Kate, Elliot, Buck, Natalie, and Clarissa cheered at the news that Hawk was safe and the bounty hunter was unharmed and in FBI custody.
Kate wiped the tears off her face and sat back in her chair and whispered a prayer of thanksgiving.
“I’ll tell you what,” Buck said, “that grandson of mine is a hero in my book. And that Deputy Duncan—wasn’t he somethin’?”
“Oh, did you folks know him?” Natalie said.
Kate jumped in before her dad could say anything else. “We’ve known him for years. He worked the case when my late husband and daughter were missing.”
“Well, that was good thinking and quick action on the deputy’s part,” Clarissa said. “If the shooter had hit the bounty hunter at close range, he would probably have died right there. Another split second, and we’d be looking at an entirely different outcome.”
“Who was the shooter?” Kate said. “Where did he come from? Why wasn’t the FBI prepared?”
Natalie and Clarissa looked at each other and shrugged.
“Whoever he was, he wasn’t on the FBI’s radar.” Natalie walked over and disarmed the security alarm. “I think all our agents must be scratching their heads. Guess we’ll be filled in later.”
Elliot took Kate’s hand in his. “I’m just grateful that Hawk is safe and this thing’s finally over.”
Natalie’s and Clarissa’s phones beeped, and each glanced at her screen.
“Well,” Natalie said. “Looks like our ride will be here within the hour. We had better go pack. It’s been our pleasure staying with you. You’re a really special family.”
Clarissa nodded. “Your faith throughout this ordeal has truly been an inspiration. For your sake, I hope you never need the FBI ever again.”
The front door slammed, and Abby and Jesse came rushing in, sounding out of breath.
“Were y’all listening to what happened?” Jesse said, his face flushed. “Deputy Duncan saw that guy’s gun and knocked it out of his hand just as he shot it, and then he tripped the bounty hunter, who fell flat on his face—”
“And Hawk held the bounty hunter on the ground,” Abby said, “until Deputy Duncan could put cuffs on him! They’re both heroes!”
“Yes, we were listening,” Kate said, slipping her arm around Jesse’s sweaty back. “Where were you two when it happened?”
“Jesse and I were just about to walk home. We were sitting in Flutter’s, cooling off and having a Coke—”
“When people outside started screaming and running all over the place,” Jesse said. “We looked out and saw Hawk sitting on the guy’s back, holding him down. And then Deputy Duncan cuffed him and gave him over to the FBI. The shooter too.” Jesse grinned. “My big brother is a hero. I can’t wait to tell Dawson!”
Natalie shook her head. “Jesse, the rules haven’t changed. This isn’t going to be written up in the newspaper. Or talked about on the news. And you can’t tell anyone. And why is that?”
Jesse sighed. “Because it’s classified.”
Clarissa tilted his chin. “It’s for your brother’s safety.”
“I get it,” Jesse said. “I just wanted to brag on him. He was awesome.”
“You can certainly tell Hawk how you feel,” Kate said. “I can hardly wait to put my arms around him.”
Jesse looked at Natalie and Clarissa. “Now that it’s over, I guess you’ll be leaving soon.”
Clarissa nodded. “Within the hour. We were just going to pack.”
“We’ll miss you—each of you.” Natalie blinked the moisture from her eyes.
Kate, Elliot, and Buck rose to their feet.
“We can’t thank you enough for making us feel safe,” Kate said.
“And informed,” Elliot added.
“And for being good sports when I clobbered you at gin rummy.” Jesse laughed. “I guess if you really must go, I’ll have no choice but to remain the champ.”
“I can’t thank you ladies enough for the good conversation,” Buck said. “I sure won’t forget you.”
Abby put her arms around Natalie. “Thanks for walking me to work every morning. I would’ve been scared to walk alone.”
In the next minute, everyone exchanged hugs and more thank-yous. And then it was pin-drop still.
“I hate good-byes,” Jesse said. “This is the part where it’s always sad.”
“A little,” Natalie said.
Clarissa brushed Jesse’s damp hair off his forehead. “But I’m glad we enjoyed you enough to miss you. That doesn’t happen most of the time.”
Hawk sat in an interview room in the Raleigh County Courthouse, finishing up his statement and feeling eager to get home.
“Hawk, I want to thank you for a superb job,” Romo said. “Special Agents Barron and Ziegler said you did as well as any agent could have done.”
“I’m glad I could help.” Hawk folded his hands on the table. “Can you tell me anything about the shooter? I honestly thought he was coming after me.”
“We don’t know anything about the shooter,” Romo said. “The Bureau is doing a background check, but right now, he’s a mystery. We didn’t see that coming. Thankfully, Deputy Duncan did.”
Hawk nodded. “That’s for sure.”
“I mean, what are the odds that he scheduled a few vacation days that happened to coincide with our operation?”
“Yeah, what are the odds?” Hawk said.
“And he just happened to be right there when our unidentified perpetrator pulled a gun?” Romo said. “And just happened to ram the guy just as he pulled the trigger, keeping the bounty hunter unharmed—which happened to be what my orders were?”
“Wow.” A grin stretched Hawk’s cheeks. “I remember you sitting in my living room, telling us that it wouldn’t be necessary to rely on God, that your people are the best at what they do, and that you would keep me safe. But it’s pretty hard to deny that God was in the details that even you couldn’t plan for.”
Romo’s face went blank. “Well, you got me there. I’m not really a man of faith, but you make a point worth thinking about. I’ve got a five-year-old son, and a baby girl due in October. My wife, Annie, wants us to start going to church. Maybe this is a sign from God that we should.”
“Maybe,” Hawk said. “After I was grown, I really appreciated that my parents brought me up in the church.”
“You didn’t resent being made to go?”
“Not at all. I didn’t know any differently.”
“I always thought I’d let my kids decide for themselves what to believe,” Romo said. “You know, when they’re older.”
“They will decide,” Hawk said. “We all do. But Grandpa Buck always said, ‘If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.’ Now that I’m grown, I understand what he meant. You have to know what you believe before you can stand firm. You need a moral compass.”
“I guess that’s true.” Romo was quiet for a few moments. “So when Christians grow up with this moral compass, do you think they make decisions that are better than everyone else’s?”
Hawk felt shame scald his face. Lord, give me the right words. “Not always. At least not right away. But we know things won’t be right again until we turn it around. For example, how did I end up having an affair with a woman I hardly knew, after being raised in a strong Christian home to believe that sex is a gift God created for a husband and wife, and it’s meant to be expressed only within the parameters of marriage?”
“Hawk, I really wasn’t talking about you. I—”
“It’s okay. I’m a perfect example. I met Kennedy in a parking lot and helped her pick up a sack of spilled groceries. She was new to the area and didn’t know anyone. She seemed lonely and I offered to give her a Jeep ride after work. Innocent, right? Or not so innocent. Deep down, I knew I was playing with fire. She was gorgeous and vulnerable and available, and I knew to guard myself against any situation that could turn sexual. But instead of helping her out and then politely walking away, I opened the door that every guy knows is dangerous, and lust exploded into a full-blown affair. That’s like lighting a match and walking into a room flooded with natural gas. My point is I had a strong moral compass. I ignored it. I deceived myself clear up until the time she disappeared. But the truth is I was never really comfortable sinning, and I lied—even to Kennedy—to keep it secret. I disgraced myself. I broke Laura Lynn’s heart. And I disappointed my family. When I realized what I’d done, I asked God to forgive me, and He has. But that doesn’t erase the natural consequences I just have to live with.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself, Hawk. This is the twenty-first century. Those kinds of old-fashioned values are honorable, but few people live by them anymore. You’re still the same person. Sure, you have life experience you didn’t have before, and you don’t want to make the same mistake again. But you’re still the same man.”
Hawk blinked the stinging from his eyes. He wasn’t the same man. There’s no way Special Agent Romo would understand. Hawk didn’t understand it himself.
“The point I was trying to make,” Hawk said, “is that a moral compass is extremely important. If I had read mine and done what I knew was right, I would have gone an entirely different direction, and my life wouldn’t be the mess it is at this moment. It’s important to equip your kids with the principles found in God’s Word. They work, if we use them. And we can’t use them if we don’t know what they are.”
Romo nodded. “I see what you’re saying. Maybe Annie’s been right all along. Thanks for being so candid. You’ve given me a lot to think about. Well, Hawk, I guess this is the end of the line for us. Special Agent Barron will drive you home.” Romo stood and extended his hand. “Thanks again for your willingness to help us catch the bounty hunter.”
Hawk smiled and shook his hand. “I was willing. Deputy Duncan got it done. But it was a split second only God could’ve planned for.”
Hawk walked up the steps to the front porch and waved at Gary Barron as he drove away, a cloud of dust kicking up behind his rental car. It felt as if a lifetime had passed since he had sat on the porch swing and counted the minutes until it was time to go into Foggy Ridge and give his statement to Sheriff Granger.
Now he sat on the porch swing and just listened to the sounds. The hummingbirds fighting over the feeder. The mourning doves cooing. A jet crossing the wide expanse of Arkansas sky. The hot June breeze whistling through the pines. He knew the minute he walked into the house, he’d be smothered with kisses and hugs and tears of joy from a family that truly loved him.
So why was he feeling so lost and alone? He had thought that after he helped the FBI capture the bounty hunter, he would have done all that he could to honor Kennedy and would be free to move on. She was dead. It was over. Why couldn’t he let go? Why did it hurt so much to know that he would never see her again? He knew nothing true about her, except for what he had read in her heart. And yet an indefinable bond more real than the relationship itself would not let him go.
The orange-and-white kitten climbed up on the porch and sat at Hawk’s feet meowing. He reached down and picked him up and looked into his bright yellow eyes.
“What are you doing out here all by yourself? Are you feeling lost too, little guy? I can’t believe you’re still nameless.”
Nameless. How he hated that word. Her name was Kennedy Taylor. Nothing was going to change that reality in his heart and mind. It had been painful listening to her referred to as Nameless, as if she never existed, never made an impact, never left an impression. She wasn’t just a vapor that disappeared.
The front door flew open and Jesse came outside.
“I saw you sitting out here.” Jesse leaned against the railing and looked at Hawk. “When did you get home?”
Hawk set the kitten down. “Just a few minutes ago. I needed time to catch my breath.”
“You’re a hero,” Jesse said. “Abby and I saw you holding the bounty hunter down on the ground until Deputy Duncan came over and put the cuffs on him. When that guy’s gun went off, people were running and screaming. It was cool—in an awful kind of way, I mean. At least nobody got hurt. Natalie reminded me it’s classified and I can’t tell anybody. I want everyone to know you’re a hero.”
Hawk smiled. “You’re wound up tighter than a tick.”
“I know.” Jesses flashed a mouthful of silver. “It’s been crazy. I’ll bet you’re tired.”
“Not really. Worn out, maybe. It’s almost like I was on a movie set, and Director Romo told me what to do next. There was something intriguing and fun about it, before it got intense. I made friends with two of the FBI special agents, Gary Barron and Ryan Ziegler. They were really great guys. Romo wasn’t so bad either. I respected him when he was coordinating the whole thing, telling each of us what to do. And I got to witness to him a little before I left.”
“Romo?” Jesse said. “The same guy that told us we wouldn’t need to rely on God because we had him?”
Hawk smiled. “I think he got knocked off his high horse when Deputy Duncan came in and saved the day. It all played out the way God intended.”
“Come on.” Jesse grabbed both of Hawk’s arms and pulled him to his feet. “Everybody’s been waiting for you to come home. They’ll want to hear all this. Mama’s been holding dinner.”
Jesse picked up the kitten, draped it over his shoulder, and opened the front door. Hawk followed him inside, the smell of their mother’s pasta sauce permeating his senses. He had forgotten it was Saturday. It was one week ago, almost to the minute, that he had awakened to find Kennedy gone.
“Hawk’s home!” Jesse hollered.
A stampede of family members came charging out of the kitchen, and seconds later came the kisses, hugs, and tears of joy he knew awaited him. He was grateful for such lavish love but felt very undeserving. His choices had put them through an entire week of anguish, worry, and fear. And yet not one of them had complained or thrown it back in his face.
Hawk laughed and enjoyed the moment, thinking that this was how the prodigal son must have felt. They hadn’t prepared the fatted calf, but Mama’s spaghetti would do just fine.