The Firefighter's Girl (15 page)

“You don’t get to come,” he said when he was finished, his voice hoarse, low.

Slowly, he pulled out of her and stepped back, his eyes on her bottom, on what she felt already sliding out of her.

Her face turned a bright red and she turned to look at the seat of the wooden chair, both humiliated and more aroused than she had ever felt in her life.

Chapter Ten

When Sawyer excused her from her punishment, it was with a hug more so than words. As soon as he touched her shoulder, Rebecca straightened and without words herself, melted into his chest, a sobbing mess.

He held her tight to him, his arms wrapped around her, covering her shoulders, her back, while she closed her eyes and simply wept. She felt his kiss at the top of her head and he didn’t speak or do anything. He simply held her.

It wasn’t even from the humiliation of her punishment that she wept. Or at least not only that. In fact, that embarrassment was not on her mind now that he held her. It was over, her punishment, and she had been forgiven. She didn’t need to hear his words to know it. She had made a mess of things. What had happened today in the courthouse, how she had damaged her own reputation that one stupid night and how much that would cost her now combined with the reality that in a few weeks’ time, she could be sentenced to go to jail, simply overwhelmed her.

“Shh,” Sawyer coaxed when her sobs grew stronger rather than dying down. “It’s going to be ok. “

Her inhale shook her body and he wrapped one big hand around each shoulder and pulled her backwards so she had to look up at him.

“It’s going to be ok,” he repeated more slowly.

“You don’t know that. You can’t.” The crying began again.

“Rebecca…”

“I mean, maybe I should just take the deal the DA is offering. Maybe I should just do that. If they think I’m guilty, it will be worse.”

“But you’re not guilty, Rebecca.” He shook her once. “You are not guilty.”

She searched his eyes and found in them a strength she did not possess. The tears stopped slowly and she nodded. “I’m so tired.”

He turned her then and walked with her up the stairs. “Let’s get you washed up and into bed. I can imagine you’re exhausted after this day.”

Instead of taking her to her bedroom though, Sawyer walked her to his own. There, he switched on the shower and set her inside it and, after stripping off his clothes, joined her. She stood as if a child and allowed him to wash her, shampooing her hair and then running a soapy cloth all over her, taking care when he reached her bottom, gently cleaning every inch of her. When it was over, he wrapped her up in a towel and dried her off, then set her on the bed and slid one of his t-shirts over her head. He then turned her over onto her belly and lifted the shirt high enough to smear ointment over her welted bottom.

He was so gentle that she was nearly asleep when he finally finished and covered her again before tucking her in. Although she couldn’t say she felt good, not with what was looming in her future, she felt safe and comforted. He would take care of her. She knew it. He wouldn’t let anyone harm her.

* * *

The next days passed quietly, but both she and Sawyer were on edge. At least he went to work during the days and she could brood on her own. John couldn’t find anything on her driver’s license and she kicked herself for not having reported it. How had she forgotten? Well, that wasn’t that hard. She had simply forgotten. A lot had been going on in her life.

It was Thursday night when John called to say he’d be over in fifteen minutes.

“What is it about?” Rebecca asked Sawyer when he hung up.

“He wouldn’t say.”

“It can’t be good,” Rebecca said, that now too familiar feeling in her belly returning, the one that made it almost impossible to eat.

Sawyer watched her, then approached, taking her by the shoulders. “It’s going to be ok. We’ll deal with whatever it is together.”

“I’m the one who’s going to go to jail when all is said and done,” she said, pushing his hands off.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Sawyer said, following her when she took two steps away.

“How do you know?” she snapped, raising her voice.

He looked at her, his expression surprised, then hurt.

“Ugh.” She hung her head and shook it. “I’m sorry. God, this just fucking sucks!”

“We’ll get through it together, I promise, Rebecca.”

“I know you mean well, Sawyer, but I think even you can’t control this.”

“We need to stay focused. Do you need the plug?”

Her expression changed. “No.”

The doorbell rang, but he didn’t let her go. “Ok. Be good.”

A few moments later, they all sat down at the dining room table and John looked from one to the other, his expression almost sorry for her. “Shannon’s attorney has worked out a deal with the district attorney.”

“What?”

“Her father’s putting pressure on him, I’m sure, but either way, this isn’t good for us.”

“What’s going to happen to me?” she asked.

Sawyer squeezed her hand in his and she leaned closer to him.

“Well, in exchange for her testimony against you, Andy, and Jeff, she walks with a six-month probation, her record clear.”

“What?”

“That cannot be allowed,” Sawyer said.

“It’s not fair! I didn’t do anything wrong! She’s the guilty one, not me.”

“We still have a chance the jury won’t buy her testimony,” John said.

“What about the driver’s license? Have you found anything out about that?” Sawyer asked. “It’s possible Jeff took it out of Rebecca’s wallet.”

John shook his head. “Nothing,” he said, standing. “I’m sorry.”

“What are we going to do?” Rebecca asked.

“We’re going to prepare for our next court date on Tuesday. Rebecca and Sawyer, you’ll both take the stand.” He opened his briefcase and set some papers down on the table. “Study these, be prepared, and I’ll see you both on Monday morning.”

Rebecca picked up one of the sheets.

“I’ve got to go. I have a dinner appointment,” John said.

“I’ll walk you out,” Sawyer said.

“John,” Rebecca called when he got to the door. “That offer’s not on the table anymore, is it?”

He shook his head. “Hang in there. We’ll do what we can.”

With that he left and Sawyer returned to pick up the other sheet John had left.

* * *

On Friday morning, Rebecca watched as Sawyer drove off to the firehouse. He had barely left when the telephone rang. She went to answer it, but was surprised when she checked the display to see it was the physical therapy office.

She picked up the phone. “Hello?”

“Rebecca?”

“Hi, Claire,” Rebecca said, exhaling, not sure what she was expecting at all.

“How are you doing, hon?” Claire asked.

“Not great.” It was the only honest answer she could give.

“Listen, I wasn’t even sure if I should pass this message along. You know how I felt about Jeff and how he treated you.”

Rebecca nodded even though the woman couldn’t see her. “I know.” Seemed like everyone knew but her.

“Well, he called for you yesterday. He said he has some information that might help you.”

“What kind of information?” Rebecca asked, perking up a little.

“He wouldn’t say. He did mention though that he was wrong to have written that letter.”

Rebecca closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead with one hand, realizing how it shook when she did. “What does he want?”

“For you to go see him. I’m not sure it’s a great idea, but if it helps…”

Rebecca inhaled deeply, exhaling through her mouth. “God, what a freaking mess,” she said, taking a seat on the couch.

“I know, hon. Maybe you
should
go. He sounded upset.”

“Upset how?”

“Like he was scared.”

“I bet he is. Shannon made a deal with the DA. She’s testifying against all of us.”

“I saw that on the news.”

“It was on the news?” Sawyer hadn’t allowed her to watch TV all weekend. Now she realized why.

“Listen, I have to go. The other girls are just getting here.”

“Ok, thanks, Claire.”

“Good luck, hon.”

With that she hung up and Rebecca sat staring at the phone, looking at her fingernails, which she had bitten down to nothing in the last weeks. She considered dialing Sawyer to tell him what Jeff had said, but knew what he would say if she asked permission to go. One of the things her old neighbor Mr. Coleman had told her more than once was that it was easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission. He would joke that was one of the most important lessons he had learned in all his years. Rebecca had to smile at the memory now.

She got up and set the phone back in its place. She had a shower and hadn’t even fully decided what to do until she walked out the door and to the bus stop eight blocks away.

* * *

Rebecca looked up when the door opened and Jeff was led into the room where she waited for him. It was a large room and six other tables had visitors speaking with inmates. The mumble of words was constant, but the close proximity of the tables almost provided a privacy she had not expected.

“Hi,” Rebecca said when Jeff sat down across from her. She took in his face, his tired eyes. In the short span of time since the last time she had seen him the night of the fire and now, he looked older. And scared.

“Hey. Thanks for coming.”

The silence between them was awkward as she searched his face, his eyes, trying to find something she recognized. “How are you doing?” she asked.

“Not good.” He tried to laugh but it didn’t quite work out and he glanced nervously at a nearby guard. Rebecca also looked at the guard and part of her wanted to run out of the place as fast as possible. “My lawyer told me Shannon made a deal.”

Rebecca nodded. “I heard that too.”

“She’s a fucking liar, Bec.”

Rebecca looked at him, at his eyes as they shifted from her face to his lap as if he were thinking. She wanted to ask what sort of liar he was that he had dragged her into this, but didn’t.

“Claire said you had some information for me,” she said flatly, wanting to be finished here, wanting to go back home. Feeling more than a little bad for not having told Sawyer what she was doing.

“She hates you, you know,” he said, turning cold eyes to her.

“You told Claire you had information for me? You know I’m not a part of this.”

For a moment, she caught a glimpse of the Jeff she had first fallen in love with. But then it was gone. Whatever his reasons for doing this were, it wasn’t guilt or any feeling toward her. He was operating out of fear.

“I took the license out of your wallet a couple of months ago. You didn’t even notice,” he said.

“You stole it?”

“It was Shannon’s idea. She had it planned all along—the lab I mean. Andy went along with anything she said.” He shook his head and looked off again, his eyes filled with disgust. “Pussy whipped.”

“Where’s my driver’s license?”

He smiled. “That’s one thing I did right. She doesn’t know I kept it rather than destroying it when we finished with it.”

“Where is it, Jeff?” she asked again, getting anxious. Needing him to tell her before he changed his mind.

“You gonna help me if I tell you? You gonna get me a fancy lawyer too?”

She couldn’t promise him anything; he was guilty. “Where is it?”

“I asked if you were gonna help me.” His eyes were so cold.

“If I have my license back and it proves somehow that Shannon was more involved than she claims, it will throw her testimony out. That alone will help you.”

He seemed to consider this while anxiety twisted her stomach into knots. She didn’t even relax when he nodded. “It’s a PO box I kept under my mom’s name. Patty Miller. At the big post office in town. Number 11232.”

“How will it prove anything?” she asked.

“You’ll know when you see it,” he said, grinning.

The guard came then to tap his shoulder. “Time’s up,” he said.

Jeff rose to his feet with the guard’s hand wrapped around his arm helping him. “Remember your promise.”

Rebecca only nodded and stood, watched the guard lead him back to the door he had just come through. He hadn’t even gone through it before she turned to collect her own things and leave the prison as quickly as she could.

* * *

Sawyer stood in line to pick up lunch at the Chinese place. He stared out the window while he waited thinking. The very real possibility of Rebecca going to prison weighed heavy on his mind; had been for some time. He knew she was innocent; he didn’t doubt that for a moment. But with Shannon now having made a deal with the district attorney, things weren’t looking good. They needed evidence to prove Rebecca’s innocence. He wondered if there was some way to trip Jeff up when he took the stand, but he had talked to John this morning and neither Andy nor Jeff were going to testify.

“Chief Hayes,” the girl from behind the counter called out.

He turned and gave her a smile and, taking out his wallet to pay, he took the bag and turned as another customer walked in and passed him at the door. The bus drove by and blocked the sun momentarily. He walked out to his car and climbed inside, but had to wait for the bus to unload its passengers before he could pull out onto the road. He dialed home on his cell phone to tell Rebecca he would be there with a warm lunch in a few minutes, but when the bus finally pulled away, his eyes narrowed in surprise when he saw Rebecca begin the walk back to his house.

He shook his head and pulled out onto the road, only to pull off at the curb where she would need to cross the street. He watched her face in the rearview mirror when she finally registered that it was him in the car—the look of surprise, of being caught, made her come to a full stop.

Sawyer reached over and pushed the passenger side door open. It took her a moment, but she walked to the car and climbed inside. Without a word, she closed the door and strapped her seatbelt. He turned to her and waited until she looked at him, her eyes betraying some guilt.