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  After her second pass through town, she headed east on Route 6, the main highway that ran the length of Cape Cod. A roller blader a hundred yards ahead of her caught a wheel on something in the road, flying off onto the shoulder. The skater didnt get up.

  Reese pulled up nearby, lights flashing. She ran to the prone figure.

  "Take it easy, son," she said as she bent down next to the wiry youth with short cropped dark hair. "Oops, sorry," she amended as she looked closer, realizing the skater was female. "Are you hurt?"

  "Jammed my knee pretty good," the young woman muttered, grimacing as she tried to get to her feet. She had been skating in tight shorts without gear, and the length of her thigh was badly scraped and bleeding.

  "Dont try to stand up," Reese cautioned, slipping an arm around her waist. She bent slightly, getting her other arm behind the youths legs and stood, lifting her easily. "Come on. Ill take you to the clinic," she said as she walked the few feet to her cruiser.

  "Im okay," the pale young woman protested.

  "That may be, but wed better make sure." Reese pulled the rear door open, sliding the girl gently onto the back seat. "Whats your name?"

  "Brianna Parker," came the quiet reply.

  Reese looked at her carefully. Her hair was very short and spiked; she wore no makeup. She had a small silver ring through the corner of her left eyebrow, a tattoo encircling her right upper arm, and a wide silver band on the middle finger of her left hand. At first glance she appeared like a typical teenager, but on closer examination, the girl had a haunted look.

  "Are you related to Sheriff Parker?"

  "My dad."

  "Ill radio him," Reese said as she slipped behind the wheel.

  "Do you have to?"

  Reese swung around in the seat to face her young passenger.

  "How old are you?"

  "Seventeen."

  "Youll need your dads permission to be treated"

  "Cant we wait to see if I need to be treated? Hes going to be mad. He doesnt want me skating out here. Besides, Im supposed to be in school."

  Reese considered the request. Nelson was likely to be angry if she didnt call him right away, but there was something in the girl's face that swayed her. She could wait a bit.

  "Ill have to call him, Brianna - but lets check the damage first okay?"

  "Yeah," the young woman sighed. "And you can call me Bri. Everybody does."

  Tory pulled into the clinic lot just behind Reeses cruiser. She looked at Reese questioningly as the officer approached.

  "Hi!" Tory called, pleased to see her again so soon.

  "Good morning," Reese replied, her voice warm. "Im afraid I brought you some early business. The Chiefs daughter took a header out on Route 6 on her roller blades. Banged her knee up."

  "Damn," Tory muttered, mentally already planning what needed to be done. "Neither Sally or Randy is here yet. I guess you can handle a stretcher, cant you?"

  Reese didnt reply as she opened the door of her patrol car and leaned inside. To Torys surprise, Reese straightened up with the young woman in her arms. Bri threw one arm around the tall officers shoulder for support.

  "Lead the way, Doctor," Reese announced.

  Tory merely nodded, deciding that she should get used to being surprised by the seemingly totally self-sufficient sheriff. Reese followed her through the building to the treatment room, depositing Brianna gently on the treatment table.

  "Ill wait," Reese said. "Im going to need to call her father."

  Tory nodded distractedly as she bent over her patient, then as an after thought asked, "Think you can make some coffee?"

  "Absolutely," Reese replied with a grin. She found the tiny kitchenette and soon had a pot brewing. She was just pouring two cups when Tory reappeared.

  "Shes fine," Tory answered to Reeses questioning look. "A pretty bad sprain, but I put her in a knee immobilizer. Shell be skating again in a week or two."

  "Thanks," Reese said. "Im sorry to have bothered you, but I thought"

  "Nonsense," Tory said, stilling Reese with a touch on her arm. "You were right to bring her in. Shes more worried about her father than her knee. Nelson keeps a pretty tight rein on her. She got into some kind of trouble a year or so ago. Teenager stuff."

  Reese nodded. "Its hard being that age. Ill call him, then Ill run her home."

  "Youre good at this small town policing, Sheriff."

  Reese smiled, pleased. "Thanks. I dont have much experience with community life. I was a military brat, then active duty right after school." She halted self-consciously. "Id better go call Nelson."

  It took her a few minutes to calm her boss down, but she finally convinced him that he did not have to personally come to the clinic. She thanked Tory once again, then settled Bri back into the cruiser.

  "Is it true you have a black belt in karate?" Bri asked as Reese pulled out onto the highway.

  "Not exactly," Reese answered. "I have a black belt in jujitsu. Theyre quite a bit different. How did you know?"

  "My dad told me."

  Reese knew it was on her resume, and assumed the Sheriff had noticed. It was certainly true that there were no secrets in Provincetown.

  "Could you teach me?" the young woman continued.

  Reese turned her head to study the teenager. Her hopeful look touched a distant memory. Reese had been a solitary teenager in a world of adults. Her martial arts training had helped focus her aimless adolescent energy. It centered her still.

  "Its a very serious commitment, Bri - and it takes a long time to learn. Why do you want to do it?"

  Bri knew she was being asked a serious question, and it felt like Reese really cared about her answer. She struggled to find the right words.

  "Because I want something thats my own - something I chose, something I earned. And because Im bored, and I feel restless all the time."

  Reese nodded. She had been about Briannas age when she began her training, and she remembered that difficult time in her life. She didnt want to refuse, but it meant a commitment for her as well. Taking on a student was a deep responsibility.

  "Youd need to train three times a week. And your dad has to approve."

  Bris face set in determination. "All right. When can I start?"

  "Not until your knee is healed, and Doctor King gives you the go ahead. But you can come to my house on Saturday and Ill explain some things that you need to know. Seven a.m."

  "Ill be there."

  Chapter Five

  "Whats this about my daughter and jujitsu?" Nelson asked the minute Reese walked into the station house at the end of her shift.

  "She talked to you already, huh?" Reese said with a faint smile. Bri was eager, and that was encouraging.

  Nelson nodded. "I stopped home at lunch to see how she was, and thats all she talked about. You really want to do this?"

  Reese settled one hip on the corner of her desk, regarding him intently. "She seems serious, Chief. Its a great way for a kid - for anyone, really - to learn self-confidence and self-control. And it never hurts for a woman to know how to protect herself. Im willing to teach her if shes willing to put out the effort. Its not easy, and it requires a real commitment over a long time."

  Nelson walked to the front windows and stood staring out. Reese recognized this as a habit of his when he was working something out. She waited silently. He didnt look at her when he spoke.

  "I found her out under one of the piers about six months ago with some kids from a couple of towns over - kids wed had trouble with before. They were fooling around with drugs. Bri swore to me that she hadnt done anything, but it scared me pretty good. Shes smart, and she always did real well in school, but this past year - somethings changed. She doesnt get along with any of her old friends, shes skipped school some. Nothing real bad yet, but the signs dont look so good. She doesnt talk about anything; in fact, she hardly talks to me at all. This is the first thing shes shown any interest in in a long time. I cant pay you much, but itll be worth it if yo
u think it might help her."

  Reese chose her words carefully, not wanting to offend him. "Nelson, teaching your daughter something I love is not a hardship for me. It helped me when I was her age. Sometimes I think it kept me from going a little crazy. I dont need you to pay me, but I will expect Bri to help me out in the dojo. Theres still a lot of work to be done."

  "The dojo?"

  Reese grinned. "Well, right now its my garage."

  "Ill see that she understands thats part of the arrangement."

  "Fair enough."

  **********

  Once home, Reese changed into sweats and a tee shirt and went in search of Sarah James, the crew boss of the women she had hired to finish the renovations on her house. The previous owner had left many things uncompleted, or in some cases, had done the work improperly.

  "Hows it going," she asked the small blond when she finally located her in the basement.

  Sarah grimaced. "Save me from do-it-yourselfers! The plumbing to the master bath is a nightmare. No shut off valves anywhere you could use them, of course. And dont get me started on the wiring!"

  Reese smiled at Sarahs exuberant display of distress, then asked seriously, "Can you fix it?

  "Oh, sure. I might need a week more than I originally thought though. Is that okay?"

  "Fine - just tell me where youll be working and Ill try to stay out of your way. If you need me to, I could move out for a while?"

  Sarah shook her head. "Not necessary, but there will be some additional costs. Im sorry - I underestimated the state of things here. No one's lived here for quite a while, and there was some water damage and other -"

  Reese interrupted her. "Dont worry about it. Just do whatever needs to be done. If you need another advance for materials, just let me know."

  Sarah looked at the other woman appreciatively. God it was nice to work for someone who didnt think you were trying to rip them off all the time. And such a good looking woman at that. Sarah had been considering asking her out, but she couldnt get a clear read on her. As friendly as Reese was, she was personally unapproachable. She never discussed any thing other than business, and never gave a hint of sexual innuendo. Sarah wasnt a hundred percent sure the sheriff was gay. Just because she had a rock hard body that looked impossibly good in a uniform and a face so androgenous it belonged on a Greek statue, didnt necessarily make her a lesbian. But Reese Conlon was turning womens heads all over town, and they couldnt all be wrong!

  Sarah realized with a start that Reese was waiting for her reply. She blushed and assured Reese that she would keep her appraised of the work schedule.

  "Great. Ill get out of your way then," Reese said.

  Sarah watched her take the stairs up to the kitchen two at a time, uncomfortably aware that just talking to her had turned her on. She shook her head, deciding that the gorgeous cop was too dangerous to fool with. If a simple conversation could do that to her, who knew what might happen if they actually touched. She wasnt ready for anything that serious, and something told her everything about that one was serious.

  Oblivious to Sarahs lingering glance, Reese grabbed her gear and walked the mile into town to the gym. Three or four times a week she worked out at the woman-owned facility in the center of town. Usually she had the place to herself. Most of the tourists were sunning or shopping in the late afternoon, and the regulars tended to work out in the morning. Reese nodded hello to the owner and headed for the free weights. She placed her gym bag against the wall within easy reach. The Chief had informed her that he expected her to carry her weapon with her at all times. Their force was small, and though serious trouble rare, they did have recurring problems with drug use and the violence that accompanied it. Nelson said he wanted her to be available at short notice, especially since she was second in command. Reese didnt mind - she was used to readiness as a way of life. Her gun and her beeper were as much a part of her life as her car keys. That she was essentially always on call didnt bother her either - she didnt really have a personal life beyond her job and her training. She worked, she worked out, and she trained in the dojo. That was the life she knew, the one she had built since the time she was a teenager, and one she was content with. She lifted the barbell over her head and began to count.

  Marge Price, who owned the gym, leaned against the counter leafing through a magazine and watching the quiet one work out. Thats how she thought of her - "the quiet one". She knew who Reese was of course. Something as exciting as a new deputy sheriff, especially a good-looking female one, didnt go unnoticed in a place this small. Marged been watching her for a couple of weeks now. Moderate weights, high reps - an occasional heavy set thrown in. The sheriff was obviously working for strength, not mass, though from the stretch of her tee shirt across her broad chest and the muscular tone of her thighs it was obvious she could have done heavy lifting if shed wanted. Bulk clearly wasnt her goal, and the ease with which she stretched after every work out revealed how flexible she was. Marge admired her as an athlete, and was intrigued by her as an individual. She was always polite, considerate, focused, and completely remote. Marge wondered if she was so calm because she wasnt easily disturbed, or if there simply wasnt anything in her life to disturb her. If you avoided involvements, you usually avoided much of lifes turmoil, and Marge had never seen the quiet one with anyone. In fact Marge hadnt seen her anywhere around town unless she was in uniform working, or in the gym working out.

  What does she do for enjoyment? Marge mused. If she were younger herself, she might be tempted to try unsettling that one a little bit. Something told Marge that if you got her started she might surprise you. That rare flicker of a smile of hers hinted at the heat of a fire long banked and ready to flare.

  At that moment, Reese approached, asking, "Can I get a bottle of water?"

  "Sure," Marge replied, reaching into the small refrigerator under the counter. She wiped the condensation off the plastic container with a towel before she handed it to Reese.

  Reese took it gratefully, asking as she twisted off the top, "How much do I owe you?"

  "On the house," Marge answered.

  "Thanks just the same, but Id rather pay," Reese said, no hint of censure in her voice.

  "A dollar then," Marge said. She regarded the other woman seriously. "Were not looking for any favors you know, with the little handouts people are probably offering you. You do a job we all appreciate. Our businesses are our lives, and if the community isnt safe, tourists wont come. Without them, we starve. In two days this place will go crazy, and your life will get complicated."

  Reese drained the bottle dry. "I know that, and Im grateful for your appreciation. But its my job to keep order and see that the streets are safe. I dont need any extra thanks for doing what Im getting paid for."

  Marge stared at her. Reese looked back at her with a steady, unwavering gaze. "The boy scouts really lost out when you turned out to be a girl," Marge stated without a hint of a smile.

  "What makes you think I wasnt a boy scout?" Reese rejoined just as seriously.

  Marge laughed in surprise, and Reese joined her. As they were both catching their breath, Marge asked impetuously, "How would you like to have dinner with me one of these nights after you finish your workout?"

  Reese was momentarily uncertain. She wasnt used to casual social encounters, especially with people she didnt know well. But there was something so comfortable about this woman that Reese didnt fear the intrusiveness she experienced so often with strangers.

  "Okay."

  "So how about tomorrow," Marge persisted. She had a feeling this one was shy, and she didnt want to give her a chance to change her mind. She couldnt say exactly what there was about the younger woman that appealed to her, but she simply liked her.

  Reese nodded after a moments thought. "Ill be here."

  Chapter Six

  Tory glanced toward shore as she stroked rhythmically through the water at six a.m. in the morning. There were a few anglers out, hoping for a jump on the other fi
shermen, and there on the drive off, the police cruiser. It had been there every morning for a week, and she felt sure she knew who it was. She almost waved, then stopped, chiding herself for her foolishness. There was no reason to think that Reese Conlon was there to see her. She hadnt heard from the sheriff in over a week, since the day she had showed up with Brianna Parker in her patrol car. Tory had to admit she had hoped Reese might call with news of her investigation. Tory found herself looking for the police car each day when she kayaked, her pulse racing a little when she saw it.

  A wave took her by surprise, rocking the small craft and reminding her to stop daydreaming. She glanced once more toward shore, trying to make out the profile of the driver, then turned her mind to the sea and the soothing cadence of her strokes.

  Reese drained her coffee cup as she watched the red dot disappear around the corner at Race Point. She sat a bit longer before she started the engine. Those few minutes each morning watching Tory glide across the horizon were the most peaceful moments of her day. She couldnt have said exactly why, but she knew what she felt, and had no reason to question it. She pulled the cruiser around toward Route six, settled and ready to work.

  She drove east to the town limits, then turned right toward the harbor to complete the circuit back down Commercial Street. At this hour, there was almost no traffic except for the delivery trucks double-parked along the narrow one-way street, their drivers servicing the many businesses densely crowding the thoroughfare. Bikers and roller bladers claimed the road that would be filled with tour buses and tourists on foot by eleven am. By the first day of Memorial Day weekend there would be a steady stream of cars crawling slowly through town until well after midnight. She looked forward to it despite the Chiefs gloomy predictions of chaos. Chances were shed be working twelve hour shifts, but that didnt bother her. Shed have to make adjustments in her workout schedule but that was her only concern. Most nights after the gym she spent completing the renovations to the garage, getting her dojo ready. By nine oclock she was usually in bed with a book. Up at four, she ran five to ten miles on the beach, then showered and was ready to leave the house at six for work. She kept military hours, the same hours she had kept since she was fourteen years old. Her life was orderly, routine, and predictable. Her work as a peacekeeper, first in the military, and now here, provided her with a sense of purpose and satisfaction. Her martial arts training challenged her body and calmed her mind. The absence of close personal ties was not something she questioned or gave any thought to. This was the life she had always lived, and on the whole, she was content.