Hidden Summit

mean and physical and the sheriff had to be called.”
    “Is she all right?” he asked.
    “No one required stitches or anything…just ice packs and… Well, Noah had to have a butterfly bandage to close his lip. And Mrs. Hutchkins has a sore tush from being shoved and falling on the floor. But Jack and Mike V only have bruised knuckles.”
    “What?” he said as if he hadn’t heard right. “What?”
    “Mrs. Hutchkins and I were able to hold him off for a while with a rake and a broom. That Mrs. Hutchkins—don’t mess with her!” She laughed a little. “She grabbed my rake and walked right in that house and clobbered him on the back of the head. Then it was game on!”
    “Leslie, were you really in a fight?” he asked.
    “A short one. Then Noah, Jack and Mike saved the day and the sheriff’s deputy came, eventually, and took him away. Thank goodness! The ex, he was high as a kite and really strong.”
    “Wait a second, wait a second....” She heard a beeping sound in the background.
    “What was that?” she asked.
    “I’m boarding. That was the boarding pass being scanned. Are you all right?”
    “Oh, sure, just a little bump on the jaw. It doesn’t hurt. But I got one off on him, let me tell you. Kicked him right where it hurts most and brought him to his knees. Amazing what you can do when you have to.”
    “Leslie, listen to me—I want you to get the crowbar out of your car and keep it handy, just in case—”
    He was cut off by the sound of her laughter. “Conner, if I ever see that lunatic again, I’m not going after him with anything stronger than a broom! He’d take a crowbar away from me and kill me with it! He was out of his mind!”
    “Then I want you to go stay with Paul or Dan until I get back there!”
    “Conner, I’m fine. He’s in jail. I’ll check with Jack to make sure he’s staying in jail for a while, but seriously, he was taken away by three deputies. And besides, only a fool would go up against me, two little old ladies and a minister again.” And then she laughed.
    “Stop laughing,” he said. “You have me scared to death! Now listen, they’re closing the door, but I’ll try to call you from Denver when I change planes again. Are you sure you’re all right?”
    “Conner, I’m fine. I think I’ll take another nap, though. It was a long night.”
    “I’ll call you when I can.”
    “Just have a safe flight and don’t worry. I never should have told you!”
    “Be careful,” he said. “I love you.”
    Leslie had no idea when to expect a call from Conner from the Denver airport, but she knew one thing she had to do for sure. She took a walk down her street to check on Mrs. Clemens, Mrs. Hutchkins and Nora and her family. The elderly ladies were still a little riled up and excited from the earlier events. Nora, on the other hand, was so embarrassed and filled with regret, Leslie spent almost an hour trying to comfort her and get her back to her old self.
    “I feel like I shouldn’t even be here,” Nora said. “I don’t want to be found by him again and I don’t want to bring trouble to my neighborhood. Not after everyone has been so good to us.”
    “Your neighbors will hunt you down and try to protect you if you do anything crazy, like try to leave. You don’t even have a car. I don’t know how you manage!”
    She shook her head. “Every couple of weeks, Jack or Noah will add my shopping list to theirs when I need groceries, or Mrs. Hutchkins takes me with her into Fortuna while Mrs. Clemens sits with the girls during their nap. And until now, I was never afraid or worried.”
    “Once you get a little rest and a few quiet days, you won’t feel that panic anymore. I’m going down to Jack’s to ask him what he knows about your ex’s jail visit. I’ll let you know what he says. I’m sure he won’t mind checking in with the deputy—they seem to be friends.”
    “Les, Berry hasn’t talked all day,” she said in a whisper. “She was talking so well for her age.”
    Leslie patted her hand. “She’s probably still scared. Try not to panic yet. Ask Mel and the doctor about it. Ask Noah.”
    “Right,” Nora said.
    That information did seem to bring some peace of mind to everyone. The suspect was still in jail and in fact had quite a few warrants outstanding from other cities, so it looked as though he wouldn’t make bail. The sheriff’s department was planning to let Oakland, California, have him back—a more positive outcome for