Hidden in Shadow

by Georgia Florey-Evans

  “Mom, Luke always drives me when we go someplace.” She actually had to point that out? What was her mother up to now?

  “You know, it’s senseless for Luke to bring you all the way back to town.” Susan was trying to look innocent but wasn’t quite pulling it off. “Why don’t you plan on staying at the farm, and your dad will drive you home first thing Monday morning? Your room is still ready.”

  Oh. If Susan Morris couldn’t marry her daughter off, she’d keep her at home. Holly’s dad had finally put his foot down and told his wife their daughter was an adult. He even co-signed the loan for her house.

  “I don’t mind bringing Holly back to town.” Luke seemed to sense her discontent. “If I ask nicely enough, I may even get her to go for ice cream with me after we’re back.”

  Of course, that more than appeased Susan. In her eyes, they would be extending their “date."

  “Susie-Q, we need to go if we’re going to speak to the Lincolns. You said you needed to ask Teresa about a recipe, and I wanted to run some ideas about pasturing the dairy cows past Max.” Tony caught his daughter’s eye and winked. Why couldn’t her mom be more supportive, like her dad?

  “We’ll see you next week then.” Susan turned and walked beside her husband to where Tessa’s parents stood.

  “I brought work duds for this afternoon.” Luke indicated the dress shirt and slacks he was wearing. “It’ll only take me a few minutes to change. Maybe you can catch Tessa while I’m gone.”

  She had just turned to find her friend when Mitch Landon’s twin sister, Melissa, appeared in front of her.

  “Did you get your invitation?” Missy practically bubbled over with enthusiasm.

  It seemed Tessa had a kindred spirit. “If you mean for our class reunion, then, yes, it came yesterday.”

  “Isn’t it exciting?” Melissa pushed her long, auburn hair back off her shoulders. “I haven’t seen most of our classmates since graduation. Aren’t you curious how they turned out?” A mischievous grin appeared. “I think it would be funny if Miss Perfect Lucy Phillips has to wear spandex to zip her jeans.”

  “Melissa.” Holly had to fight the smile she felt rising as she pictured the most attractive female student in their class wearing a support garment. “We’re supposed to see others through God’s Eyes. Weren’t you listening to Pastor Rollins?”

  “Sure.” Missy’s smile didn’t diminish. “Who says I can’t still see her in a girdle?”

  “You’re hopeless. You know that, don’t you?” She liked Missy. Although not close in school, since college they had developed a strong friendship. Maybe it was because they both chose to stay in Shadow. Guidance counselors and accountants were employable just about anywhere, but Shadow was home.

  “Thank heavens, Joe doesn’t think so.” Melissa had been dating Joe Willis for nearly two years. “I think he’s about ready to pop the question. Mitch saw him at the jewelry store in Pattinton last week. I can’t imagine any other reason for Joe to be at a jewelry store, can you?”

  Actually, she could imagine many other reasons for Joe to be at a jewelry store. His watch may need repairs; he could be picking something up for his parents. It was hard telling. She found herself unsure what to say, though. Holly didn’t want to hurt her friend, but she had no desire to help set her up for a tremendous disappointment. “What makes you think he’d be getting ready to propose now? It’s not Valentine’s Day or anything.”

  “Next Saturday is our anniversary. We’ll have been dating for exactly two years. I think it’s the perfect time for a proposal, don’t you?”

  “It would be romantic.” Joe had better have something planned for next Saturday, or he was going to have a very upset girlfriend on his hands. “Are you helping at the nature preserve this afternoon?”

  Missy wrinkled her nose. “No way. I’m not going to hang around and bait hooks or walk on trails. Worms are disgusting, and I get poison ivy if I so much as look at it.”

  If that were the case, marrying a man who would soon be the sole owner of a nature preserve might result in some interesting situations. “I’m helping Luke. I guess it’ll just be the three of us.” She had hoped Melissa would be there. Holly was comfortable enough with Luke and Joe, but the presence of another female would be nice.

  “So, when is Luke going to pop the question?” Missy’s eyes sparkled. “You two have been an item for what? Six years?”

  What was going on? “Luke and I are just good friends. You know that.”

  “Sorry, but I don’t buy it.”

  Something occurred to Holly. “Have you been talking to my mom?”

  “Nope.” Missy focused her gaze on something behind Holly. “I just don’t think you two would be together so much if you weren’t in love. That’s all.”

  “Well, you’re wrong.” She would just put a stop to this before it got started. “Luke and I are only friends. Friends. You can ask him. He’ll tell you.”

  “He’ll tell her what?” Luke’s voice came from behind Holly, startling her.

  Now, with Luke right there, even the mention of them being more than friends was embarrassing. “Nothing. Are you ready? I still need to stop at home and change clothes.”

  For just a moment, it looked like he was going to press on, but he didn’t. “Okay. Let’s get this show on the road.”

  “Yes. Let’s do.” Holly ignored Missy’s smug smile and set off beside Luke as they headed for his vehicle. Her friend’s vehicle.

  Chapter 4

  Luke yawned as he pulled his Jeep into the garage. The day had gone better than he expected. Of course, just as he predicted, the boys had their eyes glued on Amy Brock when they should have been watching their fishing lines. Even the modest clothes Holly brought for the girl to change into failed to make a difference. He honestly thought they were going to run out of bait way too soon since the boys kept letting their hooks get cleaned off.

  And, if he didn’t know Joe Willis was seriously involved with Missy Landon, he might have been jealous. When Ronnie Chambers pulled his pole back to cast, the hook caught Joe’s cap and flung it into the pond. Instead of being upset or scolding Ronnie for being careless, Joe stomped to the edge of the dock and yelled at the worm. “Your head is not big enough for my hat! Give it back, you little wiggler!” Everybody was in stitches, but Luke only had eyes for Holly. Laughter and a smile increased her beauty.

  He stood back as he opened the door so Clarence could come out for his nightly romp. As Luke turned to watch his dog, a movement off to his right and down by the machine shed caught his eye. He let the door close and headed that direction.

  “Somebody out here?” He wasn’t certain, but his impression was of something too tall for an animal. “Who’s there?”

  Luke stopped in front of the machine shed. Something didn’t seem right. He moved closer. That was it. The door, which he kept locked more for safety than security, stood ajar by a couple of inches. “Who’s there?” he repeated, pulling the door the rest of the way open.

  Clarence appeared, a barking mass of fur, just as something, somebody, rammed into Luke. Because he wasn’t prepared, he lost his footing and went down hard. Luke tried to grab the other guy’s leg, but his hand hit empty air. Before he could get back on his feet, the figure disappeared into the northern tree line, Clarence yipping in hot pursuit.

  Luke’s first instinct was to chase his attacker down, but common sense told him it would be a waste of time. Whoever it was ran too fast; he was long gone. And he may not have been alone. Luke was around six-two and well-muscled from hard physical labor, but he wasn’t strong enough to take on a group of men. Or weapons.

  “Let’s see what he was up to.” Clarence reappeared, breathing hard. Even in the aftermath, Luke couldn’t help but be surprised by his dog’s courage. He slowly pulled the door open and reached in to hit the light switch.

  “Oh, no.” Somebody had been in there all right. And they used way more than the two cans of spray paint Luke saw lying on the gr
ound. Obscene language was painted on nearly every surface of the building, and his equipment. Even the glass on the cab of his tractor had writing on it. Who would do something like this?

  He pulled the phone out of his pocket and dialed. His buddy Mitch Landon picked up on the second ring.

  “Sheriff Landon here.”

  “Mitch, this is Luke. I had a break-in and some vandalism out here in my machine shed this evening.

  “You okay, Luke?”

  “Yeah. I don’t think anything is missing or damaged, but I figure I’ll need a police report for insurance. Somebody emptied more than one can of spray paint in here.”

  “Did you see anything suspicious?” Luke could tell Mitch was already in motion as he spoke.

  “You could say that.” Clarence’s front feet landed on Luke’s chest, and a rough tongue slathered across his nose. “Knock it off, Clarence.” Luke shoved the dog’s face away.

  “Beg your pardon?”

  “Nothing.” Clarence’s close-up panting told Luke it was time for a doggy breath treat. “I got bum rushed when I opened the door.”

  “You're sure you weren’t injured?”

  “I’ll have some bruises, but nothing to worry about. Mitch, he mowed me over. I don’t think many men in Shadow could do that.” In fact, he was speaking to one of the few who could.

  “Well, sit tight. Try not to touch anything. I’d like to see it just like the vandal left it.”

  “Okay.” Thankfully, Clarence had finished “kissing” Luke, and was back on all fours. He could hear his mom now.

  “I’ll be there in about ten minutes.” Mitch disconnected the call.

  Luke turned and walked out of the machine shed, Clarence on his heels. He didn’t want to do anything to mess up Mitch’s investigation. He just couldn’t figure out why anybody would do this to him. As far as he knew, he didn’t have any enemies. He didn’t even know of anybody angry with him.

  The dog nuzzled Luke’s leg. “I know, Clarence. You tried to get him, didn’t you?”

  He looked around the yard, lit by security lights. Nothing else seemed out of place. How had his attacker got out here? Luke’s lane was over a quarter of a mile long; he would’ve noticed if a vehicle was parked on it. And it was a good two-mile trek through the woods to reach a road. The intruder must either know the area very well or be extremely desperate.

  “Come on, boy. Let’s go check the barn before Mitch gets here.” He was fairly certain nobody had been in the house. The door was securely locked when he opened it to let Clarence out. Still, he’d check it too, after the barn.

  He was just on his way back to the machine shed after discovering both his house and barn undisturbed when Mitch’s squad car pulled up. The big, ex-football linebacker got out and reached back in for a flashlight.

  “You sure you’re not hurt, Luke? You’re limping.” Mitch looked questioningly at him.

  Luke hadn’t realized he was favoring his left hip. Still, he had suffered broken bones and torn ligaments before; this was different. “I may have a bruise or two, but I’m all right.”

  Mitch appeared ready to argue, but then just shook his head. “Stand still for a few minutes, please.” Luke’s friend was replaced by the sheriff, now headed to the machine shed. “I want to have a look at the ground around the building. Which side did he take off on?”

  “He ran to my right and disappeared into the tree line just north of the shed.”

  “And there was only one person involved?”

  Luke had wondered about that as he checked his other buildings. “I only saw one, and I think if somebody else was here, there would be more damage.”

  Mitch hunkered down, flashlight pointed at the ground beside the machine shed. “What shoes do you have on?”

  He felt silly, but he had to look. With all that was going on, he couldn’t remember what he wore. “Hiking boots. I was with the youth group at Willis’ Preserve all afternoon.”

  “This guy was wearing tennis shoes.” Mitch stood back up. “I’d guess a size twelve or bigger. Not many men around here with feet that size.”

  Luke started to walk toward him. “Is it okay for me to come over there now?”

  In the glow of the security light, what little of Mitch’s hair not covered by his hat looked even redder than Luke knew it to be. “Come on, and we’ll check out the inside. You say it’s been spray painted?”

  “With foul language.” Luke stood beside him at the door. “I didn’t stay inside and do any serious reading after I called. I didn’t want to mess anything up.”

  Mitch stepped through the door and let out a low whistle. “Somebody needs their mouth washed out with soap. That’s what my grandma would say.”

  Luke grimaced as he looked around. There was even more than he first thought. “I just don’t know who would do this, Mitch. I can’t think of anybody who’s angry with me, let alone set up to do something this malicious.”

  Mitch’s flashlight shone in the corners where the overhead lights didn’t quite reach. There was even painting back there. Suddenly, the beam of his flashlight froze—aimed at the glass-encased cab of the tractor.

  “Mean anything to you, Luke?”

  Luke focused on the sloppily painted words. She’s mine. He shook his head. “No idea.”

  “Let’s go inside, and I’ll write a report. At least, your insurance should pay for the clean-up.” Mitch turned and headed out the door.

  “I hope this was a one-time thing. Maybe the guy didn’t even know whose place this is.” Surely, that was the case.

  “Could very well be true.”

  As he led the way into his house, Luke silently said a prayer of thanks that nobody—not even Clarence—was hurt. What a bizarre ending to an otherwise pleasant day.

  Chapter 5

  Holly arrived at school to find Amy Brock sitting on the bench outside her office, tears streaming down the girl’s lovely face. As usual, the young lady wore too short of a skirt and a very tight blouse. Holly quickly unlocked her door and ushered the teenager into the room.

  “Miss Morris, why’d you make me change my clothes yesterday?” were the first words out of the girl’s mouth.

  “I told you, Amy.” It seemed like the prudent way to handle the situation. “Dresses are impractical for fishing, and if you had left those shoes on, you might have fallen off the dock. My clothes weren’t that bad, were they?” A pair of jeans and plain pink T-shirt may not be the height of fashion, but they weren’t sackcloth. Besides the truth of Holly’s words, Luke had a valid point about the boys’ reaction to Amy’s clothing. It was a church-sponsored event, after all.

  “But now the boys are saying I’m a…not a nice girl.” Amy took a tissue from the box Holly held out. “They never said anything about me before, but since they saw me in your clothes, they say I dress like a ... I can’t even say the word, Miss Morris.” More tears fell.

  Holly sat on a chair beside her and spoke quietly. “Amy, do you like the way you dress?”

  The girl didn’t hesitate. She vehemently shook her head side to side. “My mom wants me to look like her, but I don’t want to. I want to look like other girls my age.”

  “Have you ever told your mom that?” May as well charge through the drones, straight to the queen bee of the problem.

  Amy looked at her through tears. “I can’t. She works hard to buy my clothes. I can’t tell her I don’t like them.”

  Please, give me the right words. “I know your mom doesn’t have anybody to help take care of you and your little brother. She’s working hard to do it alone, and she must love you very much. Right?”

  “She loves me and Ryan more than anything.”

  “Well, then, don’t you think she wants you to be happy?” Holly sent another prayer out; dealing with parental issues was tricky.

  Amy nodded.

  “Maybe you need to tell her your clothes are making you unhappy. I believe if you tell her you’d rather dress like the other girls your age,
she’ll listen. And do you know what?” The young lady looked expectantly at Holly. “I’m pretty sure the clothes you’d like to wear cost less than the ones she’s been buying you. Maybe she’s been buying them because she thinks they’re what you want. If you’re not honest with her, she’ll never know the truth.” It didn’t take a fashion maven to know the outfit Amy wore at that moment probably cost more than a week’s worth of clothes from Holly’s wardrobe.

  Hope appeared in Amy’s eyes. “Do you think so? If she knew, she’d understand?”

  “I do. I think your mom would want to know if something was making you unhappy. And the only way that can happen is if you tell her. Okay?”

  A smile finally broke through on the teenager’s face. “Okay. I’m going to talk to her as soon as she gets home from work this evening.”

  Holly patted Amy’s hand before she stood and walked around her desk. “I’ll write your pass with an extra five minutes thrown in. You can use the time to wash your face and dry those tears. I’ll have a talk with the boys, too, so they’ll leave you alone.” She retrieved her pen and wrote Amy’s pass before putting the pen to a separate sheet of paper. “Can I assume the same boys at the nature preserve yesterday are the ones giving you trouble today?”

  “Especially Ronnie. He’s the one who called me that awful name.”

  Well, a church-sponsored outing didn’t seem to have affected that young man’s behavior. “I’ll take care of it. Head on back to class now. Stop in tomorrow, and let me know how it goes with your mom.”

  “Thank you, Miss Morris.” Amy smiled gratefully as she turned, backpack over her shoulder, and walked out the door.

  Holly’s second round of excitement began twenty minutes later when she called the four boys from the youth outing into her office. At first, they all denied saying anything. Only after she picked up the phone to invite Luke to come join them, did they confess.

  Not unexpectedly, Ronnie was the most belligerent. “But Miss Morris, she doesn’t dress like a regular girl. She dresses like a—”