Page 11 of Crossroads of Innocence
Straightening the cowboy hat on his head, Cruz faced Wade. “So now I need you to tell me everything about this woman so I can keep her safe.”
“What do you mean? She told you everything she told me.” He shuffled to the opposite end of the square shelter. Cruz had become a close pal in the years he’d lived in Pine Valley, but he didn’t know much about Wade except what Wade chose to show. He didn’t like to expose old wounds—or fresh ones—to more people than necessary.
And where Jude was concerned, way too many people in this town were already aware of how the love of his life disappeared one night without a trace. Leaving him with a hundred questions and a broken heart—not to mention being the catalyst that fueled his inability to trust a woman.
Cruz set his feet hip width apart and crossed his arms over his chest. “You know what I mean.”
Gone was the casual air of a friend, replaced by an officer who demanded answers. Resigning himself to the inevitable, Wade perched on a rusted stool shoved under a splintered counter. He grazed his fingertip over the worn material and smiled. His dad had loved this shed, building wooden birdhouses he’d give out to customers.
He shook his head to stop his meandering thoughts and focus on what Cruz needed to know. “Jude and I have a complicated history.”
“How so?”
He pinched the bridge of his nose, fighting against the mounting pressure in his head. “I’ve known her forever. She was my first girlfriend. I think we made it official in fifth grade,” he said with a sad chuckle, thinking back on all the time he’d spent with Jude. “But we were inseparable way before that. We lived next door to her family, so she was my first friend.”
Jude was his first everything, but no way Cruz needed all the details of their past.
“And what about her family? Sounds like there’s a bit of a rift there if she hasn’t spoken with them in so long. If I were in hot water, family’s the first call I’d make.”
“Not everyone has your family.” A twinge of sadness pulsed along with his heart, a familiar cadence that never really left. He’d had a close family once. But then his dad had passed away, thrusting him into a life he wasn’t ready for. Not long after, his mom was diagnosed with dementia, giving him a life he never wanted. At one point, his family had been his rock too, but tragedy had hit twice and smashed that rock to pieces. Leaving him alone in a world with more responsibilities than he could ever escape.
A hint of a smile lifted the side of Cruz’s mouth. “True, and I thank God for them daily. But I want to know about Jude’s family. Specifically, why she didn’t tell them she was back in town with trouble nipping at her heels.”
He shrugged, wishing he had the answers Cruz sought. Maybe then he’d understand why she’d left in the first place. “I’m not really sure. She’s the middle kid. Was always close to her brother and sister. Her sister, Laura, is younger. Twenty. She was young when Jude left and never talks about it. Very close-lipped. Matthew, the brother, is more outgoing but he’s not in town. I’ve seen him a few times over the years, but he usually avoids me.”
“And the parents?”
Wade let out a long breath, the air spiraling into a haze from his mouth. Cruz wouldn’t like this tidbit of information, but it couldn’t be helped. “Jude’s dad is Jenson Metcalf.”
Cruz’s jaw dropped. “The mayor?”
He nodded.
“Well, hell.” Cruz lifted the brim of his hat and rubbed a palm over the top of his head, tousling his sandy brown hair before righting the hat.
“Exactly.” The jovial mayor was a staple in Pine Valley, in church every Sunday with his wife and youngest daughter. Always parading around the town square. Most citizens adored him, but Wade was always under the impression Mr. Metcalf was more concerned with showing off his picture-perfect life than actually doing any real work to improve Pine Valley or the people who lived there. And a sneaking suspicion always told him Jude felt the same way.
“Well, if she doesn’t want her parents to know she’s in town, there’s no reason to tell them. Yet.”
Wade frowned. Jude would be irritated with him for exposing so much of her past to Cruz. If her overbearing father showed up at his doorstep, she’d be downright furious. “Why would you need to tell them at all?”
“If more trouble comes into town, if anyone is put in danger because of this man who followed Jude here, people need to be warned. If my first questions are centered around Jude’s family, this guy will be thinking the same. He’s chased her hundreds of miles. He won’t just drive away because he didn’t find her last night. He’ll keep looking. My job is to figure out who he is and why what Jude captured on her camera is so damn important to him.”
“And what do we do in the meantime?”
“She’s not safe here,” Cruz said, an ominous tone to his deep voice. “She needs to find somewhere else to stay.”
The idea of anyone but him protecting her raised the hairs on the back of his neck. “She doesn’t have anywhere else to go.”
Cruz scratched his chin. “I’m going to go out to my cruiser and grab what I need to dust for prints. You should call Brooke.”
Brooke Mather owned a local retreat up in the Smoky Mountains for injured law enforcement and veterans. Crossroads Mountain Retreat had been a haven for many people in trouble the past couple years, and he had no doubt Brooke would open her doors for Jude.
The question was if Jude would go.
* * *
Jude peeked out the window,watching Wade shake Cruz’s hand then make his way toward the restaurant. Her heart pounded. He’d changed so much yet was still the same kind-hearted boy she’d grown up with.
