Chapter 17
“Rise and shine!” a voice boomed.
Gideon shot up off the bench, ignoring the stiff ache in his limbs.
A cow bell rang, and a man in his fifties with salt-and-pepper hair appeared at the bars. He was thin but looked fit. All wiry muscle underneath the sheriff’s uniform. “Morning, sleepyhead.”
“We haven’t met,” Gideon said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
“Sheriff Peters. And no, I haven’t had the pleasure. But I’ve heard about you. I’m sorry I didn’t have the opportunity to stop by yesterday. I had business to attend to. But I’m not sorry you were stuck here overnight. I’m hoping it did you some good.”
“I guess we’ll see.”
“My deputy informs me you’re not satisfied with your accommodation.”
“It’s fine. But I’d like to know how long you intend to hold me. ”
“Looks like today is your lucky day.”
“Should I be worried?”
“Not at all. I’m being sincere.”
“I can take you at your word?”
“I’m the sheriff, so I would hope so.”
“Badges don’t change character.”
“Welp.” He took his time resting his hands on his hips. “I guess it’s a moot point anyway, because you’re in there, and I’m out here.”
“But you’re letting me go?”
“Mayor Fairfax—God bless him—has decided not to press charges.”
“Of his own free will?”
“Sounds crazy. I know. And I did attempt to dissuade him. I don’t like the idea of a young hooligan being allowed back into the community, but he reassured me. He said you were an intelligent young man who would see the wisdom in leaving town—as he’d previously suggested—as soon as your feet hit the pavement. And now that you know he’s serious, I take it you will follow his instructions without delay.”
“I don’t suppose you’re interested to know that he was responsible for the recent fire that took out half a block in Asher?”
“When it’s your word against his? Not a chance.”
“What if I refuse to leave?”
“Then you’ll find yourself back here, and there will be no more lucky breaks. I will do everything in my power to make sure the full weight of the law comes down upon you. Do you understand?”
“Got it. ”
Peters moved closer to the cell. “I wouldn’t get smart if I were you. You’re in no position to have an attitude.”
“I’ll tell you what. I promise to do whatever is the wisest option.”
“Good. I’m glad we’re in agreement.”
Gideon put on his shoes when the sheriff opened the door. If he had never come back to Asher, what would he be doing now? His leg would have been mostly healed on its own, and he could have been back to work.
“Remember what I said,” Peters said as he walked Gideon to the door. “Don’t let the mayor regret giving you a second chance to redeem yourself. He’s a generous man, but I’ll only allow that to go so far.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
Peters opened a large filing cabinet drawer and pulled out Gideon’s backpack. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” Once outside, he checked his phone, which thankfully had a little battery life left.
“Shouldn’t you be calling a lawyer with your one phone call?” Nikki said when she answered.
“They let me go. I’m calling for a ride if you’re free. Sorry to keep doing this to you.”
“You’re out?”
“Yeah, but my phone’s almost dead.”
“I’ll come now. They didn’t press charges?”
“Fairfax didn’t want to.”
“Why?”
“No idea. Maybe he knows there’s a risk if this goes to court. But I was threatened to leave town again.”
“Like that’s going to happen now.”
“I’m undecided. ”
“What?”
“I’m sorry, Nikki. I don’t want to lead you on.”
“But I thought?—”
“I know. But I wasn’t expecting things to go this way. I’m putting people’s lives in danger being here.”
“What about what Eric said?”
“Maybe he got it wrong.”
“Gideon.”
“I haven’t made any decisions. But I need to go home, have a shower, and think. I also need to see how my dad’s doing. Have you heard anything?”
“I don’t think he knows what happened to you. My mom visited him last night. She said he’s improving, but we can stop at the hospital on the way home if you want.”
“Your mom visited him? Why?”
“She wanted to help.”
“She doesn’t need to do that. They barely know each other.”
“I know. But among all the bad stuff, there’s good as well. People are still coming to the church, and my mom is more herself than I’ve seen in a long time. She used to do hospital visits all the time. She loved it.”
“That’s very kind of her. Tell her thanks from me.”
“I will. Where do you want me to meet you?”
“It’s not far to the hospital from here. I’ll head that way and see Dad, then meet you there. You can text me when you arrive.”
“I thought your phone was about to die.”
“Oh, yeah. It is.”
“I’ll meet you up in his room if I don’t see you outside. I’m so relieved they let you go. We were praying for you.”
“We?”
“At church. About twenty-five people were there last night. We can’t do much right now, but we can pray. Looks like God answered.”
Gideon frowned. Was it God? “I’ll see you soon.”
He hung up and started walking.
Nikki peppered Gideon with questions all the way back to the motel.
“I don’t mean to put any pressure on you,” she said when she parked the car. “But people are ready for more. To fight back. At least, a little. I guess I thought that, after the way you’ve been treated by Fairfax and Cole, you’d be more ready to fight than ever.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to. Hearing all the good things that are happening with the people in town is great, but I didn’t come here to fix anything. I came here to get things in order with my dad. Maybe repairing some amount of our relationship. Or at the very least, finding some closure. But putting this town’s fate in my hands…I’m nobody.”
She touched his arm. “Not to me you’re not. I can see what Eric saw in you. It makes so much sense. If God believes in you, then you have to find a way to believe in yourself, or at least trust Him.”
“Like I said, I need some time to think. ”
“Okay.” She tucked her hands in her lap and looked out the window, waiting for him to get out of the car.
“I forgot to ask about Isabel. Have you heard anything?”
“No.”
It would be so much easier to leave all of this behind, especially when there was so little he could do. But there was one small thing that was still possible. If he could confirm for Nikki that Isabel was okay, at least he could leave her with that reassurance, even if that was all he could give her.
“I’ll stop by Fairfax’s place and check on her.”
“What? Really? What happened to you needing time to think?”
“I don’t need time to think about that. That’s simple.”
“You don’t think Fairfax will have a problem with you turning up on his doorstep?”
“Not if he doesn’t know I’m there.”
“Oh. Great. Even better. I’ll come too.”
“No, you won’t.”
“I can help.”
“I’ll work better alone. I’ve been trained for this stuff, remember?”
“I thought you said you weren’t in the special forces.”
“I wasn’t, but I still had training.”
“I don’t have to do much.”
“I won’t put you in danger like that.”
“I’m pretty sure I’m old enough to make that decision for myself. ”
“The answer is no. But I promise to let you know as soon as I’ve got anything.”
“Promise?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Good luck.”
He slowly opened his door. “You’re sure?”
“Yup.”
It was dark with no moon, but the stars were bright and clear on the farm.
Gideon laid flat on the ground, hidden by a clump of weeds on the tree line. He looked through the night vision binoculars he’d gotten from the guy behind the desk at the motel. It was an unusual item to have lying around, but Gideon didn’t ask any questions.
Down a gently sweeping slope were the acres of farmland that consisted of the main house with several outbuildings dotting the acreage—one of which, he assumed, would be where Isabel lived.
After several minutes scanning the property for guards prowling around and finding none, he switched to regular binoculars and focused on a large picture window. It was the only room with a light on that he could see from this side of the house.
Fairfax walked past the window and out of sight for a moment before he appeared again holding a tumbler of clear liquid. He sipped at it, which made Gideon guess it held vodka or a similar clear liquor.
Fairfax made a gesture with his hands as he spoke, but Gideon couldn’t see who was in the room with him. Then, an internal door opened, and Isabel entered. She had no noticeable injuries, but her mannerisms suggested she was afraid.
She looked up in response to something Fairfax had said, and he stepped closer, touching her arm before he splashed the remains of his drink in her face. She flinched but remained still, not even wiping her face. Now, Fairfax’s arms waved as if he was yelling.
Gideon’s hands tightened on the binoculars. It was hard to watch her being treated like that, unable to do a thing about it. But she was alive. That was a good start.
Fairfax pointed at the door, but as she walked out, he shoved her hard enough that she tripped out the door and fell before he slammed it and turned, straightening his suit jacket.
The other person in the room showed themselves then. It was Phineas. He put one hand on Fairfax’s shoulder and the other over his heart. Fairfax nodded at whatever he was saying. It looked like he was receiving comfort. Gideon dropped the binoculars for a second, his frustration getting the better of him, until he heard a stick snap behind him.
In one swift movement, he grabbed the knife beside him and swung around.
Nikki let out a soft squeak and fell back into a bush.
“What are you doing here?” he hissed as he pulled her up.
“I followed you.” She dropped to her knees and crawled up to where he’d been lying a few seconds ago. She picked up the binoculars and looked at the house. “Any sign of Isabel?”
“You should go home,” he said but crawled up beside her.
“She needs our help.”
“I told you I’d handle it. You said you’d stay home.”
“I never said that. You said that.”
“That’s your defense?”
“There was no point arguing with you. You’d made up your mind.”
“And you think you being here increases our chances of success?”
“You know what they say. Two heads are better than one.”
“This is serious.”
“I know.” She blinked at him, and in the low light, he remembered her as a little girl.
“I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Noted. Now, have you seen Isabel?”
He took a deep breath, then focused back on the house. “I have. She looks okay, but…”
“But?”
“I didn’t see any injuries, but Fairfax isn’t treating her well. If she stays with him, things won’t get any better for her.”
“We have to get her out of there.”
“And do what?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes.”
“We’ll figure that out later. One step at a time. She has no one else. ”
He was finding it hard to focus on what mattered with her so close in the dark. As a girl, he’d barely taken any notice of her, but now, the five-year age difference was nothing.
He scooted back a couple of inches. “It’s a huge farm, not to mention the house itself. The safest thing to do is wait. If we can find her away from the house, we avoid a lot of possible problems. Did she used to come into town much?”
“Not often.”
“Then she’ll probably come again eventually. We can wait.”
“Or we could get her out tonight.”
“What if she sleeps in Fairfax’s room? It would be impossible to get to her without anyone knowing.”
“She doesn’t. She told me once. Even when they were…together…she’d go back to her own bed before morning. I know where she sleeps. We just have to be careful.”
“I’m not comfortable with this. There are too many things that could go wrong.”
“You give up too easy.”
“I’m trying to be pragmatic.”
“Well, don’t.”
“We can’t go barging in there. It won’t save Isabel. All it will do is get us both in a lot of trouble. If we’re caught on his property, he could shoot us both as trespassers. And that’s exactly what we are, whether we’re trying to do the right thing or not.”
“Then come up with a better plan. You’re the one with all the experience. ”
“I’m a mechanic.”
“But you’re here. You’re the only one doing something, and you’re not an idiot.”
“I came to observe.”
“You’ve done that. We’ve assessed the situation and come to the conclusion that Isabel needs our help.”
“ You came to that conclusion.”
“You don’t agree?”
“I’m as upset as you about her circumstances.”
“You don’t look upset.”
He blew out his frustration at a tuft of dry grass. “Okay. Fine. This is how it’s going to go down. We’ll wait until all the lights are out and everyone’s gone to bed. You are going to tell me where she is, and I will go see if I can get her out. But you have to promise me you’ll stay here.”
“No way.”
“This again?”
“She doesn’t know you. She has to see my face, or it won’t work.”
“She saw me at the church.”
“No, she didn’t. She wasn’t looking at anything. She was too busy trying to hide herself.”
“These guys aren’t messing around, Nikki.”
“I don’t know why you think I’m your responsibility. This is my decision to make. The only way we’re going to help Isabel is if I come too.”
“I really don’t remember you being this stubborn when you were a kid.”
“You don’t remember me at all from when I was a kid. ”
“I do. I remember pigtails and a frilly dress.”
“They were very stubborn pigtails. And I gave my mom so much grief over that dress. I hate frills. Always have.”
“Fine. But if we go down there and I think the danger is too great, we’re pulling out.”
“I won’t?—”
“That’s nonnegotiable. You agree with me on that or we’re not moving.”
“Okay. If that’s the way it’s got to be.”
“Good.”