Traces of Guilt

  Gabriel grimaced at that suggestion, shook his head. “That’s not going to fly.” He couldn’t fault Ann’s reasoning that the tightest security was no one knowing Karen’s situation. But now there was Will . . .

  Gabriel gestured with his coffee mug. “If Will helped save Karen’s life, as you put it, you need to understand she’s done something similar for him. I haven’t seen Will as content, as at peace since he came back from the war. This relationship has been helping them both in equal measure. Will cares about Karen more than any other woman he’s ever dated, going back to high school. She’s inside the circle of people Will considers his to protect. He’s going to take care of her, Ann, romance or not.”

  Gabriel paused, thinking about his brother. “Will’s tied to this place, this land—by history, by family. Karen’s correct about that, and I’m glad she appreciates it. But she may not be seeing the broader picture. Will was away at war for six years, hasn’t said much about where he was, what was going on, but he stayed in touch with family, he stayed connected all through it. If Will had to change names and take Karen five states away, spend a decade there to keep her safe, he could do it and see it as a temporary necessity, much like going on deployment. I see him able to segment life away from here for a while. So leaving Carin might be an acceptable fallback plan in Will’s view of this. The day in the future when Lander is no longer a threat is the day they would return.”

  “That could be a very long wait,” Ann cautioned.

  Gabriel’s phone rang. He seriously considered ignoring it, but at this time of night didn’t have that luxury. “Hold that thought.” He got it from his pocket and rose. “Sheriff Thane.”

  He listened to his dispatcher. “Patch the call through,” he replied, then covered the phone. “This is going to take a few minutes, Ann. Get some more ice cream, make more coffee—”

  “I’m fine. Go do what you need to do.”

  He nodded and headed into his home office while a call from the deputy in the next county transferred to him.

  Gabriel found Ann in the living room, settled in one of the comfortable leather chairs by the fireplace, paging through a book she’d picked up from his side table. He mentally shifted from the rash of vandalized cars his caller wanted help on back to their conversation about Karen and Will. He took a seat near hers. “Karen needs to tell Will the story, tell him all of it, then give him some room to think. Tom Lander is a nasty problem, one I don’t underestimate, but there are options that might let a relationship between Will and Karen work. Don’t bet against Will, Ann. That’s what a lifetime as his brother has taught me.”

  Ann set aside the book and gave a thoughtful nod. “I’ll tell Karen your perspective. If she agrees, she tells Will the details, I do, or you do. I think I’d prefer to be the one—an initial angry reaction at not having been told about this already is not only likely, it’s to be expected. Karen is sensitive to even a hint of anger right now. She would flinch and blame herself for having not told him, even though she was following my advice. It wouldn’t be a good setup for the rest of the conversation they need to have. I’ll take the blame for Karen’s silence, give it time for things to settle before Will and Karen talk.”

  “Will would handle it with some care if she told him herself. But see if she’s comfortable with you and I having the conversation with him.”

  “I’ll talk with her tonight, let you know,” Ann agreed.

  It was a plan. Gabriel leaned back in his chair, crossed his ankles, and gave a small smile. “That leaves Grace.”

  Ann simply closed her eyes and dropped her head back.

  “That bad, huh?”

  Ann sighed and shifted in the chair to look over at him. “Will and Karen are the knot you can see. You can work with it to try to find a solution, even though you know the cleanest way to undo the knot is to cut it. Take that kind of problem, square it, square it again, and you’ll begin to get a sense of what’s going on with Grace Arnett.”

  “It’s become a night for hard things. Lay it on me, Ann.”

  She smiled at his attempted humor. “Oh, I wish I could share the weight of this, Gabriel, because it’s crushing me.”

  She took a deep breath and eased into it. “I’ve known Grace since she was sixteen. I met her shortly after she moved away from Carin. She’s become a good friend. If I had a younger sister, this relationship would be it. She’s told me some things over the years, and I’ve told her some things—it’s definitely not a card-at-Christmastime bond. She’s one of the few I let inside my life. And she’s chosen to let me into hers. That underlies what I’m going to tell you, Gabe.”

  Ann went quiet, absorbed in her own thoughts before she continued. “Grace is planning to ask Josh for a favor, and if she does, I’m encouraging him to say yes. He’ll do whatever he can to help her—I know that about Josh. But Grace isn’t ready for what she’s decided to do. I’ve got an inkling of what’s coming, and I know it will be more than she can manage, and yet I can’t talk her out of it.” Ann gave a small shrug. “I don’t mind painful truths coming out—that’s the way people come to healing, the way justice finally gets done. But there is a season, a time, for that truth. I know what Grace is already dealing with. I’m afraid the truth she wants to find isn’t going to be that simple. She’ll break, and it will be a crippling wound, difficult to heal, and will forever leave its mark.”

  “Ann, you’re being cryptic.”

  “And deliberately so.”

  “What’s Grace coming back to do?”

  Ann shook her head. “If I can persuade her to wait—and I haven’t given up on that—I’d rather you not have those details yet. If she does go ahead and ask Josh, he’ll tell you, and you and I will have, without question, a rather intense conversation then.”

  “Is there a security concern?”

  “No, there’s nothing like that in her situation. I’m simply a friend wishing I could get her to delay the course she’s set herself on.”

  “A good friend, Ann.” He wasn’t going to get anything more at this point, and he accepted that. “You think Grace is coming this way in the next few days?”

  “Tuesday would be my guess. If the task force hadn’t decided to focus on Carin County, I would have found another reason to be in the area. I’m not letting Grace do this without a friend around.”

  He nodded. “I’ll help her, and help you too, however I can. Just let me know what you need.”

  Ann nodded back. “I appreciate that, Gabriel, more than you can know. If Paul’s not able to be here, you’re going to get my initial reaction. Which could be ugly because I can’t afford to show those emotions to Grace.” She picked up the coffee mug she’d brought into the living room and stood. “Despite appearances, I really didn’t set out to complicate your life with this visit. It’s just . . . well, you know me, enough stuff happens that weeks like this are inevitable once in a while.”

  He smiled. He did indeed know her. “Paul’s coming down?” he asked as he stood too.

  “Yeah. We’re going to be doing some back-and-forth flights. I’ll have those hours in the air to talk with him, he can be here for half a day, adding his perspective to what’s happening, and I can have him back in the FBI office the next day. It works for us.”

  “I’ve watched it work.” Gabe started heading toward the kitchen. “Let’s get those things for Evie before you leave. You look tired, Ann, and this hasn’t even begun yet. Evie digging into the two cases, Karen and Will sorting things out, Grace coming back . . . you’d better catch some rest yourself along with Evie.”

  “I’m going that way next. Thanks for the visit.”

  “What are friends for?”

  She smiled. “I’ve been blessed with having two of the Thane brothers in that role for years.” Ann followed him into the kitchen and set her coffee mug in the sink.

  Gabriel got out an empty grocery sack, retrieved two 7-Up bottles from the refrigerator, a bottle of Tylenol he kept in the spice cabin
et, then opened the drawer next to the silverware. Every chili and soup order he called in came with cracker packages, and he added a handful to the sack. “I think I’ve remembered everything on Evie’s list.”

  Ann accepted the sack. “She’ll appreciate this. Thanks.”

  He walked with her to the front door. “Call Paul.”

  “We’ve got a phone date in”—she glanced at her watch—“forty minutes.”

  “I like that about the two of you.” He held her jacket as she slipped it on.

  “Thanks again.” Ann tugged keys out of her pocket. “If by tomorrow Evie’s headache has eased off, she’s going to eat lunch and then want to get to work, so I figure we’ll be at the post-office building during the afternoon. I plan to leave for Chicago around four p.m. I’ll be back Tuesday, early morning.”

  Gabriel made a mental note of the schedule. “I’ll make a point to stop by the post office before you leave. The case files she needs should be there by the time you come in.” He leaned against the doorframe as she walked out to her car. “Take care, Ann.”

  She lifted a hand in farewell. Gabriel pushed his hands into his pockets as he watched her pull out of the drive. His brothers had a hard week coming at them: Will hearing the truth about Karen, and Josh helping Grace . . . with what, he didn’t know yet. The Florist case would make it an equally rough week for him. “God, help me be ready for whatever’s coming,” he whispered.

  Being sheriff of Carin County meant carrying heavy truths about those who lived here. Name a crime and he could pretty much identify someone around Carin who had committed it, either in the distant or recent past.

  Karen had been hiding in plain sight. He had to admire that about her. She’d concealed her connection to Chicago and the murder trial with such skill, he had never had cause to wonder what she was hiding, and he was a man whose second nature was to listen for those false notes in someone’s story. Ann had done a superb job coaching her on how to handle it all.

  He was sure there were other buried secrets, dark skeletons or worse in his county . . . maybe even a living monster around. Ann’s concern about Grace suggested there was another story he didn’t know about. Yet, he thought. The truth was going to come into the light as it always did. He’d deal with it because that went with the job.

  Gabriel shut off the porch light and walked through the house, banked the fire and closed the doors on it, set the house alarm, and headed upstairs. He sincerely hoped the phone would not ring again during the night.

  Ann Falcon

  Ann nudged off her shoes inside the front door of Evie’s vacation rental, walked upstairs, heard the radio playing faintly in Evie’s bedroom. She eased open the door, confirmed Evie was comfortably sleeping, her back and neck elevated with pillows, and quietly closed the door again. Ann walked to the third of the four bedrooms and sank into the soft mountain of pillows. She got out her phone, hit the speed dial.

  Paul answered on the first ring. She could see on her phone’s screen that he was home in their shared office, the artwork behind him one of her favorite pieces.

  “Hello, darling.”

  Her eyes filled at his simple greeting.

  Paul shut down his laptop. “Rough day?”

  “Just long. Gabriel and I talked for close to two hours.”

  “Did you tell him?”

  She shook her head, whispered, “No, not yet. Only about Karen.”

  She read the quiet empathy in his eyes. “Okay.”

  “I should have.”

  Paul shook his head. “If you couldn’t tell him tonight, it was because it wasn’t ready to be said. Grace is going to get through this,” Paul reassured. “You’ll be there for her. Josh will help her. I’ll be around. Rachel will come if needed. Her doctor will be on call. Grace will have people she trusts to help her—she won’t face this alone.”

  “Just get me to next weekend and I’ll be able to believe it.” There was nothing else she could do tonight, so Ann forced herself to change the subject, looking for something lighter to think about. “How did your Saturday go?”

  “We had to arrest a state congressman for leaving lewd messages in women’s public restrooms, canceled a 10K race because of bomb threats—called it a permit problem—and finally managed to catch the guy who has been tossing rotten eggs at FBI cars leaving the parking garage. That gets me to about three p.m. when I thankfully came home. The world didn’t stop going crazy, though. I just decided it could wait until Monday. I shared a late lunch with the dog—we had BLTs—then we played in the park and went to visit Jasmine. Black is a happy boy.” Paul tilted the camera. “Say hi to Mom.”

  The dog swished his tail on the floor but didn’t bother to roll over. He had four feet in the air and was comfortably napping upside down whenever food or conversation was not directed his way.

  “Hey, Black.” Ann laughed at the dog’s body language. She had seen him in that pose many times. Every time she was away, she regretted the trip. “I wish I was home.”

  “Tomorrow night you sleep in your own bed, can snuggle with your favorite guy—that would be me. Favorite guy number two will happily welcome you home by snoring to break the silence.”

  Ann laughed. “Oh, yeah, that’s home. That sounds nice.”

  “We both miss you too, Ann. One of us even more than the other.”

  “Paul, next time our new governor calls, I’m going to say no.”

  He simply smiled. “You only said yes because you wanted to get Evie established in the group, and to prove to yourself your skills haven’t gotten rusty in the last couple years. By inauguration day I predict the task force will be ready to officially get to work, and you’ll be ready to dive into another writing project.”

  “I’m already close. The task force will get to work as soon as Bliss is inaugurated and signs the paperwork.”

  “You’re efficient and effective, which is why he wanted you involved. Solve the two cases in Carin and put a bow around the task-force announcement.”

  “That would be ideal. It’s going to be good to have you down here occasionally.”

  He smiled at his wife. “I’ll bring my special kind of FBI super-agent magic, dazzle everyone with some truly geeky lab reports. They changed the letterhead again. It actually says Geeky Lab Report on our internal docs.”

  “You know that’s part of the fun, figuring out how long it takes the boss to notice and what he’s going to do about it.”

  “Well, Agent Top Dog—get it?—sent in a Blackie paw print with a request to ID the thief who just ate someone’s paycheck.”

  Ann laughed so hard, she had to wipe her eyes. “And now I’m supposed to sleep for a few hours?”

  “It’s called levity, minor humor, ‘I miss you, so let me make you laugh,’ with the hope of banishing that haunted look in your eyes as only your beloved husband can do.”

  “As only you can do,” Ann agreed softly.

  “Go to early church, help Evie get started, then fly home. Black and I will take care of you once you’re here.”

  “That sounds like a wonderful deal. Good night, Paul.”

  “Sleep well, Ann.”

  She put down the phone, only to lift it again to send Charlotte Bishop a text: Could you sketch me an “Agent Top Dog” logo? I need a whimsical Christmas present for Paul. I’ll forward a photo of Black to base it on. Let me know. Thanks.

  Ann set her phone on the bedside table, knowing Paul would call first thing in the morning to say good morning. She set her clock so she could make the early service at the Thanes’ church, then turned in for the night, grateful to have the day done.

  FOUR

  Evie Blackwell

  Evie taped another piece of white easel paper on the wall as high as she could reach. “I made a fool of myself, didn’t I? I’m trying to remember what I said from the time Sheriff Thane found me on the roadside until they let me out of the ER, and it’s an embarrassing amount of blur and sentence fragments. I must have sounded like an
idiot, Ann, or maybe even drunk. I’m surprised he’s letting me access the files.”

  She glanced over at her friend, but Ann simply smiled and offered another large sheet of paper. Evie moved down the wall and taped it in place. The wall was marked up with nail holes and peeling paint chips, yet it was smooth and would hold the paper. “And how many times did I say the equivalent of ‘you promise?’ to either you or Gabriel? I’ve counted five of them. I’d blush if I wasn’t so mortified.”

  “You’re a happy child when you’re concussed, Evie.”

  “Ouch. Even the teasing makes me want to wince.”

  Ann laughed. “Relax. You made a first impression, and now you’ll make a second one. You’re good at this work. Don’t try to correct things by over-apologizing. Instead, give Gabriel something to contrast it with—the real you, without a brain-rattling crack to the head. You don’t want to swing from ‘slightly out of it’ to appearing as if you’re anxious to impress. Just settle for being Evie Blackwell and you’ll be fine.”

  Evie sighed. “My aching sense of pride will take your advice. At least I know it will be hard to make that first impression any worse.” She stepped back and considered the taped sheets. It would work as an improvised crime board. She looked at the opposite wall she’d papered first. “I think we’re good. Nothing’s falling down . . . yet.”

  The post office had interesting décor with its high ceilings, faded paint, and scratched concrete floor. But the long walls, good lighting, and tables made it a better place for laying out two cases than her original intention of trying to set it all up back at the house.

  “Where do you want me to start?” Ann asked as she surveyed the boxes.

  “Boxes on that wall are the Dayton girl; boxes here will be the Florist case. I’m thinking timelines first, and any photos.”

  “Works for me,” Ann said. She opened the first box on the Dayton abduction. Evie dug into the Florist files.