Chapter 2
Jeremiah stepped into the garage, closing the door gently behind him. The sound of Ryder's truck caused him to crane his neck around his own vehicle.
He strode toward his son. "Hey there, what's up? Sorry, I didn't see you at the shop today."
"No worries, I know you have a lot going on."
Ryder glanced at the keys in his hands. Jeremiah explained, "Joci needs firewood from the garage for the fireplace and cider from the store. Want to join me?"
"Sure. I can drive; I have you blocked in anyway."
Jeremiah nodded. "Sounds good."
He stepped into the garage and opened the door. "Joci, Ryder's here and is going with me to the store. We'll be back soon."
"Okay."
He strode to the passenger side of Ryder's truck and climbed in.
Ryder pulled from the driveway and headed toward Rolling Thunder.
They had an outbuilding where they stored firewood and miscellaneous things that none of them wanted at their houses.
He thought it was a huge bonus to have such a place.
He was grateful for the success he'd gathered in the past few years, which afforded him many beautiful things. None more beautiful than his family.
He glanced at his son, always proud of the man he'd grown to be. "Things okay with you?"
"Yeah." He saw Ryder's Adam's apple bob. "Molly and I went on another date."
He grinned at the sparkle in Ryder's eyes and the grin on his face when he spoke of Molly. "That's great. Did you go out to eat or something else?"
"We went to eat at The Rusty Nickel. It was good, they had live music afterwards. Jimmie says to tell you 'Hi'."
"Thanks. I'll text him."
Ryder was the quietest of the three boys, and Jeremiah had learned over the years to let him get his thoughts clear, and he'd talk.
That was his way. He turned right to pull into Rolling Thunder's parking lot when Jeremiah spotted the same dark sedan from yesterday parked at the far edge of the lot.
He pointed to the dark sedan that looked exactly like the one that had been in front of his house earlier. "Ryder, pull close to that car over there."
Ryder drove slowly toward the vehicle, which lurched to a start and sped off around the back of the building and out the front entrance of the lot.
"You want me to follow him?"
"No. There's no need to get involved in a chase."
"Who is that?"
Jeremiah took a deep breath. "I don't know. Gunnar saw him across from the house yesterday. It's weird that I'd see him here today."
"That's more than a coincidence."
He turned to see the concern on Ryder's face and grinned. "It is, but there's also nothing wrong with someone parking in a lot or on the street."
"Where the same man owns both properties?"
He took a breath and nodded. "I know it's suspicious. But so far, he hasn't done anything. I can't call the police until there's a real threat. I had hoped that if I could see who was in the car, it might clear up the mystery."
"We can follow him."
Jeremiah shook his head. "No, we'll keep our eyes open for now. Let's go get that firewood and get back to the house. I'm worried about Joci being home alone."
Ryder parked near the door of the garage, and Jeremiah jumped out. He opened the garage door, and they both immediately began hauling stacks of wood into the box on Ryder's truck. "I think three or four armloads should be fine," Jeremiah said.
Once the truck was loaded, Ryder maneuvered the truck toward the grocery store. Jeremiah called Joci.
"Hey. What's up?" she answered.
"We have the firewood loaded and are now going to the store. I saw that same black sedan again, here at Rolling Thunder. He sped away as soon as we got close. I'm calling to ask you to check the doors and make sure they're locked. Please stay in the house until I get home."
"Now you're scaring me."
Breath rushed from his lungs. "Honey, I'm sorry I'm scaring you. That's not my intention. I just want to make sure you're safe."
"Okay. Thank you. The doors are all locked."
He took in a cleansing breath and slowly let it out. "Thank you. We'll be home soon."
"Tell Ryder I said he better stop in and say hi before he leaves."
He chuckled. "I'll tell him. I love you."
Her smile could be heard in her response. "I love you too."
He turned to Ryder, "Did you hear that?"
"Yes. I have to go in and say hi."
Jeremiah nodded, and the grin grew across his face.
His heart grew three sizes when he saw Joci and Ryder together.
His boys never had a mother figure in their lives.
Luckily, his mom helped with the boys when they were younger; she was a Godsend.
The boys' mother, Barbara, showed up here and there in their lives, but it was never positive.
As they began working, all she wanted was money from them.
He glanced out of the window at the side mirror and saw a black car two cars behind them. His spine straightened. Ryder began watching his rearview mirror. They turned into the grocery store parking lot, and the car turned off onto a side street.
Ryder glanced out of his window and into the side mirror. "I saw him too."
He drove through the grocery store parking lot and out to the back street, then turned left toward the street where the black sedan had turned.
Jeremiah's eyes scanned the street and every driveway and side street as Ryder drove. As they reached Main Street, his shoulders deflated. So did Ryder's.
Without a word, Ryder turned toward the grocery store. He found a spot and parked, then turned to Jeremiah. "I just need to ask this. Is LuAnn still in custody? She wouldn't have gotten out pending trial, would she?"
"I would have been notified if she'd been released. And the judge didn't allow her bail. So as far as I'm aware, she's still in jail."
Ryder inhaled deeply, and Jeremiah did the same. His mind hadn't gone to LuAnn. Which surprised him. It had gone in another direction, one he wasn't willing to share at this time.
He and Ryder strode across the parking lot, both of them scanning the area looking for the black sedan.
Jeremiah pulled the service coin he always carried with him from his front pocket.
In times of extreme stress, he was comforted by holding this piece of metal.
It warmed in his hand and reminded him of all he'd come through. It gave him strength.
After purchasing the cider for Joci, he pulled his phone from his pocket as he hopped up into Ryder's truck.
He checked for any messages he may have missed.
If LuAnn had been released from jail, he surely would have been informed.
Finding no new messages, he pocketed his phone and continued to watch the road ahead, looking for anything that seemed out of place. And the black sedan.
Ryder pulled into the driveway, and both of them exited and began carrying the firewood to the side of the garage and placing it in the wood rack. After stacking it neatly, Jeremiah grabbed the cider from the truck, and both of them moved through the garage to enter the house.
As he opened the door, he could smell the aroma of fresh-baked bread while the notes of soft Christmas music played, making his heart rate drop to a reasonable pace.
He was home.