“Isn’t this a bit sudden?” Her eyes glistened with unshed tears and her grin made her whole face glow as if the sun were rising to illuminate it.
“Not the way I look at it,” John said as he prepared to kiss her. “I think we’re about five years late.”
Samantha slid her arm around his neck and touched her lips to his for an instant before she said, “Better late than never.”
* * *
The slicker-clad police officers who burst into the cabin ready to do battle were greeted by a knot of survivors. John stepped forward to act as their spokesman.
Samantha deferred to him without argument, especially since he’d confessed to stealing a sheriff’s car in order to track her. He’d risked his career for her sake so she figured it would be best if she let him tell the whole story from his point of view.
It was hard to listen without interrupting but she managed to keep quiet. Almost. “There has to be at least one more person involved in this,” she added when John paused. “These were the two guys who grabbed Danny outside the hospital but there was another one behind the wheel of the getaway car. I didn’t see any sign of him when we got here.”
“We’ve already picked him up,” Sheriff Allgood said. “He was dumb enough to drive his own vehicle and leave the real license plate on it. State troopers nabbed him near the Little Rock airport. They think he was planning to fly out of the country.”
“So, this was all about money laundering?” she asked. “If so, where was the money coming from? Could it have been from selling drugs?”
John raised his hands as though he’d suddenly found himself on the wrong side of the law and wanted to surrender. “I never told her anything important about our investigation,” he said firmly. “She guessed. Honest.”
“It’s the only conclusion that made sense,” Samantha explained. “Ben Southerland managed money and these guys wanted something they thought he’d taken. If not drug profits, then what?”
The sheriff sent her a wry smile. “Are you fishing for a job as a deputy? I may have an opening pretty soon.”
Samantha’s first thought was that John was going to be fired. Then she remembered that he now worked for the police department instead of Harlan Allgood.
Her brows arched. “An opening? Who’s quitting?”
If she hadn’t been staring so intently at the sheriff’s expression she might have missed the flash of disappointment that lingered only moments before he answered, “Charlie Fox.”
“Charlie? Why?”
“I’m not at liberty to say.”
Samantha’s thoughts whirled. If Charlie was simply moving on to a different job there would be no reason for hedging. Therefore, he had to be in some kind of trouble.
She began to put two and two together. Her forehead knit in concentration. “Wait a second. Charlie was near my house on several occasions when weird things happened.” She looked up at John. “He was even there right before we found that last note taped to Brutus’s collar.”
The sheriff seemed interested. “Really?”
“Yes. Really.” Her eyes widened as she realized the importance of what she was implying. “If Charlie was involved with drugs and these guys were, too, maybe there’s a connection. Bobby Joe Boland is Charlie’s cousin.”
Harlan was slowly shaking his head. A lopsided smiled began to lift one corner of his mouth and he directed it at John. “You told me she was sharp. I had no idea how sharp.”
He turned his attention to Samantha. “Do you think you can keep a lid on this for a couple more days? I’d hate to have word get out that we were about to conduct a big drug bust and have the rats scatter before we can sweep them up in our trap.”
“What about my dog?” Sam asked, both hopeful and anxious. “Somebody still has Brutus. The last warning I got said they’d kill him on Sunday unless I handed over whatever Bobby Joe is supposed to have given me.”
“We’ll be sure to keep an eye out for your dog,” Harlan said. “I can’t promise you anything for sure but we’ll try our best to get him back for you.”
The anxiety of the past few hours had already worn Samantha to a frazzle. Her concern for Brutus added an extra layer of angst. Her heart was heavy, her mood somber.
Then she looked over at Lindy and Danny, put herself in their place and couldn’t help feeling ashamed.
She slipped her hand through the crook of John’s elbow and held tight. Many prayers had been answered. There was an enormous amount to be thankful for.