Living in Shadow

by Georgia Florey-Evans

  The crook looked at her as if she had just asked the most ridiculous question in the world. ”Shoot you.”

  Hardy saw the gun swivel to aim at the woman and instinctively went into action.

  He raised his gun and stepped in front of the woman, pushing her behind him. He felt a knife slice through his abdomen at the same time he heard the shot. Barely able to stay on his feet, Hardy fired his gun. The other man went to his knees, but he didn’t lower the gun.

  The next part would be forever frozen in Hardy’s mind. The woman stepping forward. The man firing his gun. Hardy simultaneously firing his gun. Seeing there was a hole in the man’s chest as he fell. Turning to the woman to find her lying completely still, a bullet wound in the center of her forehead telling him he hadn’t fired in time.

  He’d dropped to his knees beside her.

  “Why’d you stand up?” The world started spinning around him as the pain from the gunshot set in “Why?”

  The next thing he’d been conscious of was waking up in a sterile hospital room with FSA Special Agent Harold Binkley standing with his back to him, staring out the window.

  “What…where am I?” Hardy had been able to ask.

  Binkley turned around. ”You’re in a hospital in Racine. The shot you took missed all of the important parts, so the doc says you’ll be just fine after you mend.”

  “The girl…What about the girl?” Hardy hoped by some miracle, she was alive.

  Binkley shook his head. ”Her name was Jeffries. Kari Jeffries. A student at the University of Wisconsin, only twenty years old. Her mother is driving down from Green Bay.”

  Thinking about it now, Hardy was once more filled with the pure anger he’d felt at the death of the college student. He hadn’t been able to meet her mother or attend her funeral because he “died.” After recuperating for six long months in a safe house, the deal with Luke Walker had come up and he once more left Chicago.

  The crime itself continued to be a mystery. There had been no robbery, and no further sign of the second man who was there. In fact, other than a glimpse of his profile on the state-of-the-art security camera, there wasn’t even proof he’d been there.

  Bile rose in his throat as he thought of all the news broadcasts he’d seen, showing footage from the convenience store and lauding him as a hero. He wasn’t a hero. A hero would have died and left the hostage alive. Buzz from the undercover operation still in place reported Ted Dohner’s desire for revenge died when Hardy did. There had been no indication at all that the man paid any attention to Hardy’s family.

  Thinking of his family brought his mind back to his parents. What might his dad have been trying to tell him? He feel turtle. Jesus water.

  Maybe it was like his mom said and the words H.B. spoke weren’t anything close to what he wanted to say. Hardy just couldn’t shake the feeling he was missing something, though. He just wished he could figure out what it was

  Chapter 6

  It was time. The old man had found out too much and hadn’t died; he could still tell his son the truth. Sadly, there was no way to finish off the snoopy, retired cop without setting off too many bells and whistles. At least not yet. Of course, if the ailing man improved enough to communicate with his son, plans would change. He couldn’t allow H.B. Davis to tell his son what he’d discovered. He’d have to implement his plan right away.

  And, after careful preparation he was ready. It had taken some creative financing, but he now had all the players in place.

  He would still have to exercise some patience, though. If things moved too quickly, it could cast suspicion on him and ruin everything. He would bide his time until it was just the right moment to end everything. To end Harding Davis’s pretense. To end Harding Davis.

  He had a good plan. He picked up the phone and dialed it. It was time to set things in motion.

  Chapter 7

  “Shadow County Sheriff’s office.” Haley answered the phone. She hoped the early call didn't mean it was going to be super busy all day.

  Her hopes were quickly dashed.

  “This is Pete White. Joni and I just got to the salon, and it’s been broken into.”

  Haley’s dispatch training kicked in. ”Pete, please leave the building and go somewhere safe. I’ll send a squad car right over. Don’t come back to the shop until you see an officer signal that it’s safe.”

  “Okay.”

  Haley quickly disconnected the call and keyed the radio. She didn’t have to look at the roster to know who was up.

  “Hank, this is base. Do you copy?”

  A few seconds later, the young deputy’s voice came across the radio. "This is Snow. I copy.”

  “What’s your twenty?”

  “I’m at the Diner. Just stopped for a cup of coffee.”

  “There’s been a four-fifty-nine at White’s Salon over on Britton. Owner waiting nearby for all clear signal.”

  “Repeat.” Haley could hear the disbelief in Hank’s voice. They didn’t get burglary calls every day.

  She repeated it slower and as clearly as she could.

  “Ten-four. I’m en route, ETA five minutes.” Haley could hear the siren before the radio signal was off. The phone rang as she was writing everything on her dispatch sheet.

  “It’s Mitch, Haley.” His tone of voice told her he wasn’t calling to wish her a good day. ”I heard the call on my radio. I’m fifteen minutes out. I’ll be at White’s as soon as I get to town. Just follow usual protocol if there are more call-ins for the same crime.”

  “Okay, Mitch.”

  The usual protocol was to write down the name of the person who called, the time the call was received, and as close to the exact words spoken as possible. The calls were recorded, but the notes would indicate where to listen to find a specific message. The police would have the information to investigate anybody who may have known too much too soon. Haley didn’t know how other counties did it, but she thought Mitch’s system was simple and thorough at the same time.

  Twenty minutes later, she had five more calls written on her sheet. Three of them were by concerned passersby who saw the squad cars at the salon. They supposedly wanted to “make sure everything was okay,” but it was more likely they were hoping for her to tell them why Hank and Mitch were at White’s. The other two were citizens who had observed a strange vehicle at White’s the previous evening. It might be nothing, but both callers described it as a dark blue or black older model panel van. Neither of them got the plates, but the second caller tried, only to discover they were covered in something, possibly mud.

  She pushed the button on the radio.

  “Base to Sheriff Landon. Do you copy?”

  “Landon here.”

  “Ten-twenty-one.”

  She barely finished the code for him to use his phone when the one in front of her rang.

  “Okay, Haley.”

  “Sheriff, two calls came in, reporting a strange vehicle in the vicinity last night. It’s a dark blue or black older model panel van. Plates were obscured.”

  “Ten-four. Call the state dispatcher, and have them put out a BOLO. We want everybody to keep their eyes open.”

  Haley hesitated. While they attempted to run the station as professionally as possible, Shadow was a relatively small community. People knew and cared about each other. She had to ask.

  “Nobody was injured, were they, Mitch?”

  “No. I’m on my way back to base. Hank and Wayne have this under control out here.”

  “Ten-four.”

  Haley quickly called the state dispatcher and gave him the van’s description, noting that the plates were most likely covered with paint or mud.

  She had just finished writing information from the last of three more calls, with the last two describing the same van, when Mitch walked in.

  “Any more calls?” He looked down at her paper.

  Haley nodded. ”Two more sightings of the van, both late last night, both unable to see the license plates.”
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  He reached over and pulled a chair out before he sank onto it. ”Haley, there’s something I don’t think I’ll ever understand.”

  “What’s that?”

  Mitch took his hat off and studied the brim. ”We’ve got people who call in if somebody is parked a couple of inches over the line. Yet, at least four people saw a strange van at or near White’s last night, and not a one of them thought to pick up the phone and let us know. We might have caught the vandals before they completely destroyed the shop.”

  Haley thought about it. ”I don’t know, Mitch. I’d like to say even if I didn’t have this job, I would have called, but the truth is, I don’t know. If I were on my way home from work or a long day with kids, the oddity of the vehicle might catch my attention—until something else made me forget it. Then, I would put it out of my mind until something triggered the memory. Something like seeing the police where I saw the vehicle.”

  “That makes sense,” the sheriff allowed.

  “If you don’t mind telling me, were there a lot of things stolen? I can’t imagine Pete and Joni keeping much cash on hand.” One of Haley’s favorite things about her job was when Mitch sat and shared information with her. He claimed she was a good person to bounce ideas off of.

  “That’s another weird thing.” Mitch leaned forward. ”They only take their money to the bank once a week, every Friday morning. So, burglars hit it on a Thursday night, when the most money possible was there.”

  “Who would be aware of that?” They didn’t even have any employees Haley knew of.

  Mitch shrugged. ”You tell me, and we’ll both know.”

  “Will their insurance cover everything?” She hoped the Whites wouldn't lose their only source of income.

  “Joni was on the phone with Clay Richmond when I left. He’s their agent now since his grandfather retired and moved to Nevada.”

  “He should help.” When Clay moved back to Shadow five months ago, many people in town had been less than thrilled with his taking over Richmond Insurance. Word on the street now, though, was that even though he appeared to be a little overly fond of himself and slightly pushy, he was an honest, fair-minded agent. He was rapidly developing a good business reputation.

  Mitch stood up. ”I’d better get to my office and try to catch up on some of that paperwork. I sure hope I'm wrong, but I have a feeling this robbery is going to cause us more problems yet.” He took a few steps toward his office door before he turned back to face her. ”Tell me right away if we have a caller who raises a red flag. I want to stay on top of this. Shadow doesn’t need another drama.”

  Haley watched her boss walk into his office and sit down behind his desk. She knew he was referring to the kidnapping of Holly Walker. It turned out there were actually two men after her, for very different reasons. Mixed in with the whole mess had been a group of teenagers vandalizing Luke’s farm. Poor Mitch had spread his three deputies as thin as he could, having to leave Hank on protective detail for Holly a large part of the time. He was forced to do something that he tried not to—ask the state police to step in and help. At least the county board had been obliged to hire two more deputies as a consequence. The public outcry had seen to that. To placate their constituents, the board even set aside emergency funding to hire yet one more officer if the situation ever demanded it.

  The ringing bell told her somebody had come into the station. Haley couldn’t stop a genuine smile when she saw Matt Ashford walking toward her.

  “Hey, pretty lady.” The easy-going truck driver in his mid-fifties winked as he placed his hands on the counter.

  “You big flirt.” If Haley had been blessed to have an uncle, she’d want one just like the man in front of her. ”What are you doing in town?”

  His brows rose over his blue eyes as his grin widened. ”Don’t try to play innocent with me, Haley. That speed trap Jeff Fielding sets up southwest of town is your biggest moneymaker.”

  “You got another speeding ticket?”

  His handsomely gray-flecked hair flopped onto his forehead as he nodded. ”I’ll have you know that on my complete route between St. Louis and Milwaukee, this is the only town I have to come in and pay parking and speeding tickets.”

  “That’s because our department is so efficient.” She accepted the paper he held out. ”Let me pull this up on the computer.”

  “So, has Wayne found your prince charming for you yet?” Matt teased her as she typed his information on the computer.

  She didn’t take her eyes off the monitor as she answered. ”I think I’ll just wait for my prince charming to come along on his own.”

  “Well, you know if I were twenty years younger, I’d be right there on my white steed.” Haley’s eyes met his before she rolled hers.

  “You probably have a woman in every city on your route you talk to like that.”

  He placed both hands over his heart and comically staggered. ”You slay me! There’s no way I could stop in every city on my route.” She looked up in time to catch his wink. ”So, I only have five or six regulars.”

  Haley pressed the enter key to print out the correct form for him. ”You have a big fine this time, Matt. Why were you in such a hurry?”

  Matt placed his wallet on the counter and withdrew some bills. ”It’s Luke’s fault. He ordered that fertilizer he’s trying for the university, and the silly stuff came in bags. Hardy and I had to unload them by hand. It took me three times as long as it usually does to make a delivery out to his farm.”

  She slid the sheet across the counter for him to sign. ”That’s the price you have to pay when your boss is good friends with a farmer.” Sky Randolph, the owner of Sky Trucking, frequently had Matt make special deliveries to the Walker farm. When Sky and his fledgling company relocated to Shadow from St. Louis five or six months ago, he’d lost no time in reconnecting with his old college buddy, Luke Walker.

  “Hey!” Matt stopped writing on the form and looked at her, a broad grin on his face. ”There’s a prince charming for you!”

  Haley was flummoxed. ”What are you talking about? Sky and Bobbi Jo have three kids.”

  Matt shook his head. ”Not him. Hardy.” His smile grew even wider. "Beau Harding is about your age, and he’s single. I know both of you, and I’m telling you right now you’d make a great couple.”

  Only Beau Harding wasn’t really Beau Harding. Even if he did know she was alive, she had no interest in a man who wasn’t even using his real name.

  She pointed to the paper in front of him and tried to look stern. ”Just sign it, please.”

  The phone rang before he could pop off again. Haley turned to answer it.

  “Shadow County Sheriff’s office.”

  “This is only the beginning.” The line went dead the instant the unfamiliar male voice finished speaking.

  Haley shook her head as she turned back to Matt. ”I guess a telemarketer didn’t realize he was calling the police station until I answered.” What a cheesy sales pitch, anyway. ”If this is the way they advertise, they may as well fold up shop and sell pet rocks."

  She pushed the call out of her mind as she accepted the signed and dated form Matt handed her, along with enough cash to cover his fine.

  “Just a second and I’ll give you your copy.”

  “So, what about Hardy?” Apparently, Matt hadn’t given up on his matchmaking quest. ”I’ll put a bug in his ear to ask you out the next time I run into him. Okay?”

  She sighed as she handed him the paper. ”No, it’s not. I don’t want to be fixed up with anybody, Matt. When the right guy comes along, he and I will both know it. It will be as simple as that.”

  Matt gave her a skeptical look. ”But how will either one of you know if you’re right for each other if you don’t try it first?”

  “Look, Matt.” She would just be as honest as she could. ”Even if I were willing, which I’m not,” she emphasized, “I ran into him just the other night, and he didn’t even look at me twice. The man isn’t interested
in me at all. So, you’re wasting your breath.”

  The ringing bell announcing somebody’s arrival stopped whatever Matt was about to say. He glanced over his shoulder and then back at Haley.

  “Okay. I give up for now.”

  “Good.” She smiled at him as he left. He didn’t mean any harm, and she really did like Matt.

  “Hi, Mrs. Ewing. How may I help you?” Jennifer Ewing had taken Matt’s place at the counter.

  “I need to apply for a homecoming fundraiser permit.”

  Haley was soon involved in the business of her job, and her chat with Matt was all but forgotten until later that evening when she walked into her empty apartment.

  She needed a pet, she thought not for the first time. But the only kind of pets her building permitted was fish. While Haley thought fish tanks were pretty to look at, she had absolutely no desire to clean one. Besides, the one time she had a goldfish, it had gone the way of the septic system a few days after she and her dad brought it home from the fair.

  Her dad. She still felt like crying when she thought of her parents, despite that they had been gone for nearly twelve years. And it wasn’t like she didn’t know where they were. They had both accepted Jesus long before they became parents, and made sure their only child knew him as well.

  With no other family, the three of them had been an exceptionally close unit. Larry and Julie Johnson were the best parents any girl could have asked for. Haley’s dad had been a security guard at a factory in the small Ohio town where they lived, and her mom was a full-time wife and mother.

  Between church and school activities, Haley experienced a nice, full life growing up. Then, to celebrate her high school graduation and acceptance to Kent State, they decided to spend a week on a beach in South Carolina. It had been one of the happiest times in Haley’s life . . . until the day they planned to leave for home. At Haley’s request, they decided to get back in the ocean just one last time. Then, her mom had gotten caught in what the officials referred to as rip current. When Haley’s dad was trying to help her, he, too was pulled under. It was only because a burly man grabbed her and held fast that she didn’t join them.