Page 39 of Among the Innocent

Leah forgot about the coffee. “I am.” She released a quavering breath, then followed him outside to the SUV.

“Are you sure you’re up for this?” Dalton faced her over the top of the vehicle.

“Honestly, I don’t know anymore. This case has me so mixed up. I keep thinking about all the things that happened back then. Things I should have done differently.” She shifted toward him. “This is all my fault.”

His piercing gaze softened. “You didn’t ask for any of this. You were just a girl seduced by a killer. He told you what you wanted to hear. It wouldn’t have mattered what happened—whether you went with him or not—he’s unbalanced.”

“I want to believe that.” She wanted to trust Dalton completely.

“You can,” he whispered as if he’d read her thoughts. “I promise you can trust me.”

With his attention on the road ahead, they made the trip to the St. Ignatius Mission in silence while Leah tried to find the calm she’d need to face what lay ahead.

The historical mission came into view. Dalton pulled into a parking space a short distance down from the building. “Let me verify the others are in place before you go inside.” He called a number and waited. “Are your people ready?” A second ticked by while he listened. “Good. Thanks.” Dalton ended the call and set the phone on the center console. “Everything’s set. Keep your guard up. If this isn’t the killer, we have no idea what their motive is.”

She reached for the door handle. For some reason, Leah turned to him once more. “Thank you, Dalton. For the first time since this happened, I believe we might actually solve this case.”

And she did. For ten years she’d waited in limbo for John to return. Always certain he would. Now he was back, but she was different. Leah wasn’t the naïve teenager he’d been able to fool, and she wasn’t alone. She had Dalton and a team of law enforcement officers determined to catch him.

His smile eased the tension on his face. “Be careful, Leah. Don’t take any chances.”

“I won’t.” She slid out and closed the door. She walked toward the redbrick mission made with native clay, its steeplepointing to the clear blue Montana sky. The Mission Mountains in the background created a majestic scene. Leah remembered all the times she’d visited the mission through the years. Many times with her Amish family. A few with Marge. Others on her own.

She ascended the steps and went inside. The sanctuary was empty, the temperature only slightly cooler than the blistering heat outside.

Leah stood in the entrance and surveyed the beauty of the building. It always took her breath away. Built in the late 1800s, the sanctuary was stunning and combined stained glass and fifty-eight Christian murals. She inched down the aisle to the front toward the main altar.

Who was this mystery woman, and why did she wish to meet here alone?

Tension crackled through her veins as the meet time came and went. Something felt off about the whole request. She watched the door and waited, her heartbeat ticking off the passing time.

Leah slipped into one of the wooden pews and turned sideways so she could see the entrance as well as the side door.

The mission was laden with history and so unlike the small church where she had attended with Marge and Ellis. She and her mom still went faithfully each week, though Leah didn’t feel the connection with God she’d experienced before her family’s massacre. That night, while her family was being led to the slaughter, she’d begged God to protect them. Only he hadn’t. And since then, she’d been going through the motions of worship. Her heart was encased in ice.

Someone entered through the front door. Leah rose with her hand on her service weapon. An older couple she didn’trecognize came in. At this time of the year, there were plenty of tourists around the city.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” the woman said to her husband, who murmured a response.

The time on the phone reflected twenty minutes had now passed. Leah moved up the side aisle toward the front to avoid having a conversation with the couple.

If this was a setup, what was his endgame?

Leah pretended to stare at one of the murals while her nerves stretched tight. She’d give it a few more minutes and then leave. Perhaps it was some kook who had heard about the case and Leah’s connection to it and was trying to gain a small amount of notoriety for themselves. Strange, but it sometimes happened.

She was heading for the door when something lying on the floor caught her attention. A single slip of white folded paper. Her breath evaporated from her lungs. Leah leaned over and picked it up. Something fell from inside. A picture taken with one of those instant cameras. She reached for the photo, and her limbs became glued in place. It was her. Taken right here at the mission when she’d sat in the pew. The killer had been watching her this whole time.

She jerked toward the front of the mission. The couple inside the sanctuary. They were gone.

Leah ran from the building and flew down the steps.

Dalton reached her side quickly. “What’s wrong?”

Leah handed him the photo. “He was here. I think he had the couple leave it.”

She unfolded the crumpled paper and read the words written there.

Are you enjoying my game? I’ll be seeing you again real soon, Leah. It’s almost our time.

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