Chapter 20

Seth reached the driveway just seconds after the Crittenden County Sheriff's Department vehicle parked beside the house. He slowed his pace. He didn't know Deputy Junior Ernst well, but he'd heard that he was something of a hothead—that he supposedly had a good heart but made mistakes. That he was so eager to make a name for himself, he sometimes cut corners and then hid behind the badge when questioned.

He watched the deputy get out, say something into the radio attached to a shoulder strap on his uniform, and then shut the door and shine a flashlight into the nearby woods. The November sun set early, but it wasn't completely dark yet.

The flashlight's beam was bright, illuminating several yards of the surrounding yard and woods at a time. Each time the deputy cascaded the light in an arc, the forest floor's grasses and shrubs snapped and swayed. Critters were taking cover. The man ignored the ground noise, remaining alert and intent. Obviously taking Tabitha's call seriously.

Right as Seth thought that maybe there was more to Deputy Ernst than most folks realized, the man turned on his heel and shined the light right on him.

"Hold it right there!"

Seth stopped and raised his hands. The light was so bright he couldn't see a thing. "It's Seth Zimmerman, Deputy."

"I know who you are. What are you doing here?"

"Tabitha called me." He shifted, averting his eyes from the blinding beam.

"Don't move."

"I'll stay still if you'll stop shining that thing directly in my eyes. I can't see a thing."

"Fine." The beam lowered six inches.

"Thanks. Now, can I come forward?"

"Not until you empty your pockets."

He gritted his teeth but did as he was told. Prison had taught him that being in the right didn't always mean much. He reached into his coat's pockets and pulled out his cell phone with one hand and a candy bar with the other. "That's all I got."

"What about your pants pockets?"

Just as he reached for his keys, the front door opened. The deputy turned and pointed that blasted flashlight yet again, this time right in Tabitha's eyes.

"Oh!" she cried.

If Seth had been able, he would've wrestled the flashlight out of the deputy's hands. It was causing more harm than good.

"Sorry, Ms. Yoder." Deputy Ernst directed the beam toward the ground. Tabitha's dog, who'd been peeking out the door next to her legs, scurried away.

She stiffened. "Seth, is that you?"

"It is." He still held his hands, one holding his phone and the other the candy bar, out from his sides.

"What are you doing?"

"Deputy Ernst told me to empty my pockets."

She stepped out onto the porch, looking at the deputy. "Why did you have him do that? Seth is my friend. It's my ex-husband I'm worried about."

The deputy clicked off the flashlight. "Zimmerman said you called him, but I wanted to make sure. I was just doing my job, ma'am."

Concerned about her catching a chill, Seth stuffed his phone and candy bar back in his coat pockets. "Tab, you need a coat on. It's cold out."

"I'm okay." She wrapped her arms around herself.

Seth knew then that Tabitha wasn't just chilled, she was trying to hold herself together. She was used to doing that because she hadn't had anyone else to lean on. No one to wrap their arms around her and ease her fears.

But that wasn't the case any longer.

Unable to stay away another second, Seth started forward. Deputy Ernst watched him closely but didn't say anything as he moved toward the porch. The moment Seth reached her side, he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight.

She froze for an instant, then gripped his biceps and rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm so glad you came," she whispered.

Her slight frame against him felt good. So did the faint scent of vanilla and lemons that surrounded her. "I am too. I'm glad you called."

He ran a hand along her spine, hoping it would remind her that she wasn't alone. "You're doing good, Tab," he whispered.

"Not really."

"You're on two feet, jah?" When she nodded against his shoulder, he ran his hand along her silky-soft ponytail. Her hair was such a pretty brown color. The first time he'd seen it down around her shoulders, he'd thought there was nothing prettier. Now he was fairly sure that everything about her was pretty. "I'm proud of you," he murmured. When she relaxed against him, he almost smiled.

"Ms. Yoder, are you all right?" Deputy Ernst called out.

Seth was tempted to point out that she obviously was not but held his silence.

Whether it was his support or the deputy's question, Tabitha seemed to pull up some strength from somewhere deep inside. Stepping away from Seth's embrace, she said, "I'm all right. Um. Just shaken up." Despite the tears in her eyes, she looked more at ease.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Would you, ah, like to see the yarn and the note I told you about on the phone?"

"That would be a real good idea," Deputy Ernst replied.

"All right. It's in my living room." As if she'd suddenly realized it was cold, she moved toward the door. "Please come in."

Seth opened the door and held it for her and Junior.

"Would you like something to drink, Deputy Ernst?" she asked after Seth closed the door.

"Thank you, but I'm all right." After a pause, he added, "Where are the yarn and note?"

She walked to the coffee table and pointed. "There."

"Have you touched both items?"

"Yes." Concern lined her forehead. "I didn't know who it was from. I, ah, thought it was from my sister."

"She often bring you yarn?"

"No. But she does bring me little gifts from time to time."

"Yes, ma'am." The deputy fished two latex gloves out of a pocket and slipped them on, then picked up the note and read it aloud. "‘You are mine. You will always be mine. But you have been very bad, Tabitha. Spending time with a convict has ruined you.'"

Tabitha pressed her fist against her mouth as tears filled her eyes again. "Sorry. It sounds worse out loud."

"You've got nothing to apologize about, Tab." A thousand words raced through Seth's mind, none of them suitable to share. Not caring what the deputy would think, Seth reached for Tabitha again.

She leaned close but then straightened and faced Deputy Ernst. "Do you understand why I called you?"

He looked at her with eyes full of sympathy. "I do. Sit down, Ms. Yoder." When she did, he added, "What's the significance of this yarn?"

"It's expensive yarn," she said. "It's alpaca. I ... I like to knit, and Leon knew I always wanted something so fine." She bent her head. "I know it's wrong to be so prideful."

The deputy, who'd been writing down notes on a pad of paper, peered at her curiously. "Why do you think Leon brought this item to you now?"

"I don't know." She sighed. "Maybe to remind me that he hasn't forgotten me?"

"May I?" He gestured to a chair.

"Of course."

Seth sat down next to Tabitha. Not wanting to give the deputy anything more to question than he already had, he kept a respectable distance between them.

The deputy wrote out more notes on his notepad, then looked at them both. "No disrespect, but I think I need to know more about the two of you's relationship."

"We're friends," Seth said.

"How close of friends?"

Seth looked him in the eye. "Close friends."

"I see." He grimaced slightly. "Ms. Yoder, have you had Seth spend the night here?"

Her eyes widened. "Of course not."

Just as Seth was about to tell the deputy to concentrate on the man who had a restraining order and not him, the deputy held up a hand. "Seth, I know you're angry and want to protect her, but if you were in my shoes, you'd ask the same things. Knowing the whole situation helps us best help her. Keeping secrets only makes my job harder."

The man was right. After glancing at Tabitha, Seth said, "Deputy, until a month ago, Tabitha never even came out of her house when I visited."

"And why did you visit?"

"I chopped wood. Brought her food. Shoveled snow. You know. I did things a man would do for a woman."

He gave a few slow nods. "Why?"

"Because she needed the help."

The deputy looked at her. "You don't have anyone else, Tabitha?"

"Nee."

"I thought you had family in the area."

"My sister and her family are here. But because of my divorce, I had to leave my faith. My brother-in-law doesn't want to go against the church's beliefs, so he avoids me."

Deputy Ernst drew in a breath. "Even after what happened to you?"

She pursed her lips and nodded.

"Ms. Yoder, Sheriff Johnson told me everything the two of you talked about when you visited the other day. Is there anything else you'd like to add?"

"About what?"

"Anything about your ex-husband? Anything you might not have told anyone before but might be helpful now?" He tapped his notepad with the tip of the pencil. "He's already violated the restraining order, so we can pick him up for that. But if there's anything else you can think of that might help keep him locked up, it would be great."

Tabitha stiffened. When she cast a furtive glance at Seth, he wondered if she was finding it difficult to speak in front of him. That would hurt, but his feelings didn't matter. "Tab, if you'd like me to step outside so you can talk to the deputy in—"

"Nee." Her voice came out deep and rough, like the response had been a knee-jerk reaction. She cleared her throat. "I mean, no, there is nothing else I have to share."

Though he didn't exchange a glance with the deputy, Seth suspected the man was thinking the same thing he was. That Tabitha Yoder was still keeping something about her and her ex-husband hidden away. Something dark and painful and secret.

And that's why Leon was able to be so brazen. He had something on her, and he was content to tease and jab her with the memories. Because he knew she'd rather die than admit it to another living soul. He was counting on it.