Kitabı oku: «The Mahoney Sisters», sayfa 3

Breathe in, bring the weight down. Breathe out, push it back up. In…out. In…out. For the first time in his life, he felt as if he was in over his head. The whole situation was driving him nuts, and his stomach burned all the time—enough to keep the antacid companies in business. Ironically, all those nerves had given him the push he needed to get in the best workout he’d had in a month.

His gut clenched again. He had to find that videotape before anyone else did.

Breathing heavily, he sat up on the weight bench and grabbed his water bottle off the floor next to him. The tepid liquid soothed his dry throat, but nothing could soothe the anxiety gripping him night and day like a vise. Sweat trickled down his back. Amelia should never have tried to force his hand. Slamming the bottle to the floor, he lay back on the bench.

In…out. In…out.

Memories assaulted Justin as he stepped inside the cabin. Memories of tanned legs and dripping wet hair from summers spent swimming in the creek with Keri. As close as their two families had been for the first fourteen years of their lives, Justin could well imagine he and Keri might have ended up married, continuing those summer traditions into the next generation. If only things hadn’t unraveled that summer his parents died. Regret slashed across his heart at the possibility of what might have been.

Keri’s voice brought him back to reality. “Dad, you remember Justin Kramer, don’t you?” She sounded as carefree as if she didn’t suspect him of murder.

The joy brightening Mac Mahoney’s lined face was unmistakable and warmed Justin more than the roaring fire in the fireplace. “What kind of a question is that? Of course I remember him.” Tears glistened in faded green eyes as the grizzled older man wrapped his arms around Justin. “It’s good to see you, boy. Good to see you. Been too long.”

“Yes it has.” When Mr. Mahoney turned him loose, Justin reached for the twins. “I’d like you to meet my sons, Billy and Josh.”

Mac smiled and winked. “No one would ever guess you two are related.”

Billy returned his grin.

Josh sneered. “Like we’ve never heard that one before.”

“Josh!” Justin scowled. “You owe Mr. Mahoney an apology.”

The boy shrugged. “Sorry.” But his face didn’t reflect remorse.

“I’m sorry. Josh and Billy lost their mother recently. These last few months have been difficult.”

Keri’s dad waved aside the apology, his eyes alight with sympathy. “Don’t worry about it. I was just about to whip up a batch of my famous donuts.” He cut a glance at the boys. “Anyone interested in helping me out?”

Billy’s face lit with a wide grin. “Yes, sir!”

Mac smiled back, then focused on Josh. “How about you?”

The boy’s eyes showed interest, but in an obvious attempt to maintain his churlish manner, he shrugged again. “I guess.”

Justin held his grin in check.

“Great!” Mac rubbed his hands together. “Keri can show you where to put your coats. Come into the kitchen after your hands are washed.”

“Follow me, gents,” Keri said and walked toward the bedroom.

As soon as the boys were out of the room, Mac eyed Justin, studying his face as though trying to put his finger on the situation. “What brings you to our neck of the woods?”

Though his body had aged and his shoulders had stooped a bit over the past fifteen years, Keri’s dad appeared to have retained the instincts that had caused him to hold the position of Briarwood’s chief of police for as long as Justin could remember.

“The boys and I just needed to get away for a while. I hope you don’t mind me just showing up. I didn’t think anyone would be here.” As soon as he spoke the last words, his face warmed. If Mac and Keri hadn’t been here, he’d have been breaking and entering.

Mac seemed to ignore that, still he peered closer. “You bringing trouble with you?” Mac squinted, his eyes demanding the truth.

“I don’t think so.”

Keri’s dad nodded, but his expression remained stoic. “Does this ‘need to get away’ have anything to do with your wife’s death? Raven works for a TV station in Kansas City. She called us when it first happened.”

“Yes. I found her…in our house.”

He arched a wooly gray eyebrow. “You guilty?”

“No, sir.”

He would have liked to explain. To make Mr. Mahoney believe that he was still the same boy he’d treated as his own son all those years ago. That he wasn’t capable of such a crime. But voices carried back into the room, signaling Keri and the boys’ return.

Mac gave him another studied look. “We’ll talk about it later.” He headed for the kitchen without waiting for Justin’s response. “Follow me, boys. I got sidetracked catching up with your dad, so you can help me grab the ingredients out of the cabinets.”

The boys followed, their quick easy steps indicative of their relief to be in a lighter atmosphere. Guilt shrouded Justin, and for the first time he found himself second-guessing his decision to leave town. Innocent men were found innocent in most cases. What would happen if a warrant had already been issued for his arrest and Keri Mahoney of all people had to take him in? A throat clearing caught his attention, and he jerked his gaze from the kitchen door to Keri.

She motioned for him to take a seat on the rustic, woodsy-printed couch.

“Thanks.” He walked into the sitting area and dropped into cushions, running his hand over the stubble covering his jaw.

Keri shed her jacket and tossed it across the arm of the chair next to the fireplace. Silence loomed, a thick black cloud of tension, as she wordlessly grabbed the poker and pushed at the glowing logs. Justin watched the sparks shoot up the chimney. She tossed another log into place, situated it just right, then replaced the poker on the stand. She turned to face him.

As their eyes met, memories rushed back to him on a wave of yesterday’s dreams. This was the girl he’d loved for the first fourteen years of his life. The one he very well might have married if things hadn’t gotten so fouled up.

The way she stared at him, he could imagine she was having similar thoughts. She cleared her throat. “So…”

“Listen. I don’t expect to talk about the good old days.” Justin gave her a lopsided grin.

“Good. It’s probably better for us both to keep our past friendship out of this whole situation.” With a heavy sigh, she plopped into the chair next to the fire and kicked her legs up to the ottoman.

“I didn’t do it.” Suddenly, it became very important that Keri believe him. And whether they discussed the past or not, it was there…simmering on the edge of both of their minds. If she remembered him at all, she just couldn’t believe that he’d take a life.

“Look, Justin. It’s not my job to determine whether you’re guilty or not. It’s my job to take you in if a warrant has been issued. If your boys weren’t with you, I’d handcuff you to something to make sure you don’t run. I’m trusting your integrity to keep you here.”

“I already told you. I’ll let you arrest me if you have to.”

A spark of the Keri he remembered returned in the stubborn jerk of her chin. She leveled a stern gaze at him. “I don’t need you to let me take you anywhere. I’m a trained officer of the law and if I say you’re going in, you are.”

Justin’s eyes flickered over her petite frame and he couldn’t resist the grin tipping the corners of his lips.

Anger sparked Keri’s eyes. She shot to her feet and leaned over him, filling the air between them with the combined scents of peach-scented soap and wood smoke. “Listen, Kramer, don’t test me. I don’t want to cuff you unless it’s absolutely necessary, but I will if you force my hand.”

He could see she was dead serious, and it only struck him funnier. Laughter started low in his throat and, try as he might, there was no stopping it.

Red splotches appeared on her neck and freckled face, and sparks shot from her green eyes. “Stop laughing!”

“I’m sorry,” he said, fighting for air. “You’re just…so cute.”

“That does it.”

Before Justin could contain his mirth and take charge of the situation, Keri sprang into action, twisted his arm to the side and slapped the cuffs on one wrist. In practically one motion, he found himself with one hand cuffed to the wooden arm of the couch. Keri stood over him, breathing heavily, but smug with victory. Her hands rested on her slim hips, and she raised her brows, her green eyes daring him to laugh now.

Anger bit into him like a vice. “All right,” he ground out, “you’ve made your point. Let me go.”

Her shoulders rose and fell with an exaggerated sigh. “You know what? I’ve been up for more than twenty-four hours. I went to work early yesterday because a drunk wrapped his truck around a telephone pole and nearly killed a group of kids. I sat listening to that same drunk whine about his rights all night while I tried to get paperwork done.” She stretched, then covered a wide yawn. “Then just when I was about to head out and start a much-needed vacation, I find you on Krahoney Road—suspiciously, I might add. So I think I’m within my rights to handcuff you until I know if you’re running from an arrest warrant.”

“Well, I’m sorry to add to your stress,” he drawled, “but I’m the one they’re accusing of murder.” He scowled. “Wrongfully!”

“Maybe. Maybe not.”

“Let me go, Keri. I don’t want the boys to see me like this.”

“You know my dad will make dozens and dozens of donuts and donut holes. Your boys will be glazing for hours.” Keri grabbed a crocheted afghan from the chair and tossed it over his arm, concealing the metal constraints. “Perfect. I’m going to go and shower, then I’ll probably take a nice long nap. If you behave yourself, I might release you when I get back.” She threw him a victorious grin and sauntered away, leaving him scowling after her.

“You know, you’re stomping all over my civil rights! I could sue you!”

“Go ahead,” she called over her shoulder. “The line forms behind Junior Connor.”

Whatever that meant. Defeated, he twisted around and swung his legs over the side of the couch. It felt good to stretch out after several tension-filled hours in the car. He adjusted the afghan so that it covered his arm and shoulder, then spread it over the rest of him. Relaxing in the toasty warmth of a wood fire, Justin closed his eyes. He felt his chest rising and falling in slow even breaths just before he drifted away into the precious comfort of sleep.

Keri leaned into the shower’s spray, resting her hands flat against the tiled wall. She winced. Partly from the blast of hot water and partly from the memory of her encounter with Justin. She’d taken him completely by surprise, but what if he’d been ready for her? Would she have been able to take him?

The thought frustrated her and filled her with self-doubt. What kind of chief of police would she make if she couldn’t even arrest a prisoner just because he had ten inches on her and a good fifty pounds?

And blue eyes to die for.

Still…despite the same charming grin and sincere eyes, she didn’t really know him anymore. He might be anything. Even…well…a murderer.

The problem was that her heart didn’t want to believe it. She wanted to believe that the devastatingly good-looking man of her dreams, who seemed to be a wonderful father to boot, was everything she remembered. And more. The dismal reality was that he could quite possibly be a sociopath who’d murdered his wife, felt no remorse, and could probably pass ten lie-detector tests, all the while planning his next murder.

She shuddered, even as her heart rejected the notion.

The water went from too hot to freezing by the time she soaped up, rinsed off, washed her hair and grabbed a towel. Shivering, she dried off and dressed in comfy sweats and headed for the door. When she stepped into the hall, the aroma of fried donuts drifted between the wooden walls, beckoning her toward the kitchen. Try as she might, she couldn’t keep herself from peeking at Justin as she walked through. He was stretched out on the couch, the afghan discreetly covering the handcuffs.

A lump formed in her throat at the sight of him, sleeping peacefully, like a man with nothing to hide. She snorted and turned. Or a sociopath with no conscience!

Willing away thoughts of Justin, she pushed through the kitchen door and stopped short at the sight of the two boys working diligently to glaze a batch of cooled donuts while her dad stood, back to them, lifting more from the boiling grease.

Billy popped a donut hole into his mouth, licked his fingers, then glanced up. His guilt-clouded eyes widened when they lit on Keri. Silently, she lifted her brow, attempting a stern expression of reprimand. He held out a donut, hung by one sticky finger, and pressed the other index finger to his lips.

An obvious attempt to buy her silence.

Pretending to consider the proposition, Keri rested her hands on her hips for a second, then she looked him square in the eye, winked and nodded. She reached for the goodie. Hesitating only a moment at the thought of how many times the kid must have licked his fingers without being caught, she nevertheless took a bite.

“What are you doing, Keri-girl?”

Keri jumped at her dad’s voice and she stopped chewing, hiding the rest of the donut behind her back.

“What kind of example is that setting for the boys?” he demanded. “Stealing donuts right out from under my nose?” The twinkle in his eyes belied his tone, but Keri played along for the twins’ entertainment.

“You’re right, Dad,” she said solemnly. She set the donut on a napkin and headed for the fridge. “I’ve set a horrible example, and I’m sorry. How could I ever have taken a bite of this delicious donut…without first dunking it in milk?” She held up the gallon jug and the boys giggled. She set it on the counter, grabbed four glasses and began to pour.

Mac Mahoney grinned and winked at Josh and Billy. “You boys about ready to sample our cooking?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Alrighty, then.” He laid a napkin in front of each of them, next to their milk. “Grab a donut from the plate and let’s start sampling!”

Keri finished her donut and milk, enjoying the ecstasy on the boys’ faces. Billy delighted in everything, from the blarney Dad told of leprechauns and four-leaf clovers, to the simple task of throwing away his napkin and carefully placing his empty glass into the sink. Josh, too, seemed to enjoy the atmosphere, offering half smiles and short replies. But the joy that seemed to exude from Billy was noticeably absent from Josh’s demeanor.

When the boys were done with their snack, the three guys started on another batch of donuts. Keri excused herself.

Her glance returned once more to Justin, sleeping on the couch. With a sigh, she headed back to her bedroom, snatched her keys from the dresser and tiptoed close to Justin. She knelt beside the couch. He groaned and shifted, causing her heart nearly to stop. Watching him as he settled back into sleep, her heart picked up. A lock of his hair fell across his forehead, begging her to smooth it back. Obeying the summons, she reached forward.

His eyes opened and Keri thought she’d die.

“What are you doing?” he whispered.

Heat seared her cheeks. “I—I was going to uncuff you.”

“Really?”

She nodded. “I’m counting on your word to keep you here.”

In a swift movement, she slipped the key into the cool metal cuffs and set him free.

He sat up, rubbing his wrist. “Thanks.” His hand reached out and gently cupped her cheek. The pool of emotion reflected in his eyes was too deep for Keri’s comfort.

She shot to her feet, plopped her hands on her hips, and hardened her heart. “Just don’t give me a reason to regret it.”

He’d been pacing this same stretch of floor off and on for the past two hours. Why hadn’t Justin called? He’d had plenty of time to get settled into wherever he was headed.

First thing he would do when Justin finally made contact was weasel the location of his hideout.

Releasing a chuckle, he shook his head at his own brilliance. Justin’s absence made the chump look even guiltier than the eyewitness stories. The D.A. would almost certainly seek a warrant now.

He would have liked to have come up with more credible witnesses than a couple of bums who would sell out their own mothers to get enough money for a bottle of cheap whisky and enough coke for one high. But he hadn’t dared try to pay off anyone who was sober. As long as they kept to the story, he’d buy all the whisky they could drink. If they didn’t keep to the story…well…he’d made it pretty clear that killing a couple of bums wouldn’t hurt his conscience any more than putting a bullet in that tramp’s head had.

Once he found out where Justin was staying, he would send the cops an anonymous tip. Then he would be the most supportive of Justin’s friends. Insisting upon his innocence. Hey, he might even offer to raise the twins. He smiled, imagining the light in his wife’s eyes when he presented her with the children she’d always longed for. Yes, Justin’s boys would work just as well as going through an agency. This plan just grew sweeter by the second. Now all he had to do was wait for Justin to call.

He stopped pacing for a second and stared at the phone. “Ring!”

Chapter Four

Insistent ringing woke Justin from a dream world in which he was fourteen years old again, free, unfettered and loving Keri Mahoney. Where no murder was hanging over his head, and his little boys weren’t in jeopardy of losing their only security. Being awakened from such a dream did nothing to lighten his first mood of the day. “All right, already,” he groused. “Hold on a second.”

Justin reached toward the nightstand. Fumbling for the cordless, he squinted as his eyes protested the lighted room. His hand connected with an unfamiliar cell phone.

“Hello?”

“Mac?” a woman’s Southern drawl asked.

“No, this is Justin.”

“Where’s Mac?”

It took a second for his muddled brain to register where he was—Mac Mahoney had insisted Justin and the twins take his room. Before he had the chance to reply, the woman’s voice rose in pitch and volume. “If you did one little thing to hurt him, I’ll—”

Raking a hand through his hair, Justin felt panic rise. All he needed was someone else accusing him of a crime. “Wait, lady. Calm down. Mr. Mahoney is fine. Hang on a sec, and I’ll go get him.”

Justin headed for the door and stepped into the hallway, coming face-to-face with Keri. She looked adorable with tousled auburn hair caressing her face and pillow imprints lining her cheek.

“I heard a phone ring,” she said, her sleep-husky voice doing crazy things to his heart. “Did you bring a cell?”

“Yes, but it’s in the car. This one is for your dad.” He extended the phone to her.

Outrage branded her face, and she snatched the device from his hand. “Dad! You promised you weren’t going to bring a phone! We’re supposed to be getting away from it all!”

Justin stared after Keri as she stomped barefoot into the living room. Mac came out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel. Justin caught a whiff of bacon frying and his stomach rumbled in appreciation.

“What’s the yelling about?” Mr. Mahoney demanded. “You’re going to wake up the whole house!”

“Phone for you.” Keri gave him an accusing glare and handed over the phone in a jerky I-don’t-like-this-one-bit motion.

“It must be Ruth. I couldn’t go a whole week without talking to my Ruthie.” Mac’s lips tilted into a sheepish grin and he shrugged as he took the phone. “Hi, doll,” he said into the receiver. “What? Oh, that was Keri. Who’d you think it was? A man answered?” Justin grinned and waved. “Oh, him…Old friend of the family. He’s spending a few days up here with his twin boys. You should see those kids. Like two peas in a pod, they are. Can’t tell ’em apart until you get to know ’em a bit.”

Mac darted a glance to include first Justin, then Keri. “Wait just a second, hon.” He put his hand over the mouthpiece. “I’m going to take this into the kitchen.”

“By all means,” Keri said with a huff and a dismissive wave. “You might as well, now. Just tell her not to spill the beans about us having a phone up here or Manning will try and weasel me back to work. He’s probably been swamped with calls since this ice storm hit.”

Mac sent her a scowl and headed into the kitchen.

Amusement worked through Justin, but fell short of reaching his lips as he realized that the only reason Mac had a girlfriend was because Keri’s mother had died. A fact he had discovered during his earlier conversation with Mr. Mahoney.

He reached out and touched her shoulder. “Keri, your dad told me what happened to your mom. I’m sorry.”

Keri swung around to face him, her face suddenly void of color. “Don’t pretend you didn’t know,” she said, as though not quite able to catch enough breath to give the words full volume. “I wrote to you at your aunt’s house when it happened. I begged you to come to the funeral.”

Justin felt as though he’d been sucker punched. Keri had needed him, and he hadn’t been there for her? He couldn’t resist putting his finger to the slight pucker of her chin as she fought to control tears. “I promise I never got a letter from you. If one came to us, it never made it into my hands.”

She eyed him as if scrutinizing his words. “Your aunt sent flowers. I still have the card at home, somewhere. It was signed…Please accept our condolences for your loss. Toni and Justin.”

“Toni must have read my mail and sent the flowers. She never told me about it. I’d have come right away if I’d known.”

Her eyes misted. “You stopped writing to me after four measly letters. I just figured you didn’t care.”

“I would have cared if I had known.” Justin moved his hand to cup her cheek. “I do care. I loved her like a second mom, remember?”

Suddenly the expression on Keri’s face became stony. She jerked away. “I remember a lot of things that you’ve obviously forgotten.”

Justin dropped his hand to his side and followed her into the living room. He wanted to reassure her. To excuse himself of the broken promises. But he had no acceptable excuses to offer. And the truth was too sad to share: that it hadn’t taken long, in a Godless environment, for him to begin questioning his faith. It had only taken a little while longer before the doubts combined with temptations, until soon he didn’t even recognize himself.

Keri’s slender hands trembled as she grabbed the fireplace poker. And despite the fact that she was holding a potential weapon, Justin pressed the conversation forward.

“I remember everything. Probably better than you do, Keri. But things changed when I went to live with Aunt Toni. Kids tend to change, you know? My whole world upended. How can you hold a grudge against a fourteen-year-old boy?”

She spun around and brandished the poker like a sword, her face filled with outrage. “A grudge? What kind of egomaniac are you to think that I’m still carrying a torch for you?”

Avoiding the couch, Justin did a quick examination of the recliner next the fireplace. The print was identical to the couch, but the arms were fat and cushiony. No chance of being handcuffed to that thing. He sat, eyeing her carefully. “I didn’t say anything about a torch. I said a grudge.”

The thunder left her suddenly red face, and she turned back to building a fire. “Yeah, well, I’m not carrying one of those, either.”

She pushed at the coals, trying to stir them up, then gave a frustrated growl as the fireplace remained lifeless, except for a few glowing embers.

“Do you want me to do that?”

A short laugh escaped her and she shot him a twisted grin. “When was the last time you built a fire?”

He returned her grin and nodded. “The winter before I moved to Kansas City.”

“Thanks for the offer. But I think it’ll get done a little quicker if I do it myself.”

“Breakfast is ready.” Justin and Keri both turned at the sound of Mr. Mahoney’s announcement. The older man’s bushy brows pushed together. “Where are the boys?”

Justin smiled. “They’re not up yet.”

The old man looked crestfallen. “Made ’em some of my special cinnamon hot chocolate,” he mumbled. “Josh likes bacon. It’s bound to get cold.”

“I’ll go get them up.” Justin started toward the bedroom he shared with his sons, then stopped as an idea struck him. “Mr. Mahoney, can I borrow your phone for just a few minutes?”

“No!” Keri shot up from her crouched position in front of the fireplace. Her eyes sparked with fierce determination. “We are not giving you access to phone an accomplice.” She padded through the living room and to the empty space of room between the hall and the kitchen door.

“For crying out loud, at least let him explain.” Mr. Mahoney sent her a scowl, then turned his focus to Justin. “Who’d you want to call?”

“I just want to check in with my boss at the Mission. There are a couple of the residents I’ve been counseling who I feel are about ready to make a commitment to Christ. I want to let Rick know to follow up with them. Plus I’ve been in charge of the Thanksgiving dinner at the mission for several years and I won’t be there to take care of things. He needs to be aware of that.”

“Well, now. That sounds reasonable to me.”

Folding her arms, Keri looked like a petulant child. “It doesn’t to me,” she insisted.

Justin fought back his grin for fear she’d take him by surprise and handcuff him again, if he gave in to his amusement.

“The phone isn’t yours, Keri-girl,” Mac shot back. “So it’s not your decision, anyhow.”

Keri’s eyes blazed. Justin could see she was attempting to maintain her composure and her respectful attitude for her dad. He had to admire that, given the circumstances. She directed her argument to her dad as though Justin wasn’t even there.

“For all we know, Justin is a murderer. Giving him a haven from the ice and snow is one thing, but do we really have to let him use the phone? We don’t know if he’s planning to call an accomplice. If I had one shred of proof, I’d cuff him to a pole until all this blows over.”

Mac snorted. “You’re just wanting to show your muscles. Even prisoners are allowed one phone call. Besides, for all you know Justin’s been cleared of the crime by now. Innocent until proven guilty. Remember?”

A scowl marred Keri’s face. She looked at Justin then back to her dad before Justin had a chance to work a smile on her.

She planted her hands on her hips. “All right, he can use the phone. For five minutes.” She focused her gaze upon Justin. “But I listen to every word you say.”

Mac opened his mouth as though he was about to protest, but Justin spoke up quickly before the two Irish heads butted over him. “That’s fine with me. I have nothing to hide.”

“All right. Then it’s all settled.” Mac tossed Justin the phone and rubbed his hands together. “How about some breakfast first?” He glanced past Justin and his face brightened. “Well, good morning, lads. We thought you were going to sleep the day away.”

“We smelled bacon.” A wide yawn stretched Billy’s pink mouth.

“That you did. That you did. Follow me and I’ll get you some while it’s still warm.” He sent both boys a wink. “And I have hot chocolate for you. With a special ingredient.”

“What special ingredient?” Billy asked, his voice rising in wonder.

“You’ll have to see if you can guess.”

Both sets of eyes went wide, and the twins glanced at Justin for permission—Billy with eager anticipation, Josh with mildly piqued interest. “We washed our hands,” Josh said.

Justin smiled at his sons. Though the boys had gotten themselves dressed, both blond heads needed a wet-down and a combing. But he figured that could wait. No use in them eating a cold meal. “I’m starving. Let’s go eat.”

“I have to finish the fire. Save me a couple slices of bacon, will you Dad?”

Mac leveled a gaze at her. “You’re not going to eat with the rest of us?”

“No, I need to get this going.”

“You know, maybe you better save me some breakfast, too,” Justin said. “I think I’ll help Keri with the fire.”

“Fine,” Mack grumbled. “Josh and Billy and me can manage on our own, can’t we, boys? Let those two eat a cold breakfast. What do we care?” He ushered the boys into the kitchen, leaving Justin alone with Keri.

She eyed him dubiously. “I told you I don’t need your help to get the fire going. It’s just taking a bit longer because the coals are practically gone.”

“I thought I might go ahead and call Rick while the boys are occupied.”

Keri nodded. “Good idea.”

Justin reclaimed his seat in the recliner and dialed the number to the mission. Rick answered on the fourth ring, sounding breathless.

“Rick?”

Silence.

“Hello?”

“Hang on a sec.”

Justin heard the receiver clunk down on the desk. Rick returned quickly. “I closed the door. Never know who’s listening in. Are you and the boys okay? I’ve been calling your house and cell like crazy. Where are you?”

“We’re fine. Just took the boys on a little vacation over Thanksgiving.”

Rick hesitated. “I see. How long will you be gone?”

“I’m not sure. I need to ask you about something the police mentioned yesterday.”

“What’s that?”

“They say two eyewitnesses have come forward. Men who stayed at the mission and have signed sworn affidavits that I left in the night.”

“That’s not possible.”

“The police seem to think it is.”

“What I mean to say is that I don’t think they’re men from our mission. I think someone is paying a couple of guys off to pretend they stayed here and to say they saw you.”

“What about the register?”

“That would be easy enough to fake with all the guys in and out of here for one night only.”