WHEN FRIDAY ROLLED AROUND, Abby realized she’d been gone for over a week and she hadn’t checked in with Jessica. True, Jessica had told her not to worry, but she felt like she should have at least called once before now. When her friend didn’t answer her cell, Abby dialed her own home number but nearly disconnected when a familiar, but completely unexpected voice answered the phone.

“Hello?”

“Um, hello?”

“This sounds like Abby. You’re probably wondering why I answered your phone.” It was Luke Murphy, and there was a bit of a smile in his voice.

“Yeah, I guess I am. I expected to speak to Jessica. It’s comforting at least that I didn’t dial the wrong number. What are you doing there?”

“Well, it’s a long story and one you weren’t supposed to hear until you got home. But somebody broke into your —”

“Broke into my house? Is Jessica okay?” Abby stood, tense and angry.

“Yes, Jessica is fine. In fact she gave the burglar a bit of a thrashing. He got away with nothing to show for his trouble but a broken nose.”

For a second she couldn’t find her voice. She remembered the dark car she thought had been shadowing her.

“Are you still there?” Worry shaded his voice.

Sighing, Abby pinched the bridge of her nose. “Still here but not believing what you just said. Can you tell what he was after?” She didn’t have many valuables; her most important was her laptop, and that was with her.

“Jessica isn’t sure. She caught him in your office. As far as she could tell, nothing has been removed. The doorjamb was destroyed —he jimmied it open to get inside —and I had some time on my hands, so I came over to fix it. We didn’t want to ruin your time away since, at the time, it seemed to be a no harm, no foul situation.”

Abby almost laughed out loud when Luke used a Woody-ism like “no harm, no foul.”

Luke went on. “The back door will be good as new, and Woody wants me to install a camera like one I put up at my house. That’s where Jessica is, with him picking one out.”

“You guys shouldn’t go to so much trouble. A camera? Aren’t you overreacting?”

“Uh, first, it’s no trouble, and second, it doesn’t hurt to be cautious. Anyway, I’m sorry you had to find out this way.”

There was something in his voice. Abby heard it and knew there was more. “Was the guy caught?”

“In a manner of speaking.”

“What manner would that be?”

“Abby, I think all this can wait until you get home. Woody didn’t want to ruin your trip and neither do I.”

Abby felt anger rise. “I’m not fragile. What is going on down there?”

“I know you’re not fragile. We just wanted to give you time to heal.”

“Tell me please,” she said firmly.

She heard Luke blow out a breath. “The guy who broke into your house was Alonzo Ruiz.”

“Ruiz?” Abby frowned as the name and the memory of that name and what he’d done came roaring back to her mind. “The man who shot at you on the flood control trail?”

“The same. He paid me a visit as well. That was where we stopped him.”

Questions exploded in Abby’s mind. “You stopped him? He’s in custody? Who is he working for?”

“We can’t ask. He’s dead. He had a gun and Woody had to shoot him. And before you ask, Woody is fine.”

Words wouldn’t form, and Abby felt like all the air had whooshed out of her lungs. She had to sit down to digest this news.

“Tell me everything,” she was finally able to say.

Luke told her what had transpired at his house.

She took deep breaths as the fear for Woody subsided, along with an overwhelming wave of protectiveness that extended to Luke Murphy as well.

“So he’d tried to remove all your notes on the Triple Seven?”

“Yeah, that’s what he chucked at me on the front lawn. And just when we thought that was all settled. We know Ruiz was the same man Jessica confronted at your house because his nose was broken. Bill took pictures to Jessica and she was able to positively identify him. He also had a ton of state-of-the-art surveillance equipment in his car, and he bypassed my alarm system like it was nothing.”

“What kind of car was Ruiz driving?”

“A black Ford Crown Vic. Why?”

Abby told him about the dark car she’d thought had shadowed her to Oregon.

“Could have been him. He’d have had plenty of time to get back down here, break into your house. He knew you were gone if he followed you all the way to Oregon. But why is anyone following you? Look, bottom line, it’s okay here. Woody is good. We’re sidelined for a bit while the shooting is officially investigated, but I’m sorry if I’ve ruined your vacation.”

“You didn’t ruin anything. I was already thinking that it was time to come home. I settled a lot in my own mind about the shooting. It’s time for me to get back to work.”

“I’m glad I came along, glad I could be a part of this.” Abby put her arm over Dede’s shoulder as the two took in the sight of the newly constructed sanctuary. Ethan was going over some last-minute arrangements with Pastor Cliff, so he’d said he would miss this final group prayer. They’d talked earlier.

“So you’re going home, back to work?” he asked.

“I’m going home, and then I have to talk to the psychologist. I’m assuming he’ll let me go back to work. How long will you be tying up the loose ends of this project?”

He shrugged. “A week maybe.”

“Then you leave for Malawi.”

Nodding, he took her hand. “Yeah, and I’ll be gone for a month. But I’ll be back in LB for a few days before that.” He held her gaze and the sadness in his eyes broke Abby’s heart.

“And I’m sure that we’ll talk on the phone before that.”

He nodded. “Call me when you get home so I’ll know that you got there safe, and promise me something as you go back to work.”

“Anything.”

“Be careful.”

Now it was late Friday afternoon and almost everyone who’d taken part in the build was gathered at the new church to pray and dedicate the building. The sun dipped low by the time workers and volunteers finished, joined hands for prayer, and then packed up their belongings to leave.

“I’m glad too,” Dede said. “It was wonderful reconnecting. Are you sure you’re ready to go back into the lion’s den? It’s only been a week.”

“On one level, not really,” Abby said honestly. She bent down and picked Bandit up, wanting to hug the warm, furry body. A part of her still found the idea of hiding from the realities waiting for her in Long Beach appealing, especially if she was going back to again face the brick wall that was her parents’ murder investigation. “But I was already thinking it was time, and now, hearing about Woody’s shooting . . . Well, I want to know what’s happening.”

“I understand. Keep me up to date, and let me know if you visit Simon.”

“I will.” She hugged her aunt and together they drove home. Abby packed and prepared to leave first thing in the morning.