Page 20 of A Walking Shadow

Dinner was leisurely, and once Sasha’s brother texted with an offer to bring the kids home, it became even more leisurely. By the time they left the restaurant, the sun was setting a pale gold in the gray sky.

“Let’s the go through the alley instead of taking Ellsworth Street,” Sasha suggested.

Connelly smiled knowingly. “You want to see if that maple tree’s turning red yet, don’t you?”

“Nailed it.”

The massive tree at the entrance to the long narrow alley that ran behind their street was one of her favorite touchstones of autumn. Its leaves turned a dramatic scarlet shade each autumn. The effect was striking against the drab sky and even more beautiful when the fiery maple leaves floated to earth to carpet the ground.

They crossed the street and headed toward the alley that would lead them to their backyard. To her disappointment, the tree’s leaves remained solidly green.

“Boo,” she joked.

“It won’t be long now,” he told her.

“It’s something to look forward to,” she agreed.

He stopped and turned toward her, pulling her in close. “You really need that, don’t you?”

“Need what?”

“Something to look forward to.”

She gave a little laugh. “You know my mom always says to have your next vacation planned. I never really understood her reasoning until recently.”

“What’s going on with you?”

His voice was gentle but probing. She swallowed hard, then said, “I think I’m burning out. I’ve been fantasizing about quitting.”

“Quitting … your practice?”

“Maybe. I’ve had enough.”

“Of what?”

She thought. “Of fighting. In courtrooms, and boardrooms, and dark alleys. Of blood and guts, and angry clients, and legal citation format. Of charity balls, and billable hours, and death threats.”

“So, everything?”

“I don’t know, Leo,” she sighed. “I’m forty-seven years old, a business owner, the mother of twins, and the freaking library volunteer at their school. The things I’ve spent my adult life striving for and fighting against are exhausting. There has to be more than this. Doesn’t there?”

He was quiet for a long moment. Finally, he said, “I don’t know.”

“I’m thinking I might take a sabbatical. Did you know we have a sabbatical program?”

He chuckled. “No. You do?”

“Yeah. Prescott & Talbot has one. When Will joined me, it was one of the few things we wanted to replicate. Of course, no one has ever used it.”

He gave a knowing nod. “They’re waiting for you to do it. You’re the leader.”

“Maybe.”

“Then, do it. You’ve certainly?—”

Whatever he was going to say was lost in the night, when two men stepped out of the shadows of the Vanderkamps’ garage.

“Sasha McCandless-Connelly? Leo Connelly?” The shorter and stockier of the two men spoke. Beside him, the taller guy rested a hand on his hip.

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