Shadow in Serenity

twenty-seven


Carny stepped into the sheriff’s office, a slow-moving, quiet place, where a handful of men in uniform sat with their feet up on their desks, reading the paper, talking on the phone, and waiting for a call to come in so they’d have something to do. Joey sat at his desk in the corner, intent on a Newsweek article he was reading.

“Hey, Joey,” she said, startling him.

He jumped to his feet. “Carny. I thought you weren’t coming until later.”

“You got me so curious on the phone,” she said, “I had to come find out.”

“Yeah, well, we got the FBI file back on that fellow.” He set the magazine down and reached for the folder at the corner of his desk.

“Montague Shelton,” she said. “Was there any mention of Logan?”

“Not by name.” He sat back down and flipped through the file. “But there was something interesting. Several accounts say that Shelton traveled with a companion. Some said it was a teenage boy, others claimed it was a man in his twenties. The common description was that he was tall — around six-two. But each description has different hair color, different ages, beard, no beard, mustache, no mustache. Shelton’s sidekick went by Mark Sanders, Larry Jenkins, Skip Parker, and Lawrence Cartland. Who knows if it’s all the same guy? Could be different people.”

Carny leaned forward, reading over his shoulder. “Look at this. One of their victims, a wealthy lady who gave them ten thousand dollars to invest in a real-estate venture, described the younger man as having ‘a charming, friendly grin, rather nice looking, brown hair, blue eyes, and a demeanor that made you trust him instantly.’ “

Joey looked up at her. “Sounds like she still liked him, even after he suckered her. Does that sound like anyone we know?”

Carny studied the report, frowning. “It could describe any number of people.”

Joey looked surprised. “The only one like that around here is Logan. The smile, the eyes, the hair, the fast talking.”

“Yeah, but it could be two different people.” She flipped through the pages in the file, stopping at one full of pictures. Most had been taken by video cameras at banks and automated teller machines, but there was no way to identify either of the men, for they were obviously wearing disguises. “How long ago was all this?”

“At least fifteen years,” Joey said. “When Shelton died, they must have closed the file.”

“And they never looked for the other guy?”

“Oh, they convicted a guy named Lawrence Cartland, but it couldn’t have been Logan, because that guy was convicted and sentenced to fifteen years. He would still be serving. Might get out early for good behavior or work off some of his time, but not that much.”

“Besides,” she said, “Logan really did graduate from college during that time, and I talked to people who worked with him at A&R Marketing.”

Joey looked puzzled, and she understood his confusion. She was the one who’d urged him to investigate Logan in the first place, convinced that Logan was a crook. Now she was arguing against it. Why? Because, she admitted to herself, she didn’t want to believe Logan was a two-bit thief. She thought about the things Logan had told her the other night, when she had confronted him about Montague. What if he had been telling the truth, and his con-artist history had died with Montague Shelton? What if he’d been on the level ever since? She, of all people, had to believe that people could change.

“Carny, I’m thinking about sending a picture of Logan to the FBI, so they can check with other scam victims to see if they can identify him.”

“No,” Carny said quickly. “I don’t think that would be right.”

He looked at her as if she were crazy. “Why? You’re defending him, aren’t you? I don’t get it.”

“No, it’s just that … I’m having my doubts now. And I’d hate to start some big FBI investigation on him if he’s changed.”

His jaw dropped. “I thought you didn’t believe the deal was really going to happen. What’s up?”

She sighed. “He gave back Slade’s check. He could have kept it but he handed it over to Slade’s daughter. And last night, it was Logan who brought Jason home. Logan didn’t have to look for him, but he did. The dog confuses me a little too. Why would a con man take on the responsibility of a dog? It doesn’t make sense if he constantly has to skip town and doesn’t want to be identified. And then there’s the trip he’s scheduled for next week. He has meetings, he says, with his big investors in Houston, and he’s hiring me to fly him.”

Joey’s face changed. “You’re falling for him, aren’t you?”

Carny gasped. “No! Of course not! How could you even suggest that?”

“If he’s a swindler, Carny, then he’s a good one. If he can make you believe in him, then he can fool anyone.”

“Maybe he’s not fooling us, Joey. Maybe this is all for real.”

“Do you really think so?”

She paused for a long moment, trying to decide. Who was she kidding? There were still doubts in her mind. “No, not really. Go ahead and send the picture in. I guess it couldn’t hurt too much to find out.”

“All right,” Joey said, pleased. “Now all I have to do is get one. I’ve asked around — nobody seems to have the man’s picture. But it shouldn’t be hard to get one.”

“What about his driver’s license picture? Can’t you pull that up?”

“I tried. Haven’t been able to find one in his name. Do you know what state it would be in?”

“Alabama or Virginia, maybe?”

“Nope. Checked both.”

“Well, you could pull him over for a traffic violation. He’d have to show you his license then.”

“I’ve followed him already, but the man never speeds.”

“You don’t have to wait till he does.”

“Yeah, I do. The mayor invested, and he asked the sheriff not to harass him. He was afraid he’d choose another town.”

“Then take a picture of him on your phone.”

“Yeah, I’ll try that.”

As Carny left the station, a sense of dread washed over her. It suddenly occurred to her that she didn’t want to know who Logan Brisco really was. She liked the illusion he had painted in her mind. The one where he was just a nice guy with a big idea and a talent for persuasion. The guy who would take her out to dinner someplace worthy of a red dress.


Jason seemed pensive that night at supper. Worried that he was still angry at her, Carny took his hand and made him look at her. “What’s wrong, Jase? Let’s talk.”

He shrugged. “Nothing. I was just thinking about Logan. It’s sad about his mom.”

“What about her?”

“Well, he told me he loved her and she died when he was five. Mom, no one told him, and for all those years, he just waited and waited for her to come get him. He didn’t know what happened to her.”

Carny didn’t like the uncomfortably sympathetic feeling grabbing hold of her. “That is sad.”

“He only found out she was dead when he saw it in his file. Did you know he grew up in foster homes?”

“Yeah,” she said. “I heard something about that.”

“Mom? I think Logan’s lonely, don’t you? Oh, he makes friends real easy, but I think deep down he’s real lonely.”

“That’s why he took Jack.”

“It is?”

“It surprised me. He travels a lot, you know, and a dog will make it harder. But he felt some kind of bond with Jack.” She smiled softly and patted her son’s hand. “It doesn’t matter. You’re sweet to worry about Logan.”

“I still don’t think he’s a bad man,” Jason said.

Carny sighed. “Maybe you’re right, Jason. Maybe he’s good, after all.”