Page 14 of Chance

She took a step back before he could act on it. “Okay. I’ll look forward to tomorrow night, then, and you can tell me more.”

He snapped his fingers. “Yes, I’ll tell you more. But one more thing. As far as anyone else knows, my name is Rob. Please don’t tell anyone you know me from Cross Creek.” Before she could ask about that, his phone rang and he put his finger up. “I have to get this. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

And with that, he dashed away.

Chapter 9

Chance got off the phone with his brother, Blaze, who was back in Cross Creek, gathered around the conference table with the rest of his brothers. They all wanted an update.

He told them about his discoveries at the Shoals and then at the church, but he didn’t mention Kelly. He didn’t know how to mention her yet. Not that he and his brothers had secrets, but he wasn’t ready for them to barrage him with questions about her every second.

He went back to the parking lot where he had parked Trey Stone’s old truck. He got in and started it. Considering what he’d learned about Kelly’s situation, it felt like she was in hiding from her ex.

Later, back in South Port, Chance drove slowly down Main Street toward the pier. He took the street with all the shops and paused in front of the one that looked like it was being repainted. It was a couple down from Lucy’s boutique and Roxy’s clothing. On the other side of the street was Oliver Browne’s beach store. Cheryse could be seen in her salon through the large window. There was also a deli and a bakery. Marshall’s wife had mentioned that she used to own those.

Chance didn’t get out of the truck, and for a few minutes, he wondered about Kelly. Then he got out and inspected the front of the store being painted. It seemed to be in good condition. How much would she be paying for rent? Not that it was his business. He peered through the glass front door, though most of it was blocked by paper. All that was visible was a guy spraying paint on the walls.

So many questions and so few answers. That seemed to be the theme of his life at the moment.

“How are you doing today?” someone asked, startling him from his thoughts.

Chance turned and saw Tim Tucker, Kensi’s husband. He couldn’t help but smile at him and put his hand out. “I’m doing well today, Sheriff. How are you?” A lot of people knew about the deception. He had to admire the way the Stone family, including Tim, was handling his attempt to look for the gold.

Tim shook his hand and grinned back. He looked at the shop behind him. “I hear this place has been rented, in case you were thinking about it.”

“I have other things on my mind, but I was just looking around down here.” He didn’t want to talk about Kelly; his first instinct was to protect her. Which was stupid, because he didn’t even know what he was protecting her from.

Tim crossed his arms and leaned back on his heels. “This is a good town. It’s been through its fair share of drama. As I know your town has.”

Chance nodded and gestured to the pier. “You want to walk out there with me? I was here last night, and I really enjoyed the view.”

Tim nodded and pulled his hat off, rubbing his hair back. He was sweating in the hot sunlight. “I would. Let’s walk.”

They crossed the street together, and Chance wondered again if he should ask Tim to keep an eye on that place or if he should just stay out of it. Ugh. He wouldn’t be able to stay out of it.

“Did you find anything today?” Tim asked quietly. They walked past a bunch of restaurants and then stepped onto the pier.

“I don’t know,” Chance said honestly, pulling out his phone and going to his photos. “There was an address that led me to this church in Wilmington. Check out these pictures.”

Tim scanned through the photos on the phone. “I’ve been past that church before. Haven’t thought much about it. They have some history, don’t they?”

Chance nodded. “I didn’t know until today that the cross from that sketch in my dad’s journal, and from the caves at the shoals, was an actual cross that had been saved from a conquistador ship. The story is that some slaves saved it and used it for their own church for many years.”

“Right. Their church burnt down twice, and then with segregation and everything, the church was built again closer to the center of Wilmington.”

“It’s in a Catholic church, and it’s a pretty marvelous sight to behold. The priest I spoke with said it was made of pure gold.”

Tim flashed him a look and then kept searching the pictures, hovering over different pictures of the cross. “What are you thinking?”

“I don’t know,” Chance said, shrugging. “I would love to pull that cross down and inspect it. But that seems impossible.”

Tim pulled out his own phone and texted something. “I think we should keep the group informed. Let’s ask Brooks if he knows anything about the cross.”

Before Chance could object, Tim called Brooks.

Chance found himself pulled into a conference call with all of them.

Later that evening, Ava asked if Chance wanted to eat dinner with them. He didn’t feel like doing that, so he told her he wanted to go for a walk and have some time to himself. It was true, but he also wanted to check out the address where Kelly had said she was living. He checked it out on Google Maps. It was a mile and a half down the beach line, through town.

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