Treasure Point Secrets

Shiloh tightened her grip on the stick and smashed it through the window.

She pulled her body through the opening, careful not to catch herself on any of the remaining jagged glass, and stood in the midthigh water as movement in the back of the car caught her eye.

Adam.

For a minute, in her panic, she’d forgotten he was there.

Shiloh glanced down at the door handle but knew trying to pull it open would be futile. She couldn’t break the glass for him with her baton without shattering it all over him and risking an injury. She might not like him, but she’d never hurt him on purpose.

“Move!” he yelled through the window and motioned with his hand for her to back away.

She stepped aside and watched as he brought his arm back and smashed something—a pocketknife, maybe—through the window. It took a few more seconds for him to clear enough glass to get through, then he climbed out as she had and joined her in the murky water.

Nothing could have kept the relief she felt from showing on her face. Adam must have seen it, because he grinned.

“See, I knew you still cared. At least a little,” he teased.

He was lucky she didn’t want the hassle of an internal-affairs investigation—because she wanted nothing more than to slap that grin off his face.

“You don’t get how serious this is, do you?” Shiloh muttered between clenched teeth. She scanned the marshy area around the creek again, unable to suppress a shiver as she did so. Next her gaze landed at the creek’s banks, which would make ideal cover for a sniper. Nothing—that she saw.

But her gut instinct, which had served her well before, said someone was out here. Watching.

“I get it.” Adam’s voice had sobered. “I mean, I don’t. It makes no sense. But, yeah, I know that someone tried...” His voice trailed off.

“Tried to kill us,” she finished for him, then swallowed hard and focused her attention on the bridge. No cars. Her pursuer and his accomplice were long gone, and she had no leads—not a license-plate number and no worthwhile description, since almost every car involved in a crime was a “dark midsize sedan.”

Frustration and fear fought for dominance. Shiloh tried to stay calm but finally could hold back no longer. She kicked the side of the car, doing nothing more than splashing muddy salt water all over herself. When she considered the incident with the snake that morning, she knew the two events had to be connected. And that could mean only one thing.

They’d found her.

She’d known it wouldn’t be hard for them. She had moved only an hour away, to this small town, which seemed like the perfect haven. Though she’d left Savannah five years ago—determined to do her best to solve the case and be ready for the criminals once they came after her—she hadn’t expected the past to find her today.

Maybe she wasn’t as prepared as she’d thought.

But until now it had been quiet. Probably too quiet. She’d almost started to hope that they had realized she didn’t have whatever they were looking for, and that she could wrap this up and bring them to justice without becoming a target again. Shiloh studied the too-quiet landscape, finally settling on the question that weighed heavily on her mind.

Why now?

Shiloh shook her head, scanned their surroundings again and concluded that finding the answer would have to wait until she wasn’t standing out in the open—not to mention nearly up to her waist—in dirty, smelly water. She radioed the station, gave their location and a short description of what had happened, as she slogged through the water to the shore.

“Shiloh?”

She jumped at his voice and relaxed as her mind registered that it was only Adam, who’d joined her on the creek’s bank.

Only Adam... She turned toward him and narrowed her eyes. “How is it that you show up in town and suddenly someone wants me dead?”

He jerked back as if she had slapped him. “What?”

“I’ve been attacked twice today—the same day I see you for the first time in five years. This seems entirely too coincidental to me.”

“Let’s back up. You think someone’s trying to kill you because I came to town?”

Everything about the expression on his face said it wasn’t true. Her heart simultaneously sank and danced. It sank because if he didn’t know why his arrival would have put her in danger, then she was back to square one. Shiloh didn’t want to think about why it danced. Other than to admit that, heartbreaker or not, Adam had always been someone she had trusted. One of the only people alive. She wanted to believe he was still worthy of that trust.

“I’d never let anyone hurt you. You know that.”

He touched her arm lightly and even pressing thoughts, like the danger she was in, left her for a split second.

She had to resist this chemistry. Trust was one thing. Falling for him again was another. She and Adam were wrong for each other in every way that mattered. She’d learned that lesson the hard way once already; there was no need to relearn it.

“Are you okay?” He was trying to be civil. Could she try? Civil. Nothing further. She nodded.

“And now you know why I thought this job was too dangerous for a woman,” he muttered.

Any thoughts of civility faded. He was still a caveman. Worse yet, he was a pastor caveman, a profession that would give legitimacy to his “a woman has her place” way of thinking.

Somehow she managed to withhold her response. He meant nothing to her now, so his opinions couldn’t hurt her. Theoretically.

Relief flooded Shiloh as she saw a patrol car approaching in the distance. She watched as it crossed the bridge, cringing as she realized it was the chief. She’d hoped they’d send one of the other regular beat cops. The guys would tease her forever for it, but they wouldn’t ask probing questions that could reveal her involvement in the case that had killed her cousin.

Annie hadn’t been careful enough—and it had gotten her killed. Until Shiloh could figure out why this current string of attacks had begun, she’d need to be on her guard. Someone was keeping tabs on her, and anything she revealed stood the risk of getting back to the wrong person. Not that she didn’t trust the chief—she did. But the chance that he might let something slip was too real to ignore. The fewer people who knew about her past, the better. And the safer.

“You okay, Shiloh?” The chief’s voice was more gruff than usual, and Shiloh could read his emotions in his tense posture. His gaze moved to Adam.

“I’m fine,” she answered. “Though the car has been better. This is—”

“Adam Cole. The new chaplain. Welcome to Treasure Point.” The chief surveyed the scene and shook his head. “It’s not usually quite so...exciting around here.”

Shiloh blinked. Looked to Adam, whose hint of a sheepish grin did nothing to deny the chief’s words.

He was the new chaplain? This day couldn’t possibly get any worse.

* * *

The ride the chief had given Adam and Shiloh into town had been... Awkward was too nice a way to put it, Adam thought to himself.

The chief hadn’t said much, just had let Shiloh explain what had happened. If Adam wasn’t imagining things, she was more nonchalant now than she had been when they’d been in the middle of it. A change in perspective? Or had she been deliberately downplaying the danger?

Adam didn’t know, didn’t really have time to think about that right now. Shiloh was part of his past—she’d made that very clear when she’d walked away from him years ago with barely a word. He’d moved on—gotten past his broken heart and taken his life in a new direction. His job here was his future, his chance to pastor his own church, have some purpose, maybe even make his dad proud.

He straightened his shoulders before lifting his hand to knock on the solid oak door of Hal Smith’s house. He’d talked to the man, and the other deacons, on the phone as part of his interview process but hadn’t actually met them in person.

The door opened, revealing a tall bearded man wearing a frown. “You’re Reverend Cole?”

“Yes, sir.” Adam stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

The other man took it and shook it. Barely. “You’re late.”

Adam kept his smile affixed and refused to flinch at Hal’s obvious displeasure. Yeah, Adam had known this wouldn’t make the board happy. Imagine how they would have reacted if the chief hadn’t agreed to drive Adam back to his car to retrieve a fresh set of clothes, which he’d changed into at the police station, before he’d arrived. “I’m sorry about that. It won’t happen again.” Part of him wanted to explain, but his father had taught him not to offer excuses when it came to work, so he didn’t.

Another man walked up behind Hal and extended his hand. “Walter Davis. It’s nice to meet you, Pastor.” He turned to Hal. “Didn’t you hear? He was in a wreck on the way here. Give him a break.”

Hal made no comment, just grunted and motioned for Adam to come in.

Okay, then. He regrouped and followed the men into the house. The rest of the deacons had gathered in the living room. When Adam entered, they all stood and introduced themselves. Adam noticed that each man wore slacks and a collared shirt, even for an informal meeting like this. Adam did have on a nice golf shirt, but his good jeans seemed out of place. This church might be a little more old-fashioned than he’d realized.

“So, Pastor, how was your trip down?” someone asked.

Adam couldn’t help but laugh. “Eventful. I got caught up in traffic and had a couple other problems, but I’m glad to be here.”

“Good.” They nodded. There was a second’s worth of silence, and then Hal, who appeared to be the leader, spoke up again, asking for Adam to share his testimony again with the group, plus what he hoped to accomplish as the pastor of their church. It was information he’d already provided, but Adam didn’t mind doing so again in person. Everyone listened attentively, but when Adam was done talking, no one had questions about what he’d said. Instead, they moved the meeting in a different direction entirely.

“We wanted to meet with you immediately to let you know our expectations, now that you’re here, so we can have this out face-to-face. You should be aware how important it is that you conduct yourself in an appropriate manner.”

Adam’s eyebrows rose, and he felt his shoulders tense. “I don’t understand what gives you the impression that I wouldn’t.”

“Our last pastor...” Walter spoke up, shaking his head. “He was asked to leave because of some moral issues.”

Adam’s heart broke for the church. Losing a pastor for any reason was tough, but to have someone they respected fall prey to sin and leave in such a way... It would be hard for them. He felt himself relax as he realized that, at least in their minds, this was a necessary conversation to have, not an attempt on their part to make him feel uncomfortable the second he got to town. Although it was doing that, as well.

“I understand.” Adam nodded. “I can assure all of you that I am a man of integrity, as I told you during my interview process, and as I’m sure my references told you, too.”

“Be as that may, Pastor, we have very high standards after what happened.”

Their tones, which bordered on accusatory, might have intimidated him when he was straight out of seminary. But he’d had a little time to gain experience as an associate pastor in Atlanta, where he’d started working during his seminary training. He’d seen enough now to realize that they were hurting, that it would take extra care on his part to earn their trust.

But he would earn it. This was his first solo pastoring job. He loved these church members already, even the ones he hadn’t met, and he didn’t want to let them down. If he failed here, he’d be shortchanging not just his congregants, but his teachers and mentors who believed in him. He hated the thought of that, especially the idea of disappointing his father.

“I’m sure I’ll be able to conduct myself in a way that meets whatever standards you have,” he said with confidence, smiling in an attempt to assure them that they didn’t need to worry.

Only a couple of them smiled back. Several of them wore straight faces devoid of expression, and one or two were almost frowning.

“I hope you’re right,” Hal Smith said, finally nodding as he wrapped up the meeting. “I certainly hope you’re right.”

The words left Adam with an ominous feeling that nearly matched what he’d felt when Shiloh had driven off the road. Of course, he knew he wouldn’t back down from the challenges of the position he’d worked so hard to achieve...but the deacons’ words left him uneasy. He couldn’t help but remember Shiloh’s accusation that the earlier attack had been triggered by his arrival.

Just what trouble had he gotten himself into by coming to town?

THREE

Adam waved to the Joneses and kept the smile pasted on his face long enough to get in the car, ease it into Reverse much more gently than he’d wanted to and drive away.

That could have gone better.

Three days on the job and he’d visited four congregation members’ houses so far, as the board had requested. The theory was that, as their new pastor, people would want to meet him and get to know him. The visits were also meant to allow him to get to know them.

It was that second part they seemed to be having problems with. Somehow he’d expected this to be easier, even though his dad had warned him that this wouldn’t be the case.

“Running a church is harder than you think, son,” his dad had told him with a smirk as Adam had prepared to leave Savannah and go to Treasure Point. “You’re going to have to give it everything you’ve got and more.”

He was trying. Adam rolled down the windows as he got closer to the marsh. The salty smell reminded him of so many things. Last week’s debacle at Hamilton Creek, of course. Adam felt his face tense into a frown. He could still relive the incident in his mind, practically taste the fear he’d felt for their lives, especially Shiloh’s. He hadn’t spoken to her since then. Nor had he spoken to anyone else about the accident, other than to give his statement to the police.

He wondered if they’d figured out who was behind the accident or if it was even intentional. It had seemed planned to him. But he wasn’t a cop. Maybe it was paranoia to worry that someone could be after Shiloh. He had no reason to believe she was in danger. She’d lived a quiet life when he’d known her. Even her current position as a police officer shouldn’t be sufficient reason for someone to hurt her. Surely there wasn’t a lot of crime in Treasure Point that could result in her making dangerous enemies.

Adam sighed. He didn’t know what to think about any of that, so he pushed away the thoughts for now, inhaling another breath of the tangy air. Memories further back in his mind made him think of Savannah’s coast. And the time he’d spent there with Shiloh.

Great. Something else he’d failed at.

He prayed that God would do something to help him make an impact in this town. It wasn’t as though he’d expected people to start pouring out their life stories to him or divulging their darkest secrets on the first visit. But he hadn’t expected them to be so...cordial.

His first Sunday at the church had gone fairly well. The sermon had been well delivered—at least he had thought so. But the people, as they did today, had seemed just short of standoffish. While it was God’s word that had the power to change lives, Adam was a firm believer that discipleship was done through deep relationships. Without that, how would he grow this church, succeed in ministry? He’d hoped to feel more secure in his position by today—when the next part of his responsibilities would commence.

He glanced at the clock on the dash. He needed to be at the police station by 12:30 for his first day at that job. Like many small-town churches, this one could only offer enough money for a bi-vocational pastor, so the chaplain position was his second job.

He’d been looking forward to it since he had finished his training several months ago, but now his excitement was being slowly replaced by nerves. If he was having a hard time showing his regular congregation members that he was trustworthy, how would he convince guarded law-enforcement officers that he was someone they could confide in, turn to for counseling?

The drive to the police station went by too fast—he’d been hoping to use the commute to help sort through his thoughts and figure out his next step. Hopefully, the chief had a plan to help Adam persuade people to accept him because Adam was determined to prove he could do this job. To himself and to his father.

The chief’s door was open, but Adam knocked anyway.

The man looked up from what he was doing and waved him in. “Ready for your first day?”

“I hope so.” He tried to project as much assurance into those words as he could, but judging by the thoughtful expression on the chief’s face, Adam had failed.

“Shut that door, would you? Then sit down. I think we should talk.”

Adam complied, then had a seat.

“I enjoyed your sermon yesterday.”

“Thanks.” The words did boost Adam’s spirits, but not much. It wasn’t the sermons he struggled with; it was the relationship aspect of his job.

“I’ve been noticing it seems like you’re having a little trouble getting to know some folks, though.”

The man had to be incredibly observant to have seen that, but then again, with his job, he’d have to be. It shouldn’t surprise Adam that the chief’s people-watching skills carried over into other areas of life besides the job.

Too bad the chief’s notice of such things may likely cost Adam his job before he’d really started. If the chief had doubts about Adam’s ability to connect with the police officers, he’d let Adam go before he’d ever been given a chance. Adam couldn’t blame him, but he wanted this job. Needed it.

“You’re right. It’s proving to be a bit of a challenge in some ways, but if you’re worried about my ability to be a good chaplain to this department, sir, let me assure you that I am going to give it everything I’ve got and—”

The chief held up a hand to stop Adam. “That’s enough, son. You don’t have to defend yourself to me. It’s nothing that’s your fault anyway. It’s how people around here are with outsiders.”

It was hard to believe that he could be considered an “outsider” when he’d grown up just over an hour away, but that was how small towns were, he guessed. He was new to Treasure Point, and that was what mattered to these people.

“So what do I do about it?” Adam asked, hating that he needed help but knowing that the chief, of all people, would be able to give him insight into how to succeed at least at this job, if not his pastor job.

The chief rubbed his chin. “I’ve been working on that question myself. The best thing I can think of to help you here and with the rest of the people from the town is to have you ride along with one of our more respected officers. You’ll stay in the car if they’re making any calls that seem to warrant extra caution or are obviously dangerous. But you’d ride along on patrol with them anyway.”

Adam frowned. “What would that do?” He was willing to do whatever it took, of course, but how could spending time with one man help him make any inroads with anyone else in town?

“When the officers see one of their own trusts you, they’re likely to do so, too. And as the townspeople see you have the stamp of approval from someone they respect, they’ll see that they can trust you, too. Make sense?”

The chief’s logical explanation had him nodding his head in agreement. “It does, actually.”

“So you’re fine with that plan?”

“Yes.”

The chief stood, clearly happy that they’d worked something out. “Good. There are a few officers I can think of that would work. Officer Evans would have been my first choice, but given the fact that she’s in the middle of an investigation into the attack the two of you faced by the bridge, I’ve decided on Officer Rowland. I’ll arrange for you to begin joining him tomorrow.” He nodded decisively, the conversation over.

“Wait,” Adam heard himself say, even as a plan formed in his mind—one he wasn’t sure was smart in any way, but that wouldn’t leave his head.

The chief turned to him.

“What if I want to ride with Shiloh—Officer Evans?”

The chief’s eyes narrowed a little. “As I said,” he replied slowly, “she would have been my first choice. But considering the fact that she could be in danger—and you’re an untrained civilian—I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“I noticed on Saturday that Shiloh rode alone. Was her partner out, or is she always solo?”

“She doesn’t have a partner at the moment.”

“So there’s no one to watch her back.” Adam’s heart pounded harder as the plan solidified in his mind. “If I’m with her, at least someone will have her six. I’ll stay in the car when you think I should, but if you think the attack by the bridge is serious enough to warrant an investigation, then that means she’s at risk. And in that case, I want to be there, at least as another set of eyes.”

The older man studied him for a full minute or more before speaking. “All right. You can ride with her. But your job as far as protecting her goes no further than being there to call for backup if she’s unable to do so. I won’t have civilians getting injured in my department. Are we clear?”

Relief and utter fear overwhelmed him. “Yes. Thank you, sir,” Adam said as he stood and left the office, his mind still spinning out of control until it finally landed on one clear thought.

Shiloh was going to kill him.

* * *

Shiloh returned home after a downright boring shift and sorted through a stack of mail on the counter. Electric bill. Water bill. A letter from an old friend from college.

A hand-addressed envelope. No postage. The sender was in town and wanted to make sure she knew it.

Shiloh dropped the envelope and found her gaze immediately drawn to the window several feet from her. The woods—though they were far in the distance—would make good cover for someone wanting to hide. She felt her skin crawl at the knowledge that she could be standing in the crosshairs of someone’s sniper rifle.

She pulled the cord and dropped the blinds, startling at the crash they made as the bottom landed on the windowsill. Every sense went on alert as Shiloh chided herself for being so careless. Someone had tried to kill her just days ago and she’d gone about life as though it was business as usual. This wasn’t the time to relax. Relaxing got you killed.

She turned, studied the envelope where it sat on the counter. Shiloh weighed her options. Even in a department as small as Treasure Point’s, the police station would have tools she didn’t have to confirm or deny whether anything dangerous could be sealed inside. But the contents of the letter might include information about her past that she wasn’t ready to share. Did she take the risk?

She eyed the envelope again. It was stupid to handle this herself. She knew it was. She knew it when she walked to the cabinet under the kitchen sink where she kept her latex gloves, and when she pulled the collar of her shirt over her mouth and nose as she gently unsealed the letter.

Once it was open, she let out a breath. No suspicious substances, nothing out of the ordinary except for the note inside.

Forget about the past and the people from your past. It won’t do anyone any good for you to keep remembering. You don’t want to end up like your cousin.

Shiloh choked out a muffled sob at the mention of her cousin. Annie had been just shy of her thirtieth birthday. Too young—much, much too young—to die in the line of duty. But her cousin had eaten, slept and breathed law enforcement and given each case everything she had had. In this instance, that had been her life.

The room spun, and Shiloh closed her eyes to escape it, shoving the note back inside the envelope as she did so. The tone didn’t seem blatantly threatening. The first part seemed almost concerned about her; the last line was the only one to speak of danger.