Almost Doesn't Count [Short Story]

Almost Doesn't Count.

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Nellie inhaled slowly to clear the increasing thoughts in her racing mind. She focused on the sound of her feet pacing back and forth on her hardwood floors. She glanced out the front window for the tenth time in as many minutes.

The street outside remained empty and quiet. Letting the curtains fall back into place, Nellie resumed her pacing.

He would expect for her to be able to keep her composure, she realized, as she turned and sank down onto the couch to breathe. The house she had purchased for peace had become both a refuge and a reminder of her emptiness. She worked to fill the rooms with furniture, artwork and other pretty things. But now the shadow of uncertainty loomed over everything.

She placed her face in her hands, pressing her palms against her eyes until she saw stars. Admitting she was on the downswing seemed so daunting. She had never intended to pull Harris into the mess she had made.

"Hey, everything okay?" she texted Harris, unable to keep her worries at bay.

"Of course, Nellie," he deflected.

She reasoned to trust that he was close without anymore probing for information.

Just a little longer and he could leave this part of the night behind. He continued on the backroads of another unfamiliar city that he dared to venture before reaching Nellie for the night. He just had to drop and go to complete his mission.

Harris' chest seized as flashing blue and red lights pierced the night sky. He hadn't passed another car in miles to presume the signal was for any other driver. Hopes of an emergency off in the distance faded as the police car held its tailgate. He pulled over onto the shoulder and prepared a rigid but casual performance.

"I'm just passing through the area, officer," Harris shared.

Two cops had emerged from the cruiser to handle this routine traffic stop. Harris complied as the men lingered by the car, sensing their gaze comb over his belongings under the street lights.

The two officers exchanged a look before focusing intently on Harris again.

He sat still under their glares as they spoke whispers about probable cause, questioning, and search protocol. He knew he was a suspicious scapegoat for whatever scheme the officers had in mind.

"Just let me know when you're getting close," Nellie requested.

Harris quickly typed a reply as the cops spoke in secrecy. "Just got pulled over. Cops giving me a hard time but I'm sure they'll let me go soon."

He hit send just as one of the men paced back towards his window to point out the duffle bag riding passenger with him.

Stay calm and cooperate, he reasoned. No evidence of any crime could compel them to hold him on the side of the road all night. (Cash in a bag proved nothing.)

As the moments passed with no news from Harris, Nellie ran her hand down her wasted silky fabric to calm her spirit. Without much context, she asked, "Are they taking you in?"

"I doubt it," he answered.

Harris explained that the cops had called for backup and three police cruisers now lined the street behind his sedan. She traced back on his every word in suspicion. Cash deliveries in a modern world did seem like an odd preposition, but she had overlooked it out of financial desperation and the possibility of a dinner date. Now what had she gotten herself into? What trouble had Harris found in her city?

The armed men focused their intense gazes on Harris again. "Seems we've got a bit of a problem here," an officer said lowly, voice dripping with implication. "Given the circumstances, we have to ask you to step out of the vehicle."