been able to pry it out of him. “I’m fucking fine,” was his answer to everything.
“It was, uh, eventful,” Shelby said.
I slid off the stool in Gibs’s shop, clueing in on her shaky voice.
“What’s wrong? What happened? Are you hurt?”
Gibson was already reaching for his truck keys. We both started for the door, not a word exchanged. But I noticed he’d shed the dark cloud as if it had never existed.
“I’m fine,” she said, but I didn’t like the nerves I heard in her voice. She was rattled.
“Where are you? Gibs and I are coming to you.”
“I feel like a big baby, and it was probably nothing. Just a stupid prank, but I wouldn’t say no to some friendly faces. I’m in town in the park near the gazebo.”
“I’ll follow you in,” Gibson said as I yanked open my car door. He locked the shop behind him, Bowie and Cassidy’s wedding trellis still on its side inside.
On my short but breakneck trip into town, I got most of the story out of her. I double-parked on the street, Gibson nipping into a space on a side street just behind me.
I stayed on the phone with her until I spotted her in the crowd. She was standing under a lamp on the park path as if she didn’t want to leave the protection of the light.
I grabbed her and pulled her in for a hard hug to reassure her as much as myself. “Are you okay?”
“Honestly, I’m probably overreacting. It just felt so… familiar,” Shelby said. I could feel her heart pounding against me.
Gibson plowed his way through the crowd, Jameson and George on his heels.
“What happened?” George demanded. “Are you okay?”
When she didn’t put up a fuss about Gibs pulling her brother into it, I realized just how scared she’d been.
Shelby ran through it again. I kept her tucked under my arm and scanned the crowd, looking for anyone who seemed out of place.
“I think they pulled out behind me from Chestnut Road,” she said. “There was a car sitting there when I rode by. It almost felt like they were waiting for me.”
“You would know,” George said, reaching out to squeeze her hand.
“What are we missing?” Jameson asked, a frown furrowing his forehead.
“George, why don’t you fill them in? I’m going to take Shelby and get some water,” I told him.
He nodded.
Shelby stayed cuddled up against me, and to the outsider, we looked like a young couple in love just enjoying the starry summer night.
I grabbed bottles of water for both of us and then on second thought bought two moonshines from the stand.
“Here,” I said, holding both beverages out in offering.
She gave me the ghost of a smile and went straight for the moonshine. “Thanks,” she coughed as it burned down her throat.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I pressed.
“Physically yes. But mentally… Abbie is dead, Jonah. And someone scared that Mrs. Benefiel half to death. What if they found out that I was asking questions?”
I’d been considering the same possibility, and I didn’t like it.
“Shelby honey, I think we should go to the police.” I expected a denial, an argument. And when I didn’t immediately get one, I pulled her in for another hug. Resting my chin on the top of her head, I wrapped my arms around her.
No one was going to get to her. Not without going through me.
“I’m willing to talk to the police,” she said. “Especially if it makes them take the rest of it more seriously.”
She took another drink of the moonshine. “Jonah, what if I did this? What if I stirred this up and someone thinks they need to take care of Mrs. Benefiel now? She has kids. Grandkids.”
“Let’s call the sheriff,” I said firmly.
We returned to the Bodines and George. Bowie had arrived with Cassidy in tow. She was in civilian clothes, her new engagement ring winking on her left hand. But her pretty face was all business.
“Let’s go somewhere we can talk,” she said, putting her arm around Shelby and leading her away.
“I don’t like this,” George said as the rest of us started after them.
Scarlett leading Devlin appeared out of the crowd. “What in the hell happened? Is Shelby okay?”
News in Bootleg traveled almost as fast as it did within the Bodine ranks.
“Cassidy has her,” I explained. “Why don’t you two go sit with her?” I wanted Shelby surrounded by people. I wanted to make it impossible for a stranger to get within twenty feet of her.