Page 48 of Lightning in a Mason Jar
“Fair point.” She paused at the end of the field, the river’s current whispering in the distance. The muggy breeze against her cheek hadshifted from steaming to warm with the setting sun. “Thank you for what you told me about when you were in the military. I know that couldn’t have been easy to share.”
“Well, the shrink the army made me go see told me it wasn’t good to keep stuff bottled up,” he said with a wry smile. “He would be glad to know I finally listened to him.”
“You haven’t spoken to anyone about it before?” She couldn’t have heard that correctly.
“No one other than the shrink, until I told you.” He cupped her shoulder in a broad hand. “But don’t overthink that. It just felt like the right time.”
She should have guessed what his riverside confession cost him, but she’d been so focused on her own pain. “Areyouokay?”
“Better than I was before. Not done yet.”
As she studied Martin’s eyes to reassure herself, the night swirled around them, their pocket of the search quiet for the moment. She traced the furrows in his forehead, his bronzed skin warm to the touch. She swiped away the beads of perspiration, then pressed her mouth to his. Just a simple kiss. One that lingered a heartbeat too long for casual.
Angling back, she bit her bottom lip. “That wasn’t a good idea.”
“Probably not,” his deep voice rumbled, his hand still on her shoulder while his thumb stroked her jawline.
She wondered for a moment if he was going to kiss her back, regardless of the wisdom or the timing. But the radio clipped to his belt squawked, jolting them apart.
Martin tugged the receiver up to his mouth. “Officer Perez here. Over.”
“Sir”—a voice crackled through the speaker—“we’ve found Mrs. Farrell.”
Chapter Thirteen
2025
Thanks to the flashing light bar on top of his truck, Martin made good time in driving Bailey Rae to the library after Libby had been found—confused and refusing to budge from the back stoop. Later, he would unpack the implications of that kiss from Bailey Rae. For now, he operated in business mode, calling off the search while Bailey Rae sat in the passenger seat texting Keith nonstop for details about Libby’s state of mind before she went missing.
As Martin turned into the library’s back lot, he switched off the light bar so as not to risk disorienting Libby. His headlights swept across her on the back steps, with her walker discarded to the side. A small cluster of teenagers from the volunteer search parties stood beside Libby with their phones out. Frail and curved in on herself, she took up so little space it was a wonder anyone had noticed her in the dark.
Tonight, more than ever, this town reminded him of a place stuck in time, of a gentler, more trusting era. He couldn’t imagine anywhere else that a woman with dementia could ditch her wheelchair for her walker, ramble all around town, and come to no harm. Except this wasn’t the past, and there were dangerous undercurrents swirling in Bent Oak.
Even though he was no longer an MP, those cop instincts were tough to shake, and those instincts insisted these people needed a largerpolice force. Bailey Rae and all her pseudo-mamas drew out his protective instincts. More than that, though. He cared about them, with their generous hearts, quirky ways, and an unerring ability to land in the middle of a storm time and time again.
He pressed the brake, but before he could even shift the truck into park, Bailey Rae flung open her door, letting in a gust of muggy summer air. She called back to him over her shoulder, “Keith’s only a few minutes away. I’m going to sit with her. When I phoned the EMTs, they said it might take a while to arrive since they’re slammed with calls ...”
Was she running to Libby or away from him and the aftermath of the spontaneous kiss?
Either way, Bailey Rae leaped from the truck and raced to the older woman’s side, half acknowledging the teens with a wave. Martin parked and thanked the cluster of high schoolers too before they piled back into a sedan with mismatched quarter panels. He checked his watch, wondering how far out Keith had gone in his search and how long it would take him to arrive. Would they be better off driving her to the ER now? Bailey Rae knew her best, so he would take his cue from her.
Gripping the rail, she sat gently on the concrete step beside her. “Mrs. Libby, the library’s closed for the day. How about we take you home?”
“Shhh.” Libby held a finger to her mouth. “Loose lips sink ships. We don’t want anyone around town to hear us. I’m just handing over the paperwork, but they’re late.”
Frowning, Bailey Rae hugged her tanned legs. “What paperwork?”
“From the paralegal,” Libby whispered, tugging at her loose denim pants absently. Compulsively. A sure sign her agitation was growing. “A birth certificate and Social Security card to replace the old ones.”
Bailey Rae patted Libby’s hand until the nervous fidgeting slowed. “I’m sure the old papers aren’t lost. I bet Keith has them filed away.”
“I donotlose things, you know.” Frustration leaked into Libby’s voice, her volume increasing. “I just have to be careful to remember my name. That’s tougher than it sounds.”
Martin crouched in front of her in hopes of de-escalating the older woman’s stress. “Mrs. Libby, how about I stay with you awhile? Then you won’t have to sit here alone in the dark.”
“No need, young man. I should get home to my son.” Libby frowned, plucking at her sleeve. “Who are you again?”
Bailey Rae slid an arm around Libby’s shoulders. “This is Martin, the game warden. He’s with me.”
