Close To Danger (Westen #4)(24)
A moment later the bells over the café entrance chimed. André stepped inside the café. The twenty-something African American stomped the snow off his boots on the thick mat and nodded at the truck drivers before heading to the counter.
“The weather channel predicted at least a foot of snow when it first started. There must be that out there now with no end in sight. Will plowing now make any difference?” Lorna asked, reaching under the counter to pull out another mug and setting it at the empty spot next to Jason.
“Not sure, Ms. Lorna,” André said, wrapping his hands around the mug of hot coffee. “But Mayor Rawlins and Mr. Russett believe it might make the roads fairly passible in the morning once the snow stops.”
Harold Russett was the town’s city engineer and head of the county road maintenance crew, André’s boss. Jason met them both when they helped dig Gage out of a cave-in caused by an underground explosion near a Meth lab last spring.
Lorna peered out the window at Main Street. “I can hardly see the street lamps. Is it still coming down pretty good? It’s hard to tell with all that wind blowing.”
“Thanks, Pete,” André said as a bowl of soup and plate of muffins appeared in front of him. “That’s part of the problem right now. I plow the road ahead and the wind fills it in behind me. Sort of feel like that cartoon where one man is digging a hole at the same time another man is filling it in. Was considering heading home, but the roads out my way aren’t near the main arteries. Hate to get snowed in there and leave the town stranded in the morning,” he said before tucking into his food.
“You can camp out in one of the back cells over at the sheriff’s office,” Jason said with a grin. “Old Earl swears the cots aren’t too bad.”
André stopped with a spoonful of soup halfway to his mouth. “You serious?”
“Yep. I have to stay up all night. You can get some sleep and I’ll wake you if and when the snow stops. Gage and the Mayor have been checking in almost every hour to see if anyone’s reported power outages or accidents. I’ll let them know the situation.” Jason picked up the coffee carafe Lorna set on the counter and refilled his cup. “Besides, I’d kinda like the company tonight.”
“I’ll take you up on the offer,” André said with a grin before going back to his soup.
Jason motioned Lorna over. “You haven’t given me a check for the meal yet.”
“Not going to,” she said with a pointed look. “Being hospitable in an emergency doesn’t cost anything.” She sauntered off to the kitchen, yelling at Pete. “You’d best get to bed, old man. You’ll have customers in the morning and I’m not doing the early shift after staying up all night.”
Jason and André exchanged knowing expressions. The café owner might be a bossy woman who knew more about what was going on in town than the local newspaper, but she had the softest heart around.
Once André was finished, they moved the county road plow to the side of the sheriff’s office, the hurricane-force gusts of wind nearly knocking them over as they hurried inside.
“You’re going to need at least one extra blanket,” Jason said, grabbing two clean wool ones out of the stash in the storage room back behind the three cells used mostly to hold drunk and disorderly suspects. Anyone committing a more serious crime was held over at the big jail beneath the county courthouse.
“Just so it isn’t one thrown up on, I’m pretty good.” André grinned as he took the blankets.
“Not a problem. My mom and the Baptist Ladies group are in charge of all the linen in the jail. Bobby convinced them to do it as a charitable act and saves the sheriff’s department a hell of a lot of money.”
“Tell your mom and her ladies I truly appreciate it tonight.”
“Not a problem. Like I said, I’ll appreciate the company. Besides, if I get an emergency call, you can take me out,” Jason said as he sat at his desk and pulled out his phone.
André nodded, heading into the first empty cell. “Well, let’s just hope nothing bad happens tonight.”
CHAPTER NINE
The quiet was the first thing Wes noticed. The wind had finally stopped sounding like a freight train hurling toward the cabin. Next came the chill. He’d been up several times during the night to check on the fire, add a log, even check on Chloe. More than once he’d had to pull the cover over her foot. Seems the woman liked sleeping with her right foot out of the covers.
Slipping out of his make-shift bed on the couch, he pulled on his jeans and grabbed the sweater he’d tossed during the night. He added two logs to the fire, stirring the embers and making sure there was room for air to circulate. Since he was up for the day and could keep an eye on it, it was time for a bigger fire to warm up the cabin. A glance over at the wood stacked near the fireplace reassured him he had enough for today, but depending on the snow level outside, he’d need to make a trip to his outdoor woodpile if they were going to be stranded here long.
In the bathroom, he tested the light. Not working. Just as he figured. The weight of the snow had probably knocked down the power lines feeding this area. It wasn’t surprising, given the size of the storm. A normal snowfall took out the power at least once every winter. He was going to have to get his emergency generator going, too. Lighting the candle he kept in a small lantern on the vanity, he had enough light to get his business done in the bathroom.