by Mary Alford
No matter what the jury had said, Jamie would never believe the kind and gentle man she remembered her father being would ever be capable of harming his good friend Charles.
She choked back old memories from childhood. Her father used to read her stories from the Bible each night before she went to sleep. Even when her mother was still alive, the bedtime Bible reading was their time together. Her father was a Godly man. Noah never once missed a church service, and was a deacon for most of his adult life. Noah Hendricks went out of his way to help anyone in need.
So it didn’t matter what the jury declared or what Gavin chose to believe; Noah and Charles had been much closer than friends. They’d been like brothers. And Noah would never hurt his brother.
Yet it was pointless to have this ugly conversation with Gavin again. They’d gone over it a dozen times in the past. She’d pled her father’s cause with all her heart, and Gavin hadn’t believed her.
The anger simmering in his eyes told her nothing had changed. But Gavin had. He’d left here a sweet young boy who’d stolen her heart. The man standing before her now had a hard edge about him.
He was still as handsome as ever, with straight blond hair that touched the collar of his shirt. A good six inches taller than she was, Gavin had been a star athlete in high school. He still looked as if he could run a football.
Jamie forced her straying thoughts back to the moment. “Uncle Paxton could be in real trouble by now.”
Gavin blew out a frustrated-sounding sigh. “Come on. Let’s get you inside the truck where it’s warm.” He reached for her arm, but she shook him off. “Jamie, I’m not letting you walk into what could prove to be a dangerous situation. I’ll take you to my house where you can warm up, and then I’ll go and check on Paxton.” He headed for the driver’s side of the truck, but she didn’t budge. Gavin turned back. “Jamie...”
There was no way she was going anywhere but to look for Paxton. “I’m going home. Paxton needs me. If you won’t take me there, then I’ll walk.”
He stared at her as if she’d lost her mind. “Jamie, it’s a good mile up the mountain still.”
She lifted her chin. “Will you take me home, or do I walk?” Staring up at the man she’d once thought she would spend the rest of her life with, she realized how young and naive she’d been back then. So foolish. Or maybe it was just a matter of their circumstances simply being too much for them to overcome.
Gavin’s blond hair was soaked through, as was the Stetson that looked like the same one he’d owned ten years ago. There were lines that hadn’t been there on the younger Gavin’s face, but the velvet-brown eyes were still the same, and when he looked at her, she could almost picture the old Gavin. Her Gavin. The carefree one who always caused her heart to do a little somersault.
“Okay, I’ll take you,” he bit out, clearly not happy with the turn of events. “I’ll go get your things from the car and then I’ll take you home.” He’d always called her stubborn when she was standing up for something she believed in. Especially when it was something they disagreed on.
It was that same stubbornness that had seen her through to becoming a criminal defense attorney and pursuing her passion of working to help those wrongfully convicted...like Noah. Her father was right there with her through each new case she took on.
Gavin waited until she had gotten into the truck before slamming the door a little harder than necessary.
She watched him tramp down the damp road then wade into the ditch to get her things. He’d changed a lot since she’d been gone. Grown up. Matured.
He grabbed her purse from the front seat and then took out her bag and laptop and headed back to the truck.
Opening the rear door, he placed her things inside, took off his hat, then got behind the wheel.
“I’ll call Marty Roberts when we get service. He can tow your car out of the ditch and get it home for you tomorrow. Maybe he can recommend a good repair shop in town.”
“Thanks,” she said and managed a smile. She could almost hear the remorse in his voice. Did he regret his earlier outburst?
She wondered if Gavin had kept in touch with Marty or any of his high school friends after he left town. Somehow, she doubted it. Like her, Gavin had cut ties, keeping his contact limited to only Ava.
Their gazes locked. After a moment he smiled, and her breath stuck in her throat. She’d forgotten how much she loved that smile.
“What’s on your mind?” he asked when she continued to stare at him, mesmerized. Her heart drummed like crazy. Memories, both good and bad, gathered in her mind. The way things had ended with Gavin stunted her ability to form any lasting relationships. Jamie had thrown herself into her work, each new case taking a little bit more of her soul. The injustice she’d seen was heartbreaking.
One case, in particular, still haunted her. It was the first one she’d ever worked, an elderly man accused of killing his wife. The man had already served thirty years in prison when she found him. Jamie and her team worked hard to get him exonerated and gain his freedom. He’d died a few days later.
Jamie looked away and cleared her throat. “Nothing. I was just thinking about Ava. I’m sorry, Gavin. She was a sweet woman, and I loved her a bunch. She’ll be missed.”
Through the years, Jamie had kept in touch with Ava, who had been like a grandmother to her, as well. The only subject that she refused to discuss with the elderly woman was her grandson. It had taken a couple of phone calls before Ava finally relented on that topic. Still, she always insisted that Gavin loved Jamie, that she just needed to give him time to recover from the loss of his father.
But there had been one thing that Ava didn’t know. Jamie hadn’t had the courage to tell her about her last conversation with Gavin.
“Thanks,” Gavin managed by way of an answer and returned his focus to the road ahead.
Jamie recalled how Ava had practically raised him, with Charles and Noah spending so much time at the coal mine trying to make it a success. She couldn’t even imagine how hard Ava’s death had been for him.
Because of the details of her grandson’s life that Ava had dropped into their numerous conversations, Jamie knew Gavin had joined the CIA. He was fighting terror. Ava was so proud of her grandson.
“How long are you staying in Darlan?” she asked when he didn’t make an effort to say anything more.
He glanced her way again, some of the hardness leaving his face. “Not long. I’m just settling Ava’s affairs. I’ll be putting her house up for sale, and then I’m heading back to Colorado.” His voice was rough with emotion. She could see how hard this decision had been for him.
It tore at Jamie’s heart to think of someone else living in Ava’s home, but mostly because if Gavin was selling the place, it meant he was leaving town for good this time. That hurt like crazy. Part of her had always hoped there would be a second chance for them in the future, even though her life was in Louisville and his was in Colorado. She wanted to cry for the younger Jamie, whose heart had been torn beyond repair.
Somehow, she’d let go of the pain. She had no right to blame him for moving on. After all, she’d done the same. Jamie hadn’t been back to Darlan since her father’s funeral. The only time she saw Paxton was when he came to visit her in Louisville.
Besides, Gavin was her past. Her future was the law. She’d devoted herself to righting the wrongs of the justice system because she couldn’t bear for another innocent person to die in prison like her father had.
When she couldn’t think of a single thing to say to fill the silence, she turned her focus to her last conversation with her uncle. There had been something in Uncle Paxton’s voice. She’d never heard him sound so afraid before.
He’d told her he knew who killed Charles, and yet when she’d questioned him about it, he’d refused to talk over the phone. Instead, he’d begged her to come home. Said he needed her. H
ad he been afraid of someone listening in on his conversations? Someone from the sheriff’s office, maybe?
Gavin rounded the final bend and her house appeared off to the right of the dead end. Not a single light was on in the place. Uncle Paxton had promised to be here, yet his truck was nowhere in sight. Neither was the SUV that had run her into the ditch. Where had those men gone? There was no other way down the mountain except the road they’d come up or cross-country.
The rainy night kept the moon and the stars from providing light. The isolation of the area sent a chill speeding down her spine.
Gavin stopped the truck in front of the house and stared up at its darkness.
“I thought you said Paxton was meeting you here. Where’s his truck? And where is the vehicle that ran you off the road? I don’t like it, Jamie. Something’s wrong.” Gavin scanned the surrounding countryside. “The men in the SUV must have gone cross-country.”
Was Paxton with them, or had he managed to escape?
Gavin put the truck in Reverse.
“What are you doing? We can’t leave,” she said in a panic when he backed out of the drive. “We have to find him.”
He pointed to the opposite side of the road. “We need to get this truck out of sight. After what happened to you and our run-in with Andy Lawson, I don’t like being out in the open like this.”
Gavin slowly pulled the truck into the woods so it was out of sight and yet they still faced the house.
Once he’d parked, he stared up at the house with the same worry written on his face that she knew was on hers.
“Give me a second to check things out, then I’ll come get you when I know it’s clear.” When she didn’t respond, he looked over at her. “Jamie?”
Jamie couldn’t answer because something alarming had caught her attention. A light in the woods close by. “What is that?” She pointed to it. Was it Paxton roaming the woods, hurt, or was it something far more deadly? Maybe it was the men who’d run her off the road, searching for Paxton.
She could see the uneasy set of Gavin’s jaw. “Stay here while I go check it out,” he said in a clipped tone. “Make sure you lock the door, and don’t open it for anything or anybody. I’ll be right back.” Gavin got out of the truck. It was then that she noticed the gun he’d tucked inside the waist of his jeans.
He started to shut the door and suddenly the seriousness of the situation hit home and Jamie was afraid for him. She grabbed his arm. He stopped. Looked into her eyes. Her chest grew tight. She couldn’t say what she really wanted to. Couldn’t bring the past up again.
“Be careful.” She breathed a little unsteadily. Their eyes held for a moment longer. She’d have given anything to know what he was thinking right then.
He slowly nodded and closed the door, waiting for her to lock it before he hurried away.
Jamie stared up at the house that had been her home for so long. Where was Uncle Paxton? And why was the sheriff so determined to speak with him?
Her thoughts churned with all the unanswered questions. The man in the SUV knew her. She’d recognized his voice. But trying to make sense out of something that was beyond her understanding without talking to Paxton was useless.
The darkness of the house was alarming. A disturbing thought came to her. What if Uncle Paxton was hurt inside? Maybe he’d hidden his truck somewhere and hiked in, worried that someone might be watching the place. If the men had gone inside and found him... She didn’t want to think about what might have happened.
Ignoring Gavin’s warning to stay in the truck, Jamie opened the door and got out.
She hadn’t set foot inside her childhood home since her father’s funeral. The dark windows and lack of light coming from inside sent chills down her spine and did little to ease her fears.
Jamie kept replaying her last conversation with her uncle. Paxton had been frantic. After ten years of searching for evidence to clear Noah of murder, Paxton believed he’d located it. Why now, after so long?
She’d lost track of the numerous theories her uncle had come up with through the years. But this time felt different. What happened on the road back there seemed to back up the feeling.
Jamie continued to stare up at her old home as the rain soaked through her jacket and into her bones. Up here in the Appalachian Mountains, night came quickly and thoroughly. There was no light to keep the darkness at bay, making it hard to see your hand in front of you.
Her foot had just cleared the first step when Jamie noticed something she hadn’t before. The front door stood ajar. Unease scurried down her spine. She could still hear the fear in her uncle’s voice when he’d called to beg her to come home.
“Uncle Paxton, are you in there?” Jamie called out. The only answer was the familiar noises of the mountains. Locusts chirped. Somewhere close by an owl hooted. She could no longer hear Gavin moving through the woods. How long had he been gone? Was he in trouble?
The usually breathtaking night sky was obscured by clouds. The dampness of the mountains sent chill bumps up her arms.
She grabbed her cell phone. This time, the phone picked up enough service for her to make the call. She dialed her uncle’s number. Inside the house, Paxton’s phone rang and then went to voicemail. Paxton never went anywhere without his phone.
Jamie’s feet felt glued in place. Something was wrong.
She needed God’s strength to push her legs into motion. Her uncle could be hurt.
With her prayer for courage chilling the night air, her heart thundered as each creaky step took her up to the gaping door.
Drawing in a deep breath, Jamie pushed the door the rest of the way open. She swallowed back fear and stepped inside. The house was pitch black, but what she could make out scared the daylights out of her. The room was in complete disarray. Furniture was turned over. All the drawers on her father’s old antique desk stood open. Some had been pulled out completely.
Someone had ransacked the house. They’d been looking for something.
Jamie tried the light switch. Nothing happened. The power was off. Was it just a coincidence—or something more?
“Uncle Paxton, where are you?” she yelled one more time, knowing it was pointless. Her uncle wasn’t here. Whether by his own will or someone else’s, he was gone.
She spotted his phone lying on the floor and picked it up. The last call he’d made was to her, hours earlier.
Apprehension filled the pit of her stomach, and she looked nervously around the place. She’d been foolish to come here alone, going against Gavin’s warning. Now she was on her own, and someone had obviously been here recently.
Jamie headed for the door, the hair on her arms standing at attention, the need to run overwhelming. She’d barely gotten halfway across the living room when someone grabbed her from behind, restraining her in a vice grip. Jamie screamed and clawed at the man’s arm, but it was pointless. She was no match for his strength. He clamped a hand over her mouth to silence her.
Behind her, what sounded like a scuffle took place, then another man grabbed Paxton’s phone, which she still clutched in her hand. “I’ve got his phone. Let’s get him out of here now,” she heard the man say. It was the same voice from earlier!
The man restraining her shoved her away hard. She stumbled forward. Before she could regain her footing, something smashed against her temple.
Jamie dropped to the floor, disoriented. The last thought she had before she lost consciousness was that she was here alone, and something bad had happened to her uncle.
* * *
In the distance, Gavin picked up the noise of what sounded like a four-wheeler’s engine firing. The light he’d been following for a quarter of a mile disappeared, returning the mountain to its previous darkness.
Did it belong to someone out hunting, or was it connected to what had happened to Jamie earlier? He didn’t believe in coincidences this
big. Whoever was out here was up to no good.
Gavin headed for the last place he’d seen the light. The house behind him was still dark. Jamie had expected Paxton to be waiting for her there. Part of Gavin prayed that this would turn out to be just another one of Paxton’s ridiculous theories.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught movement. Gavin whirled in that direction, his flashlight in one hand, his weapon in the other. “Don’t move or I’ll shoot!”
A man he didn’t recognize froze where he stood. Gavin kept the light aimed in his eyes as he moved closer. The man squinted against the brightness, but did as asked and stood motionless.
“What are you doing up here?” Gavin asked without lowering his weapon.
The man hesitated, no doubt trying to come up with a believable answer.
“Nothing. I was just doing some squirrel hunting. This type of weather is perfect for it. Can you lower the light and the weapon, buddy? I’d hate to get shot for no reason.”
Gavin didn’t buy his story for a second, and he sure wasn’t prepared to lower his gun until he knew what the man was up to.
“Oh, yeah? Well, you’re on private property. Did you get permission from the owner to be out here?” Gavin knew the answer already.
The man appeared sheepish. “No, sir, I didn’t. But I figured the owner wouldn’t mind if I rustled up a little food for the table.”
Gavin noticed that the man didn’t have a shotgun with him, but he caught sight of a bulge beneath his jacket. “What do you know about what happened down the road tonight?”
The man grew visibly ill at ease at the mention of the wreck. He edged closer to Gavin.
“That’s far enough,” Gavin warned.
The man stopped dead in his tracks. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Look, I’m sorry to be hunting on your property and all. It won’t happen again.” He turned to leave through the woods behind him, but Gavin put a stop to it.
“Not so fast.” In the distance, a single gunshot reverberated through the night. The man stopped dead. Gavin flashed his light in the direction of the shot. Nothing moved.
