Death on a Deadline

“Carly, I think you need to come on in here with your dad and Zac, after all.”
    I stood with Carly and gave her a hug. “I’ll be out here praying for y’all,” I whispered.
    “Thanks.” Carly hurried into the room.
    “John, can I talk to you for a minute?”
    He turned around and glared at me. “Don’t you think we’ve talked enough today, Jen?”
    “Aw, c’mon, John. You know I don’t think you’re power-hungry. And among other things, you called me a busybody!” My anger flared. “Plus, you basically lied to me about Hank’s wallet! But you don’t see me pouting. This is my nephew we’re talking about.” John and I had bickered all through school. Even though he’s married now and the well-respected chief of police, we still argue like five-year-olds. But this was serious.
    “Look, Jenna, it’s been a long day for all of us. I’m worried about Zac, too. But the best thing you can do for him now is let the police handle it.” He hurried down the hall before I could protest.
    Alone on the bench, I murmured a prayer, then flipped open my cell phone and called Mama. I couldn’t imagine being at home with no way of knowing what was going on.
    “Mama?”
    “Jen!” She lowered her voice. “What’s happened?”
    “ Carly and Daddy are in a room with Zac. They’re waiting for Alex Campbell. Daddy called him.”
    “Oh, good.” I could hear the relief in Mama’s tone. Alex still inspired confidence in people, even after all these years.
    Daddy had been drinking coffee at the Lake View Diner with the same bunch of men every weekday morning for the last twenty years. It usually took a year or two for a newcomer to break into the group, but when Alex had come back to town recently to hang out his shingle, he’d been accepted immediately into their early morning circle.
    “Yes, Alex will no doubt save the day.” I regretted the sarcasm as soon as it left my lips. But not nearly as much as I did when I heard a masculine cough beside me.
    “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
    As I looked up into his gorgeous blue eyes, I barely remembered saying good-bye to Mama.
    After hearing about it for a month, I was seeing it for myself. Alex Campbell had, indeed, come home.

    *****

    Early Saturday morning, I popped open a tube of crescent rolls as Carly stumbled, bleary-eyed, into the kitchen. I felt a little guilty thinking about food at a time like this, but we didn’t ever get that pizza, and my sandwich from lunch yesterday was long gone. “Hey. Did you get any sleep?”
    “A little bit. Mama insisted I take something.” Carly grimaced. “I’m sorry you couldn’t.”
    Right after my granddad’s death several years ago, Mama had given us each a sleeping pill. Carly had slept like a log, but I’d bounced off the walls all night, finally falling asleep in the middle of the funeral. Then it took forever for them to wake me up. No matter what the disaster now, no one in my family would ever offer me another sleeping pill.
    Carly shrugged. “Actually, not sleeping was probably a blessing. At least you didn’t have any bad dreams.” She pulled a mug off the shelf and padded over to the coffeepot. “I appreciate your staying here all night and helping get the kids to bed. After Alex got there and they started questioning Zac, I figured Mama needed you more than we did.”
    “Yep. Holding down that wooden bench didn’t seem all that important.” No need to mention that once Alex arrived, I’d practically run out of the station. “Speaking of Zac. . .” I pushed the creamer toward her, then put the rolls in the oven and set the timer. “How’s he taking all this?”
    “Like anybody would, I guess. He feels guilty for not telling me about getting fired, but he can’t believe the police would think he might be a murderer. Ah, Jen, he’s terrified.” Carly perched on a barstool. “And, I’ll tell you, so am I.” She put her head in her hands.
    My heart wrenched. “I know. I am, too.”
    Carly looked up, tears sliding down her cheeks. “But, regardless of Zac’s record , you know he wouldn’t hurt a flea.”
    “Of course I do. But we know him.” We’d known he actually was holding a package for a friend when the police found drugs in his locker in Atlanta. Carly had started making plans to move back to Lake View shortly after the incident.
    Carly grimaced. “And the police don’t.”
    I handed her a Kleenex. “I didn’t get a chance to ask you last night, with