Silent Protector. Barbara Phinney

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СКАЧАТЬ it fit Charlie’s description exactly.”

      Good deduction. Very good deduction, Ian thought. He hadn’t considered that little Stephen Callahan, Charlie’s new friend, might chatter on about where he lived. Stephen had told Ian that Charlie didn’t talk to him.

      Beside him, Liz groaned and lay down again. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “I guess I got more of a scare than I thought. That guy was determined to run me off the road.”

      “What guy?”

      “I told you. The one who came up behind me all of a sudden. It was all I could do just to keep my car on the road. He kept sideswiping me, right on the causeway.”

      Of course. She’d already mentioned that. “What kind of vehicle was it? Did you see the driver?”

      She sighed and then sat up. “No. It was blue. A big car. I don’t know what kind. An SUV, maybe? It had tinted windows, so I couldn’t see inside.”

      Ian went cold. Liz Tate had been run off the road. And the timing of that was just too coincidental to ignore.

      It could only mean one thing.

      Charlie’s safety had been compromised.

      THREE

      “Now it’s your turn to talk,” Liz said, coming back up to a sitting position. “When I saw Charlie two Sundays ago, he had long, dark hair. Did you cut his hair? And he never needed glasses before.”

      “I did. It was a rat’s nest and far too hot for this weather. I also dyed it. The police offered the glasses. They don’t have prescription lenses in them.”

      Liz absorbed what he said. “I don’t understand. Sure, his hair was always a mess. I did my best, but I didn’t want to get on Jerry’s bad side and have him tell me I couldn’t see Charlie again, so I ignored it most of the time. But glasses that aren’t needed? And a dye job? Why?”

      “It was necessary.”

      Understanding dawned on her. “You didn’t want anyone to recognize him.”

      “I was told there was no one who would try to gain custody of him. His mother died years ago, and his father had just been murdered.” He looked at her. “Is there anyone else who might claim him? Grandparents?”

      She shifted on the exam table. “As far as I know, Jerry had no contact with his family. My mother lives in Portland, but she’s a widow who’s not well, hardly able to care for a child. Besides, she hasn’t seen Charlie since my sister died. I’ve been trying to get custody.” She shot him a questioning look. “And you simply believed what you were told about his family?”

      “I had no reason to suspect that they’d lie.”

      “That who would lie? The police? They lied to me!”

      “For Charlie’s own safety and well within the law.”

      He could see that the local law enforcement officers had been prepping Liz and probably the media for Charlie’s entrance into the Witness Security Program, or WITSEC. People needed to think the boy was dead.

      Liz dragged in a hot breath as she sat back. “And I’m left believing he’s been killed! This is not right. I’m going to take Charlie and leave. I know he’d be happy to go with me. And you don’t strike me as the kind of man who’d physically stop us.” She wasn’t sure if that was true or not. She tossed out the threat as quickly as she shot a furtive look his way. He knew right then that she was banking on a hunch. “I won’t fail Charlie like I did when his mother died. He deserves a loving environment, not getting shuffled around like a piece of secondhand furniture.”

      Ian bristled at her choice of words. He wasn’t shuffling the boy around like furniture. He would never do that to anyone—not after living like that for years himself. “Don’t be so sure. I told you that Charlie’s safety is my main concern.”

      “Mine, too. That’s why I’m here listening to you and not grabbing Charlie and walking to Northglade.”

      “Like I said before, I’d advise against that.”

      But Liz let her threat stand. “Don’t tempt me,” she snapped. “At least Charlie knows me and would come with me!”

      From the years of being a marshal and from the few years of being a pastor, Ian knew Liz needed to vent. She didn’t understand what was happening. She was only thinking of the boy’s best interests. So he sat back and let her rant.

      Still talking, Liz held out her hands. “How could you just take off with the boy and not consider that others might be concerned, too? The police told me nothing and scared me half to death!”

      Actually, he agreed with Liz. The police had allowed her to worry herself sick, and while that was legal, they didn’t tell him that she would do anything to be reunited with Charlie. And vice versa. That was a mistake.

      He hated mistakes. It had been a mistake for him to be shuffled about the family after his parents died, and though it wasn’t a mistake to hide Charlie down here, it was for WITSEC not to warn him about the resourceful auntie. It had also been a mistake to underestimate the nephew who could sneak away with Ian’s cell phone when he was at his busiest.

      Regardless, what was done was done. And at least the child wasn’t as traumatized as they’d first thought. Thank the Lord for small mercies.

      Would that allow Ian to focus more on the other reason he was here—to build a church? To start the social program offered by Nelson Vincenti and his wife, the couple building a resort on the north end of the island?

      No. Charlie’s location had been compromised. He needed to call his supervisor immediately.

      But Ian couldn’t ignore his parishioners for the sake of one boy, could he? Was that what God wanted him to do? Forsake his job to help Charlie? Surely another marshal could step in.

      “What right do you have to take Charlie, anyway?” Liz was still blasting him. “What makes you think that you can give him what he needs when you don’t even know what his needs are? What if Charlie gets sick or needs special education?”

      Ian schooled his features. “His needs would be met by the Department of Justice. Or by other programs here at Moss Point. Nelson and Annette Vincenti have started a foundation here called ‘The Shepherd’s Smile.’ It works exclusively with families in vulnerable situations providing medical care, education and Bible classes. I’ve been hired to implement it here. And in case you didn’t notice, the children around here aren’t living in the lap of luxury.”

      He had no plans to tell her any more than that.

      If Ian was expecting Liz to show any sort of contrition, he wasn’t going to get it. She shook her head, feeling her damp, dark curls bounce around. “I don’t live in the lap of luxury, either. And material wealth isn’t as important to me as you seem to think. But if you’re here to implement a social program, then why bring Charlie here to add to the need? And for that matter, why were you approached to take him in the first place? The police gave him to you, right? It doesn’t make any sense. Who exactly are you that the police trust you and not me to be his guardian? And why would the Department of Justice care СКАЧАТЬ