Deadly Harvest

by Marissa Shrock

  My head was beginning to throb. “Let’s talk about this in the morning.” I motioned toward the kitchen. “If you’d like some coffee, feel free to start a pot. I’d like a minute with Detective Perkins.” I wanted to thank him for being here for me.

  Grandpa and Wanda went into the kitchen, and my doorbell rang again.

  I checked through the sidelight. Mom and Dan. If Cal hadn’t been standing in the foyer with me, I would’ve muttered a few good, old-fashioned cuss words under my breath. Instead, I opened the door. “It’s a party!”

  Without smiling, Mom pulled me into a hug while Dan introduced himself to Cal.

  “You didn’t need to make the trip,” I said. “Grandpa and Wanda are here.”

  Tears filled Mom’s eyes. “My baby almost died.” She choked me in another hug. “Dan’s already left a message with the company that put in our security system, so they’d better call back first thing tomorrow.”

  “Excellent,” Cal said. “I was telling Mr. Winston that was my recommendation.”

  “And you are?” Mom’s eyes narrowed.

  “Detective Cal Perkins.”

  She nodded and surveyed him with a hostile gaze. “Jill Farthing.”

  Okay, so his good looks didn’t affect every woman he met.

  “You’re the one who arrested my nephew.” Mom crossed her arms. “J.T. is a wonderful Christian man who wouldn’t harm anyone. He took wonderful care of my sister after she had a horrible car accident.”

  Dan put a hand on Mom’s arm, but she shot him a dirty look, which was the first time I’d ever seen her act that way with him.

  “Ma’am, your frustration is understandable,” Cal said.

  Mom’s mouth drew into a thin line. “Thank you for helping my daughter.” She motioned toward the door. “We’ll take care of everything from here.”

  I started to protest, but Cal shook his head ever so slightly. “It’s great Georgia has so many people who care about her. I’ll be in touch.”

  “Thank you.” I wanted to say more, but Mom was moving toward my dining room.

  “Georgia Rae Winston! What is this?”

  Busted.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “What are you thinking? You’re not a detective.” Mom swore and yanked down the pictures. “Stop messing around and start protecting yourself.” She wadded up the papers and hurled them on the floor. “I won’t bury one of my children.” She pointed at me. “Do you hear me, Georgia Rae? I won’t!” She brushed tears from her cheek.

  “Yes.” Tears welled in my eyes. “I’m sorry. I was just trying to help J.T.”

  She swiped her teary hand across the board, obliterating the timeline and leaving behind a wet streak. Polly Pomeranian remained intact. Grandpa and Wanda stood in the hallway, coffee cups in hand, watching the drama unfold. Mom brushed her hands against her jeans to remove the chalk. “Is that the only reason?”

  “What else is there?”

  “Look me in the eye and tell me this has nothing to do with your guilt about not being able to solve your dad’s case.”

  I crossed my arms and looked her in the eyes but couldn’t form the words.

  “That’s what I thought.” Her face twisted, and she turned away.

  Dan pulled Mom into a hug, and she buried her face in his shoulder and sobbed. I reached over and put my arms around her.

  “We should all get some rest,” Dan said.

  For once I was thankful for Dan’s peacemaking tendencies, and my tired brain tried to process where everyone could sleep.

  “I’ll be fine on the couch.” Grandpa pointed toward the living room.

  “No, I have enough bedrooms. Wanda, you can have Dakota’s old room,” I said. “Mom and Dan, my old room. Grandpa, take the guest room across from Wanda.”

  As I trudged to my room, I realized I hadn’t talked to my best friends yet. I closed my bedroom door and collapsed in the middle of my bed. If I closed my eyes for a few minutes, I’d find the energy to text.

  I awoke with a gasp and sat up. Sunlight peeked around the edge of the blinds. Rolling over on top of my bedspread with a groan, I glanced at the clock. 9:43.

  I ran my fingers through my hair and gazed at my rumpled blouse and blood-streaked jeans.

  Voices filtered through the heating vents, and I caught a whiff of sausage. When I opened the blinds and looked in the back yard, I saw Dan standing next to my pond talking to a man who had to be from the security system company because they were pointing at the house.

  I’d better have some say in this new system, or I’d end up imprisoned in a fortress with no way to escape. After I brushed my teeth and splashed water on my face, I pulled on a fresh pair of jeans and a sweatshirt and charged through my living room toward the kitchen. I froze next to my sofa and took in the scene.

  Evan lounged at my table reading the sports section and sipping coffee like it was his domain. Wanda sat across from him tackling a crossword puzzle.

  My mom turned from the stove with a skillet in hand, strolled over to the table, and slid an omelet onto Evan’s plate, which also held a generous portion of sausage. She looked up. “Good morning, sweetie!”

  Evan threw down the paper, jumped up, and hugged me. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I came over as soon as I heard about the bomb on the news.”

  “I told him you were asleep, and he could have some breakfast while he waited.” Mom put the skillet back on the stove and thrust a mug of coffee toward me. “Do you want an omelet?”

  I blinked because my decaffeinated brain was having difficulty keeping up. “Yes, please.” I plopped down at the table.

  “How are you feeling?” Wanda put dropped her pen and looked me over.

  “A little banged up but fine.” I held up my scabby hand. “I fell asleep before I could text Brandi and Ashley.”

  “They both called me when they couldn’t get you.” Mom cracked an egg and dumped it into a mixing bowl. “I told them to check in later.”

  Why hadn’t she sent Evan away and told him to talk to me later? I stifled a groan that I didn’t want to have to explain. Because she wanted him for her son-in-law, that was why.

  My coffee was too hot to guzzle, so I resorted to sipping, as if that could cure the weirdness of the last sixteen hours.

  “Your grandpa and Dan are showing the man from the security system company around.” Wanda picked up her pen and resumed her crossword.

  “I noticed.”

  “Dan told him to put in the best that they have.” Mom dumped the eggs in the skillet. “They can install it today, and we’re paying for it.”

  Normally I wouldn’t want to accept a gift that pricey, but with our less-than-stellar harvest and buying a new mower, I simply didn’t have the extra money to put in the system myself.

  “Good,” Evan said. “We don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  “Wait, I get a say in the type, right?”

  Mom frowned. “It’s like the one Dan and I have—easy to use.”

  “Fine.” I wasn’t going to win that battle, even if I hated the new system.

  Evan rested his hand on mine. “When you’re done eating, could we talk?”

  Something in his tone startled me, and I pulled my hand away. “Sure.”

  He’d probably come to tell me that he’d rekindled his relationship with Kelsey, and that, once again, they were rock solid. Evan needed to work on his timing. Or it could be as simple as him wanting to know why I’d agreed to be Kelsey’s prayer partner. Maybe he was afraid I’d try to turn her against him. Or share dirt on him, which I wouldn’t.

  Yeah, that made the most sense. If he didn’t like it that Kelsey and I were praying together, he’d have to get over it, because God had told me to do it, and that was all the reason I needed.

  Wanting to hide, I picked up the news section of the Richard County Gazette and perused the headlines. One short article caught my attention.

  Drug Dealer Arrested at Fitness Universe

 
RICHARDVILLE – Richardville Police arrested 28-year-old Kevin Doyle on charges of dealing a controlled substance at Fitness Universe. Police took Doyle into custody on Thursday night, and he’s being held at the Richard County Jail.

  “It’s shocking,” Fitness Universe manager Susan Thomason said. “We have minors who work out here, and it horrifies me to think of them being exposed to drugs.”

  Behind the cover of the newspaper, I closed my eyes and stifled a groan. So much for Kevin Doyle being the murderer. Mom brought over an omelet, and I folded the paper and tried to act pleasant.

  When I was done eating, I insisted that Evan and I take a walk outside because there were too many people in my house who were ready and willing to eavesdrop. He didn’t protest.

  We headed out the side door and into the overcast, and downright cold, morning. I marched across the driveway toward the pole barn that housed most of our farm equipment. Grandpa had a few tractors at his place. I guided Evan away from the house and out of sight.

  “Are we hiding behind the barn like a couple of naughty kids?” Evan laughed.

  “Are you suggesting we have a conversation with Mom and Wanda watching out the window?” I raised my eyebrows. “Don’t try to tell me they’re not.”

  “Good point.”

  “What’s on your mind?” I pulled my gloves out of my coat pockets and slid them on.

  “First, I think what you’re doing for Kelsey is great.”

  I didn’t know what to say. “I’m sure it’ll benefit me as much as it does her.” That sounded cheesy, but even I could hear the ring of truth. “And you don’t have to worry. I’ve never said anything bad about you.”

  “I appreciate it, but that’s not why I’m here.” He took a deep breath. “I should just get right to it.” Instead he ran his fingers through his hair. “But I don’t know how to say this.”

  “Just talk.” I leaned against the barn’s metal siding.

  “When I started dating Kelsey, it was like this immediate spark that turned into a raging fire. It was so intense that I lost part of myself.”

  I nodded. Here we go…

  “She was all I could think about.”

  My gag reflex almost got the best of me—like when I tried to eat yogurt. “We know—trust me, our whole group knows.”

  “But that fire is gone.”

  “Well, sometimes relationships burn hot for a time and then flame out.” I fidgeted with the edge of my coat pocket. “A slow flicker is probably better in the long run.”

  He straightened. “Exactly.”

  Was he ever going to get to the bottom line? “Evan, we’ve been through a lot. Say what needs to be said.”

  “Okay.” He started to speak, but instead, he closed the gap between us and pulled me into a kiss.

  Chapter Twenty

  My brain told me to yank away, but my lips betrayed me and responded as he deepened the kiss. The roar of a passing vehicle barely registered as he pushed me against the barn.

  I pressed my hands against his chest and shoved him away. “Seriously?”

  His eyes held longing that I’d wanted to see for a good three and a half years. “Georgia, I think I’m in love with you.”

  I stepped back. “You think? What the—?” I blinked. “What brought you to this conclusion?”

  “When I heard that someone had tried to kill you, all I could think about was how I’d feel if I lost you. Besides, dating Kelsey made me realize I had what I’m looking for with you.” He closed the gap between us and rested his hands on my arms.

  Merciful heavens. This was too much to handle. Cal. Jon. Nick. Evan. Which brought to mind Life Lesson #79: Never, ever pray for a deluge of men. Why had I done that? It had to be one of the dumbest petitions I’d ever prayed.

  Yet God had seen fit to answer. Interesting.

  “Are you going to say anything?” Evan’s expression reminded me of a little boy, and my heart softened because I knew what I had to say.

  Winstons were all about integrity, and no matter how I’d felt about Kelsey in the past, I couldn’t betray her—not when God had turned my mailbox into a burning bush and told me to be her prayer partner.

  I took his hand. “Evan, it was so sweet of you to come here and tell me how you feel, and I confess that day in the combine, I lied.”

  “I knew it.” A grin broke out on his face.

  “I did have feelings for you.”

  “But you don’t now?” His smile faded, and his shoulders dropped, as if he were trying to hold back his disappointment.

  I sighed and thought of Cal. What would he say if he found out Evan had kissed me? “I’m not sure. I care about you and value our friendship. But I agreed to pray with Kelsey because I felt like the Lord wanted me to say yes when she asked.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Really?”

  “Yep. Do you think I would’ve said yes otherwise? Especially after the Pie Incident?”

  “Good point.”

  “And since I’ve agreed to pray with Kelsey, us having a dating relationship is completely off the table—for now.” I squeezed his hand. “Plus, you need to figure some things out about yourself, and I do too.”

  “I know you do.”

  “Thanks.” I snorted. “How about we pray for God to show us his will and for things to work if they’re meant to be.”

  “I can live with that.” He smiled.

  So could I. But after meeting Cal, I wasn’t sure I wanted God’s answer to be yes.

  “Hey, J.T.,” I said. “I was just about to give you a call.” After Evan had left, I’d retreated to the safety of my bedroom because the circus had not packed up and left my farm.

  “Are you okay? I heard about the bomb.”

  “Yeah.” I swiped dust off my nightstand and brushed my hand against my jeans.

  “Thank God,” he murmured. “What’s on your mind?”

  “Did Tara ever talk about Kevin Doyle?”

  “She mentioned working out with him at Fitness Universe, but that was it.”

  “Rats.”

  “This is going to sound callous, but I’m freaked out about not having an alibi for last night—even though I have no clue how to build a bomb.”

  I stared out the window at the three Pekin ducks swimming in formation on my pond. “I know you didn’t blow up my truck.”

  “Detective Perkins won’t believe that.”

  “Then I’ll convince him.”

  “No way, cuz. You can’t put yourself in more danger.”

  I squeezed the bridge of my nose. “And you can’t go to jail for a crime you didn’t commit. Have you talked to a lawyer?”

  “Yeah. I’m going with Scott Clark in case this thing doesn’t go away.”

  “Good.” I chewed my lip. “At least let me give you the information I’ve gathered in case Scott needs it to build a defense. It might help.”

  “I’ll pick it up after work.”

  “No. Please let me bring it to you,” I whined. “I have to get out of my house.” I told him about Mom, Dan, Grandpa, Wanda, and the security system installer. J.T. didn’t need to know about Evan, but since the two of them were known to chitchat like a couple of girls, he’d probably find out soon enough.

  He laughed. “I’ll be at work ’til five.”

  Eight years ago, when I’d decided to take on farming, I’d purchased a truck but hadn’t been able to bring myself to sell the Grand Prix I’d driven during college. Even though I’d traded trucks once, I held onto the silver coupe that had a good 150,000 miles on it. It didn’t cost much to insure the old girl that I’d named Gretel, and when I wanted to feel a bit more feminine, I got Gretel out of my garage and used her to run errands in town. That happened less often because my truck’s sound system synced with my phone, and that was awfully convenient.

  I was thankful to not have to rely on a rental—or my mom—while I waited for a check from the insurance company. Timmy Kingsley over at Kingsley Brothers Insurance in Wildcat Springs had b
een flabbergasted when I’d called about my truck, but he’d promised to take care of me. We’d been pals since high school and had been each other’s mercy date for the senior prom.

  It turned out I didn’t need an escape plan after all, since Mom and Dan were satisfied with the new security system. They’d given me a lesson and returned to Richardville in the early afternoon. Before leaving to take Wanda back to her house, Grandpa promised he’d return that night to check on me.

  Once I was alone, I smoothed out the evidence Mom had wadded up and printed new pictures with notes for J.T. and put them in a file folder.

  I arrived at Wildcat Springs Implement fifteen minutes later and found the showroom floor deserted. Several employees were clustered in an office, so I walked over and cleared my throat.

  “Georgia!” Max Jenkins burst out of his office as if he were scrambling to make a play on the football field. The group of men in matching polo shirts gaped at me with expressions I couldn’t quite read. “What can I do for you?” Max shoved his hand into his pocket and rattled some change.

  I held up the file folder. “I need to see J.T.”

  “Oh, Georgia.” Max paled. “I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but J.T.’s been arrested.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “How? They don’t have enough evidence.” I didn’t actually expect Max to answer, but the words flew out before I could stop them. We moved toward the front of the showroom, away from Max’s employees.

  “I’m afraid they do.” He stopped next to a zero-turn mower. “I was going over my business’s books and realized I had some money missing.” He mopped his forehead again. “I traced it back to J.T. I was going to fire him and not press charges, but I got to thinking about how the sheriff’s department thought he was a suspect in that Fullerton’s girl’s murder. So, I called the detective who’d asked me some questions about your cousin and reported it. Detective Perkins and Detective Kimball came and poked around. Not long after, they took J.T. in.” He lowered his voice. “I guess they even found some bomb-making materials in his work truck.”