“I’m good,” I lied. “What about you?”
I hadn’t missed the dark circles under Lawson’s eyes or the deepening lines of strain on his face. But I knew he’d never tell me exactly what was going on. Lawson always kept things close to the vest.
He sighed. “Just been a long few weeks.” He glanced out at my pasture. “I’m worried about Luke.”
Lawson’s eldest son had been acting out a bit and throwing more than a little attitude toward his dad.
“I’m sorry. I can take Charlie and Drew this weekend. Maybe you and Luke can do something, just the two of you. It’s probably too cold for camping, but you could rent a cabin somewhere that isn’t home.”
Lawson nodded, scrubbing a hand over his stubbled jaw. “I don’t want to dump those two knuckleheads on you.”
I smiled. “It’s what family does, isn’t it?”
The corner of his mouth kicked up. “You’ve got a point there. Let me get a feel for my caseload, and I’ll let you know.”
“I’m around, so you can decide last minute if you want.”
“Thanks, Aspen.”
Warmth spread through me. Something about giving back to the people who had given me so much helped. “Anytime.”
“Dad, we’re gonna be late,” Charlie called from the SUV.
Lawson chuckled. “The only kid who’s worried about being on time for school.”
I grinned and ducked into the vehicle. I rained kisses all over Cady’s face.
“Mama!” she shrieked.
“I’m gonna miss you like crazy. Promise me you’re not gonna run away and join the circus.”
Cady giggled. “Why would I when we have our own circus right here? All the best parts, anyway.”
She had a point there.
Charlie frowned. “I don’t know. I think having a trapeze would be pretty cool.”
I chuckled and tickled his belly. “I’ll get right on that.”
“I’m first up!” he demanded.
“You got it.” I gently shut the door and stepped back, but I didn’t go back inside the house. I waited until the police-issued SUV disappeared completely from sight.
A pang lit along my sternum. It was always hard to watch Cady go. It didn’t matter if it was for twenty minutes or twenty hours. But watching her disappear with John’s letter hanging over my head? That was torture.
“We’re thousands of miles away,” I whispered. “We’re safe.”
I forced myself to turn and head inside. I grabbed my muck boots, jacket, and work gloves, and headed back out. Sliding the keys out of my pocket, I locked the two deadbolts and the doorknob, then checked each one twice.
The temptation to check them all two more times was strong. When we first arrived in Cedar Ridge, and Cady was still a toddler, I’d ventured into obsessive territory. I’d spent my nights walking the house, rechecking every window and door countless times.
I wasn’t sure when it shifted. Maybe after a couple of months of being here with no one showing up at our door or recognizing me from news coverage.
When we were in Mississippi, one reporter always seemed to find me, no matter where I hid. Oren Randal had exposed two houses, an apartment, my office, and Cady’s daycare in his articles. He’d almost cost me everything all over again.
But when he hadn’t found me in Cedar Ridge, I’d slowly begun to let it all go. The panic, the fear. The shadows of it still lived inside me, but I no longer let them hold me down.
Letting out a long breath, I started toward the barn. I’d already been through the feeding rigmarole but needed some solid cleaning and muck-out time.
Mabel brayed from her pasture as she kicked out at Phineas.
“That’s not nice, Mabel,” I called. “He just wants to play.”
She raced along the fence line, and I stopped to scratch between her ears. I bent and dropped my forehead to hers. “A little kindness goes a long way, Miss Mabel.”
She huffed out a breath as if to say, “Whatever.”
I couldn’t hold in my laugh. “At least you always stay true to yourself.”
The sound of tires on gravel had me straightening and turning around. I expected to see Lawson’s SUV, thinking Cady had forgotten something. Instead, I saw an unfamiliar van.
My stomach twisted into a painful knot. I tugged my Taser out of my back pocket and instantly checked my best escape routes. I cursed as the vehicle pulled to a stop between the house and me. And I didn’t have my damned phone.
Blood roared in my ears as two figures climbed out of the van. My eyes flared as I recognized the driver—the man from The Brew yesterday morning.
I should’ve stuck with my first impression of him. The one that told me something was off. My time in Cedar Ridge had changed my perspective on things. I tended to give people the benefit of the doubt. Apparently, that was a mistake.
“Hello again,” the familiar voice greeted.
“This is private property. I’ll have to ask you to leave.” My voice was even, almost calm. But the Taser dug into my palm as I gripped it.
The second man gave me what he likely intended to be a reassuring smile. “We don’t mean any harm. We just need to talk to you for a minute.”
“I don’t care what you mean. You’re on private property, and you need to leave. I’ve got friends on the force here, and they’d be happy to haul you in.”
Lawson and Nash would do that in a heartbeat. But it would also mean I’d have to answer a hell of a lot of questions.
The first man shot me a cocky grin. “Come on now, Aspen. Don’t be like that. Or should I say Tara? Tara Monroe, isn’t it?”
All the blood drained from my head, and my mouth went dry. They knew. How? Had John sent them somehow?
“Quit it. You’re freaking her out,” the second man snapped. He turned back to me. “We didn’t mean to scare you. Really. I’m Tyson. This is Steven. We’re podcasters.”
Nausea swept through me. Better than someone wanting me dead, but not by much. “I want you to leave. Now.”
Steven rounded the vehicle and headed toward me. “We just want to ask you a few questions. We specialize in true crime.”
Of course, they did. “That’s great for you, but I don’t want anything to do with your podcast.”
“Come on now. You’re the only one who was there that night besides John. Well, unless you count that little girl.”
Bile surged up my throat.
“We’re just trying to get to the truth,” Tyson said as he crossed in my direction. “When a respected doctor goes to jail for murdering his beautiful wife, our listeners want to know what happened and why.”
“What happened was announced in a court of law. I have no comment except to say get the hell off my property before I tase you both.”
They stopped a few steps from me. Steven’s mouth pressed into a hard line. “Not everyone’s convinced the right person is in prison.”
The scar that curved from my chest down my side burned as my breaths came quicker. I couldn’t get a full one. Couldn’t catch hold of the oxygen I needed. The memories were too strong.
A door slammed, and my gaze jerked toward the sound. I couldn’t make out the figure at first. My vision was too blurry with panic. But as the large man stalked toward us, I saw fury on his face.