The Soldier's Promise

by Patricia Potter

  “That’s one of my goals,” Eve said. “You can’t even imagine what you might find there. An endless number of recipes for one, and gardening tips for another.”

  “You don’t think I’m too old?”

  “Not you, June. You’re probably going to outlive all of us.”

  June smiled at that. “That nice young man from the Hannity cabin came over to see me,” she said. “He apologized for the time I tried to welcome him. We had a nice chat. I like him, but he seems lonely. Probably needs a good woman.”

  Eve nearly choked. Was the whole town talking about her? And Josh? She had been at his cabin only a few times and never at night. She was going to have to careful, especially now that Al might be after her job.

  Was it worth trying to keep it? If she was to stay in Covenant Falls, yes. She needed the money, but even more than that she loved the town and its people. Most of them anyway.

  She politely bid June goodbye, found Nick and his grandparents and they went on to Maude’s. It was a perfect day in Covenant Falls. Not a cloud in the sky. The weatherman in Denver, though, predicted a storm tonight. She only hoped it wouldn’t be as powerful as the storm swirling around in her heart.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  JOSH WAS UNUSUALLY restless Sunday. Cabin fever, he thought. Or maybe it was wanting something he couldn’t have. Except he really didn’t know what he wanted.

  Or did he?

  He woke early, and for the first time since he arrived he didn’t have an immediate goal for the day. The kitchen was finished except for mostly empty cupboards.

  The flooring in the living area had to wait for Monday. Nate had other obligations today. He could start painting his bedroom, but maybe he needed a day to relax.

  He took Amos for a long walk. Lake Road narrowed and became a trail going up into the forest. Since he was climbing, he took his cane. Amos came reluctantly. He kept looking around, and Josh wondered whether the dog was looking for Nick. Young Nick certainly had a way with animals, and if Fancy was any example, he wondered what the other Douglas dogs were like. He smiled at the thought, and the smile grew as he thought of Eve, her head tipped upward in challenge.

  He reached a good resting spot—a big rock—and looked down over Covenant Falls. Not for the first time, he wondered about the name and whether it had a meaning. Sandwiched between the plains and mountains, it looked like an oasis.

  The lake shimmered in the sun, and he wondered whether the fishing was good. Whether Dave used to fish there. There had once been a dock on the lake in front of the cabin, but not much of it remained.

  Sunday. It was Sunday and he’d discovered that nearly everything in Covenant Falls was closed until after church services. Maybe he would drive into Pueblo for groceries. He could look at canoes, as well.

  Perhaps getting out of Covenant Falls would ease his itch for something he couldn’t—shouldn’t—have.

  When he arrived back at the cabin, he fed Amos and debated taking him along on the expedition. But by midday it would be too hot for him to stay in the Jeep, even for a few moments. He filled Amos’s water bowl, pulled out some chews and toys for him. “Guard!” he said.

  Amos just looked at him. No head erect, no ears pointed straight up.

  “Not yet, huh? Maybe that’s a good thing. You and I are civilians now. Have to act like it.”

  Somehow it didn’t seem as bad as it did months ago when he knew he was out of the Rangers.

  He climbed into the Jeep and headed for Pueblo.

  * * *

  EVE DRANK IN the smell of horse and fresh air. She was on Beast and Nick was on Beauty as they took a trail that wound up into the national forest. It was well-worn, a favorite of pleasure riders.

  The horses had been more than eager after two weeks of what they probably considered abandonment. Although Jim and Abby had fed and watered them, no one had ridden them since a week before the snakebite. She’d been too busy, and Nick wasn’t allowed to ride alone.

  “You think Josh rides?” Nick asked.

  “I don’t know,” she replied when they slowed to walk side by side.

  Beast was difficult to handle today, but Beauty was, as usual, the perfect lady. Nick chattered on about the summer. He was now free of school, and that presented a number of new problems for Eve. How was she going to work and keep Nick away from Josh? She would have to talk to Josh, ask him to dissuade Nick from visits, but that would be insulting to him. She would have to be diplomatic, but how could you be diplomatic when you’re asking someone to stay away from your son?

  It was suppertime when they arrived back at the ranch. She made them both hot dogs, a treat for Nick. Just as they were finishing, the doorbell rang and she went to answer it.

  Tom stood there and the dogs clamored around him, asking for attention. He gave each a scratch or a pet or a tummy rub, depending on what the dog seemed to expect. He knew them well.

  “Can I get you something to eat? We had hot dogs for supper, and I have a couple left.”

  “No, thanks, but can we take a walk? Some city business.”

  She nodded. “Nick, can you take care of the dishes for me?”

  “Sure,” Nick said, happy after the long ride and a hot dog to boot.

  “There’s been a burglary, this time a home. Shep Hardy.”

  “He wasn’t hurt?”

  “He wasn’t home. He was out of town being honored at a rodeo. Came back this afternoon to find his rifles and his championship buckles gone. Also his coin collection. Strange because none of it will be easy to pawn, although gold belt buckles could be melted down and fetch a fair price.”

  She remembered reading that Shep would be honored at a rodeo in Wyoming. In his day, he’d been a four-time world champion in bronco riding and was the town’s local hero. But in so doing, his body had suffered numerous breaks, and now at sixty-five he could barely get around. He lived by himself on Lake Road, only eight houses from the Hannity cabin. She’d visited there, and the house was full of memorabilia.

  Anger boiled up in her. Shep was a good guy. His wife had also been rodeo, but had ironically died of cancer. Shep had taken care of her and had never remarried. Love of his life, he’d once told her.

  “It was in the paper that he would be out of town,” she said. “That means it was probably local. Find anything at his house?”

  “Sam was on duty. The minute I heard I went over there and took over the crime scene. We dusted for fingerprints but, hell, I don’t think we will find anything.”

  “No witnesses?”

  “We don’t know when it happened. He’d been gone four days and returned about noon today. We’re surveying the neighborhood but no one saw anyone around his cottage. But almost everyone who lives on the road was at the fund-raiser Saturday and church this morning.”

  “How is Shep?”

  “Feeling down, and it’s a shame. He had been excited about the honor.”

  He was quiet for a moment. “We still can’t be sure it’s not Manning,” he said. “But all my instincts tell me otherwise. He’s a smart guy and would know most of the stuff is worthless. Still, I want to check out his property.”

  Eve eyed him. “If what you thought a few days ago is true, one of the rifles might well be on Josh’s property, someplace where your department can find it.”

  “I know. The town is going to be really angry about this. It was bad enough when Maude’s was burglarized, but Shep is a beloved legend.”

  “And somebody knew that.”

  “Yes,” Tom answered. “I have an idea, but I need your approval.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “I’m inclined to think it’s Sam,” he said, “but maybe I’m prejudiced because he was forced on me and he feels safe in being insubordinate. But I can’t ask any other members of
the force to spy on him. If I’m wrong, it would tear the department apart.

  “We have a vacancy,” he continued. “I know your budget is tight and we were going to wait, but I want to hire someone now on a short-term basis, someone I know and trust.”

  “Someone you obviously have in mind,” she said.

  “I’ve already contacted him to see whether it’s a possibility. He served with me at the sheriff’s department. He was just a rookie then but had all the right instincts. He’s since been hired by investigative services with the Colorado Highway Department but he doesn’t start for another month. I know the sheriff and can ask him to send him over until I can get someone full-time. I’ll put him on the same shift as Sam.”

  “He’s on days now, right?”

  Tom nodded. “Manning says he’s seen a police car go by his house on a regular basis at night and wondered whether it was a standard patrol. It’s not, and it’s not Sam’s regular shift but he’s volunteered for extra hours since the burglaries. It’s not like him to volunteer.”

  “Do it,” Eve said. She was fully aware she was risking her job. And it wasn’t for Josh. If there was even the slightest possibility that Sam was behind the burglaries, then he shouldn’t be a member of the Covenant Falls Police Department, or any other department. She couldn’t get out of her head what Russ had said about a younger Sam, that he was a bully. She’d thought that maybe he’d outgrown it when he’d finished his criminal justice program, but maybe not.

  “I’ll call him,” Tom said. “I’ve already felt him out. He knows what one bad apple can do to a department, particularly a small one.”

  She hated the subterfuge but she couldn’t find another answer to the problem. She changed the subject. “June likes Josh and is trumpeting her approval all over town. So have Abby and Jim, and you know everyone listens to them. If our thief is Sam, he might well be panicking. He might do something really stupid.”

  “Like rob Shep,” Tom said.

  “If we’re wrong, then no harm done. Your guy will just come and go with no one the wiser.”

  “And we’ll still have the problem of multiple thefts and an unhappy town.”

  “Part of the job,” she said.

  “I’ll have to talk to Manning again,” he warned her.

  “You’re surveying all the neighbors, aren’t you? It’s only natural to include him. Nothing more than that.” She gave him a big hug. “No one will ever replace you.”

  He left. She watched him walk slowly to the car. She was asking too much of him, but she didn’t know what she would do without him. She would just have to find a way. He seemed to have aged several years in the past few days. First thing in the morning, she would make some calls.

  * * *

  JOSH PULLED INTO his driveway in the late afternoon. There was more activity on the street than he’d seen before. Small groups of neighbors chatting. They stared at his Jeep as he passed them.

  His mental alarm system told him something had happened. He parked and hurried inside to check on Amos.

  Amos was agitated, his ears up. He growled, but not at Josh. It was the same low, steady sound Amos had made when scenting danger.

  Josh went through the cabin. His gun was still in place. The door locks did not appear to have been tampered with. Probably thanks to Amos. Few knew he had resigned from being a soldier dog, and he was formidable looking.

  But something had made Amos nervous while he was gone. After the neighborhood calmed down, he would go outside and take a look around.

  He put away the groceries. Staples like coffee and salt and butter, some steaks, potatoes, bread, beef jerky for Amos and charcoal for the grill. He’d also bought glasses and plates, things he had avoided before.

  He had resisted buying a canoe, but he had looked at several and planned to return later. But still, none of this had to mean he was going to stay. It just meant that he and Amos would be more comfortable while he finished with the cabin.

  He sat on the sofa and thought about Covenant Falls, Eve and Nick. It was the first time in years he had thought much about the future. It had always been better to take one day at a time.

  But Eve kept creeping into his mind, as did Nick. And the funny little dog named Fancy to whom Amos had taken a shine, and Mrs. Byars, who had made him brownies. Warm thoughts. God knew he hadn’t had many of those.

  He looked out again, and the crowd had dispersed as the afternoon turned into dusk and, he supposed, suppertime for most families. He was suddenly struck with loneliness. Lights went on in the cottages and cabins down the road and across the lake. Maybe he would take Amos out earlier than usual.

  He started for the door and Amos stood and followed him. Josh went out into the yard, intending to walk around the lake. But Amos was sniffing near the house. He was following a trail. It ended where the Harley was parked under its cover, waiting to be repaired.

  Amos stood next to it. Waiting. Trying to tell him something.

  Josh lifted the cover and saw a rifle. It was obviously expensive. In the faltering dusk light, he could read the silver plate on the rifle: Shep Hardy, Bronco Riding Champion. 1970.

  It hadn’t been there a week ago. His thoughts went back to the small groups of people who had gathered on Lake Road earlier.

  Maybe it had something to do with the rifle. Maybe not. But it made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

  Scenes flashed through his mind: the belligerent deputy who had confronted him at the diner and had sent him heated looks since then, the patrol car at night, some of the suspicious looks he’d received in town, a chain of petty burglaries.

  He went inside the cabin, retrieved his cell phone and then took several photos of the rifle where it was nestled on the seat. Ordinarily he would have called the law, but he’d discovered some heavy currents in Covenant Falls politics and he wasn’t sure where all the loyalties lay.

  He searched the property with Amos. Nothing else seemed out of place.

  No one was lurking around.

  He returned to the cabin and found the scant list of phone numbers he kept, most of them of men he served with. He punched a number into his cell.

  “Sanford Security.”

  “Scotty? Josh here.”

  A silence. Then a voice said, “Damn but it’s good to hear from you. Last I heard you were in the hospital, then you just seemed to disappear.”

  “I’m in a small Colorado town called Covenant Falls. It probably isn’t even on a map. Dave left me a cabin, and I’m not sure what in the hell I’m going to do with it.”

  “I’m still interested in you. Love to have you train some of my guys. Good salary. Perks.”

  When Scott Sanford had left the service two years ago, he’d approached both Dave and him about joining a security firm he was planning to build. Neither had been interested. “I appreciate it,” Josh said, “but I haven’t made any decisions yet. I do have a favor to ask.”

  “Name it.”

  “I need some small outdoor spy cameras. Battery-operated. Not top-of-the-line, just functional. Five of them, if you can manage it.”

  “I can do that. Nothing illegal, I assume.”

  “No. Just securing Dave’s property.”

  “Where do I send them?”

  Josh gave the address and directions in relation to Denver.

  “When do you need them?”

  “Morning, if possible.”

  “Can get them to you before ten. Anything else we can help you with?” There was a note of concern in Scott’s voice.

  “Just the cameras for now. Thanks.”

  “None necessary. Just remember you always have a job here.”

  Josh hung up. And found himself calling Eve.

  After several rings, he was about to give up when she answered.
r />   “Eve?”

  A hesitation. “Josh?”

  “Yes.” He got right to the point. “Something happened on this street tonight. I went to Pueblo and when I returned, it seemed all the residents were outside talking. Can you tell me what happened?”

  She hesitated again, then said, “Another burglary, this time a private home on your street. Shep Hardy. He’s a local hero. A national rodeo champion. He was out of town for several days, being honored at Frontier Days in Laramie.”

  “What was taken?”

  “Some rifles, gold championship belt buckles and a coin collection. The buckles would probably be worth something if melted down. The rifles were prizes and would be easily identified and hard to sell. Why?”

  “Just wondering since the police chief seems to have taken a special interest in me.”

  “Josh...”

  “Do you trust him?” he said abruptly.

  “Yes.”

  “Completely?”

  “With my life. He’s one of the most honest men I’ve ever met.”

  “Thanks,” he said and hung up. Cool. Real cool, but he wasn’t ready to say that a stolen rifle was on his property, hidden within another piece of his personal property. Not yet. Not until he had a little protection. He wanted everything on camera, and since the cameras wouldn’t be here until morning, it meant he and Amos would keep watch all night. In the meantime, he would put the rifle somewhere else.

  * * *

  EVE HUNG UP the phone. The joy of the day with her son was slipping away. She’d sensed a coolness Saturday, but Josh was certainly abrupt tonight. At least he had called her when he wanted information.

  She realized the chill had come from Tom’s visit. She couldn’t say she wouldn’t have felt the same way if she had been paid a visit by the law in a new town.

  The town was divided. The burglaries scared them. That the latest was a private home deepened the fear. It brought back the specter of four years ago when a motorcycle gang had terrorized the town and killed her father.