The Deputy's Witness. Tyler Anne Snell

head low when his gut was telling him to do otherwise.

      * * *

      IT WAS SO HOT.

      Alyssa’s muscles were straining to not move while sweat began to roll down her skin without any such constraints. While the windows were down, no breeze moved throughout the car. Her only company was a stifling, unforgiving blanket of wet heat. It was turning her situation into more of a nightmare. The hammering of her heart hadn’t broken the silence, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t beating against her chest in terror.

      Sure, there was a chance she was overreacting. Paranoia. But what if she wasn’t?

      She tried to take in another deep breath to help tamp down her nerves.

      It didn’t help.

      Especially not when someone approached the open window.

      “Excuse me?”

      Alyssa let out a shriek and gave a small jump in her seat. It was enough movement to make her adrenaline surge higher.

      “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” the man said.

      Alyssa allowed herself just enough movement to look at the stranger. Although he wasn’t just any man. The golden-haired deputy was staring back at her. She found his eyes, the perfect middle ground between golden and green, and felt genuine relief at his presence. However, she guessed her expression said something else entirely. His light brows drew together so quickly that she knew he knew something was wrong. “Are you okay?” he asked, voice ringing with authority.

      Alyssa took a deep, wavering breath. “Have you seen the Lethal Weapon movies? You know, with Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as cops?” she asked.

      The deputy raised an eyebrow but nodded. “Yeah...”

      “Well, you know the one where Danny Glover’s character is sitting on the toilet?”

      “Yeah, that’s the second movie,” he said. “When he realizes there’s a bomb strapped to it. Why?”

      A chill ran up Alyssa’s spine at that four-letter word.

      “Well, this is probably going to sound ridiculous,” she started, “but I think there’s a bomb under my seat.”

       Chapter Five

      The deputy squatted down on the other side of the door so that his gaze was level with hers. Under any other circumstances she probably would have been distracted by the proximity, but right now her mind kept going to what might or might not be beneath her seat.

      “You’re going to have to elaborate on that one for me.”

      Alyssa licked her lips. They were already drying out despite her lipstick.

      “Okay, so when I sat down I heard something click,” she started. “I hadn’t turned the car on yet, so it confused me. Then I heard two more clicks and actually felt those coming from under me. Under my seat. And then I saw the light.”

      “The light?”

      Alyssa moved her head to try to motion to the floorboard. She still wasn’t about to move the rest of her body if she could help it. Her hands were on her lap, fused together with sweat and nerves. In the movie, once Danny Glover’s character had gotten off the toilet it had exploded. And she was not about to blow up in a Honda.

      “I can see the reflection of a red light blinking on the floorboard,” she answered. “It’s faint but it’s there. And it hasn’t stopped blinking.”

      The deputy didn’t ask for permission, not that she was going to begrudge him for the invasion anyway, and moved his head in through the window to look toward her feet. Alyssa caught a whiff of either shampoo or body wash that smelled intoxicating as he moved into her personal space. Some kind of musk and spice infusion. Something she definitely shouldn’t be distracted by at the moment.

      “I know I could be overreacting, but I guess I’ve just seen so many movies and TV shows where clicks and flashing lights equals bombs,” she admitted. The fear that had tensed her every muscle was now starting to feel a little silly. “And if it isn’t a bomb, which it probably isn’t, I’ll just be mortified for life.”

      The man pulled out of the space and back into a squat next to the door. His expression gave nothing away.

      “Can I open your door?” he asked, voice even.

      Silly thought or not, the request scared Alyssa.

      “If there’s a bomb under your seat, opening the door shouldn’t trigger it,” he added.

      “But if it does?” she couldn’t help asking. A drop of sweat rolled down the side of her face. It was so hot.

      The deputy’s expression stayed neutral when he answered.

      “Then, I promise you, we won’t know the difference.”

      Alyssa felt her eyes widen.

      “I don’t know if I’m happy with that logic.”

      The man didn’t apologize for it.

      “I won’t do it if you don’t want me to,” he said. “I just need to take a closer look.”

      Alyssa chewed on her lip but nodded.

      “What’s your name?” she tacked on. The man raised his eyebrow. “Just in case we do blow up.”

      “Caleb Foster.”

      “I’m Alyssa Garner,” she introduced. “I would shake your hand, but I’m terrified that if I move I’ll—Well, you know...”

      Caleb flashed a smile. It didn’t last long.

      “Then let me do the moving for now,” he said. Alyssa watched as his attention focused on the car door’s handle. Her muscles tensed further.

      Please don’t let us blow up in my Honda.

      But nothing went kaboom when the deputy opened the door wide.

      Alyssa let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.

      “Okay, well, if it’s a bomb it’s not connected to the door,” he pointed out. He moved closer to inspect the space between the seat and him. “I can’t see anything here.” He met her gaze. “I’m going to try to look under your seat now, okay?”

      Alyssa nodded, even though she was already trying to do the logistics of that in her head. She was on the shorter side and had her seat closer to the dash because of it. Which meant Caleb Foster was about to get really close to her.

      He dropped to his knees on the concrete, braced himself with one hand on the inside of the door and then very slowly hunched over so that his head was near the floorboard. Alyssa felt his breath against her bare legs as he moved between them to get a better view.

      The most irrational fear that she’d missed a spot while shaving flitted through her head. When Caleb popped back up after only a few seconds, she wondered if she really had. His expression was the definition of neutral.

      “So, was I being ridiculous?” she asked, hopeful.

      But that ray-of-sunshine feeling lasted only an instant.

      Deputy Foster pulled out his phone, but he took a moment to look directly into her eyes.

      “I need you to keep doing what you’re doing a little longer, okay?” he said, tone calm.

      “You want me to keep sitting still,” Alyssa spelled out, just to make sure they were on the same page.

      Deputy Foster nodded.

      Before she could stop it, her breathing went off the rails. It was one thing to think there was a bomb beneath your seat while also thinking you were being a bit insane. It was another for