Standing Guard

by Valerie Hansen

  Thad wondered if those investigators would be interested in learning about Reed’s visit and the suggestions he’d made to Lindy.

  Unless they’re the ones who sent him, Thad reasoned, growing even more suspicious. If Reed was working with the others, it was possible that he’d been asked to try to get Lindy to reveal secrets that Ben had taken with him to the grave. That was actually a more plausible conclusion than the idea that the man was acting on his own.

  Then again, if Reed was being less than honest with Lindy, there was a chance he was after ill-gotten gains, himself. Since he had been Ben’s superior, it was possible he’d been aware of far more than he’d admitted.

  Watching Lindy place the hot bread in a basket and cover it with a linen cloth, Thad had to stop himself from taking her arm, from forcing her to look him in the eye so he could better judge her true feelings.

  If he restrained her, even slightly, would she react positively or recoil the way she had when he’d awakened from his nightmare flashback?

  He wasn’t going to find out because he wasn’t going to touch her. Period. There would be plenty of time for private conversations when they were at work. In the meantime, he planned to keep his distance and silently observe—unless this guy in the expensive suit and silk tie stepped out of line.

  Thad almost smiled at the thought of literally defending Lindy against someone he clearly saw as a villain.

  She’d never buy that conclusion, of course. He knew she wouldn’t. But that didn’t keep him from wishing he could bodily toss the slick interloper out the door. And out of her life.

  * * *

  As the afternoon wore on into evening and neither of her guests gave any indication of being the first to leave, Lindy wondered what she was going to do.

  Danny had fallen asleep on the couch. When Thad offered to carry him upstairs and put him to bed, she hoped that would break the stalemate.

  Alone with James Reed, she was surprised when he crossed to her and clasped her hand, cradling it in both of his.

  “You need to give my suggestion some serious thought, Lindy,” he said quietly.

  She noticed that although he was speaking to her, his attention kept diverting toward the stairway leading to the second floor. It didn’t take a trained psychologist to see that he was watching for Thad’s return.

  “I know you’re just trying to help me,” she replied. “But I’m afraid it’s hopeless. If Ben did have hidden accounts, I have no idea where to look for them. Surely, you must be in a better position to do that than I am.”

  “Not really.” Reed shook his head and set his jaw. “We did find a few indications of other activity on Ben’s office computer but nothing definitive.”

  “Then maybe there was nothing to find.”

  “Possibly not. He did do a lot of work from home, though.”

  “The authorities confiscated the personal computer that was in his office upstairs. If there was anything odd on it, I’m sure their techs would have discovered it by now.”

  “I suppose so. Still...”

  “All right. I promise I’ll try to recall anything Ben may have mentioned and let you know if I do.”

  “It’s not for me, it’s for you,” he insisted. “There will be a generous reward if we’re able to turn more laundered funds over to the powers that be. And your country will be grateful.”

  Patriotism, too? She almost laughed. The man was pulling out all the stops.

  Footsteps thudded on the stairs behind her. Lindy pulled free of Reed’s grasp, slightly embarrassed to have allowed him to hold her hand that way.

  Although she would have liked Thad to stay a little longer she figured the only way she was going to get any peace that evening was to suggest that both men leave.

  “James was just saying good-night,” Lindy announced brightly. A theatrical yawn punctuated her statement. “I’m sorry to see you gentlemen go, but I’m really exhausted. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “I’ll have to move my truck so he can get out anyway,” Thad said. “I blocked him in when I got here.”

  She hoped she looked suitably contrite as she caught his eye and mouthed Sorry.

  That would have been fine if James Reed had not taken her hand again and pulled her close enough to place a brief kiss on her cheek as he bid her goodbye.

  The expression on Thad’s handsome face was hard to read. It initially seemed to reflect anger, jealousy. Then sadness took over and he turned away.

  That final mood was the one that touched Lindy’s heart and made her want to reach out to him. To wrap her arms around him the way she had when they’d had their emotionally charged encounter in the yard. To lay her cheek on his chest where she could hear the hammering of his heart melding with her own.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she called after him.

  The door slammed.

  James Reed also took his leave after loitering another few minutes and babbling about how he had her best interests at heart.

  Finally, Lindy was alone. Twisting the dead bolt, she leaned her forehead against the door and closed her eyes.

  “Lord, what’s going on?” she prayed in a soft whisper. “Tell me? Please? I’m so confused.”

  A few elements of her conundrum were clear. One man had been generous in the past but he now wanted something she could not provide.

  The other man, Thad Pearson, wanted to give, not take. He had been nothing but helpful and supportive. Yet the single thing she was beginning to want from him, he had insisted was beyond reach. She wanted his heart.

  * * *

  Pausing beside Reed’s luxury sedan, Thad waited, almost wishing he’d have to go back inside and literally throw the guy out.

  Oh, that would please Lindy, he grumbled to himself. She’d clearly been taken in by the man’s polished exterior even if Danny hadn’t.

  As Reed made his way off the porch, Thad observed him closely. Some of the swagger was gone from his step and he looked as if his shoulders were sagging slightly. That was as much of a surprise as finding him there in the first place had been.

  “You ready to go?” Thad called.

  “As soon as you move your truck.”

  The way the man’s graying eyebrow arched when he spoke gave Thad the notion that his old pickup had not made a favorable impression.

  “We need to talk, first.”

  “Oh? I don’t see why.”

  Thad was not deterred. “Who sent you?”

  “I have no idea what you mean.” Although he tried to edge close enough to open his car door, Thad remained in his way. “Excuse me?”

  “Not until you level with me. It was those guys from the DEA or wherever, wasn’t it?”

  Reed scowled. “Who?”

  “The spooks. They caught me this morning on my way to church and they were asking the same kinds of questions you kept asking Lindy.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Please move your vehicle. I have a long drive ahead of me.”

  Thad did step back but he remained unconvinced. “Okay. Suit yourself. But I’m telling you the same thing I told them. There is no way that woman is guilty of anything even a little bit shady. If you knew her the way I do, you’d see that.”

  The narrowing of the man’s brows gave his eyes a menacing look. “You don’t say.”

  “I do say.”

  “I’d be careful if I were you, Pearson. When and if Ms. Southerland’s actions in this regard
are exposed, you may find yourself on the wrong side of the law, too.”

  Astounded, Thad watched Reed climb behind the wheel and start his car. Ever since they had met that afternoon, Thad had been assuming the man was merely a shyster. Now, however, it looked as if he was working with whoever had set up the sting against Lindy.

  That made sense. By cutting off the checks she’d been living on, they had hoped to force her to access Ben’s phantom accounts. Reed was a part of that plan. Therefore, his visit today probably was, too.

  Would it help to warn her? Thad wondered.

  He didn’t know how to do that without making things worse. If he told her of his suspicions against James Reed, he’d have to also explain who he believed the man was working with.

  His one call to the number on the plain business card the supposed government agents had handed him had proved useless. The unlisted number was answered by a machine that gave no indication which agency was involved or who the men’s superiors might be. For all Thad knew, those two guys might be acting on their own, or at least be part of a rogue outfit that officially answered to no one.

  He had seen enough covert action himself to know how easily that kind of mission could be arranged. Often, the actual faces of the agency were so irrelevant that anyone could take their place. If that was the case this time, it didn’t matter who had delivered the threats about Lindy’s involvement. What was important was who had decided she held crucial secrets.

  Backing into the street and letting his motor idle, Thad prepared to trail Reed all the way out of town before going home, himself. At this point he didn’t care whether or not anyone was suspicious of his actions. Reed had already made enough threats to have scared off most self-appointed guardians.

  That tactic wasn’t going to work with Thad. He knew his duty and he knew his friends.

  Lindy was innocent.

  Nobody was going to change his mind about that.

  ELEVEN

  Lindy had been afraid that Thad would act aloof in the ensuing days and weeks because of having had to share that Sunday dinner with her surprise guest. To her relief, he not only seemed to have put the whole incident out of his mind, he was behaving as if she was just another employee. That might have pleased her if she hadn’t begun visualizing herself as perhaps having a bigger place in his life someday.

  Thankfully, their working relationship continued on an even keel. She was making a big dent in the backlog of paperwork for the company and Danny had settled in to a regular, after-school routine.

  Lindy had tried to accept her daily challenges and carry on with as much tranquility as her son displayed in spite of ongoing confusion about her personal finances. The bank in Atlanta had turned her mortgage over to a collection agency but did acknowledge her formal complaint to the State Banking Department. At least that was a step in the right direction. So was her new checking account and debit card at a local bank.

  She checked the clock on the office wall, saw how late it was and smiled at her son. “Come on, Danny. Time to go home.”

  “Aww, Mom. Do we have to?”

  “Yes, we have to.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Thad log off his computer, stand and stretch. She had long ago stopped asking if he’d had any more luck tracking down the glitches in her debt history. If he found anything, she knew he’d announce it loudly enough for the whole warehouse staff to overhear.

  She chanced a smile because her mood insisted upon it and called good-night as she put on her coat.

  “See you Sunday morning?” Thad replied.

  It surprised her a little to realize it was already Friday. Another full week had passed. As they say, How time flies when you’re having fun.

  “Sure.” Lindy gave him a little parting wave, grabbed her purse and shepherded her son out to the car.

  Too bad Ben didn’t hide any money the way Mr. Reed had suggested, she mused, wishing Pearson Products paid wages weekly instead of only twice a month. She could have put a hefty finder’s fee to good use. Oh, yeah. Especially lately.

  The heavy metal warehouse door banged and she looked up, knowing who else she would see leaving. Thad was still following her home each evening after work. Not that she minded. The detour wasn’t a long one for him and his presence did give her a sense of safety that usually vanished as soon as he drove away.

  He was still behind her when she turned off the highway onto Pilot Hill Drive—Snob Hill, in local parlance, because of its upscale housing. Several large trucks were parked in the vicinity of her address. That was odd.

  Once she got closer she could see a gang of men. On her lawn! They were all wearing matching blue coveralls and either pushing dollies or carrying cardboard boxes to add to the stacks already piled outside the house.

  Astounded, Lindy whipped into her driveway and jumped from the car, waving her arms and screaming, “Stop that. Put my things back!”

  The crew toting belongings out of her house and placing them on the front lawn never missed a step.

  Off to one side she spotted a patrol car. The sheriff was here, too. Thank goodness! Harlan could straighten all this out before it went any further.

  Lindy was about to go appeal to him when another uniformed official approached and identified himself as a U.S. Marshal.

  He touched the brim of his cap. “Mrs. Lindy Southerland?”

  “Yes.”

  He handed her folded papers. Her hands were trembling as she opened and read the notarized eviction order.

  “I’m sorry, ma’am,” the marshal said. “This is always hard on everybody but it’s the law.”

  “I don’t understand. I thought we were getting this misunderstanding ironed out. I don’t owe anything on my house. It’s paid for.”

  “Not according to the collection agency,” he said. “If there really is a mistake, you’ll have to get a court order to that effect. There’s nothing I can do tonight.” He backed away. “I really am sorry.”

  Joining her, Thad took Danny’s hand and said, “Don’t panic. I’ll bring the biggest box truck we have at work and ask a couple men from church to give us a hand loading your stuff so it’s not left outside all night.”

  “No! This is wrong. They can’t do this to me.”

  “Let me see that paperwork.”

  Lindy handed him the notice and watched him scan it before shaking his head. “I’m afraid they can. Roll with it, Lindy. We’ll find a place for the two of you to stay temporarily.”

  Eyes wide and tear filled, she gaped at him. How could he be so blasé? This was her home, her anchor. Her refuge. And she was being tossed out into the street because some computer hacker thought it would be funny to ruin her life? The whole thing was totally bizarre.

  A couple salient points struck her. First, wasn’t the collection agency supposed to contact her in person before taking such dire action? They had the office phone number and there had been no notification there. Second, if they had called her at home or sent registered letters, why had she not received them? Something definitely rotten was going on.

  Leaving Thad to mind Danny, Lindy stomped across the grass to confront the sheriff. As far as she was concerned, this situation couldn’t get more deplorable. There she was, out in the cold—literally—with all her possessions dumped on the lawn in plain sight of her neighbors and her boss. The only thing worse would be rain.

  She glanced at the sky. No storm clouds marred the deepening
blue of the evening while a few wisps of white on the western horizon gave color and texture to the pending sunset. So far, so good.

  Angry at no one in particular because she didn’t know who was interfering in her life, she had to really struggle to keep from taking her ire out on others. She knew Thad had been trying his best to help and that the marshal was just doing his job. She simply didn’t understand why all this was happening to her.

  “Sheriff,” Lindy began as she neared the patrol car.

  He held up a hand as if he were a traffic cop. The grimness of his expression silenced her. Behind him, she could see other deputies, including Adelaide Crowe, placing plastic bags into an open box that sat in the car’s trunk.

  “Lindy Southerland,” the sheriff said flatly, “you’re under arrest for possession of illegal substances. You have the right to remain silent...”

  “No!”

  As he droned on, Lindy wondered if she was going to suddenly awaken in her own bed and discover she’d been trapped in a terrible dream.

  “You have the right to an attorney...”

  The air thinned until Lindy could barely draw a usable breath. Her head was spinning. Her vision dimmed. Flashes of brightly colored light encroached. The earth tilted. Harlan’s voice faded.

  The last thing she remembered was hearing him shout, “Get her!” and wondering absently if she had somehow managed to escape the nightmare.

  * * *

  Drawn by the panic he heard in Lindy’s raised voice, Thad arrived just in time to catch her as she fainted.

  His gaze darted to Harlan. “What happened?”

  “You’ll need to let go of her, son. I’m afraid Miz Southerland is under arrest.”

  “That’s ridiculous.” Lifting Lindy in his arms, he took a step back. “She had every right to be upset about this travesty of justice. You can’t arrest her for complaining.”

  The portly sheriff shook his head and Thad could see his distress. He didn’t understand fully until Harlan said, “She’s not being arrested for civil disobedience. We found a stash of drugs in her house.”