“He’s a great kid.”
Sheriff Carl and Pastor Ray approached them. Pastor Ray extended his hand. “Detective Philips. Sheriff Carl here has told me a lot about you. Glad to see you found a reason to join us here at church.”
Brody glanced at Madison. “Madison’s a good reason, but I think I’m going to start coming here for other reasons. Better reasons, like working on my relationship with God.”
A grin broke across Pastor Ray’s face. “That’s great news.”
Sheriff Carl slapped Brody’s arm in male affection. “I knew you’d come around. Been praying for it since we met.”
Sheriff Carl had really been praying for him? That was a first.
He glanced down at Madison and saw her eyes glowing as she looked up at him. She placed her hand on his arm.
“That is great news. The Christian path isn’t always the easiest for the journey. In fact, sometimes it’s harder. But it’s deeper, more rewarding and richer.”
Sheriff Carl extended his hand. “Welcome again. I just had to grab some of this food before heading back into work.”
“Any updates?”
Sheriff Carl’s face turned grim. “No, none yet. But he’ll mess up. No one can commit the perfect crime. They only think they can.”
Just as Sheriff Carl walked away, Brody’s cell phone rang. Detective Blackston, he noted. He had to take it.
“It looks like we have another lead on the medicine missing from the hospital. There’s a nurse who moonlights here on weekends and works for the school system during the year. And yes, the nurse is a male. I wondered if you wanted to meet me at the hospital while I question him.”
Brody glanced at the crowd at the church. Madison was surrounded by people here who loved her and looked out for her. He didn’t want to leave her, but if he had to, then this would be the most opportune time. Besides, maybe this was the break they’d been hoping for.
“I’ll be right there.”
When Madison looked up at him expectantly, he said, “There’s a lead I need to follow up on. Can I talk you into staying here until I get back?”
“Sure thing.”
“And save me some of that catfish.”
She smiled. “Now that I can’t promise.”
“And if you need anything, call me. Okay?”
“I will.”
Brody jogged toward his car. Maybe this would be the lead that would help them close in on the Suicide Bandit.
The sheriff was right—the killer would screw up sometime, and Brody wanted to be there when he did.
EIGHTEEN
T
he wind slapped the tablecloth, sending it flying into Madison’s face. She caught the flimsy plastic and balled it up. The hurricane was on its way. She could feel it in the air. Even nature seemed to know, she mused, noticing how the birds were feisty today, flying here and there.
Madison helped a group of church members clean up after the picnic while Lincoln and Kayla had gone to children’s choir practice inside the sanctuary. As soon as choir practice was over, Madison hoped that Brody would be back. She had promised to stay here until he returned.
The thought of Brody made her smile and hum to herself as she threw away piles of paper plates and plasticware. Brody had realized his need for God. Her heart pounded with contentment every time she thought about it. There was no bigger decision he could make. Did this mean they could have a future together?
She looked across the green lawn of the church and saw Kayla charging toward her, cell phone in hand. Immediately Madison’s guard went up. She hurried toward Kayla. Lincoln? Had something happened to Lincoln?
“Kayla? What’s wrong?”
“Madison, you need to go to the hospital.” Kayla’s voice sounded urgent and her eyes looked strained.
“What do you mean? What happened? Is Lincoln okay?”
“No, no. Sorry, Lincoln is fine.” Kayla sucked in a breath. “It’s Brody. Someone cut the brake line in his car. He’s in the hospital now.”
Panic squeezed Madison’s throat. She remembered the last call she’d gotten like this. The urgent, “Come to the hospital now. Your husband has been in a car accident.”
Images from that day flashed into her mind, taunting her, causing an uncontrollable ache to hammer her heart.
Now Brody. What had happened to him? Was he okay?
“Brody’s going to be all right, Madison. I just thought someone should go out there and be with him. He would say he doesn’t want that, but he shouldn’t be alone. Besides, he’ll need a ride home. I have a choir full of preschoolers or I’d go out there myself.”
“I’ll be right there. Can I borrow your car?”
“Of course. Lincoln and I can catch a ride with someone else. We’re close enough to even walk if we have to.”
Madison grabbed Kayla’s outstretched keys and ran toward the parking lot. Her hands trembled as she started her car.
The day she’d been called to the hospital for Reid had been similar to today. Overcast, hot, seemingly normal. They’d had an afternoon thunderstorm. His car had hydroplaned on the way home from work and he’d hit a tree. When the EMTs had brought him to the hospital, Reid had been put into a medically induced coma. He’d remained in the coma for three days until he died.
Lincoln had only been a year old, barely able to walk. Before that fateful accident Madison and Reid had talked about all the dreams they had for their son. Taking him to Disney World, Reid coaching his T-ball team, teaching him to ride a bike. Suddenly those dreams didn’t matter. Only keeping Reid alive did.
She often thought back to that last conversation she’d had with her husband. It had been so uneventful. It had just been an ordinary day. She’d kissed him goodbye for work, said she’d see him in time for dinner. She still remembered that she’d made roast beef and mashed potatoes that evening. It was one of Reid’s favorite meals. In her rush to get to the hospital she’d forgotten to turn the oven off. The house had been filled with smoke when she had returned. She’d been lucky it hadn’t burned down.
Today, Madison crouched over the steering wheel for the entire drive to the hospital. Tension wouldn’t leave her body, even if Kayla had said Brody was okay. Finally the hospital appeared. She found a parking spot and hurried toward the entrance.
As soon as she stepped back inside, she felt like she’d been punched in the gut. The smells, the sounds, the sights. When she’d been attacked, the rescue squad had taken her to a different hospital, as the area had several. This was the very same hospital where Reid had been taken after his accident.
Reid—it had hurt so much when she’d lost him. She couldn’t bear to think about going through that again. Loving someone was great. But losing them was such a raw wound, one that never completely healed. She blanched at the memories as she rushed toward the information desk.
“I’m here to see Brody Philips.”
The nurse gave her instructions to his room. Madison knew by the beating of her heart that she’d allowed herself to open up too much for Brody already. She’d made herself vulnerable in ways she shouldn’t have. She had to distance herself from him. Her heart ached to think about it, but that ache was nothing compared to the ache of losing someone and having to start life over—alone.
She knocked at Brody’s door until she heard him say, “Come in.” She hesitantly pushed open the heavy door in time to see him close his cell phone. He grinned when he saw Madison, but she hardly saw the smile. Instead, she soaked in the scratches across his face, his busted lip, his bandaged shoulder.
“You didn’t have to come.”
She wrapped her arms over her chest. “I know. I wanted to.”
The nurse scurried out of the way and Madison stepped closer. “What happened? How are you?”
“Someone cut my brake line. I tried to exit the highway but couldn’t stop. I ended up colliding with another car. We all walked away with some scrapes and bruises, but we’re okay.”
“I’m glad.”
He reached his hand out. She stared at it a moment before taking it. He pulled her toward him. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. I was just worried.”
“I appreciate you worrying about me, but I’m fine.” Brody leaned closer. “Hey.” He nudged up her chin. “Come here.” He pulled her toward him and wrapped his arms around her. The action should have felt comforting. But instead Madison kept having flashes from that day she came to see her husband in the hospital. He’d never left. They had so many unfinished conversations, unrealized dreams.
“You sure you’re okay?”
She nodded and stepped away, wiping at her tears. “I’m fine.”
“Why do I feel like you just put a huge wall up, then?”
Madison shrugged. Even if she didn’t lose Brody to death, there was a good chance that she would lose him once the newness of their relationship wore off. Brody wasn’t the type to commit. He’d said so himself. “I can’t do this, Brody.”
“Do what?”
“Us. I’m just…” How did she explain? She couldn’t find the words. “I’m glad you’re okay, Brody, but I have to go.”
She fled before he could see anymore of her pain or try to change her mind.
* * *
Brody stared after Madison. What had just happened? One moment he’d been convinced that his relationship with Madison was the real thing and could go the distance. The next minute Madison was fleeing from the room like Brody himself was her attacker.
What had spooked her? Had she changed her mind? Realized how mixed up he really was and decided he didn’t deserve a chance? He punched the pillow behind him, trying to ignore the thud that came with each heartbeat. He hadn’t realized how empty his life felt until he met Madison and Lincoln. Now they’d both just slipped away.
A knock sounded at the door. His heart sped as he wondered if Madison had returned. His hope faded when Sheriff Carl stuck his head through the doorway. “Knock, knock. Mind if I come in?”
Brody shrugged. “Not at all.”
Sheriff Carl noted Brody’s cuts and bruises a moment before frowning. “This wasn’t an accident.”
“No, someone cut my brake line. God must have had his angels watching out for me to be able to walk away from that accident with only a few scrapes.”
“God’s always watching out for us. He would have been watching out for you even if the results today had been different. We have to trust that He’s with us in the good and the bad times.” Sheriff Carl stopped beside the bed and heaved in a breath. “I’ll need to take a report from you on what happened.”
“Of course.” Brody didn’t care at the moment. All he wanted to do was to chase after Madison, to find out the reasoning behind her change of heart, to see if he could convince her otherwise.
“I thought I’d give you a ride back home.”
“I’d love one.”
Sheriff Carl paused, and Brody knew he wanted to say something. He braced himself for whatever that might be. “Ran into Madison leaving the hospital.”
Brody tensed at the reminder, and he scowled. “Yeah, she came for a few minutes.”
Sheriff Carl nodded in what appeared to be a nonchalant manner. Brody had a feeling he was trying to make this conversation appear casual when it was anything but. “You seem to be getting close to her lately.”
“She’s an incredible woman. I want to see whoever is doing this to her brought to justice.”
“And that’s it? This is just a matter of justice?”
Brody shrugged. “I thought maybe there could be more to the story than that, but after today, I guess there isn’t.”
Sheriff Carl nodded to the hospital room. “This is the hospital where Reid was brought.”
“He was in…a car accident.” Was that what this was about? His heart ached for Madison. Today must have been like one big, bad flashback.
“Yes, he was killed in an auto accident on the way home from work one day.” Sheriff Carl shifted. “I’m not speaking for Madison. Maybe her reaction had nothing to do with Reid’s death. But I know there are places where your memories are brought back so vividly that you feel like you’ve been taken back in time. The place where your spouse died is likely one of them.”
“I can only imagine. That must have been terrible.”
“Beyond terrible. I was the one who called her to the hospital. I saw how her life was changed in the blink of an eye.”
“We see that every day on our jobs, don’t we? It’s always hard, no matter how many times you see it.”
“Brody, I think it could be a good thing if you don’t spend any time with Madison for a while. Besides the fact that she needs space right now, I’m afraid that if the killer is targeting you next that Madison is only going to get swept up in the whole mess to an even greater extent. Maybe distance is the best thing for both of you now. I’ll assign someone else to watch over her until this man is behind bars.”
Brody nodded. He couldn’t even argue about that point because the sheriff was right. If he really loved Madison, then he had to let her walk away.
But letting her walk away was the last thing he wanted to do.
NINETEEN
T
he next morning Madison stared numbly at the TV as twenty-four-hour news coverage of the possible hurricane filled the airwaves. She barely heard anything. All she could think about was Reid, that day when she’d received the news about his accident. They’d loved each other so much and when he was taken from her, her whole world felt as if it was crashing around her. Why would she ever want to put herself through that again? Besides, she should be content with life as it was. She had Lincoln and he lit up her life immensely. She had a career she loved, even though she did struggle a bit with her bills sometimes. But life was good…wasn’t it?
The wind blew a smattering of debris against the house. She couldn’t stay here tonight. The area along the bay where her house was located had a tendency to flood with major storms, and she didn’t want to be stuck here with no electricity. Kayla had said they could stay with her. Apparently she and Daniel had had a huge fight after the church picnic and had decided a relationship wouldn’t work out, so it sounded as if Kayla wouldn’t mind the company, anyway. A small knot of apprehension tightened in her stomach when she remembered how she’d sent home the deputy stationed outside her house. She knew his wife needed help battening down the hatches, so to speak, before the storm hit. He’d promised to meet her back at Kayla’s house in an hour. Madison should be able to manage just fine for an hour…but the knot in her stomach didn’t go away. Thinking about that decision now would do no good, however. Instead, she turned her thoughts back to the storm.