Page 84 of Among the Innocent

“Chief Perez, I’d like to take this to the lab for testing,” Dalton said.

The chief nodded his head. “Let me know what you find.” He tapped the side of the cruiser and then headed back up the mountain path.

Leah shivered as the bright sunlight of the day vanished behind a cloud and a chilly breeze swept through the vehicle. As if even the weather were witness to the horror coming.

The mountains before her disappeared and she was backthere in the barn again. Crying uncontrollably and terrified as John killed each person in her family. As he taunted her and then let her live for this moment. She swallowed and ducked her head, willing the images of her family to die away.

“Leah.” Dalton’s voice was so gentle. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him.

She struggled to keep from falling apart. She couldn’t show weakness. She had to finish the game.

“Let’s take a break to clear our heads.” Dalton let her go and started the engine. He drove to the pullout overlooking the mountains where they’d stopped once before.

In the daylight, the Mission Mountains created deep shadows across the valley below, like giant ships moving over the land.

“It’s beautiful here,” Leah whispered. “I come here sometimes when things become too difficult.”

He was no longer watching the mountains. “I wish I could take it all away,” he said so softly she almost didn’t hear.

She turned her head toward him. “I know.” And she did. Leah wouldn’t have made it through John’s recent attacks without him. Every time she looked at him, she wanted things that had always been out of her reach. Leah desperately wanted to be free of John’s stain.

“I will never forget the day we found out about Harrison,” he said quietly. “My parents looked so broken. My dad was always such a strong man—never showing weakness. When he found out about Harrison, he cried. I don’t think I’d ever seen my father cry before.”

Her heart broke for him and his family. After everything Dalton’s family had been through, they deserved to have Harrison’s name cleared.

Something shifted in his eyes. “We’ve both been held captive by what happened that night.” He tipped her chin and stared into her eyes.

More than anything she wanted to stay here with him. Shut John and all the terrible things he’d done out of their lives for just a little while.

Unexpectedly, Willa’s phone beeped an incoming message, dispelling the tender moment.

Leah grabbed the phone. “It’s him.” She swiped the message open. “He wants to meet Willa tonight at eleven.”

“He doesn’t have any idea we’ve spoken to Willa. She said she always confirmed with him. Go ahead and do that.”

Leah had read all of Willa’s responses. The young Amish girl kept her answers short, usually only a couple of words. She typed a simple yes and waited. There was no response.

In the back of her mind, she kept remembering the photos he’d taken of her at different times. “Do you think he was watching the station when Willa and Esther came in?” If he was, this could be a setup.

“I sure hope not.” Dalton glanced at his watch. “We have seven hours to prepare. He can’t escape this time.”

In the past, she hadn’t dared go through Ellis’s files, but now she wondered if somewhere in his home office there might be a clue as to why Ellis went after an innocent man. No matter how hard it might be or what it might do to Ellis’s reputation, she would do whatever she could to find the truth.

He hadn’t expected them to find the body so soon. It was a setback, but it didn’t matter. Nothing was going to stand in the way of what was to come. His grand moment with Leah.

He could feel the anticipation growing like a separate personality inside his body.

Jonathan had been a good friend through the years. Part of him regretted having to kill him. The guy had kept his secrets in the past, but he couldn’t afford to have that loose end hanging around. It wouldn’t take the police long to trace the truck to Jonathan’s family. He’d called Jonathan and asked him to meet him up in the mountains. Jonathan never suspected a thing until he’d shoved him off the mountain. Jonathan wouldn’t be telling any secrets.

He brought out his phone. A message had come as expected, with the same tone and inflection as his Willa, and yet he had doubts. What lay ahead was too important to make even a single false move.

He texted a response only she would know. The answer didn’t come quickly but when it did, it confirmed Willa had betrayed him.

He threw the phone. It hit a tree and bounced against the ground. He wouldn’t be needing it any longer. Almost time.

The day was quickly fading, and he had a plan. He drove the stolen car to the place where he’d been crashing. There was a group of vagrants staying there. No one really noticed him, except for one person who appeared to want to chat him up. The man had been a minor annoyance, but he’d allowed it because he had a purpose for him.

“Hey, you got any weed?” the man who had introduced himself as Scott asked.

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