Shattered Secrets (Cold Creek #1)(57)
Gabe slumped back in his chair and sighed as his gaze met hers. “You know Aaron Kurtz’s visit to the doctor his wife mentioned to us? It wasn’t to Jeff Nelson here in town. He went into Columbus to see what the pain in his legs was, and he’s flat on his back there for a while with a blood clot.”
“So we can’t bother him with that right now. Doesn’t he have others working for him who could cut the field?”
“Other farmers will step in to help, but we’ve got this field for at least a week or so. It was planted late anyway, and Aaron’s going to need the yield from it. Doc Nelson says he’s always been so independent and in good health that he doesn’t have much insurance. But listen, now that my place isn’t even a safe house anymore, I’ll understand if you want to leave town. You’re not remembering what we need, and you’re obviously in danger. I’ll try to sell the house for you so you won’t have to pay a middleman. Maybe you should head home—to Michigan—until this is all over,” he said, taking her hand. Their grips tightened as their fingers entwined.
“I don’t know. I’m scared, but I’m really angry now. You have enough to do without worrying about watching a house you’re trying to sell. And who knows if the person who did this is desperate enough to follow me, where I wouldn’t have you around. I want to stay at least over the weekend to think it over, go to the farmers’ market to see my family, if I can get to them without Bright Star hovering.”
“In that case, starting tomorrow, I’m going to ask Vic Reingold to move in here too. He has to drive too far to get here fast anyway. Taking turns, with my deputy’s help, we can keep a better eye on you.”
“And I still might remember something, even if I need to be jolted, like seeing that drawing. And those words—the ‘bad girl’ part. I know I was called that and I think it ties to being smacked with that stupid scarecrow.”
Standing, then pulling her to her feet, he put both arms around her. She clung to him hard, her arms around his waist, her cheek pressed to his shoulder. Whatever horrors had happened before or were to come, his tenderness, his touch right now, made all that almost worth it.
19
Saturday morning, Gabe followed Tess as she drove into town and parked. He went to check in at the station before he walked down to mingle with the crowd at the farmers’ market. Jace Miller was working traffic in the area and making an occasional sweep of the roads farther out, including driving by Dane’s house now and then. Vic was moving his things into Gabe’s, then coming to the market. In the BCI lab van in the police station parking lot, Mike was checking for fingerprints on the paper that had been taped to Gabe’s back door. With all those allies around and in the crowd, Tess almost felt safe.
She was happy that a man from the hardware store had already put in a new kitchen window, changed the locks on her doors and given her the new keys. When Gabe spoke around here, people jumped.
On Main Street, Tess strolled through the rows of tables and booths. They had sprouted overnight while through traffic was diverted a block away. It was quite a sight with autumn bounty piled high. A mix of townsfolk of all ages, some who must be Lake Azure residents and many outsiders who’d driven in for the market, were strolling and buying. Some ate baked goods or apples right on the spot. It seemed everyone was carrying cups or plastic jugs of cider. People walked their dogs while they shopped. Tess was glad to see that kids young enough to be in strollers were pushed by their parents while preschool and elementary kids were kept within close reach. Even in a crowd like this, children needed to be watched. The bustle almost made her forget how wobbly her legs had been yesterday and how much she had slept. Her thoughts were still a little fuzzy at times.
The earthy sights and smells helped her settle down, that was, until she saw the mayor glad-handing everyone who walked past. He’d plunked himself down on a bench that she did not recall being there before. She saw his wife, Lillian, too. What a mismatch they were. She always looked so put-together and stylish, despite the fact that she’d gained weight over the years. Marian Bell was standing over them, talking and gesturing. Tess wondered if Marian sensed they knew something about her child’s disappearance.
Tess walked behind the bench so she wouldn’t have to face them and strolled past tables with pyramids of gold and red apples and piles of squash. The Community Church had a small mountain of pumpkins set up for this event. She smiled when she read the sign. All You Can Carry, $2. Globes of red and white onions, brown and reddish potatoes, even braided garlic, smelled of garden-rich loam from being buried in the ground.
She stopped walking. The movement, the buzz of noise around her, seemed to stop. That thought—buried in the ground—almost triggered a memory in her, but it flew just out of reach. She looked around to see if anyone was watching. Blessedly, no. Everything was normal, busy. It felt so good just to be part of the crowd.
She strolled past a booth that offered late-blooming herbs, another with gleaming glass jars identified by handwritten labels: honey, maple syrup, molasses and sorghum. Several booths offered bakery goods, home-baked pies, donuts, cakes and loaves of bread. She bought some eight-grain bread, then couldn’t wait to get home to eat it, so she tore off a chunk and started chewing.
She took a wide berth around the next table. Sam Jeffers was selling animal pelts he had spread on a table with a few attached to a Peg-Board with a crudely printed sign showing his prices. She found it hard to believe, but he had buyers too.