Only then, when she knew she was truly alone and out of his sight, did she break stride and start running. No one stopped her. No one cared enough to.
Down Magnolia Avenue to Petunia Avenue, and then finally she turned off onto Pansy Lane. For the first time she didnt stop to sneer at the ridiculous flower names of the streets, and instead ran down the driveway of the duplex shed shared all her life with her mother.
Her aunt and cousin lived on the other side. Kate would be a huge comfort right now, the voice of calm reason, but shed still be with her date from the prom. Probably having the time of her life.
Cassie didnt go inside the house. Didnt want to face her mother, who would get misty-eyed at the sight of Cassie all over again. They both knew Cassie was leaving, and soon. The day she graduated, if possible. She had a life to find.
And someday shed come back here and show them all. Shed come back driving a fancy car. Shed live in the biggest house on Lilac Hill, just because she could. Andoh, yes, this was her favoriteshed get the sheriff. Somehow, some way.
But most of all, shedbecome someone. Someone special.
She went around the side of the duplex to the backyard. Kicked off the Nine West pumps shed saved all last month for and dug her toes into the grass. Tipping back her head, she gauged the distance she had to jump in the dress wrapped around her like Saran wrap.
And took a flying leap for the rope ladder. In her skimpy black dress, she shimmied up the tree and landed in the tree house that had served as her and Kates getaway all their lives.
It was cramped. And musty. Probably full of spiders. Itd been a long time since shed needed to be alone, but she needed that now. Desperately. She was closefar too closeto losing it, when losing it was not an option. Ever.
Opening the small wooden cigar box she and Kate kept hidden, she took out her private and personal vice and lit it. A cigarette. It helped steady her nerves. There was also her diary, and Kates, inside the box. She reached for hers.
Leaning back against the trunk of the tree, she studied the stars, mentally reviewing the list of things she wanted to accomplish with her life before she scribbled them into her diary. Kate would get a kick out of the fancy-car goal, she was sure of it.
When she was done writing, she leaned back and watched a falling star, and though she would have denied it to her dying day, she wished.
She wished that life would get better soon as she got the hell out of Pleasantville.
1
Ten Years Later
SHERIFF SEAN TAGGARTTag, as he was commonly knownhad eaten, showered and was sprawled naked and exhausted across his bed when the phone rang.
Forget it, he muttered, not bothering to lift his head. He didnt have the energy. God, he needed sleep. Hed been up all night helping a neighboring county sheriff chase down a man wanted for two bank robberies. Then this morning, before he could so much as think about sleep, hed had to rescue four stupid cows from the middle of the highway. Hed also wrestled a drunken and equally stupid teenager out of a deep gorge.
Then hed delivered a baby when the mother had decided labor pains were just gas so that shed ended up stranding herself thirty-five miles from nowhere.
Now, though it was barely the dinner hour, he just might never move again. He lived alone on a hill above town. Not on Lilac Hill like the rich, but in a nice, comfortable, sleepy little subdivision where the houses were far apart and old enough to be full of characteraka run-down. His place was more run-down than most, which was how hed afforded it.
Renovation had come slow and costly, so much so that hed only gotten to his bedroom and kitchen thus far. But it was his, and it was home. After growing up with a father who ruled not only the town with an iron fist but his kid as well, and no mother from the time shed left for greener pastures when hed turned eight, having a warm, cozy home had become very important to him.
Truth be known, he was ready for more than just a home these days. It wasnt his family he wanted more of, as he and his father had never been close. How could they be when they didnt share the same ideas, morals or beliefs, and to the older Taggart, Tag was little more than a disappointment. Regardless of the strained relationship with his father, Tag felt he was missing something else. He was ready for a friend, a lover, a wife. A soul mate. Someone he could depend on for a change, instead of the other way around.
But right now, hed settle for eight hours of sleep in a row.
The phone kept ringing. Turning his head he pried one eye open and looked at it. It could be anyone. It could be his father, ex-sheriff, now retired, calling to tell Tag how to do his job. Again.
Or it could be an emergency, because if life had taught Tag any lesson at all, it was that just about anything could happen.
Damn it. He yanked up the receiver. What?
Dispatch, Annie reported in her perpetually cheerful voice. Off duty she was his ex-fiancée and pest extraordinaire. On duty, she was still his ex-fiancée and pest extraordinaire. Not long after becoming engaged, theyd decided they were better coworkers than co-habitors, and theyd been right. Tag could never have taken her eternal cheerfulness in bed night after night.
Heard you didnt even kiss Sheila good night after your date, she said. Ill have you know I went to a lot of trouble to set that up. Youve got to kiss em, Tag, or youre going to ruin your bad-boy rep.
He groaned and rolled over. God, I hope so.
I just want you happy. Like I am.
She was getting married next month to one of his deputies, which was a good thing. But now she wanted him as almost married as she was. Sighing would do no good. Neither would ignoring hershe was more ruthless than a pit bull terrier. If its any of your business, which its not, I didnt kiss Sheila because it wasnt a date. I didnt even want to go in the first place Why was he bothering? She wouldnt listen. Rubbing his eyes, he stared at the ceiling. Why are you calling?
Know why youre so grumpy? You need to get laid once in a while. Look As if departing a state secret, she lowered her voice. Sex is a really great stress reliever. Id give you some to remind you, just as a favor, mind you, but Im a committed woman now.
Tag wished he was deep asleep. Tell me youre not calling me from the dispatch phone to say this to me.
Someone has to, Tag, honey.
Im going back to sleep now.
You cant.
Why not? He heard the rustling of papers as Annie shifted things on her desk. He pictured the messthe stacks, the unfiled reports, the mugs of coffee and chocolate candy wrappers strewn over everythingand got all the more tense. Look at the computer screen in front of you, he instructed. Read me your last call.
Oh, yeah! She laughed. Cant believe I forgot there for a moment. Theres a stranger downtown, driving some sort of hot rod, causing trouble. Weve received calls on and off all day, complaining about the loud music and reckless driving.
He opened his mouth to ask what had taken her so long to say so, but bit back the comment because it wouldnt do him any good. Back on duty whether he liked it or not, he rubbed his gritty, tired eyes and grabbed for his pants. Theft? Injuries?
Nope, nothing like that. Just the music and speeding.
Speeding? Hed given up sleep for speeding? Why didnthell, whos on duty right nowTim? Why didnt he take care of this earlier if its been a problem all day?
Seems Tim stopped off at his mommas for some pie after lunch and got sick. Food poisoning. Hes been bowing to the porcelain god ever since. Poor guy, bad things like that dont usually happen here in Pleasantville.
Since hed had plenty of bad things happen to him right here in this town, the least of which was caving in and hiring his ex on dispatch, Tag just rolled his eyes. If nothing really bad could happen, why cant I manage a night with some sleep in it?
Because we all love your sweet demeanor too much. Now get your ass up. Oh, and careful out there, okay? Dont do anything I wouldnt.
Which was damn little and they both knew it. Yeah, thanks, he muttered, looking for more clothes. He jammed on his boots, yanked on his uniform shirt and grabbed his badge.
With one last fond look toward his big, rumpled, very comfortable bed, he shook his head and left.
Halfway to downtown Pleasantville, his radio squawked. Got the license plate and make for ya, Annie said, and rattled it off.
Sunshine-yellow Porsche. Tag shook his head at the idiotic tourist whod probably taken a wrong turn somewhere and ended up in Pleasantville. Shouldnt be hard to find. Owners name?
Lets see, its here somewhereCassie Tremaine Montgomery.
Not a tourist. Not a wayward traveler lost by accident. Not by a long shot.
Cassie Tremaine Montgomery.
Shed belonged here once. Though now, as a famous lingerie model, she was as far from Pleasantville as one could get.
He might not have ever met her personally since hed been several years ahead of her in school, but her reputation preceded her. A reputation shed gottenaccording to legendby using men just like her mother.
If he remembered correctly, and he was certain he did, Cassie had been tough, unreachable, attitude-ridden andhot. Very hot.
And shed been practically run out of town after her high school graduation by rumors. Theyd said she was pregnant, on drugs, a thief. You name it, someone in town had claimed shed done it. Hell, even his loser cousin Biff had plenty of wild stories, though Tag had no idea how much of it was true given Biffs tendency toward exaggeration. Hed never expended any energy thinking about it.
But now he was sheriff and she was back, stirring up trouble. Seemed hed need to think about her plenty.
He saw her immediately, speeding down Magnolia Avenue in her racy car, with a matching racy attitude written all over her. Blond hair whipping behind her, her fingers tapping in beat to the music she had blaring.
Knowing only that things were about to get interesting, Tag turned his cruiser around and went after her.
GET WHAT YOU CAN, honey. Get what you can and get out.
Cassie Tremaine Montgomery smiled grimly as she remembered her mothers advice on life and took Magnolia Avenue at a slightly elevated speed than was strictly allowed by law. She couldnt help it, her car seemed to have the same attitude about being in this town as she did.
In other words, neither of them liked it.
As she drove downtown throughout the day, running errands, people stopped, stared. Pointed.
Logically, she knew it was the car. But the place had slammed her into the past. People recognized her. People remembered her.
Had she thought they wouldnt? Hadnt Kate warned her after she had been back in town recently to close up her mothers house? Good old Pea-ville.
There was Mrs. McIntyre coming out of the Tea Room. The Town Gossip hadnt changed; she still wore her hair in a bun wrapped so tight her eyes narrowed, and that infamous scowl. Shed maliciously talked about Cassie and Flo on a daily basis.
But that was a lifetime ago. To prove it, Cassie waved.
Mrs. McIntyre shook her finger at her and turned to a blue-haired old biddy next to her. That woman shook her finger at Cassie, too.
Well. Welcome home. Cassie squashed the urge to show them a finger of her own. She couldnt help it, this place brought out the worst in her.
But she wasnt here to reminisce and socialize. God, no. If left up to her, shed have never come back. There was nothing for her here, nothing.
Kate was gone. Shed marched out of town hand in hand with Cassie all those years ago, each determined to make something of themselves.
Kate had done spectacularly in Chicago, with her specialty ladies shop, Bare Essentials.
Some would say so had Cassie. But that she could afford to buy and sell this sorry-ass town was little satisfaction when just driving through made her feel young and stupid all over again. Two things she hadnt felt in a very long time.
Everyone in Pleasantville had assumed shed grow up the same as the trouble-loving Flo. Destiny, theyd said. Cant fight it.
And if you counted going off to New York and becoming one of the worlds most well-known lingerie models following her destiny, well then, thats what Cassie had done.
Now she was back. Not by choice, mind you. Oh, no. She passed the library. And yep, there was the librarian standing out front changing the sign for tonights reading circle. Mrs. Wilkens hadnt changed a bit, either. She was still old, still had her glasses around her neck on a chain andwas still frowning at Cassie.
Cassie had spent hours at the library looking for an escape from her life, devouring every historical romance novel she could find.
Mrs. Wilkens had always, always, hovered over her as if she was certain Cassie was going to steal a book.
Oh, wasnt this a fun stroll down memory lane. With a grim smile, Cassie drove on. She passed the old bowling alley, the five-and-dime, the Rose Café.
Pleasantville had a scent shed never forgotten. It smelled like broken dreams and fear.
Or maybe that was just her imagination.
There was sound, as well. Other cars, a kids laughterthe whoop of a siren
What the hell? Craning her neck in surprise, she looked into the rearview mirror and saw the police lights. Her heart lurched for the poor sucker about to get a ticket. A serious lead-foot herself, Cassie winced in sympathy and slowed so the squad car could go around her.
It didnt.
No problem, shed just pull over to give it more room. But the police car pulled over, too.
And thats when it hit her. She was the sucker about to get the ticket.
Damn it. Damn it, she muttered as she turned off the car and fumbled for her purse. She hadnt been pulled over sinceprom night.
All those unhappy memories flooded back, nearly choking her. She hadnt given thought to that night in far too long to let it hit her like a sucker punch now, but thats exactly what it did. Her drunken date. Then dealing with the sheriff, whod been one of the few men in town shed figured she could trust.
Shed been wrong, very wrong. No man was trustworthy, hadnt she learned that the hard way? Especially recently.
But after all the terror shed been through in the days before shed been forced back here, Cassie wasnt going to get stressed about this. Shed find her wallet, explain why she was in such a hurry, and maybe, just maybe, if she batted the lashes just right, added a do-me smile and tossed back her hair in a certain way, shed get out of here ticket-free.