The Grand Scheme by Kathy Herman

Author:Kathy Herman [Herman, Kathy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-56147-3
Publisher: The Crown Publishing Group
Published: 2012-10-11T04:00:00+00:00

23

RUE LEANED AGAINST the warm brick wall outside the hospital, his hands in his pockets, and caught a glimpse of the same majestic peaks that had formed the backdrop for the deli dog picnic he and Ivy had enjoyed with Montana at the new house. It had been such a great afternoon. Now he wondered if he would ever again be able to see these mountains without hearing that shot ring out and seeing his son collapse on the dirt road.

He shuddered. What kind of sick monster would shoot a child? If SAGE had done this to intimidate Elam, it worked. The man was devastated. He was talking about shutting down the retirement village project and getting out of construction altogether. Flint had suggested he not jump to the conclusion that the shooting was intentional or even connected to the other crimes—that they should reserve judgment until the authorities had finished their investigation.

Rues mind was too foggy to process the implications. He was just so grateful his son was alive. Had the bullet veered to the right and struck his chest, they would be planning a funeral instead of waiting for him to come out of surgery.

He pictured Montana out rollicking with Windy and throwing the Frisbee. Would he regain full function of his right arm? Be able to swing a hockey stick? Throw a baseball? Shoot baskets? Even write legibly? He was confident that Montana could learn to function with just one arm as thousands of others had done—and probably without ever losing his infectious smile and agreeable disposition.

But how would any of them deal with the fear, especially with so many unanswered questions? Had the shooter intended to kill Montana? Were he and Ivy targets, too? Was there anywhere they could go and feel safe?

Maybe Elam was smart to get out of the construction business. He certainly had the means to do whatever he wanted—including living off his investments.

Rue decided not to worry about what closing down EG Construction would mean for him and Grayson and the work crew. Or whether he and Ivy might have to postpone their plans for the new house. The only thing that mattered at the moment was taking care of their son.

Rue glanced up and saw Brandon standing there.

“How’re you doing?” Brandon asked.

“I’m pretty numb. I probably should go back inside and be with Ivy.”

“She’s okay at the moment. Pastor Myers just arrived.” Brandon hesitated for a moment and then said, “Rusty called. I’m not sure what was said, but I think Elam hung up on him.”

“Too bad he’s not out of cell range—permanently. Is he on his way over here?”

“I don’t know. Your mom and Ivy were talking to Kelsey and didn’t see Elam answer the phone, and he never mentioned it to them. He’s got that look he gets when he’s about to blow. I just wanted to give you a heads-up.”

Rue sighed. “This is probably one of those times when I should ask myself, ‘what would Jesus do?’ But it would feel so good to grab Rusty by the collar and shove him up against the wall.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.