Die Before Nightfall by Shirlee McCoy

Author:Shirlee McCoy
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Steeple Hill
Published: 2005-09-09T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Raven didn’t go straight home. Maybe she should have, but she wanted to walk off some of her tension and force the nightmare to the back of her mind. In the cottage, surrounded by four walls and loneliness, that would be difficult. But outside, with grass rustling beneath her feet and birds flitting from tree to tree, she could focus on the glorious creation around her and keep her mind off other things.

Like Micah. Like Jonas. And like Shane…

Raven could admit it to herself. Being around Shane made her feel more alive than she had in a long time. She wasn’t sure she liked the feeling. Living meant feeling pain, disappointment and unhappiness. Those were things she’d left behind after Jonas’s death. Things she figured she could spend the rest of her life doing without. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to enjoy what God gave her, or that she didn’t cherish the hours and minutes of her days. But those hours, those minutes, were gifts she gave to other people. Gladly. Without regret. She wanted nothing in return, accepted nothing in return.

Shane wanted to give. Raven could see it in his eyes, hear it in his voice. His passion for life, for the good and bad of it, was clear in his writing. He wouldn’t be afraid to dream of happily-ever-afters, even if he’d never had one of his own.

But Raven was afraid—afraid that another bad ending would be more than she could bear.

“Too beautiful a day for frowning.”

Raven whirled toward the voice, then smiled as she caught sight of Sam Riley.

“You’re right. How are you, Mr. Riley?”

“Sam. And I’m doing fine, but you seem a bit peaked. Heard what happened.”

“Happened?”

“The car. Some kid joyriding, I hear.”

“That’s what Officer Marshal said. I haven’t heard anything different yet.”

“Yet?” Sam fell into step beside Raven, linked an arm through hers and began to walk. “Now, what else could it be? Seems to me, kids have been pulling pranks like that for years. Won’t change, no matter how much the law might want it to.”

“I’m sure that’s all it was. Officer Marshal just wanted to be sure it was an accident.”

“I may be old but I’ve still got a brain in my head. If it wasn’t an accident, then someone tried to kill you or Abby.”

Spoken aloud the suspicion sounded absurd. “Like I said. The police are just checking out every angle.”

“What angle?”

“Officer Marshal said someone might have motive for hurting Abby.”

“Not someone. If Marshal’s accusing, he’s talking about Shane.”

“The police just need to—”

“Not the police. Marshal. He and Shane have been feuding since high school. Some fight over a girl, I think. Can’t remember all the details.”

“That was a long time ago. I doubt there are still hard feelings.”

Sam stopped short and peered down into Raven’s face. Then he shook his head. “Don’t kid yourself. People around here have long memories.”

“Like with Thea Trebain?”

“Yeah. Just like that. Let’s walk some more.”

For a moment Raven considered refusing. There’d been something in Sam’s tone that set alarms off in her mind.

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