Page 56 of Fatal Strike
“Are you up or did I wake you?” The sweet sound of a good friend.
“Jon and I are heading to Galveston.” Leah let her mind dwell on Jon for a moment. She liked him, the way he talked and carried himself. He had this little mannerism of lifting his chin when he differed in opinion with someone. Her heart tripped at the realization she’d be seeing him again in a short while.
Terri interrupted her musing. “... since the kids are still asleep. How’s the case going?”
Her friend didn’t expect details. “Slow. How are you and your family?” Leah managed not to choke on that last word.
“We’re doing much better than I ever imagined. The kids are calling meMom.”
A hint of longing settled in Leah’s heart, dousing the feelings of guilt and shame. “I’m happy for you.”
“The last time we talked, you told me I was making a terrible mistake.” Terri’s tone held a note of wistfulness.
“I’m sorry.” Leah hesitated. Could she unload her mostcontemptible secret? She’d wanted to talk to Terri since her best friend had gotten married. This would be easier in person, but ... “Do you have a few minutes?”
When Terri confirmed she did, Leah seized the invitation to share. “I was an only child until my parents adopted six children. My brothers and sisters have mental and physical challenges. The expectations for me to help care for my new siblings—and the fact that our parents’ time was now so divided—caused me to resent them all. I felt unloved, so when I graduated from high school, I left home and never returned. The moment you told me about adopting children from Ethiopia, all I could think was what a demanding role you were accepting and how it might lead to the eventual breakup of your marriage.” She managed to swallow the lump in her throat. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth a long time ago.”
“And I’m sorry for what you experienced.”
“You’re happy, right?” Leah wanted the marriage and children to work. She wanted her friend to feel loved and fulfilled.
“Extremely. We’re settling in to family life, attending church.”
Church? First Jon and now Terri. “If I’m allowed to indulge in any more selfishness, I want our friendship restored.”
“Of course. We’re good. Can we start fresh?”
“I’d love to. I need to come clean with a lot of garbage.”
“We’ll work through it together. What’s first?”
“Can you send me pics of your children? I’d like to meet them and your husband.”
“Perfect. How about Sunday for breakfast, about 9:00? We attend church on Saturday night.”
“I’ll be there as long as the case doesn’t snatch my time.”
“I understand,” Terri said. “Then we must plan a shopping trip. I discovered a new boutique on my side of town ...”
38
WHEN LEAH OPENED THE TRUCK DOOR,Jon saw her red-rimmed eyes. She handed him a supersize coffee.
“Need to talk?” he said.
She averted her attention to the cup holder. “I’m good.”
Must be a happy-tears thing. “I woke up with a feeling today will be huge.” He’d thought about the drug connection for a long time last night. “Landon Shaw got caught trying to sell stolen prescription drugs. Someone hacked into Molston Pharmaceuticals in Beyero and got away with drugs worth over sixty-five million dollars on the street.”
“Open case?”
He nodded. “The drugs are coded and can be traced. Irequested intel on Landon Shaw and learned he and Dylan did time together.”
“Imagine that. Plenty of hours to form a plan. Neither of them seem smart enough to pull this off, but Landon could have introduced Dylan to the boss.” She shrugged. “It’s a theory, but how do the rattlesnakes fit?”
“A diversion while the gang slithers in and out of high-dollar ventures.”
“We’ll find out.” She reached for her coffee. “For whatever it’s worth, I like working with you.”
