42. “Rescue”

42

"RESCUE"

LAUREN DAIGLE

W e walked together to the kitchen, where my phone waited on the counter. I scrolled to the number I'd programmed into it last night and clicked the icon to connect.

"Officer Alcott."

"Officer Alcott, this is Paige Rhiann. I've got some information on the break-in last night. I don't know how long you were here last night—thank you for that, by the way—but do you have some time to stop over? I'm sure you're not even on duty anymore after your long night. Should I just call the station?"

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

After ending the call and setting my phone down, I turned back to Jenna and put my hand on her forearm. "I'm so proud of your bravery, Jenna. I can't say it enough. Whatever comes next, please know we all have your back. It's going to be ok in the end. And if it's not ok, it's not the end."

Jenna sniffed and balled her collection of tissues tighter in her left hand. I could feel her muscles tighten under my hand. With her right, she pushed back the curtain of hair that had fallen forward as she stared silently into her lap. She looked me in the eye and said, "Whatever comes next has got to be better than this." We sat there in a comfortable silence, both of us lost in our own thoughts, but connected by my hand on her arm.

Fifteen minutes flowed past unseen, and there was a knock on the back door. Roxy, overtired and loopy, decided this was her time to shine and launched herself into a lackluster display of guard dog on duty.

"Your bark is just as fluffy as your ears, Rox. Don't hurt yourself," I grumbled. "Ready?" I asked Jenna, giving her arm one last squeeze in an effort to imbibe some of my strength into her.

I pushed off from the couch and, knees protesting, unfolded myself from the position I'd held since we sat down.

Reaching my hand out, I stood waiting to help Jenna to her feet. "I am," she replied, the slightest tremor returning to her voice. She placed her hand in mine and lifted herself gracefully to a standing position without my assistance.

Ah, the cartilage of the young.

I kept hold of her hand as we went to open the door together.

Officer Alcott stood on the other side of the glass, shoulder to shoulder with a man I'd never seen before, but with whom he was clearly familiar. The stranger's face was partially covered by the brim of a white baseball cap as he scrawled something on a metal contractor's clipboard laid across his right forearm.

I released Jenna's hand and swung the door open to allow them in as he slid the pen behind his ear. The events of the last hour had not done my short-term memory any favors, but my obvious confusion prompted the tall stranger in my foyer to take off his hat and step forward with his hand outstretched. "Paige? Adam. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Adam! Of course. It's been quite a morning. It's nice to meet you as well. Officer Alcott, I'd like to say it's a pleasure to see you again, but…"

"Please call me Benjamin. Ben. Call me Ben. We've been seeing so much of each other in the last couple of weeks, people are going to start to talk." He winked at me lightheartedly.

I could feel a blush creeping up my neck.

"Should we sit down? I had a long night standing guard over a certain damsel in distress," he quipped, and not so subtly jerked his head toward the kitchen.

There was no doubt in my mind that this guy got along swimmingly with Grace. I could imagine an entire conversation between them, blunt and direct, no words wasted on softening the edges.

"Do you both know Jenna? I never know when I need to do introductions around here. Everyone seems to know each other."

Jenna put up her right hand in a halfhearted wave. "Hi, Ben. Nice to see you again, Adam."

After a few moments of small talk between them, Ben made a move to break from the group and head further down the hallway, probably hoping to pied-piper us into something more comfortable. Like chairs.

"The kitchen is still a bit of a disaster." I felt Jenna stiffen beside me. "But, the sunroom might be our best option right now." I turned to Jenna and saw her resolve slipping away, her shoulders beginning to curve in on themselves. "Jenna, do you feel comfortable showing Ben to the sunroom while I chat with Adam super quick? He's installing cameras today and I just want to make sure he's got everything he needs. I'll be there in five minutes, tops." I gave her my best ‘I believe in you' smile, the one I'd perfected over decades of dance recitals, school plays, and football games. I hoped it wasn't too rusty.

"Of course. Right this way, Ben," she said, and a moment later, I was standing in the foyer with Adam, who was patiently waiting, hat still in his hand, clipboard propped on his hip.

"You've got a lot going on here today," he said. He put the clipboard under his arm, folded his hat, and stuffed it into his back pocket. "My mom has spent the last twenty-eight years reminding me to take my hat off in the house," he said, a sheepish laugh chasing his proclamation. He ran a quick hand over his close-cropped brown hair, plucked the pen from behind his ear, and retrieved the clipboard. "Is Jenna ok?" he asked, hazel eyes searching mine, unable to mask his concern. It occurred to me that he probably knew the cause of Jenna's tissue-battered nose and tear-stained face. Most of it, anyway.

"She will be," I replied. "She's getting there."

"She's a strong girl. She doesn't realize it because anyone who's ever held a position of power in her life has lied to her and convinced her she'd be nothing without them. Her parents might be gone now, but they left behind a hell of a lot of collateral damage." He sucked in a quick breath. "Listen to me going on about something that's none of my business. My mom would be appalled. Forgive me, Paige. I swear I'm not much of a gossip. I just hate to see someone try to throw a shade over a light as bright as Jenna's… I– I'll shut up now." Adam's mouth snapped shut, but the muscles flexing in his jaw told me he had a lot more to say on the subject.

I decided to let it go for now, but filed this conversation away in the ‘to be continued' drawer.

"Well, Jenna's going to need as much as we have to give for the next few months. You and I can chat about this later, but I feel like I should get in there with her soon. Do you need a tour, or can you find your way around?"

"Oh, no, I'm fine on my own. I've been here for a few of your uncle's legendary New Year's Eve parties. I'm going to take some notes and get straight to work. I will try not to get in your way, but let me know if you think of anything or have any questions."

"Thank you, Adam," I replied. "I appreciate this more than you know."

"Don't mention it. I may be young, but I've seen enough of people's nonsense to lead me to the field of security. Your peace of mind is my number one priority today." With that, he gave me a nod, spun on the heel of his work boot, and headed into my ruined kitchen.

I heard Jenna's voice before I even made it into the sunroom. It sounded as if she'd wasted no time diving into the story of what had happened the night before. What she had discovered in her home. I hung back to avoid breaking her flow.

"He texted me while I was at book club asking how much longer I'd be and telling me to get a ride home from one of my ‘silly book friends'. I didn't think much of it because he tends to check up on me a few times while I'm out. If he's been drinking, he'll tell me to find a ride home. I figured I'd be walking into the lion's den, but when I got back, our apartment was empty.

"I checked the parking lot, and his car was gone. While I was getting ready for bed, I found this in the bathroom garbage can."

After a pause, I heard Ben ask, "Is this blood? Whose towel is this?"

I took this as my cue and stepped into the room. "It's my kitchen towel. I hung it on the handle of my oven right before I left for Sarah's last night. I noticed it was missing when I went to dry my hands after we finished cleaning up the kitchen." My eyes slid to Jenna, perched on the edge of the couch, taught as a harp string that is one pluck from snapping. Her head drooped under my gaze. Her eyes focused on hands once again folded together on her lap, hanging on for dear life to the only person she felt she could fully trust in this world. Herself. I hoped our little group could begin to change that over time.

"Jenna," I whispered. "None of this is your fault. You're doing the right thing. But not just right for me. It's right for you , and it's necessary to get where you're going. This is the next right step, and I'm standing here next to you as you take it."

She looked up at me with eyes that should be ruined from the hours spent dispensing tears, yet somehow, they seemed to sparkle with something foreign that was just now bubbling to the surface. Resolve.

Her mouth opened and closed as if priming itself for words she knew would never come.

"We will all be here for you, Jenna," I continued. "All of us will. Even Ben. Right, Ben? If I promise there will be chairs?" I chided, hoping to coax some levity into the room.

"Ah, she jokes." He turned to Jenna. "You've done the brave thing today. I know this wasn't easy for you, but your conscience will never let you down, will it? I will be here to protect and serve as my badge indicates, but I will also be here as one of the innumerable members of this community who care about you."

He reached over and rubbed Jenna's shoulder as her head swiveled back and forth to look at both of us. "I don't know what I did to deserve friends like you guys," she said. "I know I'm going to be ok, but the next few weeks are a little scary. Luckily, I have a lot to keep me busy… assuming…" Her eyes fixed on mine. "...assuming you still want my help with the retreat?"

"Jenna. Of course I do. Your scones are going to put us on the map. The rest of this is just stuff . I can replace all of it. It's your friendship that is irreplaceable. "

She rose from the couch, dashed forward, and wrapped her arms around me. "Thank you. For… just thank you. For all of this."

Ben was next to stand. "As much as I love a tearjerker moment, if I don't find a restroom quick, this couch is going to be at the top of the list of stuff that needs to be replaced. I must have guzzled a gallon of coffee last night. Paige, I'm going to find my way to the little boy's room, then see myself out. I'm going to head back to the station to type everything up and get this," he raised the dish towel, "into evidence."

Jenna and I stepped apart and stood side-by-side, facing Ben as he continued, "We are likely going to put out an APB on Craig to get him in for a chat. Jenna, do you have somewhere you can stay today, possibly tonight? Just until we can figure out the situation with Craig? I'd feel a lot better if you weren't at home until?—"

"She'll be here with me," I answered before he'd even finished. "And it's not up for discussion," I said in my best Mom means business voice, throwing Jenna a pointed look. She remained silent, which was for the best.

With that settled, Ben took his leave for the powder room, and a few minutes later, I heard the back door beep as it opened and his voice crooning to Roxy, "You keep them safe, pooch. Jeez, we need to work on your bark." A moment later, the back door clicked shut, and the automatic lock slid back into place.

"Well, what should we do today?" I asked.

"If I'm being honest, I need a nap. Badly. Is there somewhere I could lie down for a little bit? The last several hours have been murder on my nerves, and I rode my bike here this morning."

"Oh my goodness, Jenna! Absolutely. Follow me."

I got her tucked into bed in the room directly across from mine. It was a mirror image of my own and still stocked to the gills with toiletries and snacks after Kari's visit. Dragging the heavy drapes across their track, I flashed back to my days of tucking my daughter into bed during a particularly painful breakup. I never realized how much I would miss those days until after the last one passed without the courtesy of a warning.

I rubbed the arm that pressed the linen duvet to her side. "Sleep as long as you want. When you're ready, come on downstairs. I'm not going anywhere."

"Thank you, Paige," she whispered to the wall in front of her.

"It's my pleasure, sweetheart. Get some rest."

One hand on the doorknob and one hand on the frame, I rested my head just above it and took a moment to absorb the events of the last— how long has it been? —fifteen hours. Unbelievable.

I pulled the door shut and turned around to face whatever came next. A nap? No. It was time for an adventure. An escape. I headed to my office on the third floor, the details of Caleb's latest assignment pouring into the space where, at one time, my desperation had lived alone.