25.
It didn't take Avery long to put a statement together. She stuck to the facts – things she had personally seen and heard over the past few weeks. She kept her personal feelings out of it. She'd head enough from Jack over the years to know that was the important thing. Feelings were not facts. At least not when it came to Jack's court cases.
Surprisingly, Mark took little convincing. He was just slower at typing. Avery got the feeling he was doing it more out of keeping her happy than wanting to give over control of things. Too bad for him.
Once that was done Avery, Mark and Leah took the boxes to the car and headed for the school. The custodial staff was long gone. They divided the files and Leah headed for the library to make her copies. Avery went to her office. There was coper there. Mark took his to the staff work room to use the big printer. They figured it would get done faster.
Avery made her copies as fast as she could, keeping one eye on the windows that overlooked the parking lot. She fully expected the sheriff or some of his minions to show up. When that didn't happen it made her even more tense. She was finishing up – there was something to be said for the high powered, loud copy machines they used at the school – when Mark came into the office lugging his boxes.
"Done. And Leah is finishing up too." He had switched to a more standoffish tone since they'd left the house. Even to Leah. The other woman had shot him some confused looks but Mark seemed to not notice. Avery nodded and pulled the last of the copied pages off the printer. She straightened them and shut the printer down.
It was weird they were suddenly being so careful around each other. Avery thought maybe Mark thought she was going to snap at him again. She didn't want to snap at him. She didn't want to face the fact that he would be leaving soon. She was fine until he'd reminded her.
The boxes were heavier going outside. Avery helped load them into the trunk of the car and made sure the school doors were locked. The plan was to make their next stop the motel, to pick up their bags and get them checked out. No sense in paying for rooms they weren't using. Avery and Leah waited while Mark took care of his room, and then Leah and Mark traded off so she could take care of hers. The unspoken agreement was that they didn't leave Avery alone. She got that even if they didn't say it out loud.
Mark waited until Leah disappeared into her room before looking at Avery. "I don't like the idea of you driving by yourself tomorrow."
"But you also don't like leaving your partner here to fend for herself." Avery already knew that he felt responsible for both of them. "So what are you trying to say, you want to take the files to Jack?"
That seemed to give him pause. He frowned. "I don't even know him. I wish there was another way. I wish I hadn't put all this one you. I know it's been a long time and I know that you don't feel the same way about me as I do about you, but..."
Now it was Avery's turn to frown. She didn't feel the same way? He had to be crazy. She interrupted him. "Why are you doing my thinking for me? I've got a functional brain, I can handle that myself." That shut him up. So Avery decided to just dive on in. "I love you too, OK? And I'm not saying that because I'm angry, or I'm trying to win some kind of argument or something. I've loved you since we were kids. Part of me never stopped."
His frown smoothed out. Mark almost smiled. Almost. He reached over and cupped her face in his hand, slipping his thumb over her cheek. "You gotta believe that I don't wanna leave you Sunday. Or ever. If I had my way we'd run off together and just start over somewhere. But you have your life here, your daughter, your job. And I have my job. And I'm kinda stuck there for the time bein'. If – no – when we get this thing worked out, I'm coming back for you. For us. It's probably gonna kill me havin' to wait, but we're worth it."
"I know." Avery said it softly.
"I love you." Mark matched her tone, her volume. "I wanna marry you, Avery. I wanna be with you for the rest of my life. I've waited 20 years. I can wait a little bit longer."
Avery looked into his eyes, taking in the serious expression. "I love you too. That's why I called Jack. Because I know you can protect me, but it was the only thing I could think of to protect you." She pressed her hand against his, still lightly stroking the skin of her face.
He was saved from answering by Leah rejoining them. She tossed her bags into the back seat and slid in, taking in the pose in front of her. "Am I interrupting?"
"Yes." Mark didn't hedge. But he smirked when he said it. Regretfully he pulled away from Avery but kept hold of her hand as he headed back toward her house. They carried the original files back inside the house, but left the copies locked in the truck of Mark's car, parked and locked in the garage.
"I think I figured it out." Aery said once they were at the house.
"Figured what out?" Leah asked. They had been talking quietly in the kitchen while supper cooked. Nothing fancy. Avery was making burgers.
"How to get the files to Jack." That has been the discussion. Who would go? Who would stay? "Ben. He's on our side."
"That deputy?" Leah asked. She had been updated on the happenings from the night before.
"Yeah. He knows something is up. I can call him and get him to go with me..."
"I don't know if that's..."
"I should probably..."
Mark and Leah talked over each other. Avery would have laughed if not for the identical serious expressions they were wearing. They shared a look and Leah nodded. But it was Mark that ended up speaking.
"Leah can go with Ben. I want you here. Where I can keep an eye on you."
"Becuase I'll be doing so much interesting stuff?" Avery said with a smirk.
"No. Because you managed to piss off the sheriff. We don't want to give him any chance to get a shot at you. So we'll stick close to home. If you're ex brings in the state cops, I'd rather they be watching you than watching one of us. And I'd rather they stay in town just in case."
Avery nodded in understanding. She couldn't get mad about it. She would be missing a chance to see her daughter, but if things went well, she would see her soon enough. She finished cooking the burgers and set them aside so she could dig up her copy of the school's contact information sheets. She kept one at home, because there were some occasions when she had to call people after hours. This just happened to be one of those times.
Ben picked up on the first ring. Avery explained what they had planned and he thought it over. "This could cost me my job." He finally said.
"Not if it works. And if it does, what are you really losing? Working for that worm dressed as a sheriff? I can get you a job at the school. Dad can get you on at the high school. Hell, Jack might be able to pull some strings for the state cops, if you still want to be in law enforcement. But we have got to get those files to him."
"Then we should go tonight." Ben finally said.
"We already decided that going after dark would be a bad idea." Avery said.
"For you. Maybe for your friends. I'm heading out anyway. I'm off the next three days and thought I'd meet the wife and kids at her mom's house for the weekend. Surprise them. I don't usually get weekends off. Besides that...Walls is tied up tonight at least for a few hours. He's hosting the bonfire down at the lake for the AmVets."
"Hold on." Avery turned to Leah and Mark and told them Ben's suggestion. They did another of those non-verbal, very loaded looked.
"I'm game." Leah said with a shrug.
"Ok." Avery said that back into the phone. "Tonight it is. I need to let Jack know. I'll write up directions and Leah will come by your place in a bit." She hung up the phone and gestured toward the food. "Is anybody going to eat?" Neither of them had moved.
She didn't wait for an answer. She dug into a drawer and pulled out a notepad and pen and jotted down directions to Jack's place. Then she called Jack and let him know that there was a change of plans. Jack sounded eager ot get his hands on the files. He knew there was something there, if only because Avery thought there was.
The three of them ate quickly and then Leah was grabbing Mark's car keys and heading out. They had to get while the getting was good. Mark and Avery stood on the porch and watched the taillights disappeared around the corner.
"I hope we're doing the right thing." Mark said, almost too low for Avery to hear.
"We're doing the only thing." She assured him, making sure to inject some confidence into her voice. Even if the sheriff was occupied it didn't mean he his deputies weren't running free. And who knew which of them they could trust beyond Ben? Leah had been sent with an invitation from Jack to stay the night and return in the morning, which suited everyone. Now they just had to wait.