Protector - Laurel Dewey [151]
“Talking on the pay phone outside The Pit Stop after everyone is in bed,” Jane said, finishing his sentence.
Dan nodded. “Look, there’s a couple things goin’ on here. The first one has to do with me. I was just worried that you were callin’ your husband and fixin’ to meet him or get back with him.”
“I was not calling my husband and I have no intention of going back to him.” Dan looked relieved. “You said there’s a couple things?”
“Oh, it’s just stupid, that’s what it is. The Sheriff seems to be under some false impression that you’re . . .” Dan couldn’t get the words out.
“That I’m what, Dan?” Jane knew the answer but she wanted to hear it from Dan’s lips.
“Somehow he thinks that you’ve harmed Patty. It’s just all twisted! But that’s a small town for you!” Jane figured she had Kathy to thank for the call to Sheriff George after their tense visit to her house and abrupt exit. “I can’t be sure, but I think the sheriff is gonna do some checkin’ on you—”
“Oh, shit,” Jane said under her breath and nervously lighting a cigarette.
“I think you oughta bite the bullet and come clean with him!”
“I can’t!”
“I know your husband’s a cop and that talkin’ to the sheriff could put out some sort of alert that would tip him off to where you are. But, I think if you talk to Sheriff George and explain the situation, he could protect you and Patty from retribution—”
“No! I absolutely cannot involve the sheriff!” Jane buried her head in her hand. “God, what a mess! Exactly what is he planning on checking?”
“I would imagine arrests for abuse or warrants out on you.”
“Well, he won’t find any of those,” Jane said, taking a drag on her cigarette.
“He’ll find your name attached to the abuse report against your husband.”
“There is no abuse report.”
“You didn’t tell the cops what he did to you and Patty?”
“I would have but it was more important that we just throw what we could in the car and get out of town,” Jane said, stumbling over her words.
“Look, I know the cops are worthless, but you should have at least reported what he did to you to get it on record in case he finds you.”
“Well, I didn’t!” Jane said irritated, crossing into the kitchen as she considered her options. “The sheriff can’t do much of anything without a driver’s license or social security number,” Jane mumbled more to herself. “He could run my license plate . . . Oh, shit!” Jane said, realizing that the plate would either trace back to the original owner—a felon for meth trafficking—or to the Denver PD who acquired the vehicle in the drug seizure. Either way, she was screwed. “Shit!” Jane said, pissed at Weyler and DH for choosing not to alert the local sheriff and making her job more complicated. “I gotta buy myself some time,” Jane said decisively, squashing out her cigarette in the sink.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve gotta figure out a way to take the heat off myself for just a little longer. I can’t have the sheriff digging around or certain things could get very compromised.” She turned to Dan. “Maybe you could talk to him. Vouch for me—”
“I can’t just walk up to him cold turkey and start stickin’ up for you. He might wonder what I was up to.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” Jane paced back and forth. “Maybe you could make up some story about Patty. Tell him she’s sick or has some kind of disease.”
“What disease?”
“A blood disease. That’s vague enough. Tell him that she’s in remission but I’m real clingy around her because I’m afraid she’s going to relapse. Tell him I told you the story in confidence but you figured he should know the truth just to stop the rumors.”
“What if he doesn’t buy it?”
“He’ll buy it if you sell it good enough.”
“I don’t know, Jane.”
“Dan, you stood right there and told me not too long ago that you would do anything you could to protect Patty and me. Now, I’m just asking you to tell a little white lie to buy me some time. Talk to the sheriff, Dan. I’ll take care of the rest.”