Living in Shadow

by Georgia Florey-Evans

  “The Dohner case was all I worked for the last five years of my career, and I don’t think I ever arrested anybody who would hold that much of a grudge before I went undercover.” Hardy’s mind went back to the last crime he’d been involved in. The man who’d slipped out of the convenience store had gotten off scot free and would be foolish to risk being caught just to get even with Hardy. Before his thoughts traveled the inevitable path to Kari Jeffries, he pushed them out of his mind and focused on what they were doing. He pulled his gun out of the holster strapped to his shoulder and checked it.

  “Is the nine millimeter okay?” Mitch nodded to the pistol in Hardy’s hands. “It’s what we all carry.”

  “It’ll work.” Hardy lifted it and familiarized himself with the weapon’s weight. “Holding a gun feels strange.”

  “Well, hang on to it now, because we’re almost there.” Mitch pulled into a long tree-lined lane that was nothing more than two strips of gravel with grass growing between them. “We’ll have to go on foot for the last five hundred yards or so. Be on the lookout for any vehicles. According to Joe Willis, there shouldn’t be anybody out here.”

  There were no vehicles in the graveled parking area when Mitch pulled the squad car in. Hardy couldn’t help but admire how he and Wayne automatically angled the cars so anybody trying to drive out would find it impossible to get through.

  “Wayne, Hank, you two go around and come in from the south side. Hardy and I will approach from the north. There are lots of places a car could be stashed.” Mitch looked at his deputies. “Remember, at least one of these guys killed his own partner. He won’t have any qualms about shooting an officer.”

  Hardy felt the adrenaline flow as he headed into the wooded area. He and Mitch were following a nearly invisible trail, but Mitch indicated he wanted them to each remain a few yards from either side of it. It seemed like it took longer than the five minutes it did to reach the first of the primitive campsites.

  “How many sites are there?” He kept his voice down so only Mitch could hear him.

  “Fifteen individual and one large group site that will hold twenty tents. Local churches use it for youth outings.” Mitch grimaced when he stepped on a pile of fallen leaves. “That would have told a hearing impaired person we're here."

  They both kept their guns drawn as they slowly made their way through the sites. It was at the seventh campsite where they found something.

  “Somebody’s been here recently.” Mitch spoke as he looked around. “You can see where a tent has been pitched.” He knelt by the fire pit. “Charcoal’s been dumped in here lately. No leaves have fallen on it.”

  The fading sunlight sparkled off something. Hardy leaned over to investigate. “Sheriff, I’ve got a gun here.”

  Mitch quickly joined him. He picked up a stick and lifted the gun by its trigger guard.

  “It looks like a thirty-eight,” Hardy observed.

  “The same caliber Doc Tindell thinks killed Callen.” Mitch pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and gently grasped the gun by the end of its barrel. He looked around the site as he stood up. “Whoever was here is long gone. Why do you suppose they left this behind?”

  Hardy shook his head. “No idea.” This whole case was one giant puzzle that was becoming harder to solve with every clue they found. “No idea at all.”

  Chapter 29

  Haley looked at the empty place beside her and sighed. Hardy had told her not to expect him, but she had hoped he’d come to church this morning. Missy Landon, sitting on Haley’s left, smiled sympathetically. Haley regretted telling the other woman she invited Hardy to join her.

  “Am I too late?”

  Haley looked at the man who had quietly sat beside her and forced back her disappointment. “No, Wyatt. It hasn’t started yet.”

  He smiled his too-charming smile at her. “Thank you for saving me a seat.”

  “I . . .” What exactly was she going to say to him? I was saving it for somebody else? That would be intolerably rude, and Haley could never intentionally make anybody feel unwelcome here.

  Missy leaned around Haley. “Hi, Wyatt.”

  “Melissa.” He graced her with a smile. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”

  Joe Willis, who was sitting on the other side of Missy, leaned forward and gave a half wave to Wyatt. Haley got a distinct impression neither he nor Melissa were overly thrilled to see Wyatt there. Well, this was God’s house after all.

  She pasted on a smile. “I’m glad you decided to visit.”

  His attention was on something in front of them. “Is that Clay Richmond?” He nodded his head to the left.

  Haley looked. “Yes. Do you know him?”

  Wyatt shook his head. “No, but I’d like to.”

  As usual, Pastor Rollins led a compelling and rewarding service. Of course, Haley would have appreciated it more if she hadn’t repeatedly found herself distracted by the man sitting beside her.

  Wyatt reminded Haley of a little child as he leaned and looked around throughout the service. From what she could tell, he was looking at their fellow parishioners. He even turned to look behind them a few times. At one point, she found herself wondering if perhaps he needed to use the restroom. After all, children squirmed in their seats when they had that problem. Of course, she couldn’t very well ask a grown man if he needed to potty. Just the thought of doing so nearly induced a fit of giggles.

  “What’s his problem?” Missy’s whisper as they waited to exit the pew was soft enough even had Wyatt been paying attention, he wouldn’t have heard her.

  He stepped into the aisle and moved back to let Haley walk in front of him. She needn’t have worried about what to say to him since he was still mimicking a lighthouse beacon, staring shamelessly at everybody.

  “Who is our guest?” Pastor Rollins smiled genially as he looked at Wyatt.

  “Pastor Rollins, this is Wyatt Millan. He’s new to town.” Haley stood back so the men could shake hands.

  “Welcome, Wyatt.” If the minister noticed the other man was looking past him at other people, he was too polite to react to it. ”What brings you to Shadow?”

  Wyatt finally gave the pastor his full attention. “I decided to get away from the big city. Some of my friends visited here a couple of years ago, and they told me it would be a good place to live. I came down here and applied for a job, and when I was hired, I packed everything and moved here.” It sounded like he was reciting frequently used lines. Knowing how he liked to talk about himself, that didn’t surprise her

  “Well, I’m glad you chose us,” Pastor Rollins replied. “And I’m glad Haley invited you to church. I hope you plan to come back and visit us again.”

  “Oh, I will.” Wyatt once more scanned the crowd. “This is the kind of place I want to join.”

  A place he wanted to join? Haley felt uncomfortable as Pastor Rollins finished speaking with Wyatt and moved on to the next person waiting in line.

  Once outside, she found herself at a loss for what to do. She really didn’t want to encourage a friendship with Wyatt Millan. But she needed to see him as God’s child.

  “I love this church,” Wyatt announced.

  Haley turned around, the question of exactly how he’d know, since he spent the entire service gawking, on her lips. Instead, she managed a smile. “I’m glad.”

  There he went again, looking around. He gestured toward a group of people standing and talking. “That’s Mike Tucker with Aaron Houston, isn’t it?”

  Haley looked where he indicated to see Mayor Tucker laughing at something the bank president had said. “Yes.”

  Wyatt nodded before he looked to his left and indicated another group of people. “That’s Paul Handers in the blue suit, isn’t it?”

  She was beginning to feel unsettled by his blatant curiosity, but she nodded. “Yes. That’s his wife Hannah in the yellow dress, and they’re talking to Dennis and Jennifer Ewing.” She took a step. “Why don’t I introduce you around?”


  “That would be great.” Wyatt took Haley’s arm and nearly pulled her off her feet when she paused to introduce him to the Carmichaels. It seemed there were specific people he wanted to meet.

  Twenty minutes and several awkward greetings later, Haley found herself thoroughly embarrassed. After only a few introductions, she realized Wyatt only wanted to meet the wealthy residents of Shadow. He had been dismissive of people of middle class, even though there were several conversing with the ones he wanted to meet.

  “Would you go to lunch with me?” He was exuberant as he asked Haley.

  Haley quickly scanned those standing around, but none of the friends she often spent Sundays with were still there.

  “Where do most of these people go to eat?” Wyatt grasped her arm again. “I’ll take you there.”

  “I believe Haley is going to join me for lunch today.” Pastor Rollins spoke from behind them. “You’re welcome to join us, Wyatt. We’ll be eating a delicious casserole Mrs. Dunning prepared yesterday.” His smile grew. “I just have to put it in the oven for thirty minutes, so I can’t mess it up.”

  “You’re not going out?” Wyatt seemed perplexed.

  Pastor Rollins shook his head. “You’ll find that most of our church family enjoy Sunday lunches at home. Would you like to join Haley and me?”

  “I don’t think so.” Wyatt practically wrinkled his nose. “I’ll just find something.”

  Haley could have hugged her minister as the two men said polite goodbyes. Wyatt turned to her before he left. “Maybe I can take you out for dinner one night this week.”

  “I’m sorry, Wyatt, but I don’t date.” She at least could tell the truth to escape further involvement with this man.

  It appeared as though he might question her, but instead he said a stilted goodbye before he turned and left.

  Haley turned to Pastor Rollins. “Thank you, but you shouldn’t have lied for me.”

  His brows rose. “Just when did I lie?”

  “When you said I was joining you for lunch. We didn’t have any plans.”

  Pastor Rollins lifted a finger and swayed it from side to side. “No, I didn’t. I said I believed you were going to join me for lunch, and I did. You looked miserable, young lady, and I just felt moved to rescue you.”

  Haley chuckled as she realized what the minister had done. “You’re sneaky. I’d never have guessed you had it in you.”

  He led her to the parsonage next door. “Believe it or not, I was once a teenager. If my parents were alive, my father would tell you I was forever getting away with too many hijinks.” His sky blue eyes sparkled as he looked at her. “My mother would inform you that I was an expert at using my words to get out of trouble.” He opened the front door of the house for her to enter. “It’s amazing, our English language. It’s a tool like none other if we choose to learn how to use it, and then use it wisely.”

  Haley had never thought of it that way before. “It can build people up or knock them down.”

  The older man nodded as he led her through the living room. “Come into the kitchen and have a seat while I put our casserole in the oven. We’ll continue our discussion while it’s warming.”

  She found herself fascinated by her pastor’s perspective on spoken language and enjoyed their conversation so much, she couldn’t believe it when he said it was time to eat lunch.

  It was during their meal when Pastor Rollins asked her a question.

  “Haley, is something troubling you? I mean something about that young man.” He rushed to qualify his statement. “I’m not asking you to gossip, but you’re one of my children. If I can help with anything, I’d like to.”

  Haley had prayed for help with Hardy’s situation, and here it was. She could tell Pastor Rollins everything and know it would go no further. She breathed a sigh of relief.

  “I have a new friend who I’m worried about,” she confessed. “Not Wyatt. His name is Beau Harding.”

  Pastor Rollins nodded. “He’s the young man who’s been working the Walker farm while Luke was mending.”

  “Yes.” Haley thought once more of how at home he appeared on a farm. “The truth is, he’s a police officer in some kind of witness protection program. Somebody is after him, so he’s using a false name and hiding.”

  “Oh, my.” The minister put down his fork. “And you’re worried he may be in danger.”

  Her thoughts were jumbled up again, but she’d try to sort them out so she could share them with him. “I’m worried because the break-ins and murder may have something to do with him. He’s going to help Mitch with them. Mitch is telling everybody he’s their new crime scene photographer, but he’s still going to be getting out there. And if the wrong person sees him . . . ”

  “I understand why you would be concerned.” Pastor Rollins reached across the small table and placed his hand over hers. “But if he’s working with the police, he’ll be in a safe environment--surrounded by police officers. I imagine Mitch will see to it he’s armed."

  The image of Beau holding a gun did nothing to soothe her nerves, but Pastor Rollins didn't seem to notice Haley's concern as he continued.

  "If Hardy is comfortable helping Mitch with the investigation, we need to trust he knows what he’s doing. He’s in God’s hands, anyway, remember?”

  “That’s another thing I’m worried about.” Haley could still hear Beau's declaration of anger. “Something has happened in his life or maybe even to him. He blames God for it, and when I invited him to church, he said he’s too angry with him to worship. I hoped he would come, anyway.”

  “Do you feel more than friendship for this man?” The pastor’s voice was gentle.

  Haley closed her eyes tightly. “I’m frightened by my feelings.” She looked up at her minister. “I feel drawn to him. He told me he feels the same way about me. But since I won’t date when I know our relationship can’t grow or last, and he’s leaving town as soon as these cases are solved, we don’t have a chance.”

  “So you’re going to avoid each other entirely?”

  “Do you think we should?” Haley hoped for a definite answer. “Because right now we’re going to try to be friends.”

  Pastor Rollins eyebrows went up. “Is there a reason you shouldn’t be friends?”

  Now she was embarrassed. “Because of how I feel about him. What if I’m drawn to him so much I forget how I choose to live?”

  Haley was totally unprepared for her minister’s response. He chuckled. “Haley, you are a confident and determined person with a good, solid faith to stand on. Just the fact you’re concerned about the situation tells me you can handle it.” He sobered. “Of course, that doesn’t mean you should put yourself into situations where temptation might be too great.”

  She knew what he meant. “Where things could get out of control.”

  He nodded. “It sounds like Beau Harding needs friends like you. I can’t imagine what it must be like to give up your life in order to keep it.”

  Again, Pastor Rollins had given Haley a new perspective. Tears welled in her eyes as she thought it through. “Beau gave up more than his job. He gave up his home, family, friends . . .

  He can’t even go to his favorite restaurant again. He couldn’t go to the church he went to even if he wanted to.” A lone tear escaped and trickled down her face. “What a lonely life.”

  “From what I’ve seen, Hardy isn’t doing too badly here.” Pastor Rollins took a drink of water. “He may not have made any close friends, but I see him speaking to people when he’s out and around. Our community has welcomed him.”

  “That’s not the same as having real friends, though, is it?” She already knew the answer to her question.

  “At least he’s found one.” The minister smiled warmly before picking up his fork and returning to the casserole on his plate.

  Haley picked up her fork and dug into her food. She would be Beau Harding’s friend if it killed her. And there was no way she'd give up on getting him back to God
. Her stubborn genes kicked in when it came to sticking to her faith. Beau Harding may as well just give up now. Because she wasn’t about to.

  Chapter 30

  “I was able to remove your men from the system,” Weiss assured him.

  “How long can you keep them out?” He knew there was a limit to the other person’s resources.

  “I don’t know.” The caller rarely failed. “but I’ll do it as long as I can without getting caught.”

  “That’s all I ask.” He had to be careful how he handled Weiss. This man was crucial to the success of his plan, and unlike his other players, irreplaceable. “I trust the other records are still missing.”

  “Of course.”

  “Thank you.” He didn’t want Weiss to think he doubted him. “I trust you implicitly.”

  A humorless laugh came out of the phone. “I’m sure you do.”

  Before he could respond, Weiss disconnected the call. It was okay, though. Weiss knew he would only get his money if his plan succeeded.

  He picked up his phone and dialed a special number.

  “Father?” His son’s annoying, whiny voice answered.

  “I’ve told you not to answer like that.” And he could tell him ten times a day and not get through to him. “How is the situation coming along?”

  “Something might have happened.” Now he could hear the panic in his son’s voice. “Jim was going to call you later to tell you.”

  He drew a deep breath, trying to hold onto his temper. “But since I’m talking to you, you can tell me.”

  “Oh.” There was a brief pause as the younger man must have considered his father’s words. “We don’t know where the men are. When Jim went to meet them, they didn’t show up.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Jim’s here, Father.” Relief was evident in his voice. “He wants to talk to you.”

  He stood and began to pace. There had to be a mistake. James’s voice was strained when he spoke.