“That sounds like fun,” Katie said, then pointed to Ree. “Ree, what is your favorite game to play?”
Ree looked up.
Katie saw the wide-eyed look of horror on her face that attention had been called to her.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to share if you don’t want to,” Katie said.
“I have Barbie dolls. I play dolls,” she said.
“We play dolls!” Evie cried.
“Yes, Barbie dolls,” Beth added.
And so it went until the last child had spoken. At that point, Katie began organizing them to head to the cafeteria.
“Boys and girls, it’s time to line up for lunch. If you brought your lunch from home, go get it now and then get in line. If you’re eating lunchroom food, start lining up. Donny, would you please be the leader today, and then I’ll choose a new leader every day. Just remember, in Miss Katie’s room, you earn the right to be a leader by being kind and following rules.”
One little girl held up her hand.
“Do we get to do special stuff for making the best grades?” she asked.
Katie shook her head firmly. “No. Doing your best every day is your job. That’s why you’re here. Now everybody line up behind Donny today, and as we go out, show me your name in Miss Katie’s Garden and get that worm before he eats up the seeds.”
Giggles erupted.
Katie opened the door and then stopped at the bulletin board and began taking down the worms for the kids who couldn’t reach.
“Remember, don’t eat them now. Lunch first. Worms for dessert.”
Her class trooped to the right and straight into the cafeteria chanting, “Worms for dessert.”
Katie didn’t have cafeteria duty, so after she got all of her class settled with their food and opened milk cartons and juice boxes, she got a tray from the lunch line and sat down at the teachers table a few feet away.
The moment Marcy joined her, the first thing she asked was “Who sent you flowers? They’re gorgeous!”
“A friend,” Katie said.
Marcy poked her on the arm. “Does that friend have a name?”
“Sam,” Katie said, and popped a french fry in her mouth.
Two other teachers’ heads came up. Now there were three eyeing the blush on her face.
Marcy gasped. “Sam, as in Youngblood…our police chief?”
“He’s my neighbor,” Katie said.
“Well, damn,” one of the teachers said, and then two others shushed her. “No cursing,” they whispered, and then grinned at Katie.
Katie grinned back and just kept eating her meal, knowing that it could come to an end at any moment, and for a multitude of reasons.
***
Sam was in his office finishing up a report when his cell signaled a text. When he saw it was from Katie, he smiled, then opened it.
The brief message said it all.
If only he could follow up tonight with some Katie alone time, but it wasn’t meant to be. Tonight, the girls would be full of news about their first day at school, and he needed…wanted…to be on hand to receive it. Still, it felt good knowing he was filling up Katie’s life with joy and beauty, and she was filling up his life with what felt like the beginnings of love.
He hit Save, then Print, and was turning around to grab the paper feeding out of his printer when he heard Lucas dispatching an officer to the scene of a domestic quarrel. He grabbed his phone and headed up front.
“Lucas! Where’s the domestic disturbance?”
“The Raymond Phillips residence on Duck Street.”
“Who called it in?” Sam asked.
“Cheryl Phillips called it in on her husband. She was screaming and crying. I dispatched Ben. Carl’s down at the courthouse with Justin Tiller, who’s being arraigned this morning.”
“Ben is going to need backup. I’m heading there now,” Sam said, and left the lobby on the run.
He was in the patrol car, running hot with lights and sirens, when he heard Ben’s voice frantically requesting backup, and dispatch telling Ben backup was en route. Sam accelerated. He didn’t know what was happening, but he did not want this call to end with someone dying.
He slid to a halt at the residence with his lights still flashing, and heard shouting and screaming even as he was getting out. He took his service revolver out of the holster, entering the house just as Raymond pulled a gun on Ben.
Sam shouted, “Phillips! Don’t do it!”
Raymond jerked at the sound of another voice, saw Sam and the gun aimed at his chest, and froze.
“Drop it!” Sam shouted. “Do it now!”
Ben was breathing heavily, blood dripping from a cut above his eye, but Sam’s arrival was a lifesaver. He pulled his revolver and aimed at Raymond.
Raymond’s face and chest were on fire from the deep gouges Cheryl had put in his flesh. He was bleeding profusely and hurting like hell as he considered his options. Now there were two cops, both with guns aimed straight at his heart. His wife, Cheryl, was lying on the floor, moaning. For two cents he’d just shoot her and take his chances on getting life in prison. But he also knew his life wouldn’t be worth shit once the inmates found out why he was there.
Death by cop seemed like the answer. He took a deep breath; his finger twitched as he swung toward Sam with his weapon aimed, but Sam was faster. All of a sudden Raymond’s knee exploded beneath him. He fell backward, screaming. The gun fell from his hand, and Ben ran to retrieve it as Sam radioed dispatch for two ambulances.
Raymond was screaming and cursing as Sam cuffed him, leaving Ben on guard as he went to check on Cheryl.
She was lying on her side, moaning.
“Mrs. Phillips, it’s Chief Youngblood. I’m going to roll you over onto your back so I can check for injuries. Can you tell me what happened?”
Cheryl moaned again as Sam moved her, and then she slowly opened her eyes.
“When I found them, I went crazy. I tried to kill him with my bare hands. He hit me in the stomach so hard…over and over. My ribs… It hurts to breathe. Did you kill him?”
“No, ma’am. But he’s wounded.”
Cheryl moaned. “You should have killed him. He killed us. Call my mother. Call Pansy Fields. Tell her…” Cheryl choked, gasping for air. “Tell her… Get Ree. At school. Keep her until I come get her.”
They could hear the ambulances approaching, their sirens louder now than Raymond’s shrieks, and Sam still didn’t know what happened.