Page 655 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

“You don’t owe me any explanation.”

“I think I do. If you know what happened to her, it will be easier for you to understand why she acts the way she does.”

Sydney scooted to the edge of her seat.

“Hazel is six years younger than me. She was always a little different and naïve. Mother was always worried that she would get taken advantage of. I’m afraid we all went a little overboard trying to protect her.” Her eyes looked distant. She paused for a moment and then continued. “Anyway, Hazel never dated much and was a loner. She has always liked animals more than people. We didn’t think twice when she told us that she wanted to take an online Spanish class. Before we knew it, she and Harvey, her instructor, were instant messaging each other several times a day. We were all shocked when Hazel announced that she was getting married to a man none of us had ever met. Then she told us they were moving to Hawaii.” Louellen shook her head. “Looking back, I can’t say that I blame Hazel. I think she was searching for a sliver of happiness, and she found it for a while. Everything would’ve probably been okay if Harvey hadn’t beenkilled in an automobile accident. He was going to the grocery store for Hazel.”

Sydney nodded. “It all makes perfect sense now. I’m so sorry.”

Louellen’s eyes grew soft. “Me too. Sometimes Hazel seems normal and then other times—like today—she’s in another world. She relives that day over and over again. I’ve tried to tell her that Harvey’s gone, but that only makes it worse.”

She thought of her neighbor and grew misty-eyed. Here they were, two strangers, living side by side, both consumed by memories. Given a different set of circumstances, she could have been Hazel.

“Ms. Lassiter?”The male voice came over the receiver.

“Yes.”

“This is Timothy McWhorter. I work up at the Winchester outlying woodlands site. You haven’t met me yet, but I need to talk to you. I need you to come up here now. I think you’ll be interested in what I have to show you.”

Sydney looked at her watch—4:15. “Timothy, it’s late. Is it something urgent? Does it have something to do with safety? Are you hurt?”

“Yes ma’am, I mean no ma’am. I ain’t hurt, but it does have something to do with safety. They’re doing some dangerous stuff up here, but I don’t want to talk about it over the phone. I just need for you to come.”

She thought about Joe Slaton, the outlying woodlands manager. Sydney had only met him once in the conference room on her first day. She had an appointment to visit there next week. “Have you spoken to Mr. Slaton about this?”

“No ma’am, he’s out of town.”

Sydney considered her options. It was at least a forty-five minute drive, and now that the time had changed, it was getting dark as early as 6:00. “Can this wait until tomorrow?”

“No ma’am. It’s urgent.”

“Okay, I’ll be there as soon as I can, but I will be bringing Sean O’Conner with me so he can assess the situation too.”

She disconnected the call and then dialed Sean’s cell number. If there were a problem, it would be better to get him on her side from the very beginning. And she didn’t feel comfortable going out there late in the evening by herself. Sean’s line rang and then she got his voice mail. She left a message, telling him where she was going.

Sydney drovedown the narrow winding road. The subtle smoke of dusk settled in, making the trees on the sides loom high and smothering. When she reached the tiny outlying woodlands shack, it looked deserted. It was still light enough to see, but she reached in her glove box and retrieved her flashlight just in case.

“Hello, is anybody here?” Her voice sounded hollow as it echoed through the trees. She looked around at the stacks of logs and then in the shack’s open door. A cracking noise from behind the shack caused her to jump. She shined her flashlight into the woods. No sign of life.

“Timothy, are you here?”

No reply. Tension crawled up her neck, reminding her that she was alone in a remote area. Was this some kind of sick joke or antic to scare her?Panic rippled up her spine. Was it herimagination or was someone moving in the woods? The little voice in her mind became a shrill warning.

Run, Sydney! Run while you still can.

26

“DECEIT IS IN THE HEART OF THEM THAT IMAGINE EVIL.” —PROVERBS 12:20

He waited until dark before parking his car behind the garden and feed store, a couple of blocks from her house. All he had to do was follow the railroad tracks. His pace quickened the closer he got to Sydney’s. The lights were out in the house. Good. Adog barked in the distance.

His hands worked expertly to open her back gate where he made his way to the patio. Opening the French door was a cinch, and then he took a step back. He cursed when a flowerpot came crashing around his feet. He waited for a second, half expecting to hear a siren or an alarm. There was no sound except the steady pounding in his chest. He entered the house and turned on his small flashlight. Several folders were scattered on the dining room table. He almost stopped to examine them and then changed his mind. Last time she’d come home and surprised him. He’d get what he came for this time. He made his way to the desk. An unfinished letter lay on top, along with a stack of bills, ready to be mailed. He tugged at the locked drawer and smiled. It would be easy to pry open.

The shrill ringing of the phone startled him. He listened to the message. “Hey Sydney, it’s me, Ginger. Where are you? Call me back.”

A few more precious minutes. That’s all he would need.

27

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