Passion In James County X
Badge of Dishonor
By D.C. Roi
Chapter twelve
Deputy Sheriff Luke Thomas arrived home in the morning after a very boring night shift. He had lived in a tiny two-room second floor apartment in the home of Lorraine and Marvin Keeler ever since he started working for the sheriff's department. Luke was an orphan. His parents were killed in a car crash when he was nine, and he'd been raised by an elderly aunt and uncle, who had retired to Florida the year Luke finished college.
He'd been with the James County Sheriff's Department for two years. He started with the department a few months after he graduated from college with a bachelor's degree in law enforcement.
Luke's father was an attorney and, when he was younger, Luke thought he would grow up to be a lawyer, too. But the fact that a slick lawyer managed to get the drunk driver who killed his folks off with a light sentence changed his career choice. He decided he'd become a cop, the best cop there ever was, one who did such a good job no lawyer would be able to get the people he arrested off.
After his parents died, his aunt and uncle had taken him in and given him a good home and an upbringing that was nearly as good as it would have been had his parents lived.
Mr. Keeler was on the road a lot, which meant his landlady spent a considerable amount of time alone.
Luke, a painfully shy young man, spent quite a bit of time alone, too, and a close friendship developed between him and his landlady as a result. He ate quite a few of his meals with Mrs. Keeler. He got in the habit of dropping in on her after he finished work. Over coffee, he'd relate tales of the things that happened during his shifts, and stories other cops told, too.
Lorraine Keeler was a very attractive woman and, as they grew closer, Luke realized he was developing a crush on her. But he liked her husband, too, and the crush soon evolved into a close friendship, both with Mr. and with Mrs. Keeler.
When Luke walked into the Keeler's downstairs apartment, it was silent and almost felt empty. That surprised him. Usually, Mrs. Keeler was waiting and had coffee and donuts waiting. She did seem to like hearing his stories about weird things he encountered at work.
Luke wasn't sure what to do. "Lorrie, are you here?" he called as he walked down the hallway toward where the Keeler's bedroom was located.
"Luke, is...is that you?" his landlady called from her bedroom.
"Yes, it's me, Lorrie," Luke replied. He wasn't sure, but he thought her voice sounded funny. "Are you OK, Lorrie, you sound funny?"
"I...I'm fine, Luke," she replied, but her quivering voice gave the lie to her words.
Luke headed for the Keeler's bedroom. He had no idea what was going on, but he didn't want to see his landlady upset. Maybe there was something he could do.
When he walked into the bedroom he found his landlady sitting on the bed, wearing a white terrycloth bathrobe. Her eyes were red and puffy and she looked as if she'd been crying a lot.
Luke walked toward the bed and looked at his friend. Even in the state she was in, she was a very attractive woman. She had shoulder length dark-brown hair that framed her pretty face with a mass of soft curls. Her skin was kind of dusky and made her look as if she had a year-round tan. Her legs were firm and athletic, and Luke loved the way she looked when she wore jeans. The rest of her body was pretty terrific, too, including her breasts, which were very large. There was a time he had fantasized about what it would be like to make love to her, but he hadn't had fantasies like that in a long time.
Luke stopped near the bed. "Lorrie, are you sure you're OK?" he asked.
"Come here, Luke, sit next to me," his landlady said softly. She patted the bed next to her. She looked up at her tenant, who was still in his police uniform. He was a nice-looking young man.
Hesitantly, Luke walked over and sat down on the bed.
"Did...did you just get home, Luke?" Lorraine asked.
"Ah...yeah," Luke replied.
"I'm glad you're home on time today. I...I was afraid you'd have to work another double shift today," she said. "I know I probably sound like an over-protective mother, but I worry about all the overtime you work."
"Ah...there were enough guys available, so I didn't have to," Luke replied.
Lorraine hugged herself. There were things she needed to talk with someone about, but she wasn't sure it would be a good idea to discuss them with Luke. She knew he and her husband were close, and knew telling the young man what had happened would cause him pain. She wasn't sure how, or if, she could tell him. She was afraid that if he found out what Marvin had done, he would be upset. She also feared that if she told him, he wouldn't believe her, and would get angry with her. Or maybe he would blame her.
The thing was, what was happening between Marvin and her would eventually become public knowledge, and she felt she had to tell him before he found out from someone else. It would be better if he heard it from her than if he found out some other way.
Luke, gazing at his landlady, saw the anxiety on her face, and wondered what had happened to make her so upset. Had something happened to her husband? Had he been in a crash or something?
Lorraine's eyes searched Luke's face and she saw the confusion in his eyes. "You know there's something wrong, don't you, Luke?" she asked.
Luke nodded. "Ah, yeah," he said. "I mean, you've been crying and all, it doesn't take a genius to figure out something has you upset. Lorrie, what's going on? Why have you been crying?"
