Authors: Shirlee McCoy
I
f Jackson had had his way when he was growing up, he would have preferred to spend Sunday morning in bed, Sunday night with friends and Wednesday evening playing football. His parents weren’t on board with his plans. Sunday morning and evening and Wednesday night were for church activities, and Jackson went whether he wanted to or not.
As an adult, he’d attended church sporadically, often finding it more awkward than comforting. Since Lindsey’s death, he’d found himself searching for something that had led him to church over and over again. Faith, maybe. Or hope. Though he didn’t often put his longing in those terms. As he pulled into the parking lot of the little country church, he wondered if this would be the place where he’d find what he was looking for.
The thought irritated him. He didn’t need to find faith or hope. He’d had it for years. From the time he was a kid, he’d heard the story of salvation and he’d believed it.
So why did he feel so empty?
It was a question he’d been asking himself for a while. One he didn’t have an answer to.
“Looks like we’re here,” Morgan said with a sigh.
“No need to sound so excited about it.”
“What’s exciting about sitting in church for an hour while everyone stares?”
“It won’t be that bad.”
“It will if we don’t manage to get a seat in the back.”
“Don’t they always leave that for people who are late?”
“In this church, the back pew is for whoever wants to take a nap while the pastor is speaking.”
“You’re joking.”
“A little,” she admitted, pushing open her door and stepping out of the car. “We’d better hurry. Service is about to begin.”
Jackson followed her out of the car, walking with her to the church. She was quiet, and he didn’t try to engage her in conversation. She was dealing with a lot. Not just the attack against her and the constant danger she was in, but also her husband’s betrayal. Her friend’s.
He held the door open, and she walked into the church, leading him to a small sanctuary where several dozen families waited for the sermon to begin. Jackson glanced around, searching the faces of the people here, studying each person, trying to find anyone who didn’t look like he belonged. Morgan’s pursuers would have to be pretty brazen to come inside the church, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t do it.
“Let’s sit here,” Morgan said, tugging Jackson to a back pew and sliding into it, oblivious, it seemed, to his thoughts and his worries.
Jackson dropped down beside her, angling his body so that he could see the entrance to the sanctuary.
“Who are you looking for?” Morgan asked, and Jackson met her eyes.
“Your family.” A lie, and Jackson wondered if telling it in church was a bigger sin. Hopefully not. His motivation was pure, after all. Keep Morgan as relaxed and at ease as possible.
Allow her an hour of time when she wasn’t worrying about the men who’d chased her from Lakeview.
“Really?” She raised a raven-colored brow, her almond-shaped eyes daring him to continue the charade.
“No.”
“You’re looking for the men who were at Helen’s house last night, right?”
“Not because I think they’ll be here, but, yes.”
“We weren’t followed here. We would have noticed if we had been.”
“I wasn’t worried about us being followed.”
“Then…” She frowned, tucking strands of shiny black hair behind her ear. “You think they followed my family?”
“I don’t know, but when it comes to keeping you safe, I want to think of all the possibilities.”
“I wish you’d stop saying that.”
“What?”
“That you have to keep me safe. You don’t. I’m capable of keeping myself safe,” she said, but there was no heat in her voice and no fire in her eyes. It was as if she spoke by rote, reciting a well-worn phrase that had no meaning.
“I’ve got no doubt of that, Morgan, but I’ve always figured it was easier to face danger with someone than to face it alone.”
“The last thing I want is to put other people in danger because of me.”
“You’re not.”
“Then what do you call what happened at my place? You were shot at, Jackson. You could easily have been killed.”
“I’m not saying there isn’t danger involved in being with you. I’m simply saying that you’re not the cause of it.”
“Then who is? My dead ex-husband? His girlfriend, or his parents? Some nameless, faceless enemy who wants something I can’t give him?”
“Yes.”
“Yes?”
“They’re all responsible. They all have a part to play in it. You’re the innocent bystander in this.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Jackson. I chose to be with Cody. I chose to marry him despite some niggling doubts about his ability to love anyone beside himself. I chose to stay with him for two years after I first began to suspect he was cheating on me. In that sense, I caused everything that has happened.”
“Hindsight is twenty-twenty.” He had good reason to know it. He’d spent more time looking back at the year before Lindsey’s death than he had looking forward.
“That’s the hard thing about life. It’s so easy to see what should have been done and said, but so impossible to go back and change it,” she said, smiling wanly.
“It’s going to be okay, Morgan.” He did what he knew he shouldn’t and slid his arm around her shoulders, tugging her in closer to his side.
“You keep saying that.”
“Because I keep believing that it’s true.”
“I wish I had your faith.”
Faith? Is that what it was?
“Morgan, Jackson! You made it.” Lauren’s enthusiastic greeting echoed over the sound of quiet conversation, and Morgan shifted, the subtle movement just enough to pull her away from Jackson’s arm.
“Did you expect me to do anything else?” she asked as her sister approached, the softness in her voice and face speaking of the love she had for the teen.
“I didn’t, but Mom and Dad said you probably wouldn’t be here. They said you weren’t going to get up early when you didn’t have to just because I asked you to.” Lauren scooted past Jackson and Morgan and dropped down onto the pew.
“I guess I proved them wrong. Where are they?”
“Coming. They’ve been stopped in the hall by every single woman here.”
“Why’s that?” Jackson asked.
“Because Ben is here. He’s one of the best-looking single guys to ever grace these halls. Every time he comes for a visit, women swoon.”
“That must be making our brother happy,” Morgan said with a smile.
“He looks like he’s ready to bolt.”
“Maybe I should go save him.”
“I think staying here is a better idea,” Jackson responded, grabbing Morgan’s hand when she began to stand. Staying put was better than wandering around. At least here, he had a good view of the entrance and a clear view of everyone in the small room.
He didn’t say that, but Morgan seemed to understand. She sank back onto the pew, nodding tightly. “You’re right.”
“Yeah. Why waste the time and effort? It’s not like any of the single women around here are going to stop stalking Ben because you’re standing beside him,” Lauren said, completely oblivious to the tension. “Look in the front pew, Morgan. See the guy with the dark hair?”
“Yes.”
“That’s Max. Isn’t he cute?”
Jackson couldn’t help himself. He looked. There were a couple of teens on the front pew. The dark-haired one was lanky, with shaggy hair and an open, friendly expression. Hopefully it mimicked his personality.
“Yes. Are you two dating?” Morgan replied, and Lauren shook her head.
“Not unless you count going out in a group. Which we’re doing this afternoon. The youth group is going to a local convalescent center to sing. You’re not going to believe this, but
Max and I are going to sing a duet together. Afterward, the group is going to the mall for some ice cream. If I play my cards right, I might just get to sit next to Max.”
Lauren rambled on, and Jackson couldn’t help smiling at her enthusiasm. He remembered the days when life had seemed like an endless party. Friends. Dates. The normal adolescent worries.
His cell phone buzzed, and he pulled it from his pocket, glancing at the caller ID and frowning. Kane. If he was calling this soon, there must be news.
“I’ve got to take this. I’ll be back in a minute,” he said, interrupting Lauren’s monologue.
“Is everything okay?” Morgan asked, the anxiety in her tone obvious.
“I think so. You two stay here, okay? I’ll be back in a minute.”
She nodded, and he hurried out to the parking lot, dialing Kane’s number as he went.
“It’s about time,” Kane said when he answered.
“What’s up?”
“I spoke with Sean’s folks.”
“Yeah? Get any leads from them?”
“A few things. First, Sean was tense and unhappy the last few weeks before he was murdered.”
“Did they know why?”
“They asked, but all he would say was that things at work were hectic and that he had a lot to deal with there.”
“That’s not much to go on.”
“You’re right, and I’m confident the police heard the same thing when they interviewed the Macmillans after their son was murdered.”
“What else?”
“Seems that Sean wasn’t so keen on his business partner’s sense of morality. Nor did he think Cody ranked high in in
tegrity. He complained a few times that their business trips often turned into opportunities for Cody to meet up with other women. I guess he wasn’t so happy to see his friend cheating on his wife.”
“Cody was a real winner. Even his good friend didn’t like him.”
“Seems that way. From what the Macmillans said, the relationship had been strained for a while before Sean was murdered. Of course, that could just be them twisting the past to match with what they now know to be true.”
“It’s possible, but I’ve got a feeling everything they’re saying is right on. Do they have any of Sean’s things? Work files? E-mail files?”
“It’s all in storage, and here’s the last point of interest.” There was an edge of excitement to Kane’s voice that Jackson didn’t miss. Whatever was coming was going to be good. “Four weeks ago, someone broke into the storage unit. Went through everything. Even stole Sean’s computer system.”
Bingo!
“Did they report it to the police?”
“Yes, and they think some forensic evidence was collected at the scene. Maybe a fingerprint, but they’re not sure.”
“I’ll have to call and find out.”
“I’m already ahead of you. The Macmillans are in Pennsylvania, and I’ve put in a call to the local police.”
“Thanks.”
“No need to thank me. Just make sure you’re back and ready to work next week. I’ve got a full docket of cases, and I need you here ASAP.”
“I’ll do my best,” Jackson responded, saying goodbye quickly and shoving the phone back into his pocket.
It would be interesting to read the transcripts of Cody’s trial, see if the prosecution had used the Macmillans as witnesses. They’d obviously had no love for their son’s business partner
and obviously didn’t believe Sean had been murdered because he’d been having an affair with Morgan.
After church, Jackson would make a few calls. See if he could get his hands on the trial transcripts. Right now, though, what he needed to do was get back into church.
He hurried through the quiet hall and stepped into the sanctuary, the sound of a hundred voices lifted in praise filling his ears. His gaze jumped to the pew where he’d left Morgan, and he half expected her to be gone. She wasn’t. Sue, Richard and Ben were settled in beside Lauren, standing together pressed shoulder to shoulder, a hymnal held between them. Morgan was to their left near the end of the pew.
She met his eyes as he slid in beside her.
“Who was it?”
“My boss, Kane Dougherty. He’s been searching for Sean’s parents.”
“Did he find them?”
“Yes. They said that Sean and Cody had a strained relationship during the months before their son’s death.”
“Old news. They brought that up at the trial. It was one of the prosecuting attorney’s major themes.”
“I figured as much, but they were able to tell Kane something a little more interesting. The storage facility where the Macmillans were keeping Sean’s things was broken into a month ago.”
“Was anything taken?”
“His computer system. Could be that fits with a standard robbery. Could also be that the system was taken in an effort to find that missing disk.”
“Are you two going to whisper sweet nothings into each other’s ears all day? Or are you going to sing?” Lauren said loudly enough for the woman in front of her to turn and look.
Jackson chuckled, but Morgan didn’t look amused.
“We’re not whispering sweet nothings,” she hissed in her sister’s direction.
“But we could be,” he said, leaning close and speaking so softly he knew only she could hear.
She stiffened, her eyes flashing with irritation, but there was something else in her gaze. Fear? Worry?
“You don’t have to look so scared, Morgan. I was kidding.”
“I keep telling you I’m not scared.”
“You shouldn’t lie when you’re in church.”
“And you shouldn’t talk when the pastor is getting ready to speak.”
“You should both be quiet. Mom and Dad are going to think I’m the one being disruptive, and then I won’t be able to go with the youth group this afternoon.”
“Sorry,” Morgan said, turning her attention back to the hymnal she was holding and dismissing Jackson completely.
That was fine. They’d have plenty of time to discuss why he made her nervous. After church and after they spoke to Morgan’s friend Shannon.
Friend?
Not if what Morgan and Jackson suspected was true.
It would be nice if it wasn’t. Nice if there was some kind of mistake or misunderstanding, but Jackson wasn’t holding out hope for it.
The hymn ended, and he settled down onto the pew, listening as the pastor began to speak. Tired from an almost sleepless night, Jackson wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep his eyes open for the sermon, but the pastor was animated and he found himself drawn into the words and the truth they offered. It was a simple message of God’s grace. One Jackson had heard a hundred times before. For some reason, this time seemed different. As the pastor spoke of letting go of the past in order to let God into the present, Jackson knew the words were meant for him.