Broken Trust (10 page)

Mac smiled. Ah, they had him, now.
They might not catch the culprit, but the population of Clarkston was a mere
three thousand people. Any stranger passing through would be noticed. What he
looked like, what type of vehicle he was driving, if he ate at the diner or
used the pay phone. Maybe someone talked to him or overheard a conversation.

“Come on, Toni. Let’s go.”

Hank leaned his rifle against the
wall and righted one of the kitchen chairs. “Mom and I will stay here. You send
word to Larry tomorrow, so we know you’re safe in Vegas. Just in case the
burglar comes back, I’ll be ready with a little buck shot to welcome him.”

“Just be careful.” Toni pulled Mac
toward the door where he embraced his parents.

“You be careful, too,” Hank warned.
“We almost lost you in Afghanistan, and we don’t want anything else to happen
to you.”

“Until we’re sure, I don’t think
you and Mom should take any chances, either.”

“Warning taken.” Hank clasped Mac’s
hand.

“I should be gone just a few days.”
Mac hefted his backpack on one shoulder, the crutch braced beneath his other
arm. “If you need me, leave a message on the phone machine at our house in
Vegas. I’ll be staying there until we get this resolved.”

Inez kissed Mac, then looked into
his eyes. “Don’t be a hero, son.”

Mac patted his mother’s cheek and
flashed her a wide smile. “Don’t worry, Mom.”

As they headed toward the beach,
Grunt tried to follow, but Mac sent him back. “No, boy. Stay. Mom and Dad might
need you.”

Inez took hold of the dog’s collar
and held him back as Hank accompanied them down the mountain.

“Do you think Grunt chased after
the man who stole Eric’s letter?” Toni asked as she led the way at a brisk
walk.

“I’m almost sure of it.” For once,
Mac let Dad clasp his arm and help him negotiate the rocky hill to speed up the
process. Mom remained behind, locked safely inside the cabin with Grunt.

The ominous thought of being
stalked caused them to move cautiously. Mac prayed the vandal had just been
some hiker bent on destruction, nothing more. But something niggled at the back
of his mind. A prickle of danger along his spine. A feeling he always got on
special ops missions.

The warning to stay alert and move
with caution.

* * *

Morning sunlight filtered through
the trees, highlighting dust motes and chasing shadows beneath the heavy branches
overhead. Toni was grateful that Hank walked with them to the beach.

“Where’s your boat?” she asked.

Mac lifted an arm and pointed. When
she saw the dilapidated craft bobbing against its tether, incredulity heated
her face. “That’s your boat?”

It looked more like a dinghy
plastered together with chewing gum and dental floss. The kind a sleepy old man
with a big straw hat might use while he lazed on the Bayou and waited for
catfish to take the bait from his fishing line.

“That?” Mac jutted his chin toward
the dingy and shifted the crutch beneath his arm. “Yeah, that’s ours.”

Toni felt like her heart sank to
her toes. Even if she was willing to get inside, she doubted the boat would
ever get them across the lake. How would they ever reach Clarkston in time to
call and warn Grandma and Cara?

She snorted. “I think we’re in
trouble.”

Mac pointed again, further out,
beyond the dingy at an outcropping of trees and brush. “That’s our other boat.
Dad bought a new one this summer.”

Toni squinted her eyes against the
afternoon sun and studied the shoreline where the gentle pulse of water flowed
over the beach. She could just make out the nose of a boat peeking out from
beneath the shadowed bushes.

A large bank account and a new
boat? Again, she wondered where Mac had gotten all his money.

Hank took Mac’s arm and helped him
negotiate the steep incline down to the wooden dock. Toni followed. When they
reached the boat, Hank unloaded Mac’s backpack. The two men jerked a heavy tarp
off the craft, revealing a sleek, chili-pepper-red speed boat.

Toni laughed out loud, expecting no
less. “The color suits you.”

Both Mac and Hank grinned without
shame. Boys and their toys.

She could just imagine Mac racing
across the lake, whooping with glee, as he pulled her and Eric behind on water
skis. For just a moment, she had the insatiable desire to don a bathing suit
and ask Mac if she could give it a whirl. She longed to return here with Cara
and Grandma, to celebrate Eric’s life. At one time, she’d felt comfortable
being with Mac. But no more. She had to keep reminding herself that she
couldn’t love him anymore because he didn’t want her.

Right now, she wanted to focus on
getting to Clarkston.

With Hank’s aid, Mac climbed into
the boat, then turned to assist Toni. Always the gentleman, opening doors for
her, letting her go first, and reaching to offer his hand even when his own leg
was injured. Except for her father, no man had ever treated her with such
respect.

Clasping Mac’s fingers, she stepped
into the boat and took a seat. Hank pulled in the mooring lines and pushed the
boat away from the dock with his booted foot. Mac sat in the driver’s seat and
started the engine. Slow and easy, he steered the boat away from shore, then
waved at Hank who stood watching from the beach.

The motor roared and Mac pushed the
craft into high gear. The boat shot away, the breeze rushing through Toni’s
hair as they sped across the water.

Mac threw back his head and let out
a yelp of glee. “Wooee!”

Toni heard Hank’s bark of laughter
from the shore. She caught sight of him just before the boat turned and the
thick forest cut him from her view.

Mac zigzagged the boat across the
pristine surface of the lake. He held his injured leg to one side, his muscled
arms directing the steering wheel, a wide smile on his face. Grandma told her
once that time healed all wounds and Toni prayed it was true. Right now, they
had a problem to solve, and she dreaded it. She couldn’t shake the feeling of
danger nor the jittery flush of heat that kept her nerves revved up. If not for
Mac, she didn’t know what she would do.

Within fifteen minutes, they’d
crossed the lake. On the opposite shore, Larry Coolidge, the nearest neighbor,
helped them tie off the boat.

“You want me to take it back to
your pa?” Larry asked as he slung his thumbs around the straps of his overalls.

“I’d appreciate it.” Mac tossed the
keys to him.

“Will do. I been thinking about
some of your ma’s Dutch oven peach cobbler anyway.”

Mac led Toni to a dilapidated shed
where a brown, beat up Chevy truck was parked. “Larry lets me keep my truck
here. It’s faster to skim across the lake and drive into town than to park at
the cabin and drive the winding mountain roads.”

Yes, she knew this already, but it
still surprised her. In the city, everyone charged for everything. Making a
buck seemed all-important. But here in the country, people offered service just
to be good neighbors.

Mac held Toni’s door while she
climbed into the truck. Toni eyed his bandaged leg. “You think you can drive
like that?”

“Sure, no problem. It’s my left leg
that’s injured, and I drive with my right foot.”

While he got in the vehicle, she
realized Mac wasn’t the type of man to sit in the passenger seat. He just
didn’t.

First thing when they arrived in
town, Mac drove to the sheriff’s office. As they sat in the one-room building
and filled out a report, Toni felt skeptical. Surely the gunman with the
ponytail had fled the mountains by now. But she doubted he’d also ransacked the
cabin and taken Eric’s letter.

Minutes later, Mac drove them to
the only gas station in town.

“Do you need help filling the gas
tank?” she asked as Mac opened the door and slid out.

He reached for his crutch tucked
behind the seat. “Nah, I’m good.”

While he filled the tank, Toni
whipped out her cell phone, praying she found service here in town. She dialed
her home number and listened to the ringing. Her heart pounded in her ears when
she got the answering machine. She didn’t leave a message but quickly hung up,
then dialed Aunt Holly, her father’s sister.

After her parents had died, Grandma
insisted on living with Toni and Cara, believing the two girls needed her. She
was right. Toni didn’t know what she’d do without Grams to help out at home
while Toni ran the family shoe store. Not only did Grams make the best homemade
bread and pasta, but she also provided sage advice whenever Toni needed a
second opinion. Which was often, now she had a teenager to raise. Grandma was
always there after school when Cara got home. After her stroke, Grams still had
a lot of spunk, but seemed much more frail and tired. Toni hated adding more
burdens, especially Cara’s numerous rebellions.

Please, Lord. Please let me find
Grandma and Cara safe.

Chapter Ten

“Hello.”

“Hi, Aunt Holly. Is Grams there?”
Toni took a deep, settling breath, grateful to finally reach one of her family
members.

“Yeah, honey. She’s right here.”

Toni’s nerves tingled until Grandma
Bernice answered the phone.

“Hi, sweetheart.”

“Oh, Grams. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. You sound out of
breath, dear. What’s the matter?”

“Grams, I don’t want to alarm you,
but don’t go home to our house until I return to Vegas with Mac.”

“Why, dear? What’s wrong?”

She explained about the gunman and
someone ransacking Mac’s cabin. The elderly lady was understandably shaken.

“Oh, no! Are you safe? Where are
you?” her grandmother’s voice rose to a shrill tone.

“I’m safe here in Clarkston. I’m
with Mac.”

“Good. I know he’ll take care of
you.” Grandma’s voice steadied. “Why would anyone want to harm you, dear?”

“Right now, I have no idea. It may
all be coincidence, but I don’t want to take any chances. I think it’d be best
if you and Cara stay over at Aunt Holly’s for the time being.”

“Okay, we will.”

“Good. I’ll be home in a few hours.
Can you find Cara and let her know?”

“Of course. She spent last night at
Shannon’s house, so I slept over here.”

“You spent the night at Holly’s?”

Bernice Hamilton gave a hollow
laugh. “Yes, you know I can’t sleep alone in that big empty house when you and
Cara aren’t there.”

Bernice hadn’t been sleeping well
ever since her stroke. News of Eric’s death had turned both Toni and Grams into
insomniacs. The two of them had started sitting together out on the back patio
at three in the morning, eating vanilla ice cream topped with peanut butter and
strawberry jam.

“Where’s Cara now?” Toni asked.

“She should still be over at
Shannon’s place. She said she wouldn’t be home until later tonight. Don’t
worry. I’ll call her as soon as I get off the phone with you and have Glade go
pick her up.”

Glade was Holly’s husband.

Good. One less worry with no one at
home. They had time for Mac to use a computer. Maybe they’d have the mystery of
Eric’s letter resolved tonight.

She relaxed, knowing both her
grandmother and sister were safe. Looking out the windshield of the truck, she
saw Mac prop his lean body against the fender as he topped off the gas tank.

“Holly and I are going shopping at
the mall,” Bernice said. “We plan to meet Christine for lunch. You want to join
us?”

Christine was Grandma’s youngest
daughter and another one of Toni’s aunts. On Saturday, the three women always
had lunch together and sometimes invited Toni and Cara along. Toni felt
grateful to be a member of such a strong, loving family, especially now when
she was struggling to raise Cara and grieving for Eric and her parents.

“No, I can’t join you today. But
I’ll see you later this afternoon, okay?”

“Okay, honey. I’ll plan something
for dinner.”

“No! Don’t do that. You just have a
good time with Aunt Holly and Aunt Chris. I’ll stop by and pick you up at
Holly’s house.”

Planning dinner would require
grocery shopping and taking food home to be put away in the refrigerator. Toni
didn’t want Grams at their house alone.

“Okay, I’ll see you tonight,”
Grandma agreed. “But you be careful.”

“I will. And Grams?”

“Yes, honey.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too, dear.”

Toni hung up the phone, feeling
like a three ton elephant had just hopped off her back.

“Everything okay?” Mac asked as he
slid his crutch across the floor of the truck, then pulled himself into the cab
and snapped on his seat belt.

“Yes.” She told him about her
conversation.

“Great! I really think there’s
nothing to worry about. Until we’re sure, maybe you, Bernice and Cara could
stay at your Aunt Holly’s house.”

“Grams hates Aunt Holly’s beds.”

“You could all stay over at my
folk’s house in Vegas. We’ve got enough bedrooms.”

“Thanks, but I don’t think that
will be necessary.”

He turned on the ignition, but
didn’t put the truck in gear. He sat there, looking out the windshield, his big
hands resting on the steering wheel.

“Just say it, Mac.”

“What?”

“Whatever’s bothering you. I can
tell you’ve got something on your mind. Just tell me.”

He glanced at her, his eyes clouded
with emotion she couldn’t discern. “It’s nothing, really. I’m just thinking about
Eric’s letter.”

He reached over and squeezed her
arm. She tensed, remembering they weren’t a couple any more.

“Did the gas attendant know
anything about a stranger in town?” she asked.

“Nope. He said he hasn’t seen
anyone but locals. Right now, are you hungry?”

It’d been several hours since
they’d had breakfast. “Yes, I am.”