Unshaken

Chapter 10

10

It was midmorning, and so far, Hardy still had no clue about what to do with Stephanie.

He’d hated to leave her alone the night before. She’d looked near tears when he’d walked out the door. The only thing that had stopped him from turning around was how innocent and sheltered she was.

Oh, he would’ve never done anything. He would have kept his distance, been respectful, and slept on her couch. But still, he sensed that even those things would’ve been too much for her to take.

When he’d entered cabin number two, he’d forced himself to take a hot shower and fall into bed. Leaving her had been the right thing, and a childhood living in the projects had taught him that doing the right thing was rarely the easiest. Most of the time it was frustrating and difficult.

Early that morning Carter had returned his call. On a positive note, Carter was all for Hardy offering Stephanie a place to stay. He was also fine with her staying as long as she needed to. He’d told Hardy to give Foster or Crenshaw a list of any necessities she might need. One of them would go out and get them.

But beyond that? He hadn’t said much. Not even when Hardy had relayed that he was worried about Stephanie being there for an indefinite period of time.

All Carter had said was that he had faith in him.

Frustrated by that conversation and the fact that Carter was supposedly too busy to give him some direction about how to take care of an Amish girl hiding on his property, Hardy paced the length of the small living room. Wondering if it was too early to check on Stephanie. Debating if he should call one of the deputies or the sheriff, just to keep them in the loop.

Still not sure what would be the right thing to do, he decided to call up his sister. Bev had gotten him into this mess. As far as he was concerned, she could be the one to figure a way to get him out.

He breathed a sigh of relief when she answered on the first ring.

“Hardy?”

“Yep, it’s me.”

“Oh, thank the Lord. I was waiting to hear you’d arrived safely. You could’ve been calling me with updates, you know.”

“I was a little busy.” Which was pretty much the understatement of the year.

“How did she like the apartment in Marion? Did she seem okay when you left her?”

“About that ...”

“Yes?”

“There’s been a change in plans. We’re at the ranch.”

“Ranch? Carter’s ranch?”

“Yep. She’s settled in one of the cabins on the property.”

“Why did you make that call?”

Reluctant to worry his sister even more, he said, “I thought she’d be safer here.” Plus, no way did he want Stephanie to feel like she was all alone.

“Wow. I’m surprised Carter let you do that.”

Deciding that there was no reason to tell her that he’d essentially informed Carter after he’d made the decision, Hardy murmured, “I’m grateful.” Wishing he’d handled everything better, Hardy started pacing again. “Don’t worry. Everything’s okay. But I better get going—”

“No. Wait. Don’t hang up. Tell me about Stephanie. Is she okay? How’s her arm? Is she scared to death? You’ve been nice to her, right?”

Amused by her rapid-fire questions but used to them, he answered her in the order she’d asked. “She’s okay. I’m not sure about her arm. I’m pretty sure she’s scared, but that’s to be expected, I guess. She wasn’t complaining about it. And yeah, I was all right.” Thinking of how gruff he’d been most of the time, he added, “I’ll try to be nicer when I see her again.”

“Hardy. Really?”

“Don’t give me grief. I’ve been trying to keep her safe and I’m doing that.”

“Fine,” she muttered after a few seconds.

He wondered why she’d paused. Was it because she was still worried about Stephanie or because the girl was living on Carter’s ranch? Bev had always been a little skittish about all things Carter Russell.

“You don’t sound like it’s fine.”

“Sorry. You know I’m flipping out. I’m the one who sent her to you. It was a knee-jerk reaction. I didn’t stop and think of the consequences. Not really. Now, though, all I’m doing is imagining what she must feel like, living in a cabin by herself on that ranch.”

“I’m in the cabin next to her. She’s not alone.”

“What are you going to do now?”

“No, what are you going to do? What’s happening with the police in Batavia?”

“You know it’s not a big police department.”

She sounded frustrated, and he didn’t blame her. Because she’d been a social worker in the county for years, she had a better idea than most about how overworked the police department was. “I gave them my statement, so they’ve got a lot to work with. Until they find the body, I really want to keep Stephanie hidden. Plus, I don’t think she’s going to allow much of an interview. She’s either afraid of the police or distrusts them. Maybe both.”

“She might not have a choice in the matter.”

“I agree, but I’d rather not put her through any more trauma if I can help it.” Bev sighed. “And judging from the brief conversation I had with her aunt and uncle, I’m gonna guess that she wouldn’t have been safe there either.”

“Well, yeah. They’re Amish, Bev. They won’t have an arsenal in their living room.”

“Stop. It’s more than that. Her aunt and uncle weren’t very nice. All they seemed to care about was that she wasn’t going to be there to do her chores.”

“It’s too bad she’s living there.”

“I agree. But what can she do? She’s a sweet, unmarried Amish girl.”

“I hear you.” In most cases, surely a twenty-three-year-old woman was more than capable of taking care of herself. When he’d entered the military, he figured most eighteen-year-old girls could do a better job with life than he could.

But this one? Stephanie seemed too sheltered and too sweet to handle most things. Even if she was street-smart, they were dealing with a gang.

“In any case, thanks to you, the girl is no longer your responsibility. She’s mine.”

“Well, thank goodness she is. At least you have military experience. You can protect her.”

“I’m not a bodyguard service, Beverly. I have a job, with Carter.”

“Who’s also former military.”

“He’s in Cincinnati, Bev.” Besides, Carter was a lot of things, but Hardy wasn’t sure that he’d be worth much if gang members showed up.

“Well, I bet he’ll come join you once he hears what’s going on.”

“Don’t worry. I’m going to reach out to Sheriff Johnson and inform him about the situation.”

“Roger that.”

He grinned. “You should’ve gone into the service instead of my boss. You would’ve made a better officer than Carter.”

“I doubt that.” She chuckled. “But any qualities I had would have vanished the minute I realized that I was going to have to ignore people hurting in order to do my job.”

Even though he knew she’d been attempting to make a joke, her generalization about responsibilities in the military stung. “Bev, we never looked the other way when people were hurting,” he corrected in a soft tone. “We went places no one else wanted to go.”

“I’m so sorry. You’re right. I was just—”

“I know you didn’t mean anything by it. I guess ... well, I guess my ties to the Army are still strong.”

“As they should be.” Sounding even more flustered, she said, “I promise I’ll be more sensitive.”

“You’re fine.” Remembering some of the downtrodden places he’d been deployed, where it was difficult to place the mission ahead of the villagers’ needs, Hardy added, “You aren’t altogether wrong. There were times when I did have to ignore one person’s needs in order to serve the greater good. I reckon God puts each of us in the place where He sees fit.”

“I think so too. God doesn’t make mistakes. That’s one of the reasons why I’m so determined to help Stephanie. There has to be a reason why I was in that parking lot at that moment, Hardy.”

“I hear you.” And he had heard her words, loud and clear. It reminded him that the Lord probably had a hand getting him involved as well. He might not want to be Stephanie’s protector, but he wasn’t going to stop protecting her until she was safe and sound.

Which reminded him that it was time for him to go pay her a visit. “I gotta go. I’ll be in touch.”

“All right. Thanks.”

“And Bev?”

“Hmm?”

“Be careful, all right?”

“You be careful too, Hardy. I’ll be praying for you.”

Disconnecting the call, he stared at the blank screen for a moment. Thought about how hard life could be. At times, it felt like all it took was one misunderstanding or one misplaced quip to bring out a world of hurt.

He needed to remember that and do a little bit of praying of his own. Praying for patience would be a good place to start. Feeling as if everything had settled inside him again, Hardy hopped in his truck and headed toward the sheriff’s office before he was tempted to check on Stephanie first.

He arrived at the unassuming brick building ten minutes later. As always, Courtney, the department’s receptionist and all-around fix-it person, greeted him the moment he walked through the door.

“Hardy Anderson, long time no see. How are you?”

“Better now that I see your smile,” he teased. Courtney was a little older than him and almost as hardened by life. Over the years they’d developed a fun, almost sibling-like relationship. Her husband Blake was a good man but gruff and quiet. Hardy always thought that Courtney needed to be a receptionist just so she could have some conversation during the day. “How are things going around here?”

“They’re going.”

“Is Billy around?”

“Yep. You’re in luck. He just got in from a smile and shake with some folks out in Paducah,” she said as she stood up. “I’ll go let him know you’re here.”

“Thanks.”

Instead of taking a seat, he leaned against the wall, taking in the tidy reception area and the two hallways. One led to the offices, bathroom, and kitchenette while the other led to holding cells, interrogation rooms, and a first aid station.

“Hey, Hardy,” Sheriff Johnson said as he walked out in a pair of jeans, boots, and a uniform shirt.

“Billy.”

After they shook hands, the sheriff turned toward his office. “Come on back.”

“Yes, sir.”

The man’s office was spotless as usual. His desk looked freshly polished, the rug on the floor recently vacuumed, and his computer and phone sat side by side. The only two things belying the man’s penchant for minimalism were a framed photograph of his wife Kristie and a child’s drawing of a family in a frame right beside it.

“What’s going on?” Billy asked when they sat down.

“I’ve got a situation.” As succinctly as he could, Hardy relayed what had been going on with Stephanie since the day before. As he talked, the sheriff’s expression went from interest to incredulousness to concern.

When Hardy finished, the sheriff leaned back in his chair with a sigh. “You know, every time I start to think that things around here are going to calm down, something unexpectedly weird happens.”

“Drug dealing isn’t exactly a rarity around here,” Hardy said. There wasn’t a big drug population, but there had been more than one incident with meth and heroin over the years. He was no lawman, but even he knew that no place was safe from the opioid or drug epidemic.

“That’s true. But out-of-town dealers and gang members hunting down an Amish eyewitness? That’s a new one.”

“I reckon so.” He stood up. “Anyway, I wanted to give you a heads-up.”

“I’m going to need to speak to Stephanie.”

“I figured as much. When?”

“Now would be a good time.”

Hardy had expected that. But he wasn’t willing to heap yet another surprise onto Stephanie’s slim shoulders. A person could only take so much. “Could you give me an hour or two? I want to prep her a bit. I haven’t seen her since last night. I’m afraid she’s scared. Plus, my sister said she’s not fond of cops.”

“A lot of Amish shy away from the police. She’ll be all right.”

“I hear you, but I think there’s more going on than that. If I spring you on her, she’s going to get rattled.”

Billy glanced at the clock. “An hour, then. Who’s at the guard shack at the front gate today?”

“Crenshaw.”

Humor lit Billy’s eyes. It was no wonder. Crenshaw was a prickly guy. He was about as friendly as a drill sergeant meeting a new recruit.

“Tell him I’m stopping by for a spell, okay?” he asked.

“Will do.”

“Appreciated.”

Feeling better, Hardy gestured toward the child’s drawing. “I like your new artwork.”

Turning to the picture, Billy’s face was transformed with a pleased smile. “My niece Tiffany drew that for me.”

“She captured your bald head real good.”

He laughed. “I told my wife that I looked like an egg with arms and legs. She told me that Tiffany captured my appearance to a T.”

“I’m just glad she didn’t decide to draw me,” Hardy quipped as he walked out the door. After tipping his ball cap to Courtney, he headed back out into the chilly morning.

And wondered if he should maybe stop at the market for a few more things for Stephanie. Maybe a puzzle or some ice cream and a couple of sweatshirts or something.

The girl didn’t have much, and she was likely to be around for a while.

Because few things ever went as planned.