Heart of Gold - B.J. Daniels Page 0,5
a middle school classroom. “You have a long addition problem you need me to help you with?” he joked, realizing he was a little nervous.
The stern older man actually smiled. “Since I’m retired, you can call me WT.”
No matter what the man said, Shep couldn’t see himself calling this man he respected so much by his first name or even his initials. “What brings you out to this neck of the woods?” He knew it wasn’t a social visit.
“I’m here to ask a favor. I understand you’re on holiday break from school? I was hoping that would give you enough time to help me with a particular problem a friend is dealing with right now.”
He cocked a hip to lean against the edge of his desk, wondering if he should offer the judge a seat. “If I can help...” They both knew that he’d do whatever the judge asked him. He owed him. After going before the judge all those years ago, he’d been offered a form of boot camp that had kicked his butt good and turned him around. The judge wasn’t anything if not tough.
Shep, along with the others he’d met, had been pushed to the limits as part of Landusky’s second chance program. Those who hung in didn’t go to jail. Those who gave up... Well, they were probably behind prison bars by now. Shep was still grateful that the man had seen his way to giving him a second chance. When he’d thanked the judge all those years ago, Landusky had said that one day he might ask him to pay it forward. Shep had said he would do anything and he’d meant it. He still did.
It seemed the judge was calling in that promise. “Though I can’t imagine what problem it is that you think a middle school math teacher can help with,” he said with a chuckle.
“Charlotte Farmington seems to be having a little trouble. She says she’s fine now, but I suspect not.”
He frowned. The name didn’t ring any bells.
“I believe you know her only as Charlie.”
Ding! Ding! “Charlie? Not—” He almost said, my Charlie.
The judge gave him a wry smile. “When she called, I thought of you.”
* * *
CHARLIE HADN’T SLEPT a wink the night before. She’d gone straight from work to Daniel’s but she’d found the apartment full of his friends. They’d all been drinking and playing video games. There was cold pizza on the coffee table among the empty beer bottles.
Daniel had apologized and tried to get her to stay, saying the game would be over soon and he’d kick everyone but his roommate Jason out.
She’d wanted to tell him about her unbelievable day. She’d wanted peace and quiet. She’d wanted to curl up in her boyfriend’s arms, have dinner and maybe make out on the couch while watching a movie.
Instead, she’d begged off and gone home, trying not to cry. Her knees hurt and the December temperature outside had dropped. She could see her breath on the icy night air. While the walk was only a few blocks and while she’d assured herself since that morning that the woman she’d seen had just resembled Lindy, she couldn’t help being anxious. She found herself looking into all the shadows as she hurried along the snow-covered sidewalk.
It was late enough that the streets were quiet. Only a few cars passed, their tires crunching on the frozen slush on the street. She sucked in the frosty air as she practically ran under the twinkling Christmas lights along Main Street.
While it was a beautiful winter night, she was happy when she reached her apartment. She hurried inside and locked and bolted the door, relieved beyond words that she hadn’t seen the woman. There was little in the way of sustenance in the refrigerator since she hadn’t been to the store. She was no better than Daniel on that count. She told herself that she wasn’t all that hungry anyway. A lie. Her stomach growled but she refused to go back out.
Stripping out of her work clothes, she crawled between the sheets, too tired to even put on one of the large T-shirts she slept in. She knew she would never be able to sleep though, afraid Lindy would show up in her nightmares again.
Instead, it was Amanda who haunted her dreams.
* * *
IN THE LIGHT of morning, Charlie felt better. She’d slept well enough, even with Amanda appearing in some strange dream she couldn’t quite remember. She went through her usual morning ritual