“I could never hate you. I love you.”
Mason pressed his lips together. His eyes glistened, and for a second, the natural color returned to his cheeks.
“Your mother and I wanted to protect you. It was a tactical mistake, one I should have recognized from the start. A parent’s job is to keep his child safe. But it’s also his job to step aside and let that child fly when he’s ready. You’ve been ready for years. I was too stubborn to admit the truth.”
Thomas slid his chair toward his father’s and touched the man’s hand. Mason, who’d turned sixty last month, appeared in his nineties. The disease had robbed the once powerful man of his vitality.
“You don’t have to be scared for me.”
“Don’t I? You’ve already been shot, Thomas. And a murderer broke into your house and nearly took your life. Death follows you, and it scares the hell out of me.”
Thomas glanced down. Liver spots covered his father’s hand. The man withered away with each swing of the clock’s pendulum.
“I’ve made it this far.”
“Because you’re a Shepherd.” Meeting Thomas’s eyes, Mason firmed his chin. “Long after I’m gone, the people will recognize you as the greatest sheriff this county has ever seen.”
Thomas’s throat constricted. Over the thirty-two years of his life, his father had been loath to compliment him.
“I’ll make you proud, Father.”
Mason Shepherd smiled.
“You already have.”
* * *
Raven set her keys on the desk and slid into a chair inside Wolf Lake Consulting. She was the only person inside the building, and her senses were on high alert as she perceived danger around every corner. Would she ever adjust to being alone?
She couldn’t predict if her plan would work. A half-hour ago, after she’d talked with Thomas and confirmed he wasn’t dating Naomi Mourning, she phoned Darren with her plan. Realizing Chelsey would ignore her calls, she had Darren call instead. Darren told Chelsey that Raven was alone at work and knee deep in cases. Raven hoped Chelsey had taken the bait. She hated lying to her friend. But this was the only way to get Chelsey alone.
The clock ticked past ten with no sign of Chelsey, as Raven fiddled with the computer and studied the topographic map of Wolf Lake State Park. The interconnecting trails convinced her the campground thief and LeVar’s intruder were one and the same. If fortune smiled upon Raven, she’d solve the Paul Phipps case and catch her brother’s attacker. Sipping her coffee, she jumped in her seat when the front door opened and closed. Keys jingled, followed by footsteps.
She rose out of her chair as Chelsey turned the corner.
“Thanks for coming in,” Raven said, extending her arm at the open chair.
Chelsey glanced suspiciously around the office.
“Darren said you couldn’t keep up with today’s cases. What’s going on here?”
“Have a seat.”
Chelsey opened her mouth to argue and bit her tongue before lowering herself into the chair. She folded her arms over her chest and glared.
“So you had Darren lie for you. Why? Last night wasn’t enough? You need to watch me spiral out of control again?”
“You’re not spiraling out of control. I understand what you’re going through.”
Chelsey scoffed.
“Nothing ever bothers you.”
Raven crossed her legs at the ankles.
“What if I told you coming here alone terrified me?” Chelsey, who’d lowered her eyes, looked up. “I should have told you from the beginning. After Damian Ramos and Mark Benson kidnapped me, I started having panic attacks every time I was alone.”
“I didn’t know.”
“Because I hid it from you. I confided in Darren. No one else knows.”
“What is it you’re afraid of?”
“I worry Ramos and Benson are following me, that they’ll grab me the second I’m alone.”
“But you have nothing to worry about. If the court gives them an early release, or they escape, we’ll hear about it.”
“The logical side of my brain realizes that. But the other side has a powerful voice.” Raven leaned in and touched Chelsey’s arm. “I didn’t live through major depression. But I know a little about how our minds turn on us. You’re not falling apart, anymore than I am. Now, let me help.”
Chelsey’s legs bounced with nervous energy.
“Raven, I don’t think I can do this alone.”
“You won’t have to. We’re in this together. But you need to be honest with me. What precipitated your anxiety attacks?”
Glancing away, Chelsey shrugged.
“My life has been one disappointment after another this last year.”
“You’ve built a successful business, and you made a friend.” Chelsey smiled back at Raven. “Life is never as bad as we fear. But we all need help from time to time. You’re taking your medication?”
“Yes.”
“I won’t allow a repeat of what happened to you at eighteen. It’s different this time, Chelsey. Doctors have better treatments for depression. You won’t go into battle alone.”
Instead of replying, Chelsey chewed her nails.
“Last month, you decided to try again with Thomas. We talked for over an hour about your decision. Then you went cold and refused to speak to me. What happened?”
“I was a fool for believing we could be together again. A guy like Thomas…he has his life under control. He’s interim sheriff, he led two successful murder investigations, and now he owns Shepherd Systems. What would he want with a basket case?”
“Thomas has everything under control? His father has stage four lung cancer, and his parents almost died at the hands of a serial killer. And for the record, Thomas wants nothing to do with the family business. He signed the papers to save Shepherd Systems from falling apart.”
“Either way, what we had ended fourteen years ago. We were foolish teenagers. Neither of us understood life.”
“Yet you wanted to rekindle your relationship. I don’t understand what changed.”
Chelsey lowered her head and set her hands on her knees.
“Last month, after the Thea Barlow case, I drove to the lake. Believe me,
