Mirror in the Forest: Book One (25 page)

“I know, but now is not the day to dump him,” Jessica answered.

Tessa and Jessica stood there quietly for a moment. Tessa’s emotions were playing across her face, and Jessica could tell there was something bothering her.

“You gonna tell me what’s on your mind, or are you just going to stew on it?” Jessica finally asked.

“I was just wondering why Rick Tanner would blame you for Sara Miller?” Tessa pondered.  

Jessica knew she had to defend herself, and looked over at Tessa in stunned silence.

“Are you saying that I had something to do with Sara Miller?” Jessica asked trying to sound incredulous.

“No. No! That’s not what I’m saying at all. Jeez Jess paranoid about something?” Tessa asked.

“Well…..you brought it up,” Jessica said, trying to turn the tables on her.

“We all know that was an accident, but something is bothering me,” Tessa responded.

Jessica held her breath while she waited for Tessa to say what she needed to say.  

“What?” Jessica asked, getting impatient.

“I remember you told me about a mirror, and Rick mentioned it.”

“Yeah, so?”

“That just seems weird to me,” Tessa said, thoughtfully.

“I’m sure it would.  I’ve been back to the forest and haven’t seen it. My dad said Rick would camp in the forest sometimes when he had nowhere else to go, you know staying at those abandoned cabins, maybe he owned it or something,” Jessica rationalized.

“It just seems weird that he told you it would destroy you,” Tessa pushed.

“Tessa, are you going somewhere with this?” Jessica asked, defensively.

“No! If you would listen then I can actually finish my thought.”

Jessica waved her hand around in the air. “Okay then, explain please.”

“I think that he has hallucinations, and maybe found the same mirror you did, and it talks to him,” she said quoting ‘talks’ with her fingers.

Jessica almost smiled. So, that’s what Tessa was thinking.

“Well, aren’t you
Perry Mason
?” Jessica asked, sarcasm dripping in her voice.

Tessa put a finger to her chin in thought. “You haven’t seen that mirror since the fire?’

Jessica shaking her head in denial said, “No. I tried looking for it again, but it’s gone.”

“Maybe it was his all along, and he started the fire,” Tessa mused. “He hid when you came close to him, thinking you were going to steal it.”

“That happens a lot with heavy drug users, my Mom says,” Jessica answered, wanting this conversation to end.

Tessa shrugged, and said, “Well I’m going to go home.”

Jessica suddenly pulled her best friend into a hug, and said, “Thank you. Without you, who knows what Rick might have done to me.”

Tessa pulled back and smiled. “Nobody messes with my friend.”

“Looks like I won’t be dressing up for Halloween. My dad won’t let me out of his sight,” Jessica said, glancing at the front window and seeing her dad peeking out.

“You know what, I didn't want to anyway,” Tessa smiled again.

When Mark finally came in for his shift that night. Marge told him that Rick Tanner did post bail, and that the Winters’ had already been notified.

“I’m going home,” Marge remarked, gathering her belongings.

“Thanks, Marge,” Mark said with a smile.

“You’re welcome Sheriff. Paul is patrolling now, but should be back soon,” she answered.

“Is he staying?”

“No, for once. I already called the state,” she answered.

“You’re a godsend Marge,” Mark said, teasing her.

Marge gave him a quizzical look, and pushed her glasses up on her wrinkly nose.

“Are you mocking me?”

“Not at all, I am truly sincere,” he said in a dramatic fashion, as he unlocked his office door.

Marge started mumbling under her breath about smart asses, and kids not being raised right anymore.

Mark chuckled while he did his usual equipment checks, trying to go through his paperwork at the same time.

Paul walked in not soon after, and then Hal arrived for the shift.

“Looks like Rick posted bail,” Paul said to Mark.

“I knew one of his junkie friends would get him out,” Mark commented.

“Actually, the bail was sent anonymously,” Paul informed Mark.

Mark looked up from his gun check surprised. “Really?”

Paul nodded. “You’re probably right about another junkie, but the guard told me, they usually show up. Not this time.”

“Huh,” Mark answered, still wondering what that was about. “Could have been one of his dealers.”

Paul shrugged. “Anyway, I thought you’d like to know.”

Mark thanked Paul, and told him to enjoy the rest of his night. Paul responded that his wife made that impossible.

“Are we going to patrol the Winters’ house tonight?” Hal asked going to his locker to get ready for the night.

“Yeah, and I already notified state in case he takes flight. Don Winters wants the book thrown at him, and I’m sure Rick knows that, but just in case,” Mark answered tightening his belt.

“I would be the same way, but going to Cooper, well, I would worry about that. Cooper has made people disappear for his friends,” Hal remarked.

Mark shrugged. “I think he is too busy for that right now, but you never know. We better make sure that doesn’t happen. However, if he tries to fly, we need to get to him first.”

Mark wasn’t saying anything, but he really did wonder why Rick would attack Jessica Winters.

From what her dad told him, he tried to help him on many occasions.

Also, Rick was a junkie and a drinker, but always harmless when it came to the town. They would usually lock him up for the night, and he would be out and about the next morning with no issues.

For Rick to suddenly attack a young girl was really bothering Mark, and he wanted to have a talk with Rick, but since he had already posted bail, he was free, so that was not going to happen tonight. He would wait till Rick showed up on the street again.  

Mark did that to keep Rick away from Jessica for her safety. However, he knew the judge wouldn’t deny bail, and he would keep an eye out for Rick tonight. He kept ranting and raving about a mirror and Sara Miller dying during the ride to the jail, from what Bill told him, and he wanted some answers.

He remembered the look of fear that Jessica had when he pulled Rick off of her. He hated seeing that on her face, and thought of checking on her well-being, but didn’t want to disturb the Winters family tonight. They had enough to deal with.

He would just patrol the area, watching out for Rick to show up somewhere. For some reason, Mark doubted Rick would show up to try anything, but just in case. Well, that’s what Mark was telling himself.

Hal and Mark separated not long after, and said they would get something to eat before everything closed.

It was still Saturday, so some things were open later than usual.

Mark looked around. It was quiet for a Saturday night around the town, but Mark knew it was from the Sara Miller funeral service.

Mark was grieving his mom’s good friend too, but knew he still had a job to do.

He was about to get into the car when he heard a voice calling him.

“Sheriff McKenzie!”

Mark looked around and spotted Anna, Sara’s daughter hurrying towards him.

She looked so much like her mother; he could have sworn it was Sara approaching him.

“Hi, Anna,” he said, when she caught up to him.

“I hope I’m not keeping you from anything,” she questioned.

Mark noticed some paperwork in her hands.

“No, no. Please….what can I do for you?”

Anna looked around and he could see she was still trying to deal with her mother’s sudden death.

She had decided to open the store; her husband and her aunt were helping sell as much as they could before they put the place up for sale.

She said she would stay for about a month until they got all of Sara’s affairs in order. Her husband and her kids would go back to Arizona next week, and Stella would help out on weekends.

“I did the inventory as promised, but nothing was missing,” Anna said, scanning the paperwork she held in her hands.

Mark was disappointed. He had hoped to find something, because his gut told him something was not right about how Sara died.

She handed him the paperwork, and he glanced over it while Anna continued to talk.

“So, nothing missing?” He asked. He would go over it himself later.

Anna shook her head. “No, nothing from the inventory or the register.”

“Alright. I just wanted to be sure,” he was careful with her, since she just buried her mother that morning.

“There is one thing, though,” Anna said, looking extremely tired.

“What?” Mark asked with interest piqued.

Anna ran her fingers through her hair trying to decide what to say.

“My mother also did some…..umm….. under the table sales,” Anna told him with a slight smile. Anna knew Mark was close to Sara, and could confide in him.  

Mark wanted to laugh, but held back. Sara made her money somehow, he thought.

“I figured,” he said.

“She did keep journals of her secret sales, and did write about thinking of selling the dagger to someone in Germany,” Anna said handing over the rest of the paperwork to Mark. “The one you thought was missing, but I remember that dagger. I never thought she would sell it.”

Mark couldn’t hide his disappointment. She may have sold it right before she died. Mark remembered his conversation with Sara about the dagger, and she insisted it was not for sale. He began to think it was because she was saving it for someone else.

“Does this say she actually shipped it out?” He asked leafing through Sara’s journal.

“I don’t think she made it that far,” Anna said, sadly.

Mark sighed to himself. He knew that was probably it, but could have sworn that she told him that too.

Anna sighed loudly in frustration. “Now I am stuck reconciling everything.”

“I’m sorry,” Mark said sincerely.

Anna shrugged and wiped her wet eyes. “I shouldn’t complain. I would rather have her here.”

“Me too,” he answered, putting a consoling hand on her shoulder.

Mark spoke with Anna for a few more moments, and then he put the paperwork in his cruiser. He wanted to read it over himself to make sure she didn’t miss anything in her grief.

He still thought something was not right, but had another job tonight.

He watched as Anna walked back to her mother’s store, and went inside. The night of Sara’s death still played like a record in his mind.

He drove around, and thought it was going to be a long night. He hadn’t gotten enough sleep, because of the funeral.

Hal and Mark would take turns going through the Winters’ neighborhood throughout the night.

As the night passed, Mark issued a few speeding tickets and went to break up a small fight at the bar; however the town was very quiet for a Saturday, and that was usually his busiest time.

He looked at the clock on his dashboard and groaned. It was only two in the morning. He still had a few more hours.

He knew Hal was probably asleep somewhere, and decided not to disturb him for right now.

Hal informed him that Jessica’s neighborhood showed no signs of Rick, nor did he see him at any of his usual hangouts.

Mark made his way over to Jessica’s house, and found it dark from the outside.

He turned off the patrol car, and sat for a while looking around trying to keep his own eyes open. He should have gotten some coffee before he stopped there.

He was thankful that it was almost November and he would finally get some day shifts. The deputies and himself took turns every month working the shifts. It would be his and Hal’s turn soon.

He thought about hiring another deputy for some relief, but didn’t know if their budget would allow it. The city police force was looking better and better.

He sat there and listened to the radio, and kept the music as loud as he could to keep awake.

He had some cassettes in the car, but was too lazy to put any in right now, and thought that
Def Leppard
playing on the radio should help.

Mark looked up in surprise to see a light turn on inside the Winters’ household.

He spied a figure moving around, but couldn’t tell who it was.

Then the outside light turned on, and the front door opened. He was even more surprised to see Jessica come outside.

He watched as she quietly closed the door, walking towards him with something in her hand.

She was wearing some pajama pants, slippers, and a sweatshirt. He could see her breath as she made her way closer to his cruiser.

Her hair flowed past her shoulders in soft waves. Mark tried to stifle the thought, but he wanted to run his fingers through her hair badly.

He cursed and adjusted in his seat.

“What can I do for you Miss Winters?” He asked, rolling down the window when Jessica stopped in front of him.

She held out a steaming coffee cup so he could take it.

“I remembered you like your coffee black,” she answered quietly.

Mark sat there for a moment. His conscious mind told him to politely turn her down, and get out of there, but the rest of him took the coffee cup from her hand without further inner arguments.

“Thank you. That was very nice of you,” he said, sipping the coffee, finding he was grateful for it, and the company.

Jessica smiled shyly, and said, “You’re welcome. I know it has to be boring sitting out here watching me.”

Mark smiled, and said, “Not a problem. I guess you know Rick Tanner posted bail, so you probably shouldn’t be out here by yourself.”