Interference (3 page)

I
picked
up the phone from the wall in the kitchen. This was actually pretty handy, this phone on the wall thing. We should go back to this. I hate having to look for my cell phone. I dialed the Sheriff's office, from the faded list my mom had tacked to the wall above the bright yellow princess style phone.

"Sheriff's office," answered a female voice.

"Hey Shirleen, it's Savannah Strong. Is Clay there, please?"

"Hey Savannah, welcome home! You in town for good?"

"Nope, just closing things up here."

"Oh, darn, well maybe I'll see you while you're here. Let me get Clay for you he was just here a minute ago," she said then clicked me to hold.

"Savannah," Clay's voice boomed at me.

"Clay, good to talk to you," I smiled, a smile shows on the phone, right? Don't realtors and car salesmen talk to you while they look in the mirror at their own smile?

"You too young lady, what can I help you with?"

"Well, I'm in town for a few days and I happened to see Daire," I glanced over at him and caught him smiling as I told the white lie, "and he mentioned some trouble. I was just calling to see how much trouble y'all think he's in."

"Well, officially I'm not supposed to talk about the case," I could just see him hitching his brown uniform pants up over his belly as he chatted with me, "but I can tell you off the record he might be in a little bit of trouble."

"How little? Raiin's kind of a magnet for trouble as I remember."

"That's mostly just nuisance stuff, can't help that he's a hockey hero now can he?" was that a sneer I heard or did I just imagine it? "This is bigger though, we have his bike on video leading the charge, and of course he's always with his bike so we believe it to be him doing some of the destruction. They rocked the bus pretty good, and it looked like some wanted to set it on fire. While there wasn’t exactly a riot going on, the crowd sure was crazy. I'm not coming for him just yet, but at the very least, he is going to have some explaining to do.”

"Are there any witnesses saying he was at the scene?"

"No, no, but his bike was there."

"Are you sure it was his bike."

"Well the plate was obscured but the detailing and trim are the same, sure looks like his bike to us."

"That's pretty thready, Sheriff," I looked directly at Raiin as I talked, did I really know him? Could I say for sure he hadn't done this? I felt like I could, but …

"It's not all that thready Savannah. Like I said though, we have a few days yet before we're gonna come looking for him, or anyone, but he can expect a visit if that's what you're asking."

"All right then, thanks for the information, I appreciate it."

"You're welcome, maybe I'll see you around."

Not if I see you first, I thought.

"Thanks, Clay, we'll talk soon," I said and hung up the phone.

"It was your bike," I said as I turned to face Raiin. His eyes met mine and my heart fluttered a staccato beat.

"Nope," he shook his head. "It was not."

"They have you on video."

"They have someone on video."

"Raiin, this is … I don't even know, why would you do this?"

"Savannah, I didn't do anything but go home and sleep off a great game. You know me better than that, I wouldn't begin to hurt people,"

I arched my brow at him.

"Outside of the rink I mean. I don't need to," he stood and stretched to his full height. "No one messes with me anyway. Not anymore. Thanks for calling Clay for me, I'm gonna get out of your hair and go look for a bike that looks just like mine."

"Oh good Lord, do not go playing private eye now."

"It's my good name at stake," he grinned and winked at me. "See you around?"

"Yeah. Oh! God! What time is it? I have to meet Ally!" I looked at the clock, 8:15, I had 15 minutes to be presentable and at the bar.

"Go, shoo! I have to get ready."

"You want a ride? I can drive, it will be like old times."

"Yeah, no thanks," I said as I shoved him out the door. I was glad for the excuse, having him around was making me think stupid things. Like how to keep him around just a bit longer.

He stopped and turned and for a second I thought he would kiss me again, but he just touched my cheek with his strong calloused hand, "See you soon," he whispered and left.

I busied myself with a quick shower, skipped doing my hair, tossed on some make-up and was only 10 minutes late to see Ally.

The Tavern was just like I remembered it. Some things never change and this was one of them. I pushed open the door and the familiar smell of the old bar rose up to greet me. It was a mixture of wood polish, used liberally on the bar and the tables, and draft beer, used liberally by the patrons. We had been coming here since before we were supposed to be here.

Ally was at the bar, patiently waiting, as always. She turned and smiled and it was like the sun coming out. God I loved that girl.

"You're here! I saved you a stool," she said, which was pretty much what she always said. "What will you have? I wasn't sure you'd be drinking tonight," she nodded at Bailey, the bartender who raised her head and listened for my order.

"I'm just going to have an unsweet tea for now thanks," I said, and Bailey grabbed a glass and had it in front of me before I could blink twice. She had been here for as long as I could remember too, although she never aged, this bar was practically her home.

"Man, this place never changes, does it?" I said, looking around. "Remember when I lost my license in the ladies’ room?"

"Yeah. Except it wasn't your license, it was your permit and we definitely weren't supposed to be here."

"I know," I said, sipping my iced tea, but everyone else was here, and they weren't serving us."

"True, we could hang out but we had to have fake cocktails," she laughed.

"Mocktails, right? They called them mocktails!" I laughed.

"I hope that doesn't show up when they're vetting their next assistant magistrate up north."

"I'm less worried about that than I am about Daire."

"Why, that's old news, a youthful indiscretion, right?"

"That's how I was spinning it, but there seems to be some trouble brewing now and I'm not sure what to make of it. Or how to stay out of it. "

I explained the whole video of the bike thing, and my conversation with the sheriff.

"And that's how we left it," I finished up, "that he would be talking to Raiin. Which he shouldn't do without a lawyer present."

"And you?"

"And I can't be that lawyer, I told him."

"But you know the deal between him and Clay."

"I do," I sighed.

"He's just jealous, he feels like Raiin got his career."

"Right, which is ridiculous, because Clay was never the skater Raiin was."

"No, he was a fighter though."

"The Punisher."

"Oh, God, I forgot that. Yeah, that's what they used to call him."

"And now he's top cop, the punisher in chief, right? Kismet."

"So, wait, do you think it was Raiin?"

"No," I said, " I know it wasn't Raiin. He's a fighter, sure, but pelting a tour bus with eggs, breaking windows, tipping it over? Nope. That's childish. Not his style. He fights with a purpose, it's for the game not for kicks. And using his bike? He's not stupid, he knows there are cameras everywhere. And he wouldn't put his beloved bike in the middle of a mess like that anyway. Nope, not him. Someone who looks like him maybe, but not him."

"But the bike?"

"I don't know, but he's," I waved my hands around looking for the right word, "well he's a celebrity. Maybe someone has a bike just like his? There are weirder forms of hero worship."

"Well, let's hope you can slip away without getting tangled up in his mess, a toast to that!"

Just as we clinked glasses, the door to the Tavern swung open and we spun on our stools at the same time. And there, outlined in the neon lights of the beer signs, was Raiin. He stood for a moment, framed in the orangish glow. His eyes sought me out, and locked on mine, and just like that, there went any hope of me avoiding him, his mess, and maybe even his bed.

"
L
adies
, a drink?" Raiin approached the bar. I closed my eyes for a minute and pictured myself at sixteen, with Raiin approaching me and Ally at the bar for the first time, and asking the same thing. At that moment, I knew I had met my destiny. He was big even then, a few years out of school, playing for his college team and waiting for his big chance to play in the majors. He had been shocked to discover how young we were, but he and I had been drawn toward each other from the beginning.

I opened my eyes and returned to the present, and there he was, larger than life, looming over us.

"I bet you say that to all the girls," laughed Ally, pointing at her glass, "I'll have one more, moms don't get out much."

"How is your rugrat?" Raiin asked.

"He's a child, not a rugrat, and he's fine. You should come by and see him sometime. I know Justin would love to see you too."

"I'll have to do that," he turned toward me, "and how are you?"

"The same as I was when you woke me up a few hours ago."

"Cranky?" he grinned.

"Very funny, how're you? Any word from our friends at the Sheriff's office?"

"Nope, nothing. I'm expecting them though. We have a game tomorrow night, you coming?" he turned to Ally, "I can get you tickets for Justin and Grady too, if you're interested."

"That would be great, come on, let's do it," Ally turned to me.

The only person in the world I hated to disappoint was Ally. I knew she didn't get out a lot, and money was tight with her staying home with Grady. This would be a treat for all of them. Never mind that I was doing a terrible job of not getting sucked back into my future ex-husband’s life. I sighed. I'd leave town soon, and it would all be done.

"Um, sure, I guess," I said.

Right away Ally started to backpedal, "Oh, but not if it doesn't work for you," she gave a fake smile, and I knew she really wanted to go.

"No, it's fine, we'll do it,"

Ally and Raiin both looked relieved that I said yes. I had better get my shit together and get out of this town before I did something I'd really regret. Again.

"And you," Raiin pointed to my glass. "A drink?"

"Just iced tea right now thanks, it wouldn't do to lose my head."

"Don't be ridiculous. You're home now, you can walk to the house if you don't want to drive, we won't judge," he waved at Bailey behind the bar, and said "an iced tea, the liquored up kind, don't listen to her," he said as I shook my head no and waved my hand at the glass.

Before I knew it, my unsweet tea had been replaced with the Long Island variety, and as I sipped it I could feel the tension falling away from my shoulders.

"I'll be back," Raiin said and wandered to the back of the bar where some of his buddies were playing pool.

"He's something," Ally said, interrupting my reverie.

"He is, I gotta get out of here before …" I trailed off.

"I hear ya, but you know, maybe …"

"No. Just no."

"He's different now, Savannah, really he is. And he still carries a torch."

"I know; I can see the torch from my house up north. But he's not reliable. I mean just today he's in trouble with the cops." I shook my head, "I can’t think straight when that guy is around."

"That's the part that makes me think …"

"I know, but you're all romance, that's just who you are. He and I are done, end of story. We can be friends, and I'll see if I can take a minute to untangle whatever mess he's gotten himself into, but we're done."

"And you'll go to the game?"

"Oh yeah! Yes, of course, I said I would. We'll have fun, just like the old days," I gave her a hug, "but then I'm heading home and starting my new job and leaving him to cause trouble for someone else."

Ally laughed, "I can't help it, in my head it's always him with you."

"Well get it out of your head, those days are gone," I said, while I stole a glance at Raiin playing pool in the back room. He was with a few other players and they looked good together, comfortable, happy. It was increasingly difficult to believe this was the guy who had created havoc at that last game and been arrested. Clay knew him, and knew better than to believe it was Daire.

That iced tea was hitting me now. I turned to Ally and said, "Wanna take a walk? Not far, I just could use some fresh air."

"Sure," she said as she grabbed her purse. We stepped outside and the evening southern air was sweet and cool, a nice change from the stiff humidity of the day. Air you can wear my mom used to call it, and I smiled at the memory.

"I needed to get out of there, the walls were closing in," I said.

"Tell me about it. Living where you grew up is a double edged sword, that's for sure. I'm always tripping over classmates. Tripping over my past. It's hard to be seen as an adult when the lady at the CVS used to sell you lollipops."

"Tell me about Clay, what's he like now?"

Ally wrinkled her nose, "Same as always, full of himself and spiteful, only now he carries a gun and a badge. So probably, no one is stuffing him in lockers lately."

I burst out laughing, "God, I had forgotten. Can you believe the team did that to him?"

"Twice," she laughed. "It's mean, I know, but no one deserved it more. He liked you though."

"He did, but he was still an ass. The team should have left him in that locker."

"And what about you," she asked me, jumping tracks. "I'm here seeing our old classmates every time I go to the grocery store, how's your life?"

"It's good. Busy. No time for socializing, or, well much of anything really. I've worked really hard to get to where I am. That's kind of why I haven't focused on the divorce."

"When will you have time for you?"

I sighed, "Not for a while yet. I need to prove myself in this new job, then work toward the next one. Once I'm there I can slow down some. Work fewer hours maybe, take a break. I shouldn't even be here now to be honest but I can't move ahead until things are settled here, the house …"

"Daire," she added.

"Yes, Daire. I really need to finalize that. He doesn't argue, doesn't fight with me, just plain old doesn't do it," I shook my head. "And the house, who should I call do you think? Get that thing listed and sold."

"I hate this, you know? You won't have a place in town anymore," she smiled wistfully at me, “I miss having you around.”

"Me too, but Grady's getting older and I'm getting a tiny bit less busy, you can come see me sometime, we'll have a girls’ night in my new place."

"Yeah, we'll do that," she looked at her watch, "Oh shoot, I'd better go. I'll ask Justin who he thinks you should talk to about the house, and call you tomorrow."

"Okay, thanks sweetie, talk to you then."

We had walked back to the bar, and even though I knew Daire was inside, even though I knew better, I went in to use the ladies room, and maybe for just one more.

Because liquor and old lovers are a magnetic combination on a warm southern night.