Dana R. Lynn - Plain Target

The floor vibrated, almost a heaving feeling. Jess spun around in time to see the large bookcase rock forward. The frame was anchored to the wall, but she could see the screws being ripped out. Even as she jumped out of its way, she knew she hadn’t jumped far enough. The heavy shelf toppled, knocking into her as it fell. She crashed to the ground. A sharp pain exploded in her head.

* * *

Jess struggled to open her eyes. The left side of her face ached. Her ears rang. With a groan, she lifted her head, only to drop it as nausea rolled over her.

A warm hand patted her shoulder. She risked opening her eyes again. A paramedic loomed over her, a concerned frown digging furrows in his forehead. He looked vaguely familiar. Her head ached too much to wonder where she had seen him before.

“Jessica? Jess, can you hear me?”

She blinked, incredulous. Who was this man? She had to have met him somewhere. Not only did he know her name, but he had also signed as he spoke. Of course, she was wearing her hearing aids, so it wasn’t fully necessary. It was appreciated all the same.

She moved her head. Oww.

“My head hurts,” she moaned.

He nodded, watching her carefully. “I think you may have a concussion. We’ll know better once a doctor examines you. I did check your vitals. They look good.” He continued to sign while he spoke.

“How did you know I’m deaf?”

His eyes widened, a surprised expression crossing his face. Followed immediately by a guilty one. His gaze shifted nervously before returning to rest on her face again.

“You don’t recognize me?” He seemed wary of her answer.

She shook her head slowly, wincing as her aching head protested. “No, but you look really familiar.”

He sighed. “High school.”

It couldn’t be.

Narrowing her eyes, she looked closer. It was. How had she not recognized him? But he had changed so much from the gangly sixteen-year-old boy she had known so briefly eleven years ago. His black curly hair was shorter, and his scrawny body had shot up in height and was well muscled. The nerdy glasses were gone. But the eyes...she did remember them. Deep brown eyes that she had crushed on for several months during her freshman year before realizing that the sweet boy she thought she knew didn’t exist. He had been a bad boy who was only interested in flaunting the rules and irritating his high-society parents.

“Seth Travis.” The words felt bitter on her tongue.

He nodded, then focused his attention off himself. “Do I need to sign, or can you hear me well enough if I just talk? I can help you faster if I don’t sign.”

“Yeah, as long as I have my hearing aids on and it’s quiet and I can see your face, I’m good.”

“I remember that.”

Of course he did. Seth had always been brilliant. On track to be the salutatorian. Not to mention his memory. She had been amazed at his ability to recall even the smallest of details. She didn’t remember him signing in high school, though. When had he learned? And why bother?

“I’m surprised you didn’t recognize me. What with my dad being the senator and all.”

She shrugged. “It’s been a long time since I saw you and you’ve changed a lot. And I don’t pay attention to politics. Never have.”

“So you never saw my old man on television?” His mouth curled in a slight sneer. Problems with his dad, apparently. It was none of her business, but she couldn’t say she approved of his attitude. She would never have disrespected her parents that way.

“I don’t own a TV.” She didn’t add that she had better things to do with her time than to watch the drama of the spoiled rich kid she remembered play out before her.

Rebecca entered the stables, and Jess settled her attention on her dearest friend. Rebecca’s brother, Levi, followed her at a slower pace. It still looked odd to see Rebecca dressed Englisch when she stood next to her Amish brother. But it warmed her heart, too, knowing that Rebecca’s family supported her choices. Jess knew that Rebecca’s social circle was very small, due in part to her deafness. It could have been smaller. If she had left her community after she’d been baptized, she would have been shunned, even by her family. The fact that she had decided to leave her Amish community instead of being baptized had enabled her to keep her close ties to her family.

“Is everyone okay? The horses?” Jess signed to Rebecca, who was born profoundly deaf. Unlike Jess, Rebecca depended totally on American Sign Language, or ASL. People were always surprised to find out how little she could lip read. English was a difficult language to lip read well, with so many sounds looking the same on the lips. Add the fact that Rebecca’s family spoke Pennsylvania Dutch at home into the mix, it was no wonder she hadn’t bothered with it.

“Yes. We helped your two employees move them to the back pasture. How are you? I was scared when I found you unconscious.” Rebecca’s hands flew.

Jess looked at Seth. Did he need her to interpret? Her mouth fell open when he answered Rebecca in almost fluent ASL. That was a whole different skill set than putting signs to English grammar. She was impressed in spite of herself.

“My partner and I need to take her to the hospital,” he signed, indicating someone behind her.

Jess hadn’t even noticed the other paramedic. The woman walked their way, pushing a stretcher. She gave Jess a professional smile.

Jess turned her attention back to Rebecca and Levi. “Did anyone call the fire department?”

They both shook their heads. “We didn’t think it was necessary,” Levi answered her. “The fire was out. It was gut, jah?”

No surprise there. Calling for outside help would not enter Levi’s mind unless it was absolutely crucial.

She hesitated. Part of her was relieved not to have to handle the firefighters or police. She had dealt with so much scandal recently, she didn’t have the heart to face more. But the other part of her wondered if the fire was an accident. It just seemed odd that it started in Cody’s office for no apparent reason.

A stretcher halted on her left side. The female paramedic had reached their small group.

“I called the fire department a few minutes ago.” The blond woman leaned over to check something on the stretcher. “It’s not uncommon for a fire to restart hours after it’s put out. It’s pretty standard procedure to have the local fire department check it out.”

So there was no longer any choice. Jess sighed. She just wanted this day to be over. Quickly, she murmured a prayer for strength. Seth gave her a startled glance, but didn’t comment. Instead, he and his partner loaded her into the ambulance and whisked her off to the hospital.

Two hours later, she was receiving her release papers and, except for a lingering headache, a clean bill of health. What was unexpected was that Seth reappeared as she was getting ready to leave with Rebecca. And with him was a police officer. A very grim-faced officer.

“Jess, this is Sergeant Jackson from the LaMar Pond Police Department. He needs to speak with you for a minute.” He signed the introductions, then started to back away.

Without thought, her hand shot out and caught at his. “Stay. Please.”

He raised his eyebrows, but nodded. She closed her eyes, feeling some of the tension in her chest disintegrate. As little as she trusted Seth, he was someone she knew. Being alone with a police officer was a frightening prospect for her. All she could think of were the accusations of fraud and theft, not to mention the thorough searches she’d endured, that had happened both before and after Cody’s death. No matter how much she and Cody had protested that he hadn’t stolen money from his foundation or rigged horse races, no one believed them. And even knowing the police were just doing their job didn’t shake her feeling that they looked at her with suspicion.