Judging Joshua

“Well, that’s a no-brainer,” she muttered.

“Sorry,” he said with a smile. “I’ve been taking care of too many skiers who forget to get out of the way of a tree, then expect me to say they were tricked by the damn tree. It couldn’t be they’re terrible skiers.” He shrugged. “Honestly, I can’t find a thing wrong with you, except your diet. What was happening when you fainted?”

She nodded toward Joshua as she tugged her sleeve down. “He was going to put me in a cell.”

The doctor considered her words, then looked at Joshua. “You were locking her up?”

“She was driving a stolen car.”

“I was not,” she said quickly. “It’s not stolen.”

The doctor looked back at Riley. “Ah, therein lies the rub.”

A doctor who quoted Shakespeare? “Rub or no rub, I didn’t steal it,” she said tightly. “And he’d know that if he ever got around to doing his job and finished checking things out.” She exhaled. “I think it’s a violation of my rights to hold me and do next to nothing to find out the truth. Someone needs to teach him how to play cop.”

“He’s not playing, and he’s not just a cop. Back in his real life, he is…well, was, the head crime-buster in Atlanta.” He snapped his bag closed and picked it up. “Big office, maybe a big career in politics. Big man.”

She looked at Joshua. “Atlanta?” He just nodded. “How did you end up here?” she asked.

“All roads lead to Silver Creek,” the doctor said.

Hers sure had. “Too bad,” she murmured.

“Oh, Silver Creek’s a nice place, Miss Shaw,” the doctor said. “And my theory is, if you’re born here, you end up here. It’s that simple.”

She looked at Joshua again, but he spoke to Gordie. “That’s enough, Gordie. Thanks for coming.”

“Just make sure she eats something decent, something bland, and have her checked on periodically.” He looked at her with a shake of his head. “Sure hate to see a pretty thing like you in a dump like this.”

“Me, too,” she said.

He pulled his hat back on, reached for his bag, then spoke to Joshua. “I’m on my way to set another leg.” With that, he left.

Riley wished she could follow him, head out the door, close it behind her and keep going, all the way to San Diego. But she was left behind sitting at a desk, trying to figure a way out of the nightmare that had become her life in the past hour or so.

Joshua stood over her and she finally realized he was staring at her. “What?”

“I was going to ask how you’re feeling,” he said as he went around the desk to take his seat again.

“I’d feel better if you were as efficient as the doctor.”

That brought out a bark of laughter. “Gordie? Oh, he talks a good game. He always has.”

“At least he can see how stupid this all is,” she muttered, then added, “Now, are you going to contact Chicago Police or not? They can get this all cleared up.”

“Chicago,” he said as he reached for a thick book on the desk, flipped it open, then reached for the phone. He punched in a number and introduced himself to whoever picked up on the other end. Reading off the information about the car, Joshua ended with, “I need to speak with whoever’s in charge of the investigation.” He listened for a moment, then said, “Sure, put me through.”

While Joshua spoke and took notes, Riley sat there wishing this was all just a dream. But once he’d hung up and addressed her again, Riley knew this was a nightmare come to life.

She was beginning to feel horribly sick again, and couldn’t think straight. She just lunged for the phone, and the next thing she knew, she had grabbed his hand so tightly hers was aching.

Chapter Three

Joshua was startled by Riley’s actions, and his hand froze, her hand over his, holding on to it so tightly it was almost painful. Their eyes met, and he saw her shock at her own actions in the deep blue. Slowly, she let go of him, sinking back and down into the chair.

He let go of the phone and said, “The car’s been stolen. Detective Gagne will contact the owner for verification.”

“When?”

“As soon as he can and he’ll call back when he does.”

“Meanwhile?”

“I’m to hold you here.”

What little color she had left drained from her face and for a moment he thought she was going to faint again. But she took a shaky breath, then said, “Okay, I understand how this looks. I really do. But you’re making a huge mistake.”

He tented his fingers to look at her over them. A novice criminal? A first-time job? A truly bad car thief? An innocent woman? He wished he knew. “Is there anyone who can back up your story? Your employer? Family? Friends? Someone who knew all about this?”

She stared at him, then finally shook her head. “No. My employer is still my future employer and I’ll lose the job before I even get it if a cop calls about me stealing a car. I don’t have any family, and I didn’t really tell anyone about this car-delivery thing.”

“Alvin Nyland isn’t available,” he said, trying to figure out how a person like Riley Shaw ended up totally alone in this world.

“If he is my Alvin Nyland,” she murmured.

“What does that mean?”

She shrugged. “I’ve been thinking. What if he’s a fraud? He didn’t give me any papers. He checked on me, and I didn’t check on him. We met in the evening at his office, and no one else was there. He gave me the paper and directions.” Her color seemed almost normal now, but he didn’t like the way she hugged her arms around her middle and hunched forward. When she spoke again, she was almost speaking to herself. “What if it’s all a lie, a setup? What if I got roped into being part of some car-theft ring? What if they get people like me to drive stolen cars to a destination, and if they get there, fine, and if not, the criminals would never be involved?” She looked up at him. “That happens, doesn’t it?”

Joshua couldn’t figure out why he had the impulse to make things better for her, or why, when he heard her take a shuddering breath, he hated what he was doing. “It could,” he conceded as he pushed the phone toward her. “You still have your one call.”

She stared at the phone as if she didn’t know what to do with it, then suddenly reached for it. “Where’s that paper I gave you with Mindy Sullivan’s phone number on it?” she asked.

He retrieved it from his jacket and handed it to her.

Watching as Riley made the call, Joshua noticed her face tug into a frown as she hit the disconnect button. Very carefully, she redialed the number and listened. She put the receiver back in the cradle so hard that plastic cracked against plastic and she hugged her arms around her middle again.

“No answer?” he asked.

She shook her head. “The…the number isn’t working,” she whispered.

Before he could respond, Riley stood and faced him. “I think I’m going to be sick,” she mumbled, then put a hand over her mouth.

“Are you serious?”

She nodded without saying anything and Joshua wasn’t taking any chances this time. He had her by the arm, leading her out of the office and to the women’s restroom. Riley pulled free of him and hurried ahead, but instead of going into a stall, she went to the nearest sink and grabbed the sides of the white enamel, her head forward, swallowing hard.

“If you’re going to be sick, use—”