Page 35 of Refuge for Cherilyn

“Yeah, well, nothing I can do about it.”

“You mark my words, Shaw, someday she’ll come dragging in with some kind of disaster and expect you to fix it for her. It’s coming. I can feel it in my bones. I hope you stand your ground.”

“And what would you do?” he asked, his eyes narrowed to slits as he glared at her.

She dipped her head and sighed. “I’d do whatever needed to be done if she was my kid. I know that. Why are you calling me out?” Then she started to laugh.

“Yeah. You talk a good game, but you’re a softy. I do want you to meet Cherilyn and the girls. I think you’ll like them.”

“If you do, I’m sure I will too. You’re an excellent judge of character, Shaw. You said your oldest brother was going to grow up to be a pain in the butt, and you were right.” Leslie was laughing, and Shaw loved it. There was nothing his mother’s laughter couldn’t fix.

Well, almost nothing.

* * *

Cherilyn watchedthe big truck roll down the driveway and disappear onto the street, and she shuddered. They were alone, and that was scary. It took everything she had to tamp down the surge of panic that roared through her whole being. It was the first time in over twenty-four hours that they’d been alone, and she really didn’t know what to do with herself.

So she did what she always did. First, she washed everything in the kitchen. Then she started a load of laundry, followed by cleaning both bathrooms. After that, she organized the things in the dresser drawers in the room where she slept, then had a talk with the girls about picking up after themselves. That was followed with straightening up everything in the living room, and before long, it looked like Shaw had hired himself a maid.

There was nothing left. She’d done every chore she could think of short of taking out the garbage, and she didn’t dare leave the house to do that. Instead, she left it in the laundry room and shut the door so Shaw would find it when he got home and take it out.

When he got home. Never had she wished a man would come home like she wished for that with Shaw in that moment. Being alone in the woods was scary, but being in civilization was even scarier. That guy could be around any corner, in any convenience store, shopping at any mall. Even worse, he and Frankie hadn’t been best friends for that long. She doubted even her ex-husband knew much about the man, and yet he’d invited the asshole into their home. Why would she be surprised by that? Frankie wasn’t just an asshole; he was a dumb asshole. Those were the worst.

She checked on the girls. Maya was reading quietly, and Lara was stretched out on the bed, sleeping. They were so tired from being out there in the cold and rain, and she remembered being told that no one ever actually catches up on sleep. Maybe with decent food and a warm place to rest, they’d eventually feel better.

That was the moment it hit her too, and she could feel herself sag. She was bone-weary, not just from the hiding and worrying, but from the elements and her body’s work to keep her alive in those adverse conditions. Maybe a nap wasn’t a bad idea.

It took her two whole minutes to get comfortable and before she knew it, she was sound asleep.

* * *

“Aaron,could you come in here, please?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He dropped his notepad on the desktop and made his way down the hallway, then stopped in the doorway. “What’s up?”

Carly pointed to the chair and then the door, so Aaron closed it and sat down. “Got a phone call.”

“Yeah?”

“Have you done any checking on this Frymire guy?”

“No, but I’d like to.”

“Please do. I’m making that an assignment for you. We got a phone call earlier from a sheriff’s department in Arkansas. It seems they’ve had a murder too.” She tossed a stack of papers across the desk to Aaron and he picked them up. One quick look told him he wasn’t going to like it. “And it’s suspiciously like ours. One of their deputies did a random internet search and our story popped up.”

Aaron flipped through the pages and stopped at the coroner’s report. “Drowned in her bathtub.”

“Yeah. Too much of a coincidence to discount. I think we need to see if there are more of these. We also need to know what this guy does for a living, or if he’s a pointless drifter, or anything else we can come up with.”

“I think I’ll start with the ex-husband. He might be a good source of information, if we can just get him to talk.”

Carly grinned. “I’m surprised you haven’t already!”

Aaron chuckled. “I think he can be persuaded to cough up some information. Let me see what I can do and I’ll let you know what I come up with. And thanks for giving me this.”

“You’re welcome. I know you and Shaw want to see these ladies in a much better situation, and that means you’ll do what’s necessary.”

“Yes, ma’am. And I know just where to start.” A firm plan was forming in Aaron’s mind, and he knew which phone call would be his first.

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