Page 583 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

If his suspicions were correct, those guys were responsible for several accidents and a death. They’d better have a good explanation.

After leaving the filing room, he walked outside and back toward his truck. A flicker of light bouncing off a stack of wood caught his attention. It was coming from the wood yard. Another beam of light flashed and then disappeared. Why would anyone be in the wood yard this time of night?

He moved in the direction of the lights, hiding behind one stack of logs and then another, to get a closer look at what was happening. As he stealthily made his way, he could hear voices floating in the night air. He treaded as lightly as he could and then cursed as his feet snapped a stray limb that had fallen from the log trucks. He halted in his tracks. No one heard him. So far so good.

Fifty yards up ahead, he could see a hauling truck surrounded by three or four men. His pulse quickened. They were loading logs onto the truck. He ducked lower to the ground and made his way to the large stack of logs nearest to the group. If he got close enough, he just might be able to hear what they were saying. He inched to the side of the stack so he could get a good look at the men. His eyes strained through the darkness. He could make out the filers. His pulse raced when he recognized another face in the group: Lewis Jackson, the first shift foreman.

Something had to be done. Theft was one thing, but what about Buford Phillips? Had the filers’ negligence caused his death?“

Sherman, hand me that binding so we can get this load bound and out of here,” Lewis said.

There had been several complaints over the past few months from the loggers about being short on their pay. Lewis had dismissed their complaints, saying they were just disgruntled, overworked old men. Now Avery understood why. They were stealing logs that hadn’t been receipted or scaled.

One of the men shined his flashlight in Avery’s direction. Avery jerked back behind the stack of logs, causing his foot to slip. He threw out his hand to catch himself before hitting the ground. Pain wrenched through his hand when he sliced it on a piece of metal that had been left lying on the ground. His low moan pierced the night air.

“Did you hear that? Listen!” Lewis left the group and started walking in Avery’s direction.

Avery was afraid he would hear his heart hammering out of his chest. He held his breath and tried to flatten himself into the logs. Lewis was only a couple of feet away. Run! his mind screamed, but his body was paralyzed. All he could do was pray.

“Come on back, Lew. There ain’t nobody out here this time o’ the night. We gotta get this load out before somebody does come.”

Avery didn’t exhale until Lewis walked away. His hand was throbbing, and he could feel blood oozing out with every beat. The front of his shirt and pants were covered with the sticky liquid. He closed his eyes and tried to stop his head from swimming.

He sat behind the stack of oak for almost an hour until he heard the log truck pull away and was sure that everyone had left.

Judge Crawford leanedback in his chair and drank the last sip of his coffee. He winced when it slid like mud down his throat. Nothing worse than cold coffee. He pulled out his planner and skimmed down the page for his next day’s appointments, not really seeing the words. He shut the planner. His mind wasn’t on anything except the phone call he receiveda couple of hours ago. After all these years on the bench, the surprises that cropped up still had the power to knock him off his feet. He straightened the papers on his desk and stared at the phone, attempting to bolster his nerve to call Harriett.

His fingers knew the number better than his mind. He swallowed as he waited for his wife to answer. “Hon, I’ve gotten held up tonight and won’t be able to make it in time for dinner.”

The silence on the other end stretched on. “Harriett, I know I promised we would go out to dinner tonight, but I just received a call about an important matter, and I have to go meet someone.”

This time Harriet responded with a long tirade of complaints followed by insults.

“I’m real sorry, but you know how it is around here. It comes with the territory,” he said, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice. He let her go on a little longer and squeezed in a goodbye when she paused to catch a breath. He hung up the phone and looked at his watch.He didn’t blame Harriett for being angry. Their marriage had been rocky the past few years since their children had married and moved away. Harriett already hated his long hours, and then she found out about Kim. That little fling had only lasted a few weeks, but Harriett had never forgiven him.He’d broken enough promises to her to last a lifetime, and a lifetime was probably how long it would take to make it up to her.

He picked up the note from the call he’d received earlier in the afternoon and stuffed it in his brief case.Yes, this could be the break he’d been waiting for. Everyone else had left the office hours ago. It was past 7:00 PM. He would have to hurry to get to his destination in forty-five minutes.

He locked his door and ran down the stairs. The extra twenty-five pounds he was carrying left him out of breath. He cursed when he remembered he was parked in the parking deck a couple of blocks away. He usually parked in his designated spotin front of his office, but a van had been parked there. Someone had moved it before he could have it ticketed or towed away.

Judge Crawford entered the parking garage. Footsteps on pavement—voices bouncing off walls. Was that what he was hearing? He scanned the parking deck. It was empty. That’s another thing his job had instilled in him, paranoia.He opened the door of his new Mustang convertible, fastened his seat belt, and started the engine. He frowned. It was acting funny. He’d have it checked tomorrow. He turned the key again. This time the car exploded, and the upper floor of the parking deck collapsed with a deafening crash.

Avery ranhis hand down the side of the Suzie Q, caressing her graceful, ageless lines. Susan had loved this boat.He remembered the first time he’d gone to Maryland with Judith to meet her family. There he saw Susan for the first time. It wasn’t long until it was apparent to everyone that he and Susan were meant to be together.

On the third day of the visit, Judith insisted that he and Susan go sailing. It was then that he discovered Susan’s love for the Suzie Q. She was in her element as she told him what to do and explained the rules of safety. Then she named off every part of the boat from the bow to the tiller. Her love for sailing was contagious, and it wasn’t long before he felt the same way. No one was surprised when Susan inherited the boat after her parents passed away. Avery closed his eyes. He could see Susan on the boat with him, her green eyes sparkling in that mischievous way he loved so much—her deep tanned face with her sun-streaked hair blowing in the wind.

“Dad, you ready?”

Avery looked up to see Cindy standing on the pier. He watched her balance precariously, one foot on the pier and the other on the boat, before nimbly jumping into the boat. “Untie the rope and give ‘er a push.”

She tossed her honey-colored hair and saluted him in the mock solemnity only a teenager can perfect. “Aye, aye, skipper.’”

“Okay, let’s get this show on the road. But first, I need you to check the bilge.”

“You got it.” She climbed down in the cabin while Avery took care of lowering the centerboard and rigging the rudder and tiller. A few minutes later, Cindy reappeared. “Bilge is clear, skipper.”

He expertly guided the boat into the open expanse of the river and turned toward the warm breeze that kissed his cheek. He breathed a sigh of appreciation at the shimmering reflection of the afternoon sun on the mirror of glass around him. Sailing on the Tennessee River was a far cry from the Chesapeake Bay, but he loved it. March was one of the rare months that he could sail away from the shore without using his motor.

“Hold on.” He and the boat were one, skipping over the waves like they could almost fly.

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