Protector - Laurel Dewey [132]
Dan thought fast. “Patty was showin’ me her projection toy.”
“Okay,” she said tentatively, squinting through the filtered darkness, “why don’t you turn off the projector and let Dan finish his job.” Emily quickly repacked the projector and, with her back turned to Jane, tossed the photo packet back into the case.
Ninety minutes later, Dan emerged from the attic and walked into the kitchen. Jane stood at the sink, washing dishes. “You all done?” she asked.
“Yes, Mrs. Calver,” he answered, his tone almost solemn.
“Please, call me Anne.”
Dan moved pensively to the sliding glass door that led out into the backyard. Outside, Emily lay on her back in the grass, obviously in deep thought. Dan stared at Emily, keeping his back to Jane as he spoke. “She’s a real special little girl, Anne.”
Jane turned to face Dan. Something felt out of place. “Excuse me?”
“Patty,” Dan said, still with his back to Jane. “She’s real special.” Jane automatically drew her hand to her fanny pack and then realized she’d left it in the bedroom. Her body stiffened as she visually searched the kitchen for a weapon. Spying a large knife on the kitchen counter, she quietly moved toward it. “It must be very difficult for her to live a lie.”
Jane cupped her palm around the knife handle. “What are you talking about?”
“I know your secret.” Dan never turned away from the glass door.
Jane slipped the knife off the counter and held it close to her side. “What makes you think I have a secret?”
“It’s several things. You’re real nervous about Patty being out of your sight. And then, Patty basically spilled the beans about her dad and the drinking and the fighting and how she had to hide in her closet. She told me how she had to leave her house and her friends. But the thing that puts it all together is the fact that you’ve got a gun in your fanny pack and you’re carrying around police reports . . .” Jane’s head was spinning. Her first thought was Emily’s safety. Her second thought was figuring out how she could duck and take cover when Dan turned on her. She would knife him in the belly and grab Emily. If this was the showdown, she was going to prove her mettle. “You’ve got air vents up in that attic and one of them is right above your bedroom,” Dan continued. “I wasn’t spying on you. I dropped my pen and looked down and that’s when I saw the police report and your pistol. After what Patty told me, all the puzzle pieces fit.” Dan turned to face Jane. The kitchen counter obscured his view of the knife. “There’s no dead rodeo cowboy. Isn’t that right?” Jane stood motionless, saying nothing as she stared at Dan. He took a step forward toward Jane. “Isn’t that right?”
Jane felt her blood boil but she maintained composure. “What do you want?” she said in a staccato manner.
“I want to make sure that you and your daughter are safe.”
Jane had to replay his words several times in her head. “My daughter?”
“She’s obviously traumatized by what’s happened. Who can blame her? You gotta be going through a lot yourself. Being on the run from an abusive husband has gotta turn you inside out. I know it was hard for you to leave like you did with whatever you could throw in a suitcase. But trust me, you did the right thing.”
Jane loosened up a bit. She nonchalantly slid the knife onto a lower shelf. “Well, thank you, Dan. I appreciate your kind words and concern—”
“I’m not just spoutin’ words. I mean it when I say I want to help you.”
“Look, Dan, that’s very kind of you, but we don’t need your help—”
“What’s gonna happen if your husband shows up? Maybe he’ll be drunk or ragin’ out of his mind. What are you gonna do then? Have you ever fired a gun? I don’t mean to be disrespectful, ma’am, but your daughter has some real painful memories that she can hardly get out. She’s holdin’ a lot of fear inside. Whatever she witnessed between you and your husband has affected her deeply. I can only imagine what that SOB did to you. I didn’t exactly miss the fact that the two of you showed