Small Town Justice(55)

She had to loosen her hold on Shane to allow him to step up to the car and view the remains. All he did was nod. That was enough. When he returned to her she could tell he was deeply moved.

“Are you all right?” Jamie asked tenderly.

“No.” His arm slipped around her shoulders again and she didn’t back away. “I don’t know how my dad stood it.”

“It was different for him,” she said. “He saw the sheriff’s job as his calling, the same way I think of caring for young children and you take care of machinery. It’s what we do.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

Shivering from the atmosphere at the scene more than from the evening’s chill, Jamie Lynn forced a smile. She could tell it wasn’t convincing because of the way Shane received it. One eyebrow arched. He didn’t mirror her false mood. Instead, he grimaced.

“Know what I think?” she asked.

“I’m afraid to guess.”

“Ha-ha. All I was going to say is that I think it’s time you called Marsha again and made sure she followed your instructions about Kyle.”

“Now that’s a good idea.”

“I have my moments.” When she smiled this time, Shane reciprocated.

“Yes, you do.” Keying in his mother’s preset number, he held the phone to his ear while still speaking to Jamie. “Do you want to talk to Mom about Useless, too? Give her more instructions?”

“That would be fine. Thanks.” She watched his face as he listened to the cell phone. Obviously it was ringing on the other end. The problem was, Shane had not begun to converse with anybody and his countenance was darkening.

“There’s no answer,” he reported.

“Maybe she forgot it at home. Or they could be in the car and don’t hear the ringtones. How long has it been since your last call?”

He checked his watch. “Less than an hour. It feels like ages.”

“I know. Do you think they’d release us if Harlan vouched for us?”

“It’s worth a try. And while I’m at it, I’ll ask him to swing by my mom’s place and check on them, too.”

“Smart man.” Jamie’s genuine smile flashed briefly even though their surroundings continued to dampen her spirits. Despite all their problems and the ongoing danger, she was thrilled to have made progress.

She continued to wonder how the assassins had learned of their meeting with the defense attorney and why they, too, had not been targeted. Marsha would probably claim that God had protected them, and that was certainly a possibility. Yet Jamie felt a growing uneasiness she was unable to explain.

What was causing it? What should she do? Perhaps their forced inactivity was getting to her. Once they were allowed to head back to Serenity, that nervous sense should ease. At least she hoped so.

Observing Shane as he spoke with the Fulton County sheriff made her desperately want to pace. She repressed the urge. It wouldn’t help him to see how anxious she was. If she had her way, they’d simply climb into his truck and leave, whether that made them appear guilty or not.

Shortly after he’d hung up from speaking to Harlan Allgood and pleading their case, one of the officers on scene approached. “We have your names and addresses. You two can go.”

“Well, that was easy,” Jamie Lynn remarked. “Hey! Wait for me.”

She caught up to Shane at the truck and opened her own door just as he started the engine. If he had not paused to fasten his seat belt, she would have had trouble securing her own before he hit the accelerator and they sped away.

“Did Harlan say something that scared you?” The question had to be asked. She held her breath.

“No. He said he’s going to go check Mom’s house and the farm, too, in case they went there. He told me not to worry.”

“But you are anyway?”

Shane nodded forcefully and glanced over at her. “Yes. Aren’t you?”

This was not the time for evasion or making excuses. The most important person in her life, whether she liked it or not, was asking if she shared his thoughts and feelings. He deserved to hear the truth.

“Yes,” she said. “I can’t seem to shake a sense of disaster. I was scared all along, but this is different. It started right after they found the car in the lake and it keeps getting stronger. I don’t have a clue where it’s coming from. Or why.”

The wider gaze he sent her way displayed more than mere concern. It reflected the unnamed fear she’d been unable to pinpoint and gave her goose bumps. Whatever he was thinking, it was affecting him to the core.

“I have the same bad vibes.” Shane’s hands were gripping the wheel so tightly his knuckles glowed white when they drove beneath streetlights.