Prince Charming Wears a Badge (15 page)

“You're not.” She held up her beer bottle and gave him barely a hint of a smile. “You're actually the best stress reliever I could imagine.” She took a long drink of her beer. “And it wasn't quite as stressful as you make it sound. I didn't get around to telling my therapist about the other night.”

He straightened. “You didn't?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“Why not?”

She shrugged. “I didn't want to get into it. I'd already lived through it once.”

“Don't you think it's important to tell him? You can't deal with your past if you don't work through it. I've learned a lot from my girls' therapist and you not talking about what happened is no different than when you were being abused as a child and you kept silent, too scared to talk about it.”

She stood and faced him. “I'm only doing the therapist thing because the judge ordered it.” She spoke very calmly. “I don't have any desire or need to tell Dr. Hammond every little thing about my life.” She came over and sat next to him on the love seat. “Now, can we talk about something else?”

He could see there would be no persuading her at least for now. “I spoke to my sister while you were out for a run.”

Callie took a long drink of her beer. “It's nice that you two are so close. How's she doing?”

“You need to work on sounding sincere.”

“What does that mean?”

“I know you don't like my sister.”

“That's not true. I barely know her.”

“Yeah, but she was best friends with Wendy.”

Callie stared at the bottle in her hand as she picked at the label.

When Callie didn't comment, he asked, “Did my sister treat you badly, too?” He wasn't sure how he'd feel if Callie said yes.

“Not exactly.”

“Explain.” He held his breath while he waited for her answer. He didn't want to believe that his sister might have participated in bullying Callie.

“She didn't do the things Wendy did to me, but she never tried to stop her, either.”

“You mean the physical things you told me about?”

Callie nodded, still working at the beer bottle label.

“I don't know what to say,” he admitted.

She merely nodded. “Neither do I.”

* * *

T
HE
NEXT
MORNING
Poppy dropped the girls off at the library for story hour before heading to the grocery store. The mother of one of the girls' friends met them at the library. She was going to stay with them and then take them all to her house to play.

Poppy was in the middle of the produce section when Gino suddenly came up next to her. “What are you doing here?” she asked in an unfriendly tone, out of character for her.

“I'm buying food. Just like you.”

“Why?” Again, she sounded curt.

He blinked and cocked his head to the side. “Because it's a free country and I'm allowed to buy food just like you are.”

She probably deserved that. She took a deep breath. “I meant, why do you need to shop for food? You eat at my house.”

“Breakfast and dinner, but not lunch. I came to get a salad to take back to work.”

To take back to the Lincoln Hotel. The source of their friction.

“Well, enjoy your salad, then.” She turned away and couldn't remember where she'd parked her grocery cart. She'd been wandering around the tomatoes and berries for several minutes without it.

“Is that yours over there?” Gino pointed to a lone cart by the potatoes and onions.

She clenched her jaw, disliking that he could read her mind even when she was furious with him. “Yes, thank you.” Poppy marched over to it without saying another word to him.

“Poppy?”

She froze but didn't turn to him or say anything.

He continued to speak. “Can we talk about this? Please?”

She could ignore him, but she knew he would follow her through the store if she didn't hear him out. “We don't have anything more to discuss.” She pushed her cart a few feet, but Gino blocked her way.

She made the mistake of meeting his imploring gaze. Damn his dark brown eyes that were almost as black as coal.

“Please, Poppy. Just hear me out.”

“Why should I?”

“Because I love you.” He didn't whisper it but instead spoke loud enough that a few heads turned.

“Shh!”

“Why should I be quiet?” he asked. “I'm in love with you and I want the whole world to know it.”

She swallowed the emotions running through her. “If you love me so much, then answer this. Why didn't you think about what it would do to me and my business when you decided to renovate the Lincoln Hotel?”

Knowing he didn't have an answer, Poppy turned her cart to go around him and rushed away before she made a fool of herself by crying in the produce section.

* * *

A
S
SOON
AS
Tyler got to work and had taken care of the essentials that needed his attention, he began making phone calls about Wendy.

He remembered she'd worked for the city until recently, so he was able to find out her last known address.

“I'll be back in a little while,” he told Donna as he walked past her desk.

Wendy's listed address was a mobile home park on the edge of town. It was a short drive and he made it there in a few minutes.

The outside of the mobile home was badly in need of repair, not that the rest of the homes in the park were in great condition. He and his officers had been called numerous times to this area of town for anything from domestic disturbance to unleashed and barking dogs to suspected drug deals.

He parked his truck and knocked loudly on the edge of the door that wouldn't keep bugs out with the state of the screen.

There was no answer.

“Wendy James?” He remembered that her married name was Pullman. “Wendy Pullman?”

“She ain't here.” A man's reply came from inside but nowhere close to the door.

“Where can I find her?” Tyler yelled.

“Why you want to know?” The man's voice came closer until he was in view.

“Are you her husband?”

“You a cop?” The man was in torn jeans and a dirty white T-shirt. His feet were bare and he appeared as though he hadn't shaved or bathed in several days.

Tyler nearly laughed at the man's question since he wore his uniform and his shield was on his breast pocket. “Yes, I am. I'm Tyler Garrett, Chief of Police for Whittler's Creek.”

“Why you lookin' for Wendy? Did somethin' happen to Eric?”

“Is Eric her son?”

“
Our
son,” the man corrected. “He ain't here, either. Stayin' with some friend or somethin'.”

“And you are...?”

“Steve. Steve Pullman.”

“Wendy's husband?”

“At least for now.”

Tyler squinted at him. “What does that mean?”

“It means she left me over a week ago. Says she's divorcing me.” Steve scratched his neck and then moved to scratch his cheek with its sparse growth of hair.

“I'm sorry to hear that.”

“Why? She's not divorcing you.” Steve scratched his head and squinted at Tyler's nametag. “Hey, wait. You're Tyler Garrett?” His eyes widened. “Holy shit! I knew that name sounded familiar. You're the guy Wendy's always going on and on about.”

Tyler stepped back when Steve made a move to exit the trailer.

The screen door slammed shut after Steve came outside. “I guess you two finally hooked up, then, if you're here lookin' for her.”

Tyler held up a hand. “No, you've got it all wrong. I need to talk to her about her mother and her stepfather.” He decided to avoid telling Steve that Wendy had been harassing Callie. “There was an incident the other night and they've both been to the hospital.”

“That true?”

Tyler nodded. “Yes, this is official business. I have no interest in Wendy otherwise. Do you know where she's staying?” When Steve shook his head, Tyler pulled out a business card and handed it to him. “If you hear from her, please call me. It's important that I speak to her.”

“Yeah, I'll bet it is.”

Tyler took a few steps toward his truck and then turned back to Steve, who was still outside the mobile home. “Just to be clear, there's nothing going on between your wife and me. There never has been and never will be.”

Steve made a dismissive sound that conveyed his disbelief before tossing Tyler's business card on the ground and heading back inside.

“Well, that was a useless trip,” Tyler mumbled as he drove out of the mobile home park. One thing he had learned was that Wendy had left her husband, which might explain why she'd appeared as though she'd been living on the streets.

When he returned to his office, he'd have Donna get him the phone numbers for local shelters. They wouldn't give his assistant information about whether Wendy had been there, but if he called and told them he was conducting a police investigation he should be able to find out.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

T
HAT
MORNING
C
ALLIE
did what had always worked for her in times of stress. She engulfed herself in work, specifically the town's financial records. All her troubles left her head as she concentrated on finding the discrepancy.

And later that afternoon she was rewarded for her effort. Callie was elated. She couldn't wait to tell Tyler the good news. She pulled her cell phone from her purse and texted him.

I discovered the problem with the financial records! Come to the Lincoln when you're free.

Thirty seconds later he replied.

Good work! Be there soon.

Callie straightened the files on the conference table while she waited. Anxiously pacing back and forth in front of the bank of windows, she hadn't felt this exhilarated since she'd arrived in town.

“Hey.”

She spun around to see Tyler standing just inside the conference room. The doorway framing him seemed small in comparison.

Correction
. Her time in bed with this gorgeous man easily topped the exhilaration she was presently experiencing.

She couldn't help herself. She grinned at him. “Hey, yourself.” She quickly pulled out a chair for him, dramatically waving an arm in invitation. “Sit. Let me show you what I found.”

He sat in the proffered seat and folded his hands on the conference table, patiently waiting while she practically danced with excitement.

First, she showed him the pages of printouts she'd found with a list of checks that had been written each week over the past six months. She'd talk to him later about how the city could be so much more efficient if they went entirely electronic. There wouldn't have been a need to move these banker boxes of files around, either.

“Getting me access to the city's online bank account really helped. That way I didn't need to request copies of canceled checks.” She moved her computer in front of him to show him the checks. “See this one for the Pullman Corporation?” She pointed to a spot on the screen. “There's been one written every week to them for different amounts. From two hundred to six hundred. They started about six months ago and the last one was written well over two weeks ago.” The computer screen showed the backs of actual canceled checks endorsed by S. Pullman.

“S. Pullman?” Tyler looked at her. “Could it be Steve Pullman?”

Callie narrowed her eyes. “That name sounds familiar.”

Tyler nodded. “It should. He's married to Wendy. I think he was a few years ahead of us in school.”

“Hmm. Curiouser and curiouser. Didn't we discover that Wendy worked for the city until recently?”

“Right. I meant to look into that. I'm not sure if she was fired or quit. I also don't know exactly what she did for the city. She might have worked in an unrelated office.” He scratched his head as he looked at the computer screen again. “I'm not sure I understand what the problem is. Do you have proof that the Pullman Corporation didn't deserve the money that was paid to them?”

She laughed. “Do I have proof?” She pulled up another window on her computer where she'd searched for the company. “There is no Pullman Corporation that I can find. At least, not one that has any business with Whittler's Creek. There's a Pullman
Company
that's related to railroad sleeping cars, but why would the town be paying them, especially since they were bought out mid last century?”

“Good point.” Tyler scanned the information she'd given him. He looked up at her. “So do we know who authorized these checks or who wrote them? From the email I got, someone knew about them and wanted to point out that there's something fishy going on.”

“It's hard to tell because these are electronic checks with the finance officer's electronic signature.” She pointed to the address on one of the checks on the screen. “They were mailed to a post office box. Maybe that's the next step. See who's renting the box.”

“Good idea. I'll also look into who has check authority. That should be easy to find out.”

“You know, I can't help feeling like this was a very amateur operation.”

He cocked his head. “How's that?”

“It's as though they wanted to get caught.”

“Interesting. Are you sure it's not that they're so bad at covering up, but that you're so good at finding the evidence?”

She laughed and pretended to fluff her hair. “Well, I am pretty good.”

She stood close to where he sat. He wrapped his arm around her waist. “Very good work, no matter how easy it was for you.” He gave her a squeeze. “Dinner on me tonight.”

She grinned down at him. “Didn't you reschedule training for tonight?”

He dropped his arm from around her. “Damn! You're right. Tomorrow night, then?”

“Deal. Besides, I knew you'd be busy so I made plans for dinner with a few of the old friends I ran into at the picnic on Sunday.”

“Sounds like fun.” He pushed back the chair and stood. “I'm going to go make some phone calls about this before everyone leaves for the day.” He leaned in to kiss her and she came into his arms willingly.

She relaxed in his embrace, enjoying the heat of his mouth on hers and the solidness of his body as he held her close. She could easily get used to having him around to do this at will.

“Hey,” she said suddenly. “So now that I've figured all this out—at least as far as the financial records go—what am I going to do next?” She slumped in his arms and groaned. “Please don't tell me more physical labor.”

He chuckled and held on to her tighter. “Let me work on that. I didn't expect you to figure this out so quickly.”

“It's my thing,” she said. “I love to know where money goes and why. It's what tells me whether a company is heading for success or failure.”

“Well, I'm glad you're so skilled.” He gestured to the files on the table. “This was all like a foreign language to me until you explained it.” He kissed her nose. “I don't know how late I'll be tonight.”

She waited for him to say more.

Instead he kissed her mouth, lingering there while he spoke. “This is where you're supposed to say ‘be sure to stop by when you get home.'”

She pulled back a little to look at him and raised her eyebrows. “I am?” She chuckled. “Then be sure to stop by when you get home.”

He held her close, ending by grabbing her butt cheeks with both hands and grinding against her.

She moaned as her core heated automatically. She struggled to speak. “You win. You can't get me churned up like this and then not follow through tonight.” She tilted her head up and went on tiptoes to kiss him thoroughly.

This time
he
moaned. “Good comeback. I'll make it an early night of training. I'm sure my officers will appreciate it.”

So would Callie. Time with Tyler in bed would be an even better reward for finding the financial problem than a dinner date. Who needed food when his magnificent body was available for feasting upon?

He gave her a little wave when he turned to leave. She enjoyed the sight as he disappeared through the doorway and into the hall.

She stood there a moment. If she had to come back to Whittler's Creek, how lucky was she that it was shortly after Tyler had returned?

She shook her head to come back down from the clouds. She needed to put her work away for the day. There was nothing more for her to do here. The rest was up to Tyler and his investigation. She did wonder how Wendy and her husband played into this. Tyler would have to find out whether Wendy had check-writing approval. Or maybe her husband had someone else producing the checks for him if he was the one cashing them.

Either way, Callie wouldn't be upset when Wendy faced charges if she was somehow involved in what appeared to be embezzlement.

* * *

T
YLER
FOUND
HIMSELF
whistling as he drove back to his office. Life was good and being with Callie was better than ice cream for dinner.

“You're in a good mood,” Donna commented when he stopped at her desk.

He'd already spoken to her about calling local shelters to look for Wendy. “Any luck finding Wendy Pullman?” He'd deliberately ignored her comment.

“One place had someone who matches her description come in with a boy her son's age, but they never spent the night. The director got the feeling the woman was spooked by something and didn't stay. Then I found two other shelters with the same experience.”

“Interesting. I wonder what happened.”

Donna shrugged. “Don't know, but it's strange that I got the same story three times.” She handed him the list of shelters she'd called as well as the notes she'd made about each one.

“I have another job for you,” Tyler said. “I need you to find out who has check-writing authority for the town. I also need to know about Wendy Pullman's employment. What she did, when she started, when she left and why.”

Donna was furiously writing down what he said. “Anything else?”

“Oh, right. One more thing.” He pulled a paper from his pocket and laid it on her desk. “Find out who rented this post office box.” Then he headed to his office to figure out his next move.

Callie's community service. That's what he needed to work on. Right now she had nothing to do tomorrow. She was more than halfway through her required hours already. He didn't even want to think about her leaving town once she completed her hours.

He suddenly had an idea. He searched online for a phone number, picked up his desk phone and called a friend who worked at Lewisburg Hospital. Tyler remembered Brian ran the accounting department there. Maybe he had something for Callie to do.

“Hey, Brian, it's Tyler Garrett,” he greeted his friend. “How are you?” He and Brian had gone to different schools, Tyler to public and Brian to private, but they'd played on the same youth soccer and baseball teams for years.

“Ty! Great to hear from you. What's up?”

The two men caught up for a few minutes and then Tyler described what he was looking for.

“Hmm. I don't have anything here right now.” Brian paused. “But I might know a place she'd be useful.”

“Fill me in.” Anything was better than sending her to do more dirty, physical labor. Tyler selfishly wanted her to save her energy for him.

“There's a women's shelter on the outskirts of town. Its location is very top secret for obvious reasons. You're sure you can trust this woman?”

“With my life,” Tyler told him, recognizing that he hadn't always been as trusting of her. “What kind of work would it be?”

“I know they get a lot of women in who have no idea how to handle money. They've been in abusive relationships with dominant men who control the money, usually giving them an allowance for household items, and that's it. They have no idea how to balance a checkbook or maybe even write a check, let alone how to bank electronically.”

“So you're talking about a classroom situation?” Tyler thought Callie would love the opportunity.

“Exactly. Think she can handle it?”

“Absolutely.”

Brian gave him the details, including the person to speak to. “Norma Wilson will give you the specifics, including the address. All I know is that it's right outside the town limits.”

“Thanks, Brian. I really appreciate this.” They disconnected and Tyler immediately called Norma.

“That's a wonderful suggestion,” the woman told Tyler after he explained Brian's idea. Norma sounded like someone's grandmother and he pictured a round little woman with white hair wearing an apron. “We've held classes on child care and health issues, but not finances. I think that would be very helpful to many of these women.”

They spoke about details for a few minutes and then Norma said she'd meet Tyler and Callie tomorrow morning at a nearby location. She wanted to talk to them about the idea in person and then she'd allow Callie to come to the shelter. Tyler liked that she was so paranoid. That meant she protected the women in her care very well. If he, as Chief of Police, couldn't be given the address, then hopefully none of the abusive men in these women's lives would discover the location, either.

Tyler checked his watch. He had no time left to eat dinner before training with his officers. Maybe he'd make it an extra early evening and get leftovers at Aunt Poppy's.

Most of all, he looked forward to stopping by Callie's room afterward.

* * *

T
HE
NEXT
MORNING
Callie was ready in record time to go with Tyler to meet Norma. Excitement and nervousness didn't even begin to cover how she was feeling. She'd never done anything like this before, but being able to help abused women take their lives back was beyond great.

“Want some coffee?” Tyler asked when she met him in the kitchen.

“I'd love some,” she said. “What time are we meeting Norma?”

Tyler laughed. “You're like a child on Christmas morning. Calm down. We've got plenty of time. She said nine o'clock at the Route 40 Diner on the way to Lewisburg. We've still got forty-five minutes.”

Callie took the coffee mug he'd poured for her and sat at the kitchen table. “Where are the girls this morning?”

“They went for a walk with Aunt Poppy and they're stopping at the playground.”

“They're up and out early.” Callie was extremely glad they hadn't gotten up during the night at an inappropriate moment.

He winked at her. “Probably because they slept through the night.”

She grinned back. “That's always a good thing.”

“Absolutely. That and the locks on our bedroom doors.” After forgetting to lock the door one time, they'd been diligent about doing so since, whoever's bedroom they were in.