stood in the living room for several minutes and then she walked back out the front door. She pulled keys out of her pocket and headed across the yard to the garage and her truck. It was starting to make sense, why Jeremy would want to do this. Even if she didn’t want him to, maybe she understood. Her dad had shoved his pain into boxes and stored them in the attic. She’d run away. Jeremy needed to see that church gone.
As much as she understood, she still planned on finding a way to stop him.
The police station was a long, rectangular building with metal siding that looked more like a forgotten convenience store. In an area like this, they didn’t need much for a police station. The occasional robbery, traffic violation or intoxicated driver, those were the extent of the crimes. His mom had probably committed each one, more than once.
Jeremy pulled his truck into a parking space next to a patrol car and he sat there for a long minute because he dreaded going inside. Why had he come back to Dawson? Oh, right, for revenge.
He’d been running from this life for years. He’d done a good job of putting it behind him. He had a successful business building customized motorcycles. He had two world championships. He’d done commercials for cologne and they’d made posters of his ugly mug to sell at rodeo events.
No matter how far he’d gone or what he thought he’d done right, one person knew how to pull him right back into the gutter. A shadow moved in front of the door. On the other side of the glass deputy Carl Duncan waved and motioned him inside.
He’d been fifteen when he bailed Jane out the first time. He’d used his money from lawn jobs and he’d borrowed a car from a neighbor. Back then Carl had been his age, just a kid trying to make a better life for himself. The cop at the time had been Officer Mac. He’d retired years ago.
That was a memory that made him smile. Officer Mac had been a farmer who carried a badge for extra money. When he’d seen Jeremy in that car, he shook his head and told Jeremy he was going to pretend he didn’t see an underage driver behind the wheel.
Jeremy pulled the truck keys from the ignition and shoved them into his pocket as he got out of the vehicle. At least he had his own car these days.
He walked across the parking lot, stopping to glance up at the sky, another way to kill time. There were a few dark clouds, nothing major.
Carl pushed the door open. A woman screamed from somewhere at the back of the building. That would be Jeremy’s mother. He knew that awful sound and knew that her eyes would be red, her hair a wild mess. They’d been through this more than once.
“What did she do this time?” He grabbed a seat from behind one of the desks and sat down.
“She was in the convenience store trying to convince them you’ve stolen all of her hard-earned money.”
“That would get me a cup of coffee.”
They didn’t laugh. Carl sat down on the edge of the desk and shrugged. “She’s coherent. Sort of.”
“Right. So what do I do with her, Carl?”
“Take her home.” The cop shrugged. He didn’t have answers, either. “Maybe put her in a home. I don’t know, Jeremy. I’m real sorry, though.”
“Me, too.” Jeremy loosened his white cowboy hat and then pushed it back down on his head. “Yeah, maybe a home. She might actually get sober.”
“Right, that would be good. She looks a little yellow.”
Her liver. He didn’t know how it had held up this long.
“Do I owe you anything?” He pulled the wallet out of his back pocket and Carl shook his head.
“No, there weren’t any charges. I just brought her in to keep her from doing something crazy. Are you really going through with the church situation?”
It always came back to that. The people in this town ought to be thanking him for getting rid of that eyesore, not questioning his motives. Considering that the church had been one step away from being condemned, he didn’t know why everyone had a problem with his plans.
His mother screamed again. “Get me out of here! I didn’t break any laws. I’ll get a lawyer.”
Jeremy laughed, shook his head and stood. “I’d better get her home before she hires a lawyer.”
Carl nodded and headed down the narrow hall. He stopped at the farthest door and pulled keys from his pocket. “Mrs. Hightree, I’m letting you out now. Can you settle down for me or do I need to keep you overnight?”
“You can’t keep me overnight. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Public intoxication.” Carl slid the key in the lock. “Or public nuisance.”
He unlocked the door and she stepped out of the room, a pitiful figure in a housedress, gray hair sticking out in all directions and a gaunt face. Her attention quickly turned to Jeremy. She frowned and stomped her foot.
“I’m not going with him.”
“Mrs. Hightree, you don’t have a choice.”
She flared her thin nostrils at them and shook her head. “I have choices. I can walk out of here. I can head on home without his help.”
Heat crawled up Jeremy’s cheeks. After a lifetime of this, a guy should be used to it. It wasn’t as if her behavior took people by surprise. What did surprise him was how old she looked, and how bad. He’d seen her less than a week ago and she hadn’t looked this old.
She had been a pretty woman twenty years ago. Thirty-one years ago she had obviously turned some heads. He pushed that thought aside because now wasn’t the time to get caught in the muck.
“Mom, we’re going home.”
“Janie, my name is Janie.”
He grabbed her arm, loose flesh and bones. “Right, Jane.”
He hadn’t called her mom since he was ten and he’d found her passed out in the yard when he came home from school. That had been enough to take the word “Mom” right out of his vocabulary.
“You don’t have to hold me. I’m not going to run.”
“No, but you might fall down.”
She wobbled a little, as if to prove his point. “There’s nothing wrong with me.”
Jeremy shot a look back at Carl. The cop stood behind them, sorry written all over his face. “Thanks, Carl. You’re sure there weren’t any expenses this time?”
“Not this time. Do you want me to call the hospital in Grove? Maybe she should be seen?”
“I’m fine, I said.” She jerked her arm free from his hand. “I don’t need either of you holding me or telling me what to do. I just need to go home.”
“I’ll take her home.” Jeremy opened the door and motioned his mother through. “See you later.”
“Yeah,
