Forbidden Falls (Virgin River #9)(87)

“She doesn’t have the zip of eight cylinders and all that weight. And she’s got a lot of miles on her.”

“Yeah, but she’s maneuverable. I like that in a car.” He turned a couple more times, drove through an alley and a parking lot, then pulled right into the parking lot of the sheriff’s substation again, right up to the front door, in a No Parking zone. “You go in and ask for advice. I’ll ask Arnie what we can do to help him.”

“Oh, Noah…”

“Quick now,” he said, putting the PT Cruiser in Park, and getting out.

But of course the second he approached the driver’s door, Arnie put his SUV in Reverse and left the parking lot. He left nice and easy.

Twenty minutes later, Noah and Ellie had a highway patrol escort up Highway 36 into the mountains and hadn’t gone far when they passed a black SUV parked by the side of the road, waiting. The SUV was facing the direction of Virgin River. When they passed en route to Virgin River, the SUV made a U-turn in the middle of the road and headed out.

Ellie laughed and clapped her hands. “Ha! That worked!”

Noah was quiet for a long moment. “Ellie, that guy is scaring me,” Noah finally said. “And I’m fearless.”

By the time Ellie and Noah got to the Fitch household, the kids were sitting at the kitchen table with Nick, having ice cream. They both jumped up and ran to Ellie, hugging her so hard she had to peel them off. “Hey now,” she said, laughing nervously. “Looks like you have an ice-cream party going on here.”

“They had a sandwich first,” Jo said. “I thought some ice cream, bath and bed, in that order. I think these two have had a little too much excitement for one night.”

“I agree,” Ellie said. “How about it, you two? Finish up here. Would you like me to take care of baths?” she asked Jo.

“Mama, I have my own bath,” Danielle said.

“Of course you do,” Jo agreed. “And guess what? There are two tubs in this house, one in the hall and one off my bedroom. While your mom makes sure Trevor gets clean behind the ears, you’ll have your own bath. We’ll put bubbles in the tub…”

“I want bubbles,” Trevor said to Ellie.

“Bubbles for you, too,” Jo said. “Then bed. You don’t have to go right to sleep, but you have to get comfortable, quiet, and slow down a little. All right?”

While both kids agreed, Ellie mouthed thank you to Jo. And Jo just smiled.

“Nick, do you have a phone in your den that I could use for a private call?” Noah asked.

“Sure, Pastor. You know the way?”

“I do, thanks. I won’t be a minute.”

Twenty minutes later, while Ellie was settling her kids in their beds, Noah was having coffee in the kitchen with Jo and Nick. “Okay, here’s our situation. Arnie followed Ellie and I for a while after we left the station. He was dangerously close to her car, until I circled back to the station and they helped me out with a CHP escort up the hill. I made a call to the California Highway Patrol and the sheriff’s department from your den, Nick. Arnie’s a loose cannon and I can’t guess what he’s thinking. Be sure the doors are locked here tonight. You probably haven’t bothered to do that in years….”

“Never had to worry about that before,” Nick said. “But we have precious cargo in the house. We’ll make sure they’re safe. I’ll even check the windows.”

“Jo, no way they go to Arnie’s private school in the morning. I don’t know how the CWS system works, but if you have to take Danielle to some school, it can’t be that one. I’m going to talk to Ellie about having Brie Valenzuela get a temporary restraining order. Check with whoever supervises you about how to handle school. And keep sharp—I’m worried about Arnie’s behavior.”

“You should mention this to Mike V,” Jo said. “Do you think Ellie should spend the night here tonight?”

“You can run that by her. Nick, is the phone line to that apartment accessible? Should someone have a desire to cut it and leave Ellie without a phone, is it possible?”

Nick shook his head. “It runs underground and through the inside of the garage walls. It’s safe, unless someone broke into the garage—and I’ll be sure those doors are locked also.”

“If she wants to stay in her room, I’ll make sure she gets in safely. She’ll have the phone if she has a problem. I’m not letting anything happen to her—she’s the best assistant I’ve ever had.” He smiled. “And I’ll take your advice and mention this situation to Mike Valenzuela. You’re right—he should be in the loop.”

“We’re going to be all right,” Jo said. “We’ll stick together and keep them all safe. That girl—she means a lot to me. So do the kids.”

“I know,” Noah said. “Listen, do you have a can of soup?”

“Sure. Why?”

“Ellie hasn’t eaten anything. She should keep her strength up. I think she has a battle ahead.”

“I can sure do that,” Jo said, going to the pantry.

It was ten in the evening before Ellie had finally eaten something, knowing her kids were safe and sound asleep. Noah walked her to her apartment and when he followed her up the stairs, she didn’t protest. Instead, she unlocked the door and left it open for him to enter behind her.