Chapter Eleven
Once he’d crossed into North Carolina, the skies unleashed their fury with treacherous downpours and a morning lightshow. Twice, he’d had to pull over until the rain slacked enough to see the road again.
By the time he reached his hotel, he barely had time to check in, drop off his luggage, then cross the street to the convention center for the opening session.
Stopping at the registration table, he signed in and was given a plastic bag filled with a folder and swag.
He was walking into the conference room when his phone vibrated, a text from Maegan asking if he’d arrived safely.
He’d texted her while in the traffic jam, and again the second time he’d pulled over waiting for the rain to lighten, but he’d been rushing since he arrived and had forgotten to text her.
-Yes. So sorry for the delay. Finally made it twenty minutes ago, and now walking into the conference.
-Glad you made it. Have fun.
-I’ll try. Call you tonight? He scanned the room for an empty seat.
-Impromptu knitting circle this evening, but I’ll be free after nine.
He spotted a free chair in the front row and hurried to claim it before someone else could.
His boss hadn’t told him the conference would be this large, but that was good.
The more law enforcement trained to help the mentally ill, the more chance of mitigating tragedies.
-Found a seat and putting phone away. Talk to you after nine.
While waiting for the speaker to begin, he pulled out the folder.
Inside was a schedule of events and a list of workshop options, including Crisis Intervention Basics, Building a Crisis Intervention Team on a Small Scale, Deescalation, Managing Stress and Mental Health as an LEO, and several more.
The sheriff had requested specifically that he attend the first two on Crisis Intervention, which were both offered that evening, but left the remaining openings to Judah’s discretion.
He’d make that decision later, after he attended today’s general sessions and workshops and had a better idea which breakout sessions would be most beneficial for Dogwood Creek’s department.
A man wearing khakis and a red polo with an embroidered logo stepped to the podium, The lights dimmed and a PowerPoint presentation appeared in the large screen behind the man.
Judah tuned out all other thoughts to focus on the information presented.
When the speaker finished, Judah was surprised to realize two hours had passed, and he had eight pages of notes written in the book given as swag.
He had a twenty-minute break before the first workshop, and he went in search of coffee. A woman he’d sat near approached him with a cup in hand.
“Would you mind sharing where you found that?” he asked. “I could use a cup right about now.”
She laughed. “I hear you. Three A.M. came early this morning, and I still cut it close. The Atlanta airport was a madhouse today.”
“Spring break?”
“Maybe.” She shrugged. “Where are you from?”
“Here, but I moved to eastern Tennessee several months ago, and I’m here representing that department.”
“I enjoyed that first speaker. If the rest of the conference is that good, I’ll be leaving well equipped to make a difference.”
He appreciated her dedication and motives. “I’ll already be leaving with more knowledge that I had upon arrival. I’m looking forward to the rest.”
“Me too.” She glanced at her smartwatch. “My coworker is texting me, asking where I am. He and I are attending Crisis Intervention Basics first. If you haven’t decided where you’re going, you’re welcome to join us.”
“That’s actually where I was headed. Once I found coffee.”
She laughed. “That’s right, you were asking where I found this. If you go to the second door past the main conference hall, there is a refreshment room provided by the hosts. They had coffee, water, juice, and an entire spread of snacks.”
“Thanks. I’ll go grab a bite, then likely see you in a few minutes.”
“I’m Bethany by the way. If you don’t see me, look for my coworker.
You can’t miss him. Big, burly guy with a bald head and covered in tats, Rough around the edges but cries like a baby whenever that soap commercial comes on about the greasy ducks.
Her voice filled with respect and admiration when she spoke of him.
She winked at him. “He’s also my husband, so I’m a bit partial to him. ”
Judah smiled. “I won’t let on I know his secret.”
“He’ll openly admit it. The guy has a soft spot for animals, which is why we have five rescue dogs back home that my sister’s taking care of while we’re gone, not to mention the three cats and a chinchilla.”
“A chinchilla?”
“Cutest little thing you’ve ever seen, even if he is ornery and wakes me up entirely too early every morning.
Came to us from a lady Blaine, that’s my husband, arrested.
She was having a panic attack about the little guy, so Blaine got it cleared through the proper channels and now we’re fostering the rodent until his owner is out of rehab and back on her feet. ”
“You two stay busy.” The ten-minute reminder bell sounded. “I’ll see you upstairs. Room 304, correct?”
“Yes. You better find us. Making new friends is half the fun of these conferences.” She bounded down the hall to the stairwell.
Smiling, grateful to have found a friendly face, Judah hurried to get his coffee and grabbed a raspberry pastry while he was there. His grand plan to grab lunch before the conference began had fizzled when he ran short on time.
The remainder of the day flew by. He liked Blaine and Bethany, enjoyed swapping shop talk with them. Blaine shared his struggles with PTSD after several tours in Iraq, which made mental health especially poignant for him.
At dinner time, they joined two other LEOS they’d gotten to know throughout the day for dinner at a nearby restaurant, then returned for Friday’s closing session.
By the time he entered the hotel, he was exhausted, even though it was two hours before his normal bedtime.
All he wanted was to get to his room, take a hot shower, then call Maegan who should have been finishing up with her knitting circle.
He crossed the lobby and stopped when a familiar voice called his name, but he didn’t turn around.
“Judah,” the voice called again. “Is that really you?”
Sucking in a long breath, Judah sought composure before acknowledging the person. Several seconds later, he pivoted and confirmed the voice’s owner. “Grady.”
“I thought I saw you at the conference earlier, but I couldn’t make my way over to you.”
“The room was crowded. I almost didn’t get a seat.”
“I’m glad I ran into you. Do you have time to talk?”
Judah appraised the man in front of him.
Former co-worker. Man with whom Alyssia cheated on him.
Their paths had often crossed at the hospital, and while he felt genuinely bad for Grady, he also struggled to forgive him.
For some reason, forgiving Alyssa had come easier, perhaps because she’d been dying.
“It’s been an exceptionally long day, Grady. I’m not really up for a chat.”
“I get that, and I don’t blame you.” Grady shifted his weight from his right leg to the left. “I have no right to ask, but I’d really like to talk before the conference ends on Monday, and I go back to Virginia.”
“Virginia?” Judah arched a brow, unaware Grady had left Charlotte and North Carolina.
“My presence at the station became a liability after everything that happened. After Alyssa passed, I was asked to voluntarily step down. It was the right thing to do, and honestly, I needed to get away.”
“I know that feeling.”
“I hear you’re in Tennessee?”
“A small town called Dogwood Creek. It’s a good place to be,” he added, struck with a need to defend the town.
“I’m living small town life myself. It’s definitely different, but not bad.” Grady reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. “I don’t want to keep you, but please, give me a call this weekend sometime. My new number is on the card.”
Something in Grady’s eyes gave Judah pause.
In all reality, they were long overdue for a hard conversation, and they may as well get it over with.
“There’s a sign out front claiming the hotel has fresh coffee twenty-four hours a day.
We could test it out. I never sleep well in a strange bed anyway. ”
Gratitude reflected in Grady’s eyes. “I’m always game for coffee.”
They found the breakfast nook where the coffee was kept. Pleasantly surprised there were numerous options, Judah chose a dark roast.
Grady added cream and sugar to his Columbian blend. “Have you ever thought it odd we can drink coffee at any time of night and it won’t affect our sleep, yet it wakes us up in the morning and keeps us going all day?”
Judah laughed. “I think it comes with the law enforcement territory.”
“You’re probably right.”
The breakfast area had tables and booths to sit at, and Judah led them to a booth. He’d had enough of sitting on hard chairs for the day. They drank their coffee in silence, each finishing a cup and getting a refill before any more conversation happened.
“I owe you a long overdue apology,” Grady said, jumping right in.
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I had no right to get involved with Alyssa while she was still with you. My feelings for her were real, but our relationship was all wrong. I knew better, but I was selfish, and I’m sorry.
For disrespecting you. For how it was exposed. For all of it.”
“Apology accepted.” A weight lifted from Judah’s chest. Not because he’d finally received the long-awaited apology, but because he realized the apology didn’t matter.
It didn’t change the outcome, and he didn’t need a declaration of contrition to forgive.
He would never understand why Alyssa had to die, but he trusted in God’s goodness.
Grady narrowed his eyes. “Just like that? You don’t want to punch me or tell me what a scumbag I am?”
“What purpose would that serve?” Judah leaned back in the booth. “Alyssa and I were not meant to be. I wish things had gone differently and not ended so ugly, but we can’t change what it was. We can only move forward, and I realized tonight I’m genuinely happy with where my life is now.”
“I’m glad. You deserve happiness.”
“So do you.” Downing the last of this coffee, Judah composed his next thoughts. “For what it’s worth, I know you loved her. I would watch you with her at the hospital. Even though I was furious with you, I could see that you loved Alyssa in a way I never did, and my heart went out to you.”
“I did. I still do.” Grady blinked and breathed deeply. “But it still doesn’t justify what I did.”
“No, it doesn’t, but there’s forgiveness in Christ.”
“I’ve actually been going to church again and studying the Bible for the first time in my adult life.
The church I found has a men’s small group that I’ve been attending.
They are the ones who encouraged me to talk to you and apologize.
I’ve wanted to but have been too chicken.
” Grady chuckled. “When I saw you earlier, I figured that was God knocking me upside the head to get it done.”
Judah laughed with him. “That’s how it goes sometimes.”
“Look, I know you didn’t really want to talk tonight, but I appreciate you taking the time.” Grady tapped the side of his empty cup. “I won’t keep you, I know you’re tired, but don’t be a stranger. If it’s not too weird, check in now and then.”
“I will.” To his complete and utter shock, he meant it, and that could only be a credit to God and the power of forgiveness.