Mountain Witness

She’d just opened her door when he reached her. With a mumbled apology, he put his hands at her waist and lifted her down. As soon as her shoes touched the ground, she stepped back, forcing him to drop his hands. She seemed awkward, uncomfortable as she smoothed her blouse over her khaki pants.

“Why didn’t we go to a hotel?” She followed him as he led the way toward the front porch. “Why drive so far from town?”

He stopped with his boot on the bottom step. “There’s only one hotel in Destiny. Nelson would have looked for you there.”

Her brows shot up. “I didn’t know we were hiding from her.”

He smiled. “We’re hiding more from my boss than from your ADA. I’m on administrative leave, which means I’m not even supposed to talk to you.”

“But you want answers, like you said at the station.”

He nodded.

“You aren’t too good at following orders, are you?”

“Not when I’m shut out of a case where I had to kill a man.”

She swallowed and looked away.

“Look,” he said. “I’m not going to force you to do anything you don’t want to do. For now, we’re just escaping the inquisition back there and getting a good night’s sleep. As a bonus, I ensure that Nelson doesn’t whisk you off to Nashville overnight.”

She stood on the first step, then moved up one more, making her almost eye level with him.

“You seem to think that if Kathy tells me to do something, I jump to do it. What gave you that impression?”

He shrugged. “I think it’s more that she drove three hours to come to your rescue. Allowing you to talk anymore to us would have pretty much defeated the purpose in her driving down here. Lawyers don’t want their clients to talk. Ever.”

He took the stairs two at a time and paused at the door.

When she joined him there, he added, “This place has the best security around. No one is going to sneak up on you while you’re here. You’re safe.”

Her lips parted in surprise.

He shook his head, exasperated. “Did you really think I was buying the picture that Nelson was painting? It’s as obvious as the day is long that you’re both hiding something, holding something back. And if you moved to Destiny just to hide from your husband, or little high school-type pranks, you wouldn’t still be scared.”

She stiffened. “What makes you think I’m scared?”

He glanced at her hands, which she was twisting together.

She jerked them apart, her face flushing again.

“I guess the real question is whether Nelson knows whatever secrets you’re hiding.”

Her expression went blank, as if she’d thrown up a wall. He’d been fishing, but now he knew for sure that she really was hiding something. What could she be hiding that even her ADA friend didn’t know about? And why?

She looked at the truck as if debating whether to demand that he take her back to town. Sensing that if he pushed her on it, if he argued to get her to stay, that she’d push back and demand to leave, he remained silent and waited.

“Your friends Dillon and Ashley—they know we’re here? You have keys to the house?”

In answer, he separated the keys on his key ring and held up one. “If Dillon is awake, he knows. The security system texted him our picture as soon as we turned down the private road to the farm.”

Her eyes widened.

“I’m sure they don’t mind,” he continued. “But I’ll call in the morning and explain the situation.”

“Okay, then. I’ll stay. Just for the night.”

He unlocked the door and waved her inside before she could change her mind.

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