Safe Harbor Read online

  "God, you never miss a thing do you?

  "Not when it comes to women," Sally laughed. "So are we seeing patients or what?"

  Tory rose slowly to her feet, trying to ignore the cramp in her leg. "I think wed better reschedule the morning ones. We need to clean this place up and figure out whats missing.

  Sally sighed. "Ill start calling. Come out when you can and tell me about this morning."

  "You mean tell you all about the Deputy Sheriff, dont you?" Tory questioned sharply. She wasnt sure why, but she didnt want to talk about the remote, albeit attractive sheriff. She would rather forget about her all together. Tory knew that the sheriff had simply been doing her job - calmly, coolly, and entirely professionally. But there had been something about her attitude of command that had taken Tory by surprise. No one had ever managed to set her emotions so on edge from a single encounter. And no woman had captured her attention so immediately in more years than she could count.

  Sally couldnt miss the strain in Torys voice. She had never known anything to upset her usually implacable demeanor. In fact, sometimes Sally wondered if her reclusive friend wouldnt benefit from a little disruption in her life. From her point of view, Torys life was all together too safe and predictable. In the four years they'd worked together, she had never known her to date anyone, or even show interest in doing so. Tory worked longer and longer hours, refused to consider taking on an associate, and even when she could be coaxed out to a party, she usually made an excuse to leave early. Sally had made any number of attempts to set her up with friends, but Tory always smiled and firmly declined.

  "You dont like her, do you?" Sally stated. "Shes so gorgeous she should be illegal - so tell me what she did to piss you off."

  Tory looked startled, her cheeks coloring. "I dont have any opinion of her, one way or the other. I hardly know her!"

  "So, okay!" Sally cried, raising her hands in mock surrender. "So dont tell me what she did to make you so touchy!!!"

  Tory stared at her in total exasperation. "Just go, already! Call patients!" She turned resolutely back to her checklist, determined to put the tall, handsome officer from her thoughts.

  *********

  "So, what have you got?" Nelson asked before Reese even reached her desk.

  She pulled a blank report form from a stack in the file cabinet and settled into her chair.

  "Amateur break in. Rear window smashed, cabinets rifled, stuff thrown around. They didnt get to the drug cabinet, which either means they werent locals or the doctor surprised them before they had finished."

  Reese reflected on the clear strong features of the clinic director -- her rich auburn hair and porcelain skin, and the way her green eyes sparked fire when she was provoked. The thought of Victoria King walking in unexpectedly in the midst of a bungled robbery made her uncomfortable. She had a feeling the doctor might have tried to handle things herself. Reese dismissed the disconcerting image and unfamiliar disquiet and methodically began to fill out her report.

  "What?" Nelson asked when he saw her frown. He could tell something was on her mind; she had that distant look in her eyes again.

  "If she had walked into the middle of that, it might have been a disaster," Reese said quietly. "She doesnt look like the type to back away from trouble, and she could have gotten herself hurt."

  Nelson snorted. "Dont bet on it. The doc has some kind of black belt in one of those martial arts. Plus shes strong as a horse. Ive seen her lift a grown man onto a stretcher without blinking. That leg slows her down some, but it sure doesnt stop her."

  "Im glad to hear she can take care of herself," Reese said, bending her head to her paper work, ignoring the strange lingering unease. There was no point thinking about something that hadnt happened. She had work to do.

  Nelson stared at her, aware that he had been dismissed, but at a loss to know why. Damn, she was a hard one to figure!

  When Gladys Martin, the sole department secretary, dispatcher, and general all around manager showed up for her nine to five shift, she found them both silently typing. She wondered, not for the first time, how well the chief was going to adjust to his new deputy. It wasnt so much that she was a woman, as the fact that she wasnt so much like a woman. Gladys had a feeling that he hadnt had much close experience with this type. The girl was so private it made you all the more curious. And God knows, Nelson Parker was too curious as it was! But anyone with a smile like that young one had - the kind that breaks your heart whether you were "that way" or not - was worth getting to know, even if it did take some work!

  "Good morning you two!" she said, settling behind the reception desk and general message center. "Why is it you both look busy? The president coming?"

  Nelson snorted and Reese smiled as she tilted back in her swivel chair.

  "I thought he only went as far as Nantucket," Reese joked. "Not civilized enough out here."

  "Then it must be the excitement out at the clinic."

  "How do you know about that?" Nelson asked in surprise. Was there nothing Gladys didnt know about?

  "You forgot about my scanner, Chief," Gladys replied smugly.

  "Dont call me Chief ," Nelson replied automatically.

  Reese stood up and stretched, grinning at the friendly banter. "Im going to make another tour, Chief," she called, already anxious to be out of the cramped office.

  Gladys waited until the door swung closed before turning to the Sheriff.

  "Hows she doing?"

  "About what youd expect, considering her resume. Shes the best officer Ive ever had!"

  "Quiet, isnt she."

  Nelson eyed his old friend speculatively. "Just what is it you want to know, you old busybody?"

  "Ha! Like you arent nosey! I worry about a young girl like that in this town out on the end of nowhere. Could get mighty lonely."

  "She doesnt seem lonely to me," Nelson mused. "Just solitary - like shes used to being alone."

  "That can get awfully close to lonely," Gladys observed.

  "Maybe. But I wouldnt worry about her too much. Looks to me like shed have no trouble finding company, no matter what kind she chose."

  "As if it aint plain what kind of company that would be!" Gladys commented dryly.

  "Now dont go making assumptions, just because this is Provincetown," Nelson remarked, irked that Gladys always seemed to know more than he did.

  "Oh, Nelson. You could put that girl anywhere in the country and shed be turning womens heads!"

  "Yours too, Gladys?" he joked.

  "If I werent so old and twenty years married to George, she just might at that."

  Nelson stared at her, finally at a loss for words.

  **********

  Reese left the engine running outside the deli while she ran inside for a sandwich. The two women who ran the tiny gourmet market in the center of town greeted her warmly. After only a short time she seemed like one of their regulars.

  "Tuna, lettuce, and tomato?" Carol called as the tall, trim officer entered.

  Reese laughed. "Im obviously getting too predictable. Make it corn beef today."

  "Sure. Hows the new house?"

  Reese hid her surprise. She hadnt yet gotten used to the easy intimacy of the year round residents. This was definitely not the place to come if you didnt want to know your neighbors.

  "Fine. Im living in it - and the renovations will be done in a few weeks. Sarahs crew is really good."

  Carol nodded in agreement as she wrapped Reeses order. "I envy you that view. There arent many places left with a clear line to the bay."

  "I was lucky to find it," Reese agreed.

  "Here you go. Take care now."

  "Thanks."

  Reese opened the sandwich on the seat beside her, eating as she slowly cruised through town. Theyre werent many people in the streets yet, but in two days there would be. She was looking forward to it even though she knew her work would be tripled. She liked the sense of being part of the community, and taking care of it in her own
way. Without conscious thought, she found herself headed back to the clinic. The parking lot was crowded as she pulled in.

  The young man behind the counter in the reception area looked harried. Reese waited while he finished making a chart up, standing quietly beside a mother with two small children in tow. He looked up at her expectantly, flipping his hair out of his eyes distractedly. His astonishingly beautiful face was set in an anxious frown.

  "Any chance I could see Doctor King?"

  "Oh please! Id sooner get you an audience with the Pope," he sighed dramatically. He had the longest eyelashes she had ever seen. If he were a woman, she'd call him pretty, but there was still something decidedly masculine about him that belied that description. "Let me see where she is, okay? Were way behind, but I guess you know why."

  Reese nodded, shrugging apologetically.

  He returned a moment later.

  "Follow me - shell meet you in her office when she gets a break. She said she'd just be a couple of minutes."

  He led her to the office Reese had left just a few hours previously. As she waited, she perused the walls. There was just the one diploma, announcing that Victoria Claire King had received her medical degree from McGill University in Canada. Of much more interest were the many framed and mounted photographs of women rowers, some in squads of four or eight, many in single sculls. Reese bent closer to look at the faces. In several photos the woman pulling the oars was unmistakably Victoria King.

  The sound of the door closing behind her interrupted her study, and she turned to find the doctor watching her.

  "Surprised, Sheriff?" Victoria questioned edgily.

  Reese raised an eyebrow at the defensive tone in the womans voice. Her blue eyes met the flashing hazel ones calmly. "Why should I be?"

  Victoria tapped the leg brace with her cane. The metal rang sharply.

  "Ah - to be honest, I didnt think about that," Reese replied, her gaze still surveying Victorias face.

  Victoria returned the look steadily and finally shook her head ruefully. "You may be the only person who ever has forgotten about it."

  "I didn't say I forgot," Reese said softly. "It just never occurred to me that it would inhibit you on the water. I saw you this morning - out on the bay. You seemed so much a part of the sea, you didnt even disturb the rhythm of the waves."

  Victorias lips parted as a small gasp escaped her. There had been many descriptions of her rowing, but none quite so genuine, nor so eloquent. She averted her gaze, swallowing hard.

  "Thank you," she said at last into the silence around them. She walked to the desk, finally looking at Reese, who stood ramrod straight in the middle of the room, her hat tucked under one arm. Victoria wondered if she had any idea how imposing she was, or how attractive.

  "Sit down, Sheriff. Youre making me nervous," Victoria said lightly.

  Reese laughed, a deep full laugh, as she strode to the chair facing Victorias desk. "Now that I doubt."

  Victoria was irrationally pleased at the response, and aware of her disappointment as a serious look eclipsed Reese's smile as quickly as it had come.

  "I know youre busy," Reese said. "Have you had a chance to find out whats missing?"

  Victoria sighed wearily. "It would figure today would be the day half the town has the flu. Ive been going nonstop since you left. I did get together a list for you though. A damn strange one."

  Reese sat up a little straighter, her eyes flashing. "How so?"

  "We are missing needles, but not syringes. Some surgical instruments, but not scalpels. Boxes of gauze and alcohol, and of all things - a portable sterilizer."

  "No drugs?"

  "The narcotics are all accounted for. I cant be sure, because I dont inventory pharmaceutical samples, but I think there is an assortment of antibiotics missing."

  "Thats it?"

  "As near as I can tell. If I find anything else, Ill let you know."

  Reese nodded. "Mean anything to you?"

  "Not a thing. Addicts would want the syringes. I guess the sterilizer would make sense if someone wanted to reuse the needles, but what good are they without the syringes?"

  "I dont know," Reese mused. "How late are you open?"

  "Until six, except Wednesdays, when I see patients until ten oclock."

  "Is there someone here with you the whole time?"

  "Well, Randy, the receptionist, leaves when the clinic closes, and my nurse, Sally, stays until we clean up. I usually stay an hour or so later to finish the paper work."

  "Dont," Reese stated flatly, "at least not for the next few days. Leave when Sally does, and make sure youre both in your cars with the engines running before either of you drives away."

  Victoria looked at her in amazement, her shoulders stiffening. "Is that really necessary? Ive got work that needs to be done - and Im sure this was just some kids"

  " Im not sure of that," Reese rejoined firmly. "Youre fairly isolated here. There might be something else they wanted and couldnt find this morning. I dont want you here alone if they decide to come back."

  Victoria heard the unmistakable tone of command in her voice, a tone that came easily and suggested that she was used to being obeyed. What she was saying made sense, but Tory resented being told how to conduct her business.

  "Is there any room for negotiation here, Sheriff Conlon?"

  Again that hint of a smile. "None, Doctor."

  Victoria tapped her pen on the desk, trying to decide if she felt so resistant because the request was unreasonable or because she resented the authority behind the demand. Whatever the reason, this woman had an amazing effect on her. She was so certain, so sure, it made Tory want to argue with her, even when she knew what she said made sense. Reese waited.

  "All right," Victoria conceded reluctantly. "I can manage that for a few days."

  "A week."

  Victorias eyes flashed fire as she prepared to protest.

  "Please," Reese added.

  It was Victorias turn to laugh, despite her annoyance. "You are very hard to resist Sheriff," she stated, then immediately regretted her words. Not only did it sound flirtatious, she realized with chagrin that it was true. The sheriff's combination of pristine control and subtle humor was powerfully appealing.

  Reese responded dispassionately. "I understand that its difficult, Dr. King, and I appreciate your cooperation." She stood and tapped a finger to the brim of her hat. "Thanks for making time in your busy day. Ill let you know when I have a lead on this."

  "Thank you!" Victoria called as Reese left. She sat for a moment trying to gather her thoughts. Again she had the disconcerting sense of being slightly off balance, when she was so used to having everything in her life firmly in hand. Exasperated with herself, she pushed the memory of that fleeting smile and rich laughter from her mind. There was plenty of work still to do, and she could count on that to put the new Sheriff out of her mind.

  **********

  At the end of her shift Reese sat in her Bronco in front of the station house fiddling with her keys. She had been avoiding this moment ever since she arrived in Provincetown, and she knew she couldnt delay any longer. The place was just too small. Already most of the storeowners knew her name. She pushed the car into gear and headed for the east end of the three-mile long street that ran the length of town along the harbors edge. She pulled to the curb in front of one of the myriad galleries tucked into every available niche. After a minute of hesitation, she headed resolutely to the tiny adjoining cottage. She rang the bell, her pulse racing.

  A fiftyish woman in baggy jeans and a tattered sweatshirt opened the door, looking questioningly at the tall officer on her steps.

  "Yes?" she queried. Then her eyes widened as she focused on the steel blue eyes and chiseled features. The resemblance was unmistakable. "Oh my God," she gasped. "Reese?"

  "Hello Jean," Reese said softly.

  "Kate!" the woman squeaked. Then finding her voice she called loudly, "Honey, youd better come here!"

  "What i
s it?" called the tall woman who entered from the rear of the house. She halted behind her lover, at a loss for words.

  "Hello mother," Reese said quietly. She looked at her mother, at the sun burnished skin, the blond hair laced with grey now, and the blue eyes so like her own. Despite her anxiety, she felt strangely peaceful. "I thought it was time I visited."

  "Id giving up hoping you ever would," her mother murmured in a choked voice.

  "Im sorry - I -" Reese faltered, not knowing how to explain the years between them.

  "Dont be sorry. Just come in and tell me - well, tell me whatever you want." Kate touched her daughters cheek gently as she spoke, then reached for her hand to pull her inside. She led Reese through the few rooms to a small kitchen that looked out on the bay.

  "Sit," Kate said, pointing to the table in front of the windows. "Theres tea?"

  "Yes, thanks," Reese said, laying her hat on the table.

  "How long have you been here?" her mother asked, unable to take her eyes off the strikingly handsome woman at her table. If she hadn't been practically cloistered preparing for an upcoming show, she would have known. A newcomer always attracted attention.

  "Just eight weeks," Reese said, gesturing to her uniform. "Im the Deputy Sheriff."

  "Just cant give up a uniform, huh?"

  Reese laughed and the tension in the room dissipated. "I never thought of it that way, but I think youre right."

  "And you live here now," her mother stated in wonder.

  Reese nodded, uncharacteristically uncertain. "Is that all right?"

  Tears shimmered in her mothers eyes and a small sob escaped her lips. Jean, her mother's partner, placed her hand protectively on her shoulder, knowing how often she had dreamed of this moment.

  "All right is an understatement, Reese," her mother said at last. "I thought when I met Jean all my dreams had come true. I never even dared hope for this."

  Reese looked away as the pain of old memories washed through her.

  "If it could have been different Reese, if there was something I could have done" Her mother stopped, knowing there were no words to explain the past. Or to undo it.