I the only one who visited the prison?”
To her relief, Linc shook his head. “No. One of our aircraft mechanics was there, too. Jim Ahern.”
“I think my brother had mentioned him before.”
“He may have. They were buddies before Boyd was dishonorably discharged.”
“Then why all the interest in me? Why don’t you put a watch on Ahern, too?”
“We’re not ignoring that possibility,” Linc said. He started to reach for the front door on the passenger side. Zoe stopped him. “I’ll ride in the back with Freddy, if you don’t mind.”
Although Linc easily acquiesced, she could tell he wasn’t thrilled that she’d refused to sit next to him. Well, too bad. Every time she began to think he might be on her side, he came up with another accusation and proved the opposite.
When Zoe admitted to herself that she wished he wasn’t going to church with them, her conscience reared up and gave her a swift kick. Just because somebody was a thorn in her side, that didn’t mean that person didn’t need the Lord. Maybe Linc was more in need of God’s mercy than she was.
Her glance caught his in the rearview mirror, and she was surprised to sense actual concern. Long after he broke eye contact, she continued to observe him. Analyze him. Admire him, despite his contrariness. There was something about the sergeant that impressed her in a way she didn’t understand. Moments ago, she’d been wishing he wasn’t there, yet now his presence was giving a lift to her spirits and bringing peace to her heart.
That was crazy.
It was also patently true.
Seated in the last church pew with his charges, Linc was fine as long as he kept his focus on doing his job, which meant not allowing himself to relax and enjoy Zoe’s or Freddy’s company. Star, on the other hand, was having no such qualms and was leaning against the boy’s tennis shoes, panting.
The K-9 didn’t have Linc’s background to create bias. Lies had cost him the lives of men in his former unit, something he would never be able to forget, and more lies threaded through his memories of his father. The parent he’d believed to be a hero had turned out to be nothing more than a thief and a coward, a familial sin he was still doing penance for in his own way.
His father was a lot like Boyd Sullivan, he thought. Slick on the outside and rotten to the core. It wasn’t until Zoe nudged him and asked, “Did you have dill pickles or lemons for breakfast?” that he realized his disturbing thoughts were being revealed in his expression.
“I feel as though I’ve been making a steady diet of sour lemons,” Linc replied, “in the form of unanswered questions and out-and-out lies.”
“Not to mention the stuff that’s been happening to me while you’ve been assigned to watch me.”
Linc saw a scowl beginning to knit her forehead beneath her bangs, so he continued. “It’s all part of the same package. If—and that’s a big if—you happen to be telling me the whole truth, we have more than one problem to solve.”
“Duh. You think?”
A hush was coming over the congregation. Linc laid his index finger across his lips. “Shush. We’ll talk about this later.”
“Guaranteed,” Zoe said. As the congregation rose, she pulled a hymnal out of the rack on the back of the pew in front of them and expertly thumbed to the called-for page.
Linc did not intend to sing along. He hadn’t been in a church since the deaths of some of his best friends and he was far from comfortable. Nevertheless, the music tugged at his boyhood memories of standing in a worship service beside his mother and following her lead as she gave voice to her strong faith. In that respect, Zoe kind of reminded him of his mom. Her pitch was perfect, her tone both soothing and inspiring.
When she extended one side of the open hymnal toward him, he grasped the edge and made a small effort to join in. The more he sang, the more poignant the song seemed. For some reason, words that were familiar suddenly took on deeper meaning, each phrase drawing him closer to the faith he’d once professed.
Linc resisted the inner call. He continued to sing until a catch in his throat made his voice crack. Keeping his eyes forward, he released the hymnal to Zoe and stood at attention. He was a soldier. A member of the elite Security Forces. His own man and afraid of nothing. He didn’t need the crutch of religion. He didn’t need anything or anybody except his badge and his dog.
As positive as those thoughts were, they weren’t enough to banish the tightness in his throat or the sense that he was missing something vital. Something that was almost within his grasp.
* * *
Zoe usually felt at home in church, though she might not be at ease in any other group. Even her personal friends had acted rather distant since they’d learned who her brother was and what had been occurring ostensibly because of him. Although she would have liked to come up with a reason to deny some of the charges against her sibling, she knew without a doubt that he was capable of killing on a mere whim. He’d proved it to judge and jury. As much as she wished she could, there was no way to convince herself he might be innocent this time, either.
She had some fond memories of her big brother looking after her when they were children growing up in Dill, Texas. She’d idolized him, following him everywhere when she was a little girl, but current events were undeniable. Boyd had not only confessed in court, he’d acted proud of his crimes and justified for committing them. Therefore, she had no rebuttal for those who blamed Boyd for the terrible things occurring since his escape. He was intelligent yet behaved in a way she couldn’t fathom, couldn’t identify with. The youth who had stood up for her against playground bullies had chosen to become an abusive adult rather than continuing to champion those who needed help. If he had stayed on the side of law and order, he would have made an excellent military officer or policeman.
As for the personal problems she was currently facing, however, Zoe doubted Boyd would bother to create that kind of chaos. Not only was it unlikely that he’d have known she’d duck into the warehouse in time to see that supposed shooting, he wouldn’t have sent an enlisted man to do his bidding that morning when he could easily have contacted her himself. Not to mention whoever had been lurking in her apartment, particularly since Portia had vowed she knew nothing about the prowler and had convinced everybody she was not responsible. That made the whole scenario much, much more terrifying.
Zoe’s thoughts were cut short when the service ended. Everyone stood. Zoe let Freddy climb up on the bench beside her, so he’d be at eye level and she turned to speak to Linc. “We usually go out for lunch on Sunday after church. Is that all right?”
“You don’t have to ask me,” he said flatly. “If you aren’t too worried about being out in public, then go.”
“I’d almost rather be out and about than back in my apartment, wondering who else is hiding there, ready to pounce. How about the Winged Java for lunch? You’re coming with us, right?”
“Absolutely. I have the day duty. Let’s get back to the car so I can check my messages in private. I want to see if they managed to nab your SUV driver.”
She
