Tony checked his duffle bag to make sure he had everything he needed for basketball before leaving his office at the church. He and Ryan were going to pick up Zach and head to the community center. Where he expected to also run into Shannon, since her office was in the public safety wing of the same building.
He’d been enjoying getting to know her on the ride along and running with her. He liked seeing the softer side of her than she presented to the public, though she was well loved and respected in the community. They had a lot in common, and he definitely wanted to get to know her more. Up to the point where he’d have to reveal his struggle with dyslexia.
Janelle had known and helped him. He had a hard time picturing Shannon in that role, coaching him through sermons and books. And to be honest, he’d figured out a way to make it all work without help. It was the being vulnerable and admitting his weakness that he didn’t want to do. Didn’t want to see the disappointment, or worse, pity in her eyes.
He knew at some point, if their relationship progressed enough, that he’d have to tell her. Relationships didn’t work when there were secrets and lies. And she’d made her feelings clear about liars.
But the big if was would their relationship progress? Until he was sure that it would, he wasn’t going to risk it. He’d always believed in beginning with the end in mind, which meant he had to tread carefully. They would have to work together, no matter what, which made the entire proposition tricky. And almost made him want to forget the whole idea.
But she intrigued him in a way a woman hadn’t since Janelle. Her care and concern for the community matched his own. And she was still completely feminine despite her uniform and weapon. He would continue to pray for guidance and leading, hoping his own stupidity didn’t get in the way.
In the meantime, he could help her out by getting Zach to play basketball with Ryan, him, and some other guys. And get to know Zach.
Ryan leaned in through the open office doorway. “Ready to head out?”
“Yep.” Tony hefted his duffle, and they headed out to his truck and made their way to the sheriff’s house. He’d bet they’d have a lot more spectators to their basketball game today. Ryan’s good looks were always drawing female attention. And with it being spring break, there’d be a lot more kids at the community center.
They pulled into the sheriff’s driveway, and Zach hustled down the stairs. He had the same athletic build of his mom but with dark hair and eyes. Was that from his dad? But Shannon’s sister, Cassie, had dark hair. He climbed in the back seat of the truck.
“Hey, Zach,” Tony said as he backed out of the driveway.
“Hey, Pastor. Hi, Ryan. Thanks for coming to get me.”
“Happy to help.” Tony mentally shook his head at the scintillating conversation. Teenage boys were tough in that department. Luckily Ryan asked Zach about the video games he was playing, and that kept him talking until they got to the community center.
Inside, a bunch of kids were milling around on the basketball court. A few of the regular players wandered around, looking lost. It didn’t seem right to kick them off, but a number of adults liked to play basketball on their lunch break. He headed into the locker room to change. When he came out, he looked to see who was in charge of the kids’ programming. He spotted Anne Cartwright, the librarian, and headed in her direction.
“Hey, Anne. Do you know who’s running the kids’ programs today? I know a group of us are looking to play basketball, but I don’t want to kick the kids off. Is there another event they could get involved in?”
Anne scanned the room. “Michelle Sanders is running it. I know she’s pretty overwhelmed, which is why I came over to help. She’s at the craft station.”
Tony spotted her, nodded his thanks, and headed in Michelle’s direction.
When she noticed him, she gave him a harried glance. “Come to make some bookmarks, Pastor?”
He smiled. “Actually, a group of us usually play basketball at lunch, but there are a lot of kids on the court. Is there something for them to do? Do you have something planned?”
“That is the plan. Those that have a ton of energy and don’t want to do crafts or read with Miss Anne can run around the gym. We had some other activities scheduled, but the help fell through.” She wiped the back of a glue-and-glitter-covered hand across her forehead. “Sorry about your basketball game. I just don’t know where else to put them.”
“That’s okay. We’ll figure something out.” He turned to walk away and then stopped. He’d never been in charge of children’s programming at church, but he’d bossed around contractors. How hard could a bunch of kids be? “Hey, mind if we play some games with them in the gym?”
Relief eased the tension lines in her face. “Oh, would you? That would be so helpful.”
“Sure.” He headed back to the gym. Now to tell the guys they were going to be playing with the kids too. He ran through some ideas. Maybe Ryan would have some suggestions.
A group of the regular players were standing around, some less than pleased at the kids’ presence. Jonas and Marco had joined them. Zach sat on a bench, phone in hand.
He approached them. “Hey, I told Michelle that I’d help keep the kids busy. There’s no place else for them right now. So looks like we won’t have our regularly scheduled game. Anyone have any ideas of activities we can do with the kids?”
There was some muttered grumbling, but he’d learned to ignore anything that wasn’t a direct comment or question.
“I have an idea,” Ryan said. “We can teach them basic basketball skills—passing dribbling. We’ve got enough basketballs to break them into groups of four.”
“Good idea.” Tony scanned the gym. “Hey, I think we can make it so some of you could still play half-court, if you want to.”
Jonas and Marco agreed to help with the kids. Given their jobs, they spent a lot of time making sure kids felt safe in their presence. It was one of the things Tony appreciated about Shannon’s community policing style. Ryan stepped over and said something to Zach, who got to his feet and reluctantly put his phone away. The remainder of the players started their half-court game while Ryan got the kids’ attention and broke them up into groups. Some of the older girls were more than happy to do whatever Ryan asked. Each man took a group and demonstrated basic basketball skills.
Tony stepped next to Zach. “You want to help me with this group? I bet they’d rather see you demonstrate it than an old man like me.” He grinned.
Zach laughed and took the basketball, showing the kids how to dribble.
Tony surveyed the gym. They’d made it work, and everyone seemed reasonably happy. Occasionally one of the kids’ balls would get loose, and they’d have to warn the basketball players, but no one had broken an ankle yet. It’s too bad they didn’t have something like a climbing wall here. It would take up less space than another sports court, and it would give the kids a way to burn off energy. He’d mention it to a few people. The community center was one of the recipients of the Spread the Love event.
Shannon entered the gym. His heart rate picked up as he waved her over. He couldn’t help but be a bit proud of what he’d accomplished. Maybe he’d look a little bit like a good guy in her eyes.
“So you’re adding activities director to your resume?” Her eyes sparkled and laughter laced her words.
“You know us pastors. Always wearing all the hats.”
“Yeah. I saw. Sunday’s service was bigger than usual. Lots of guests.”
He nodded. “I’m expecting that for the next several weeks. Which is good. We’ve been making sure we have invitations in all the hotels, motels, and cabins that we can get them into.” He studied her as her gaze landed on Zach working with the younger kids.
“You’ve worked a miracle prying him away from his video games and getting him to help out.”
“He’s a good kid.” And he meant it. “He just needs some direction and structure.”
Shannon winced, and he realized that his words sounded like a criticism of her. He had to salvage this. “They all do. It’s the age. Grown-up bodies and not fully developed brains. Not always a great combo.”
She nodded. “Oh, I know.”
The conversation between them faltered even as noise and chaos surrounded them. Rarely was he at a loss for words. But now…
Anne headed in their direction. Relief. “Hey, Sheriff. Come to help out?”
“Just came to see what was going on. Looks like you all have it under control.” Shannon snagged a runaway basketball and tossed it back to the freckled girl with braids.
“Well, control might be too strong of a word.” Anne turned to him. “I actually came to see if you’d have a moment to read to some of the kids while I help Michelle get the lunches set out.” She glanced at Shannon. “We’re short staffed. A few of our volunteers couldn’t make it.” Back at him. “It would just be for a few minutes.”
Both of the women’s gazes turned to him.
His throat went dry. Was his forehead getting sweaty? The two people who would naturally expect this to be no big deal for him stared at him expectantly. There was no way to say no. And yet, how could he read to children? He’d stumble all over the words. They’d dance across the page and not stay in place. He had no time to even prepare so he could fake it.
“Uh, sure.” Lord, I need a miracle. I know it’s selfish, but please don’t let me embarrass myself in front of them.
Anne smiled. “Great. I’ll show you the selection of books I’ve picked out.” She turned and headed across the gym.
Now would be a good time for Shannon to leave. He turned to her. “So I’ll just bring Zach home later this afternoon, okay?”
“Stop by my office first, if you would. Depending on what’s going on, I might just be able to keep him here.”
“Sure.” He followed Anne and settled in the plastic chair in front of a group of young grade school kids seated on the floor.
Anne pointed to a stack of chapter books next to the chair. “We’ve been reading through a few of these. You can pick any one of them.” Then she was off.
He thumbed through the books, buying time. No picture books. These kids were too old. And he wasn’t familiar with any of these stories. He glanced up.
Shannon stood in the doorway between the gym and activity room, watching.
Great.
He took a deep breath and slowly let it out, focusing on the kids in front of him. “Hey, guys. How’s it going?”
He got a chorus of answers that he responded to while his mind whirled for a solution. “What’s your favorite story?”
The kids shouted out answers. “Captain Underpants!” “Diary of a Wimpy Kid!” “Pete the Cat!” “Halley Harper: Science Girl Extraordinaire!” “Junie B. Jones!”
He had no idea what any of those were. But hey, he was a pastor, he could tell them a Bible story. He didn’t dare look to see if Shannon was watching. Instead he began, “Once there was a boy, about the same age as most of you. But he had an important job for his family. Do any of you have jobs?”
He listened to their answers about chores around their homes. This was the ticket. Get them involved in the story by asking questions along the way. He continued telling them about David the shepherd boy. They were so enraptured that they insisted on hearing the end of the story even when Michelle called them to pick up their lunches.
By the time they’d filed off for lunch, he was as exhausted as if he’d preached three sermons. Anne waved her thanks and he wandered off. Ryan and Zach were collecting basketballs in the gym. The lunch time players had exited the court, along with Jonas and Marco. It was weirdly calm after the earlier chaos.
“You guys want to grab some lunch before heading home? I’m thinking Belleville Flats.” Their famous onion rings, usually just an occasional indulgence given the amount of time he spent behind a desk these days, seemed like a necessity to recover from today.
“Sounds great.” Ryan shoved the basketball cart against the wall. Zach just nodded.
“Oh, we’ve got to stop by your mom’s office, Zach. She wanted us to check in.” Tony led the way to the locker room.
Once they’d changed, they headed down the hall to the public safety department, only to be told the sheriff was out.
Tony wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or disappointed. He shelved those thoughts aside and concentrated on looking forward to some onion rings and a juicy burger.
* * *
Reese ignored Cory’s words and muttered curse as he picked a path next to the stream, checking only to make sure Ella was behind him. She was. The tension eased a bit from his shoulders. He wasn’t sure if she’d stay with Cory or go with him. He hadn’t had a problem with Cory before now, but today something about the guy set his teeth on edge. Part of it was probably the slow pace of the hike, though Reese was used to that from the hikes he led. Whatever it was, he felt nearly driven to break away from the group and take Ella somewhere else. This waterfall was a perfect excuse.
Of course, at this time of year, there were all sorts of waterfalls in the area caused by snow melt. They weren’t too far from the San Andreas fault, and there were a number of natural springs too. Probably what contributed to the area being settled long ago, considering the mountains were surrounded by desert on one side and a Mediterranean climate on the other. Water wasn’t always easy to find.
Still, the farther they got from the group, the better he felt. The shade was cool, and he picked a path for them through the slushy snow piles and across the rocks, finding places for Ella to step that wouldn’t be too slippery. He stopped and looked back.
She was right behind him.
“Doing okay?”
“Yeah. It’s so pretty back here. I love how the water cuts through the snow. There’s so much more of it than you find in the summer.”
“Wait til you see what’s ahead.” Reese started hiking again, and soon they could hear water cascading over granite. They rounded a bend, and he stepped aside, waiting to see Ella’s reaction.
She was watching her steps carefully then looked up. Her eyes widened. “Oh, wow!”
The runoff got caught in a crease in the hillside, gathering speed and water until it hit a granite outcropping and spouted out into the air, landing about ten feet below in a tree-surrounded pool that emptied into the stream they’d followed.
“I never knew this was here.” Ella eased closer and took out her phone.
“Most people don’t. I stumbled on it when I first got here. I chased the creek upstream to see where it started. It wasn’t this big then, just a trickle, but I figured it might be pretty spectacular today.”
“You were right.”
Reese moved closer to the waterfall, examining it. The way the hillside cut around, there might be a way to get to the top. He tilted his head. “Follow me. I want to check this out.”
She did, stepping where he stepped as they forged their own path, not something he would normally recommend, but he was curious, and they weren’t on a timetable. Lately, he hadn’t had any hikes just by himself where he could explore. He was always leading groups, which felt a lot more like babysitting than enjoying the wilderness.
A series of granite boulders piled up next to the waterfall. He scrambled up a few then held out his hand to pull Ella up.
She studied it a minute before taking it.
He almost regretted the offer. Her hand fit snuggly in his, almost like it belonged there. The idea terrified and comforted him at the same time. He pulled his hand back as soon as she was safe.
As they crested the last boulder, he could see his gamble had been a good one. The water created a small pool before plunging over the edge, creating the waterfall.
Ella joined him, and they leaned against the boulder, just taking it all in.
This wasn’t too bad. Ella was a good sport, so far. He hadn’t heard from Raul, but they weren’t in an area with good comms, so he didn’t expect to hear from him until they were at a better location.
He was just stubborn enough to milk this side trip so that Cory would leave without them. Probably already had. Cory had seemed too interested in Ella, though she didn’t seem eager to get back to the group either.
Her face had relaxed, and she leaned against the rock, taking deep breaths and letting her gaze travel over the scenery. When was the last time she’d had an outing like this? He thought back to what Pastor Tony said about Ella. Maybe he could give her the adventure she wanted. In a way, he owed her. Even if the debt was twelve years old.
“How far back does this creek flow?”
Her words startled him. “Not sure. It disappears over that ridge. Want to check it out?”
“Sure.”
They pushed off the boulders and stepped carefully along the moss-encrusted rocks and mushy ground, picking their way along the creek’s edge and up the slow incline. It was a scenic trek through the woods, and they could easily retrace their steps by following the creek back down.
Reese scanned their surroundings, wanting to maintain situational awareness and not get caught off guard by anything. Which was why it was strange that it took his brain a minute to register what he was seeing. An irrigation pipe and pump coming off the water and disappearing into the woods. And a worn path into the woods.
A more thorough scan showed pieces of heavy plastic and other trash scattered about.
His heart rate ticked up. An illegal grow site wasn’t far from here. Likely there were trail cams around here, and when someone checked them, they’d see Reese and Ella. The best hope was to make like they didn’t see what was going on. But he wanted to record their location so he could report it to the sheriff.
“Let’s head over here.” He nodded to an area away from the creek and the grow.
Ella frowned. “Why? That’s away from the creek. I thought we wanted to see where it went.”
“Trust me. Please?”
With a slow nod, she followed him.
They side-stepped around the slope of the hill until the creek was out of view. He reached around the side of his pack for his map to ascertain where they were and where the grow operation might be.
Ella studied him. “We’re not lost.”
“No. But we’ve stumbled on something we shouldn’t have.”
“What do you mean?”
“Did you see that irrigation pipe running out of the stream?”
“Was that what that was? I thought it was weird that there was some sort of pump thing.”
“Someone’s running an illegal pot growing operation back here.”
“But it’s legal to grow marijuana in California. Why would someone want to grow it illegally?”
“Lots of reasons. They don’t want the permits and oversight. They’re expensive and take time to get approved. They want to use the natural resources up here of water and land, and they leave their trash all over the place, contaminating it. Often they’re connected with drug runners and money laundering schemes. It’s a health hazard, not only for what they do to the land and water, but for anyone who stumbles across it.”
Her eyes widened when his meaning sunk in. “Will they know that we discovered them?”
“Possibly. They likely have trail cams up here. They wouldn’t have a live feed this far out with such bad cell service. But someone probably comes by and checks them regularly. Hopefully we’ll look like hikers who didn’t know what we saw. I just wanted to mark the location on the map so I can tell the sheriff when we get back. Speaking of which, we need to get out of here.” He folded the map up and looked around. “We can parallel the creek this way, but we should be far enough downslope they won’t spot us.”
Ella nodded and followed him as he started across the slope, weaving in and out of trees. His mind spun with possibilities. He was betting the trail cams weren’t monitored, but he wasn’t sure. If his plan to get away from Cory had put Ella in danger… He flashed back to another bad decision he’d made; one that had killed two of his friends. He couldn’t let himself go there. He had to get them out of here.
He turned to make sure Ella was within arm’s reach of him. She was, her gaze focused on his footprints.
The scent of something foul reached him on a gust of wind. Then it got stronger. He knew that smell. Something had died around here, probably an animal of some sort. Whatever it was, they were getting closer to it. But there was no way around it; they weren’t going back the way they came, and he didn’t want to deviate too far from this path and get them off course.
He spotted the jacket first. He held his hand behind him for Ella to stop.
“What’s that smell?” She held her hand over her nose and mouth.
“Stay here. And look away.” Reese took a few steps forward, watching where he stepped and checking the surroundings. Between the animals and being out here at least a few weeks, it would take the coroner to make a positive identification. But Reese would bet they’d just found Dalton Brandt. He pulled out his phone and snapped pictures. Then grabbed the map to estimate their location. He didn’t think it was a coincidence that they’d found Brandt’s body close to the grow site.
Which meant he and Ella needed to get out of here. Fast.