick pulled her overweight cat from one of the gutters
on her house he headed back to the office. On the way he saw a news van from
KTVQ in Billings. The words Montana’s News Station-Always On” was painted in
large letters on the side of the van.

Earlier, the sun
had been shining but the temperature had dropped as snow clouds filled the sky.
Rick parked the cruiser and climbed out. Icy wind swept around him. He zipped up
his coat and shoved his hands into the pockets of his uniform. He saw the mayor
and Delaney being interviewed on the sidewalk with the other board members
standing in the background. A camera man was busy taking pictures of the newly
installed awnings and lamp posts.

Delaney wore a
skirt and boots with a sweater and jacket. Rick remembered it was the same
skirt she’d been wearing the night they met. And also the same one that flew up
when she fell and her hand ended up on his package. His penis twitched inside
his pants at the thought. He caught her eye and her gaze warmed when she saw
him.

He waited and
watched. She sure had come a long way from being stranded on the side of the
road in a snow storm to helping the town and now she was on television.

Her hair hung in
silky waves past her shoulders. He knew first hand the texture and taste of her
lips and tongue, the feel of her breasts looked like not to mention the sweet
pussy between her thighs. His blood warmed, his skin grew tight just thinking
about it.

As soon as the
interview was finished Delaney excused herself and walked to Rick’s side. “Hi,
what do you think of the awnings?”

“They’re
beautiful.”

She smiled.
“Thank you.”

“But I have
other things on my mind besides awnings at the moment.”

Delaney arched a
brow. “Like what?”

He grasped her
hand and leaned close to her ear. “I need to fuck you. Now.”

A few minutes
later, they stepped inside the sheriff’s office. Rick locked the door, swung
Delaney up into his arms, walked quickly through the doorway leading into the
back and kicked the panel shut.

Delaney giggled.
“What brought this on?”

He put her down
with her back against the wall, clasped her head between his hands and kissed
her until he was breathless. Rick trailed his lips over her jaw and down her
neck letting the taste of her seep into him.

She turned her
head giving him better access. “I had no idea this sweater and skirt was so
sexy.”

He jerked up the
hem of the sweater and unsnapped her bra. “It’s you that’s sexy.” 
Quickly, he pushed her bra aside and clamped his mouth to her breast sucking
hard. “You were wearing this the night we met remember.”

“Yes.” Her voice
was breathless and raspy.

Her skin smelled
and tasted like honeyed nectar the same flavor of her pussy. He yanked up the
skirt, tugged down her panties and found her wet, aroused and ready. While his
mouth worked greedily at her breasts, he massaged her clit firmly. He heard her
cry out as the orgasm consumed her. She convulsed against his fingers and her
essence coated his skin. Next, he ripped off her panties. Absently, he noticed
they were bikinis not a thong this time. “Just for general information,” he
said on a ragged breath. “I prefer thongs. I like the thought of your ass and
most of your pussy being naked under your clothes.”

She wrapped her
arms around his neck. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good.”  He
grasped her thighs, lifted her legs. “Put your legs around my waist.”  He
unzipped his pants, pulled down his underwear to free himself. With one hard
thrust, he pushed inside her filling her to the hilt. Her wet passage closed
tightly around him. His balls slapped against the lower cheeks of her buttocks.
In a steady rhythm he pumped in and out. “God, I love your pussy. It squeezes
me, milks me exquisitely.” 

Gasping her bare
buttocks, he held her firmly against him while he pounded into her. He closed
his eyes and let the exquisite cradle of her body sweep his mind clean of
everything except her. Rabid heat started low in his abdomen then swirled
rushing faster and faster until the warmth entered his penis engorging it. He
felt his cock stiffen even harder and swell, the head rubbing against her
cervix wanting more, needing more. When the orgasm hit him, the pleasure was
blinding. He felt his sperm squirt inside her. Even after the heat of their
passion was spent, he continued lifting his hips slowly pumping against her. He
lowered his head to a spot between her neck and shoulders and kissed her. “That
was incredible. I can’t seem to get enough of you.”

After a few
minutes he pulled out of her and lowered her legs and feet to the ground. She
stood before him with mussed hair, swollen lips and sexy eyes. “You definitely
look like a woman who has just had sex. Did you like me ripping off your
panties?”

She kissed him
lightly on the lips. “Oh yeah. That made me so hot.”

“Good.”

“Next time it
will be my turn to rip yours.”

Rick grinned.
“You’ve got a date.”

* * * * *

The next
morning, Rick stepped outside his house and took a deep lungful of cold air.
The storm was clearing out. A patch of blue sky peaked through the cloud cover.
He smiled as he climbed into the cruiser. His body was still partially aroused
after the vigorous sex he and Delaney had together in the shower. He’d taken
her from the back, her pussy, wet with cum and water.

He cranked the
car, pushed the heater up to high and headed down his driveway. When he reached
the end instead of turning left and heading to town he decided to drive past
Oliver Harden’s house. He’d heard some people talking in the diner about Oliver
having a lot of company lately. They’d seen strange cars parked in front of his
barn. Since it was only a couple of miles out of his way, he called the
dispatcher and told her he would be in the office shortly after he made just
one quick detour.

Rick turned off
the highway onto the recently plowed road leading up to Oliver’s house. When he
saw a couple of strange cars parked in front of the barn, he pulled over at a
safe, discreet distance so no one could see him. Oliver didn’t keep farm
animals just a couple of horses because Roberta liked to ride. He took his
field glasses out of the case and trained them on the barn. Who would be out
there this early except Oliver to feed the horses?  Maybe he was selling
one of them. At least he could give him the benefit of the doubt.