caught Trace’s glance, knew he was wondering if she would give him away for having been the one to think up the stunt to begin with. “We didn’t start out to—to cause trouble,” she said, trying out her guiltiest look. “It just kinda happened.”
“Yeah, right.” He propped his hands on his hips and shook his head. “I’ll just have to see what I can do to fix it, is all. I’ve got a call in to the D.A. If we’re lucky, he’ll be able to get this whole situation handled before the court system even sees the paperwork.”
Kate stepped forward. “L.T., I really think Kelsey and Trace need to realize there are consequences to behavior like this.”
He gave her a quick, contemptuous glance. “Oh, you can bet there are consequences.” His gaze shifted to Kelsey. “You’re not going anywhere but school for the next six months, you hear me? No ball games, no parties, nothing. You can sit here and twiddle your thumbs and think about how stupid you were last night. Same goes for you,” he told Trace. “Forget the rest of soccer season. You’re off the team.”
“You can’t do that!”
Kelsey watched her dad’s face change and knew the protest was a mistake. Closing the distance between them, he took a handful of Trace’s T-shirt and brought their faces together. “You want to watch me? I’m not having my boy raising hell in this town, ruining the reputation I’ve built these last ten years. You’ll behave, or you won’t leave the house.”
Letting go with a shove that rocked Trace back on his heels, he whipped around to face Kate. “I don’t know what you’re thinking about, either, letting my kids go to a party like that. Anybody with common sense would know that a houseful of teenagers with no supervision means trouble.” He sneered as he looked their stepmother up and down. “But you’re not real strong in the common-sense department, now, are you? So let me make it plain. Keep those kids in the house, except when they go to school. Got it?”
Before she could say anything, he marched to the front door and slammed it one more time on the way out. In the silence, they heard the squeal of tires as he stopped at the corner, then roared away.
The three of them stood for a long minute without moving a muscle.
“I don’t know what he’ll be able to convince the district attorney to do,” Kate said finally, and went to sit in a chair by the fireplace. “I wouldn’t count on getting off without some sort of punishment from the court.”
Aunt Mary Rose came in from the kitchen carrying a tray loaded with a plate of cookies, glasses and a pitcher of lemonade. “I gather the storm has passed. Y’all want something to drink?”
Kelsey looked at the tray, tried to imagine putting a cookie in her mouth or swallowing a sip of lemonade. Tears burned her eyes and her stomach clenched. With a gasp, she turned and bolted up the stairs. She made it to the toilet in the hall bathroom just in time. Since she’d spent half the night throwing up and hadn’t eaten breakfast or lunch, there wasn’t much to lose.
Somebody started up the steps. “Kelsey?” Kate would want to make her feel better. Like that was even possible anymore.
Still retching, Kelsey managed to shut and lock the bathroom door. Then she curled up in a corner, buried her face in one of her stepmother’s soft turquoise towels and cried.
WHEN HE CAME off duty on Monday afternoon, Pete got the message that the assistant chief of police wanted to see him as soon as possible. Without stopping to change his uniform, he signed out and then hopped in the Jeep for the drive across town to the police station. He had to wait about thirty minutes for another meeting to end, but finally got into the big man’s office. “You wanted to see me, sir?”
“Yeah, Pete. Sit down.” The assistant chief shuffled through some papers, tapped the stack on his desk and folded his hands on top. “I told you I’d get back to you as soon as our budget decisions were made.”
“Yes, sir.” This was not going to be good news.
“The city council handed down a fifteen-percent cut in next year’s police department appropriation. We’ve frozen salary levels across the board, denied most new-equipment requisitions. But to meet the budget, we’re gonna have to trim nonessential programs.”
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