Hidden Talents

fringed and beaded jacket as she walked into the living room. “I'm ready.” She pulled the hood up over her wild, red mane. Got the flashlight?”
    “I've got it.” He looked at her and knew for certain there was no going back to the man he had once been. “Let's do it.”
    He opened the door and discovered cold for swirling on the front steps.
    “It's not too bad yet,” Serenity observed as she stepped past him. “But I think it's going to get worse. We'd better hurry.”
    “I don't want to use the flashlight if we can avoid it.” Caleb closed the door behind him.
    “We won't need it. There's enough moonlight. Besides, I've lived here all my life, remember? I'd know my way around Witt's End blindfolded.”
    “I'm certainly glad that one of us knows where we're going,” Caleb said under his breath. He pulled his collar up against the cold as he followed Serenity down the steps.
    For some reason the night reminded him of one long ago, a night from his childhood. The memory of it came back with startling clarity. He had been eleven years old. His grandfather had awakened him to tell him that one of the mares was going to foal and there were complications. Caleb had scrambled out of bed, pulled on his jeans and a sweat shirt, and followed Roland out into the frigid, foggy night.
    The mare had, indeed, experienced difficulties. Caleb was afraid that they would lose both her and the foal. But Roland had given calm, clear instructions, and Caleb followed them precisely. Together he and his grandfather had saved the mare and her tiny offspring.
    Now, as he walked through the fog beside Serenity, Caleb had a fleeting memory of what he'd felt that night as he stood beside Roland and watched the small foal stagger upright on wobbly legs.
    He recalled the sense of relief he had experienced, but most of all he remembered the short-lived sensation of sharing the moment with his grandfather. It was one of the rare times when Roland had seemed genuinely pleased with him. He had grinned and ruffled Caleb's hair with his big, work-worn hand.
    “We did it, son. You want to name him?”
    “Windstar,” Caleb said.
    “Windstar it is,” Roland agreed. “He's going to be a fine stud. Good blood in him. The best.”
    Caleb shook off the old memories as Serenity spoke softly beside him.
    “I just thought of something,” she said. “Jessie told me she locked up Ambrose's cabin. The real estate agent in Bullington has the key. How are we going to get inside?”
    “I doubt if that will be much of a problem. No one here in Witt's End seems to be very security conscious. I haven't seen a decent lock on any door yet. Worst possible case is that we'll have to jimmy a window.”
    Serenity gave him an odd look. “You sound like you've done this kind of thing before.”
    “I haven't, but I'm a fast learner.” In spite of the seriousness of the situation, Caleb was starting to feel an exhilarating sense of excitement. I'm having an adventure . He smiled to himself.
    “Caleb? Is something wrong?”
    “Probably. But I'm not going to worry about it right now.” When this was over he was going to make love to Serenity, he thought. The adrenaline flowed like wine through his veins.
    “What will we do if we don't find anything useful in Ambrose's files?”
    Her question sobered him instantly. “I'm not sure. After we've searched Asterley's records, I'll talk to Franklin. I need to find out everything I can about how he was contacted and what arrangements were made for the payoffs. Maybe we'll get some clues from that.”
    “I still can't believe that anyone here in Witt's End is involved.”
    “I don't see how the blackmailer could be anyone except someone from Witt's End,” Caleb said. “And after what you told me about Zone's predicament, you'll have to admit that there are a lot of things you don't know about your friends and neighbors.”
    “You've got a point, I guess.” Serenity huddled deeper into the hood of her jacket. “But I've known most of them a lot longer than I've known Zone. She's a newcomer.”
    “Just because you've known someone a long time doesn't mean you know all their secrets.”
    “No.” She fell silent beside him.
    Ten minutes later the darkened bulk of the Asterley cabin materialized in the thickening fog. The trees around it loomed like specters keeping watch at an open grave. Caleb almost groaned aloud. I'll be damned. I'm developing a vivid imagination .
    He had never allowed himself to