“Just a minute.”
Lorie threw on a light cotton robe over her pajamas and padded to the door.
Matt stood outside.
“Hope I didn’t wake you.”
“‘I cannot tell a lie,’ so I have to admit that you did. But that’s okay. I needed to wake up anyway.” After another two hours of sleep, preferably.
Matt grinned ruefully. “Sorry! I thought you’d want to get ready in plenty of time for Sunday school.”
“Sunday school?”
“It’s High Attendance Sunday. Say you’ll join us so we can drive up the record?”
Lorie rolled her eyes and stifled a yawn. “Okay. As soon as I wake up. Did you talk to my parents yet?”
“Not yet.”
Matt nodded as Lorie stretched. “Do you want to come in for some coffee?”
“No, really I came to tell you breakfast will be ready whenever you want it at the house. I’ll drive y’all over.”
“Mom will say she doesn’t want to be a bother.” Lorie smothered another yawn. “Talk her into it anyway. She doesn’t need to cook this morning.”
“Will do.” Matt reached out and tweaked a stray curl out of Lorie’s face. “Maybe if you splash some water on your face, it’ll help you wake up.”
“No doubt. Thanks.”
Colleen padded to the door and put her nose in Matt’s hand. Matt responded appropriately, giving the dog a good scratch behind the ears.
“I’ll go get your parents and then I’ll be back to drive you to the house.”
“Thanks.”
Lorie closed the door after him, and then headed for the bathroom to see if a dose of cold water really would wake her.
*
Matt’s cell phone rang as he was heading back to the main house. Seeing Frank’s number, he answered at once.
“What’s up?”
“An anonymous call came into the station about the Narramore case. Gerhardt alerted me.”
Matt froze in place. “Any luck tracing it?”
“Not yet. You’re not going to like what was said.”
Something cold settled in the pit of Matt’s stomach. “Tell me.”
“The caller emailed a link to a URL from some crackpot blog purporting to tie Ms. Narramore to the Orgulloso cartel. He said they’d been using the library system’s vehicles to transport black heroin and cocaine from the San Ysidro branch to libraries all over the city.”
“Lorie told me about that smear campaign. It’s nothing new. The only difference is now, they’re not trying to influence the trial, they’re just trying to make her look guilty after the fact, so we’ll call off the protection. I happen to agree with the jury that she’s not guilty, but even if she was, she still has a right to protection. No matter what happened in California, the person threatening her is the one breaking the law now.”
“I know—that’s why the protection detail is staying in place. Still, if she’s keeping things from you, then danger might end up coming from a direction you’re not expecting. Just be careful, Matt. I know her father, but I don’t really know Lorie.”
The words seeped into Matt’s soul like poison. What if Lorie had been working for the cartel? What if Carl’s death hadn’t been justifiable homicide? What if she really had deliberately assassinated him?
Matt’s mind recoiled from the thought. Lorie couldn’t be guilty of murder, even though she’d shot and killed the man. It had been accidental self-defense.
Hadn’t it?
FOURTEEN
Matt handed Lorie’s parents to another deputy once they reached Grace Church. John Douglas was nearing retirement age, and so was a more appropriate fit for the married couples’ Adult III class.
Matt went with Lorie to the Adult II class and chose a chair where he could watch the door. He’d have to be sober and vigilant, as the scripture suggested, because it wasn’t only his soul he needed to safeguard. It was also Lorie. Whether or not she was guilty of murder, someone was out to destroy her.
Lorie fit into the class as if she’d been born to it. As it happened, Sandy and Jake weren’t the only people she knew. When she was through greeting her friends, she turned back to Matt with a questioning look on her face.
“Where’s Rick?”
“Watching the desk in case of the guests needing anything. They all take turns having a Sunday.”
Lorie nodded. “That makes sense.”
The lesson that morning, taught by the pastor’s wife, was on how safety is found only in the Lord. Talk about fitting the situation. If Matt hadn’t known that the Sunday-school board had planned the lesson in advance, he would have wondered if Edna had engineered it to fit what was going on in their lives.
The glance Lorie exchanged with Matt told him she thought the same thing.
He smiled in a way that he hoped was reassuring, and shrugged his shoulders a tiny bit to show he’d had nothing to do with it. This was strictly the Lord’s doing.
The class had a lot of give-and-take. Matt hoped Lorie would have sense enough not to mention what she was going through at the moment, and she didn’t disappoint him. Sandy, however, mentioned the Lord was taking care of all of them in a sticky situation, and that He was showing Himself faithful even though things were not the way they should be.
After class, they broke up to go into the sanctuary for the church service. The musicians were tuning their instruments. A violinist, rhythm guitarist, lead guitarist, bass player and drummer formed the complete ensemble. They looked a little silly standing next to the organ, but Matt always enjoyed the music they made when he visited.
After meeting up with Lorie’s parents, they agreed to sit on opposite sides of the church. Once again, Matt stationed himself where he could keep watch on the doors. Deputy Douglas did the same, monitoring the set of doors near the senior Narramores.
After church, Matt drove Lorie and her parents back toward Rob Roy Ranch. At Matt’s suggestion, Lorie called Ginny Travis to explain she couldn’t make lunch this week, but she hoped they’d be able to meet up soon. After a similar call to Ike and Tammy to reschedule their planned supper, they reached the ranch.
The moment Matt drove up to the gates, he knew something was wrong. For one thing, Rick was standing there, waving him off.
Matt rolled down his window. “What is it?”
“Get them out of here. We have a situation.”
“What?”
“Leonard Adderson ignored our refusal and showed up with a dozen people wanting cabins.”
“Can you handle it?”
“It’s being handled right now.”
Lorie’s concerned voice broke in. “You think he’s behind my troubles, don’t you?”
Matt glanced her way, galvanized by the fear in her eyes.
“Doesn’t matter what I think at this point. I have to keep you safe.”
Rick nodded. “Get them out of here. I’ll call you when it’s all clear.”
Matt responded by driving back onto the highway.
“And here I was looking forward to another one of your sister-in-law’s really good lunches. I mean, dinners.” Lorie’s grin looked forced.
“Well, there will be more of those, God willing. In the meantime, what do you all want to eat, and how far are you willing to drive to get it?”
“Anything will be all right.” As usual, Margaret sounded as though she didn’t want to put him to any extra trouble.
“If you all aren’t starving, then let’s go a good distance from the Ranch. The farther the better. If we’re not there, our perp shouldn’t be able to find us.”
“I pray not.” Lorie rubbed her arms and then turned to look out the window.
They drove through Sister Mountain and, at Crossroads, turned east toward the county line. Matt kept a wary eye on the rearview mirror. If anyone was following them, they were doing such a good job that his superior skills couldn’t detect it.
They entered Sidney in neighboring Lanier County, and Matt dro
ve to a little down-home café. It was a charming place, owned by the same family for three generations, and served nothing but old family recipes, aside from a few healthier options they’d added in the past few years. The decor was early 1900s ice-cream-parlor chic. Framed photos decorated the walls, and beside the counter, a blackboard had the day’s special scribbled on it in colored chalks.
The Cardinal Café was packed, which was exactly what Matt had hoped for. They were less likely to be noticed in a crowd.
They took seats in the first available booth. By chance or grace, it happened to be positioned where they could keep an eye on the door. Matt made certain he could see his car through the window, so he’d notice if anyone tried to sneak up on it and sabotage it.
“So how long have you been working for the sheriff’s department?” Ben asked.
“Since I got back from a tour of duty overseas. I’m still with the reserves, but I probably won’t get called back anytime soon. At least I hope not. I enjoy working here at home.”
“Is it very challenging?” Margaret asked.
“Most of the time, it’s everyday, routine stuff. Traffic stops. Cats up trees. People complaining about noisy neighbors.”
“What about the rest of the time?” Lorie asked.
Matt suppressed a grin. “Well, sometimes we get librarians with mysterious notes and exploding cars, but that’s the exception rather than the rule.”
Lorie chuckled, and, despite the doubts the sheriff had raised, Matt was glad to hear the sound. She had a musical laugh. It made him long to hear it more often. Say, every day for the rest of his life. Unless she ended up in the federal pen for drug trafficking…
“What was your last case before you got my call? If you can tell me, that is.”
The waitress arrived with menus, and they took a moment to order what looked good. After she sashayed off, Matt resumed the conversation.
“It was a meth-lab investigation. Someone has to have alerted them, or they wouldn’t have been able to pull up stakes and disappear like that. We’ll get them eventually, though. We just need better intelligence reports.”
“We’ll pray you’re able to round them up soon.” Margaret gave him a smile. Matt could see where Lorie got her beauty.
The conversation turned to more pleasant things. The waitress brought their order, after which they blessed the food and started eating.
Lorie’s cell phone rang.
Lorie checked the display, then looked at Matt. “I don’t know who this is.”
Matt held out his hand. Lorie put the phone into it.
Matt flipped it open and hit the answer button, putting it on speaker.
“You have been a very naughty girl, haven’t you, going to the law like that. Shame on you.” The robot-processed voice was back.
Lorie turned pale. Margaret grabbed Ben’s arm. Matt put a finger to his lips.
“But then you know that, don’t you? I’m surprised at you, trusting a deputy. When he finds out the truth, you’ll finally be accountable.”
Combined with the call Gerhardt had fielded, all Matt’s dark suspicions came flooding back. Was she responsible for more than justifiable homicide? Lorie’s expression held no hint of guilt, just confusion and fear.
“Why are you tormenting me?” Lorie demanded. “What did I ever do to you?”
“Why, you killed Grayson, of course. You have to be punished for that, since the court let you go.”
“But I was innocent.”
“You shot him. He died. End of story.”
“Are you family of his, or what? I didn’t mean to kill him. I was only trying to stop him from killing Ms. Montoya and me.”
“I know what happened, and I know what you say happened. Those two things don’t jibe. You wanted out of the operation and he wasn’t about to let you go. You killed him and then made the courts believe it was self-defense.”
Lorie turned very white, and then very red. She looked angry.
“Now wait just a minute here. I don’t know what you think I am, but I was never involved in any sort of operation. I had no call or reason to want Grayson Carl dead. A lot of other people may have wanted him dead, but I wasn’t in that number. Got it?”
“You talk a good game, Ms. Narramore, but it’s coming to an end. You’ll finally get what you deserve. I hope your life insurance is up to date.”
A cold rage settled in Matt’s stomach.
Click.
Dial tone.
Matt looked at Lorie. She still looked furious, or frightened. Probably both. Tears trickled down her mother’s face. Despite his doubts, Matt wanted to gather them up and hide them in a cave until the vicious psychopath on the other end of the line was either dead or in custody. He wanted to keep them all safe, but he wasn’t sure how much longer he could.
*
Lorie wondered how she’d manage to eat even a bite of the delicious-looking chicken salad in front of her. The phone call had destroyed her appetite.
“I’m not hungry anymore.”
“Eat anyway. You need to keep up your strength.” Matt patted her hand. Lorie wished she could throw herself in his arms and hold on for dear life, but even if she believed it to be a good idea, in the middle of a crowded café during the lunch rush was hardly the ideal moment. Especially not with her parents in the audience.
Lorie picked up a fork and pierced a bite of salad. It smelled so good. Why wasn’t she hungry? Aside from the obvious reason that someone was out to kill her and her parents because she had been found not guilty of murder.
“Try to eat, honey.” Mom sounded so like how she had when Lorie had been little and not feeling well.
Lorie forced the bite into her mouth and chewed. It tasted like sawdust. She swallowed it anyway and took a long drink of the sweet tea. The liquid reached her taste buds where the chicken had failed. She took another long draft of it.
Mom and Dad started eating as well, paying plenty of attention to their plates, although Mom kept glancing in her direction. Matt kept a surreptitious eye alternating between the door and the window overlooking the car. Lorie guessed he was watching to make certain nobody tampered with it. After what had happened to her car while she was in the library, keeping watch was a good idea.
Driven. That’s what the perp seemed to be. Driven to destroy her, and for reasons that seemed to be based on speculation and delusion. There was nothing she could do to reason with him—no way to convince him she didn’t deserve to die. All she could do was hope and pray that he’d be caught before she or her family were harmed.
The next bite of chicken salad tasted more like chicken salad. The bite after that was actually good.
“Hmm. Not bad.”
Matt smiled at her. “Sawdust syndrome?”
“Huh?”
“Shock, grief…things like that can make food taste like sawdust. Or worse.”
“How’d you know?”
Matt grinned. “Been there. Choked on that.”
His comment made Lorie smile in spite of herself. “How do you do it?”
“What, my job?”
Lorie nodded as she ate more of the salad.
“I can’t say it’s easy, but it’s my chosen career. Plus I love solving problems for people. I think if I hadn’t become a law-enforcement officer, I’d have considered becoming a private detective.”
The rest of the salad went down fairly easily, and the waitress came and replenished their tea at intervals. Bottomless glasses of sweet tea apparently were part of the tradition of the Cardinal Café. Lorie decided if she lived through this, she’d like to come back sometime when she wasn’t under such stress.
Maybe with Matt.
On a date?
No, she wouldn’t think about that. Not now. Maybe not ever.
They finished their first course, and the waitress suggested dessert, letting them know that the gingerbread was especially fine today, and that there were hot apple turnovers fresh out of the oven.
They to
ok a split order. Mom and Lorie had the gingerbread, and the men took the hot apple turnovers.
As they lingered over dessert, Matt’s phone rang.
He hauled it out of his pocket and stuck it to his ear. “MacGregor.” He was silent for a moment. “Oh, good. Thanks, Jim.” Another brief silence, when Jim’s voice could not be heard over the clatter of flatware and clinking of glasses from the crowded café.
“Right. We’ll head back then. Be sure you don’t stop watching. Lorie had another call from that maniac while we were here in the restaurant.” Another pause. “You’re right. I didn’t think of that. We’ll do something about that right now. Thanks. Yes. See you soon.”
Matt switched off the phone and stuck it back in his pocket. “Jim thinks maybe they’re tracking you through the GPS device in your phone.”
Lorie turned pale.
“You mean, my phone is bugged?”
“Not bugged. On the grid. Most newer phones have a tracking device in them so the phone companies are able to track their customers, where they are, how much they’re calling.”
“But they shouldn’t give that information out to people.”
“They don’t, but a good hacker can break into the system and find phones that way.”
“What can I do?”
“I have an idea.”
Matt’s idea was to remove the battery, effectively killing its GPS.
“I don’t know what I’ll do without my phone.”
“We’ll get you a burner phone with prepaid minutes.”
“But what if he wants to call me and keeps getting routed to voice mail? Won’t that make him angry?”
Matt’s expression was grave. “He’s angry already. This will simply make it harder for him to find you.”
If he hasn’t already… The thought hung unspoken in the air between them.
“What about Mom’s and Dad’s phones?”
“Let’s leave it at yours for now, until we know more.”
“Fine.”
They carried out the plan, stopping to buy a cheap phone with about fifty dollars’ worth of time on it.
Lorie couldn’t help wondering whether they were doing the right thing, removing their line of communication with the stalker. On the one hand, it took away the chance of his tracking her by her phone. On the other hand, it lost them any chance of being able to trace him in turn, or trick him into revealing his plans. After all, if she hadn’t gotten the phone call from him earlier, she wouldn’t have even realized her parents were in danger. What other crucial information might she miss? Only time would tell, and time was running out.
Love Inspired Suspense June 2014 Bundle 2 of 2: Forced AllianceOut for JusticeNo Place to Run Page 56