Valerie Hansen - Explosive Secrets

Her eyes met Lou’s. She nodded toward the man at the grill. “Who’s that?”

“My sister’s boy.” His graying eyebrows arched as he gave her the once-over through rheumy eyes. “Had to get him to fill in for you a couple of nights ago and he worked out real good. What’s wrong with you, anyways? You look kinda peaked.”

“I’m fine,” Nicki insisted. “Just had a really rough morning.” She swallowed hard, fighting the stomach upset that kept sneaking up on her. Pregnancy wasn’t predictable the way she’d assumed it would be. There seemed to be no way to avoid occasional waves of nausea, yet at other times her mood might soar for no apparent reason.

“Life ain’t easy for any of us, missy. You man the grill while my nephew takes his break,” Lou ordered.

“Okay. No problem.” Nicki said it automatically. Only she was not okay. Not even close. Her stomach was roiling, and she wondered how long she was going to be able to control herself.

The new cook started to pass her the spatula.

Nicki reached for it, noticed it was dripping with yellowed, half-congealed grease. Uh-oh.

Spinning, she raced for the ladies’ room.

Lou was waiting in the hallway when she finally emerged. His hairy, tattooed forearms were folded across his chest and he was glaring at her. “Well?”

“I just needed a quick break, myself, that’s all.”

“Tell you what,” he drawled. “You can have a long break. A permanent one, starting now. You’re fired.”

“But...”

The man already had his back to her.

“Wait, please, Lou. I need this job.”

He turned and gave her a once-over. “Yeah? So why were you late again today?”

“There was trouble in my neighborhood this morning. I had to stay until the cops said I could leave.”

“Okay...suppose I buy that. How come you keep complaining you’re sick all the time?”

“Not all the time. Honest. I just can’t help it.” Hoping the truth about her pregnancy would soften his heart she blurted out, “I’m going to have a baby.”

“Uh-huh. That’s what I figured. Like I said, you’re done here. Pick up your final check on Friday.”

“No, please. How am I going to survive?”

“Should of thought of that before you messed around and got caught.”

Left alone in the dingy hallway, Nicki leaned against the wall. She felt as drained as if she’d just run a marathon. What was she going to do now? Her bills were already steep, thanks to her conniving former fiancé, Bobby Lee Crawford, and his liberal use of her credit cards without her knowledge. She was behind in the rent, too. Not to mention how expensive it was going to be to repair the damage she imagined had been done to her apartment and her furniture. Those repairs were likely to cost a lot more than she had in the bank, which was pretty much nothing.

Untying the apron, she wadded it into a ball and threw it onto a chair as she stomped out of the truck stop. What a day this had already been. She could hardly wait to see what other disheartening surprises awaited her.

This was not how life was supposed to be when a person became a Christian, was it? She had no idea but she was certainly going to ask Pastor Eaton the next time she saw him. Instead of life getting easier, it seemed as if her problems had become a lot more complicated since she’d turned to Jesus for help, asked for forgiveness and surrendered to the Lord a month ago.

So, now what? Nicki wondered. What, indeed? She was without a job, had no savings and was still two months in arrears on her rent because she’d believed Bobby Lee when he’d taken the cash from her and lied about paying the landlord. What a blind fool she’d been where that smooth-talking Romeo was concerned.

Her hand rested at her waist and she sighed. “Poor little baby. You sure picked a mama with her share of problems, didn’t you?”

Now that she was outside in the fresh south Texas air and sunshine, she took a few deeper breaths and began to feel better. Yes, she was in a pickle because she’d trusted the wrong man with her heart, but she was strong and smart and resilient. She’d had to be to have survived thus far. There were other jobs, other cafés.

She’d never consider applying at Arianna’s place, even if her cousin were still alive to give her a job, but there was the Sagebrush Diner and even the Youth Center. They might need a good cook or kitchen assistant. As long as she could ventilate the work area, she should be fine. She wasn’t trained for any other decent-paying jobs, and as soon as her pregnancy started to show, she knew she’d have an even harder time finding steady work.

Determined to start looking immediately, Nicolette rounded the corner and stopped dead in her tracks. Shading her eyes, she squinted in disbelief.

There sat her car, her only means of transportation, with all four tires totally flattened!

* * *

Jackson’s pager went off just as he got back to the station and reclaimed Titan.

With the dog trotting happily at his side, he headed for Slade McNeal’s office to find out what was up.

“You wanted to see me, Captain?”

“Yeah. What kind of shape was the Johnson woman in when you left her?”

“Pretty good, considering.” Jackson’s hand rested on Titan’s silky black head and he absently ruffled the dog’s ears as he continued. “She thought she’d seen somebody coming after her behind the truck stop, but I didn’t find anything odd when I checked that area. Why?”

“Because she just called to report that her tires had been flattened. I asked her if they’d been slashed but she didn’t know. She apparently took one look and hightailed it down the road before she used her phone.” He cleared his throat. “Says most of her personal belongings are still locked in the car, and she’s not going back there for any reason until you show up to keep her company.”

“Me?” Jackson could tell he was coloring but chose to pretend otherwise. “Why me? Was there another bomb threat?”

“No. Apparently you impressed her, Detective. She said she’d promised you she’d call.”

Jackson scowled. “Hold on. She works nights. She shouldn’t have even looked at her car ’til almost dawn. What was she doing out there now?”

“Guess you can ask her that when you see her.” He checked a note on his desk, then handed it over. “You’ll find her at the Jiffy-Suds car wash on Highway 20, down the block from where she works.”

Jackson turned to leave, Titan at his side, when the captain added, “Give your dog a break and let him sniff around there if he wants. I know he’s not a tracking dog like my Rio or Austin Black’s bloodhound, Justice, but he has a good nose. A little cross-training might prove useful.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I suspect the Johnson woman is more scared than anything. Since she’s apparently taken with you, I’ll expect you to continue to cultivate her confidence and get us some answers.”

“You still believe it’s all connected? The murders, the drugs, the bomb, everything that’s been happening in Sagebrush these past few months?”

The captain’s jaw clenched. “It’s entirely possible. Remember, one of our primary objectives is still to find my Rio and bring him home. Soon. Before the syndicate that kidnapped him decides to put a bullet in him—if they haven’t already.” He sighed heavily. “Caleb would never understand losing his best buddy for good. You can’t explain things like that to a five-year-old. The poor kid’s been a nervous wreck ever since Rio was dognapped.”

“I’ll do my best, sir,” Jackson said. “How’s your father doing? Any lasting effects from the beating he took back then?”

“Some. Dad’s not himself, that’s for sure. He still has to have nursing care at home. I wish I knew if the dognappers beat him because he tried to do the right thing and stop them from stealing Rio, or if they acted from plain meanness. Guess it really doesn’t matter.” He paused, pensive, before ordering, “Get going, Worth. Find out what the Johnson woman knows.”