This Hero for Hire (10 page)

There being no way to control Susannah now, Boone released her. She ran down the stairs and looked back at the house. “Oh, no, Boone! Did you know about this?”

“Just a few minutes before you did.” He followed her line of sight as she read the vehement indictments against her father. Each seemed worse than the last as the spray painted messages referred to Georgia's governor as everything from a baby killer to a tyrant. The nearby fertilizer plant took a few hits as well, being called a poisonous evil in the area.

“Do you know who did this?” she asked Boone, her voice shaking so badly he could barely understand her.

His mind immediately pinpointed the most obvious culprit. “Where was Randy last night?”

“Randy?” Susannah shook her head. “That's nuts. Randy wouldn't do this. He's one of us.”

“He's also a loose cannon,” Boone said. “He's made his position on the fertilizer plant and its owners clear. And he probably knows that your father wouldn't support his ideas.”

“Why shouldn't he?” Susannah said. “They aren't illegal.”

“But your group believes... How long has Randy been with you?”

She pressed her lips together as if she were trying to keep from saying something she would regret. “He couldn't do this,” she said. “He wouldn't. Yes, his opinions are strong, but he's always followed our non-violent principles.”

“How long?” Boone repeated.

“A few months only,” she said softly.

“Do you have any idea how the vandals got on the property?” Boone asked. “There's a five foot fence all around and a locked gate.”

She gave him an incredulous stare. “Believe me, Boone, that fence is not difficult to climb over.”

Figuring that she had firsthand knowledge of that stunt, he merely frowned. “Before I arrest Randy, do you have another suggestion for who might have done this?”

She remained silent for a few moments and then said, “What about your friend, Lila?”

“Menendez? No way!”

“She's not happy that you're out here. I could tell that when she stopped by the farm. She obviously has a big crush on you. Maybe she thinks a threat of this sort will make us leave and put you back on regular duty.”

Boone thought about what she said. If he stretched his imagination, he might be able to visualize Menendez doing something like this. But it would be a stretch.

“You're not saying anything,” Susannah said. “You think it's possible, right?”

He had to defend his partner. “No. It's not possible.” But he'd already decided he'd have a talk with Lila before the day was done. What had occurred here overnight was not only disturbing, it was dangerous. Someone had come on the property, close enough to leave damage on much of the home's front exterior wall. True, Boone's window faced the rear of the house, but he was a trained law enforcement officer. He should have heard something.

As if reading his mind, Susannah said, “Boone, I can see the wheels turning in your head. This isn't your fault. You can't be expected to have an eye on every inch of this property all the time.”

The frown deepened. “I don't think your father would agree.”

“No one was hurt, Boone. Maybe it was just a prank.”

His eyes narrowed. “This was no prank and I think you know that.”

“What I do know is that we have to get out to the farm. There's a lot of work to be done today, and I'm sure the rest of the crew is already there.” After a pause, she said, “If I get a chance, I'll speak to Randy, try to determine where he was last night.”

“We'll go just as soon as an officer from Mount Union gets here,” Boone said. “I want a detail out here every night, drive-bys on the hour.”

She left instructions for Maria to call a house painter to cover the damage, grabbed her duffle and climbed in Boone's truck to wait.

A half hour later, he'd given a report and instructions to one of his buddies on the force and joined Susannah in the truck. “Things are going to change,” he told her.

“How? What do you mean?”

“Isn't there a connecting room next to yours?” he asked. “They're joined by a bathroom, right?”

Her expression registered shock and just a hint of amusement. “You're not suggesting moving in next door to me, are you?”

“That's exactly what I'm suggesting. I'm taking the adjoining bedroom. And we're keeping the bathroom doors open all night.”

“I'm sure that will be effective if someone tries to spray paint my sheets.”

He gripped the steering wheel tightly, forcing his frustration into his hands. “In case you haven't noticed by now, Susannah, I'm not going to let anything happen to you. If I need to bring a bedroll into your room at night, I'll do it. No arguments.”

She stared out the windshield. “I wouldn't think of arguing. It's been years since I've had a slumber party, and it might be fun.”

* * *

S
USANNAH
 
QUESTIONED
R
ANDY
, but he claimed he was in his room at the motel all night. Driving home in the evening, Boone told her that Lila also had an alibi. “I doubt we'll see a repeat performance,” he said. “I've been assured that patrols will go by regularly.”

Later Boone proved he was as good as his word. He moved his belongings into the room adjoining Susannah's. When he was ready to go to bed, he opened both doors leading to the connecting bath and turned on a nightlight. “You'll be safe now,” he assured her. Before backing into his own room he gave her a look that was part protector and part something else, something sweetly sensual and just between them. Susannah hoped he couldn't tell how his intense gaze had unsettled her—in a good way.

“Thanks. I guess this will work out okay.”

“I'll hear you if you say my name,” he said, his expression deeply serious.

“I'm sure you will.”

He went into his own room, and Susannah drew down the covers on her bed. But more than an hour passed before she fell asleep. She listened for sounds coming from the next room, sounds of a man settling down but still wakeful and vigilant. When Boone sighed deeply, Susannah felt it in her own lungs and released a deep breath in response.

The faint light from the bathroom was like a beacon of safety in the darkness. Boone was there, a few yards away, and he'd promised to take care of her. She didn't really believe she needed taking care of, but she felt warm and protected knowing he was there and that he was a man of his word. And strangely she even wondered what she would do without him when her project was over.

Was she beginning to fall for him? Or was this merely a continuation of the crush she'd had on him in high school? Whatever it was, when she did fall asleep, she was smiling and holding a pillow close to her chest.

* * *

W
ITH
 
NO
 
SOLID
 
clues to go on, and Susannah even suggesting that perhaps the vandalism was the work of troubled teens like she had been, Boone concentrated on keeping Susannah safe for the rest of his time at the mansion. She adapted to the closeness he'd established in their sleeping arrangements, and he was satisfied that the situation was working.

But two weeks later, in the middle of a cool October night, Boone's cell phone rang. Not recognizing the number, he answered in a groggy voice. “Braddock.”

“Officer Braddock, this is Sergeant Danforth with the Burl County Sheriff's Department.”

Suddenly wide awake, Boone sat up against the headboard. “What's this about?”

“Your supervisor, Chief Stickler, gave me this number and told me to call you. We've got a Miss Rhodes in county lockup in Libertyville.”

He shook his head to clear the last of the cobwebs. “You've got to be mistaken. She hasn't left the house.” Aware of how naïve he sounded, he added, “At least not to my knowledge.”

“Sorry if this is a shock, but we've got her. She's not giving us much information, but we did get an address on her. And naturally the address and her last name alerted us to the delicate situation of her identity. That's why I called Mount Union's PD. Stickler didn't seem to want to become involved in this matter, which is why I am talking to you now.”

Boone squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed the lids. In the back of his mind he hoped this was a nightmare from which he would soon awaken. He hadn't even known that Susannah wasn't asleep in her bed on the other side of the bathroom. “What did she do?” he said, reaching on the floor for his discarded jeans.

“We've got her on breaking and entering and destruction of private property. Looks like a significant amount of damage.”

He suspected the answer but asked the question anyway. “Where did this occur?”

“Out on Cline's Hill Road,” the sergeant said. “At the fertilizer and pesticide facility.”

“I'll be right there.”

Boone was dressed in jeans and a button-down shirt in less than thirty seconds and in his truck before a minute had passed. Only when he was speeding down High River Road did he wish he'd taken time for a cup of coffee.

Questions buzzed through his brain. When had Susannah snuck out of the house? And why had she done that? Obviously she was doing something she didn't want him to know about. And why hadn't he heard her? He slept with the window open and one ear tuned to the outside property. He hadn't heard her start the Suburban's big engine.

One fact was clear. He had failed. Just a month and a few days into this assignment and the person he'd sworn to protect had slipped right though his fingers as if she was an experienced cat burglar. The car hugged a curve as he barreled down the vacant road. The governor was not going to be pleased. Well, join the club. Hard to imagine Albee Rhodes being any angrier than Boone was right now.

The county jail was the only building on the little used rural road outside of Libertyville. The main office area was brightly lit, but the myriad of small windows identifying cells were dark. Of course, it was barely 5:00 a.m. Was Susannah sleeping in one of those cells? Did she truly deserve to be locked up? He definitely might lose control of his temper if she did.

After he was buzzed into the reception area, Boone showed his badge and ID to the officer at the desk. The veteran grinned. “You here about our esteemed First Daughter?”

Boone nodded. “I'm sort of her personal bodyguard.”

The man chuckled. “Well then, Officer, good job with that. ‘Soggy Susie,' as we call her, gave you the slip, didn't she?”

“Look, Sergeant,” Boone said in the calmest voice he could manage. “I was just woken up from a pretty nice dream with news that Miss Rhodes was a guest here. I'm not really in the mood for banter. Can I see her, please?”

The officer pointed to a small conference room off the reception area. “Sure. She's in holding. I'll have her brought down.”

Boone started toward the smaller room but stopped and turned back. “Has she been officially booked? Should I be thinking about getting her an attorney?”
One that won't immediately call her father?

“Let's just say she's been detained for now. As for an attorney, I couldn't say. She had a couple of cohorts on this caper, and from what I've heard, they've pretty much cleared Miss Rhodes from culpability. But lawyering up is never a bad idea. A lot of damage was done.”

Boone sighed and trudged into the conference room. Susannah showed up five minutes later. A green blanket hung around her shoulders, hiding most of her gray sweatpants and red tank top. Her clothes were damp. Her hair fell to her shoulders in humidity-frizzed waves.
Soggy Susie
all right. This was going to be quite a story.

CHAPTER TEN

S
USANNAH
'
S
 
LIPS
 
TREMBLED
 
when she tried to smile. Of course, a smile wasn't exactly appropriate in this situation, but she didn't know what else to do. She could easily have cried. She was so thankful Boone had come. He looked so good sitting there, his hair mussed, his long legs spread out in front of him, his ankles crossed, his arms folded on his chest. Not that he looked happy. He didn't. But he looked like the Boone she was used to. In command, ready to take charge.

“Thanks for coming,” she said, choking back shameful tears.

He didn't make any move to sit up straight. His lips hardly moved when he said, “Oh, my pleasure. I wasn't doing anything anyway.”

Cutting sarcasm. Yes, it was bad, but his reaction could have been worse. And she suspected he'd only just begun to express his disapproval.

“I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was leaving the house.”

“Are you? Are you really sorry? Because I can think of a way you could have prevented all that regret.”

Ouch. “By telling you...”

“Yeah. I'm supposed to know where you are every minute. I'm supposed to be with you when you aren't in your room. I'm supposed to protect you.”
And keep you from getting arrested!
“Besides all that, you made me look and feel like an idiot. I'm sleeping just a few feet away from your door now. I should know when you hiccough.

“Oh, no, you shouldn't feel any blame. I was very quiet, and I've snuck out of that house many times. I...”

His cold stare cut her off.

“I understand why you're so mad, but I also knew that you wouldn't approve of where I was going and what I was doing.”

“As if that makes any difference,” he said, nodding his head almost imperceptivity. “But we can probably agree on that. And I'm not too happy that you avoided being seen by the regular patrols going by the house.”

She gave him a sheepish grin. “Well, I timed it just so...”

“Yeah, I get it. Let me tell you what I do know, Susannah. I know where the crime happened. I know when it happened. What I don't know is why or how.” He narrowed his eyes. “It's time for you to fill in the blanks.”

“You're not going to like what you hear.”

“I've already figured that out. But if I don't get a clear, truthful accounting of what happened, Susannah, I'm going to walk out that door and you're on your own.”

She couldn't let that happen. Boone was her only means out of this jam. She couldn't call her father again. Albee had pretended to sympathize with her last scrape with the law, when she saved the chickens, but he would never support the action tonight. What her group did at the fertilizer plant damaged the property of one of the most powerful factions that supported her father. Not to mention they'd broken the law. If news of this latest escapade got out, not only would her father never speak to her again, he also might lose the election. Who would vote for a man to control the workings of an entire state when he couldn't control his own daughter? And she'd lose Boone forever.

That last part made her shiver.

She sighed. “Do you think I could sit down?”

Without speaking, he lifted one booted foot, touched the toe on the leg of a chair on the other side of a narrow table and pushed it out toward her. When she'd taken the seat, he asked her if she wanted some water.

“Yes, please.”

He walked to the door and requested the drink. This small gesture of compassion buoyed her spirits. She hadn't planned on Boone finding out about her middle-of-the-night run. She knew he'd be furious and had a right to be. She'd thought she could drive to the factory, stop the intended destruction and be back home with Boone never being the wiser. Unfortunately, even the best-laid plans often backfired, and this one had. Miserably.

She sipped the water. The cool liquid soothed her parched throat. She could talk now, and she had to choose her words carefully. She was on the verge of having Boone walk away, and she couldn't let that happen. So much of her work depended on him. Besides, and this was the truly remarkable part, it killed her to think she'd disappointed him.

When that realization had struck, she couldn't say exactly, but sometime in the past few weeks, she'd become quite fond of this cop. She hadn't intended to. She had told herself to maintain her distance from him. She couldn't afford involvement, the heart-pounding kind he offered, when she still had so much to accomplish with her life. But even the best-laid plans...

“Okay, here's what happened,” she began. “Do you remember yesterday when Omar, Randy and I were having an argument?”

“I remember you telling me it wasn't an argument, but yes, I remember believing that you were lying.”

“Well, I was. Omar and I were upset with Randy, and we were trying to make him listen to reason. He's new to our group, and we thought he'd be a helpful addition. He's strong and committed to our principles. He wants to make the world a better place...”

“By destroying part of it?” Boone interrupted.

“We didn't know he had a militant side to him. Tonight we discovered that he's rash, doesn't think things out.”

Boone delivered a knowing, cocky grin. “I'm familiar with the type.”

“He's much more impulsive than I am,” she defended. “He believes in action rather than words.”

“And look where his action got him,” Boone said. “And you and Omar along with him.”

“I know. It's a mess. I swear, Boone, I'm telling you everything, and it's all the truth.”

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and focused on her with those green eyes that could be as fierce as they were gentle. She sensed he would believe her.

She explained about the midnight phone call she received from Omar telling her that Randy had attempted to sneak out of the motel room. Only Omar had awakened and questioned him. Randy tried to evade the truth with some story about needing a soda, yet ending with the totally nonsensical declaration that Omar shouldn't wait up for him.

“Not wait up for someone going to the soda machine?” she said to Boone. “Obviously Omar knew something was going on. He questioned Randy until he got enough information to know that our new employee was planning something and it didn't sound good. Remembering the argument from two weeks ago, and the fact that Randy hadn't let his disgust for the fertilizer plant drop, Omar put two and two together. He tried to persuade Randy to stay at the motel, but it was no use. Randy left and Omar called me.”

Boone rubbed his hand over his mouth, taking in what she'd told him. “And you did exactly the same thing as Randy did? Snuck out of the house?”

“I went there to try and stop him. I certainly wasn't in support of whatever cockamamie plan he had cooked up. All I could think about was diverting him from fulfilling it. I knew his actions could destroy all the work we'd done.”

“And it didn't occur to you, not once, to wake me up and tell me what was going on?”

If he only knew. She'd stopped at his bedroom door, her fist poised to knock. Then she'd reconsidered. Randy could be stopped, she'd believed. She didn't want to see him arrested, and Boone surely would have done that if he'd determined that Randy had broken the law. But there was another reason she hadn't knocked, and that's the one she told Boone now.

“I considered waking you, but this was my problem. I'd brought trouble to Mount Union, and I had to clean it up. And...”

He blinked hard at her. “And?”

“I couldn't risk that you'd tell my father. I know you've promised to keep my secret, but if Randy was planning something illegal, I didn't know if the promise would still stand. I thought I'd talk sense into Randy, get him back to the motel and crawl back into my bed without you knowing I'd been gone.”

“You're right about one thing. If I'd caught Randy breaking the law, all bets would have been off.” He didn't dwell on the fact but just said, “So, what happened when you got to the plant?”

She explained the chaos she discovered when she arrived. All fertilizer manufacturers are required to have natural ventilation in case of a leak, and Randy had opened one of the emergency windows with his crowbar. Randy, being extremely thin, had shimmied in the slight opening with no problem. Omar had to spend precious moments widening the gap so he could enter the warehouse. When Susannah hoisted herself through the window, she saw Omar basically chasing Randy around the interior of the plant.

“Omar couldn't catch him?” Boone asked.

“No. Randy had already opened several valves on the sprinkler system and water was pouring onto the bagged fertilizers and pesticides that had been stacked on pallets for distribution to stores. Knowing the damage that would cause, Omar tried to shut off as many as he could while still attempting to get closer to Randy and stop him from doing more damage.”

“At least I know how you got soaked,” Boone said.

Susannah plucked at her tank top. “And you know how the bags got soaked too. I can't begin to imagine how much product was ruined.”

Boone cocked his head to the side. “You know what, Susannah? You're going to find out. And if it's as bad as you think, I wonder if your father is going to get you out of this one.”

Her blood chilled. “I can't ask him, Boone. He'd never speak to me again. There are things you don't know...”

“Would one of those things be that the Lawson Fertilizer Company is one of your father's financial backers in the upcoming election?”

Her breath caught. “You know that? I didn't think you followed politics.”

“Why would you think that? Because I'm a dumb cop whose intellectual environment doesn't exceed the boundaries of one little Georgia town?”

“No, of course not. I don't think that at all. I think you're the most...” She stopped herself before she revealed just how wonderful she was beginning to believe he was, how much she depended on him, how often she thought of him sleeping in the next room, keeping her safe. She swallowed and said, “I certainly don't think you're dumb.”

He smiled. “I guess I am a little dumb,” he said. “I don't know what water can do to fertilizer when it's packed in bags. Why don't you tell me?”

“It's potentially explosive,” she said. “Which is why they have the sprinkler system to begin with. It can even be toxic.”

“But when it's sold to the consumer, it's in the form of small granules, making it somewhat safer to handle.”

“Yes, that's right, but when the granules are still bagged, and water is added, it clumps, becomes as hard as rock. And it's unusable.”

“I see.” Boone tapped his finger on the table. “So every bag that got soaked tonight is a loss?”

“Pretty much.”

“Then your friend, Randy, is in a boatload of trouble.”

They were both silent, considering the ramifications of what Boone had just said, when he suddenly asked, “So, how'd you get caught?”

“Sensors in the building. They detected movement and initiated the silent alarm, which was heard in the sheriff's office.” She looked to Boone for sympathy, which she knew she wouldn't get. “Stupid, right? Even the most inexperienced criminals would know about sensors.”

Boone stood. “Okay, at least I know what happened.”

“You believe me?”

“I believe you. If Randy does the right thing and clears you of all responsibility for the damage, I might be able to get you released.”

She felt a burst of hope. “Really? Tonight?”

He shrugged. “It's a possibility.”

As he walked by her to the door, she stopped him, taking his hand in hers. “You may not believe this, but it could have been worse.”

He stared down at the juncture of their hands. “How?”

“Randy destroyed the property in the safest possible way. He could have started a fire. He could have ripped open the bags before he turned the water on. Then we'd have poisonous fumes over the area and possible harmful runoff into our water system.”

Boone gave her an incredulous stare. “That Randy. He's a heck of a guy, isn't he?”

She disengaged her hand. “I used to think so.”

“I'll let the officers outside know we're done here and then I'll see what I can do.”

“Can you help Omar also?” For a moment she thought she'd gone too far with that request, but he almost smiled.

“I'll try.” He stopped at the door and faced her squarely. “Hopefully I'll be able to take you back to the house with me tonight...” He glanced out the narrow ceiling window where the first rays of sun were peeking through the dirty glass. “Make that this morning. And if I do...”

When he paused, she said, “If you do, then what?”

“I'm not going to let you out of my sight, Susannah. Not until your father gets home. If I have to lock you in your room, or move my bed...”

He didn't finish the thought but instead shut the door behind him, and Susannah smiled. Boone hadn't abandoned her. He'd believed her. And now he was going to bat for her with the sheriff's department. She was going home with him, and right now nothing seemed more wonderful than that. The words he'd just said had been meant as a threat, but she knew there were worse punishments than being in his company all day and all night.