Small Town Justice(49)

“She left him after Marty got to the end of his rope. Max thinks she blamed him for the loss of their son, even though Marty was an adult by then. You won’t have to worry about her trying to stop Max from talking to you.”

“Okay. See if you can set it up,” Shane said. “As soon as Harlan gets something he can match to the DNA of the blood samples from the motel, he expects to be able to arrest the Lamont brothers. If they reveal who hired them and it’s who we think, he can go ahead and question Randall and Abernathy. Before he has something concrete to go on, he’s afraid he’ll spook them.”

“Is there some place Marsha and Otis can go with Kyle?” Logan asked. “A short vacation, maybe?”

Jamie leaned forward, elbows on the conference table they were sharing. “I’d suggested that already, particularly since Shane’s worried about Kyle being made a ward of the court.”

The pastor looked astounded. “Why?”

“Because of me,” Jamie said. “Randall made veiled threats when he knew we were listening. I’ve stayed away from Shane since then, for the sake of his son, but that may not be enough. I wasn’t even sure we should keep this appointment. At least not together. But Shane insisted. He has a stubborn streak a mile wide.”

Shane frowned at her. “Then go home to New England and let the pros handle the case from here on out.”

“That is not going to happen.”

“See?” He arched his eyebrows at their adviser. “What did I tell you? She’s impossible.”

“Yes, but if she had not come back here and stirred things up, we wouldn’t know what really happened to Sam.”

“There’s still no real proof.” Seeing Jamie stiffen in the chair beside him, Shane reached for her hand. “Let me put it this way. We know Ray Jr. wasn’t driving the car that hit my dad because he was passed out. What we don’t know is who was behind the wheel and whose blood might be on the car seat. All the evidence from years past is stored at the old sheriff’s station. As soon as Harlan has a chance, he’ll go back there and look for it.”

“You think they gathered those samples at the scene?” Logan asked.

“We certainly hope so.” Shane held tighter when Jamie Lynn tugged to free her hand. “We aren’t going to give up until this is settled and the right person pays the price.”

Nodding, she spoke quietly. “Do you think you could see if my brother will at least talk to you, Pastor Malloy? He refuses to see me and I thought maybe, if you asked, he’d agree.”

“I’ll be glad to try,” Logan said, making a note on the pad of paper in front of him. “I take it he’s in Little Rock?”

“Yes. That’s one of the reasons I came this far instead of hiring somebody to investigate for me. I wanted to see my big brother.” She raised a hand to discourage comment and added, “I’m not expecting him to be the teenager I remember. Aunt Tessie pointed that out more than once. I’d just like to talk to him, face-to-face. Maybe, after he finds out how much progress I’ve made in his case, he’ll want to hear the details from me.”

“Or be scared to death that you’ll disappear the way your parents did,” Logan offered. “But I will inquire and get back to you. Where are you staying while you’re in town?”

“The Blue Jay Motel.”

“I’d heard there was some trouble over there. Was that about you?”

Shane answered for her. “Yes. But there haven’t been any more problems since I moved in, too.” Grinning wryly, he added, “I have my own room and we’re both in the very front where the lights are bright all night.”

“Kyle’s staying with your mother?”

“Yes. And I like your idea about her and Otis taking him away for a week or so.”

“Assuming that’s long enough.” The pastor rose and offered his hand to shake Shane’s as soon as Jamie pushed back her chair. “May I pray with you before you go?”

Shane wondered if she’d object. To his delight, she grasped both Logan’s hand and his, completing a circle.

Further lifting his spirits and confirming the rightness of their visit, Pastor Malloy offered a simple prayer that was both touching and easy for laymen to comprehend, meaning it was sure to reach Jamie Lynn’s heart.

He could not have asked for more from the detective-turned-pastor, except the phone calls he’d promised to make on their behalf. The sooner they spoke personally with the supposedly crooked defense attorney, the sooner they could move on to the next step and the closer they’d be to a final solution.