“Have you reached the park yet?”
“I’m outside the park now. What’s all this about?”
Raven coasted up to a red light, glanced both ways, and shot through the intersection. She checked the mirrors. If a deputy spotted her running the red light, the cruiser would pursue her to the park. But nobody noticed the infraction. The street signs blurred past. She could see the village park three blocks ahead.
“Get inside somewhere safe. A store, a restaurant. Anything.”
“You’re scaring me.”
“Do as I say, Ellie. I’m almost there.”
Ellie Fisher blew out a frustrated breath.
“Fine.”
Raven relaxed when the clamor of conversation came over the phone. Silverware clinked against dishes. Several restaurants lay outside the park. It didn’t matter which one Ellie chose, as long as she was inside. Was Raven overreacting? Mr. Sandford might be who he claimed to be—a client for the advertising firm.
Raven whipped the Rogue against the curb. She surveyed the park, the empty benches, the paper bag rolling through the grass. Her eyes stopped on a man hiding between the trees. Shadows concealed his face, yet she recognized the burly build. Benson. Raven shot a text to Aguilar before diving out of the SUV. The second she entered the park, Benson took off running. Though Raven felt confident she could take Benson in a footrace, the fugitive had a head start. As she passed the statue and a gurgling fountain, Benson disappeared. A second later, a red Mitsubishi shot off the curb, tires squealing, the car breathing blue exhaust.
Raven knew she’d made a mistake. Reversing course, she sprinted for her vehicle, knowing she’d never catch up. Aguilar called as Raven climbed inside the Rogue.
“Benson’s driving a red Mitsubishi and burning oil.”
“Where is he now?”
“Heading toward the lake road, probably trying to reach the highway.”
Aguilar reported Benson’s vehicle before she returned to the conversation.
“Stand down, Raven. We’ll catch him before he leaves the village.”
Raven prayed Aguilar was right.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
October 31st
1:40 p.m.
Like old bones coming alive, the kitchen window rattled from the wind. Naomi peered between the curtains. From the deck door, she stared out at LeVar’s house as she fretted with her apron. She’d phoned Scout after they arrived home from Shepherd Systems, and her daughter promised she was taking it easy and using the computer to write an essay. Still, Naomi’s brow knitted together as she watched Scout’s shadow slide past a window.
“How are you doing with the sweet potatoes?” Serena asked from the counter.
“Sorry, I got a little distracted.”
Serena gave Naomi a knowing smile as she whisked eggs, milk, sugar, and butter into a mixing bowl with her favorite extracts.
“Why don’t we check on Scout after we place the pie in the oven?”
Naomi brushed flour off her hands.
“If you don’t mind. She’s safe inside LeVar’s place, but a mother never stops worrying.”
“You speak the truth, girl.”
Naomi mashed the sweet potatoes with the food mill she’d purchased with her first paycheck from Shepherd Systems. She handed the potatoes to Serena, who stirred the combined ingredients into a pie shell. The oven beeped, signaling the temperature had reached 375 degrees. Naomi’s mouth watered. Soon, the scents from Serena’s famous sweet potato pie would fill the house. Serena stood aside while Naomi slid the pie into the oven.
“How long should I set the timer?”
“Fifty-five minutes,” Serena said, untying her apron and hanging it over a chair. “Now, why don’t we discuss the real reason you invited me for lunch.”
Naomi lifted her head.
“So we could celebrate. You enjoyed the tour, right? I want you on my team, Serena.”
Serena touched Naomi’s arm.
“I’m flattered, but I see what’s going on here. My daughter put you up to this. She wants someone watching over me twenty-four hours a day. Naomi, I don’t need supervision.”
Naomi chewed her lip.
“Raven might have called last week.”
“Uh-huh.”
“She worries you’re at home and lonely all day while she’s at work.”
“And she wonders when Mom will fall off the wagon and end up living on some lowlife’s couch in Harmon.”
“She has faith in you, Serena. I have faith in you. That’s why I brought you in for the tour. We all have our demons. Just don’t take the journey alone. Give yourself the best chance to thrive by leaning on others for support.”
Serena blew the hair out of her eyes and plopped down in a chair. Outside the window, the sky darkened and lowered, swollen with the coming winter.
“I hear you. It’s just that I’m supposed to be the parent, not the child. I don’t want Raven and LeVar worrying over me for the rest of their lives.” Serena’s eyes glistened. “God knows I’ve done nothing to earn their loyalty.”
Naomi knelt before Serena and held her hand.
“You brought two beautiful people into the world and kept them safe.” When Serena opened her mouth to protest, Naomi held up a finger. “You did the best you could, Serena. And you did it alone. So you made a few mistakes. Who hasn’t?”
“A few mistakes? I kicked my daughter out of the apartment, and my son almost died running with a gang.”
Naomi pulled a chair beside Serena’s.
“No one would ever guess you had issues with Raven. Her heart swells every time she looks at you and sees who you’ve become. She owns her own house, and she made a success of herself as a private investigator. Now consider everything LeVar has accomplished in the last year. Don’t pretend you didn’t play a role.”
Serena glanced at the oven as she struggled to hold back tears.
“I’m weak, Naomi. What mother asks her kids to carry her from the couch to the bed ‘cause she wasted her day shooting up?”
“That’s not you anymore. There’s nothing you can do to change the past. Now you’re the captain of your future.”
Serena crossed one leg over the other and blew air between her
