Don't Catch Me

Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Rose Wilcox hadn’t planned on stopping at the Stop and Save. The fact was that she hadn’t needed gas, but she’d been craving something salty and decided on a whim to pull in for a bag of Lay’s Salt and Vinegar, then changed her mind when she saw the Cheetos. She’d ended up grabbing both and adding a Five Alive instead of a soda, telling herself one healthy choice cancelled out the addictive salty and cheesy treats.

Then she’d seen Vern, whose wife had run out on him two decades back with the local vacuum repair guy, leaving him with a rundown thirty-acre spread on the Nevada side of the border, or so the rumor mill went. He’d slipped a Twinkie inside his overalls, and Rose had froze, debating whether to say something to Roy, the owner of this dive, who just happened to be a sleazy excuse for a man. He’d been watching her in the mirror the entire time, as he did every time she stopped in, the way creepy guys do. Why had she stopped here, again?

For a minute, she’d considered putting everything back. Then she’d heard the commotion.

Now she was trying to remember what the girl had said when she’d held up a gun and pointed it at Roy. Just a minute later, the good-looking dude had shown up in his suit pants and shirt, which appeared tailored and expensive. He’d done some amazing Kung Fu move, disarming the girl, taking the gun, and holding her there. Rose had felt his pain for a minute when the girl chomped down on his arm before he had a chance to pin her to the floor, and the next thing Rose realized, she’d dropped both the chips and the juice.

Now she was being questioned by Floyd, the lanky deputy from the Oregon side, because the Stop and Save was located in Oregon, five miles outside McDermitt, a town that sat square on the border.

“So you didn’t see her pull the gun?” Deputy Floyd asked, and Rose could see the shorter cop…what the hell was his name? Oh, yeah, Hap or some good ol’ boy name. He was leading the cuffed girl out to one of the cruisers and stuffing her in back.

“No, I just heard a commotion and turned to see her holding a gun. I never figured out what or why before that stranger walked in and took her down.” She stepped away from the juice, which was oozing all over the floor, and she must have stepped on the chips, as the bag had broken open, making a crushed mess. “Can’t say I can offer much else. Can I go?” she asked. Her craving was now gone, and she wanted to get back home, needing to distance herself from whatever trouble this was.

“Just need to get your formal statement and details first. You know that, Rose. Won’t take long. Kind of sucks, this happening, you getting stuck here.”

She saw his wide smile, his interest as he took her in, and she noted the line where his wedding ring had once sat. “Louise up and left you, did she?” she asked. She knew his marriage was like a revolving door.

“For good this time,” he replied and scribbled something on a pad of paper. “So you heard nothing else?”

She shook her head. “Nope, everything was over pretty fast. That stranger kept asking her name and how old she was, but she didn’t answer. Don’t think I recognize her, but I did hear Roy, or maybe it was Vern, who said she was one of the Humboldt kids from that community farm on the Nevada side.”

The deputy frowned and looked up and over. “We’ll check it out. Don’t you worry none.” He flashed her another smile. She didn’t smile back.

“Listen, what’s going to happen to the girl?” she said. She also wanted to know what Roy’s part in this was, but then she decided she didn’t really want to have it in her head, that guy buying favors from a kid. She hoped the girl wasn’t turning tricks. Please, no!

“She pulled a gun in a*****e, armed robbery,” Floyd said. “Roy says she was holding him up. The DA will decide whether she’ll go before a judge.” He sounded so cold, folding up his notebook and tucking it in his back pocket. “Guess we’re done here. Don’t leave town in case I need to speak with you again.”

She wanted to roll her eyes, but she thought better of it as she took in Sheriff Tyler Moss just outside the door with that good-looking dude, who seemed upset about something. He was arguing with the sheriff, a man Kate thought was more about politics and money than about keeping any county safe. She knew arguing would likely get the stranger nowhere.