When a woman moves into the sleepy town, it rouses everyone's tongues to start wagging. She is strange and distant in her manner. Tia Frost is blissfully unaware of the townsfolk's discomfort with her. With Burt at her side, she wonders about the wo...
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"Is she asleep?"
I looked up from my book to see Roland standing at the bottom of the stairs. "Yes, how's Tobin?"
Roland waved his hand and Tobin appeared at the bottom of the stairs with a plate. "I made biscuits for Tia. She's asleep..."
"It's OK they can wait for her to wake up." I said at Tobin's disappointment.
She stirred on my shoulder. "I'm awake." She said lifting her head from my shoulder.
Tobin ran over to us with the plate. Tia sat up properly and she took a biscuit. She ate it smiling Tobin ate one too, then fed one to Burt. I took one and bite into it. It was Roland's secret recipe. They were ginger nuts with raisins with Roland's secret ingredients.
"These are very good." Tia patted Tobin's head.
"Uncle Rolly gave me his recipe."
"Well, they are very tasty."
Roland smiled. "Is it alright if I stay in your fort Tia?"
"Of course Where would you like to sleep?"
Roland sat on the floor on top of my sleeping bag. "Right here."
I moved and Tia watched me as I stood. "I'm going to lock up and set the alarm."
Tia stood. "I'll come with you."
I nodded and she walked past me to the stairs. There was something in the way she moved that spoke of desperation to leave this space.
I met her at the front door. "I remembered the code, you didn't need to come with me."
She entered the code and turned eyeing me. She walked upstairs without a word. I followed her and when I got to the top she stood at the window. "I didn't think we would survive that siege. I thought that we might be able to hold on until the police were close enough to save Tobin. If they hadn't withdrawn at that moment my fit would have cost him, his life."
"Tia.."
She turned to me and I could see the anger I heard on the edge of her voice, reflected on her face. "I'm being deadly serious. I left him to look after me twice out there. If they had found us in that outcrop we would have been done for."
"You're not alone now." I said softly.
She sighed looking back out the window at the police officers milling about out there now the shutters were up. "I know... but I bring danger everywhere I go. If it's not this group it will be another. I can't do that to you."
A wave of shock hit me. "You worried about me?"
"I'm used to this and so is Tobin. You... you're a policeman and aren't allowed to defend yourself in the same way I am."
