Silver Thaw

by Catherine Anderson

  “Her father. He’s a crazy, abusive son of a bitch.”

  Jeb glanced at Amanda and put his phone on speaker. “Describe Mark to my dad.”

  Amanda leaned across the console to get closer to the phone. “Dark hair, blue eyes, medium height, slender build. He’s smart, so don’t let any man who even slightly fits that description near my daughter. Please.”

  Jeb kept the cell on speaker. “Ask Barney to go by my place to get Bozo and bring him to your place. I put him in the laundry room so he wouldn’t devour my house while we were gone.”

  “I think Barney is doing his deputy thing today,” Jeremiah replied.

  “Unless he’s doing desk duty, he can swing by my house faster than anyone else. If he can’t do it, ask Ben. That dog loves Chloe like all get-out, and he’ll protect her with his life. He’s also got amazing instincts about people. You know that growly thing he does when he tries to talk? Well, his growl when he senses danger is different. You’ll know it when you hear it. And if you hear it, trust him and be on guard.”

  “What the hell suddenly brought this on?” Jeremiah asked. “If the situation is all this critical, why didn’t you warn us before you left her here?”

  “Sorry, Dad. I didn’t think ahead. Amanda is filing for divorce today. I doubt Mark Banning will get served before tomorrow, but right now we’re heading over to the state police to file some serious charges against him. The instant he gets cuffed and stuffed, or served with the divorce papers, he may learn that Amanda and Chloe are in Mystic Creek. And if by chance they don’t lock him up, he may head straight there. I don’t know if he can hop a flight to get here on such short notice, and I don’t know how long it takes to drive.”

  “We’ll figure it out,” Jeremiah replied. “But, son, he might already know where they are. Nowadays, it’s not that hard to find people on the Net. Amanda must have paid for utilities at her rental. That put her on the charts.”

  From the corner of his eye, Jeb saw Amanda tense. She’d tried so hard to cover her tracks. No wonder she slept with a butcher knife under her mattress.

  “I used my mom’s maiden name for my utility bills,” she said, a hopeful note in her voice.

  Jeremiah went on. “If he ran a trace on you and came up with a blank, he would have done a search on your maiden name and any other family surnames you might have used.” Clanking sounds came over the airway as Jeremiah spoke. “Okay, I’m in the house and locking the doors. I’ll get my guns out, keeping them well beyond Chloe’s reach. Then I’ll have one of your brothers bring Bozo over here.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  “She’s one sweet little girl. I won’t let anything happen to her.”

  Without saying good-bye, Jeremiah Sterling ended the call.

  Jeb could almost smell Amanda’s fear. He needed to say something brilliant to ease her mind. “Listen to me, honey. Will you listen?”

  “Yes.” She said the word at such a low pitch, Jeb could barely hear her over the truck’s engine. “I’m listening.”

  “We’ve got the deck stacked in your favor. You’re no longer living in the rental. Even if Mark has looked there, he won’t know where you’ve gone. Nobody but Johnson, law enforcement, my folks, and the Bradleys know where you’re staying.” He pulled into a parking lot in front of the state police station. “While you’re filing the charges, I’ll call Tony and tell him to keep his lip zipped if anyone knocks on his door asking questions.”

  Jeb held out his right hand to her, palm up. “Give me your cell.”

  She hesitated, then handed it over. He pocketed it, saying, “I’m turning this in to the cops.”

  He exited the truck and circled to help Amanda get out without slipping on the ice.

  “Why do that?” she cried. “I need my phone.”

  “Until this is over, it’s safer for you to use mine. If Mark has your number, he may be able to track your phone. I’ve never actually tried doing that myself, but I’m betting it can be done, and probably very easily if you have the right computer app. Now, if he tracks your phone, he’ll wind up at the police station, a place he won’t want to be.”

  * * *

  This was her nightmare come to life. Amanda had always feared that Mark might find her. He was smart, relentless, and vengeful. She’d tried so hard to put him out of her mind, concentrating on survival and secrecy, and now his malignant presence loomed in front of her like the furies of doom.

  She’d cashed her paychecks at the One-Stop Market, a mom-and-pop shop on West Main owned by a widow named Marilyn Fears, who knew the drafts were good because they’d been issued by the school board. Amanda had paid for everything with cash, trying to avoid leaving a paper trail. Mark’s right. I’m dumber than a rope. She had considered the possibility that he might trace her calls if she dared to contact her mom, but she’d never thought he could pinpoint her location by tracking her cellular device. Jeb’s grip on her arm was comforting, but it wasn’t enough to ease her mind. As they crossed the parking lot to the entrance, her knees felt as if they’d turned to melted butter.

  “How could I be so stupid? I got a cheap phone. It’s under my mom’s maiden name. I’ve been paying for electricity with cash. I buy everything with cash. I thought I was being so smart, so careful. He probably already knows where I am.”

  “You’ve done a fabulous job of vanishing,” Jeb said. “It’s just that modern-day technology makes it difficult, if not impossible, for a person to hide. The only way is to establish a fake identity, and I don’t think it’s that easy anymore. In fact, with instant information at our fingertips nowadays, it may be next to impossible. At one time, you could take the identity of someone of the same gender who’d recently died and was about your age. Now death records are stored electronically, and it’s easier for the authorities to catch when someone starts using a dead person’s Social Security number.” His expelled breath clouded the air in front of his face. “For now, hold on to the good things. He can’t easily find out where you’re staying. He’ll hit your rental and come up blank. And Bozo is with Chloe, or soon will be.”

  They quit talking as they entered the police station. Amanda jerked to a stop when she saw the front desk. “I’m scared.”

  “These are the good guys. I’m sure Johnson prepped them. It’ll go just fine.” He gave her a slight nudge to get her moving. “Just give them your name, and they’ll take it from there. While you’re filing the charges, I’m going to turn in your cell, call Tony and Myrna, and check on Chloe.”

  Jeb proved to be right. The moment Amanda gave her name, an officer emerged and escorted her to a back office. He directed her to take a seat at a gray metal desk, closed the door, and then sat across from her. “Clyde Johnson sent me your information and a list of the charges you’d like to press against your husband. I’ve got everything ready. He says he wants you back at his office ASAP so he can file your divorce appeal before five. No time to waste.”

  Amanda’s stomach bunched into a painful knot. Had this young officer seen her photos? Surely her attorney wouldn’t share them with just anyone, but she wasn’t positive of that. I’m going to be sick all over his desk. Amanda had endured plenty of humiliation during her marriage, but never had she been exposed in such a public way.

  “You okay?” Without waiting for a reply, he pushed some paperwork toward her along with a pen. “My name’s Mike Noir, by the way. Sergeant Noir if we’re formal. Given the fact that you look a little pale and shaken, just call me Mike.” Inclining his head at the paperwork, he added, “I highlighted everywhere you need to sign and date. It’s November thirteenth. Friday the thirteenth, actually, and for me, it’s been a doozy. Crunched the fender of my car on the way in this morning. Took out a neighbor’s mailbox. I’ll pay through the nose to get both fixed.”

  In a daze, Amanda stared at the papers. Friday the thirteenth. Oh, God, oh, God. That had always been Mar
k’s favorite day to make her life hell. A good day for bad luck, he’d always said, and I intend to make sure you get your share.

  Somehow she managed to sign and date the paperwork where indicated. She barely recognized her handwriting. Mike thanked her for coming in, assured her that he would process the charges immediately, and electronically transmit all the paperwork to the Eureka authorities so Mark would be arrested.

  Jeb stood in the waiting area. Officer Noir escorted Amanda toward him. “I don’t think Ms. Banning is feeling well.”

  Jeb took her arm. “I’ll take it from here. Thank you for your concern.”

  Moments later as they approached Jeb’s truck, Amanda jerked her arm from his grasp to slip and slide over to the bushes growing in the median. Cramps doubled her over. She gagged, and then she vomited, not once but several times, the strain of emptying her stomach leaving her so weak that she dropped to her knees. She felt the heat of Jeb’s big body next to her. Normally she would have felt embarrassed, but she no longer had the strength to care.

  Murmuring to her, saying words her swirling brain couldn’t register, he wiped her mouth with something. She guessed it was his handkerchief. Leaning against him so she wouldn’t topple over into the mess she’d just made, she managed to say in a shaky voice, “It’s Friday the thirteenth. If Mark is going to come after me, it’ll be today.”

  Jeb wrapped his arms around her. Being enveloped by his strength felt so good that Amanda wished she could melt and be absorbed into him through the pores of his skin. “Let him come. I’m eager to meet the man, and I guarantee that he’ll never get past me to harm a single hair on either your or Chloe’s head.”

  He lifted her to a standing position and guided her back to his truck, pushing his key remote before they reached the passenger door. The vehicle’s beep made Amanda jump.

  Keeping one arm locked around her waist, he opened the door. “Okay, sweetheart, in you go.” And before she knew what he meant to do, he swept her up in his arms and deposited her in the bucket seat. Then he drew out the seat belt and shoved the metal tongue into the latch. “All tucked in and ready to roll.”

  A moment later when he swung up under the steering wheel, Amanda said, “I need to be with Chloe.”

  “That’s where we’re headed, honey. But first we have to go back to see Johnson.”

  Amanda wasn’t sure she could handle that. “What if I get sick in his office?”

  “You won’t,” he told her with steady certainty. “You’re going to calm down. You’re going to stop feeling afraid and have some faith in me and in yourself. You’re going to say a prayer or two while we’re driving over, thanking God that Chloe is being protected inside a house locked up tight, with Bozo lying beside her. If Mark so much as touches that child, he’ll get his gonads ripped off with one bite.”

  Her mouth still tasted like vomit, but Amanda was able to muster a faint smile. “That dog does love my daughter.”

  “He’s mellow and friendly until some fool pisses him off.”

  Leaning her head back against the seat, Amanda closed her eyes and followed Jeb’s advice, giving thanks that her daughter was safe and that Jeremiah had stepped up to the plate to protect her. When a measure of calm relaxed her body, she asked, “Is one of your brothers really a deputy named Barney?”

  “Short for Barnabas.”

  “Is he allowed to carry only one bullet in his pocket with his gun always empty?”

  Jeb laughed. “Trust me, he gets teased about that a lot. He takes it in good humor, but I think he gets tired of hearing the same Mayberry joke repeatedly.”

  Amanda sighed. “I would, too, I guess. He sounds like a nice guy.”

  “Yes, he’s great.” He fell silent as he exited the parking lot into the oncoming lanes of heavy traffic. “You feeling better?”

  She had to consider that. “Yes. Still shaky, but much better.”

  “Good. We’ll make fast work of it at Johnson’s. Then we’ll head home. I’m as eager as you are to be with Chloe again.”

  * * *

  Jeb drove with caution on the icy roads back to Mystic Creek. Mother Nature needed to back off and give central Oregon a short reprieve. Beside him, Amanda slept, her slender body pressed against the door, her head lolling on the window. Jeb was pleased that she’d drifted off. She’d had an exhausting day. At the law firm, she’d ranted at the attorney for sending her picture file to the state police. Johnson had been a gentleman, letting her vent for a minute, and then he’d explained that the pictures were evidence and had been shared with no one else but a female judge he knew in Eureka. He told Amanda that he completely understood how humiliating that was for her, but the pictures couldn’t be kept entirely private.

  As Jeb navigated the slippery road toward home, images of Amanda’s and Chloe’s battered bodies flashed through his mind. Without having seen Amanda naked in the flesh, he knew that she had scars. Considering his luck, if he ever made it to third base with her, she’d be inordinately shy about revealing her body, thinking that he’d find the imperfections ugly. He grimaced at the thought. That was a long way down the road, he decided, and not something for him to worry about now.

  It was dark when he pulled up in front of his parents’ home. The parking area was crowded by all three of his brothers’ trucks. Surprised, Jeb grinned. That was real family for you. When a Sterling was in trouble, other family members dropped everything to help. Jeb hadn’t asked for reinforcements, but he was glad to have them. Barney had postponed his birthday party this week because he couldn’t take time off, Ben had rodeo stock out the yang to tend, and Jonas, going for his bachelor’s in psychology, had quarterly finals coming up at the Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls, a two-hour drive away. None of them could spare the time to be here, but they’d come anyway.

  Jeb cut the engine. “Mandy?” He gave her a light shake. “We’re back, honey. You need to wake up so we can go in and see Chloe.”

  She jerked erect as if he’d poked her with a needle. “Chloe?” She struggled with her seat belt. “Oh, God. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

  “You needed the nap. And don’t get in a rush. Wait until I come around to help you out. I don’t want you falling on the ice.”

  Jeb swung out of the truck, slammed the door, and walked around to open Amanda’s side. Normally, he took her by the arm, ever aware that she didn’t care to be touched anywhere personal. But tonight, she extended both arms and fell into his embrace. Grabbing her tightly, Jeb cherished the brief moment of holding her. Oh, man, I’ve got it bad. If she can never love me back, I’ll have to accept it. But letting her go will half kill me. He held her for as long as he could, pressing his cheek to the top of her head.

  “Don’t let my brothers overwhelm you,” he told her. “We’re a rowdy bunch sometimes. Barney must have called in the troops when he heard Chloe might be in danger.”

  She glanced up, her beautiful eyes shimmering in the darkness. “If they’re like you, they won’t overwhelm me.”

  Jeb shifted his hold on her to grasp her arm. Before they started toward the porch, he slammed her door and used his key remote to lock up. If Mark was out there somewhere watching, Jeb wanted no surprises when he brought Amanda and Chloe back to his vehicle. If the guy was packing, not even Bozo would be any protection.

  At the thought, Jeb switched sides without losing his hold on Amanda. Three steps later he shifted sides again. “What are you doing, an ice dance?” she asked.

  “Something like that.”

  She stopped short and shot a frightened glance over her shoulder. “You think he could be out there, don’t you? You’re shielding me because he may have a gun.”

  “Something like that,” Jeb repeated, and got her moving again. “You told Johnson he has weapons. Is he a good marksman?”

  “I don’t know,” she replied with an edge of fear
in her voice. “I never saw him shoot anything. One of his favorite games was to put a gun barrel to my temple and pull the trigger. I never knew if it was loaded or not. One time I got so scared that I wet myself.”

  Jeb’s stomach rolled. Mark Banning was one sick cookie.

  Once on the porch, Jeb stood behind Amanda and reached over her shoulder to rap on the door. No point in trying to just walk in as he normally did. He knew the door was locked, with the dead bolt engaged. From inside the house, he heard Bozo give a happy bark. Good boy. The dog had caught Jeb’s scent, which confirmed his belief that the mastiff could smell danger as well.

  The dead bolt inside clicked. The door cracked open, and Barney peered out. He had one shoulder braced against the wood to prevent an unwelcome visitor from shoving his way inside.

  “Hey,” Jeb said in greeting.

  “Hey.” Barney pulled the door wide. “Come on in. Supper’s almost ready.”

  Forgoing introductions, Amanda circled Barney and ran to find her daughter. After Jeb entered, his brother closed and relocked the door. “Friendly little thing, isn’t she?”

  “She’s just eager to see her daughter.”

  Barney grinned. “She’s safe as can be. I think Dad is feeling his age. He asked all of us to come, and now he’s still paranoid.” His smile faded. “It’s kind of sad. Growing up, I always thought he could take on anything. Now he’s calling on us for backup.”

  Jeb’s throat tightened. Like Barney, he’d had every confidence that his dad could handle protecting Chloe, but apparently Jeremiah wasn’t so certain. “That is sad. Especially when I think he can still pin me to the mat.”

  Barney shrugged. “Same for me. But Dad’s self-confidence is apparently in the shitter.”

  Jeb had long since stopped feeling as if he were looking in a mirror when he was with one of his brothers. But he noted the striking resemblance tonight. All Jeremiah’s boys had been poured from his mold. The girls looked more like Kate. Jeb wondered what Amanda would think of the Sterling crew. He made a silent wager with himself that she’d have trouble telling his brothers apart for a while. She would remember Barney because he was in uniform, but the other two would be harder for her. They all had certain dissimilarities, but they were too slight for a stranger to notice right away.