by Laura Scott
Everlasting life. The words were familiar from church services he’d attended long ago. “I used to believe in heaven,” he said. “But it’s hard when you look into the face of death over and over again. I just can’t help feeling angry at God, rather than looking to Him for support.”
“It’s never too late, Max,” she said, her tone earnest. “God is always there for you. All you have to do is open your heart and your mind. Listen and pray.”
He couldn’t help responding to her. “You make it sound so easy.”
“Because it is.” She tilted her head toward him. “You don’t have to carry your burdens all alone, Max.”
Maybe she was right. Maybe it was time to stop blaming God and look to Him for strength, instead. That’s what Tara had obviously done. To have buried a husband so young, she must have gotten her strength and courage from somewhere. Why not from God?
God might not answer his prayer, but it wouldn’t be for his lack of trying. Closing his eyes, Max reached out with his heart and his mind.
“Please, God, take care of Lissa. Help heal her injuries and give her a second chance to do better. Thank You. Amen.”
“Amen,” Tara echoed, and to his embarrassment, he’d realized he’d spoken the prayer out loud.
Tara smiled at him, her gaze so full of hope and admiration that he couldn’t find any room for regrets. Instead, he basked in her glowing attention, realizing in that moment that what he felt for Tara was much different than what he’d felt for Clare.
He shied away from the notion. He was physically tired and emotionally drained. Maybe he shared a special bond with Tara, but that was only because they’d spent the better part of the day together, partners in their search for Gary.
“Maybe you should head back to the hotel,” he said, giving her the opportunity to leave, since her face was deeply lined with exhaustion. “It’s late, but I’m going to stick around for a while yet, until Lissa comes out of surgery.”
“Then I’m staying here with you,” Tara said firmly, covering a yawn. “Let’s just call up to the ICU to let them know where we are.”
“Good idea.” He didn’t deserve Tara’s friendship. But he wasn’t strong enough to send her away, either. “Okay. We’ll wait together.”
She made the phone call and then came back to sit beside him. She took his hand in hers, clasping it tightly, and rested her head against his shoulder, as if content to stay there with him forever.
Suddenly, being in the hospital chapel didn’t seem so bad.
It was close to midnight before they heard news about Melissa. Tara had fallen asleep leaning against Max, but he gently shook her awake when Dr. Kappel came looking for them.
Groggy, she rubbed the gritty sleep from her eyes. The neurosurgeon looked exhausted but satisfied. “Melissa came through the surgery just fine, and so far her intracranial pressure numbers have dropped considerably. It’s too early to say for sure, but at this point, we’re hopeful the surgery has been a success.”
“Thank You, Lord,” she whispered. Glancing up at Max, she could see the relief in his eyes, as well.
“Yes,” he murmured, as if agreeing with her prayer of thanks. He reached a hand out to the surgeon. “Thanks, Dr. Kappel.”
“You’re welcome.” He gestured to the doorway. “You can go up to see your sister if you like. The nurses are just getting her settled.”
Max hesitated glancing down at her. “Let’s go see Lissa, just for a few minutes.”
“All right.” He swept one last glance around the chapel before heading for the door.
They didn’t speak on the way up to see Melissa. There really wasn’t any need for words. It was strange how peaceful she felt being with Max. And she was thrilled to know Max hadn’t completely turned his back on God.
This was her mission, she knew it deep in her heart. God wanted her to lead Max back into the church. A mission she gladly accepted.
When they reached Melissa’s room, Max frowned. “She doesn’t look any better,” he said.
“I know. But look at her heart monitor.” Tara indicated the numbers running down the right side of the monitor. She’d spent some time in the hospital, enough to learn just a few of the basics. “See the number fourteen here?” She pointed to the bottom number. “Before surgery it was reading close to thirty. Now it’s less than half that high. She is better, even though you can’t see any physical changes.”
“I guess you’re right,” Max said with a weary sigh. “I can’t expect miracles overnight, I guess.”
“No. You just need to have faith.” She didn’t want to preach anymore at him tonight. He’d already come a long way.
“Just give me a minute, and then we’ll go back to the hotel,” he said, stepping closer to his sister’s bedside.
She stepped back toward the door. “Take all the time you need,” she assured him.
It was too late to do any searching for Under the Beam. Max walked her to her hotel-room door. He pinned her with an intense look. For a moment she wondered if he might kiss her, but he didn’t make a move. “Good night, Tara.”
“Good night, Max.” Swallowing a tiny spurt of disappointment, she opened the door and sent him one last smile before closing it behind her.
After getting ready to go to sleep, she climbed into bed and prepared to pray. “Dear Lord, thank You for showing me the way to help Max believe. Thanks also for keeping Melissa safe in Your care. Amen.”
Now that she knew Max was at the core of her mission, she didn’t mind when his face lingered in her head as she drifted off to sleep.
Her lack of sleep the night before must have caught up with her, because she overslept. When Max tapped at their connecting door, she blinked, realizing the time was already close to nine-thirty in the morning.
She scrambled out of bed, yelping when she stubbed her toe on the desk in her rush to get ready. It was Sunday, and she wanted to go to church. Since she wasn’t familiar with the area, she’d thought it would be nice to attend the eleven o’clock service in the hospital chapel.
“I just woke up,” she called through the door. “I need to take a shower. I’ll call you when I’m finished.”
“Okay,” Max replied. “I’ll be here when you’re ready.”
He sounded like he was in good spirits. Had he called the hospital already? Maybe Melissa was doing better this morning. She was feeling pretty cheerful herself. Today was the day Beau would be released from the veterinary hospital. She was so glad he was doing all right. She needed to talk to Max about whether or not the hotel would allow pets; if not, she could always take him to Mrs. Henderson’s house, although she’d rather keep Beau with her.
She and Beau had been through a lot together. Especially after Ted died.
She finished her shower in record time. She quickly blow-dried her hair and then spent a few extra minutes to weave the strands of it into a neat and tidy French braid.
When she was finished, she picked up her purse and her key. “Max?” she called through the connecting door. “I’m ready. Meet me in the hallway, all right?”
“Sure thing.”
She hoped none of the other hotel patrons could hear their conversation through the connecting door. Max met her in the hallway, and they walked down to the lobby together.
“Do you think we should ask the manager if they allow pets?” she asked in a whisper.
“We can ask,” Max agreed. “But don’t get your hopes up. Don’t worry. If they won’t allow pets, we’ll look for another place to stay.”
How sweet. But she was also a little worried about being gone all day, the way they were yesterday, and leaving her dog alone. “That’s all right. I think I can get Mrs. Henderson to watch him.”
“We’ll talk it over at breakfast,” Max said. “I called the hospital first thing this morning, and apparently Lissa is doing pretty well. Her intracranial pressure numbers stayed down all night.”
“Oh, Max, that’s wonderful news.” Between Meliss
a and Beau, this day couldn’t get much better. She smiled at him. “I think maybe our prayers have been answered.”
Max didn’t tense up or look away. This time, he looked straight into her eyes and smiled back at her. “You could be right.”
“I hope you don’t mind if we go to the eleven o’clock service in the chapel,” she added. “I thought staying there would be more convenient, since we’ll be at the hospital anyway.”
After a slight hesitation, he nodded. “Sure. If that’s what you want.”
She didn’t let his lack of enthusiasm bother her. She was so happy she wanted to skip all the way to the hospital. But she kept her emotions in check. After all, they still had a lot of work to do in order to find Gary.
“Have you gotten in touch with your commanding officer yet?” she asked, as they waited for the elevator. “To see if Garth Williams is still in Leavenworth?”
“Not yet, although I left him a message early this morning,” Max informed her. “I sure hope he calls me back soon.”
“He will,” she said confidently. “I have a good feeling that we’re on the right track.”
“Oh you do, huh?” Max said with a teasing smile. “Obviously, getting a night of decent sleep seems to have done wonders for you.”
She wanted to tell him that her cheerful mood had more to do with him agreeing to attend church with her, but they’d already arrived at Melissa’s room.
There was a new nurse at Melissa’s bedside, who introduced herself as Emma. She told them Melissa was doing well, her intracranial pressures were staying well below twenty, which is what they wanted to hear.
“How long before you ease up on the medication?” Max asked.
“Generally, we wait a few days, just to make sure she’s past the peak of her brain swelling. If she’s doing this well by Tuesday, I’m sure the doctor will start weaning her medications.”
Max spent a few minutes by his sister’s bedside. When it was time for the church service, he went with her, like he promised.
The service was shorter than a normal church service, but just being in the calm atmosphere of the chapel helped fill her with God’s peace. And she was happy that Max stood solemnly beside her the whole time even if he didn’t voice any prayers.
When the service was over, they walked back across the street to the hotel to pick up Max’s rental car.
“How about we stop for a meal first?” Max asked. “All we had were a few muffins from the hotel, and it’s almost lunchtime.”
“Couldn’t we pick up something after we pick up Beau?” she asked plaintively. “I miss him.”
“All right,” he agreed with a resigned sigh. “After we pick up Beau.”
She couldn’t wait to see her dog. The ride to the veterinary hospital didn’t take too long. It wasn’t that far from her house, and when she went inside, the kind vet welcomed her.
Since she didn’t have any cash, she put the vet’s bill on her credit card, breathing a sigh of relief when that wasn’t rejected. She must not have reached her limit yet.
“Beau!” Her little dog barked excitedly when he saw her, and she gave him a big hug, laughing as he licked her face. “Thanks again,” she said to the vet.
“You’re welcome. He might be a little sluggish yet, but I’m sure he’ll be back to his normal playful self soon.”
Beau didn’t move as fast as he normally did. Of course, he had to stop and sniff at Max’s shoes first, wagging his tail in welcome.
Beau trotted by her side all the way out the door. And then something must have set him off, because suddenly he barked ferociously, leaping forward and straining at the end of the leash, knocking her off balance to the point she almost tripped and fell.
“Beau! What’s wrong with you?” she asked with exasperation, bending over to get a better grip on the dog. So much for being sluggish.
“Get down!” Max roared, tackling her with a low hit, sending them both crashing to the ground with enough force to knock the breath from her body.
TEN
Someone was shooting at Tara!
Heart lodged in his throat, Max struggled to remain calm. This wasn’t a flashback. This was real.
“Max? What’s going on?” Tara asked in a muffled voice. “Get off me.”
“Stay down.” Using his cell phone he dialed 911. “Gunshots fired at the corner of Pine and Reese outside the emergency veterinary hospital.”
“Is anyone hurt?” the dispatcher asked.
“Not yet. But hurry.”
Beau was growling, but thankfully Tara had maintained a tight hold on his leash. They needed to move. Even down on the ground like this, they were too exposed.
“Max.” Tara squirmed beneath him. “I can’t breathe.”
“Sorry.” He levered upright but kept his head down. He lifted Tara off the ground and half dragged her around the corner of the building, Beau trailing on his leash behind them. He plastered her against the wall, staying in front of her, hiding her slender frame behind his larger one.
He wasn’t leaving her unprotected for anything.
“Did you say shots fired?” Tara asked in a trembling voice, pulling Beau so he was close to their feet. “I thought that noise was a car backfiring.”
“Beau saved your life, barking like that. The shot missed by scant inches when you ducked, although there’s a nice round bullet hole in the brick building,” he said. “I’m betting from an AK-47 rifle.”
“A rifle?” her voice rose to a squeak. A shiver rippled over her skin. He longed to reassure her, but he couldn’t.
They weren’t out of danger yet.
Max tensed, scanning the area, wishing he had a weapon. The shot had come from across the street, but the shooter could right now be making his way around the building to take another shot at them. Any minute, he expected a bullet to slam into him.
He strained to listen, trying to hear the man’s movements, but the area around the veterinary hospital was eerily silent.
“What’s taking the police so long to respond?” Tara whispered.
Finally the wail of police sirens filled the air. He didn’t let down his guard, though, until the area was blocked off by two police cars and an ambulance.
“Are you both all right?” the first cop on the scene asked.
“I think so.” Max turned to look down at Tara. Her wide, frightened eyes and pale, pinched skin only fueled his anger.
That had been too close.
“Are you sure you heard a shot?” a second officer asked.
Wordlessly, he brushed past the police to round the corner of the building, finding the spot where Tara had been standing. He slid his hand over the smooth surface of the brick until he found the gouge.
“Here’s where the slug is imbedded,” he informed the cops.
They couldn’t deny the evidence. One cop went to work with a knife to dig out the bullet, and the other took him aside to ask a barrage of questions. He was separated from Tara, no doubt to see if their stories matched.
When he was finished, the cop walked over to Tara, to take her statement. Moments later, more cops showed up, fanning out to investigate the area.
Feeling helpless, he made a few phone calls while he waited to hear what they uncovered.
“Did you find anything?” the first officer asked.
“Nope. There’s a spot across the street beneath a big oak tree where the leaves look to be matted down. The shooter might have stood there,” the second officer answered.
Max glanced over to the spot he’d indicated, judging the distance to be possible. Realizing how close the guy had been made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.
“Canvass the area. Someone must have saw or heard something.” The cop turned to Max. “Why is someone shooting at you?”
“Actually I’m pretty sure he was shooting at me,” Tara said softly, stepping forward and hanging on to Beau’s leash with a deathlike grip. Surprisingly the dog wasn’t barking at the police, not the way h
e’d gone crazy when they’d walked out of the building.
Max filled them in on the details of Tara’s stalker, suggesting they get in touch with Detective Graham as soon as possible.
“Can’t you two stay out of trouble for one day?” Graham asked a short while later when he arrived at the crime scene. Max figured he was a little cranky at having been called into work on a Sunday.
“Oh sure. We planned this just to ruin your day,” Max said dryly. “After all, we just love getting shot at.”
Graham ignored his sarcasm and scanned the area. “Why here? And why is he suddenly using a gun?”
Good questions. Max had wondered the same thing himself. He shook his head. “I don’t know. It’s bothering me that he only took one shot, even though he had time to take another. We were exposed for a good thirty seconds.”
“Detective Graham is right. Why here? How could he have known Beau was here?” Tara asked.
“Maybe he followed us that first night,” Max mused. “Or he simply watched us drive away with Beau, figuring we’d go to the closest vet.” The thought that Tara’s stalker was watching them that closely made his gut churn. He’d nearly failed to protect Tara.
Graham scrubbed his jaw, his expression perplexed. “He escalated from slashing tires to planting a bomb, and now he’s taking potshots from a distance? I don’t get it. This guy’s actions aren’t making a whole lot of sense.”
No, they weren’t. And Max didn’t like it—not one bit. “I need to get Tara someplace safe,” he said finally. “Is there anything else you need from us?”
“No, we’ll take it from here,” Graham assured him. “But you need to know that we haven’t found Steve Jasper yet. Tara was right. He’d done jail time and was released on parole just four weeks ago. He’s supposed to meet with his parole officer on Monday morning. We’re planning to be there to greet him.”
“Good.” Monday wasn’t soon enough, but at least the cops had a plan. With any luck, Jasper would be in police custody soon.