Small Town Justice(10)

“Of course you will.”

“I don’t understand.”

A deep breath and heavy sigh helped settle him enough to speak his mind without letting rancor overwhelm him. “You don’t have to tell me more about why you came back. You intend to stir up trouble. It’s a given, particularly now that I’ve seen how you operate.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. Really. Once you latch on to an idea, you haven’t got sense enough to drop it, even when it’s wrong.”

“Listen, Mr. Colton. The folks around here were so sure R.J. was guilty they did that very thing to him. He was convicted in the court of public opinion long before he ever stood before a judge.”

“Not true. He had a fair trial. I was there.”

Her shoulders slumped, and she looked away as if viewing the past before she said, “Sadly, I was not. My parents thought they were sparing me by keeping me in the dark. All they were really doing was giving my imagination free rein. That was a mistake. Now I have to go back and start from the beginning if I want to understand.”

“How do you propose to do that?”

“Court records, among other things. As I said, I’ve already talked to people at the county courthouse and requested other information that’s in the public domain.”

“Terrific.” He knew he was scowling and gave himself permission to continue. “My mother is just getting her life back together and you come along to ruin it.”

“This has nothing to do with your mother.”

His voice rose. “She was married to the man your brother ran down and left in the street to bleed to death. How can you say it has nothing to do with her? It has everything to do with her.”

* * *

Serenity had two main streets and two highways that intersected. Jamie Lynn knew she was currently on Third Street and that her motel was located on Highway 62. As soon as Shane’s back was turned, she slipped out the front door and headed toward courthouse square. From there, she figured she could easily get her bearings. There was no danger. Nobody would expect to see her dressed like a nurse just getting off duty.

One thing was definite. She was not going to spend one more unnecessary moment with any Colton if she could help it. This would mark a new beginning to her quest.

Ulysses trotted along beside her as if he’d strolled those roads all his life. As soon as they reached Church Street and could walk on sidewalks instead of the outside edges of narrow pavement, Jamie Lynn stopped worrying about passing traffic.

Looking down at her exuberant pet made her smile, as always. “What a good boy. I wish you could tell me how to relax the way you do,” she crooned.

He rewarded her with a wag of his tail and a glance before continuing to sniff his way along their route.

The afternoon was still warm and the air so clean and fresh she could almost feel it healing her sore throat. There was also peace and ambience to be enjoyed here; something she had neither remembered nor expected.

Traffic circling the square was heavier than she had anticipated, so she paused. Proceeding directly to the courthouse would entail extra crossings. Sensibly, she opted to take the long way around instead.

Flashes of buried memory began to surface. A few stores and even nearby homes seemed familiar, and not in a negative way. The same thing had occurred when she’d been exploring the old farmhouse, but she had not expected to experience such clear recollections anywhere else.

“I’m supposed to hate this place,” she muttered to herself, disgusted to be feeling almost comfortable.

A family was coming out of the tiny library, the excited children clasping books and dancing for joy. An older couple was entering the café on the west side of the square. The name over the restaurant door didn’t ring a bell but the building itself certainly did.

Jamie looked ahead and saw a sign for the police station. Good. If she couldn’t locate the motel once she turned the corner, she’d backtrack and ask someone in there for directions.

Cracks in the sidewalk where tree roots had lifted the paving slowed her briefly. That, and Ulysses’s insistence that he sniff every post and corner and square inch of the walkway.

Steep concrete stairs led up to the glass doors of the police building. They, too, were familiar. Perhaps it would be prudent to check here before proceeding. After all, she was already on their doorstep.

Ulysses made the first couple of high jumps, then pulled back so she’d pick him up and carry him the rest of the way. Traffic continued to pass, the drivers cautious because there were no stop signs to regulate right of way on the corners.

Jamie got to the top landing. Tried the door. Found it locked.