by Iris Abbott
Faith fastened her own seatbelt as the garage door lifted up and Cole began backing into the driveway. “I don’t know the exact time, but not more than thirty minutes ago.” I walked her straight to her house and spent about five minutes calling and searching for her father. When we couldn’t find him I became even more concerned than when she’d first appeared on my doorstep. I knew I had to do something and you were the first person to pop into my mind.” Oh man had she just said that out loud? “We walked straight to your house,” she blurted out to distract him from the previous comment.
Cole nodded in acknowledgment as he pulled the SUV into the Tome’s driveway. “You did the right thing. I want you to stay here with Jasmine, and give me a chance to check out the house for myself.” His glanced into the backseat using his rearview mirror. “She’s already nodding off, no need to disturb her now if we’re going to have to drive over to Robert’s house.”
Faith just nodded her agreement and watched as he briskly walked to the house and aggressively knocked on the front door. She waited with bated breath to see what would happen. No one came to the door, and she didn’t know if she should be relieved or more worried. She watched as Cole opened the front door and disappeared from sight.
Once again she was glad she’d had the forethought to take Jasmine to Cole’s house. Their paths had crossed a few times in the couple of months she’d been in Florida thanks to mutual friends. She was gradually getting to know him. She was wary of Cole the man, but Sheriff Cole Duncan she trusted implicitly.
Cole exited the house a few minutes later with a grim look on his face. The bad feeling she had before was growing and spreading through her senses like a dark and oppressive cloud. He was no happier about this situation than she was. It looked like they’d be making a trek over to see Jasmine’s mom and aunt. She watched Cole march toward his SUV. The sound of his sturdy boots echoing off of the asphalt was the only sound Faith could pick out of the eerily silent night.
Cole glanced at the now sleeping little girl after he slid into the driver’s seat. “Still no one at home and I tried calling my deputy’s house.” His brows knitted together. “The line’s busy. I don’t like this at all! Let’s take a ride over there and see what’s going on.”
Faith nodded her agreement. It wasn’t as if she had anywhere else to be and she felt responsible for Jasmine. After all she was the one the little girl had turned to when she’d been scared. She looked back at the Tome house and could have sworn she saw a moving shadow separate itself from the wooded area in the back of the yard.
She grabbed Cole’s knee and squeezed to get his attention. “Wait, I think I saw something in the Tomes’ backyard.” She half turned in her seat to try and keep her eye on the moving shadow, but Cole had already turned the corner before he was able to stop the SUV. Faith lost sight of the suspicious shadow. “Never mind,” she gave him a sheepish smile. “I’m getting tired. It was probably just my eyes playing tricks on me.”
Cole took his foot off the brake and pressed the accelerator and they started moving again. They rode in silence for the ten minutes it took them to exit the neighborhood they lived in and drive deeper into a wooded area that separated the surrounding houses from each other. He turned onto a narrow side street and then turned into the driveway of the third house. The home was barely visible from the road. Instead of finding your typical suburban home as they drew nearer they entered a person’s worst nightmare.
Several lights were still on in the house and the front door was standing wide open. His headlights illuminated someone sprawled on the front porch half in and out of the house. A dark puddle that could only be blood was pooled around the unmoving person. Something was very wrong.
Cole wasn’t sure what they had walked into, but he greatly regretted bringing a woman and child with him. He stopped well back from the house. He reached for his gun just in case it was needed. Then he unclipped his cell phone and handed it to Faith. “Call 911 and ask for backup. Tell them you’re with the sheriff and that I need backup at 125 Cypress Lane.” He tightened his grip on the handgun and slowly opened the door and exited the SUV. “Lock the doors behind me and don’t leave this vehicle. I don’t know what we’re dealing with, but whatever it is it’s not good.”
Faith could feel her body shivering. She used shaking fingers to push the correct buttons on the phone to summon help. She was scared for Jasmine and herself, but she was really scared for Cole. He could be putting himself in grave danger by entering that house. He had no idea what he was walking into. She tightened her hold on the phone and placed it against her ear. It rang once then twice.
Finally someone on the other end answered, “911 please state your emergency.”
“My name is Faith umm Faith Riley and I am with Sheriff Cole Duncan at 125 um yes 125 Cypress Lane. The sheriff has requested backup.”
“What’s the emergency,” the dispatcher insisted on knowing.
“I… I’m not sure,” Faith stammered. “We came to this address looking for the mother of a neighbor. There was a person collapsed on the front porch when we arrived and the door was standing wide open. The sheriff went inside to check it out and he told me to call you. He hasn’t come back out yet.” She let out a strangled sob as her nerves finally got the better of her. “Um I don’t know exactly what the problem is, but Cole needs help. Please hurry,” she implored the woman on the other end of the phone.
“I’ve got an officer on the way and an ambulance too just in case,” the woman answered in a calm and soothing voice. “I want you to stay on the line with me until they arrive or you can put Sheriff Duncan on okay.”
“O…o… okay.” Faith’s teeth were chattering. She was suddenly very cold. She trapped the phone between her ear and shoulder and wrapped both arms around her body trying to warm herself. She glanced back at Jasmine and was happy to see that the little girl was still sleeping. She looked so sweet and innocent, and Faith was deathly afraid that that poor little girl’s world was about to change forever.
“Faith, are you still there?” The woman on the other end of the phone line asked.
The composed voice of the dispatcher brought her back from her morbid thoughts. “Yes, I’m still here,” she confirmed. “Sheriff Duncan hasn’t come out of the house yet.” Faith perked up. She could hear sirens in the distance. The shrill sound was faint but growing louder with each passing second. “I can hear sirens,” she told the dispatcher.
“Good, someone will be there with you soon, just stay on the phone with me until they arrive.”
A large figure jogged out of the house and Faith’s heart almost stopped. She let out a stifled scream. Before her scream could get any louder the silhouette passed by a light and she recognized Cole immediately. “Here comes the sheriff,” she told the dispatcher. Faith unlocked the doors and waited for him to slide into the driver’s seat next to her. She wordlessly held out the phone for the sheriff to take.
Cole looked at the shivering and pale woman sitting next to him and was almost overcome by a sudden and all-consuming urge to wrap her in his protective embrace and never let go. There’d been a ghastly murder and attempted murder committed here tonight and this sweet and innocent bystander had been dragged in the middle because of her good deed and concern for a student and neighbor. He took the phone she’d offered and held it to his ear.
“Hello this is Sheriff Cole Duncan. I’ve got two gunshot victims. One is still alive. I need an ambulance sent to 125 Cypress Lane ASAP! I’m going back onto the porch to wait for backup. There’s no sign of the perpetrator in the house. Make sure the responding officers know I’m here and that there is an unarmed woman and child inside the black SUV parked in the driveway.”
The last thing he wanted was for some gung ho officer to ride to the crime scene with guns blazing and scare Faith more than she already was or worse accidently injure her. He would never forgive himself if anything happened to Faith. He was the one that had brought her to the crime scene even t
hough this was probably the last thing he had ever expected to find here.
He handed the phone back to Faith. The sirens were getting louder and had to be close. “I’ve got to go out there and wait for help.” He cupped her chin and looked her dead in the eyes. “This is a very serious situation. Remember what I told you earlier. I need you to stay inside the car with Jasmine, no matter what. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek just for reassurance he told himself and then left her to return to the chaos outside.
****
Faith was numb from the top of her head all the way down to the tip of her mocha pink painted toenails. She sat huddled in the corner of Cole’s big SUV. It seemed like hours, but it was probably only several minutes before he returned. He walked to her side of the SUV. She could see he was carrying a small bundle in his arms. Upon further inspection when he opened the door Faith realized it was a baby. “What happened?” She had an unwavering need to know exactly what had occurred here tonight.
Cole glanced into the backseat at a still sleeping Jasmine. Then he laid it all out for Faith in a no nonsense manner. “Jasmine’s mother is dead. She was shot in the head probably after answering the front door. Her aunt took a shot in the shoulder. She either passed out or played dead. Either way the killer must have thought the job was done, but he was wrong. Mrs. Owens lost a lot of blood, but she’s still alive and the EMT said we found her in time. She has a good chance of recovery.”
He gently placed the bundled up baby in faith’s lap. “Hold her for just a second while I check the car in the garage for an infant seat. Then I’ll get permission from the forensics team that’s arrived to remove it.” He left her door slightly ajar before turning to leave.
Faith watched as he disappeared out of sight one more time. Her nerves made her antsy and watching Cole’s retreating back only made matters worse. She felt some semblance of comfort when the lawman was around. She’d ponder the fallout from that realization later. She’d tried her best to avoid Cole since she’d moved to Florida, but that hadn’t exactly worked out as she’d planned. Their friends were always planning events and inviting Cole and Faith knowing they’d both show up without a date. Of course being the only two single people present they gravitated toward each other to keep from being third wheels.
Now she knew why her instinct to avoid Cole was so strong. He was a force to be reckoned with and he definitely sent her heart to beating much faster than normal. She didn’t want the complications of a relationship so soon after making a fresh start with her life, but she was still drawn to Cole on some instinctive level. And the more time she spent with him the stronger the allure became.
The baby let out a little whimper of a cry bringing Faith out of her reflections. She gently rocked the baby to keep it quiet. She held her breath and gently released it when the baby went back to sleep. The startling loud cry of an infant might disturb Jasmine. The last thing Faith needed was for the young girl to wake up and see the gory crime scene where her mother had been gunned down in cold blood.
Cole soon returned with an infant seat. He opened the back door and quietly and efficiently installed it. Then he pushed Faith’s door open all the way so he could take the baby from her. Once the baby was safely buckled into the seat he ran a hand through his already tousled wavy hair. Then he moved around to the driver’s side of the SUV and slid behind the wheel.
“I’m going to have to go back to my office and put in a few calls to track down my deputy Robert Owens. He’s going to want to take emergency leave and come back home. He needs to be here for his wife and baby.”
He let out a weary sigh that went bone deep. “I need to track down Jasmine’s father as well. The fact that he left her unattended and we couldn’t find him, and then we stumbled across this murder scene is more than suspicious. The whole thing leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Something about this stinks to high heaven. And unfortunately you’re now in the middle of all this mess.”
Faith ran a shaking hand through her tangled shoulder length hair. She knew Cole was right. “What happens now?” She tried hard to keep the worry and concern out of her voice, but it was shaky anyway.
Once more Cole found himself wanting to drag Faith into his arms and wrap her in a comforting embrace. Not going to happen though at least not right then. He had work to do. There was a murderer running around free in his county. His focus needed to be on the job, no matter how temping he found Faith Riley. “I need to contact Child Protective Services to take care of the baby and Jasmine until Robert can arrive back in town.”
His radio crackled to life signaling that dispatch was trying to reach him through official channels. Grateful for the distraction that took his mind off of Faith and put it back on work, he quickly answered, “Sheriff Duncan here.”
“Sheriff,” the dispatch operator greeted. “Another officer went to the Tome residence to assess the situation. There’s still no sign of him. Should I put out an all-points bulletin for Richard Tome?”
Cole sighed. “Better go ahead and issue that APB. At this point we don’t know if Tome is a victim or a suspect. The fact that his little girl was left home alone while his wife and sister-in-law were both shot means we definitely need to find him. He could be anywhere. We are going to need help on the state level too.”
Faith’s head whipped around and her eyes were as big as saucers by the time they met the dark brown eyes staring back at her. Things were not looking good for Richard Tome or his daughter Jasmine. She and Cole both had searched that house. There’s no way that man was anywhere near there. The only question was whether or not he was a victim or the worse kind of criminal.
Faith remembered the shadow she’d seen slinking toward the Tome Residence. It took on an all-new sinister symbolism for Faith now. Could it have possibly been the murderer? A violent shudder caused her body to shake. She placed her hand on Cole’s khaki-clad thigh and dug into the material with her nails. She held on tight in an attempt to anchor herself and her thoughts which were now running wild.
Cole felt the pressure she was applying and knew she was very upset. He pried loose the fingers that were clutching his pants and wrapped her hand in the strong hold of his. Then he brought a finger to his mouth motioning for her to remain quiet while he responded to the dispatcher’s claim. “I have both Jasmine Tome and the Owens infant in my protective custody. I’m bringing them to the sheriff’s department. I need you to contact emergency personnel at Child Protective Services. Have someone meet me at my office. Make sure they know I have both a young child and an infant. They aren’t siblings, but they are cousins and I want them kept together if at all possible, Sheriff Duncan out.”
He ended the communication and turned all his attention to Faith. “This is probably going to get as ugly as we’re both thinking right now. I would love to keep you out of it, but there’s no way. Jasmine came to you first and you searched the Tome house before I did. There’s no way I can keep that out of my official report.”
Faith nodded. “No, I understand. There’s no way you can keep my name out of everything. I want what’s best for Jasmine and that little baby. I don’t mind being a witness in this case if needed, especially if it can somehow help find and convict a murderer.”
She wrung her hands together in her lap and refused to meet Cole’s eyes. Then she felt a strong and steady finger under her chin pushing it upward. Faith gave into the steady pressure until she was once again face to face with Cole.
“I don’t think you should stay alone tonight. I know it’s late, but is there someone you can call? What about Caroline and Kyle?” he thought out loud. After all Caroline was the reason Faith had moved to town.
The hand wringing got more agitated. “Caroline’s pregnant and she needs her rest. Besides if there was even the slightest possibility of trouble there’s no way I’d let it follow me to Caroline’s doorstep.”
Cole understood the sentiment, but he wasn’t inclined to let the subject drop. He
separated her hands and held them in a firm grip to get her attention. “You are a potential witness in a murder case. If law enforcement can find Tome alive he will be hauled into the department for questioning. I’ll try to keep your name out of it, but if he’s guilty and finds out you can poke holes in his alibi then you might be in danger.”
“What about Jasmine’s aunt?”
“If and when Susan Owens regains consciousness she might be able to identify the person who shot her, especially if it was her brother-in-law. That would make this case a lot simpler.” It would also mean the state might not even need to use Faith as a witness. That would be more than okay with Cole. He swallowed hard at the thought of such a beautiful and sweet woman being put in such danger. He should be used to such things being sheriff, but this was Faith and that somehow made things different. How exactly it made things different would be something to dwell on later. He didn’t have time right now. He had a murder to solve.
Faith shivered. She pulled her hands away from Cole’s grasp and briskly rubbed her arms. She was tired. The night had been dragging on and on and it felt like Jasmine had first appeared on her doorstep days ago instead of mere hours. “I just want this night to be over, but trouble keeps coming.”
She glanced at Jasmine and then back at Cole. “Is it possible for me to stay with the children until someone arrives to see to them?” When Cole looked like he would argue she cut him off before he could object. “Jasmine is old enough that she is going to know something is terribly wrong. It might help her to have someone familiar around at least for a little while.” She knew she was pushing her luck, but she couldn’t in good conscience leave Jasmine and the baby until she knew they were in good hands.
Cole’s hands and fingers tightened around the steering wheel. He wanted to argue and move her out of the spotlight and harm’s way immediately, but she had a point and he had to concede to her. “Fine, at least I will be able to keep an eye on you at the office.”
