It hadn’t.
“When I told my family I wanted to go into law enforcement, do you know what my mom said? She said that was fine, as long as I stayed away from the FBI.”
Oh no.
“She wasn’t kidding. Most families hope their kids grow into law-abiding citizens. In my family, a few nonviolent criminal enterprises would be preferable to joining the FBI.”
“I’m sure that’s not—”
Luke looked at her now. His eyes held a despair that left her shaken.
“It’s not an exaggeration. I’ve learned to tolerate the FBI. But my family hates the FBI. And they always will.”
The words fell like a death sentence on her heart.
Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, but she blinked them back. It was dark now, and they rode the rest of the way in a heavy silence interrupted only by the GPS giving her directions.
She put the car in park and dropped her head to the steering wheel.Lord? I thought you were helping? This doesn’t feel like help. What am I supposed to do now?
Luke cleared his throat. “Thad always told me my anger was going to mess my life up one day. That it hindered my relationshipwith the Lord. That it hindered my relationships with ... with others. I thought I’d given it over to God. I thought I’d forgiven the people I blamed for decades. I thought I’d put it behind me. But here we are.”
There was pain in his words. And they rang with defeat.
“I am sorry, Faith. You have no idea how sorry.” He opened the door and stepped into the darkness.
25
LUKE WAITED OUTSIDEthe car, breathing in the rain-cleansed air. He’d have to get an Uber home. Fine. He deserved whatever it cost him and then some.
But for now, they had to talk to Janice Estes and find out what was going on. Janice Estes had nothing to do with the Stevsky case. She’d known Thad in a professional capacity, but Luke didn’t remember Thad ever mentioning her. And if she’d known Mi Cha, then wouldn’t she have said something?
Unless shewassomehow involved. But how could she be? He had to admit it was unlikely.
Faith’s door opened, and the Faith that climbed from the car was a professional. Determined. Focused. And not in any way, shape, or form friendly.
He deserved that. Had expected it.
He hadn’t expected the pain that sliced through him when she gave him a cold nod and walked into the sheriff’s office, leaving him to hobble after her.
When they entered the building, they were greeted by a familiar face. “Luke, man, it’s good to see you.” Investigator Ryan Parker grabbed him in a quick bro hug, then turned to Faith. “You mustbe Special Agent Malone.” He extended a hand and Faith shook it. Quick and efficient. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Ryan Parker. I came in when Gabe called. I’ll get you signed in and take you to our conference room. Gabe has been talking to Agent Estes, so I’ll let him fill you in.”
They walked to the front desk and showed their badges and weapons before being cleared to enter.
“Any news on the shooter?” Faith asked as they waited on the elevator.
Ryan shook his head in frustration. “Nah. Your agent lives on the edge of nothing out there. And with the way it was raining earlier? We won’t find anything. All we can do is hope he doesn’t know this area and gets himself lost. We’ve put out a BOLO.”
“Why? That tips our hand.” Faith was not happy.
“We have to protect our residents.” Ryan was understanding but defended the move without apology. “We have an armed shooter roaming around on foot in a part of the county where folks are known to leave their doors unlocked and don’t expect a stranger to be a danger. They have to be warned. Our officers have gone door to door to most of the residents on that side of the county to make sure they know to call if they see anything suspicious.”
“How many people are we talking about?”
“About a hundred. That part of the county is sparsely populated. Mostly chicken farmers and older couples who’ve lived here forever. It’s not unusual for some of them to own fifty to a hundred acres. Most of it pasture or woods. Carrington’s a big county, and once you get past the city and the lake, it’s a lot of open land.”
Faith blew out a breath. “He could be anywhere.”
“I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but yes.”
