by Hope White
“That’s unfortunate. Dynacorp only wants to take a meeting to discuss the grant if you’re the one making the presentation.”
“That’s ridiculous. You and Helen know the material better than any of us.”
“True, and Helen was steaming when we she heard about the request. But you put it together, Julie. It’s your brainchild.”
“What grant?” Morgan asked.
“Dynacorp is a pharmaceutical company that offers grants every year to nonprofits,” Julie explained. “We applied, and our interview presentation is scheduled for two weeks from now.”
“They moved it up to next week,” William said.
“Why?”
“Something about an executive leaving the country on business.”
“Sorry to interrupt,” Morgan said. “But I need to get Julie out of the city.”
“Of course. Julie, if you need anything…” William offered.
“Thanks.”
“What do you want me to tell the boss?”
“I emailed her that I’m taking a family-emergency leave. But—” she glanced at Morgan, then back to William “—let’s see how this stalker thing goes. With any luck, it will be over soon and I can make the Dynacorp meeting.”
“I hope so.”
“Here, I have a new cell number.” She wrote it down on the back of a receipt and handed it to him. “Call me with updates, okay?”
“Sure.” William turned to leave, but Morgan stopped him. “I think it would be safer if we all left together.” Morgan glanced at Julie. “You’ve got three minutes to pack.”
“But my place is a mess.”
“Can’t worry about that now, Jules. Go on.”
She knew he was right, and trusted his instincts. Trying to block out the violent image of her trashed living room, she went into her bedroom and pulled a suitcase out of her closet. She cast a glance around the room and found it curious that they hadn’t trashed it, as well. A relieved sigh escaped her lips. The thought of the intruders touching her things, her personal things…
She shook her head and shoved as much as she could into the suitcase, focusing on the essentials. Socks, underwear, jeans and sweaters. She glanced at her jewelry box, hesitated and opened the top, grabbing a few pairs of earrings.
Figuring her three minutes were up, she hurried down the hall to the living room to find Morgan righting her furniture, and William re-shelving her books.
“I’m ready,” she said.
But she wasn’t. She’d miss her place, the smell of garlic drifting through her window from the Italian restaurant downstairs, eating whole-wheat muffins and drinking tea in her cozy kitchen nook. It was a small, utilitarian apartment, but it had been her home for the past four years. She’d decided to get a small, live tree this year, and invite people from work over for a Christmas brunch.
“Okay, let’s go.” Morgan motioned William and Julie to stay behind him.
“He seems to know what he’s doing,” William said, nodding at Morgan.
“He should. He’s a cop.”
Morgan’s instincts were on red alert. The break-in indicated that not only did they want something, but he suspected they probably hadn’t found it.
And they’d keep coming.
He fought back the panic at the thought of Julie being home when the intruders had broken in. But she wasn’t. She was safe, in Port Whisper.
“Where are you staying?” William asked as they stepped outside.
“I—”
“It’s better if you don’t know,” Morgan interrupted.
“If you think that’s best.”
“It is, for your own safety,” Morgan clarified.
William and Julie hugged and Morgan found himself wanting to step between them, tell them to break it up. He was being ridiculous.
“Stay in touch,” William said.
“I will.”
William reached out to shake Morgan’s hand.
“Take care of her,” William said.
“I plan to.”
With a nod, William turned and walked toward First Avenue North. Morgan reached for Julie’s bag. “Here, let me.”
She handed it to him and they headed for his truck.
“Jules, we have to figure out what they were looking for in your apartment.”
“Maybe the files I took with me? I don’t know what else it could be. I’m just glad Andy is—” She hesitated. “I was going to say I’m glad he’s okay, but we don’t really know that, do we?”
“At least we can hope he’s alive.”
Morgan put her bag in the trunk and scanned the area one last time.
“Since we’re in Seattle, weren’t you going to stop by and see your dad?” she asked.
He motioned for her to get into the car. Morgan hadn’t thought about Dad these past twenty hours. His mind had been too focused on keeping Julie safe.
They pulled out and he considered her question. “I wasn’t going to.”
“But you’re in the city. I’m sure he’d be glad to see you.”
“Us. I’m not leaving you alone, Jules. You sure you’re up to a hospital visit?”
“Of course. It’s the right thing to do as long as we’re here.”
“We’ll make it a quick one. Dad will understand.”
Morgan headed to the hospital, wondering what Dad’s reaction would be to Morgan walking in with Julie by his side. Dad had always liked Julie, that is, until she’d left Morgan. It brought all of Dad’s resentment to the surface of being abandoned by his own wife. She’s a spoiled, self-centered female, just like your mother. His bitter words hadn’t helped Morgan heal from the betrayal. They had rekindled his anger. Over and over again.
Morgan fought back the memory. Had to redirect his train of thought.
“Tell me about that William guy,” he asked.
“He’s been with Teen Life for twenty years, can you believe that?”
“Dedicated man.”
“And so good with the teenagers. But I think he’s tired, burning out.”
“Is he married?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Just curious.”
“He’s divorced, actually. I never really understood that. He’s a very kind and gentle man.”
“You two are close?” Morgan asked
“Where are you going with this?”
“Just making conversation.”
“You’re jealous,” she said teasingly, a slight smile curling her lips.
“I have no right to be jealous of anything you do.”
Her smile faded and she glanced out the side window. Had he hurt her feelings somehow? Why? He was only stating the truth.
They drove the rest of the way in silence, a good thing. Morgan needed to strategize how he was going to walk into Dad’s room with Julie and avoid unnecessary tension. The last thing she needed was to be scolded by his father about a decision she made ten years ago.
A few minutes later they got to the hospital and went up to see his dad. Hesitating outside his room, Morgan said, “Give me a second with him first.”
“Sure.”
“Stay right here.”
“I will.”
Morgan went into the white, antiseptic room. Dad had his readers on the bridge of nose, deep into an article in Time magazine.
“Hey, Dad.”
His dad snapped off his glasses. “Morgan, I didn’t know you were stopping by.”
“I was in the city on an assignment. How are you feeling?”
“Today’s a B-minus day.” He smiled.
Dad had mellowed in the past few years. Morgan was thankful for that, thankful that Dad had enjoyed a few years of fun before the cancer had struck.
“What kind of assignment? Maybe I could help.”
“Actually,” Morgan pulled a vinyl chair closer to the bed and sat down. “It involves an old friend, Julie Burns.”
Dad’s face hardened. “I don’t understand. She left Port Whisper, what, ten years
ago?”
“She came back. She’s in trouble.”
“Not your problem.”
“I’m making it my problem.”
“Don’t be a fool, Morgan.”
“I’m not a fool, I’m a cop. She’s in danger and she came to Port Whisper for sanctuary.”
“Well, she always was good at running, just like your mother.”
Julie wandered into the room before Morgan could stop her.
“Hi, Chief Wright,” she said, slowing as she got closer. “I was sorry to hear about your condition.”
Dad’s jaw hardened. “Thank you.”
“So, Morgan took over as chief. That’s exciting.”
“And helpful to you, isn’t it?” he said, pinning her with angry eyes.
“Dad,” Morgan warned.
“What?” Dad snapped.
“Be nice.”
“I’m all outta nice, especially for people who hurt my family.”
“I’m sorry, I—”
“Save it,” Dad interrupted her. “So you’re back in Port Whisper to torture my son?”
“That’s it.” Morgan stood. “We’d better go.”
“No.” Julie touched his arm. “I don’t want to ruin your time with your dad. I’ll wait in the family area.”
“No, you won’t. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
“Come on, boy, don’t fall for this again,” Dad chided.
Morgan stepped up to the end of his father’s bed. “Please stop being rude. The past is the past. Julie’s in trouble and I won’t abandon her, and risk her being hurt, or worse.”
“She abandoned you without a second thought.”
“I’ve moved on,” Morgan said. “This is a professional relationship. Now, are you going to let go of the past or should we leave?”
Dad narrowed his eyes and studied Julie. Morgan could sense her start to edge out of the room. He reached out and held her hand to keep her close.
“What kind of trouble is she in?” Dad asked.
“Someone’s after her. She works with streets kids and witnessed one of them being kidnapped. She’s been getting threatening calls and her office was broken into. We just stopped by her apartment and it was ransacked.”
“You think it’s related to her work?” Dad asked Morgan.
Morgan figured it was easier for Dad to avoid looking at Julie. It brought back too many bad memories.
“Yes, sir, it looks that way,” Morgan said. “She doesn’t have much of a life outside of her job.”
“Gee, thanks,” Julie muttered.
“Am I lying?” Morgan said.
“Nope. Work consumes my life.”
“You think someone’s after her because she witnessed the kidnapping?” Dad pressed.
“Perhaps, but if that’s the case, why break into her office and her apartment? They thoroughly searched her place.”
Dad, back in cop mode, leveled Julie with intense eyes. “You know what they’re after?”
“Haven’t a clue.”
“Did they take anything from your apartment?”
“Not that I could tell.” She glanced at Morgan. “We didn’t have time to look around.”
“I wanted to get out of there, in case someone was watching the place.”
“She lives in Seattle,” his dad said. “The Seattle P.D. should be handling this.”
“I’m working with my buddy Ethan Beck. He’s a detective with the Seattle P.D. Dad—” Morgan paused. “Julie has moved back to Port Whisper temporarily and, well…I’ve invited her and her mom to stay in your house until this is resolved.”
Morgan held his breath, hoping his dad didn’t flip out in front of Julie.
“Is Edith in danger, too?” Dad asked.
Dad had always liked Edith Burns.
“Julie got a threatening call and we didn’t want to risk her being tracked to the Burnses’ home. So yeah, both of them are moving in. In retrospect, I guess I should have asked first, but I figured they could help me spruce up the place, and my house is too small for guests.”
“And the neighbors will keep an eye on things,” Dad added. “How long will she be staying in Port Whisper?”
“We don’t know yet. Until the case is resolved and it’s safe for her to return to Seattle.”
And she would, Morgan reminded himself. Although his dad feared Morgan would fall back into love with Julie, there was no chance of Morgan letting that happen. He recognized this situation for what it was: temporary.
They chatted for a few minutes. Morgan filled Dad in on the happenings in town, and Dad shared frustrations about his condition. Julie smiled and nodded when appropriate, but didn’t say much. She probably sensed it was safer to remain quiet than give Morgan’s Dad something to snap at her about.
“I’ll check back in a few days,” Morgan said.
“I’ll be here.”
“Good to see you again, Chief,” Julie offered.
Dad offered a curt nod and went back to his article.
“Mom said they’ll have dinner ready when we get there,” Julie told Morgan, pocketing the phone.
“Sounds good.”
That was about all they said during the rest of the trip back to Port Whisper. Morgan sensed she felt bad about Dad’s verbal assault, but he didn’t know quite what to say, how to apologize. Truth was, Dad needed to move on.
And so did Morgan.
How do I do it, Lord? How do I let go of this buried resentment?
He remembered Colossians 3:13: “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
Wasn’t it about time Morgan forgave Julie with his whole heart?
Focus on the case, not the past. Morgan lost count how many times he’d repeated this in his head over the past twenty-four hours. He’d keep repeating it until he was sure the past wouldn’t mess with his head and prevent him from keeping Julie safe.
He glanced across the front seat at his passenger. Julie’s face was tipped toward her side window, her eyes closed. He eyed the road, but that sweet image of her delicate features—her perfectly shaped nose, full lips and flawless skin—lingered in his mind.
She was just the way he remembered her, only when he’d dreamed of her against his will, she smiled more and her golden eyes sparkled when Morgan cracked a joke.
That sparkle was absent, at least he hadn’t seen a glimpse of it since they ran into each other yesterday. Had her job totally sucked that loving, hopeful energy from her? She seemed determined to help the teenagers survive the brutal streets, yet it was as if she expected them to fail.
She’d lost her faith, and Morgan wondered if it was God’s plan to bring them back together after ten years so Morgan could help her find her way back.
Her cell rang and she quickly grabbed it. So she wasn’t asleep after all.
“Hello? Hey, Mom. We’re just coming into town. Sure…okay. Love you, too.”
Julie closed the flip phone. “Mom asked if we could stop by the house. Lana’s picking up some things, but Mom forgot to tell her to get the fruit so it won’t go bad.”
“Lana shouldn’t have gone to the house by herself.”
“I’d like to see you try to tell Lana that. She’s one determined cookie.”
“Kind of like her sister.” He meant it as a compliment. Julie looked away, and he could tell she didn’t interpret it that way. In that moment he wondered who was emotionally beating her up more: Morgan or Julie?
They pulled onto her quiet street and turned into the driveway. Julie reached for her door, just as Morgan spotted movement by the side of the house.
“Hang on,” he said, placing his hand on her arm.
“What’s wrong?”
He didn’t answer, hyper-focused on the side of the house. The moon cast an eerie glow across the property, giving off enough light to see…
A shadowy figure peering through the dining-room window.
SIX
“You don’t think they—”
“Stay here,” Morgan ordered.
He got out of the truck and closed the door, quietly. Stalking the perimeter of the property, he pulled out his firearm and came up behind the Peeping Tom.
“Police, don’t move.”
“Don’t shoot!” a voice cracked. A teenage voice.
“Hands where I can see them.”
The intruder raised his hands. “I didn’t do anything.”
“Turn around, slowly,” Morgan ordered, adrenaline rushing through his veins.
The kid turned around and Morgan instantly recognized him: Caroline Ross’s grandson, Sketch.
Morgan holstered his gun. “What are you doing here?”
“I… She’s inside and I wanted to talk to her,” he said, his hands still reaching for the sky.
“Put your arms down.”
Sketch slowly did as ordered.
“It’s dangerous to be here, kid. Who’s inside that you want to see? Lana?”
“No, Ashley. She texted me that she was helping Lana grab some stuff.”
Morgan glanced at the truck and waved Julie over, then redirected his attention to Sketch. “Why didn’t you just ring the doorbell?”
“I didn’t think she’d let me in.”
“Why not?”
“We had a—” he shifted from one foot to the other “—disagreement.”
“Who’s this?” Julie said, walking up to Morgan.
“Sketch, Caroline’s grandson. Sketch, this is Lana’s sister, Julie.”
“You’re her? The one Lana talks about all the time?” Sketch said.
“Well, I’m her only sister.”
Morgan glanced across the property, still tense from the potential threat. “Let’s get inside.”
Julie and Sketch walked ahead as Morgan stayed back and scanned the property for any signs of trouble.
Julie let herself in with the key and called out, “Lana?”
“Hey,” Lana said, popping her head out of the kitchen. “What are you doing here?”
“Mom wanted to remind you to get the fruit.”
“Oh, okay. We’re almost done packing up a few things. Oh, hey, Sketch. You here to help?”