“I was born in Illinois, remember?”
“I wouldn’t tell that to too many folks till they get to know you better. I’m okay with it but some people think, once a Yankee, always a Yankee.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“I doubt it.” She laughed. “You tend to do things your way most of the time, no matter what.”
Cody stared at her. “I tend to? What about you?”
“I can’t help it if my way’s the best way.”
“Not always,” he said firmly.
“Oh, yeah? Name one time when it wasn’t.”
His voice rumbled with emotion as he answered, “The time you charged an armed man and risked your life for a stupid canoe.”
Remembering, she shivered in spite of herself.
The parking lot surrounding Serenity Chapel was already crowded when they arrived. Trudy Lynn considered stopping near the front doors so Cody wouldn’t have to walk so far, then decided against it. She wasn’t being mean, as she’d jokingly threatened, she was merely making him exercise. His mention of their misadventure while guarding the canoes had reminded her of how well he’d managed to get around when he’d been forced to. She didn’t think for a minute that he was faking his disability and pain. But she did suspect he might be subconsciously punishing himself for the outcome of the original accident. If that were the case, it helped explain his refusal to continue physical therapy.
She found an empty space and parked. To Cody’s credit, he didn’t comment on how far they were from the entrance. By the time she’d gathered up her Bible and her purse, he was out of the truck, waiting.
“You’ve been here before, right?” she asked, leading the way.
“You know I have. This is where we first met.”
“That’s right. You were visiting Becky.”
“Yes. You and Carol Sue sat in the pew behind my poor sister and me, giggling and whispering during the service.”
“We did not!”
“Maybe not the whole time. But you two were sure enjoying yourselves.”
“Why not? Church is a happy place,” Trudy Lynn said.
“For you, maybe. Sometimes, I sit there feeling so much like an outsider I want to make a break for the door long before the sermon is over.”
“Try to avoid making that kind of an exit this morning, will you? Becky and Logan would be embarrassed.”
“Speaking of which, isn’t that Logan standing inside, shaking hands?”
“Sure is. Go grab a pew for us. I’ll join you in a few minutes. I need to pop into my Sunday school class first and explain why I wasn’t there this morning so they won’t worry.”
Before Cody had time to ask if she’d missed the class on his account, Trudy Lynn had dashed off down the hall.
He approached Logan. “Good morning. Where’s Becky?”
“Home,” Logan said. “I think she’s got a touch of the flu. We didn’t give you our germs the other night, did we?”
“Nope. I’m healthy as a horse.” He paused for a wry chuckle. “Of course, if I were a horse, they’d have shot me by now.”
“How is your leg?”
“Sore.” Cody shrugged. “But I didn’t come here to discuss my troubles. I need to have a private chat with you about my landlady.”
“Trudy Lynn? Why? More vandalism?”
“I wish it were that simple,” Cody said. “What else do you know about her cousin, Jim?”
“Nothing more than what I’ve already told you. That’s public record so I wasn’t violating a trust. Is Jim causing problems?”
“You have no idea.” Cody lowered his voice and spoke aside. “I’m not going into any detail till you and I are alone, but it looks like he’s been stealing from her.”
“Really? Humph, that is a surprise. If I’d been asked to choose the person most likely to try to swindle her, I’d have picked her ex-boyfriend.”
“Whoa. That’s one suspect I hadn’t considered.” Cody was frowning. “I thought he was out of the picture.”
“He’s supposed to be. The thing is, my wife tells me Ned was never one to give up without a fight, even when they were kids. He had too much pride.”
“Will says the guy dumped Trudy, not the other way around. Isn’t that what happened?”
“In a manner of speaking. Once he’d graduated college, Ned let her know he wasn’t coming back to town. When she refused to join him, he apparently insinuated she didn’t measure up to his new standards of sophistication any more than Serenity did.”
“Ouch. That had to hurt.”
“If it did, you sure couldn’t tell. She didn’t even seem to care, which is why I wondered if Ned got his pride hurt and decided to cause trouble for her.”
Logan paused to welcome some late arrivals, then said, “It’s almost eleven. Come on. We can talk a little more on the way to my office.”
By then, Cody was so involved in their conversation he’d have accompanied his brother-in-law if he’d had to crawl.
Logan stopped just inside his office door and checked his watch. “I can give you all of three minutes. What makes you think Jim is stealing?”
“Two sets of books, for starters. He’s been doing all the accounts payable and giving Trudy’s staff lower wages than she thought.”
“He’s pocketing the difference?”
“Looks like it. I didn’t have time to go over all the records. Who knows what else he may have done? She insists she wants to talk to him before we go to the sheriff. If Jim finds out we’re on to him, I’m afraid he’ll panic and erase those files.”
“A good tech can almost always get them back for you if you need them,” Logan said. “That’s a mistake lots of criminals make. They think data that doesn’t show up in their computer’s active memory is gone. Trust me. It isn’t. It may be hard to access but it’s still there.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“So, tell me,” Logan said with a knowing smile. “When did you start referring to yourself and our Ms. Trudy Brown as we?”
Exiting Miss Louella’s Class for Extraordinary Ladies, Trudy Lynn was grinning. They’d teased her about coming to church with Cody that morning, as she’d expected. She didn’t mind. The women in that class had the biggest, most loving hearts of any group she’d ever belonged to and it was their serious prayers she desired most.
Though she was loathe to admit it, especially to him, Cody had frightened her with his constant talk of danger. She’d never felt personally threatened before. Now, it was all she could do to make herself accompany Widget outside after dark. Having a spirit of fear was supposed to be wrong, so why was she unable to shake it?
Hurrying into the sanctuary, she paused at the rear. There weren’t many tall, blond men in the congregation so she expected to spot Cody easily. Puzzled when she didn’t see him, she started slowly down the center aisle, responding to greetings from fellow worshippers as she went.
She came upon Becky’s aunt Effie and her new husband, Brother Fred, seated in the first row. “Hi. Have you seen Cody? We rode together.”
“And you lost him?” Effie teased. “A big guy like that? My, my.” She sobered. “How’s he doing, anyway? We haven’t heard much lately.”
“Pretty well,” Trudy Lynn said. “We expected to visit with Becky this morning. Have you seen her?”
“She’s sick, I reckon. Nothin’ else ever kept her out of church.”
“That’s too bad. Cody’ll be disappointed. Assuming I ever locate him, that is.”
“When you do, you’d best keep a close eye on him,” the elderly woman warned. “Turning a handsome, single fella like that loose in here with all these unmarried ladies is like wavin’ a pan of fudge under the nose of a gal who’s been on a starvation diet. Anything might happen.” She squeezed Fred’s hand. “I always hold tight to this good catch of mine.”
It warmed Trudy Lynn’s heart to see the fond look the older couple exchanged. “I’ll keep that in mind.” Her already gene
rous smile widened as she spotted her guest. “There’s Cody. In the back. Safe and sound. If you talk to Becky, tell her I asked about her. I’ll phone her later.”
“Y’all could sit down here by us,” Effie suggested. “There’s plenty of room.”
“I know. But it looks like Cody’s having a little trouble balancing on the sloping aisle. We’ll visit after the service, okay?”
Trudy Lynn didn’t wait for an answer. She quickly joined Cody and motioned to an empty space in the back. “I was just talking to Effie and Brother Fred.”
“Do you want to go sit with them?”
“That’s not necessary. I said we’d talk later.” Entering the pew, she left room for Cody and his crutches. When he was comfortably seated she added, “I guess Becky’s sick this morning.”
“That’s what Logan said.”
“You had a chance to talk with him? You didn’t mention those problems we found, did you?”
“I certainly did.”
Trudy Lynn was irritated. “I told you I wanted to speak to Jim before we said anything to anybody. I should have known you wouldn’t listen to me.”
“I listened. Calm down and think for a second. Logan was already aware of some of Jim’s problems and he also has a professional background. There was no reason to keep our suspicions from him. We need his advice.”
Trudy Lynn pulled a face. She had no plausible grounds to disagree. “Okay. I suppose you’re right. This time. So, tell me. What did Logan have to say?”
“Not to worry about the files being erased, among other things.”
“What other things?” Scowling, she tried to be patient. Expecting a man to make sense was problematical. Getting this one to reveal anything was like waiting for Widget to spit out a grasshopper—whatever parts did finally show up, it probably wasn’t going to be the whole insect.
Cody leaned closer. He lowered his voice to ask, “What are the chances your ex-boyfriend could be our vandal?” She drew back and scowled.
“Ned? That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it? Why?”
“Because.”
“That’s not a very good reason.”
“It’s good enough for me. Ned insisted nothing would ever make him set foot in this hick town again and I believed him. I’m sure that opinion extends to my campground. He never did like the place.”
“He’s a fool,” Cody said flatly.
Trudy Lynn’s cheeks warmed. No wonder it was so hard to stay upset with this impossible man. Every time he made her mad he seemed to follow up with something so endearing, so unexpected, it instantly negated her annoyance.
She smiled. “What a nice thing to say. I’m glad you appreciate the beauty of this area. I love it here.”
The service was starting, giving Cody barely enough time to cup his hand around his mouth and add, “I wasn’t referring to the real estate.”
To Trudy Lynn’s credit she managed to listen to most of Logan’s sermon, although if anyone had asked her, she knew she couldn’t have recalled its content. She figured she was doing well to accompany Cody out the door afterward without grinning so broadly her cheek muscles cramped.
They chatted briefly with Effie and Fred before bidding them goodbye and starting for the parking lot. Trudy Lynn stopped in surprise when she saw her supposedly nefarious cousin leaning against the side of her pickup truck. His nonchalant pose made her wary. Jim never relaxed. His manner was usually comparable to that of a nervous hummingbird. Seeing him standing so quietly, obviously waiting for her, was a bit unnerving.
She would have reached for Cody’s arm if his crutches hadn’t been in the way. Instead, she put her hand lightly on his shoulder. “See that guy by the truck? That’s Jim. I wonder what he wants.” She shuddered. “You don’t think Brother Logan called him, do you?”
“Not for a minute. Logan takes his job too seriously. He’d never betray a confidence.” Cody started forward. “Come on. It’s high time I met your cousin.”
Trudy Lynn had to hurry to keep up. She reached the truck at the same time Cody did and forced a smile. “Hi, Jim. I’d like you to meet Cody Keringhoven. He’s Becky’s brother.”
“I heard you’d taken in a stray.” The wiry teen snorted, obviously passing judgment.
Before Trudy Lynn could object to Jim’s lack of respect, Cody said, “I’m not freeloading, if that’s what you’re thinking. I’m working for my keep.”
Jim eyed him up and down. “Oh, yeah? Doin’ what?”
“Looking out for prowlers, to start with,” Cody said evenly. “I’m also pretty good at bookkeeping.”
“Hey! That’s my job,” Jim blurted, abandoning his lackadaisical facade.
Trudy Lynn could tell how worried the younger man was. Good. Let him sweat. If they’d made a mistake and Jim was innocent of the suspected theft, she’d apologize. Unfortunately, it didn’t look as if she was going to have to. Jim was giving a perfect impression of a naughty kid who’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Her cookie jar. And she wasn’t ready to forgive what he’d already done to her staff. The worst part was, she couldn’t afford to make it up to them retroactively.
“Those books are mine,” Trudy Lynn said. “I can look at them anytime I want to. Right?”
“Sure.” Jim’s bony shoulders twitched. “No problem. I’ll print you out whatever you want.”
“From which file?” she asked without smiling.
Her cousin’s glance darted to Cody. When he began to glare at the man, any lingering doubt Trudy Lynn had was swept away. Jim was as guilty as if he’d robbed her at gunpoint. That would have been hard enough to accept coming from a stranger. This boy was family.
Saddened, she said, “We haven’t gone to the sheriff, Jimmy. Not yet. But we will if you don’t have a very good explanation for what you did.”
“You owed me the money,” he said, as if that made his thievery acceptable.
“I gave you as much as I could afford. You knew what the job paid when you took it.”
“Yeah. I knew.” He snorted derisively. “I knew a lot of other stuff, too. You don’t have a clue.”
“I want to understand.” She gently laid her hand on his thin forearm and felt it tremble. “Don’t be afraid.”
Jim jerked free. “I ain’t afraid of nothin’.”
“Then calm down and come back to the office with us. I want you to show Mr. Keringhoven everything—all the duplicate files you set up. Then we’ll talk. I’m sure we can work something out so you won’t have to go to jail.”
“Yeah, sure.” He was backing away. “Later.”
Trudy Lynn stood beside Cody and watched the teen cut across the lawn to the street. She sighed. “Do you think he’ll show up?”
Cody shook his head. “Not in a million years.”
NINE
That Sunday afternoon had begun sultry and ended wet, thanks to a surprise storm. The rain didn’t have to last long to impress Cody. Drops as big as quarters were driven horizontal by a gale that looked as if it was strong enough to snap the tops off the trees. He waited it out in the camp store with Trudy Lynn while Anna tended to the few customers daring enough to brave the deluge.
“Does it always come down like this?” Cody asked.
Trudy Lynn laughed. “No. Sometimes it’s worse. Our storms are very unpredictable. This is the kind of weather that can spawn tornadoes, too.”
“Terrific. And for this I left California?”
“Why did you leave, anyway?”
“Lots of reasons.”
“One of them wouldn’t happen to be similar to my story about Ned, would it?”
“Maybe. I haven’t met Ned so I can’t judge his motives. I imagine Stephanie was prettier, though.”
To his chagrin, he saw the twinkle fade from Trudy’s eyes. “All her beauty was on the outside,” Cody quickly explained. “There was a callous element to her personality that I never saw till I wound up on crutches.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Truthfully? Yes. I can’t picture myself tagging along after him and pretending I like being in the city. Even if I could have managed to please him temporarily, I’d eventually have resented him for taking me away from all this.” She swept her arm in a wide arc. “I belong here the same way those oaks and sycamores belong in the forest. Or the Spring River belongs in its banks. They just do.”
Cody nodded. “I know exactly what you mean. I felt the same about the Tuolumne.”
“Felt? Past tense? I thought you were looking forward to going back there as soon as you were able.”
“Not anymore.” He shrugged. “I’ve accepted my limitations.”
“You can still enjoy being on the water. How about going canoeing with me as soon as the weather clears?”
“No thanks.”
“Why not? It would do you good to get out. Our river may not be as exciting as you’re used to but it’s not boring, either. There’s lots to see—birds, deer, all kinds of wildlife.”
“I said, no.”
Cody didn’t like the way Trudy Lynn was studying his face, trying to read him. It was embarrassing to admit, even to himself, how his stomach churned every time he thought about getting back into a boat. Any boat. On any watercourse. The last thing he was going to do was confess those irrational feelings and open himself to ridicule. He gritted his teeth. Worse than that, Trudy Lynn might decide to help him overcome his hang-ups, with or without his consent.
Moments later, she said, “Fine,” as if it didn’t matter.
“I couldn’t even get into a canoe with this brace on my knee,” he said, hoping to soothe her bruised pride. “Maybe later.” And maybe never.
“Okay. If you decide you want to take out one of my canoes by yourself, just tell Will. He’ll fix you up.”
Cody took her hand. To his relief, she didn’t resist his easy grasp. “I’m not turning down your offer because I don’t want to ride with you, Trudy Lynn. I’m turning it down because…” Her clear, trusting gaze unnerved him. “Just because I don’t want to go, okay?”
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