The End, or the Beginning?
Chapter 3
"Where to, daughter?" Rick asked after he brought everything in.
"Get on Interstate 65 South," Alexis told him after checking her book. "We want KOA campground Louisville. It has a pool, mountain bike rentals, and an outdoor movie theater."
"Ooo, seems nice." Rick liked the sound of that.
"It has Wi-Fi, firewood, and fishing." Alexis set her book beside her.
Rick looked over at her. "We really need to find a way to get fishing poles."
Alexis rolled her eyes. "You know nothing about fishing, Dad."
"A guy can learn," Rick insisted.
"Whatever you say." Alexis prodded him. "Interstate 65 South, Dad."
"I'm going, I'm going." Rick started the engine, pulled out, and looked for Interstate 65 South.
"Beckett left me a message."
"Oh, what did she want?" Alexis asked him, the venom apparent in her voice.
"She said she was sorry and something about getting too close to the real her."
"You're not thinking of forgiving her, are you?" Alexis demanded. "She doesn't deserve it after how she treated you."
"NO, no, I'm not." Rick looked at her for a moment. He saw on her face that she didn't believe him. "I'm not, Alexis. Besides, she's back in the City, and I'm on my way to an HOA campground in Louisville."
"You better not," Alexis told him. "We're staying there for five days and should take about five hours to get there.
ʘ ʘ
It didn't take them five hours to reach the campsite. No, it was more like eight. They hit road construction and a road closure due to a wreck. They were forced off the Interstate for a time and had to rely on their GPS to find their way there.
They had room, and it was a Pull-Thru, making things easy on them. They bought a firewood pack, then pulled into their campsite. They set up camp, and Rick cooked BBQ chicken with corn on the cob heated up on the grill, saving their firewood for another day. They retreated to the TV and watched a movie for a change. Then they went to their beds, where they watched still more TV.
ʘ ʘ
They rented bikes and toured the campsite. They attended the outdoor movie. And they enjoyed the pool. On their final day there, it poured rain, forcing them inside.
They played a board game called Star Wars: Rebellion. Alexis was the Empire, while Rick got to be the Rebellion. Alexis won since Rick tried, by force, to win. But her military dominance was just too much for him.
Alexis grinned at him as they picked up all the pieces and put them away.
"Yes, you won, happy now?" Rick asked her.
"You know it wasn't even the Death Star that did it for me. It was all the Star Destroyers." Alexis was amazed by that.
"Now that I know the mistakes I made, I'll win next time," Rick vowed.
Alexis laughed at him. "Bring it on, Dad."
ʘ ʘ
Rick cleaned up the site and put it all away during one of the times it wasn't raining on them. "Where to now?"
Alexis consulted her book. "Go south on Interstate 65 to Nashville. We're staying at the KOA Nashville. They have a pool, hot tub, firewood, snack bar, bike rental, and outdoor movies. Best of all, they have tours and tickets."
"Ooo, now that seems exciting." Rick liked the sound of it.
"Interstate 64 South," he repeated to her.
Alexis nodded. "That's right. And we're spending an entire week there this time."
Rick liked that. He turned the key on the RV and got started.
"It'll take us about three hours to reach it," Alexis told him, "barring another construction site and a car accident."
"That wasn't my fault. Though we may need to stop for fuel again." Rick looked at his gas gauge and thought it would be good to top off the tank. "And empty the gray and black water tanks."
Alexis smiled at him. "You're learning, Dad, you're learning."
ʘ ʘ
Kate's suspension was now about half over. She hadn't heard back from Castle but didn't expect that she would. What was beginning to get her was she wasn't getting a response from anyone, nothing in the mail, and no phone calls.
She checked her mail and found one from one of the places she sent a résumé to.
She hustled up the stairs and went into her apartment. She ripped it open and read it. The more she read, the less she liked it. She lowered her hand and let the letter fall to the floor.
Word was out with the reason behind her suspension, and they weren't interested in her for exactly that. They liked her résumé, but that item dissuaded them from hiring her. They wished her luck in her search, and that was it.
Her one screw-up was having repercussions she didn't expect.
"Great, this is just great. I'll be lucky to get a police officer job at this rate."
ʘ ʘ
Rick pulled into the campsite after checking in and purchasing a pack of firewood. It came with a patio, furniture, and a stone fire ring. He connected to the hookups while Alexis got out their grill and chairs. Yes, they had chairs at the table, but those were for eating. These chairs were for lounging.
They actually cooked lunch for a change. Rick created the ultimate grilled cheese sandwiches for both of them.
"These are good, Dad." Alexis was amazed at how good they really were.
"The next RV I get will have a TV in the side," Rick told her.
"That might be nice." Alexis was all for it. "At least a radio would be nice."
"All that will be on will be information on the war between Russia and Ukraine," Rick grumbled.
"Yeah, and Russia's threatening to launch nukes at us. I swear they're taking their cues from North Korea." Alexis shook her head. "It's all talk, it has to be. A nuclear war would ruin us all."
Rick agreed with her. "Yeah, it'll never happen."
"So what do we do now, Dad?"
"There's always bike rental," Rick offered.
"Sold!" Alexis got up and went to the office to rent bicycles. They took a peek at the snack bar and thought that they'd check it out later. They started peddling.
Since they rented the bikes for multiple days, they kept them after they finished riding them. They retreated to watch TV until it was time for dinner.
Rick did pork chops on the grill along with a baked potato while Alexis warmed up a can of green beans.
"It might be good to stop at a grocery store on the way out," Rick suggested.
"Definitely. We could use some fresh fruit again. The snack bar doesn't have any, Dad."
ʘ ʘ
The following morning, they bought tickets and went wine tasting. Alexis didn't partake in the tasting, but that didn't mean she didn't enjoy the tour.
And the next day they bought tickets to take them to Honkey Tonk. The shuttle took them directly to Broadway, where they could enjoy country music, cowboy boots, and good old-fashioned Southern cooking.
They both bought cowboy boots on their way out after eating lunch and dinner in a restaurant. "I'm stuffed," Alexis told him while carrying her box containing her boots on the shuttle.
"Me too. I shouldn't have gotten that dessert. But it was Banana Cream Cheesecake." Rick groaned just remembering the taste of it.
Alexis chuckledat him.Now she was glad she hadn't had any dessert.
ʘ ʘ
The next day was spent at the pool,and they hadsnacks for lunch. Then,they watched a late-night outdoor movie. By the time the movie ended, theyhadeatena late dinner. It was simple cheeseburgers and potato chips.
They went to the Notes Cafe on the campground for a made-to-order breakfastthefollowingmorning. Then,they retreatedto their RV, collected their bikes,and rode around the grounds. They turnedin their bikes after theyfinished. Then they hit the pool again.
All too soon,it was time to leave. It hadn't rained on them or anything.
"W
here tonow,daughter?"
Alexis checked her notes. "Gowest on Interstate 40,thennorth on Interstate 56 to Memphis KOA campground. It has a pool, bike rental, firewood, asnack bar, cable TV, a game room, and pancake breakfasts."
"
Mmm,yum!West of Interstate 40 it is.Out ofcuriosity, why Memphis?" Rickwondered.
Alexisshrugged. "No reason.Notreally. It's on the way to Little Rock. They have dancing and a flea market."
"Ohh, that's why Memphis. You want to go to the flea market.
"
She raised an eyebrow."And what if I do?"
"Nothing, nothing at all." Rick smile
dat her and startedthe engine.
ʘ ʘ
It took them almost no time at all compared to some of the other trips. They checkedin andhad directions toaPull-Thru site. It came with a patio and a fire ring, but that was it.That was okay, though, sincethey had a solution for that.
They stayed for just three days this time. They stop
pedat a grocery store and parkedout in the boonies just to make sure they could get back out again.
They each took a cart and headedout in different directions. Alexis headed for produce while Rick headedfor the meat section. They met in the middle,where they selected pasta, pasta sauce, andmanyother things. Then, they headed tothe checkout. After Rick paid for everything, and it was all bagged,they pushedtheir carts to their RV, where they unloaded everything. Alexis was still putting some of the canned goodsin the cupboardswhen Rick startedup the RV and got back on the road.
ʘ ʘ
Kate needed to expand her search by a lot. Still,she didn't like thinking of applyingforpolice officer jobs. She drew the line at going backwards. So, she applied for positions she didn't think she would ever do, butseemedlike it was allthatwas left for her.
She slid into the booth after hugging her dad. "Just coffee, please,"she told the server.
"So, how goes the search?" Jim askedher.
Kate sighed."Not good, Dad. It seems the word is outaboutmy suspensionand why. I've gotten just one response to all of myrésumés. They told me myrésumélooked good,butthat my suspension was why they wouldn't hire me."
"Thanks,"she toldthe server as she pouredher cup of coffee.
"I'm sorry to hear that
,Katie.What happens now?"
"I don't know exactly.I've applied for alotof locations. They're all deputy sheriffpositions. That seems to be all that's left to me. I refuse to go backwards and be a police officer running around in a police car. I did my time at that already."
"I'm still sorry to hear that," Jim told her. "But being a deputy sheriff won't be all bad. At least you won't be in a city responding to calls."
"It still sticks in my craw, Dad. All because I screwed up. One little mistake, and I can't find a job because of it."
Jim
had another question forher. "Have you evertried to call Castle? Tell him how sorry you are?
She nodded."All I got was a voicemail. I leftCastle a message,but he hasn't called me back. He's on the road in his RV all summer long. It's looking more and more like it's over between us."
"There was a time when that's what you wanted. You certainly didn't give
the manany idea you wanted more from it. Not with taking up with Demming," Jimchided.
Kateshrugged a shoulder. "There was a time when I wantedto see him gone. But he grew on me. He was still a child but not so much of a jackass."
Jim
knew, though. "You love him,don't you?"
"What? No,I don't love him....Maybe. I don't know. It's all messed up." Katelooked away. "It doesn't matter now. He's gone and won't talk to me, so it doesn't matter."
"It matters when he comes back. You
haveto tell him, Katie. Even if it's just a voicemail,youhaveto."
"Tell him what?That I love him? Even I don't know that. I need to go. I'll talk to you later, Dad." Kate startedto slide out of the booth.
"Running away won't solve anything,Katie. Youhaveto confront how you feel about him," Jim calledafter her. But that didn't stop her. Jim sighedand shook his head. Whenever someone got close,she always found a way to push them away or run away herself.
This time,she pushed too hard,and it cost her.
ʘ ʘ
Rick and Alexis enjoyed the pancake breakfast. They weren't his made-from-scratch pancakes,but they were good. They even had blueberry pancakes with real blueberries.
They had a game room
,but it was more for teenagers than adults. The one saving grace of this site was the pancake breakfast.
"Where to now?" Rick askedhis daughter.
"Take Interstate 40 West straight to the Little Rock KOA," Alexisinstructed, then put aside her book. She was looking forward to this site. It was the antique flea market that did it for her. She was really hoping to find something there.
"It should only take us about three hours to get there."
"Knock on wood." Rick knock
edon something,even if it wasn't wood. He started up the RV and got on the road. They didn't get far when,thanks to construction,trafficwasreduced to a crawl.
It took them almost five hours to make it. They checked in andwere assigned a space. It was a Pull-Thru with full hookups. It had a patio but no table or fire pit. But it was heavily wooded, so that was a plus. At least they had a pool, bike rentals,and a snack bar.
They set up and made lunch. This time,it was hot dogs on buns,and they had canned chili to make chili dogs, along with potato chips.
Since they had no fire pit, they sat outside and wavedat people out for a walk,who waved back. The next day, they rentedbikes and peddled their way to Wild River Country, only aquartermile away. Theybroughttowels and sunscreenwith them.
It had slidesanda wave place with an actualsandy beach. They spent the entire day there, along with eating lunch– burgersthat weren't very good,fries,and root beer.
After that, they rode their bikes back to the RV and took turns changing into clothes. They had spaghetti with sauce in a jar for supper. Using a jar of sauce rankled Rick, even though he didn't have a way to make good sauce. But he added meatballs to it, so it was at least passable.
Then the next day,theyrodetheir bikes to one of three flea markets.Thattold Alexis anything she got would have to be small enough to ride a bike back to the RV.
ʘ ʘ
Kate checked her mail and sawshe got something. She took it upstairs, opened it,and read it. It was an offer of employment!It was with the Doña Ana County Sheriff'sOffice. She had to look up just where Doña Ana County was. It turned outto beon the border of Mexico. She knew she didn't speak Spanish, only English and Russian,but it was a job offer.
They offered her paid vacation and sick leave. Medical, Vision, Dental, and Life insurance. A twenty-five-year retirement (PERA), Uniform and Equipment per Union Contract, Take-home vehicle for Law Enforcement per Union Contract, 4/10 work schedule, and PaidCourtOvertime.
All she had to do was clear a job application: physical fitness which meant clearing an obstacle course in three minutes five seconds, valid drivers license, firearms certification, polygraph exam, oral boards, medical/psychological exam,and drug screening. All of which she knew she would pass. It included a phone number for her to call. They were looking forward to hearing from her.
Kate called them right away and got to talk to theSheriff, whoturned out to be a woman. She lookedforward to adding a New York City homicide detective to her staff.
Kate asked about her vehicle, learned it would be a Chevy Blazer 4x4, and thatshewas responsible for payingfor the gas. She was expected to start in two weeks.
She told them she could do that, and theSheriff welcomedhertotheDoña Ana County Sheriff'sOffice.
Now
,she had to get busy packing and making arrangements to have it all shipped out to some place where she would live. She gave herself a week to accomplish the task of packing and ten days to get there. That would leave her just a few days to find a place to live.
"Hi, Dad." Kate huggedhim andsat on the bench. "I found a job!It's attheDoña Ana County Sheriff'sOffice." She looked up at the server. "Just coffee, please."
"Where isthat?" Jimasked.
"It's in New Mexico, just on the Mexican border. I know I don't speak Spanish, but I can learn, given enough time."
"New Mexico
?"
"They offered me a job whenno one else would, Dad. The Sheriff's a woman."
"A woman, interesting
," Jim commented. "I take it you accepted, otherwise,you wouldn't be telling me about it."
"I did. I have two weeks to get there. If I don't sell my place fast enough,can I prevail on you to help me sell it?"
"
Yes, of course, I'll help, Katie. But somehow I don't think you'll have a problem there. I assume you're selling it furnished?"
Kateshook her head. "No,I'm not. I'm taking everything with me. I planto usePODS to get me there."
"PODS sounds like a plan," Jim agreed. "Now,all you have to do is pack and get yourself there. Any idea how you'regoing to do that?"
"None, but I've got about a week to figure it out." Katesighed. "I have just one thing left to do. Resign." She sounded sad when she said that.