Protector - Laurel Dewey [129]
Emily touched the top of her head. “Hey! I just felt a drop of water.”
Jane looked up to see a crack in the kitchen ceiling and droplets of water slowly forming across it. She located a bucket under the sink and positioned it under the leak. On her initial examination of the house, she’d discovered a pull-drop ladder in the ceiling of the hallway that led to the attic crawl space. Jane climbed up the wooden ladder, flashlight in hand, and stood in the musty, cobweb-filled attic. “You oughta check this out, Emily,” she said, looking down through the large opening at the kid. Emily examined the ladder and the short distance she would have to climb. “You really should come up here.” Jane poked her head through the opening and stretched her hand out to Emily. “I’ll hold your hand the whole way up.” Emily considered the offer and started up the ladder. Without much fear, Emily safely made it into the crawl space. “You’ll be climbing that water tower in no time!”
The two scoped out the attic, dimly lit by vertical shafts of light that shot up through a series of ceiling vents. Jane shone her flashlight around the area and illuminated an old metal pipe that issued a slow leak through a disintegrating bond. Emily’s eyes lit up like two cherry bombs. “I know just the man who can fix this!”
“Maybe we can put some duct tape around the pipe—”
“Duct tape? That’s not safe!” Emily said with a dramatic sweep of her arms. As she swept them through the air, she toppled two fishing poles and a well-worn creel.
“After I put duct tape on that pipe, I’m going to teach you how to fish.”
Jane wrapped the pipe with several layers of duct tape that she found wedged in one of the kitchen drawers. After securing the Glock pistol in her new fanny pack, the two set off through the tall grass with fishing poles and creel in hand. Situating themselves at the edge of the large lake that held the massive water tower in its reflection, Jane showed Emily the perfect location for digging earthworms. Once they had enough worms, Jane demonstrated the proper technique of scooping the fishhook under the darkened band that encircled the worm. After that came the lesson on proper casting. Emily was captivated by Jane’s knowledge and proved to be an excellent student. With their lines in the water, Jane sat back and lit a cigarette.
“That duct tape isn’t safe,” Emily avowed.
“I told you I don’t want people in our house—”
“But this is an emergency!”
Jane smiled at Emily’s obvious crush on Dan. The two of them sat quietly on the edge of the lake. After an hour of not even a nibble from the occasional circling trout, they pulled in their lines, returned the remaining earthworms to their dirt homes and started back to the house. The sound of a vehicle drew their attention toward the water tower. A white truck came to a halt by the lake’s edge and a man got out, fishing pole in hand.
Emily squinted her eyes against the noonday sun and the glinting reflection off the tower. “Dan!” Emily screamed across the lake.
“Emily!” Jane said quietly, irritated.
Dan looked up and waved. “How ya doin’? Are the fish bitin?’” he yelled across the lake, his voice echoing for several seconds.
“No!” Emily yelled. “Don’t waste your time! Come fix our pipe!”
Jane knelt down toward the child. “Emily, this is not a game we’re playing.”
“So, you really are my mom?”
“You know what I mean. I don’t know anything about this guy—”
“He’s got good eyes. He doesn’t look to the left and down. He doesn’t cover his mouth when he talks or lick his lips. Isn’t that what you said you look for in a liar?”
“It’s more complicated than that—”
“You talk about feeling stuff in your gut. Well, I got a gut, too, and it tells me that Dan is okay.” Dan suddenly emerged from thicket of red willows. Jane quickly stood up and held her hand against the Glock pistol in her fanny pack. It was an automatic knee-jerk, cop reaction for her whenever someone suddenly approached. Emily greeted Dan with a big smile. “Dan! How’s it goin’?”
Dan tipped