Rising Darkness (22 page)

As I tried to reassure Donnie that everything was going to be all right, I handed Paul the gun. I promised Donnie I'd visit him as soon as I could and then watched as Paul escorted him out of the building. Feeling completely drained of energy, I collapsed onto the pew next to me.

Jonathon talked to Martin for a bit. When Martin left, Jonathon came over and sat down beside me.

“That was really brave,” he said. “I'm so proud of you.”

“There's nothing to be proud of,” I countered. “I almost cost Martin Hatcher his life. I'm done. I know what I told Donnie, but I can see now that my secrecy and selfishness has caused nothing but trouble. If Donnie had shot him . . .”

“Then it would have been Donnie's fault, not yours.”

I turned to him. “Will you stop being so nice to me? Why don't you tell me off? Be honest? I jumped to conclusions, and I was wrong.”

“I guess it's because I see something in you that you don't. You're used to envisioning yourself through the eyes of your parents, Sophie. But God's eyes are different. You'll never be whole until you can picture yourself through the eyes of your heavenly Father instead of through the eyes of imperfect people.”

“I want to do that, Jonathon, I really do. But it's hard.”

“I know. But I'll help you if you'll let me.”

I shook my head, not knowing what to say.

Jonathon looked at something behind me, and I turned my head to see Paul coming up the aisle.

“You two okay?” he asked.

“She's a little shaken,” Jonathon answered, “but she'll be fine.” Paul walked around and stood in front of me.

“Thank you for what you did. I want you to know that if I'd felt at any time you were in danger, I would have taken that shot.”

“I know,” I said. “But I'm certainly glad you didn't have to.”

He sat down on the other side of me. “Donald Abbott is being transported to our office. He'll be charged with threatening Mr. Hatcher's life. We'll also check to see if he has a permit for that gun. He'll be spending some time in jail until we get this all sorted out.”

“I understand,” I said, “but I really feel sorry for him. He thought he was getting justice for his brother.”

Paul grunted. “Justice comes from finding Terrance Chase
and putting him through the court system. It doesn't come from threatening innocent people. If he doesn't learn this lesson now, he may ruin his life. His mother doesn't need that.”

What Paul said made sense, but I still felt badly for the man who was grieving for his brother. Because of this, he would probably lose his job at the prison. And it was all my fault.

“Now, I have some questions,” Paul said.

I nodded.

“Who are you, Sophie? And why are you really in Sanctuary?”

I poured out the entire story. Why I was here. What I'd been looking for. I even told Paul that Jonathon and I knew each other from the past, although I didn't go into details. When I finished, he sat there looking stunned.

“Why didn't you just come to me at the beginning? You're not trained to look for criminals on the run. You almost got an innocent man shot.” He glared at Jonathon. “You should have known better, Pastor. When you found out what she was up to, you should have contacted me right away.”

“He wanted to.” I scooted closer to Jonathon. “But I talked him out of it. I wanted to locate Chase first—or at least narrow it down to a good suspect. I was afraid I'd lose the story if I brought you in too soon.” I shook my head. “It was selfish and stupid. It's been kind of a theme ever since I came to town. But I'm done. I don't think Chase is here. Martin was the only person who seemed to fit the profile. The time he came to town, the way he looks, even the way he acted.
Seems he was hiding out, all right, but not because he was Terrance Chase.”

“Have we ruined things for him?” Jonathon asked Paul.

Paul glanced toward the back of the sanctuary. “No, I don't think so. To be honest, I think any real threat to Martin ended several years ago. He's still here because he wants to be.” He turned back to me. “I talked to Donnie for a few minutes before they drove him away. He asked me to give you his apologies. He mentioned he felt bad about sending you those threatening notes.”

“Notes?” Now Jonathon was staring at me, too. “How many were there?”

I looked away, afraid to answer.

“Why didn't you tell me?” Frustration laced his words.

“I was afraid you'd force me to call Paul.”

He didn't say anything, but I could tell he was upset I hadn't told him. Add it to the list of my many mistakes.

“Look, it's over now,” I vowed. “No more investigating. I'll give you everything I have, Paul. If Chase was ever here, you can track him down. Frankly, I'm beginning to believe this was a complete waste of time. I came here because of a story someone told me. No one at my paper followed the lead. They must have known how flimsy it was.” I sighed and looked at Jonathon. “I still think Tom believed what he told me. Even if he was wrong. I promised him I'd try to get his sentence reduced. Telling him I lied about that will be hard. He'll be hurt and disappointed.”

“Do I have your word that this is over, Sophie?” Paul said.

Turning back to Paul, I held up one hand, palm out. “Absolutely. I'm heading back to my job at the paper, and I'm going
to gladly accept the assignment of reviewing restaurants. I still want to be an investigative reporter, but I'll just do my time and wait for a promotion like everyone else. Obviously, I still have a lot to learn.” I looked from Paul to Jonathon. “I really wish I could do something to help Tom, though. Maybe one of these days you could visit him?”

Paul stood up. “I'll let you two sort all that out. I'm going back to the station. I'll keep you updated on what happens to Donnie.” He stabbed his index finger toward Jonathon and me. “You both stay out of trouble, okay?”

“Sounds good,” I said, giving him a sheepish smile. “Frankly, I need a good long nap.”

Paul tried to hide a grin. “I'm sure you do.”

He said good-bye and left.

“Well, you've certainly had a busy, busy day. Are you done?”

I snorted. “I certainly hope so.”

Jonathon stood, reached for my hand, and pulled me to my feet. “I have a suggestion. Why don't you go home and get some rest? Then tonight, let me take you to dinner.
Not
in Sanctuary. Let's drive to Fredericktown. They have a great little Mexican restaurant. It might do you good to get out of town.”

“You don't have a church service tonight?”

“Nope. We like to give members a chance to spend the rest of Sunday with their families.”

“I like that idea.”

He smiled. “So do I. Especially right now.”

I followed Jonathon down the main aisle. “I love Mexican food, and getting out of Sanctuary for a bit sounds wonderful. I mean, I like it here, but . . .”

“You need a break?”

I laughed. “I definitely need a break.”

“Good. I'll pick you up around six.” He glanced down at his watch. “That will give you a little over three hours to rest.”

“Maybe I'll take a catnap. Which at Esther's is easy because there are always cats around.”

Jonathon gave an easy laugh at my lame joke. “Do you need me to drive you back to Esther's?”

“I'll check to see if Zac is still waiting outside. If not, I'd rather walk. A little fresh air sounds heavenly.”

“Okay. I'm headed home, too.”

I glanced out one of the church windows. Looked liked most of the crowd had dispersed. “You know, Jonathon, I've never asked where you live.”

“The parsonage is next door.”

“You mean that cute bungalow? The one with the red door?”

“Yeah, that's me. The red door wasn't my idea. Since the church owns the house, they maintain it. The last time they painted the house, I came home and discovered my door was red. I was told that red ‘made it pop.' What could I say?”

I laughed. “Well, I like it. I'd love to see the inside sometime.”

“Sure. But remember, I'm a man. I'll need to clean up first.”

“Deal.” I hesitated a moment. “Thanks, Jonathon. I mean, for walking me through this. For trying to help me. For . . . everything.”

“Of course.” He took my hands. “We have a lot to talk about, Sophie. I don't want to lose you . . . as a friend. And maybe as someone who might be more someday. Again, no pressure. But I'd like you to think about what you want out of life. If
it's going back to St. Louis and pursuing your career, that's fine. You could still come to visit, and I can drive up to see you sometimes. I just want you to consider what happens next.”

“I know. And I am. We'll talk about it more tonight, okay?”

“Okay.”

I slowly pulled my hands from his and walked toward the door of the church. I was almost ready to push it open when I stopped, turned, and then ran back to Jonathon. When he saw me coming, he held out his arms, and I fell into them. He held me for quite a while. I felt warm, safe, and happy there. When I stepped back, he released me. I looked up and saw tears in his eyes. I wanted to tell him how much I loved him, but I couldn't right then. I wasn't the woman he needed in his life. But with God's help, maybe someday I would be. For now, I hoped the hug said everything I wanted to.

This time I didn't look back as I walked out of the church and onto the sidewalk. Paul was still there, and I spotted Zac, leaning against his car, obviously waiting for me. As I started toward him, a small group of people stopped me. A couple of them were strangers, but I recognized Mary and Rosey, as well as Evan Bakker.

“Is everything okay?” Mary's forehead wrinkled. “Someone told me you were inside, and I was so worried.”

I held my arms away from my body to show I was unharmed. “I'm fine. Thanks, Mary.”

“Martin said you thought he was some kind of famous criminal?” Rosey told me. “Terrance Chase?”

So Martin was spreading the story around town already. Great. Now everyone in Sanctuary would know the truth. Who I was and what I'd been up to.

I blushed. “Yes. But I was wrong. I feel stupid. I'm sure everyone thinks I'm an idiot—and a troublemaker.”

Evan cocked his head to the side and peered at me though his thick glasses. “I don't believe anyone thinks that. For my part, I'm grateful you cared enough about justice to try to catch that man.” He scratched his head. “I remember the story. He robbed something . . . was it a bank or . . . no, it was an armored car company, wasn't it?”

“Yes. In St. Louis.”

“Didn't he get away with millions of dollars?” Rosey asked.

“Yes, and it was never found.”

Mary's eyes gleamed with excitement. “Wouldn't it be great if it was hidden somewhere in Sanctuary? If we found it, maybe the town would get a reward.”

“That would be nice. But don't go tearing up Sanctuary looking for it. I've come to the conclusion it's unlikely Chase was ever here.”

“But if he was,” Evan interjected, “where would he hide millions of dollars?”

I shook my head. “I actually had an idea about that, but after all the trouble I've caused so far, I have no intention of following up on it.”

Mary patted my arm. “We understand, and I'm sorry things didn't turn out the way you'd hoped. Again, we're all glad you're okay. Hope you stick around our town for a while. You fit in nicely.”

I was touched by her kind words. “I'm not sure anyone else feels that way, but it means a lot to me that you do.”

“You'd be surprised, Emily,” Evan said. “This town is very special. As are the people. Don't underestimate us, okay?”

“I'll try not to. It really is a special place, isn't it?”

Rosey slid her arm around my waist for a quick hug. “Yes, it is.” She looked at me carefully as she stepped away. “You look tired. Hope you get some rest this afternoon.”

“Actually, I'm headed back to Esther's right now. Then I think I'll take a nap. Not something I usually do. Tonight, Jonathon's taking me to some restaurant in Fredericktown. I guess they have good Mexican food.”

Mary clapped her hands together. “Oh, they do. You'll love it. I'm so glad you're getting a night out. I hope you have a wonderful time.”

“Thank you. I plan to.” I said good-bye to them and walked over to where Zac waited for me.

“Have any other plans for today?” he asked, a smirk on his face. “You could blow up something. I know where there's some dynamite.”

“I think I've done enough for one day.” I leaned against his car, right next to him. “And it worries me that you know where dynamite is.”

He cocked his head to the side. “They're dynamiting that old mine tomorrow.”

I straightened. “Really? In the morning? I need to talk to Reuben. Do you know where he is?”

“He went home. Esther's over there visiting with Wynter. You can see him when he brings her home.”

“Yeah. Maybe.”

He put his hand up, shielding his eyes from the sun that was glaring down on us. “Reuben let me in on some of what happened. Is there something else going on?”

“Maybe. Probably not.”

“Well . . . okay. You sound very positive about it.”

I laughed. “I'm not. That's why I'm hesitating.” I took a deep breath. “Okay, don't call me crazy, but remember what Esther said about the mine at lunch? That it was originally called the Gabriel Mine?”

“Yeah, so?”

“A source once told me he overheard a guy he thought was Terrance Chase talking on the phone, he mentioned coming to a town called Sanctuary. Then he said something about it being protected by an angel. I know it's a reach, but could he have been talking about the money? Is it possible he hid the money in the Gabriel Mine?”

“Oh, Sophie. I don't think so. People have been in and out of that mine. Kids and . . . well, other people. Surely the money would have been found by now. I mean, officials from the state have been in there, too.”

“But aren't there a lot of tunnels? Even some that have already collapsed?”

“Yeah. I mean, it's not impossible. But you're still assuming Chase was ever in Sanctuary. Do you still believe that?”

I shrugged. “I'm not sure. I spent hours looking through records at the Mennonite church. Records that track the residents of Sanctuary. After all that work, I ended up with only two possibilities, and neither one of them turned out to be Chase.”

“Wait a minute. What records are you talking about?”

I quickly explained what I'd been doing at the church.

“Okay, well, shouldn't you finish going through them?”

I shook my head. “I can't. Someone burned them. It's hard to believe all those details from Sanctuary's history are gone. I feel awful about it.”

His eyes widened. “I heard about the fire at the Mennonite church, but I had no idea what was burned.” He peered into the distance as he considered what I'd told him. “Who would have done that?”

“Nate. He was behind all of the weird stuff going on.”

Zac was quiet for a moment. “I don't get it. Reuben didn't have time to explain everything.”

“One of the guards shot in the robbery of that armored car company was his brother. He wanted to find Chase on his own. He already had my list of names. He took that from me earlier. Then I guess he wanted to keep me from finding any more information. I had almost everything on my laptop, though. I guess he didn't think about that.”