Page 58 of Allie's Shelter

Mrs. Jackson sniffed as if it was all nonsense, but Allie caught the gleam of pride in her eyes. Back in the kitchen, calling out the orders, she realized it was happiness she was feeling.

Happiness free of trepidation, worry, and paranoia. She knew Bradley was probably close and she couldn’t let down her guard entirely, but Eva was nearby watching over her in Ross’s absence. Allie was surrounded by the friendly and familiar. She knew the dynamics here and hadn’t realized how much she missed it.

“You’re not taking any guff off Mildred, are you?” Jeannie paused during her prep of a chopped salad. “I’ll step in if you need me.”

“She’s fine.” Allie recalled the long running mistrust between the two, though she didn’t remember the inciting incident. A laugh suddenly bubbled out of her.

Jeannie sent a quizzical look her way. “You’re one emotion after the other today. I prefer the amusement, but what triggered it?”

Allie walked over and gave the older woman a half-hug, being mindful of the chef’s knife. “It’s being home, that’s all. Old habits or strange new developments, it’s always home. I’ve missed it more than I realized.”

Jeannie hmphed again and shrugged her off. “Go on and keep that woman in a good mood.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Things were winding down and most of the lunch crowd was heading back to work as she delivered the to-go order to Cochran’s table. When he asked her to sit a moment, she was happy to give her feet a break.

“Sorry you got scraped up out there,” Cochran said, tapping his own cheek. “We don’t have anything by way of real leads yet.”

“Except that candy bar wrapper Ross’s assistant found,” the deputy said.

Allie gave him a half smile. “I appreciate the effort.”

“I want to say it was a relief to me when your solid alibi for the Roberts murder came through,” Cochran said. “Made things easier from an obligation standpoint.”

“Not that we ever believed you could do such a thing,” Mrs. Jackson added.

Allie nodded. She didn’t trust her voice. The sheriff must have been satisfied by his conversation with Nicole. She hoped someday she’d be able to repay her friend. Someday she might even be able to tell Sheriff Cochran the truth.

“I went ahead and notified the detective in Virginia. He wasn’t happy about losing a lead. But working a false lead is worse.”

Mrs. Jackson leaned forward and patted Allie’s knee. “I personally heard the sheriff tell them to track down whoever gave them your name. Shameful to implicate an innocent woman that way.”

Out here on the street, Allie wasn’t inclined to explain exactly which crimes she was guilty of and which were bogus. “Did Ross tell you—”

“Of course,” Cochran said. “The boy really is an asset these days. Has a good business going. I’m sure it shocked you to learn he’d been hired to track you down, but I’m glad to see you forgave him.”

“Couldn’t have been easy, considering your history,” Mrs. Jackson agreed. “That boy could teach a mule some things about stubborn. I bet you feel safe and snug knowing he was up there watching you the whole time.”

“Quite a team he’s put together. Very resourceful,” the sheriff added.

Allie was glad she was sitting down. Her world tilted. Ross’s team had been following her? Before she could process the implications, Mrs. Jackson piped up again.

“What does he do with the retainer since that Roberts fellow is dead?”

Retainer? Allie was about to clarify the ‘dead’ detail when the sheriff coughed loudly.

“That’s not our business, Mrs. Jackson,” Cochran answered, making a production of standing up. “We should be going. You know, Carpenter has earned my respect. Considering his wild adolescence, that’s really saying something,” he added with a wink for Allie.

She rose too, and chuckled along with them, though her heart was breaking. Ross had lied to her all this time, telling her only what he thought she’d believe. Telling her only what served his purposes.

When Cochran and his staff were well on their way down the block, Allie bussed the table and surprised herself when she didn’t start smashing dishes. Or screaming. If she gave in, if she smashed one plate or let loose the cry of pain building inside her, she’d cause a scene to keep the gossips talking for years.

For a split second she didn’t care, then she realized he wasn’t worth the lifetime stigma of being labeled crazy—or worse—by the Haleswood chatterboxes.

How could she have been such an idiot? Ross had been hired by her bastard boss to track her down. She’d been right that first night, even if he didn’t have any official intention of killing her. Did he?

At the moment, she felt pretty damn lethal toward Ross.

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