Damn, it was dark. Lou could barely see six feet in front of him. He’d found a pull-off a little closer to Avery’s cabin. His feet crunched across pine needles, the slick soles of his dress shoes sliding as he attempted to climb a small grade. He stood in the cover of trees and scoped out the area around the house. No lights, no movement. The truck still sat where it had earlier. He slapped at a mosquito that hummed around his ear. “I hate nature.”
Using his cell phone for light, he made his way through the trees and to the edge of the clearing. Still no sound or movement. Confident he wouldn’t be seen or heard, he closed the phone and made his way across the lawn toward the house. He ascended the steps onto the deck at the side of the cabin and peered through the window, then moved to the door and tried the knob. Locked. Hell, why couldn’t one thing be easy?
In the back of the cabin, he found a window that slid open. But getting his six foot two frame through it would be difficult. Now is when he needed Sara to slip inside and open the door. He was about to try the front windows when something cold and metallic pressed into his neck. He froze.
“Don’t make a move, Crowley. Both hands up against the wall.”
“What the hell?”
“Do it.”
Lou stretched his arms, palms flat against the cabin. A second man frisked him, removing the gun from its shoulder holster.
“Louis Crowley, you are under arrest. I’m U.S. Marshal Caleb Wilson.” He was read his rights and escorted back around the cabin as two vehicles pulled into the drive, lights glaring.
Sara sat in the back of one of the vehicles, her face stained with tears and running mascara. Tom and Deb sat in the front seat, now with U.S. Marshal IDs clipped to their collars.
“I swear I didn’t tell them, Lou. I didn’t say a word.” Sara cried and choked.
“Shut up. Just shut the hell up.”
The marshal shoved him into the vehicle roughly, letting his head slam on the doorframe. “Oh, I’m sorry. Be careful there.”
Caleb Wilson leaned in and spoke with Tom, “Get them to the airport. I’ll follow with our witness.”
~ * ~
Jake heard commotion in his driveway and saw the glare of headlights. He’d never gone to pick up the gun after applying for a permit, so he reached for his ever-faithful Louisville Slugger.
He met Caleb Wilson at his back door. “Caleb? What’s going on?”
Caleb pointed to the vehicles. “We got Crowley and his girlfriend. He was trying to get into your place, presumably to kill you.”
Jake whooshed out a deep breath. “So it’s over.”
“Not quite. You’ll need to testify. Pack some things.”
“Now?”
“Right now. We’re heading to the airport. We have a plane waiting to transport us to New York.”
“I can’t just leave right now. Can’t I fly out there in a day or two? Surely they’re not ready for a trial tomorrow.”
“No, but I can’t let you out of my sight until the trial is over. We have a place set up for you in New York. As far as we’re concerned, you’re still Jake Garber until it’s time for court.”
“I need to make a phone call.”
“The girlfriend?”
“I have to at least let her know I’m leaving town. I won’t tell her anything more. You can stand right here and listen.”
“Jake….”
But Jake had already dialed. “Shannon, it’s Jake. I can’t explain, but I’m leaving town for a while. I don’t know how long. But I will be back. I promise. If you need anything, talk to Angie at Rusty’s. She’s a good friend and she’ll be a friend to you, too.” He paused. “I can’t say any more right now. I’ve got to go. I… I love you.”
He stared at the phone, then looked at Caleb. “I’ll be ready in ten minutes.” He shoved clothing into a suitcase, then reached into the back of the closet for a dark garment bag. He laid the bag on the bed and unzipped it. Inside lay a pair of black pants, black clerical shirt, and jacket. He reached into the pocket of the jacket and removed the white tab that slid into the clerical collar. He wasn’t even sure this suit fit him any longer, in more ways than one. But he would be expected to appear in court as Father Steven Avery. He zipped the bag and retrieved his black shoes, tucking them into the suitcase.
He carried the bags downstairs and met Caleb again in the kitchen. “Ready.”
On the way to the airport, Caleb said, “We got word yesterday that Alvin Martin was murdered in prison.”
Jake closed his eyes. Alvin deserved prison for his part in the child trafficking ring, but he didn’t deserve to die. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Crowley was tying up all the loose ends. You were the last one.”
“Thanks for watching my back,” Jake said.
The five hour flight in the private jet seemed much longer. All he could think of was the tremor in Shannon’s voice when she asked if he was coming back. He couldn’t say when, but he knew beyond any doubt he would be back. His first order of business in New York was to meet with the Bishop and set in motion his dispensation from the solemn promises he had made as a priest. The last few days had given him the clarity he needed. The God he wasn’t sure was listening had answered his prayer.
~ * ~
The Bishop sat behind his desk, looking much older than he had two years earlier. The investigation had taken its toll on him as well. “I can’t say I’m surprised by your request, Steven, but I would like to know why now?”
The name still seemed foreign to Jake. He’d become a different person in the past two years. “I’ve had time to examine my reasons for becoming a priest. I find that what I thought to be a calling may have been in error.”
The Bishop lifted his eyebrows. “You’re telling me God made a mistake?”
“No. I’m saying I made the mistake. Though I’m not exactly sure it was a mistake. It was right at the time, but now….”
“What about now?” The Bishop leaned forward. “What has changed?”
Jake’s mouth went dry. “I’m not the person I was two years ago.”
“You do remember that a man who promises himself to the priesthood is considered, in the eyes of the Church, to be a priest forever.”
Perspiration dampened his collar. This wasn’t as simple as he had hoped. The Bishop wasn’t making it difficult, but being honest. “Yes, I know. I’m telling you that I cannot fulfill those promises and I’m asking to be released of my commitment to do so.”
The Bishop sat back in his chair and stared hard at him. “Are you having doubts about returning to active priestly duty because you’re not sure how your brother priests will treat you after the trial is over?”
“It has nothing to do with that. There’s… I’ve met someone. A woman.”
“Ah. I see. And this woman knows you’re a priest?”
Jake shook his head. “I haven’t told her. I couldn’t tell her anything because of being in the program.” Jake stood and paced. “I’m trying to do the right thing here, but I realize no matter what I choose, I let someone down.” He turned and faced the Bishop. “I won’t let her down. I ask that you get my papers ready to sign and release me from my commitment to the Diocese.”
Jake walked out of the Bishop’s office and nodded to the Marshal who was assigned to stay with him until after the trial. As they strode toward the waiting car, he reached up and tugged the white tab from his collar, shoving it into his jacket pocket. He’d only spent twenty-four hours locked in his cabin, wrestling with himself and with God before Caleb showed up to capture Lou Crowley. But in that time, he knew what he was to do, and he knew God was fine with it. He didn’t much care if the Bishop approved or not.