“Were you? Terrors?”
“Oh, I was, for sure.” Frankie laughed. “Monty? Not so much. He’s always been the calm one, like the ocean on a perfect summer day.”
“While you were the tumultuous depths?”
“Let’s just say I had a bit more fire than my brother. I was arrested once, you know.”
“Were you?” He smiled at the pride in her voice. What was it about this woman that fascinated him? Every day there were new revelations, new mysteries to solve. And nothing about Frankie was boring. Absolutely nothing.
“You sound almost impressed.”
Roman considered that for a moment. “It’ll depend on what the charges were.”
“Breaking and entering. Trespassing and theft.” She seemed to enjoy the shock he was certain passed over his face. “Old Mr. Walters had this menagerie of pets. Like, his own personal zoo. There was this mangy old black cat. Mean as a snake with most people, but it liked me. Probably because I fed it more than Mr. Walters ever did. I heard it howling one night. I knew he was out, so I crawled into his house through the doggie door and rescued it. Along with three hamsters, an arthritic pug, a hedgehog and two multilingual cockatoos.” She grinned before she ducked her chin. “Cages and all.”
“How did you get cages through—”
“The doggie door? Yeah. I didn’t think that through. I went right out the front door. Multiple trips, set the animals up in our basement while everyone in the house was asleep. The neighbor across the street, however, was not asleep. I was clearly not meant to be a master criminal. She ratted me out to Jake the next morning.”
Jake meaning Jake Gordon, the former sheriff, Roman assumed. “How old were you?”
“Fifteen? It was the summer before...” Her voice broke. “Well, I was fifteen. I actually tried to insist on my innocence. I almost had Jake convinced. Almost. Then one of those cockatoos screeched, and that was the end of that. My six hours in the town jail cell were as much time as I ever wanted to serve.”
“How did it get resolved?”
“I told them I’d plead guilty to everything if they called animal control and put the animals where they’d be safe. They were in terrible shape. Fleas, malnourished. So unhappy. Jake and my dad pulled some strings and got the vet in town to examine the animals. Doc Collins—that’s Dr. Selena Collins’s father—sided with me, said I’d probably saved their lives and recommended I do my punishment volunteering at his animal clinic.” She lifted her head. “Once it was all settled, Dad told me that if I ever did anything like that again, he’d make it near impossible for me to ever train as a firefighter.”
“Worst punishment possible, I assume?” The more he heard about Tybalt Bettencourt, the more Roman liked him. And the more he got to know Frankie...
“Oh, yeah. But that night, after I’d almost cried myself to sleep, he came into my room with a plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies and told me he’d never been prouder of me.” Tears welled again, but this time she pulled them back.
“He sounds like a great dad.”
“He was.” Gratitude shone in her eyes. “He was the best.”
“What about your mom?”
“What about her?”
Roman shrugged. “I’ve heard a lot about your dad, from you and from other people in town. Just never heard anyone mention your mother. Is she still alive?”
“Last I heard. She wasn’t what you’d call the maternal sort. When it came to all the important stuff, it was always my dad who was around.”
Recognizing a sore subject when he heard it, Roman changed tactics. “Any idea what your dad’s plans were for this house?”
“No. Whatever they were, they died with him. It’s too bad. It’s just sitting here. Such a waste.”
“Yes,” Roman said. “It is.” He figured her trip down memory lane had gone on long enough. And now he had a new mystery to solve. He cleared his throat, changed subjects. “I was going through the files for the last year. I didn’t see a record of any physical agility tests or education sessions.”
“If people knew they were going to be tested on physical agility, we’d have even fewer volunteers than we already do. Bud tended to evaluate on-site. Were the files not enough? As far as I know, everyone’s up on their EMT certificates.”
“No, they’re fine. I’m just thinking about doing some in-person evaluations.”
Frankie shrugged. “You’re the chief. You want to put them through their paces, that’s your prerogative.”