Big Daddy Sheriff (Big Cedar Daddies #1)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

Alyssa was on her way out the door when she received the call that would forever change her life.

“Good morning, Ms. Mills. Do you have a moment?”

The matter-of-fact voice belonged to Detective Jody Willingham. She was a twenty-year veteran of the Little Rock Police Department. She was smart, tough, and honest. Alyssa thought the detective looked and sounded a little bit like Viola Davis, but she’d never told her that.

“Sure. I’m just leaving on my way to work,” Alyssa answered.

There was a labored sigh on the other side of the call. “Ms. Mills, it is not my place to tell you what you should do. But I have a recommendation. Don’t go.”

“Excuse me?”

“To work. Don’t go.”

“I don’t understand. I just started this job,” Alyssa said, her confusion evident as she stepped out onto her porch.

She rented a little garage apartment behind a historic house. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it met her needs.

Still fully intending to go to work, she locked the door and then went down the three steps, strolling the length of the long driveway. Ahead and to her right was the two-story craftsman-style home where the property’s owners lived. It was a nice place, and they’d spent a good deal of money restoring it.

“Ma’am,” Detective Willingham said. “I’m afraid I have bad news. The D.A. has dropped all charges against Ms. Foster.”

There was a pregnant pause before the detective added a simple yet sincere, “I’m sorry.”

Alyssa couldn’t speak. Suddenly the world was spinning. Frozen at the end of the driveway, she forced herself to breathe. She gathered her wits enough to survey her surroundings.

Across the street was an empty tree-and-grass-covered lot. There were some more historic homes on down, lining both sides of the road.

Her car was parked at the curb.

Okay. That’s good, she thought. Everything looks fine. Normal. Familiar. But she needed more than just familiarity. She needed a plan.

I have my car. I can get in it and go… somewhere.

“Are you alright?” Detective Willingham asked.

Remembering that she was in fact still holding her phone to her ear, Alyssa said, “Yeah. Yeah. I’m… fine.”

Clouds rolled overhead. Despite being ten o’clock in the morning, it was nearly as dark as night.

Fitting, Alyssa thought.

Even more fitting was the distant rumble of thunder.

She still couldn’t move very fast, but she needed to get back inside. She was so exposed right now. So vulnerable.

If Lana Foster wanted to have her killed, she could be shot right where she stood. She wouldn’t even see it coming.

The thought chilled her to the bone.

Because Lana Foster most definitely wanted to have Alyssa killed.

Alyssa was the prosecution’s star witness, after all. And even though the D.A. was dismissing the charges now, she was still a loose end.

Oh crap! What am I going to do?

The roar of a car’s engine cut off her thoughts. She gasped as she looked down the street and spotted an approaching SUV, rolling slow.

“Ms. Mills, is everything alright?”

“I think someone is…” She took a closer look, then closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief, a slight smile turning her lips upward. “It’s a cop.”

“Yes. I’ve asked a unit to stop by your place. Do you have somewhere you can go?”

Alyssa opened her eyes to see the black and white patrol SUV now idling in front of the driveway, just a few feet away. Two officers sat inside. One offered a short but friendly wave.

“I need to go somewhere?” she asked.

Her brain was still struggling to make sense of all this.

“Obviously, I can’t make you. But I would, if I were you and I had the means. We can’t do around-the-clock protection. You know how backlogged the police are.”

Alyssa nodded, though the detective obviously couldn’t see the gesture.

“Why did the D.A. drop the charges?” she asked.

It didn’t really matter. What’s done is done, she noted silently. But she still had a right to know.

“A technicality on evidence. Ms. Foster’s attorneys did some legal acrobatics. But we aren’t done. The prosecutors want to regroup and move forward, but it will take a while. Until then… well, Ms. Foster was released from prison this morning.”

“She’s free? Right now?”

“Yes, ma’am. That’s why I suggest you go somewhere and lay low. Do you have some place?—”

“Yes,” Alyssa said quickly.

With her free hand, she gave the two patrolmen in the SUV a wave. They both returned the gesture.

“Will the officers stay here while I pack?”

“Yes, ma’am. They’ll even give you an escort to city limits.”

Alyssa hurried back up the inclined driveway, moving so fast she was practically huffing by the time she bounded onto her front porch and unlocked the door.

“Thank you for the call.”

“Will you testify when the time comes?”

“Uh… yeah. Sure.”

“Good. I can reach you on this number?”

“Sure.”

Alyssa thought of telling the detective where she was going. She trusted her. But the less people knew, the better.

“Thank you,” Willingham said. “Stay safe. Call me anytime if you need me.”

“I will,” Alyssa said.

Though it wouldn’t do any good, she thought, once the call had ended.

She grabbed a rolling suitcase from the closet, spread it open on her bed, and hastily began to fill it.

Detective Willingham means well, but she won’t have any jurisdiction where I’m going.

Because I’m getting out of Arkansas. I’m going to Oklahoma.

I’m going to Big Cedar.