Small Town Justice

by Valerie Hansen

  DANGEROUS SECRETS

  Back home in Serenity, Jamie Lynn Henderson’s determined to prove her brother was framed for the town sheriff’s hit-and-run death years ago. But as she encounters dead end after dead end, Jamie Lynn discovers someone will go to any lengths—even murder—to bury the evidence. Her only hope of staying alive long enough to uncover the truth is Shane Colton, the late lawman’s wary son. Shane’s world was shattered by one senseless act that he can’t forgive. But somehow he is drawn to protect the lovely woman trying to free her brother from prison. If they don’t work fast, Jamie Lynn’s single-minded quest might lead them both into the killer’s trap.

  “Freeze.”

  The burly man sprang for the door instead, jerked it open and escaped into the night. Shane chased him as far as the exit and stopped. Not having to shoot was fine with him but he would have loved to land a punch.

  A weak moan snapped him out of battle mode. He automatically set the safety as he slipped the gun back into its holster and returned to Jamie Lynn.

  She had managed to swing her legs over the side of the bed and sit up. Tears streaked her face. She was gasping out ragged sobs and trying to talk.

  “Sh-Shane… Oh, Shane.”

  He took a step closer and held out his hand, wondering how he could best comfort her after such a frightening ordeal. Any worries he’d had about the possibility she wouldn’t want to be touched were banished in the instant it took her to throw herself into his arms.

  Instinct took over. He pulled her closer, one hand on her back, the other stroking her hair, and said, “It’s okay. I’ve got you. You’re safe.”

  Valerie Hansen was thirty when she awoke to the presence of the Lord in her life and turned to Jesus. She now lives in a renovated farmhouse in the breathtakingly beautiful Ozark mountains of Arkansas and is privileged to share her personal faith by telling the stories of her heart for Love Inspired. Life doesn’t get much better than that!

  Books by Valerie Hansen

  Love Inspired Suspense

  The Defenders

  Nightwatch

  Threat of Darkness

  Standing Guard

  A Trace of Memory

  Small Town Justice

  Capitol K-9 Unit

  Detecting Danger

  Serenity, Arkansas

  Her Brother’s Keeper

  Out of the Depths

  Shadow of Turning

  Nowhere to Run

  No Alibi

  My Deadly Valentine

  “Dangerous Admirer”

  Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.

  SMALL TOWN

  JUSTICE

  Valerie Hansen

  Ask and God will give you.

  Search, and you will find.

  Knock and the door will open for you.

  —Matthew 7:7

  To my Joe, who is with me in spirit, looking over my shoulder and offering moral support as I write. He always will be.

  And thanks to my dear friend Karen for keeping me on the right track—as much as possible!

  Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  EPILOGUE

  DEAR READER

  EXCERPT FROM FATAL REUNION BY JESSICA R. PATCH

  ONE

  The narrow dirt track leading to the deserted farm was so overgrown, so cloaked in shadows, Jamie Lynn almost missed her turn. Seeing the decrepit condition of the well-loved house broke her heart.

  Parking her mini pickup, she shivered and stared. Well, what had she expected? Nobody had lived there for almost fifteen years. Not since her family had been split apart by lies and she’d been sent to live with an elderly aunt.

  The little white dog beside her whimpered.

  Jamie Lynn instinctively stroked his head. “Yes, this is it, Ulysses.”

  He began to pant and wiggle all over. “Okay, you can come with me while I have a look around,” she told him, slipping her cell phone into her jeans pocket. “Hold still so I can get your harness unclipped.”

  He continued to strain and squirm. “I’m about to give up and leave you,” she warned. “Sit. Stay.”

  He sat. He did not stay long. The moment she shifted her attention to the leash lying on the floor of the pickup’s cab, he leaped over her, using her back as a springboard, and landed on the hard-packed ground like a gymnast making a competition dismount.

  “Ulysses! No!”

  Jamie Lynn chased him through the tall grass and weeds, ruing the fact that her clothing was summer-light shorts, a T-top and sandals.

  “Ulysses,” she wheedled, trying to sound unperturbed. “Come on, baby. I’m not mad. I just don’t want to lose you.”

  Ahead, she heard him yip. “Please, please don’t catch anything bigger than you are.”

  She rounded the house. The roof over the back porch had partially collapsed but she spotted a flash of white fur as her dog ducked through the half-open door.

  Normally, Jamie wouldn’t have considered entering someone else’s house without an invitation. However, since her research had shown that this place had long ago been seized for unpaid taxes and didn’t belong to any individual, she figured it would be okay to venture inside long enough to catch her naughty dog.

  The staccato cadence of his nails led her to the stairway, where his paws had left impressions in the dust. Jamie followed. Pausing at the top of the stairs, she was overcome with nostalgia for her childhood home.

  “Marf!”

  Ulysses’s sharp, single bark snapped her back to the present and drew her to her former bedroom. He was circling excitedly in front of one of the tall, narrow windows as if insisting she must look.

  Below, parking behind her pickup, was a larger truck with a camouflage paint job. Two men climbed out.

  They were both carrying rifles. Uh-oh.

  Jamie’s heart began to pound. She tried to lift the warped wooden sash and was barely able to move it.

  Before she had a chance to shout hello through the narrow opening, let alone begin an apology, she overheard one of the men speaking. His gruff words made the hair on the nape of her neck prickle.

  “That’s her license number. We know she got here.”

  “Yeah? So where’d she disappear to?”

  The first man cursed. “Probably the house. Let’s go.”

  “I don’t like it. Suppose somebody sees us hanging around and makes a connection later?”

  “If things turn ugly we’ll ditch her truck. Nobody will suspect she ever made it this far.”

  Jamie Lynn was afraid to breathe. These men had known she was coming to Serenity. Who, of the few people she’d contacted to ask about her family history, would send thugs after her? And why?

  Easing aside so she wouldn’t be spotted from below, Jamie watched one of the men making a cell phone call. While he talked, the other began stabbing at her truck’s tires. Then they started for the house and disappeared b
eneath the overhang of the porch roof.

  She heard wood splintering. The stomping of heavy hiking boots. They’d smashed the front door. They were coming for her!

  It took only seconds to dial 911 and rasp in the address and that she was in trouble. But she knew there was no chance anyone from town could reach her in time to intervene. Not unless she hid long enough for help to arrive. But where?

  Voices from downstairs sent rumbling echoes throughout the empty structure. Cracking, banging, background noises indicated that the men planned to take the old house apart, piece by piece, until they found her.

  What could she possibly do?

  Memories of growing up in the old house carried Jamie Lynn back to childhood and the simple games of hide-and-go-seek she and her big brother had played. The downstairs maid’s closet! Their favorite hiding place was perfectly camouflaged. Only how was she going to reach it without being seen?

  So terrified she could hardly draw a usable breath, she tiptoed down the hall to the antiquated bathroom, eased the door shut behind her, then whispered to her nervous dog and held him close. “Easy, boy. Shush.”

  All she could do was wait.

  Aunt Tessie would have urged her to pray, she knew, yet no inspiring spiritual words came to mind. Jamie Lynn wasn’t surprised. God had quit heeding her prayers when she was ten years old.

  If He had been listening to her back then, she knew she wouldn’t have lost her whole family.

  * * *

  Shane Colton parked his flatbed tow truck beyond the small pickup with four flat tires and hit the ground running, waving his arms to get the sheriff’s attention. “Harlan! I just saw two men in hunter’s camo run out the back.”

  “Must’ve spotted us,” Sheriff Allgood replied. “Let ’em go. We’ve got their truck for ID.”

  “I didn’t recognize either one.” Glancing at the old house, Shane frowned. “Aren’t you going in?”

  “In a minute. Gotta radio the station so my officers know to keep their eyes peeled for two guys on foot.”

  Uneasy, Shane lifted his chin. Sniffed the breeze. And instantly knew what was happening. Smoke!

  Hands cupped around his mouth, he shouted, “Call the fire department,” as he raced toward the house.

  “Stop! Don’t!”

  He ignored the sheriff’s command. If he hurried, he might be able to put the fire out while it was small. If not, he could at least do a quick search of the premises for victims. Somebody had made the report of trouble at the old Henderson farm. That person might still be inside.

  * * *

  What was wrong with Ulysses all of a sudden? “Take it easy, boy. We’re safe now. I heard them leave.”

  The lapdog’s tiny claws raked Jamie Lynn’s forearm. “Ouch! Knock it off,” she snapped, immediately penitent. He’d kept quiet while she’d tiptoed down the stairs and hidden them both in the maid’s cupboard. It was time to let him be himself again.

  “Okay, okay.” She got to her knees and operated the panel that masked the secret opening. It slid back silently, revealing disaster. The walls and ceilings were partially obscured by layers of drifting smoke. They had to get out of there.

  Startled, Ulysses twisted from her grasp and disappeared into the smoke, barking.

  “No!”

  She started to rise from her crawl on the floor. Thicker, acrid vapor made her gag and drop back down. Tears blinded her further. There was no way she’d be able to spot her little dog in that swirling, glowing haze. If he didn’t come back to her, the poor baby was going to die! And it was her fault.

  Rasping, gagging, Jamie did her best to scream, “Ulysses?” He didn’t respond. Was it already too late?

  Brokenhearted, she started to inch farther into the thick of things, moving by feel and hoping that her next reach might be long enough to touch his soft fur.

  She could not give up. Not as long as there was one more breath left to keep her moving. Coughs racked her body, aching all the way to her ribs and beyond. Thoughts of her parents and brother, R.J., swirled in her mind, and confusion surrounded her, beginning to deaden the pain.

  Then, suddenly, she was grasped around the waist and jerked sideways.

  Fighting spirit returned. Jamie kicked and struck out at her captor. She even managed a feeble screech.

  Spots of bright light flickered in her distorted vision and she felt as if she were floating. Cradled in powerful arms, she heard the strong beating of a heart.

  Brightness abruptly bathed her face and she wondered if this was the phenomenon often reported by those having near-death experiences.

  Surrendering, she laid her head against the shoulder of her captor and slipped into unconsciousness.

  * * *

  It had been several years since Shane Colton had practiced CPR but everything came back to him in a rush. He laid the woman on the ground, tilted her head to make sure her airway was clear, then pressed his lips to hers and delivered several rescue breaths before checking her pulse.

  “Ambulance is almost here,” Harlan shouted. “Is she alive?”

  To Shane’s immense relief he was able to reply, “Yes!”

  “I oughta slap the cuffs on you for pullin’ a stunt like that,” the sheriff said. “What would your little boy do if his daddy went and got himself killed? Huh? You ever think of that?”

  Shane shook his head. Harlan was absolutely right. A single parent needed to be extra careful. He would never purposely endanger Kyle’s future. The poor little guy had been too small to miss his mother much after she’d left them, but losing his only remaining parent would be devastating, even though he’d still have loving grandparents.

  “I wasn’t thinking. I just did what I thought was necessary,” Shane said.

  “How’d you find the victim in all that smoke?”

  “Heard a dog barking,” Shane told him. “You got any water in your car?”

  Harlan handed him a small bottle and stood back while Shane trickled some onto the woman’s face and gently wiped it with a clean bandanna.

  Off to his right, trying to bark and mostly squeaking instead, was a sooty, dusty mongrel. “You may be a sorry excuse for a dog, little guy, but you did your part today.”

  Still kneeling beside her, Shane gazed at the young woman. Even with reddened cheeks and soot and water streaking her face, it was clear that she was a beauty. He’d never seen hair that silky or quite that dark.

  So who was she and what had she been doing inside the abandoned house? He frowned. A better question might be, what did those creeps in camo have against her?

  Sirens heralded the arrival of the sheriff’s backup units and the ambulance so Shane reluctantly relinquished his place to the team of paramedics and stood aside. As soon as they had checked the victim’s vital signs, they put her on a gurney, began administering oxygen and pushed her toward the waiting ambulance.

  “Is she going to be okay?” Shane asked, following.

  One of the medics nodded. “She’s trying to talk. That’s a good sign. Keeps saying she’s worried about a white dog.”

  “I can get him. Are you transporting to Fulton County Hospital?”

  “Yeah. They’ll send her on if necessary.”

  Shane approached the mini pickup and noticed the excited dog racing toward him. He opened the driver’s-side door and stood back. The dog leaped in. What a relief. Of all the things he’d tried to do that day, catching a half-wild pup had turned out to be the easiest.

  Fire trucks were arriving. He hailed Harlan. “The dog’s out of the way. Want me to go ahead and haul her truck back to my place?”

  “Yeah. Lock it in your service yard, then come back for this other one. I’ll stop and check them after I’m done here.”

  “Gotcha. I thought I’d drop her dog by the vet’s
and make sure it’s okay, too.”

  “You’re the one with the kid at home. You should keep him.”

  “No, thanks.” Shane was smiling more broadly. “Did you happen to hear what she called it when she was talking to the medics?”

  Harlan chuckled. “Sounded like Useless to me. That name sure fits.”

  Shane totally agreed.

  * * *

  Jamie Lynn had fought her way out of the fog clouding her brain. By the time she was delivered to the emergency room, her eyes had been bathed to soothe them and she was able to sit up on her own.

  “I told you, I’m fine,” she insisted between bouts of coughing that doubled her over.

  “I’ll be checking you out to be sure,” an amiable nurse said. “Can you tell me your name?”

  “Jamie Lynn Nolan. I have my ID in my purse. It’s in my truck.”

  “Do you remember what happened?”

  Jamie touched her forehead. It felt gritty. “Yes. Two men were after me. I hid and they set the house on fire.”

  “That’s pretty much the story I got from the sheriff,” the nurse told her. “I’ll ask him to bring your things to you here. How’s that?”

  “Wait!” Jamie grabbed her forearm. “They have to find my little dog.” Tears began to fill her eyes and trickle down her cheeks. “Ulysses was with me inside the house and I don’t know...” More coughing interrupted her as she buried her face in her hands.

  The nurse gently patted her shoulder. “Okay. Wait right here. I’ll go find out what I can.”

  The weight of her anticipated loss was so burdensome, Jamie Lynn wondered how she could bear it. Poor little Ulysses. She drew up her legs, clasped them in front of her and rested her forehead on her skinned knees. Aunt Tessie had warned her against stirring up the past, but she hadn’t listened. And now her stubbornness and curiosity had cost her the life of her very best friend.

  More bits of fractured memory began to drift into place and fit together. She recalled being lifted and carried from the burning house. At the time she’d tried to resist, but whoever had rescued her had continued to treat her gently. He had delivered his own air to her burning lungs and forced her to breathe again. Whoever it had been deserved her lifelong gratitude.