Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 108974 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108974 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Major groaned and pocketed his keys. At least Roxie wouldn’t razz him too much about the truth. He opened the door, allowing her to go inside first. “I went down to the woods for a run. Dolly got stuck in the mud.”
Roxie nodded sagely. “And you went in after her and also got stuck in the mud. I take it Blondie busted you free. Is that why she stole Harry’s truck?”
The station house was quiet. His desk was the one closest to the door, so he moved toward it. “She’s staying at the B and B.”
Roxie’s eyes lit up. “Was that Bria Knight?”
“No. She said her name was Brynn.” He sank down to his seat. His desk was kept with the neat proficiency he’d been taught both by his parents and in the military. Not a thing out of place.
Roxie shook her head. “That might be her real name, but her stage name is Bria Knight. Come on, man. Seriously, you don’t recognize her? She’s been acting, like, since she was born. She was one of the kids on Janie’s World. The sitcom about single moms trying to make it in New York City. It was huge at my place. She was also the lead mermaid’s best friend in Fins. There was a teenage detective show, too.”
“I’ve heard of it, but I didn’t watch a lot of TV growing up.” His mother had been very anti-screens. He’d played outside a lot and watched sports with his dad. At night after he finished his homework, they would play board games or read.
His father watched a lot of TV these days. They pretty much sat him in front of one, and that was a good day. Sometimes his dad thought he was in one of those shows.
“That is very intellectual of you.” Roxie’s head shook. She moved to her desk, leaning on the top. Her desk was next to his. In the beginning it was hard to tell the two work spaces apart because they’d both been so bland, but now Roxie’s had several framed photos of her and her husband. There was one of them with their dog and a cat, and another of both their families. “Well, I did, and Bria Knight was good. I always wondered why she didn’t get a big show of her own. I tended to like her characters more than the leads. When I heard she was starring in the production coming into town, I jumped at the chance to mentor her.”
“Mentor?” He wasn’t sure why Brynn . . . Bria . . . whatever she called herself . . . needed mentoring from Roxie.
“Yeah, she’s playing a small-town cop working on a murder investigation with her estranged dad who happens to be the sheriff.” Roxie looked at him like he was missing out on something. “Sylvie came in and told us all about it. Armie’s going to let the actor playing the dad shadow him, and I’m hanging with Bria.”
“She’s going to be here?” He’d thought that would be the last time he saw her. He’d figured he would probably catch sight of her around town, but she would be here in the station house? Hanging out and going on calls?
“Yeah. She came out early to do some research. Gavin Jacks is due here in a couple of days, too. He’s playing the sheriff. They know each other because he played the guy who eventually becomes her stepfather on Janie’s World. There were some crazy rumors that they were actually a couple during that show. She was eighteen and he was in his late forties,” Roxie said, her voice going low. “But I never thought that was true because she has this amazing chemistry with the actor who played Janie’s son. He ended up with another character, but I think that was a huge mistake because he was obviously meant for Bria.”
“Who are you?” He wasn’t sure he understood this side of Roxie. Roxie was a tough chick, sometimes way tougher than he was.
She shrugged. “I enjoy a couple of shows that don’t involve murder. Honestly, I have a hard time watching police procedurals because they’re not realistic. In real life, there’s way more paperwork and way less running. I mean, come on. Armie’s getting tubby. He needs more people who run.”
“That’s why I hired younger people,” a deep voice said. “It’s my time to nap and let middle-age spread catch up to me.” The sheriff walked in, yawning behind his hand. The man always wanted to nap now since he had two boys under the age of four at home. Though Major couldn’t tell the man had let himself go even a little bit. Armie LaVigne was big and broad and as fit as any of his younger employees. He was married to the woman who served as the parish physician. Lila LaVigne was a nurse practitioner, but she was the final authority on all things medical in Papillon. “And Roxie’s right about those TV shows. If they were realistic, they would show hours and hours of filling out forms tempered by the fun of getting yelled at during every single town hall.”