Page 102 of Edge of Steele
“You’re probably right,” she said. “But as much as I want to help Russ avoid the feds, it’s more important that this bomber is caught before he strikes again.”
“Of course.” Finn pulled out the chair and sat. “So let’s get back at it.”
“Thank you.” She smiled at him. “I know sitting around is hard for you.”
“With my job change, I need to get better at it.”
“You will.” She gave him an encouraging smile. “If my family of former law enforcement officers has managed it, I think you can too.”
He took a good look at her, applying evaluative skills he’d learned as a SEAL to read people and digging deep into her eyes. “Do you miss being an agent?”
“Yeah, sure, but I chose to make the change. It wasn’t forced on me like your change. It’s not as big of a deal for me.” She tilted her head and watched him. “Anything that’s forced on us is harder to deal with than things we choose for ourselves.”
Wow, so simple but so perceptive. She really had a good head on her shoulders. Lived her faith. Was a role model for him. He wasn’t looking for more reasons to fall in love with her, but she just kept revealing them, and he was now finding her to be nearly irresistible.
“But if we remember that God only allows things in our lives for our own good,” she continued, “then the unexpected can be easier to deal with too.”
“Easy to say.” He tried not to sound negative and to embrace her positive comment, but he wasn’t quite there yet. “Hard to live.”
“Oh, I know.” She waved a hand. “I can preach it with the best of them, but living it? I’m not so successful a lot of the time. You know me. Impulsive. Act quick. At first, I don’t always think to pray before I act. That usually makes it harder.”
Oh, yeah, he knew her. And remembered some of the crazy predicaments she’d gotten herself into when they’d been together. The memories brought a smile. He could get used to a lifetime of rescuing her from similar comical situations.
A knock sounded on the front door.
Finn shot a look in that direction. “Who could that be at this time of night?”
Ryleigh cast a tight-eyed look in that direction. “Only one way to find out.”
He went to the door and looked through the peephole. “It’s Tobias.”
Finn pulled open the door.
Tobias stepped in, slapping a newspaper against his hand. “This! I didn’t think about this!”
He pushed past Finn into the family room and tossed the paper down on the table. “I forgot about this guy’s grudge.”
Finn picked up the nightly edition of the local paper and read the main story.
Ryleigh looked between them both. “What’s this about?”
“Title readsLocal Hero Celebrated,” Finn said. “It’s about a guy named Barney Vick who rescued an autistic child who slipped unnoticed into the Oregon Caves and got lost.”
She looked at Tobias. “And what does that have to do with the bombing?”
“Barney blames me for his father’s death.” Tobias plopped onto a chair. “His dad died nearly eight years ago, and I’d put it out of my mind. Barney’s a real conspiracy theory nut, and I figured this was just one of his rants because I had nothing to do with the death. But now that I think about it, he might want revenge.”
Finn’s interest was piqued now. “How did the man die?”
“Prostate cancer, which Barney claims his dad got on the job.” Tobias shook his head.
“That’s absurd, right?” Ryleigh asked.
“To you and me and most reasonable people—but not to Barney.” Tobias rubbed a hand over his tired face and then down his long beard. “Since I never heard from him again, I assumed he’d learned to deal with the loss, let it go.”
“And now?” Ryleigh asked.
“I dunno.” Tobias shrugged one shoulder. “I’m wondering if maybe I was wrong.”
