Reflection Point: An Eternity Springs Novel (32 page)

Savannah set down her fork, carried her plate to the sink, and rinsed it. Then she did something she’d done only rarely since TJ had come to live with her. She climbed the stairs to the attic room and knocked on his door. “TJ, may I come in?”

Twenty seconds ticked by before he said, “It’s your house. Do what you want.”

If that was the way it was going to be, she thought, maybe she should forget the apology. For tonight, anyway. She could go back downstairs and take a long, hot bath and try to relax.

But no. That wouldn’t be right.

She stepped into the room to see him lying on his bed fully dressed, his back to her. She moistened her lips, then said, “Teej, I want to apologize to you. I’m so sorry I yelled at you. I had a long day and I was sad and I think … well … it’s totally stupid, but my feelings were hurt because you didn’t eat the stew I made for supper.”

He rolled over and gave her a look that said,
You’re crazy
. “You didn’t leave a note. I didn’t think I was supposed to eat it. I thought it was funeral food. I was hungry, so I ate a sandwich.”

“Funeral food?”

“Yeah, you know. People make stuff and take it. Everybody knows that.” He looked at her with disgust.

“Oh. I took mine over this morning. Green bean casserole.”

He shrugged, and she added, “I’m an idiot. Forgive me?”

“It’s no big deal. I’m used to being yelled at. Dad liked to yell.”

Savannah nodded and took a seat in the lawn chair he’d purchased at a yard sale. “I remember that about Gary. He had that great big baritone voice. He used to
scare me, but I liked it that he didn’t hold a grudge. He’d yell, but then it was over. Next thing I knew, he’d be hugging me.”

“Yeah.” TJ sat up. “Dad likes to hug, too.”

“Have you told him what’s going on here?”

His expression went wary. “What do you mean?”

“Have you told him what happened between you and Aiden Marshall?” When TJ didn’t respond, she elaborated. “I thought that maybe he could give you some guidance on how to deal with the problem.”

Defensively he asked, “Did I say there’s a problem?”

“Every day.”

He folded his arms but said no more. Savannah continued, “I knew a boy like Aiden when I was growing up. The rich, handsome athlete whom the other kids fawn over. He got a football scholarship to college, but later I heard he flunked out. I wasn’t surprised. He was a jerk who cheated his way through high school.”

“Aiden is an ass.”

It was obvious from his expression that TJ intended to say no more on the matter, but Savannah was encouraged. This was a start. “Are you still hungry? There’s plenty of stew, and Mrs. Murphy sent some of her raspberry pinwheel cookies home with me.”

“I’m really not hungry, Aunt Savannah.”

Baby steps
, she told herself. “Well, if you change your mind, come on downstairs.”

In the kitchen, she stored the leftovers and loaded her plate into the dishwasher. She’d just placed the slow cooker into the sink to clean when she heard a knock on her door. She glanced at the clock. It was after nine. Who would stop by here that late?

Grabbing a tea towel, she dried her hands as she walked to the door. A familiar form stood in the glow of her porch light. Savannah’s breath caught. Zach!

She couldn’t help but smile. Had he been as miserable
as she’d been these last few weeks? Was he ready to try again—on her terms?

Just what are your terms? Do you even care? What does it even matter? He’s back!

Hope lifted her heart and her smile was wide as she opened the door. “Hello, Zach. I’m so glad …”

Her sentence trailed off and her smile faded. He wasn’t smiling. His expression looked grim. He wasn’t alone, either. Gabi stood behind him, her expression as dark as his. Martin Varney was with them. Three of them? Why? Apprehension washed through her. “What is it?”

“Is TJ home?” Zach asked.

“Yes. He’s up in his room.”

“Would you call him, please?”

He didn’t come in. He was wearing his uniform. His badge. His gun. His lawman’s stare. Fear washed through her. “What is this about?”

“I need you to call your nephew.”

“Why? Why are you here?”

Zach entered Heavenscents and handed Savannah a sheet of paper. He was cold. He was detached. He’d been her lover … and now he was like an iceberg. “Gabi, go up and get TJ. Savannah, I need you to step outside. That is a warrant to search the premises.”

She glanced at the document, saw words that made no sense. A sick, helpless feeling rolled through her. “A warrant! What … why …?”

Zach gave Martin a pointed look. He stepped forward and took Savannah by the elbow. “Ms. Moore, please.”

Panic had begun to set in, and Savannah reached out to touch Zach. He jerked away.
Oh, God
. Savannah planted her feet. “Zach Turner, talk to me!”

He wouldn’t talk to her. He wouldn’t even look at her. Instead, he stood turned away, his jaw set, his hands braced on his hips until TJ came downstairs, followed
by Gabi. Savannah found TJ’s bewildered expression reassuring. “What’s going on?” he asked her.

Zach said, “You need to step out onto the porch now.”

In that instant, Savannah’s fear turned to rage. His wasn’t the voice of her lover or even a friend. This was the cop who had rifled through her trunk in the wake of the car accident. It was the detective who’d fired questions at her in that uncomfortable little interrogation room. It was the prison guard who’d made sexual remarks as he slammed the cell door behind her.

She shot an accusatory look toward Gabi, then lifted her chin. “Come on, Teej. The sheriff is ordering us from our own home.”

With the palm of her hand, she shoved open the screen door. Just as she stepped out onto the porch, she heard Zach say, “Savannah, wait.”

He strode to Heavenscents’ checkout counter and lifted the portable phone from its base. Crossing the room, he looked her directly in the eyes for the first time since his arrival and handed her the phone. Concern clouded his blue eyes. “Call Mac.”

Anger drained away and fear returned. Mac. He wouldn’t tell her to call a lawyer unless he thought she needed one.

Outside, she took hold of TJ’s hand and guided him off the porch and halfway down the front walk. Speaking softly so that Martin Varney couldn’t overhear, she said, “Tell me the truth, TJ. Do you know what they are looking for?”

He shook his head as if clueless. “No.”

“You have no idea?”

“No! Who is Mac? Why did he say for you to call him?”

“Mac Timberlake is my friend Ali’s husband. He’s a lawyer.”

“A lawyer!” TJ’s eyes rounded with fear. “Why do you need a lawyer? What did you do? Oh, shit. You’ll go to jail, too, and I won’t have anywhere to go. They’ll try to send me to foster care. I won’t go. I’ll run away.”

“TJ!” She grabbed him by the shoulders. “I didn’t do anything. Not then and not now. That’s the truth. But you had better be straight with me, too.”

His gaze slid away from hers. “I didn’t do anything they need a search warrant for.”

Something was there, she thought. But she didn’t have time. She needed to make the call to Mac.

Ali answered the phone. Savannah said, “Ali, it’s Savannah. I don’t know what’s going on, but Zach showed up here a few minutes ago with a search warrant. He told me to call Mac.”

“What?”

“I don’t know, Ali. Please, can I talk to Mac?”

“I’ll put him on the phone.”

Her voice trembled a little as she outlined the situation for Mac. He replied, “I’ll be right there. Don’t you or TJ say anything. If they ask you any questions at all, tell them I instructed you not to answer and that I’m on my way.”

“Thanks, Mac.”

She no sooner hung up the phone than Zach stepped out onto the porch. “Did you call Mac?”

“He’s on his way.”

Zach nodded, then said something to Varney. The deputy went out to the sheriff’s truck and retrieved a small black case and a camera bag. Both men disappeared inside.

“They found something,” TJ said.

“Yes.” It was in that moment that Savannah acknowledged the fear that had grown inside her from the instant she’d recognized that Zach hadn’t come to patch
things up between them. “They found the stolen stop sign, didn’t they?”

TJ’s chin dropped, then he shut his eyes. “Oh, crap.”

Oh crap. Oh crap. Oh crap. What do I do now?
How the hell had he gotten himself into a fix like this?

He tried to think, to consider what choices he had, but that was all but impossible to do because his aunt had taken hold of his arm and started squeezing it and her eyes were looking a little wild. “You lied to me not five minutes ago.”

He couldn’t concentrate.

Oh, crap. Oh, crap. Oh, crap
.

“TJ, talk to me. You have to talk to me.”

He heard the door open and Gabi came out onto the porch. Savannah said, “No. Don’t say a word. Say nothing until Mac gets here.”

Then, to his horror, his aunt started to cry. She dragged him into her arms and hugged him hard and whispered in his ear. “I love you, Teej. It’ll be okay. Somehow we’ll make it okay.”

He wiggled away from her and did the only thing he could think to do. “Don’t cry, Aunt Savannah. I didn’t do it. I didn’t take the stop sign. I’m innocent.”

TWENTY-TWO
 

I’m innocent
.

Savannah froze, then dragged him three steps to the left, to where the porch light illuminated his face.
Dear Lord. This is history repeating itself
. She studied his expression and realized she believed him. Then it was as if someone had flipped a switch and turned her into a mama grizzly bear.

“Okay, then. I promise you this. No matter what I have to do, you will not pay for something you didn’t do.” She wouldn’t let that happen. She would not let him down.

Mac arrived and went inside to speak with Zach. Returning a few minutes later, he confirmed her suspicions. “They found a stop sign in your kitchen.”

“My kitchen! That’s not possible. I would have seen it.”

“Behind the refrigerator. They’re dusting it for prints now.”

“They won’t find mine,” TJ told him, defiance ringing in his tone. “I didn’t touch it. I don’t know anything about it. They can’t pin this on me.”

“I told Zach I’m taking you to my office to talk, then we’ll come to his office for an official interview. Let’s not discuss anything until we’re behind closed doors.”

It was a short two-block walk to Mac’s law office. Savannah spent part of the time trying to figure out how that sign had ended up behind her refrigerator. Mostly, however, she tried to fight back her panic.

She had minimal success. When Mac escorted them into his office and asked them to take a seat, she managed to remain sitting for less than a minute before she was up and pacing the room.

Mac asked her for a dollar as a retainer, then focused on TJ. “Okay, son. The most important thing for you to understand now is that you must tell me the truth. If a client lies to me, nine times out of ten it comes back to bite us in the butt. I cannot stress the importance of this too much. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Now, tell me what you know about the stop sign.”

“That won’t take very long. I don’t know anything. Honest.”

“Okay, then. Savannah, what about you?”

She understood that Mac had to ask the question, but it still annoyed her. She had some really bad memories of being questioned by lawyers. “I don’t know how it got into my home.”

“Then let’s try to figure out when it could have happened. The sign went missing, what, five days ago? When has your house been empty during that time?”

“Sunday morning was about it. I closed the shop today, but TJ was working in the workshop.”

“Um, actually, I wasn’t there the whole time,” he confessed.

Savannah frowned at him as Mac asked, “Where did you go?”

“I went walking around for a while.”

Now Savannah sensed he wasn’t being entirely truthful.
Dammit, TJ. You’re going to make things worse for yourself
.

“When? For how long? Who might have seen you?”

“I left about five. Was gone a couple hours.” He gave Savannah a sidelong look and said, “I got all the orders done that needed to go out tomorrow. I’ll work extra to make up for the time off.” To Mac, he said, “I don’t know if anyone saw me or not.”

“I’m sure someone noticed you. Town was quiet today, with all the businesses closed for LaNelle’s service. I’ll bet someone saw you if you were walking up and down the streets.”

“I wasn’t outside the whole time. I, uh, went into the church. I didn’t talk to anyone.”

“You went to LaNelle’s memorial service?” Mac clarified.

“No. I went into Sacred Heart.”

“The Catholic church?” Savannah said. “Why did you go into the Catholic church?”

“It’s quiet. It’s peaceful. They have the whole light-a-candle-and-pray thing going on. I like that. I lit a candle. And I put money in the box for it, too.”

Mac gave him a measured look, then backtracked a bit. “Did you lock up before you left Heavenscents?”