Looking Through Darkness (7 page)

“You may be on to something there. It's been my experience that nobody's security is as good as their company slogan,” Leigh Ann said.

“Now we have a theory, but no way to prove it,” he replied. “You're going to have to think hard about your next move, Leigh Ann. If you start asking questions, you're bound to make enemies. Kurt was killed, and you could be next.”

“I hear you,” she said, checking the rearview mirror.

“But you're not going to let it go, are you,” Melvin said.

She smiled, noting that it hadn't been a question. “How do you do that? Nobody's ever been able to read me as easily as you do.”

“I listen to you—not just to your words, but to what's in your heart when you speak.”

A delicious sense of awareness rippled over her, making her feel bare and exposed. Realizing the danger, she pushed the feeling back. She had to remain more guarded around Melvin. Neither of them was ready to advance their relationship beyond friendship—not yet.

“Where to now?” he asked.

“You're going home. It's getting late.”

“The road to my place is hard to travel at night. There are no lights around. Remember to go slow and look for potholes.”

“My Jeep doesn't have a problem with off-road, and there's a full moon tonight,” she said. “Don't worry. I won't get lost or wander off course.”

“It's a rough ride no matter how you slice it,” he warned. “You might consider spending the night and leaving tomorrow at first light.”

Her heart jumped to her throat and for a moment she couldn't answer.

“I can't do that,” she said at last. “It'll get … complicated.”

“You can have the guest bedroom—or sleep with me.” Guided by her warmth, he touched her arm and traced a lazy pattern over her skin. “I could make it a night you'd never forget.”

She shivered, and aware of it, he smiled. “You're denying something we've both thought about and want.”

“Maybe so, but intimacy requires more than either of us is ready to surrender, Melvin. There's a line you and I have never crossed—things we've each chosen to keep private. We both need and want those barriers there.”

He nodded slowly. “Respecting that balance is what allows us to be such good friends.”

“And that's something worth protecting.”

After a brief silence, Leigh Ann changed the conversation, wanting to lead her own thoughts back onto safer ground. “Have you decided what you'll be sculpting next?”

He shook his head. “It'll come to me in its own time. I can't force it.”

As Leigh Ann glanced back in the rearview mirror, she saw the same car she'd seen behind them earlier at the first stoplight past the storage place.

It was probably just someone else driving to the Rez. There was only one major highway heading west out of the city. After another quarter mile, the car turned onto a residential street and she gave it no further thought.

 

— FOUR —

It was noon on Sunday and although the trading post was closed for business, Jo and Samantha Allison, Sam for short, were there, configuring and tweaking the computer software.

“Are you sure working on Sundays isn't going to create a big problem between you and Esther?” Jo asked, finishing the sandwich she'd taken from the deli bar.

“Grandmother hates it when I work on what she calls the Lord's day,” the half-Navajo girl answered, sipping an oversized cola, “but I'm not a practicing Christian. I'm more into math, science, and technology,” she said, focusing on the monitor for Jo's desktop computer. The blue upload progress bar was moving, but slowly.

At twenty-one, Samantha was the quintessential computer geek, hoping to gain real-world business experience by working at The Outpost. Jo had hired her to adapt and configure some new software. The Outpost had unique, individualized contracts with local artists—sculptors, potters, jewelry makers, and more. Sam's tweaks had made it possible for Jo to keep a continual tally on all merchandise under consignment as well as the specifics of each agreement. A database stored all the information Jo needed to reorder or commission new stock. What made it almost perfect was that Sam had set things up so that the pertinent data was automatically transferred to the store's tax accounting software.

“Your car's not outside,” Jo said, casually glancing out. “Is it still at the shop?”

“Yeah, I'll get it back tomorrow. It needed transmission work. Jack Colburn dropped me off earlier. Which reminds me, Jack wanted me to ask you if he could deliver the bales of bedding straw later this afternoon instead of on Monday. If you're okay with that, he said he would stack it himself. I should be through by then though, so I can help him.”

“That's fine,” Jo said. She wasn't planning to stay long at The Outpost; in fact if she hadn't felt it necessary to get this computer work finished, she wouldn't have come in at all. As soon as she could get away, she wanted to check on Rudy. He'd spent the night at the hospital, and if the doctor released him today as planned she wanted to be on hand to offer him and Victoria a ride home.

“Oh—and can he put up a notice on our bulletin board?”

Jo glanced back at Sam, realizing that she had tuned out the young woman's last few sentences. “I'm sorry, what were you saying?”

“The bulletin board. Jack wants to expand the number of free riding and grooming classes he offers to children of military veterans. His Saturday classes are jammed, so he's going to start teaching Sunday afternoons, too. He wanted to place a notice on our bulletin board to help get the word out.”

“No problem at all. He's really doing a great job. I've heard some of the moms and dads bragging about how much their kids have learned from Jack.”

“Jack's a natural, being the son of a big rodeo cowboy. Since he's also half Navajo and remembers all the traditional stories his mom taught him, the kids think he's really cool. Of course they're a little surprised at first by his prosthetic arm, but after a while, they don't even notice it.”

Hearing the way Sam's tone of voice changed when she spoke of Jack, Jo smiled. “You got a thing for him?”

Sam smiled. “Yeah. Not that he'd ever notice.”

“So you two aren't dating?”

“Nah, I help him with the horses and the kids when I can, but that's about it.” She shrugged. “That's okay. I don't plan to stick around the Rez much longer. There's really not that much work available around here for a computer tech—at least right now.”

“That'll change—sooner rather than later.”

“Maybe, but I have to be ready to go wherever the work is, and although it'll be hard to leave, it'll be exciting, too. A new adventure might be out there waiting for me.”

“You sound just like Ben did when he graduated high school,” Jo said, remembering.

“He joined the army and has seen the world. Europe, the Persian Gulf, the Middle East. Afghanistan … Now there's an adventure,” Sam said wistfully. “Testing your limits … finding out about yourself…”

“More than you want, sometimes,” Jo said quietly.

“Yeah, it can be like that, too. When you test yourself, you don't always get the answers you want, but look at Jack. He served in the army, fought the enemy, and like Ben, became stronger for it.”

“Is that what you want—to join the military?”

“No, I'm not a fighter—not the gun-carrying kind anyway. Jack needed the structure and discipline of the military to find himself, but I'm after something different. I don't have a big college degree, just a lot of good course work. I'm good with computers, though, and I love math. What I need now is some experience and the contacts to eventually build a business of my own. I want to be the go-to IT source in the Four Corners.”

Jo smiled. Although they were only seven years apart, Samantha seemed more like a teenager than a woman to her. Sam had been sheltered and protected all her life. Jo, on the other hand, had cared for herself and her shattered family for as far back as she could remember.

“Have you heard from Ben lately?” Sam asked. “Grandma says he usually calls via Skype on Thursdays and that you were disappointed last week when you didn't hear from him.”

That was one of the reasons she'd come in early today. Sometimes when Ben couldn't contact her during the week, he would call on Sundays instead, but so far she hadn't heard from him. No email, no call.

As Sam's focus shifted back to the computer, they suddenly heard a loud
thump,
followed by breaking glass, coming from the back.

Sam jumped up and ran to the rear window. “Nobody's out there. I thought maybe Jack had come back early and run into something.”

Jo stepped into the hall and looked across the interior of the store toward the front parking lot. A dark-colored truck was speeding up the drive in a cloud of dust. “The driver must have circled the building. I wonder what he did? It's easy to see that we aren't open for business today…”

“Let me grab the baseball bat and go out with you,” Sam said.

Jo continued to look outside, but didn't see anyone. “No, Sam, stay put. I'll step out onto the loading dock and check my truck and the trading post's vehicles. If you hear me yell, call 911.”

“Don't go out there alone, Jo. Let me go with you. I can fight. I grew up with three brothers.”

Jo chuckled. “Okay, but bring your cell phone.”

Once they stepped onto the loading dock, it was easy to see what had happened. A glass jar filled with blood red paint had been thrown against the overhead door. The jar had shattered, creating a big splatter that was tricking down in rivulets and scattering shards and chunks of glass everywhere.

Jo glanced around and breathed a sigh of relief as she saw that her car and the store's van were untouched.

“Petty vandalism,” Sam said and smirked. “With graduation coming up, the high school seniors are just itching for some action. Things can get awfully dull around here.”

Jo sighed. Dull. She'd welcome that. Some days she was so busy she barely had time for meals.

Sam looked over. “Should I call it in?”

Jo shook her head. “No, don't bother. The sheriff won't be able to do much. We didn't get a license number or see a face.”

She stepped closer to the paint, making sure not to step on the splatter, and sniffed the air. “It's water-based, which means I should be able to wash it off before it dries if I move quickly enough. I'll bring the pressure washer we normally use for cleaning the dock and add a little detergent to the spray.”

“I'll hook up the hose,” Sam said, running off.

Jo stared at the paint. The color … the timing … After what happened to Rudy, she couldn't know for sure, but it was possible that this was more than just petty vandalism. Someone might be sending her a message.

Sam brought the hose out of the storeroom. “Do you need my help here, or should I go back to setting up the software?”

“Hook up the hose, then focus on the computer. That's your skill set. I can take care of this.”

Jo put on a pair of rubber gloves, then collected all the pieces of glass she could find and put them in a bucket out of the way. Using the pressure washer's high-impact spray, she rinsed the paint from the loading dock's door. It didn't take long. She was just cleaning off the washer with some paper towels when Sam beckoned to her from the employee door.

Hoping it was a call from Ben, Jo ran inside. “It's Victoria Brownhat,” Sam said softly, gesturing to the phone.

Jo answered quickly. “I'm here. Is everything all right?”

“Yes. I'm calling because I need to talk to you. Can you come by the house today?”

“You're already home?”

“Yes, my cousin came by the hospital to visit and offered us a ride.”

Jo glanced up at the clock. “I'll be there as soon as I can.” As she hung up, she glanced over at Sam. “Can you lock up without me when you finish? I have to go.”

“Of course,” Sam said, “and before I leave I'll also make sure the bedding Jack's delivering today is properly stored. Is everything okay?”

“I don't know.” Thinking of the vandalism and suddenly worried about Sam, too, she added, “When's Jack supposed to be here?”

“He said around four, but no prob. I'll be fine,” she said, as if reading Jo's mind.

Jo shook her head as she checked the time. It was two thirty. “No. I'll wait.”

“You want me to call Jack and ask him how his schedule is running? He's usually early.”

Jo nodded. “Normally I wouldn't ask but … these are special circumstances.”

Sam nodded and had just picked up her phone when they both heard the roar of a powerful truck engine. She went to the window and smiled. “Jack's here. As I said, he's always early.”

“Good. Grab dinner before you leave, on the house, but don't forget to lock up everything and set the alarm.”

“I'll ask Jack to take one last look around, too, just to be on the safe side.”

Jo smiled. “Thanks, Sam.”

“No problem,” she said, sipping from a jumbo cup of highly caffeinated soda.

No wonder Sam stayed so skinny, Jo thought. The girl loved those fast-food energy drinks and was always on hyperdrive.

Jo grabbed her purse. The bright silver tote sparkled in the sunlight and she just loved it. She'd always had a thing for purses, the wilder the better. They cheered her up, and at the moment, she needed all the boost she could get.

*   *   *

Leigh Ann was dressed casually today, wearing jeans, a sleeveless blouse, and comfortable sneakers, appropriate attire for the Sunrise Caf
é
, a popular roadside diner in the community of Kirtland. She was waiting for her cousin, Dale Carson. He'd served with the state police for a decade before transferring to the county sheriff's department, wanting a smaller area to patrol. Although he hadn't been involved in the investigation surrounding Kurt's death, she knew he was familiar with everything that had happened.