***So far, Miranda Jessup Buckley has been jilted, fired and left to take care of her ex-lover's child.   She doesn't want to return to Haynes Pond, but her neighbor, Aaron Earl, is obsessed with bring closure to his family over a missing relative.  So, Miranda invites the sheriff over to talk about it. ***

 

 

                ****************

 

 

As soon as I get home from work, I send Waylon over to get Aaron.

 

"If he's been drinking, or smoking weed, leave him home.  I don't need Mitch thinking I'm friends with a degenerate."

 

Waylon is tugging his shoes on, but he smiles mischievously. 

 

"What's that smirk for?"

 

"You really like him."

 

I wave my hand dismissively at him.  "Hurry up and get your damn shoes on."

 

He finally gets his feet in them and hurries out the door.  

 

Am I that obvious?  A clueless thirteen year old can see it.  I honestly don't know how I feel about him.  I mean, he's pretty handsome.  Not in a classic way.  Not a Hollywood handsome.  His nose is bent more to one side, definitely been broken a time or two.  He has nice, kind eyes, even when he's aggravated with me.   

 

I feel like an idiot teenager.  Snap out of it, Miranda.  You can't be trusted to pick out men.  I fluff the pillows on the couch and refold the throw.  

 

I try to think about any red flags.  I am notorious for seeing red flags as fixable obstacles.  Or, worse, for not seeing them at all.

 

Waylon comes back in the trailer.  "He's coming over.  He was reading."

 

"He's not drunk or high?"

 

"Didn't seem like it.  He was eating Oreos. "

 

"Ok."

 

I walk over to check the bathroom.  Wouldn't want anything embarrassing on the sink or hanging in the shower.  I purposely ignore my smart mouth reflection.   But she sees me.

 

"Hey.  What do you think is going to happen tonight?  Mitch is a real catch, girlie.  He's gonna come over here, see you and your merry band of men, and high tail it out of here. You and he have nothing in common.  Don't get your hopes up.  He's way out of your league."

 

I look up and study my face.  Maybe the Miranda in the mirror is right.  Maybe he is out of my league.  But there is a connection there.  I feel it.  I just hope I'm not the only one.

 

 

                   ************

 

Aaron groans softly as I step to the side to let Mitch in the trailer.  He's in jeans and a pale blue polo shirt.  His aftershave smells clean and crisp as he steps inside.  He's holding flowers.

 

He looks past me and sees Waylon, still with that devilish smirk on his face, and Aaron who has the black crumbs of his Oreos in the corners of his mouth.

 

"I'm thinking I might have misread this," Mitch says, turning to look at me.

 

"This concerns all of us."  I see the blank look on Mitch's face as I say it.  I regroup.  "It concerns the three of us. "  I point to Aaron, Waylon and myself.

 

"Ok.  I got you these."  He hands the small grocery store bouquet to me.

 

"Aw, so pretty."

 

I lean down to smell them.  I've never had a man give me flowers for absolutely no reason.  I got them quite often from Farley.  They were his "it'll never happen again/give me another chance" flowers.  And I Dougie never gave me real flowers.   He did give me a glass rose that he bought from a convenience store just outside of Raleigh.  Nothing says white trash love quite like a gift from a convenience store.

 

"Since this isn't a date, can you tell me what I'm doing here?" Mitch asks.

 

"Aaron, don't get mad," I say, looking over at him.

 

I motion for Mitch to join us at the table.

 

"Is this an intervention?" Aaron asks.

 

Shaking my head, I try not to look at Mitch.  "Aaron, do you think you need an intervention?"

 

"Well, no."

 

"Good.  Now I asked Mitch to swing by so we could talk about Haynes Pond."

 

"What about Haynes Pond?" Mitch says.  "Why do we need to talk about Haynes Pond?"

 

"When we found Ed Preston that day, Aaron and Waylon were diving and they found two sunken cars."

 

Mitch scratches his jaw methodically.  "Uh huh."

 

"And there were bodies in them."

 

His jaw tightens.  "Uh huh."

 

"We would like to go back there and retrieve those bodies.  Aaron believes that one is his great uncle."

 

"Absolutely not.  That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard anyone say.  And, believe me, I have heard some doosies."

 

Aaron cuts his eyes at me, making me feel like a traitor.  "This is family."

 

"Son, I don't care.  You can show me where these bodies are submerged and the proper authorities will take care of it."

 

"What happens if I don't show you?" Aaron asks, his voice holding more than a hint of challenge in it.

 

"Then you will be arrested." Mitch says, calmly. "If you decide to remove them yourself."

 

I nudge Mitch and smile.  "Can I see you outside?"

 

He gets up, steps out on the porch and I follow, pulling the door closed behind me.

 

"Dont be like this, Mitch.  Aaron is hell bent on proving something to his family.  Have a  heart."

 

"He's an idiot, Miranda.  Do you have any idea what happens to the human body when it's left under water?"

 

I hold up my hand.  "Stop.  Don't call my friend an idiot.  Misguided, naive, sure.  But Aaron is a good guy.  And so are you.  I asked you to come here because I trust you.  I didn't think you'd go all cop crazy on me."

 

Mitch looks around like he's searching for something.  "Miranda, I'm sorry.  But I am a cop.  I can't turn and look the other way if I know someone is doing something illegal, and especially if I know they are doing it intentionally."

 

I rub my hands over my upper arms.  The season is changing.  Summer is dancing slowly offstage, making way for autumn.

 

"You're a puzzle, you know that?"

 

I look into his eyes.  "What does that mean?"

 

"It means right now, you don't make sense, but I can't walk away.  I'm trying to fit one piece with another and then another.  You are aggravating but I can't walk away."

 

He steps over closer and I can smell his aftershave again.   I feel a little wobbly.

 

"Would it be alright if I kissed you?" His voice is little more than a whisper as he moves closer.

 

I can only nod, as my voice fails me.

 

 

 

 

To be continued ...