Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 62783 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 314(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62783 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 314(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
“I checked the entire property,” I assured her. “There’s no one in there but your dog.”
The elderly woman nodded, frowning as her eyes shifted to the side like she was trying to remember something but couldn’t quite reach it. “I swore I heard something in the back room.”
I gave her a soft smile. “Let’s go check it one more time together, okay?”
“Yes,” she said. “That would be nice.”
I took her arm, helping steady her as we walked through her tiny but cozy house. Tonight was a bad night for Mrs. Jensen. She didn’t remember me when I showed up after she’d called the department with claims of an intruder. I’d answered the same call twice already this week, and would likely answer it again next week.
She suffered from late-stage dementia, and some days were harder than others. She’d been friends with my grandmother, back when her and my parents were still alive. Barbara’s family lived across the country, but they made sure she had in-home care when she refused to be put in a nursing home.
Only problem was, the in-home care wasn’t live-in, and so nights were always hit or miss. I made sure to check on her every week, ensuring she had plenty of groceries and dog food. Mainly, I think she just liked it when I came over so she had someone to talk to, which is why I made my trips a weekly thing.
But the calls had nothing to do with me. She would’ve been fine with any officer coming to investigate her claim since she couldn’t remember me right now, and that was fine. What was most important was helping her feel safe in her home.
“See,” I said, walking her through the back room and showing her every opened closet door. I even showed her that I checked under the bed. “All clear. The back door hasn’t been tampered with, nor the front. All windows are locked and secure. It’s just you and Dane here.” I patted the retriever mix at my feet, the old dog wagging its tail as he looked up at me.
“He’s certainly taken with you,” she said. “He doesn’t normally like strangers.”
My heart clenched for her, but I made sure to smile and nod. “He’s a good boy,” I said. “And he’s still got a great pair of ears on him. He knew the second I pulled into the drive. He’ll tell you if anything is amiss, but you know you can call us anytime.”
She smiled up at me, relief pooling in her eyes. “Thank you,” she said. “I know it’s late. Do you want some iced tea for the road?”
It was only nine thirty, and my night was just getting started. Not that Sweet Water had a ton of criminal activity, but there was enough work to go around and I’d picked up a couple night shifts this week since I wouldn’t be able to next week. I’d be heading up a refresher course for new recruits for the next six weeks and that meant a steadier schedule for a little while. I wasn’t mad about it because it would be a nice change from constantly switching shifts.
“No, thank you,” I said as I headed out her front door.
She lingered in her opened doorway as I turned around to say goodbye.
“Oh!” she said suddenly. “Jim, it’s just always a delight when you come over. Thank you for visiting me.”
“Pleasure is all mine, Barbara,” I said, nodding to her as I waved goodbye and headed to my cruiser. I sank behind the wheel, waiting to make sure she went back inside her house before I started it up.
“Officer Harlowe?” Dispatch rang over my radio. “We’ve had some calls about a drunk driver off the side of twenty-seven over there by Lyla’s Place. Can you respond?”
“Officer Harlowe in route to twenty-seven,” I said into my radio down before hitting the road. Drunk drivers weren’t unheard of in Sweet Water, but they were definitely rare. “Has there been an accident?” I asked once on the road.
“No, sir,” dispatch said. “But one of the callers said the woman driving swerved off the road and then jumped out of the car and ran across the street.”
I furrowed my brow. “Copy that.”
It only took me five minutes to pull up on location, thanks to Sweet Water being so small. I easily spotted the vacant car on the side of the road, parked behind it, and hopped out.
A muffled groan sounded from my left, and I pulled out my torch, shining the light across the street at the sound.
“What in the hell?” I said as I hurried across the street, spotting a pair of long legs flailing back and forth on the ground. As I got closer, I realized the person was stuck under the porch, which looked like it just caved in.