Chapter Two

Sheriff Alan Roberts glanced up from dusting the steering wheel for prints and waved Kate to a stop when she was five feet away.

“I can’t let you come any closer, Kate. This is a crime scene.” His face looked haggard under the diner’s fluorescent lights.

Kate halted obediently and stared at the car’s crumpled hood. “Do you have any idea who did this?”

“Nothing yet.” The sheriff put one hand behind his neck and rolled his head from side to side.

“We don’t even know whose vehicle it is at the moment. There’s no sign of the driver. Nothing in the car, either. No license, no registration. There’s no identification at all...except for this.”

He reached through the car’s open door and retrieved a clear plastic bag containing a brown calfskin wallet.

Relief swept over Kate. She stepped forward to take the wallet, but the sheriff pulled back his arm. “I can’t let you have it, Kate. Not now, at least. It’s evidence.”

“But I need it,” Kate sputtered. “All my identification is in there.” She heard the sound of crunching glass and turned to see Paul step up beside her.

She gestured toward the sheriff. “He won’t give it back to me. He says it’s evidence.”

Paul nodded. “Could we at least verify what’s inside so she’ll know if anything’s missing? It would help to know if we need to cancel her credit cards in the morning.”

Kate clapped her hand to her mouth. “I hadn’t even thought about that.”

Sheriff Roberts shook his head. “I can’t let you go through it until I’ve checked it for prints. But it would be a good idea to cancel those cards regardless of whether they were removed from the wallet. Whoever took it could have copied down all the numbers. That’s all he would need to be able to charge something to your account online.”

A wave of exhaustion washed through Kate. She leaned against Paul for support, and he pulled her snug against his side.

“Ready to go home?” he asked. “I think you’ve had enough excitement for one night.”

“Not yet.” Kate forced herself to stand upright and looked at the chaos around them. “As long as we’re here, we ought to pitch in and help.”

“I agree, but are you sure you’re up to it?”

At her nod, he dropped a kiss on her forehead, then strode over to help Sam and Jack carry a broken tabletop to a pile where fragments of other dining furniture had already been laid to rest.

Kate cast one more look at the mystery vehicle, then glanced around the crowded diner. J. B. Packer, Loretta’s part-time cook, stood talking to Lawton Briddle, the mayor of Copper Mill. Kate walked over to them.

“How can I help?”

J.B. smiled at her and pointed to a pair of brooms leaning against the wall. “Grab one of those and start sweeping. We need to move all this trash and debris out of the way so Loretta can get an idea of how bad the actual damage is.”

J.B. had been arrested for setting fire to Faith Briar Church when Paul and Kate first arrived in Copper Mill, and although he had been cleared of all charges, he was still regarded with some suspicion in town. Kate was glad to see him there helping with the cleanup.

The mayor passed the palm of his hand over the few remaining strands of hair on top of his head. “I just can’t believe it. Who would do something like this?”

Too tired to carry on a conversation, Kate pondered the question as she maneuvered the broom, pushing broken glass and fragments of wood toward a growing heap at one side of the dining area.

From the talk that swirled around her, she knew the same question was foremost in everyone else’s minds as well. Snippets of conversation caught her attention as she worked.

“What kind of person drives into a building and then just up and walks away?”

Kate turned to see who was talking but didn’t recognize the wiry man.

“Bunch of joyriders, most likely,” answered a heavy-set blonde woman Kate recognized as Elma Swanson. “No responsibility, these kids today. They think nothing of making a mess and leaving it for someone else to clean up.”

“You’re probably right. Most people would have called it in as soon as the accident happened,” J. B. Packer volunteered.

“If it was an accident.”

The comment came from Pete Barkley, a man Kate had seen around town from time to time but didn’t know well. She pricked up her ears and edged closer to the center of the discussion as she swept.

“What do you mean if?” demanded Elma.

Pete leaned on his broom handle and gestured toward the smashed car. “Think about it. Can you really see anyone crashing into the diner like that and then just walking away?” He wagged his head back and forth. “No, sir. Looks to me like it was deliberate.”

“That’s the craziest idea I ever heard.” Elma planted her hands on her broad hips and narrowed her eyes at him. “You mean to tell me you think somebody did this on purpose?”

Kate paused, watching Pete glance around as if realizing the size of his audience for the first time. His chest puffed out slightly when he spoke.

“Wouldn’t surprise me a bit. All it would take is someone parking that Mustang across the street on the Town Green and aiming it right at the front door. Then step out of the car, put it in gear, and all you’d have to do is just stand back and let it happen. Boom!”—he smacked his hands together—“There you go.”

Several people in the crowd nodded their heads slowly as the idea began to take hold.

Elma just rolled her eyes. “I still say it’s crazy. That would mean someone had it in for Loretta or LuAnne, or both. Who on earth would want to do such a thing?”

Who, indeed? Kate wondered as she resumed sweeping. She glanced across the diner at the booth where Loretta Sweet appeared to be rallying. LuAnne sat beside her, patting Loretta’s hand. Who could possibly want to harm either one of them?

“Aren’t you that preacher’s wife?” A voice drew Kate out of her thoughts and back to the moment.

Elma Swanson stood beside her, arms crossed. Kate tried to summon up a smile. “That’s right. I’m Kate Hanlon.”

“Is it true your purse was found in that car?”

“Just the wallet,” Kate replied wearily.

“Your wallet was in that Mustang?” The woman’s strident tone drew the attention of the workers nearby.

Kate felt her cheeks grow warm. “That’s right.”

Elma narrowed her eyes. “Seems like the front seat of a wrecked car is a funny place for a wallet to show up all by itself.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Kate saw Paul approaching with Loretta right behind him, as if drawn by the tension that sizzled through the little group gathered around Kate. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “Time to go home.”

Kate shook her head. “We can’t leave when there’s still so much to do.”

“Yes, you can.” Loretta’s tone brooked no argument. “I’m sending everyone home.” She stepped up onto the seat of a nearby booth and raised her voice to address the crowd.

“Listen, everybody. I want to thank you all for coming out to help. I’ve asked Pastor Paul to say a few words.” She gestured to Paul, who smiled at the weary faces turned his way.

“Seeing all of you down here tonight is evidence of the fine community spirit that is the heart of Copper Mill, and I know Loretta appreciates your support. While the destruction looks pretty overwhelming at the moment, I’m sure we’re all grateful no one was injured. It’s not easy to understand why things like this happen, but we can make it through these times of testing with God’s help.”

“Thank you, Pastor.” Loretta commanded the crowd’s attention again. “The tow truck just showed up, and some of the men are ready to board up the front as soon as that car is out of here. I’ll come back later and see what needs to be done once I can think straight. Until then, I’m going home to try to get some sleep. You all ought to do the same.”

Paul leaned forward, his lips next to Kate’s ear. “Come on, hon. You’ve had quite a bit of stress on precious little sleep. You’ll feel better once you get some rest.”

Too tired to protest, Kate let him lead her toward his pickup. When they reached the sidewalk, she stopped long enough to cast one last look back at the surreal scene.

How could this have happened? And how did she wind up becoming part of it?

Not a single answer came to mind. Kate turned again and followed Paul. She could try to work it out in the morning. All she wanted at that moment was to wipe the sight from her mind and sink back into the comfort of their bed, with Paul beside her.