Page 683 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

“I was taking a drive and got caught in the storm.” She was thankful that she was soaked from head to toe so that Kendall wouldn’t be able to tell she’d been crying.

“How did you get so wet?”

“What has happened?” Sydney asked, ignoring his remark.

“A tornado touched down, and the volunteer firefighters have been called in to help.” Kendall’s eyes studied her face. “Are you all right?”

“Yes, I’m okay. Was anyone hurt?”

“Part of the roof blew off the Malone place, and Betty got cut on her leg, but she’s going to be okay. I don’t think anyone was seriously hurt.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Kendall was still studying her.“Are the roads passable? Can I get home?”

“Yeah, you’ll have to take a detour.” He pointed. “If you take a left on Cooper, it’ll take you back to the main road.”

“Good, it’s been a long day.”

He put his hand on her arm. “Sydney, what’s going on?”

She shook her head. “I’m okay. Just tired.” She gave him a weak smile. “Call me when you get home.”

“Of course.” He leaned in and cupped her chin with his hand. He searched her face with those soft eyes of his until she felt like she would melt. He moved his hand under her hair to encircle the nape of her neck. Ever so softly, his lips came to hers. The tenderness in his touch was almost overwhelming. After a moment he pulled away and brushed a strand of hair from her face. “I won’t ask you any questions until you’re ready to answer them. Okay?”

She nodded, not quite ready to let go of the warmth they shared. He was here, right when she’d needed someone the most. He couldn’t begin to understand what that meant to her.

“We’ll talk when you’re ready.”

She smiled. “Okay.”

“It’s a rough night, and I’ve got to help or I would go with you right now to make sure you get home safe and sound. Promise you’ll be careful?”

“I will.”

Kendall watched Sydney drive away.He noticed her tires were caked with mud. The road she came out of was a dead end, leading to only one place: the cemetery. In two swift strides he walked to the company of fire fighters. “Guys, I’ll be back in a few minutes. I need to take a look at something.”

Kendall scoured the cemetery with his flashlight.No signs of life—only the grotesque shadows of wet tombstones. Was this where she’d come from? He searched until he found what he was looking for—the muddy tracks where she had parked her jeep. He followed the soft indention of footprints until he stood in the exact spot Sydney had stood earlier. There in front of him were two graves. He looked down at the fresh flowers, falling limp in the rain. On the tombstone was the inscription “Earth holds no sorrows that cannot be healed in Heaven.” For a moment he forgot about Sydney and thought about his own dad who was buried a mere hundred yards from where he stood.

34

“AS VINEGAR TO THE TEETH, AND AS SMOKE TO THE EYES, SO IS THE SLUGGARD TO THEM THAT SEND HIM.” —PROVERBS 10:26

The storm from the night before left a steady drizzle in its wake. Sydney didn’t mind the rain. Its steady rhythm acted as a cleansing agent that eased the hurt from the previous day. Going to the cemetery had been one of the hardest things she’d ever done, but she’d come away with a small victory. She’d faced it and survived.

Kendall called to check on her just as he said he would. She’d been afraid that he would press her but he didn’t. He seemed to understand that she needed her space. The mere sound of his voice was the perfect salve for her raw nerves. So much so that after their conversation, she went to bed and slept soundly for the first time in weeks.

It was so dark and foggy when she left her house this morning that she felt like she was leaving for work in the middle of the night. She pulled into the sawmill and opened the door of her jeep, struggling against the rain to open her umbrella. She grabbed her purse and briefcase and pulled her pale blue raincoat tightly around her. The coat and matching umbrella had been gifts from Judith. The raincoat wasn’t her style, and it had taken a few months before she decided she liked it enough to wear. She was grateful to have it today.

The office would not be open for another hour. She’d arrived early to get a head start on her day. She frowned when she saw Sean’s truck. She was hoping to get there before him. He got to work so early that she’d only managed to beat him twice. It gave her great pleasure to see him so aggravated over it. Too bad she hadn’t beaten him today.

She huddled under the protectiveness of the umbrella while walking to the office. She ascended the stairs and opened the door leading to the screen porch. A dark figure stepped out of the shadows. At first she assumed it was one of the sawmill workers who had forgotten either his earplugs or hardhat, but then she didn’t recognize him.

“Good morning. May I help you?” she asked, getting a closer look at the man. He was wearing overalls, and his long stringy hair was matted to his head, partially covering his unshaved face.

Rather than answering, the man smiled, revealing a huge gap between his two front teeth. Sydney gasped when she saw the glint of metal and realized he was holding a switchblade knife. He was using it to clean his fingernails.

The man took another step in her direction, blocking her entrance into the office. She took a step back and lifted her umbrella and pointed the metal end toward him.

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