Page 45 of Every Deadly Suspicion

He hoped she knew about Carver. Surely Hanna knew the disgruntled ex-cop lived next door. Jared peered out the window. The busted SUV was gone. Carver must’ve had someone come tow it. Jared was surprised he’d not heard, but then he’d fallen asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. The house looked empty, and there was no audible music. Just then, Hanna’s cruiser turned down the drive. Jared opened the door and stepped out onto the porch to greet her.

As Hanna drove up to Jared’s house, she almost stopped before turning into his driveway. That’s why the address was familiar—Jared was staying right next door to Jude Carver. She saw the smashed mailbox. What was up with that? Hanna was not in the mood to get into it with Carver.

Oh well. She continued down the drive and saw Jared step out his front door. Though she’d seen him many times since his return, today Hanna felt a jolt as if she’d just touched a live wire. Memories exploded in her thoughts like claps of thunder. Ten years had aged him in a good way. He’d been lanky when he left, even thin; his ropey-muscled physique had helped him to be a good rock climber. Jared had been a talented all-around athlete. He never played organized sports, always bristled at the rules andcoaching. Structure was not his friend. Even belief in God was too structured for Jared back then.

A thought yanked Hanna like a full stop on an anchor line after a long fall. If things had been different, if Jared had embraced faith and asked Hanna to marry him, she would have run away with him in an instant. But he couldn’t and she didn’t.

Moving on.

Jared had filled out, shoulders and arms well muscled, his brown hair longer and a little wavy, and Hanna wondered how he liked being a firefighter. Talk about structure. Obviously, a lot had changed besides his build. She’d not been by to talk to him for a lot of reasons. The primary reason being that it made her feel disloyal to Nathan.

That was silly. She wasn’t certain her relationship with Nathan would evolve into a serious one. True, she considered him her steady, and she loved being around him, but what she felt for him did not yet meet the intensity of the feelings she’d had for Jared at one time.

That thought jarred her for a minute. Were her feelings past tense?

They had to be. Jared was simply an old school friend; that was how Hanna knew she should see him. A comparison came, unbidden, to her mind: Nathan looked more like an academic, while Jared looked every bit a firefighter, a jock.

It took some mental gymnastics to get the comparison out of her mind. She kept her expression neutral and climbed out of her car. This conversation was to be about Joe, that’s all.

“Hello, Jared.”

“Hanna. Good to see you.” He took a step off the porch. A lock of hair fell over his forehead when he did. He brushed it back with one hand. “I will admit it’s been driving me a little crazy.”

“What has?”

“Why you suddenly wanted to come see me. Sometimes I feel as if you’re avoiding me like the plague.”

Hanna stopped about four feet from Jared, holding his gaze, watching his hazel eyes dance.

“Not avoiding. Just staying busy with a lot of stuff.”

“Is some of that stuff why you’re here?”

She nodded.

“Do you want to come inside? Have something to drink?”

Hanna shook her head. “I won’t keep you long. You said you had to go back to work. Can we sit on the porch for a moment?”

“Sure.” He swept his arm to point to the two old rockers on the porch.

Hanna walked past him and took a seat, and Jared followed.

“I’ll get right to it. It’s about Joe.”

“Joe?” He stopped halfway into his chair, eyes wide with surprise.

Hanna nodded and then let the words tumble out, telling him about the letter, Nathan, Mandy, and the mayor.

“Wow,” he said when she finished. “You have been busy with stuff. And not just plane crashes.”

Hanna sat back, exhausted by the recitation. Yeah,busywas correct.

Jared leaned forward, elbows on his knees, rubbing his hands together, a pensive expression on his face. “You’re not asking me to tell you what you should do, are you?” He looked at her sideways.

“I don’t know what I’m asking. You and Mandy are the only two people who understand how difficult it was to have Joe called my father. I know what Mandy thinks, and I’m inclined to say yes for her. But...”

“It’s a big request, a big responsibility.”

---