Rebel Sweetheart

by Sydney Canyon

  “I don’t need the doctor. It’s easy to do, and I told you I’ve done it a few times.”

  “What if it’s not healed? No, Shane. I’m calling your doctor.”

  “Haley, for God’s sake. There’s no need to call the doctor! It’s just stitches. You cut them and pull them out!”

  “Excuse me, would you two please take that nonsense somewhere else? I’m trying to work in here,” Emma Jean chided.

  “Well, do you have them or not?” Shane asked, bringing her voice back to a normal tone.

  “Of course.”

  “May I borrow them?”

  “Fine. If you hurt yourself worse, I’m not taking you to the doctor,” Haley snapped and walked away.

  “I do have my car here, so no worries!” Shane yelled after her. “She’s as stubborn as an old donkey,” she muttered.

  “People don’t call them jackasses for nothing,” Emma Jean said.

  Shane spun around, surprised she’d heard her with all the noise she was making with her cooking prep.

  “I might be getting up there, but this ol’ girl still has a set of dog ears!” she laughed.

  Shane shook her head and smiled.

  ***

  “I can’t believe you’re just clipping the threads and plucking them out of your skin like that,” Haley said, watching Shane remove her stitches. Her stomach rolled into knots, threatening to spew the breakfast she hadn’t yet consumed. She’d forgotten all about looking at Shane’s body as she stood in front of her in a sports bra.

  “It’s really not a big deal. It doesn’t hurt at all,” Shane replied as she removed another one and delicately placed the small black thread onto a paper towel that was lying on the coffee table in the den.

  “What if it starts bleeding?”

  “Do you trust me?” Shane asked, stopping her progress to look into the bluish green eyes staring back at her.

  “Yes,” Haley whispered.

  “Then, believe me when I say it will be fine.”

  Haley shrugged and sighed heavily. She continued watching in silence while Shane removed the last couple of stitches and revealed the two healed wounds. The skin was pink and the scar lines were raised, but there was no more bruising in either area.

  Shane wrapped the paper towel up in a ball, then handed the tweezers and scissors to Haley. “Pour a little rubbing alcohol on them for disinfecting,” she said as she pulled her t-shirt back over her head.

  “Breakfast is on the warming burner for whenever you two are finished bickering,” Emma Jean said from the doorway.

  Haley walked over, giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “What would I do without you?”

  “Cook your own meals,” Emma Jean laughed.

  Haley chuckled and shook her head. “She’s too damn good to me,” she muttered when Emma Jean left. “They both are, really. They’re as close to having parents as if mine were still alive.”

  Shane nodded.

  ***

  After breakfast, Haley disappeared into her music room when the band arrived, leaving Shane alone until Dennis came down.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked, walking into the den.

  “I took my stitches out this morning.” She grinned. “All healed up.”

  Dennis smiled and shook his head. “These are the names I was able to get from the antique stores and military surplus shops within thirty miles,” he said, handing her the paper he was holding. “I just got off the phone with the last one.”

  Shane scanned the list of a dozen names. “This isn’t much. You won’t believe how many Vietnam vets and families live in the area. We’ll be here until next year if we have to sift through that list. Let’s cross reference your names with the magazine subscriptions. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

  “Sounds good. I need to check in with the office. I have a voicemail from Anthony,” he said, pulling out his phone. “I’ll catch up to you in a minute.”

  “Anything I can help with?” she asked. Anthony mostly handled cheating spouse cases, which she wasn’t familiar with.

  “He’s working on a new case and needs a little guidance. No big deal.”

  Shane nodded as she went into the den, leaving Dennis to his phone call. She immediately opened her laptop and pulled up the spreadsheets she’d made with the magazine subscriptions and began cross referencing them.

  ***

  “Good morning,” Haley said, running into Dennis in the foyer.

  “Whatever you’re working on sounds good,” he replied.

  “Oh, we’re just messing around with a little jam session, but thank you.” She smiled. “Did you have breakfast?”

  “No, not yet. I was just talking with Shane.”

  “Did she tell you she took her stitches out?”

  “Yeah,” he laughed.

  “I wanted to smack some sense into her. She refused to let me call the doctor.”

  “I can hear you!” Shane yelled from inside the den.

  “Good!” Haley replied. “She’s stubborn as hell.”

  “I believe you carry that title,” Shane said, leaning against the doorway.

  “Speak of a pain in the ass, and one shall appear,” Haley said, rolling her eyes as she walked away, heading to the kitchen to get the charger for her cell phone. On her way back, she contemplated stepping into the den, but thought better of it. She needed to clear her head, and listening to them talk about the letter writer only made her angry.

  The band was playing around, picking the tune to an old Nitty Gritty Dirt Band song, Fishing in the Dark. Haley recognized the melody as soon as she walked in and quickly picked up her acoustic guitar. “Lazy yellow moon coming up tonight, shining through the trees,” she sang with a big smile on her face.

  By the time they got to the end of the song, the band was harmonizing with her smoky drawl leading the charge, and their guitars were humming together like a bunch of hillbilly banjo players out in the woods.

  Everyone smiled and laughed when they finished.

  “Man, I haven’t played an old one like that in forever,” Haley said. “What made you guys start that up?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Nostalgia, I guess,” Joey answered, looking around. “I love this damn room.”

  “We’ve written some damn good songs sitting right here,” she added.

  “Hell yeah we have,” the other guys said in unison.

  “Do you think we’ll finish the tour?” Joey asked, setting his guitar in the stand.

  “It won’t get canceled. The label isn’t going to lose millions of dollars,” she replied.

  “That’s bullshit. What about the attempt on your life? Or the fact that your security guard nearly died saving you?” Stiles growled.

  “Look, I love what we do, but it’s not safe out there for you, Haley,” Vince said.

  “I agree,” Eddie added. “Shane’s good, but…”

  Haley held up her hand. “We’re not going anywhere until this guy is caught. The label agrees with me for a change. I just meant, at some point, we will pick up where we left off. There’s no need to get your Levi’s in a twist, boys.” She grinned. “Now, let’s have some fun. We have nothing better to do than make music!”

  ***

  On the other end of the house, Shane scanned the list of magazine subscriptions, searching for the names of the people Dennis had from the antique shops. “I only see one,” she said, looking at him. “See if you can find a picture of Randall Oliver Thomas of Nashville.”

  He typed the name in the internet search box on his computer and began scrolling through the selections that came up.

  “Looks like he’s a seventy-year-old black man.”

  “Damn.” Shane shook her head. “That’s certainly not the guy who attacked me.” She picked up the paper with the list of names.

  “Are you certain he’s affiliated with a church?” Dennis asked.

  “Yes, well religion in general, n
ot necessarily one church. He got his hands on that magazine somehow.”

  “What about a janitor?”

  “For a church?”

  “Yeah, or religious based hospital maybe.”

  “Could be. I’m going to email this list to Paul Rutledge and see what he can find out. In the meantime, let’s internet search each one and see if anything religious comes up.”

  Dennis nodded. “I’ll take the top half, you take the bottom.”

  ***

  Shane emailed the names, then dialed Paul’s number. He answered on the second ring.

  “You do know that it’s six a.m. here, right?”

  “Yes, and I also know you’re already in the office.”

  Paul chuckled. “Are you looking for a hard search on these guys?”

  “No, that’ll take too long. See what comes up on a soft search. Also, I need a favor, Paul.”

  “Isn’t this a favor?”

  “A bigger one.”

  “Name it.”

  “I need you to leak information to the local news that the authorities have a suspect in my attack.”

  “What? Why would you do that?”

  “I have a feeling he may get spooked. He’s some kind of religious nut. If he believes they know who he is, he could turn himself in.”

  “He could come after her again.”

  “I’m aware of that.”

  “This is a lot bigger than running a restricted search. I’m going to need some collateral.”

  Shane pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. “Fine. I’ll think about your offer.”

  “You’ll do more than that. When this is all over, you’ll get on a plane and meet with me face to face in my office.”

  “Okay,” she said, reluctantly agreeing.

  “You know the brass is going to catch wind at some point. When they find out you’ve been on an unpaid sabbatical for the past year, they’re going to be pissed. The only reason they are not investigating this case is because they think you’re off the books.”

  “I turned my badge into Ingram. He refused to accept it. The extended time off was his idea, not mine.”

  “I know that. I’m merely pointing out, you need be ready to go back to work, or sign your separation papers when you see me.”

  “Understood,” she said before hanging up.

  ***

  The news story broke before lunchtime. It was brief, but filled with enough information to let the suspect know they were on to him. Shane only hoped her plan to spook him actually worked.

  “What is that all about? We need to call the police department and see who they are looking at,” Dennis said.

  “Don’t bother. It’s all fluff.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I had Paul Rutledge leak false information.”

  Dennis furrowed his brow in confusion.

  “Everyone has been calling me a former deputy marshal, but the story broke that I am actually a current deputy marshal, so now it is a federal crime. He’s looking at life in prison versus a simple assault case that comes with a sentence of a few years. I’m hoping this scares him into turning himself in.”

  Dennis nodded.

  Shane’s computer chimed with a new email. She quickly opened the message from Paul, and began looking closely at each of the men, narrowing down the list by removing those who were too old.

  “Do you recognize him in any of them?”

  “I don’t know,” she said, shaking her head. “He was wearing a damn hoodie and never showed his face. For all intents and purposes, it could’ve been you. I can guess height and weight, but it happened so fast, I wouldn’t be certain.”

  “I have three names on my section of the list that are affiliated with local churches,” he said.

  Shane scrolled back through the pictures, looking closely at the three men Dennis named. “It has to be one of these three. This is the best lead we have. The only way to know for sure is to track them down and rule them out one by one.”

  “First of all, you’re not a hundred percent. Second, we’re not cops, and I’m pretty sure your Deputy Marshal status will only get you so far.”

  “I know.” Shane sighed. “See if you can find the number to that junior detective who is handling my case.”

  Chapter 35

  Haley walked with the guys to the front door as they were leaving. The morning jam session had gone better than expected, and they were all itching to get back in the studio to lay down some new tracks. They still had the remainder of the tour to take care of but, after that, they were all looking for a little down time, which included studio work.

  “Hey, I didn’t know they found the guy,” Joey said, looking at the breaking news on his phone from the local station’s social media page.

  “What?” Haley asked, reading the brief report.

  “That’s great. As soon as he’s locked up, we can get back to work,” Vince added.

  “Yeah…” She nodded, smiling and hugging them bye. As soon as they were off the front porch, she stormed into the den. “What the hell is going on? Nashville PD has caught him? Why didn’t we hear about this?” she said angrily.

  “That’s because he hasn’t—”

  The doorbell cut Shane off.

  “One of the guys probably left something,” Haley muttered, turning to go to the door.

  “No…that’s probably the detective.”

  “What the hell is going on, Shane?” she demanded.

  “I need you to trust me. I’ll fill you in as soon as he is gone.”

  “I don’t like being kept in the dark!”

  “I know,” she replied as the doorbell rang again.

  “Someone needs to answer it,” Dennis said.

  “I’ve got it. It’s my house,” Haley snapped, then plastered a smile on her face as she pulled the door open.

  “Ms. Nielsen, it’s nice to see you again,” he stammered.

  “Likewise, Detective…”

  “Hill…Roddy Hill, and this is James Kenny, he’s helping me on the case.”

  “Yes, I remember. Please, come in,” she said, waving her hand for them to step inside. Then, she led them to the formal living room on the back of the house. Dennis and Shane were sitting on the couch.

  “I contacted the news about their report. They won’t give up their source, but they’re saying you’re an active deputy marshal. Is that correct?” Detective Kenny asked sternly.

  Shane nodded. “It’s complicated.”

  “Not really. You either are, or you aren’t.”

  Not wanting to get into a pissing contest, Shane bit back the remark she was about to say and gave him a simple answer. “I still have my badge, but I am currently on unpaid leave.”

  “What a cluster fuck,” he mumbled.

  “That makes this a federal case, and out of our jurisdiction,” Detective Hill said.

  “Not necessarily, and not yet anyway. It’ll take a couple of days for the Marshal Service to catch on and start their own investigation, which is why you have to act now,” Shane replied.

  “We don’t really have a suspect. That report wasn’t true,” Detective Hill stated.

  “I know that. I have three suspects for you, tied up in a neat little bow. All you have to do is go have a chat with each of them,” she said.

  “How do you know they are suspects?” Detective Kenny asked, looking at the three pieces of paper she handed him. Each one had a suspect’s picture, last known address, employer, and date of birth.

  “I’m still a U.S. Marshal. I have connections. Listen,” she sighed. “I’m not trying to step on anyone’s toes. I just want this mess to end. Whoever wrote the letters was using pages from a religious magazine. The knife he used, which I’m sure you know, is a Vietnam Era relic that was given to soldiers in certain regiments. Those three men on that list are affiliated with churches who have subscriptions to that magazine, and have either pur
chased, sold, or tried to sell military antiques locally within the last six months.”

  “You did all of this from right here?” Detective Hill questioned, sounding dumbfounded.

  “I am a federal investigator,” Shane deadpanned.

  “Why are you just now giving us this information?”

  “Like I said, I’m not trying to step on toes. I just think you should pay each of these guys a visit. See where they were that night. I could be completely wrong, but if you do something now, you have a chance to potentially catch this guy, instead of waiting for the feds to do your job for you.”

  “We’ll check them out,” Detective Hill said, looking at his partner.

  “Thank you. That’s all I was asking for,” Shane said, eyeing the other detective.

  Haley walked them to the front door and happily shut it behind them as they left.

  Shane flopped down on the couch in the den. “For fuck’s sake. How hard is it to go talk to three people and ask where they were a week ago?”

  Dennis chuckled. “Apparently, it’s quite a task for Nashville PD.”

  “No kidding,” Haley added. “Now, about the loop you kept me out of…” she said, pinning Shane with a stare.

  “I’m going to go grab some lunch. Anyone want anything?”

  “Nope,” they said in unison.

  “Okay,” Dennis said, dragging out the word as he grabbed the keys to his rental SUV.

  Once he was out of earshot, Haley opened her mouth to speak. Shane quickly cut her off.

  “Look, all of this came to light this morning while you were in there with the band. I wasn’t a hundred percent, and I’m still not, but I called them to go check these guys out because I can’t do it. I was the person attacked, and even if I wasn’t, it’s not a federal case at the moment. I’d have no jurisdiction.”

  “I understand that. What pisses me off is, you could’ve told me. I don’t like having things sprung on me.”

  “Oh, that I know,” Shane said sarcastically.

  “Are we really going to argue over this?” Haley crossed her arms, still standing in front of her.