Chapter 5

Jo skimmed the headlines and leaned back in the chair, staring blankly at the form letter. She grabbed her cell phone, scrolled through the contact list and dialed Raylene's probation officer, Ed Shevock's number. When he didn't answer, Jo left a brief message.

While she waited, she read the letter again, this time word for word.

Knock. Knock. The door opened. Delta appeared, holding Jo's purse. "You left your purse on the table."

"Thanks." Jo absentmindedly reached for it.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"You don't look okay." Delta plopped down in the chair. "Something has you all engrossed."

"It's this." Jo turned her computer monitor so Delta could read the letter.

She arched a brow. "The state is ending Raylene's probation?"

"It looks that way. I left a message for Ed Shevock, her probation officer. Can you believe it?"

"Does Raylene know?"

"Not yet. I want to have all the information before I tell her."

"Is she ready?" Delta asked. "Do you think Raylene is ready to leave?"

Jo thought about it. But not for long. "Yes. In fact, we were talking about it earlier today. Does she want to leave? I'm not sure how to answer."

"It's a scary world out there," Delta said. "If I remember correctly, she told me she has some money squirreled away in a Florida bank."

"She does." Jo folded her hands. "Raylene wants to get back into the bounty hunting business."

"Because it's in her blood. Where's she gonna go? That's the question."

"To Mexico."

Delta coughed loudly. "You're kidding."

Jo laughed. "I had the same reaction when Raylene mentioned Mexico. She was joking. Her plan is to stay in Divine."

"Well, I have to say Smith County has had more than their share of crimes."

"Enough to keep her busy." Jo's phone rang. "Ed's calling now."

She tapped the answer button. "Hey, Ed."

"Hello, Jo."

The two exchanged pleasantries before Jo got right to the point. "I received a letter from the Kansas Department of Corrections. Raylene is up for an early release."

"She is. I put her on the recommendation list a few weeks ago. Raylene is ready."

"I agree," Jo said. "If I remember correctly, my next step is to write a letter either agreeing or disagreeing with the recommendation and submit it to the state. They do whatever they need on their end and then send her the release."

"You got it. Congratulations, Jo. It looks like you have one more successfully rehabilitated citizen under your belt." Ed's voice grew muffled. "I have another call coming in I need to take. We'll touch base in a few days."

Jo thanked him and set her phone on the desk. "And just like that, it looks like we'll have another open spot."

"If I were you, I would wait until after the wedding."

"You know it." Jo stared out the window, long after Delta left. She thought back to the moment she met Raylene. Suicidal and, with no hope for her future, she jumped off a bridge. Instead of dying, she'd been divinely rescued. Not long after, she moved to the farm to heal and start over.

Raylene had been released from prison with nowhere to go. Nowhere to go and the rest of her life to get there. The moment Jo met her, she knew she needed to help the woman.

God. Her gut. A Divine Intervention all the way around. And Jo had not regretted her decision. Not once. She could feel herself becoming emotional at the thought of what could've been.

Knock it off! Raylene deserves this, needs this.

Like Sherry, Kelli, and Leah—Jo would continue to be her staunchest supporter, would help in whatever way she could.

Jo read the early release letter again and began preparing her response. She drafted the reply and then re-wrote it half a dozen times. The first version was too sappy. The second was too businesslike. Her third and fourth were getting close, and when she got to the fifth version, Jo knew she'd written exactly what she wanted to say.

She read it one final time, digitally signed her name and sent it off to the email address listed on the form letter. Jo promptly printed a copy and stuck it in Raylene's file.

And not a moment too soon. She watched Carrie's red Dodge minivan whip into the circular drive. Her friend hopped out and tiptoed across the gravel driveway.

Jo cleared her desk, shut the computer off, and caught up with her at the front door. "Hey, Carrie."

"Am I too early?"

"No. You're right on time." Jo motioned to the bouquet of fall flowers she was holding. "What's this?"

"I figured I would bring Delta some flowers. They're from my wildflower patch out by the barn." Carrie lowered her voice. "Seeing how this was a last-minute invite and I know she sometimes doesn't care for unexpected dinner guests, I figured these might butter her up."

"Delta is fine." Jo waved dismissively as she reached for the bouquet and held the door. "We have plenty of food. Can I get you a soda, maybe a glass of lemonade?"

"Water will be fine." Carrie patted her hips. "I'm trying to lose a few pounds, seeing how I'm back in the dating scene again. Men like curvy women, but not too curvy."

"Have you landed a date with Barney yet?"

"No. I'm getting the vibe he's the type who doesn't like mixing business and pleasure."

"I can see where it could cause potential problems." Jo led her into the kitchen.

Delta, who had been standing with her back to the door, pivoted. "Hello, Carrie."

"Carrie brought these for you." Jo handed her the flowers.

"How sweet. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I picked them myself."

Delta began rummaging around in the cabinet, searching for a vase. "Jo said the rehabilitation place is coming together."

"It's a lot of work and a big distraction." Carrie rolled her eyes. "I'm getting behind on my taxidermy jobs because of it."

"I bet. All the hammering and pounding, not to mention living in a construction zone, has to be hard," Delta said.

"Hopefully, it will be over soon. I'm ready for life to get back to normal, whatever normal is."

Jo grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and handed it to her.

"Thanks." Carrie unscrewed the cap and took a dainty sip.

"Before I forget, you mentioned bringing the tracking device you found with you."

"Right." Carrie fumbled around in her purse. She removed a small black box and dropped it in Jo's hand. "This is what I found in my driveway."

Jo flipped it over and studied the label. Trekki Tracker. "Are you sure this isn't yours?"

"Positive, unless someone stuck it on my vehicle without my knowledge. I figured because of all the ruts in my driveway and where you were parked, it might have fallen off your SUV."

"Raylene has some experience with this kind of stuff and wanted to check it out." Jo told Carrie to hang tight while she tracked her resident down.

She found Raylene in the mercantile, sorting through a rack of women's blouses.

"Hey, Jo."

"You got a few minutes?"

"Sure. We're getting ready to close for the day." Raylene made a circle with her thumb and index finger, to turn the "Open" sign to "Closed."

"Do you mind if I take off?" Raylene asked.

"Sure. Go ahead."

Jo stepped outside and handed her the tracking device. "Carrie is here. She brought this with her."

Raylene grew quiet, studying it. "This is interesting."

"Interesting?"

"This isn't your run-of-the-mill tracking device."