and thunder shook the windows violently.
It was a fitting end for the afternoon she’d had, and Shiloh was confident of one thing: it was going to be a very long night.
* * *
Adam sat in his rented house, listening to the howling storm trying to find its way inside. It had succeeded in the kitchen via a leak in the corner of the ceiling. He’d have to fix that once it dried.
He made his way to the garage, eager to work out the tension of the day on his boxing bag. He’d hung it up Sunday afternoon after going back to Savannah following church to pick up his dog, his belongings, which he’d put in a storage unit after moving from Atlanta, and a U-Haul trailer. He hadn’t boxed seriously since he’d finished college, but it was the best way he knew to burn off stress. It also helped him focus while he prayed, especially if he was wrestling with something.
Tonight it was Shiloh.
He’d seen her in town once or twice, but they hadn’t spoken since that first day. Not that it seemed to matter to Adam’s heart or mind. He kept thinking of her, of the way things used to be. Wondering if she was in danger now. Wishing he could do something to protect her if she was. His tumultuous thoughts about her made it difficult for him to focus on anything else.
He’d been in love with her once—before she’d broken his heart by leaving him behind. It had been a shock to see her again, putting his emotions in turmoil. But he wasn’t one to let feelings overrule his common sense. They were at different places in life now. He’d seen a hardness in her eyes that hadn’t been there before, and he knew he’d changed, too. It wasn’t as if picking up where they’d left off was a good idea or an option at all.
Besides, she’d run away from him once. He wasn’t exactly eager to experience that again, especially when he wasn’t clear on all the details of why she’d left. Everything had been perfect in their relationship; but in the last six months of Shiloh’s cousin’s life, things had started to change between him and Shiloh. The three of them had all been friends, but eventually Shiloh and Annie had started getting together alone and making it clear that he wasn’t welcome. Shiloh had given only vague answers when he’d asked about their evenings. Now he wondered if he should have pressed her more.
And then there had been that blowup in his dad’s office, days after Annie’s death, when Shiloh had gone to his dad for help, and he’d told her that what she was planning—becoming a cop to find her cousin’s killers herself and pursue justice—was wrong, even unbiblical for a woman.
That seemed to be the moment things ended for them.
He punched the bag hard.
He pulled back to do it again when his cell phone rang. He slowed his breathing and answered. It was a man from his church whose teenage daughter was about to have emergency surgery for appendicitis. From what Adam gathered, it sounded as though the situation was under control, but people liked to have a pastor around in those cases.
He ran upstairs and jumped in the shower, ignoring the crashing thunder and deciding getting struck by lightning while wet in his bathroom would be better than going out in public smelling as though he’d been working out for an hour.
Adam felt relieved that the man had called and had given Adam an excuse to stop thinking about Shiloh in particular and women in law enforcement in general. For tonight he was grateful to put them both out of his mind.
Shiloh was beyond ready to get to work the next morning. The storm the night before had set her on edge. Along with the threatening note, the weather had unearthed memories she’d thought long buried. The crashing thunder had sounded the same as it had on the night Annie had been killed. Shiloh had lain awake all night, caught between the past and the present. Even if she’d been inclined to heed the warnings of the note found in her mailbox, she couldn’t forget the past. It was etched in her memory with the clarity of a lightning flash.
This morning, as she navigated her new cruiser toward the station, she considered her options. Running was not one of them, as far as she was concerned. If they’d bothered to track her here, they’d track her anywhere, and she didn’t want to live life continually looking over her shoulder. Besides, as part of the law-enforcement community, she could keep an eye on things. Wasn’t that the reason she’d left behind her job as a history professor and had become a cop?
Her cousin’s face flashed in her mind. Keeping an eye on things wasn’t the only reason. Shiloh owed it to Annie to finish what she had started.
Maybe Shiloh was looking at this wrong.
Regardless, she didn’t have time to worry about it right now. She parked her car and entered the police station in time for roll call, when the day’s assignments were given out. She learned she’d be patrolling an area near Widow Hamilton’s house that included several miles of Treasure Point’s coastal marshes.
“Officer Evans, the chief needs to see you in his office. Anyone have questions?”
Lieutenant Rich Davies scanned the room, brows raising when he came to Shiloh as though he expected her to have a question. Her cheeks burned with a blush she hoped no one noticed; she felt like a kid who’d been called out for talking in class. She hadn’t been paying attention but wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of admitting it.
The meeting was dismissed, and Shiloh walked to the chief’s door and knocked. Uneasy flutters danced in her stomach as she tried to figure out what he could want.
“Come in.”
She pushed the door open, willing away the tumultuous thoughts while forcing a pleasant smile on her face. “You wanted to see me?”
The chief nodded. Shiloh stepped in to take a seat when she noticed that one of the desk chairs was occupied. Her step faltered. “I can come back later if you’re already in a meeting.” That sandy-blond hair could belong to only one person.
“No, now’s a fine time.” The chief cleared his throat. “Lieutenant Davies already give out assignments for the day?”
Shiloh nodded as she sat.
“What I told him I’d tell you myself is that you have something of an extra assignment for the next several weeks.”
The flutters in her stomach returned full force.
“You already know Adam is the new chaplain...”
With the words “extra assignment” and “Adam” in such close proximity, the flutters turned to concrete bricks. There was no good way for this to turn out. Shiloh straightened in her chair, listening closely. There had to be a way to get out of whatever her commanding officer was suggesting; she never gave up without a fight.
The chief shifted in his chair. “What you may not realize is the difficulty of a man in his position. He’s here to help the department and the town, and he can’t do that if he doesn’t know people, doesn’t fit in like a local. For the next few weeks I’m assigning Adam to ride along with you. As you get the chance, tell him about the town, introduce him to people. As the other officers see you accepting him, they’ll start to. Everyone loves you, Shiloh. They look to you.” The chief nodded as though he was as pleased with his decision as Shiloh was displeased. “Do this for me and for Adam, would you?”
“Sir, I’m flattered that you think this would help him, but wouldn’t my time be better spent pursuing whoever tried to run me off the road the other day? Or checking out Widow Hamilton’s house for her?”
“Your time is best spent doing what I’ve asked you to do.” The chief’s voice was still kind, but she could hear the steel in it. Nothing about this was optional.
Or fair, in Shiloh’s opinion.
“I understand the two of you knew each other in Savannah. I would think you’d be eager to help out an old friend.”