Burning Proof (28 page)

“A DATE?
” Maddie looked up at Luke, hands on hips.

“Yep, a real date.” Luke smiled at his daughter. “And I didn’t even have to join a computer dating service.”

“That’s probably best. I don’t know that I would like a girl the computer spit out.” She gave him a hug and settled back into finishing her schoolwork before dinner.

Luke chuckled in agreement and once again checked his image in the mirror, working to calm his nerves. He’d not been on a date since he courted his wife, and he felt rusty to say the least. He stopped on his way to the car when something on the television news his mother was watching caught his attention. It was about Lowell Rollins.

In the week since the incident at the retired deputy chief’s town house, a firestorm had erupted around Cox and her connection to Lowell Rollins. Added to the mix was the unknown dead man at Barone’s house in Tehachapi. He’d eventually been identified as the man whose ID Cox had in her garage. He was also on the governor’s payroll. As a result the would-be senator’s campaign had been hit with a barrage of questions and intense
scrutiny. What was the man doing there? Why did he have C-4 as Cox claimed?

The only information Kelsey Cox volunteered was that the C-4 belonged to the man named Quinn. Beyond that she would not talk. She was in jail for arson. Though she had confessed to killing Abby’s father all those years ago, Luke knew from Bill that they needed to build a case before they could charge her with murder. And her lips were sealed when it came to answering questions about Alyssa Rollins’s involvement in anything.

Abby had called him after the revelation that the dead man in Barone’s driveway had been positively identified as Quinn Rodgers, Alyssa Rollins’s bodyguard.

“Does the fact that Cox had explosives she claimed belonged to a man employed by Alyssa Rollins
 
—a man who was found dead in Tehachapi, where we were both working
 
—bother you as much as it does me?”

“Yes, it does,”
he said, but maybe more, he thought, when he considered the danger Alonzo Ruiz had brought to his doorstep.
“I believe his being there had something to do with us. The locals certainly found no connection between him and Barone. Cox was probably there as well. My speculation is that Alyssa sent them there to deal with us. Though why she would consider us a threat is beyond me.”

“As long as Alyssa Rollins is free and clear, we have no assurance the danger is past, no assurance everyone involved has been stopped. I believe Alyssa was trying to get rid of us. I don’t want to live looking over my shoulder, wondering if she’ll try again.”

“Do you have an idea about how we can be certain she won’t?”

“No. That’s why I called. I can only guess what she planned in Tehachapi. At least right now she has her hands full; the press is all
over this story. I’ve even gotten calls. Gunther is practically camped on my doorstep. Everyone who was in the Triple Seven that day, except for me, is dead.”

“Did you tell Gunther about the letter?”

“No. I, uh . . . The letter is mine. It’s personal. It would never hold up in court without corroborating evidence. I don’t want to go through an authentication fight or have to answer questions about chain of custody.”

“You don’t have to justify that decision to me. I understand. But you do know that even if you lay off of Alyssa and keep quiet, that doesn’t mean she’ll stop. The Triple Seven invest is closed tight, and still, for some reason, she sent Kelsey Cox and Quinn Rodgers after us.”

“But it’s not closed anymore.”

“What?”

“My father’s body has reopened the case. Since it wasn’t him next to my mom, homicide has to find out who it was.”

“Piper Shea?”

“It has to be proven.”

Luke considered this for a moment.
“You’re right, and while the governor is caught in this firestorm about Kelsey and Quinn, I doubt Alyssa can do anything.”

They had agreed to wait and watch. But as Luke listened to the news report, he wondered if waiting would be possible. His jaw dropped as the newscaster read a statement issued by Governor Rollins. It said that Quinn had been in Tehachapi investigating a possible hacker. One of the governor’s campaign offices had been hacked, and Quinn had been unofficially following up a lead. The governor was not at liberty to discuss specifics because of an ongoing federal investigation.

Luke knew that the officers who searched Barone’s house had found a setup they thought was related to hacking. As the press’s questioning got lighter and lighter, Luke felt a sinking in his chest and knew that Rollins would weather the media volcano. The major news outlets were buying the explanation and the governor would likely emerge from this unscathed.

Luke no longer wondered if it would be the end of his campaign. The man would never give up the quest to be a senator. Alyssa was winning.

Abby put the letters away when she saw the clock. Ethan would be there any minute and she wasn’t ready. She just couldn’t put the letters down. Uncle Simon had mailed her all of her father’s letters. The visiting approval had not yet come through, and he didn’t want to keep her in suspense.

Her father had written messages to his brother overflowing with love for his wife and his daughter. She’d never known how much her father loved her; she’d only been able to guess. But now she knew. In his own words Buck Morgan laid open his heart. All her life she’d heard how important the restaurant was to her father, but in the letters he barely mentioned the place. It was all about his daughter.

Little Abby is the best thing to ever happen to us, Simon. I wish you could see her, watch her play, see her smile. She makes the dreariest day bright. When she was a baby, if I came home from having a bad day, all I had to do was stand at her crib and watch her sleep and the badness went
away. Pat thinks she’s a daddy’s girl, and I have to agree. I love it. If you could see the grin on my face right now, you’d laugh. When I pick her up and see her smile . . . Bro, my heart is full; my life is perfect.

There were four letters in all, written in the two years before her father’s death. In them he also talked about his faith, telling Simon about Jesus, about salvation, and how he wanted his brother to see a chaplain and give his life to God. Simon said that he had followed his brother’s advice and that had turned his life around. This information took Abby’s breath away. All her life she’d heard that her father was a wild child, pugnacious, ready to start trouble. To learn that he was a Christian had knocked her back a step.

And there was something else in the letters, words that had taken Abby completely by surprise
 
—her father’s affection for Lowell Rollins. They were truly good friends. Abby wanted to ask Simon about that when they finally got to visit. Before he went to prison, Simon would have known Lowell.

A picture of Lowell formed now in her mind that rocked her world. And she began to believe that only Alyssa was the evil one. Lowell was complicit in one respect: according to her father, Lowell never wanted to see the petty, mean streak in his wife, so he turned a blind eye. True, the man could have changed in thirty years, but Abby had a feeling that wasn’t the case, and now she had to figure out how to put together all the pieces she had in a way to stop Alyssa cold.

But at this moment her heart and her mind had to be with Ethan. They had only talked on the phone for the past week, even though he was back in Long Beach. He’d spent several
days in LA working on passports and visas for a couple of his team members.

She hated to think that she dreaded this visit from him, but she did. She knew he was not happy with what had happened with Cox, with the danger she’d put herself in. The tone of his voice and his choice of words told her that he was ready to call it quits where their romantic relationship was concerned.

Sad thing was, she agreed. Her heart would never be in overseas mission work, and that was where Ethan’s heart would always stay.

Then she heard his knock at the door. Taking a deep breath, and praying that God would help her with this difficult meeting, she went to the door.

She gave him a hug, even as she noticed his disapproving glance at the fading bruises on her arms from the tumble down the stairs.

“How’ve you been?” she asked, suddenly feeling the nervous drive to speak.

“Good. Packed and ready for Malawi.” He walked to the dining table and sat. “I’m so ready to head out again. I had a great Skype chat last night with the team members who are already there.” He rubbed his face with both hands and then looked up at her. “We need to talk.”

Sighing, Abby sat across from him. “I know.”

“You feel it too?”

“I think so.”

He took her hand. “I’ve been praying the Lord would change your heart, or change mine, but that doesn’t seem to be happening.”

“Ethan, I
 
—”

He waved her quiet and spoke softly, sadly. “The week I was with you after the shooting, while you were healing, I prayed that you would see the incident and aftermath as a sign
 
—a door closing and a new opportunity arising for you to make a life change.” He paused and swallowed. “I even hoped when you saw how much good the church build did for people . . .” His voice trailed off and almost broke.

She squeezed his hand.

He cleared his throat. “But you love your work as much as I love the mission field
 
—I see that now. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t have been hurt so bad by the shooting. So I understand we’ve come to a crossroads. I know that we will always be friends. I just don’t see us being married. We want very different lives.”

Abby swallowed a lump, amazed at the conflicting emotions that swirled within: pain, sadness, and realization of truth. And even a sense of relief.

“I agree.” She gripped his hand in both of hers. “I do value your friendship. We’ve known each other so long. I don’t want to lose that.” She reached out to hug him and he returned the gesture.

“You won’t,” he whispered. “I’ll be in touch, and pray for you often,” he said, and a few minutes later he walked out of her house.

Abby sat on the couch with Bandit, trying to reconcile her feelings. She knew the breakup was right, and she knew they’d always be friends, but there was still a sense of loss and a very sharp pain as she contemplated the future without Ethan’s steady presence.

She turned on the TV and flipped through the channels before she caught an announcer saying that up next was an important statement from Governor Rollins. Putting the remote down, she waited through the commercials for the statement.

“He’s gonna quit the race, Bandit. I know it,” she said to the little dog. She’d seen the chaos swirling around the campaign. His opponent was hitting him hard with everything that happened in Tehachapi, with Kelsey, Quinn, and Gavin. In an odd way she felt sorry for Rollins even as she struggled to think of a way to get to Alyssa.

When the commercials ended and the press conference began, Abby’s expectation changed to anger. She put Bandit down and stood, staring at the TV screen in disbelief.

“No, no. He’s getting away with it. He’s turning the negative to a positive.”

There was even an FBI agent confirming the ongoing investigation regarding Gilbert Barone and the hacking of a large financial institution.

She’d heard enough. Slapping a hand to her forehead, she switched the TV off. She fell to the couch and stayed there for a long time, numb, wondering how a man whose career never should have gotten going in the first place now seemed completely bulletproof.

LUKE HAD A FEW MINUTES
to help Maddie with her geography lesson before his date. She was studying the African continent and along with boundaries and capitals, she was learning about Christian persecution. He normally liked helping Maddie when he could, but this subject made him think of Ethan and all the work he did in dangerous countries, places where he could literally lose his life for his faith.

He shook his head; he had feelings for Abby, but he knew he had no right to those feelings. She would marry Ethan.

And I have to get over it.

That’s what tonight was all about. Meeting Faye Fallon had been the high point in the midst of this turmoil. Woody had coyly declined her dinner invitation, so it was going to be just Luke and Faye. He’d rather think about her than Ethan Carver. Or Lowell Rollins.

There was still a lot of uncertainty about life with another woman swirling around in his heart. But if things went well with Faye, Luke was willing to think about the future with a new woman in his life permanently.

“Dad, hello.” Maddie tapped the top of his head.

“What? Oh, sorry, Mads.” He returned his attention to her lesson.

“Did I get the spelling right?”

Luke bent to the task of checking the paper. “Let me see.” He looked over the paper and silently thanked God that his daughter was smart and she studied hard.

“Yep, 100 percent.” He put his knuckles up for a fist bump.

“Cool. Can I go play basketball now?”

“Double-check with Grandma
 
—”

Just then Grace stepped into the room.

“Luke, you have a visitor.” Grace moved aside and into the room stepped Abby Hart.

“Oh.” He stood, heart thumping. “Abby.”

“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” she said, looking more than a little ill at ease.

“You didn’t,” Maddie said brightly. “I’m done. Aced it.” She waved the paper at Grace. “Basketball now?”

Grace smiled. “Sure. Just change your clothes first.” With that, Grace and Maddie left the room, leaving Luke and Abby alone.

“Is something wrong?” he asked.

Abby shook her head. “No. But I have something to ask you. Sorry to just stop by unannounced. It looks like you were on your way out. A date?”

“Yeah, actually. With Faye Fallon.”

A flicker of something Luke couldn’t quite define crossed Abby’s face. “I’ll make this quick then,” she said. “We know most of what happened at the Triple Seven all those years ago, and it points squarely to one person. I’m going to use that information to find some way to take down Alyssa Rollins. Are you in?”