Leaving Liberty Read online

  Leaving Liberty

  By

  Virginia Carmichael

  For my sister, Susan.

  Your quilt inspired this story. Your life inspires me every day.

  Copyright © 2013 Virginia Carmichael

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher and author, except where permitted by law.

  Cover by

  THE KILLION GROUP

  www.thekilliongroupinc.com

  Chapter One

  It was a perfect day for a funeral. The late May rain slanted down in unrelenting sheets. The Rocky Mountains stood in awesome splendor just miles away but completely hidden by the driving rain. Daisy McConnell ducked her head further into the hood of her bright yellow raincoat and walked a little faster, dodging a mine-field of ankle deep puddles. She was already soaked from the knees on down, her black pumps squishing with every step. The wide concrete steps leading up to Old Liberty Public Library were obliterated by the downpour, but Daisy didn’t need to see them. She knew the route by memory, step by step, all the way to the top where she yanked on the long brass handle of the door.

  Locked. Of course it was. She rummaged in her purse for the key the attorney had given her and stooped down to fit it in the ornate brass key plate of the oak door. She could see the dark library foyer through the door’s beveled glass panels. Her heart squeezed in her chest. It all felt so wrong and there was no way to make it right.

  “Toby! Stop!”

  The bellow pulled Daisy out of her thoughts with a snap. Whirling around, she caught sight of a police officer in full uniform sprinting down the sidewalk toward the intersection.

  “Toby!” His shout sent a shudder up her spine. She had never seen a man run that fast in dress shoes. The rain whipped his cap from his head but he didn’t slow down.

  A young kid on a bicycle pedaled furiously toward the corner, crouched low over the handle bars, the hood on his black sweatshirt pulled up. Daisy’s heart sank. How many times had she felt what this boy felt? How many times had she been desperate to escape an angry parent, and no one willing to step in between? No one except Marie.

  Without thinking it through, Daisy left the key in the lock and bolted blindly down the steps. The rain stung her face and the hood of her raincoat blew back. He would reach the boy before she would, but maybe her presence would give him a reason to keep himself in check.

  “Stop!” One last yell and the officer had reached the young boy, gripped the back of his sweatshirt and yanked him to a halt, the bike jerking to the side. He bent low to grab the bike, breathing hard, his dark blue shirt soaked to the skin.

  “Take your hands off that boy,” Daisy shouted. She wished her voice was clearer, steadier, but it would have to do. The rain was pounding down but she could see the young boy’s face was pale.

  The policeman turned to her, his eyes narrowed to slits against the rain. He didn’t let go, if anything he gripped him tighter. She felt a cold snake of fear slide through her and she forced herself to keep her emotions under control. You can’t show fear. Ever. It was like handing over the keys to your deepest secrets.

  “Your son deserves to be treated with respect.” Her heart pounded with fear and adrenaline. She tried to smile encouragingly at the young kid, but he looked back at the officer, silent.

  “He’s not my-- ”

  The rest of his sentence was lost in a deafening roar of sound. A billowing wave of freezing water sprayed across the corner, soaking her with the force of a fire hose. Daisy involuntarily let out a shriek and twisted away, covering her head with her arms. She stumbled, panicked and confused. The touch of fingers at her elbow turned her panic into hysteria. She shook him off, her mind leaping back to another man, gripping her until she bruised.

  “Hey, wait a minute. Just calm down.” His voice was quieter now and a whole octave lower.

  Daisy sucked in a ragged breath, fighting to focus. Brushing the hair from her eyes, she peered down the street. A semi rumbled half-way down the block, not even bothering to honk an apology for the ice-cold soaking.

  “I didn’t see that coming.” She forced herself to be calm and moved her arm away. Her fear ratcheted down a few notches, enough for her to see him clearly again. He didn’t seem so scary now, morphing from slit-eyed fiend to relatively normal guy in less than a second. His blue eyes were fixed on her in concern, rain dripped down his neck from military short dark hair.

  “Yeah, neither did he.” He turned to the boy, flipped back his hood and tugged ear buds from the boy’s ears. “Toby, how many times have I told you not to ride your bike and listen to music? You have it up too loud, you’re not paying attention.” He waved a hand at the pouring rain, then the semi-truck now barely visible in the distance. “You weren’t even going to stop at the corner, were you?”

  Toby shook his head, a miserable expression on his face. The shoulders of his sweatshirt were soaking wet and his ripped jeans were spattered with mud. “Sorry. It’s such a great song and I had kind of a bad day so I was just riding along, not thinking of anything…” His voice trailed off.

  “Give it.” He held out a hand. Toby pulled the iPod from his pocket and put it in the outstretched hand. “Have your mom call me if she disagrees. When you come to practice tomorrow, we’ll talk about bike safety again. When you understand how easy it is to be flattened in traffic, then you’ll get it back.”

  Toby nodded, his face downcast.

  The officer paused, expression softening. He reached out and rubbed the kid’s hair. “I wouldn’t want to lose you, Toby.”

  The boy glanced up, a small smile creasing his face. He shot a look at Daisy, pulled his hood back over his head, and took off across the street.

  Watching him go, her thoughts were as cold as the rain that was easing off into a drizzle. This was par for the course. Nothing ever went right for her in this town and she needed to get out before something really horrible happened.

  Right after she retrieved her quilt.

  “I owe you an apology. I misunderstood the situation.”

  There was a short pause as he wrapped the cords around the music player and stuffed it in a pocket. He leveled a glance at her, face impassive. “You don’t trust policemen?”

  No, just bellowing men who chase small children. “Policemen are fine. I thought I was witnessing a family conflict.”

  His eyebrows went up. She could see now he was too young to have a kid who would be a teenager soon.

  “Listen, I’m sorry I interrupted. I’m going to go.” She turned and started back, wanting to get out of the pouring rain.

  “The library is closed,” he called.

  “I have a key,” she called back. At the bottom of the steps she patted her pocket. The rain was still falling steadily and she shook her bangs out of her eyes. “Somewhere here,” she muttered.

  He walked down the sidewalk and scooped his cap out of puddle, shaking the water from it with a sigh. “Well, it can’t have gone far.” Instead of making a beeline for his dry patrol car, he crossed back into the soggy lawn, eyes searching the ground.

  So, he rescues small children and searches for lost keys? Daisy had to hide a small smile. This guy had a hero complex. With those looks and that uniform, he probably owned the town. Well, he could have it.

  She trudged along beside him, glancing this way and that. Finally at the top of the stairs, she let out a short laugh. “Sorry. Still in the door.”

  Sweet Christmas. She could see a faint reflection of herself in the door’s glass and it was enough to scare the dead. A tan
gle of dark blond hair dripped rain onto her forehead. Her green eyes looked puffy and sad, rimmed by smudges of mascara.

  “Thanks for your help anyway. And sorry for, you know, interrupting.” She said over her shoulder. Of course she would do it again, in a second, if she thought she had to.

  “Can I ask what you’re doing in the library?” His tone was cautiously friendly. He shifted to her right, either trying to get under the tiny entryway roof or to get a better look at her, she couldn’t tell. His hat was back on his head, the bill pulled down to his dark brows.

  “I’m collecting a quilt that was left to me by the librarian.” It was almost good enough. She got very close to saying it as if it didn’t matter. But there was that tiny waver at the end that betrayed her broken heart. Daisy straightened her shoulders reflexively. Marie wouldn’t want her to fall apart.

  As if someone flipped a switch, the officer’s demeanor changed. “I’m Lane Bennett. You must be Daisy.” He held out a hand and his lips tugged up at the corners.

  Daisy didn’t want to shake his hand, didn’t want to make any new friends. She wanted to turn the key in the door, get her quilt and get out of town. She wouldn’t feel safe until she was out of the state, out of Colorado, and back to California where she belonged. His hand was warm, despite the cold rain. “Did you know Marie?”

  This time he grinned, long dimples like commas framed his mouth. “Well enough to hear all about you. She was so proud of her girl.”

  There it was, the tipping point in her grief. Daisy yanked back her hand and turned to the door. She blinked furiously, blindly searching for the key in the lock. My girl. That’s what she had called her, ever since that day Daisy had tried to steal a book from the library by tucking it under her ratty t-shirt. She still remembered how the cover felt, cold and slick against her stomach. A book on sharks, of all things. To a little girl from a small town in Colorado, it was like a book on Martians.

  She clenched her teeth, willing her hands to stop trembling enough to open the door. After a full minute of fumbling, Lane reached around her and twisted the brass key, pushing the door open in one smooth motion. Daisy stepped inside, shaking the water from her hands, keeping her face turned away. She needed just a minute to get a grip on her emotions. Grateful for the silence behind her, she took a deep, calming breath. The foyer smelled exactly like it did when she left seven years ago. Polished banisters gleamed in the low light, the huge windows were streaked with rain. It was an old Carnegie library through and through, built to be the center of the community. Even from the landing at the bottom of the stairs she could smell the books.

  Daisy inhaled, letting the scent of dust and old paper calm her emotions. Memories of discovery, safety, and contentment washed over her. She could do this.

  “I’m sorry for your loss.” He stood just inside the door, quietly watching her.

  “Thank you.” She cleared her throat. “I’m just picking up the quilt and heading to the bed and breakfast. I have a flight out of Denver tomorrow evening. Too bad the library will be closed for a while. It will probably take a few weeks before they find a new librarian.”

  He ran a hand over the back of his neck. His jaw was tight, lips a thin line. Daisy knew that look. It was the expression of someone who had bad news and didn’t want to share it. But nothing could be worse than losing Marie, could it? A cold dread filled her stomach as she watched his eyes search the lobby, as if looking for a way to say whatever it was.

  “There won’t be a new librarian. The building needs repairs we can’t afford. The library is closing for good.”

  Daisy felt her eyes go wide with shock. She couldn’t find the words, couldn’t form the questions. She shook her head, taking in all the rows of books. The corner where she had spent the best moments of her childhood was just visible from the landing and above it was the quilt she had come to retrieve. The watery afternoon light from the window made it look like more than fabric, like real books on shelves, with tiny titles stitched on the binding.

  Her gaze snapped back to Lane. “Does the city manager still have her office in City Hall?”

  “Yes, but there’s nothing she can do. The library needs a new roof, and the supports are rotting underneath. It’s not safe.” He sighed. “Look, I understand how important this place is to you, to all of us.”

  Something in her registered the pained expression on his face and promptly decided to ignore it. Daisy turned on her foot, tugging the hood of her raincoat back over her head. She passed him in silence, stuffing the key back in her pocket. Yanking open the tall wooden door, she cringed at the blast of cold rain. She couldn’t let them close the library. She felt as if her life depended on it. And maybe for some child here in this wretched town, it really did.

  Chapter Two

  “Hey!” Lane knew he should just let her go. Her quick strides told him she was angry and determined to take it out on somebody. Better if it wasn’t him.

  She didn’t slow down, but he knew she heard him by the rigidness of her spine. He felt a smile tug up the corners of his mouth. This was the Daisy he knew from Marie’s stories. This was the little girl who made up her mind to read the whole children’s section one summer, the one who decided to aim for a college degree even though she was dirt poor.

  “Daisy, just wait.” He caught up to her easily enough, matching her step for step down the sidewalk. She didn’t respond but turned her head and shot him a glare. He almost laughed out loud. He would have, if he could have gotten away with it. She was a woman on a mission and no one had better get in her way. A head shorter than he was and not a weapon in sight but she was radiating some serious danger. Angry women didn’t float his boat, but he had to admit she was beautiful even soaking wet and furious.

  The picture Marie had in her office must be from when Daisy was in high school. Jeans and a flowered top, pretty smile, hair up, arms crossed over her chest. He could see it was the same girl, if he stretched his imagination. Okay, really stretched. This was a woman, not a gangly teenager. And an angry one, at that.

  “The city manager may not be in her office. You should probably call and make an appointment.”

  “If she’s not there, she’ll be at the Country Club having lunch.” Her words came out in a measured tone, but her face was stiff.

  Lane had to admit she was right. The manager didn’t do much accept sit in her office or hang around the Country Club. Manager Lindo wasn’t a bad person. She was just happy to be presiding over a town that was as sleepy and comfortable as she was. No matter what the city planners wanted, the worst thing that could happen to Liberty would be for it to be discovered like Aspen had been.

  They turned the corner and headed up the long cement walk toward City Hall’s front doors. Lane noted the puddles near the foot of the stairs. Old Anna Willems was always complaining about the lack of rain cover on the entryway, but somehow the money never seemed to be in the budget. Of course, there was always enough money for the Fourth of July fireworks or the Christmas parade or whatever else Lindo wanted.

  Daisy reached the handle of the all-glass door and paused. She turned and seemed to see him for the first time. She didn’t look as tanned as he’d figured a girl from California would look. Or maybe she was pale with anger. Her hood dripped water onto her nose and she wiped a hand across her cheek. “You don’t have to come with me.”

  Was that what he was doing? His police cruiser was back near the library. He’d bailed out of it after seeing Toby ride toward the busy intersection, his head bobbing to the music on his iPod. Then he’d followed her into the library, and now he was here, a block away. He felt his face go hot. He must look like he had nothing better to do than follow her around, in between stuffing himself with doughnuts and hanging out at Sal’s Diner.

  “City Manager Lindo may not know who you are. I can introduce you.” It wasn’t a great line, but it would have to do.

  Daisy’s brows drew down. “Oh, we’re well acquainted.” And with that she opene
d the door and trotted up the steps. He waited a moment, then gave in to the urge to follow, yet again. He wanted to know what happened, invited or not. Trailing behind a bright yellow raincoat full of angry woman, he wondered what exactly Marie had left out of her many stories.

  The secretary, Allison Goss, gave him a hopeful look and half-stood. He waved and smiled, but didn’t stop. They’d gone out on a date once and she had talked about her obsession with boy bands. Then she had pulled down the neck of her top to show him the tattoo over her heart. Call him old fashioned but he didn’t think he could kiss a girl with Justin Bieber grinning up at him, inches away.

  The door was open and the city manager was flopped behind the desk, clicking her mouse and frowning. She looked up with a scowl. With carefully coiffed hair and manicured nails, she had a pleasant sort of smile that never actually seemed friendly. It could turn downright frosty when she felt people were being difficult. She gave them both a thorough once-over and said nothing.

  “Hello, Manager Lindo. We need to discuss your plans for the old library.”

  Lane couldn’t resist a smile this time. The girl was all business.

  “Well, little Daisy McConnell. Why don’t you have a seat?” Mrs. Lindo didn’t bother to stand. Her long, angular face was turning pink at the cheekbones. The woman hated a change in her schedule and avoided anything that even hinted at work. Daisy was definitely falling into both of those categories.

  “Officer Bennett tells me the library is closing.”

  Mrs. Lindo glanced at Lane as if to say she’d wished Lane had kept his mouth shut. “It’s complicated, Daisy. And the residents of Liberty understand the library needs more repairs than we can afford. I would be glad to go into more detail, but since you’re not living here, I don’t really see the point. Maybe you should ask your father about it. He might have time to tell you what’s been going on here the last few years.”