by Lyn Cote
"Level with me, Rodd. You know it will go no further."
The dam inside Rodd broke. He put down his fork. "After spending a day questioning Elroy, I think he's too dumb to have planned the burglaries, much less the kegger. I think it's quite logical that Dutch was the one who thought up the MO for the burglaries. It would be easy for him to keep track of his niece, then tell Elroy when and where to strike."
Bruce listened, frowning.
"And Elroy's quite capable of hitting Wendy from behind and blowing up his beater truck to get a new one." Rodd clenched his fist. He'd been tempted to deck Dietz when he'd questioned him about the assault on Wendy at Kainzes'.
Now Rodd sucked in air. "But breaking into my house doesn't fit Elroy. It was just a stunt to show up the sheriff. Ego showing off. That fits Rieker. Cocky. And using that old grudge between them as a cover fits Dutch. He's quite capable of coming up with the idea of forming such a unexpected and short-lived partnership, knowing that no one would suspect the two of them of collusion."
"When did the thieves fall out? Or should I ask why?" Bruce folded his arms.
Rodd took a swallow of coffee. "Dutch probably realized fairly early that he could use the fact that Elroy actually carried out the burglaries to stab Dietz in the back. Then Elroy started seeing Dutch's longtime girlfriend, Carlene. That weakened the partnership further. But the assault on Wendy probably sharpened Rieker's craving for revenge. So Dutch set Elroy up to get caught with the anonymous calls."
"Why did Elroy hit Harlan's place when Harlan was home? That didn't fit—"
"I think that was Elroy's revenge for my bringing his nephew Trav in for questioning. And I think Elroy would have enjoyed beating up an old man." Rodd had nicknamed the thief the Weasel and he'd been right. Elroy had enjoyed trashing homes of defenseless seniors. He'd killed Ma's old dog and lured Rodd out onto the ice. If Wendy hadn't been there with her rope, Rodd would have had a time getting safely away from his snowmobile before it went through the cracking ice. He didn't doubt for a moment that Elroy would have left him to his fate. He wasn't the kind who'd face an enemy. Rodd could easily understand the enmity between Elroy and Dutch.
"Didn't Dutch realize that if Elroy was caught, he would spill the beans on Dutch?"
Rodd added silently, And why didn't Dutch understand how much his actions would hurt his niece? Rodd shrugged, trying to loosen his tired back muscles. "Elroy can implicate Dutch for the next twenty years. But if there's no evidence and no witnesses to back him up, I can't touch Dutch. Dutch isn't out of the clinic yet. Elroy managed to get the best of him in their fight. I've finally got a search warrant for Dutch's place. I had a hard time convincing the judge that Dutch was implicated since all we had to go on was Elroy's story—evidently no one puts any stock in Elroy's word. Maybe I will find something before Dutch comes home."
Bruce shook his head. "They can't have made much money at this. Why did they even bother?"
Rodd thought of the money Dutch had given Sage at the airport. He hoped the young girl didn't realize where that Christmas money had come from. He just shook his head as if he didn't know. He wrapped his fingers around his coffee cup. "Neither of them is working. From talking to the victims, I figure Dutch and Elroy each pulled in about six or seven hundred dollars from all the burglaries."
Bruce made a sound of disgust. "Most of which probably ended up in the till at Flanagan's. Why didn't they steal more than cash?"
Rodd took another swallow of coffee to clear his throat. "Fencing stuff means involving a third party and leaving a trail of evidence. Dutch was evidently too smart to do that."
The thought of how this man could be related to sweet, honest Wendy hit to Rodd one more time.
Bruce echoed Rodd's earlier thoughts. "Why didn't he think about how this would affect his nieces?" He looked at Rodd. "It's so sad."
"What's sad is that I'm going to have a hard time proving Rieker's connection without any hard evidence. I just hope I find something. I hate for him to get off scot-free. It'll just make him more likely to try something in the future."
Bruce nodded. "You'll have to turn this over to God. What we cannot do alone, he can. Now eat your supper. You'll feel better."
Though the sour taste of defeat lingered, Rodd picked up his fork and took a bite of the tender beef.
Penny came in and began unloading onto the counter the bag of diapers and formula Rodd had also brought. "Poor little sweetheart. How long do you think it will take to find this little one's family?"
Rodd answered, "I don't know. The license plate was burned, but the number was still molded into the metal. I pulled it up on the computer."
"Then it shouldn't take long," Bruce said
Rodd shook his head. "The car was stolen two days ago outside of Milwaukee. And we have no surviving ID like a driver's license from either victim. The coroner will have to try to ID them by dental records. That could take a long time."
Early the next afternoon Rodd drove into his own drive. The gray sky was heavy with snow waiting to drop on them. Harlan sat beside him and Zak sat in the backseat. Zak had been begging to see Rodd's bam and cows for a long time. With the burglaries solved, Rodd decided the excursion would be a good diversion. And God knew he needed one. Elroy was to be arraigned tomorrow, and Rodd was waiting for the analysis of residue on some clothing from Dutch's trailer. It might match the explosives used in LaFollette and link Dutch to that crime at least.
"Wow!" Zak exclaimed. "It looks just like the barn in my storybook."
Harlan chuckled. "That's because it's a very old barn."
"You don't have one like that, Mr. Carey." Zak pointed out.
"No, unfortunately, my old barn fell down before you were born, and I had to put up the machine shed. Besides, I'd given up on raising cattle. If you have stock, Rodd's barn is the best kind."
"Is cattle cows?" Zak asked.
"Yes."
"What's stock?"
"Another way to say farm animals."
"Oh."
Rodd listened to the exchange, enjoying Zak's lively interest in everything. He wished some of it would rub off on him. Every morning he woke up with what felt like a two-ton sack of rocks on his back that he was forced to drag around with him all day. He parked outside the barn entrance.
Zak trotted over the packed snow ahead of them into the barn. "What can I do? Can I help?"
Rodd grinned and hurried to take Zak's hand. "Here, you can pump the water for the cows. I'll get it started for you."
"Wow!" Zak jumped up and down. Harlan brought over a wooden box for the little guy to stand on so he could handle the old hand pump.
Rodd got the pump working easily and showed Zak how to push down the handle. Every time the water gushed out into the sluice to the trough, Zak shouted with glee.
Rodd walked over to the ladder and climbed up to the loft, where his pitchfork stood against the wall. He picked it up and began to fork down hay to the cattle. Harlan followed him up.
Rodd glanced at him and then down at Zak, still working the pump. "Why do kids get so much fun out of pumping water?"
Harlan smiled. "It's something easy they can do, and it's something they can't break so they don't get yelled at."
"Sounds right," Rodd said
"Rodd, what are your intentions concerning my granddaughter Wendy?"
The out-of-the-blue question startled Rodd. Pitchfork in his hands, he turned to face Harlan. "I don't know what—"
"I know it's an old-fashioned question. But I'm in my eighties so I remember being asked that question when I was courting. I want to know if you are serious about my Wendy or not."
Rodd's mouth went dry. "Does 'serious' mean marriage?"
Harlan nodded. "I grew up with your great-uncle George, so I am sure that he would ask you the same question. You've found yourself a good woman, and it's obvious to everyone that you have deep feelings for her. So what's happened between you two?"
"She won't return my calls." Rodd
cleared his throat.
Harlan walked over and put a hand on Rodd's shoulder. "There's more to this than just you and Wendy."
"What is it then?" Rodd's voice didn't sound normal. It rasped and felt rusty.
"I think it has to do with the fact that a Christian needs to depend on God every day."
"Wendy beat you to it. She already made that point."
"She did?" Harlan said, his eyes sparkling with good humor. "Smart girl."
Rodd smiled. "I finally turned the case over to God while I waited outside your home that night."
"Glad to hear it." With one of his large, gnarled, work-worn hands, Harlan squeezed Rodd's shoulder. "Don't expect to feel anything and don't expect it to 'take' the first time, son. But from now on, whenever you begin to worry, give it over to God. Just let God in. Okay? Now we'll both have faith that in God's own time, not ours, he'll bring Dutch to justice."
Rodd pulled away and lifted another forkful of hay over the side of the loft. Harlan's counsel made sense, and how many times had Uncle George said, "Lean not on thine own understanding. But in all thy ways, acknowledge the Lord"? Rodd felt better. Having his uncle's old friend here with him was a true blessing.
"Now, son, what are your intentions toward my Wendy?"
Rodd looked into Harlan's eyes. "I wasn't very nice to Wendy the night I arrested Elroy. I yelled at her, but she scared me so much, coming right out on the ice while it was breaking all around me—"
"You know that's not what Wendy's upset about." Harlan studied him as if he were sifting through Rodd's soul for truth. "Wendy has to learn to see herself as a child of God, separate from her family. After all her mother's problems, she's had trouble trusting men. That's easy to understand. But you have to make her see that she can trust you and that you trust God. If you don't, you're going to wind up a lonely, spiritually stunted man. And that's what your Uncle George would tell you if he were standing here right now." Harlan turned and started down the ladder.
Rodd stood with the pitchfork in his hands. Below, Harlan and Zak exchanged places. Harlan began pumping while Zak splashed his hands in the water going down the sluice. The old pump squeaked. The cold water gushed and the little boy squealed.
Rodd closed his eyes, drinking in the sounds of having others in the bam with him. He watered the cattle and fed them daily—but he worked alone. Always alone. Raised alone by a dad and an uncle. Always alone at his job, even with a partner beside him. His loneliness had prompted him to leave Milwaukee. He'd felt at home here on his family's land But even here he was alone, holding everyone at arm's length. Did he want to live alone—without Wendy, without a family?
No. He wanted Wendy in his life. Lord. I've tried to do everything on my own. Without Wendy, I might have gone into the icy water on Hunter's Lake. I might have died. Elroy might have gotten away. He paused to draw a deep breath. Lord. I love Wendy. And I want her as my wife. Help me find a way hack to her. I don't know how to break through the barrier she's put up between us. Help me persuade her that she stands apart from her family. I'm going to turn this over to you completely. Just remember I love her. Give me the key to her heart, I pray.
When he opened his eyes, he felt refreshed, hopeful. He finished forking over the hay, then climbed down the ladder.
Zak greeted him at the bottom. "Can I climb up the ladder?"
Rodd smiled at Zak. "Sure. But first we have to give the cows some special feed. They're all going to give birth, starting soon—"
"Now?" Harlan countered. "When did you have them bred?"
"Too early, but I couldn't get on the vet's breeding schedule anytime later in the summer. I shouldn't have any calves until February, but a few of these old girls look like it could happen any day."
"Can I see a calf get borned?" Zak jumped up, grabbing Rodd's outstretched arm, then swinging back and forth on it.
Holding his arm stiff to let the boy play, Rodd said, "If it's all right with your parents. Now let's get the feed. You can measure out each portion."
"Wow. Wait till I tell my dad!"
Rodd's smile broadened. His heart lifted. Father, please help move Wendy's heart to love me as I love her.
Chapter Twenty
Ten days after New Year's Eve, Wendy got out of the pastor's van and walked toward Rodd's barn through the bright but deceivingly cold afternoon sunshine. A call from Rodd, just a half hour ago, that one of his cows was in early labor had brought an instant response from Zak. He was invited to come, and everyone, including Wendy, who was visiting with Penny, had to go and see the birth, too. So now Penny, with the baby in her arms, and Bruce, carrying the pink gingham diaper bag, trailed after Wendy and Zak.
The bright sunshine made Wendy squint and shade her eyes with one hand. Zak tugged her along to hurry her, his small mittened hand gripping her free one. "Come on, Wendy. The calf might get borned before we get there."
In spite of her reluctance, Wendy picked up her pace. She wouldn't do anything to spoil Zak's delight. Besides, most of her wanted to see Rodd. The past few days had brought healing for her. After Sage had confronted her, Wendy had returned to work. The people of the town wonderfully demonstrated their support for her. And for once, Veda's nastiness had been soundly shouted down wherever she had tried to voice it. Wendy knew about that because her patients all delighted in reporting that the bully of Steadfast had been put down.
And each day, Rodd had called her trailer. She'd listened to his phone messages over and over, needing to hear his voice but unable to return his calls. She couldn't face him. She yearned to see him, but the yearning was too sharp, nearly painful. She'd admitted to herself not only that she wanted to fall in love, but that she had in fact fallen—deeply and truly—in love with Rodd Durand. But she needed time to take it all in. It was all so fragile, tender, oversensitive like new skin. And maybe she'd realized all this too late.
But Zak's insistent invitation had rushed her ahead. Now, nearing the barn, the little boy dropped her hand, pushed open the door, and charged inside. Still hesitating, Wendy ducked in, then turned back and held the door for Bruce and Penny. "Go ahead," Bruce said.
Wendy turned around and there stood Rodd, looking at her. The look on his face made her lower her eye.
Zak ran back and grabbed her hand, tugging on it. "Come on, Wendy. I know which cow it is. Rodd told me." He pulled her forward right into Rodd. Her breath caught; she couldn't inhale.
Rodd reached down and took Zak's hand from hers. "Don't be in such a hurry, little guy." He chuckled.
His laughter, as he stood so close, vibrated through her. She remembered the last time they'd been here together—Christmas Day, that crystal morning on their snowmobiles—and their kiss as they'd gazed at Hunter's Lake—
"Come on." Zak urged, interrupting.
Wendy moved forward in the dimly lit barn, so cozy after the chill outside.
Rodd took her arm and walked at her side. He murmured, "I'm glad to see you."
His words sent shivers of joy through her. She nodded but couldn't meet his eyes. Hope bubbled in her like the vibration of laughter, sparkling up from deep inside. She tried to cap it, control it—impossible.
"Zak, I have the cow over here in a birthing stall,'' Rodd told the little boy. "It shouldn't be long. I called the vet, but he said everything sounded like it was going right." Rodd's excitement colored his voice.
"This is your first calving since you bought stock, isn't it?" Wendy asked, feeling as shy as if they were strangers, yet longing to lean closer to him.
"Yes, I had forgotten how exciting a calving can be."
Her eyes met his silver blue ones and skittered away. There was too much emotion inside her—she couldn't make herself calm down. How could she behave as though nothing had changed? Everything was different—in her heart.
Zak stood on tiptoes and hung over the railing of the stall. "When do I get to see the calf? Is it really in the mama cow's tummy?"
To steady herself, Wendy tried to take a deep
breath a little at a time, so no one would notice her excitement.
Rodd ruffled the little boy's hair. "That's right, Zak. And remember, some blood will come out with the calf. That's just natural—"
"I know!" Zak interrupted. "We all got blood in us! Old Doc told me that. I'm not scared."
The cow bawled loudly at them and tossed her head as if they were annoying her. Rodd chuckled again.
And the chuckle danced through Wendy, nearly lifting her off her feet.
Zak laughed and began talking to the cow. "Hi. I'm here to see your baby get borned. We got us a new baby that the sheriff saved from a fire."
