“That’s another reason I called. I thought we’d be coming right back, but not just yet. Sam’s seeing a local shrink, and I think she’s really good. She came over last night after there was more violence.”

Cracker nearly lost it. “Violence? What damned violence? Are you nuts, Miles? Bring him home!”

When he could talk over her, and assure her again that they were safe, Miles said, “I’ll keep you posted. Please, Cracker, don’t worry. Now, I need you to work closely with the FBI—Agent Butch Ashburn was here but he wanted to get back, to get to the bottom of this.”

“This sheriff . . . what’s her name?”

“Katie Benedict. She’s good, Cracker, really good. She’s quick, has a solid center, and she’s got guts. She’s probably got lots more, but that’s a good start. Like I told you, she saved Sam.”

“Is she like the woman sheriff in Mel Gibson’s movie Signs?”

“Well, maybe, only younger. She’s really together, like that sheriff was.”

“Okay, that’s great, but Miles, I want you to bring Sam home. I miss him, you know?”

“I know. Sam is seeing a shrink this morning, so that’s one thing keeping us here. Plus the sheriff has a little girl, Keely. She and Sam are really tight. Dr. Raines believes Keely is very important to Sam right now. I’m not about to risk Sam’s progress by separating them. And the thing is, Sam’s probably just as safe here as he would be back home. So, for the next couple of days, I’m keeping him here in Jessborough. Have you thought of anything that could help?”

“No, but the FBI are checking out all your employees, which takes a good long time. They’ve spoken to everyone—all the neighbors, all Sam’s teachers, even the postman. Give Sam a big kiss for me, Miles, and tell him I miss him like mad.”

“I will. Take care. I’ll call if something happens. Hold down the fort. I’ll call Conrad at the office, make sure everything’s running smooth, so don’t worry about the business.”

He got Conrad’s voice mail. When he slipped his cell back into his pocket, he looked up to see Katie standing in the kitchen doorway. She had socks on her feet and a loose shirt over jeans. She’d pulled her long hair back into a ponytail. She looked fresh and scrubbed. He himself wore socks to protect his Band-Aided feet, jeans from yesterday, and his shirt with two buttons buttoned. He smiled. It felt good.

“Cracker?”

“Yeah. She’s my sister-in-law—Alicia’s sister. She’s lived with us ever since Alicia died. She’s really Sam’s surrogate mother.”

“Where’d she get the name Cracker?”

“She nearly blew off my foot on the Fourth of July a couple of years back, got called Firecracker, and that came down to Cracker. She’s a brick. I trust her even though she’s a lawyer, only part-time since Alicia died. The kids still asleep?”

“Yeah. I woke up, saw that Keely wasn’t with me in bed, and nearly had heart failure. I found them both in the living room sleeping. They must have been watching cartoons with almost no sound. I checked you, got some blankets, then went back to the living room. What would you like for breakfast, Miles?”

“You checked me?”

She nodded. “I knew if you woke up and Sam wasn’t there, you’d be scared, but you were sleeping so deeply I decided not to wake you. Now, what about food?”

He remembered pushing the covers down, and he’d awakened with the covers down, which meant she’d probably seen him sprawled on his back, wearing only his boxer shorts. He hoped he hadn’t had a hard-on. Then he found himself wondering what she’d thought. No, that was nuts.

“Food, Miles,” she said.

He blinked. “You know, I haven’t thought about food for what is it, three days now, ever since Sam was taken. I’m starving.”

“Good, then bacon and eggs it is. Crispy and scrambled?”

22

After Sam’s meeting with Dr. Raines, Miles still wasn’t sure what the best place was for Sam. What made it easier was that Sam didn’t want Keely out of his sight.

Miles knew that Katie was as flummoxed as he was. He couldn’t move to Jessborough and he couldn’t very well take Keely back with him to Colfax, Virginia.

Because Miles wasn’t about to let Sam out of his sight, that meant he also kept Keely with him, and that meant she was out of kindergarten for the moment, cleared by Katie with Keely’s teacher.

Needless to say, Keely was pleased about this. Miles and the kids parted company from the other adults after lunch at Molly’s Diner on Main Street, after munching on the best meatloaf east of Knoxville.