“That’s what I’ve been telling him,” Josh said.

  “Maybe, unless the ground is too uneven,” Lyle replied. “But it wouldn’t be the same.”

  “And I want him to teach me,” Josh added.

  Lyle didn’t respond. Connor took the Frisbee from Rascal and threw it in an arc that caused it to nose-dive and roll across the yard. The dog took off after it.

  “Looks like I need a lesson more than Josh,” Connor said.

  “Yeah,” Lyle replied with a slight smile. “We’d have to start at the beginning.”

  “Here’s how I’ll pay for my lessons,” Connor said.

  Connor told Lyle about the skeet shooting facility. Josh’s eyes widened.

  “There’s a section that is completely wheelchair-accessible. I thought we could drive down early one Saturday morning. They have a station that would allow Josh to give it a try. Guns and ammo are included.”

  “Yes!” Josh replied excitedly.

  “Put Rascal in his pen while I talk to Mr. Connor,” Lyle said to his son.

  “We can go, right?” Josh asked. “You know it would be fun!”

  “Get the dog and put him up,” Lyle repeated.

  Lyle waited until Josh disappeared around the side of the house.

  “We got some bad news this morning,” he said to Connor. “Sarah has breast cancer.”

  Connor’s shoulders sagged. “How advanced?” he asked.

  “Pretty bad. We haven’t told Josh yet and aren’t sure whether to do it now or wait until she starts treatment. When her hair starts falling out everyone will know.”

  Connor flashed back to images of his mother. “Where is Sarah now?”

  “Inside fixing supper. Would you like to see her?”

  “Of course.”

  “Let me check with her first and figure out how we can occupy Josh while we talk.”

  Lyle went inside the house. Still reeling from the sad news, Connor waited on the front porch. The Hamilton family had already suffered so much. It took a couple of minutes for Lyle to return.

  “Come in,” he said. “Josh is getting extra time on his gaming station so he’s in his room with his headphones on.”

  Connor followed Lyle into the small house. The front door led directly into the living room. The kitchen was to the right. Sarah came out of the kitchen.

  “Hey,” she said to Connor. “Lyle told me what you want to do for him and Josh. I think they’ll have a great time.”

  “I hope so.” Connor cleared his throat. “I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am about your diagnosis. I’m sure folks in the church will want to do anything they can to help. That’s up to you, of course.”

  “We’ll have a lot of family support for practical things, just like there’s been since Lyle’s accident.”

  “I’m here for you too.”

  “Thanks,” Lyle said.

  “When he said you wanted to come in and see me, I assumed it was to pray with us?” Sarah asked.

  “Yes, I’d like to.”

  Sarah sat on a cracked leather sofa. They’d cleared a space at one end of the sofa where Lyle could park his wheelchair. Connor sat in a soft beige side chair with slightly worn arms. Lyle reached out and Sarah gave him her hand. Connor leaned forward with his hands clasped in front of him.

  “Before I pray, I need to tell you something,” he said. “When I was a teenager, my mother was diagnosed with cancer. I prayed, but she died.”

  “And you’re wondering if your prayers now can really make a difference?” Sarah asked.

  “Yes.”

  “There’s a mystery to the ways of God that I haven’t figured out,” Sarah said. “I’ve seen miracles, not just read about them in the Bible. Lyle and I believe in trusting and asking.”

  “I want you to have a miracle,” Connor replied earnestly.

  “That makes three of us,” Lyle said.

  Connor paused for a moment. “One more thing. Before I pray for you, I’d like you to pray for me. Is that okay?”

  Sarah smiled. “God gives grace to the humble.”

  Connor closed his eyes. They sat in silence for a few moments. His heart started beating a little bit faster. Then, Sarah Hamilton prayed. The woman’s words reminded Connor of a freight train slowly pulling out of the station. They carried a weight and power that couldn’t be ignored. Something big and powerful was on the move. Sarah spoke as one who knew what she believed and expected God to listen. Connor felt confidence well up inside him as she combined Bible verses that she’d memorized with words from her own heart. Connor now understood why Lyle welcomed his wife’s prayers for him every evening. The pace of the prayer increased. Several minutes passed before Sarah finished with a resolute “In the strong name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.”

  When Connor opened his eyes, Sarah was staring at him. The fire in her countenance had never been more apparent. But instead of looking away, Connor met her gaze.

  “I know it doesn’t make sense,” he said to her. “But there toward the end, it seemed like you were listening while you were speaking.”

  “That makes perfect sense,” Sarah said with a nod. “Your turn.”

  Connor took a deep breath and waited again. But this time there was a hint of expectation in his heart. Then, after a few moments, he experienced something new. A thought whose origin wasn’t in his conscious intellect formed in his mind. He suspected this was what he’d sensed in Sarah. But the thought wasn’t the sort of thing he’d normally say when faced with a situation as serious as the one confronting the couple sitting across from him. To do so, would, in his opinion, be irresponsible. But after delaying another split second, he decided to forget about his reservations and speak it out loud.

  “God, nothing is too hard for you,” he said.

  The simple declaration released a flood of thoughts and words that cascaded after it. Connor found himself doing what he’d heard Sarah do. Not as well. Not as smoothly. He stumbled over snippets of verses he’d read but not committed to memory. And there were fits and starts to some of his thoughts. But just when he thought he was about to fall flat, something else would come to mind. He’d speak it, and the words would enable him to continue. He prayed for Sarah. He prayed for Lyle. He prayed for Josh. He wasn’t sure exactly how long he prayed. But it was far, far longer than he had prayed at any other time in his life for a person in the congregation. When the slate was finally clear, he finished with a simple “Amen.”

  “Amen,” the other two people in the room echoed.

  “Thank you,” Lyle said. “It’s good to know that you’re with us in this fight.”

  “I want to believe,” Connor replied. “And being around the two of you makes that seem possible.”

  “After what happened with your mother, I appreciate your willingness to try again,” Sarah said.

  “That’s what she’d want.”

  Sarah turned to Lyle. “Listening to Connor, I think we should go ahead and tell Josh about my diagnosis sooner rather than later. He should be part of this from the beginning. Just because he’s ten years old doesn’t mean his prayers aren’t as effective as ours. There’s no junior Holy Spirit.”

  “I agree,” Lyle said. “We’ll talk to him after supper.”

  * * *

  Liz was finishing a salad while watching TV when there was a knock on her door. It was dark outside, and she turned on the outside light. It was Elena. The client was wearing a long dark coat against the evening chill.

  Liz opened the door. “How did you know where I live?” she asked.

  “My private investigator told me.” Elena glanced over her shoulder. “I didn’t want to call you because I don’t know who might be listening on my phone. Can I come inside?”

  Liz moved aside so Elena could enter. They stood in the living room area.

  “Why do you think someone is listening to your phone calls?”

  Elena took her phone from her purse. “It’s turned off now, but all afternoon I would be on a call and there would be a faint beeping in the background.”

  “Who would want to record your calls?”

  “I don’t know, but it scares me to death.”

  “What did you want to talk to me about?”

  “The police investigation. All sorts of crazy thoughts are racing through my head. Have you talked with the detective?”

  Liz told her about the conversation with Detective Norman. As she talked, Elena became more and more agitated.

  “Why couldn’t you get any information about the investigation from him?” Elena demanded. “That’s what you’re trained to do as a lawyer, isn’t it? Get people to talk. It’s all about asking the right questions. You should have started with something easy that you knew he’d answer and worked deeper from there. Unless you’re leaving out a lot of what was said, it sounds like you jumped to the big issue too quickly.”

  Liz bristled at the criticism. “No matter what I asked, I don’t believe Norman would have offered to open his file and let me look at it. The next step for us is to set a day and time for you to talk to him. Is there a day that works better for you?”

  “I’ll need to check my calendar on my phone.”

  Elena turned on her phone. She raised her index finger to her lips. “Don’t say anything while I look at my schedule.”

  Liz waited. Elena swiped her finger across the screen. A few seconds later, she called out, “It happened again! The beeping sound.”

  “Hand me the phone,” Liz said.

  The welcome screen was covered with apps. Liz scrolled over to at least five screens filled with apps.

  “Have you downloaded any new apps recently?” she asked.

  “A few. Why?”

  “One or more of them could be sending you notifications, and you’re hearing the beep in the background.”

  “Oh,” Elena replied, holding out her hand.

  Liz returned the phone and waited.

  “I think I found it,” Elena said. “Yesterday, I downloaded a shopping app that lets me know when items I want to buy become available.”

  “How many notifications has it sent you?”

  “Over fifty. I’m going to delete it.”

  “Good. Now, please check your calendar.”

  A few seconds later, Elena spoke. “Next Wednesday morning would be best for me. I’d want to meet at your law office, not the sheriff’s department.”

  Liz quickly noted that her morning was open. “That will work. I’ll try to confirm first thing in the morning.”

  Elena put away her phone and looked around the interior of the unit.

  “This is cozy,” she said. “It reminds me of the place where I lived in college.”

  “I’ve enjoyed it. My landlady is the one who invited me to visit Rock Community Church. Her name is Beverly Devon. She’s married to Sam.”

  “Never met them,” Elena replied. “But Connor is the reason I started going to the church. I saw him walk into the Sunnyside Coffee Shop one morning and asked one of the baristas who he was. I was surprised when the girl told me he was a minister at a local church. Connor didn’t look like a minister to me.”

  “Why not?”

  “Come on.” Elena smiled. “Connor could be a fashion model in a men’s clothing magazine. That day I had an intuition he would be an important person in my life. And when that happens, it always comes true.”

  Liz’s skin crawled. Elena’s thoughts dishonored her marriage to Matt, and Liz didn’t want to hear about the recent widow’s intuitions related to Connor Grantham.

  “I’ll be in touch with you as soon as I confirm with Detective Norman,” she said briskly.

  “One last thing. Any news from Matt’s company?”

  “It’s going to take awhile for them to respond to my request. I asked for a lot of information. Good night.”

  Liz almost pushed Elena out of the apartment. After she shut the door, she leaned against it and closed her eyes.

  Chapter 18

  Connor drove home from the Hamilton residence. Instead of fixing supper, he grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and sat in one of the side chairs in his living room. He didn’t want to eat. He didn’t want to read. He just wanted to sit. And exist in the place where the prayers with Lyle and Sarah took him. He also knew what he wanted to talk about in his sermon. He turned on his tablet and began writing.

  * * *

  Sunday morning, Connor took his place behind the pulpit with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation. His text was Luke 5:16: “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” The previous day, he’d taken a long hike in the woods to practice what he intended to preach.

  “Today, I want to talk to you about prayer,” Connor began. “A topic I know very little about. That may sound surprising coming from a minister, but it’s true.”

  Starting with a confession got the attention of the congregation. But as he read his notes, Connor realized that he wasn’t making as much sense as he’d hoped. He strayed from his prepared remarks, but when he did, he lost his train of thought and quickly returned to what he’d written. When he reached the incident at the Hamilton house, he felt the story came across as vague and indistinct.

  After the sermon, the comments he received at the rear of the sanctuary after the message confirmed his fears. Most people simply shook his hand and smiled. Lyle and Sarah paused.

  “I hope it was okay to tell that story so long as I left out your names,” Connor said in a low voice. “I want to respect your privacy about what you’re going through.”

  “No problem,” Lyle responded with a smile. “Sarah nudged me hard when you started down that road.”

  “Were you fine with it?” Connor asked Sarah.

  “Yes, but a seed needs to germinate in the ground before it sees the light of day.”

  Connor swallowed at the gentle but accurate rebuke. “You’re right,” he sighed.

  “And it’s okay,” Sarah responded.

  Liz approached. Connor hadn’t seen her in the congregation during the service.

  “Are you having one of your lunches with visitors today?” she asked.

  “No.”

  “Could I offer you a free meal at the Olive Tree?”

  Connor hesitated. Part of him wanted to go home as soon as possible, be alone, and maybe take a nap. The friendly expression on Liz’s face convinced him otherwise, though.

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll meet you there. Don’t rush. I’m going to order one of those lemon drinks.”

  * * *

  Liz took a sip of her mint limonada and wondered if she should say anything to Connor about Elena. Her phone vibrated. It was Harold calling.

  “I’m at the office, and an email for you came in through the firm website regarding Daughbert Technology,” the senior partner said. “There’s no name listed as sender, but I assume it’s from the guy you talked to the other day.”

  “What’s included?”

  “A copy of the insurance policy. It has a face value of ten million with a double indemnity clause. Payable to the Daughbert Technology Trust.”

  “Any trust documents?”

  “No, but the policy was purchased two months ago.”

  “Peterson said it was recent.”

  “Also, there’s a balance statement for the company from around the same time the policy was purchased. I’m not a CPA, but I’ve read enough financial reports to recognize when a company is cash-strapped and on life support.”

  “If that’s true, Elena Thompson may own forty-nine percent of nothing.”

  Out the front window of the restaurant Liz saw Connor pull in behind her car.

  “I have to go,” she said.

  “One more thing,” Harold said. “The sender included a page with a phone number scribbled on it and a message to call if you have any questions. No name associated with the number. I’ll text it to you.”

  “Thanks.”

  Connor entered the restaurant and waved. “This is our table,” he said with a smile as he came closer.

  “Yeah,” Liz replied. “I hadn’t noticed that.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “My boss called me about some information that just came through about a big case.”

  “He was at the office?”

  “Yes, you’re not the only person who works on Sunday.”

  A waitress arrived and took their orders.

  “Good sermon this morning,” Liz said when the woman left.

  “Do you really think so?”

  Suddenly, Liz couldn’t recall the topic. “Of course,” she said. “You’re an excellent speaker.”

  “But did it make sense?”

  Liz tried to remember something from Connor’s message. “Totally,” she said. “It was about Jesus, right?”

  “Yes.” Connor chuckled. “I shouldn’t be surprised that it’s tough for someone to remember what I said thirty or forty-five minutes later.”

  “You told a story about going to see a couple and praying with them. I assume it was someone in the church who wanted to remain anonymous for some reason.”

  “Okay.” Connor held up his hand.

  “And then you took a walk in the woods to pray like Jesus did when he was alive.” Liz spoke faster. “He even prayed all night one time, which is mind-blowing when you think about it. The only time I stayed up all night was to study for a chemistry exam when I was in college. I drank energy drinks and barely remember taking the test. I think I made a D in the class. I bet you’ve never received a D in your life.”

  Connor laughed. “Enough. It wasn’t fair to put you on the spot.”

  “You clearly work hard on your sermons, and it’s not unreasonable to expect people to pay attention.”

  “I wish everyone shared your perspective.”

  “Don’t dodge my question. Have you ever gotten a D in school? Go back all the way to high school.”

  “No.”

  Liz nodded. “I knew it. A lawyer is never supposed to ask a question unless she knows the answer.”

  “I was wired for school. Put me in a lecture hall followed by a few hours in the library, and I’m happy.”

  “I have a touch of dyslexia, so school was a challenge for me.”

  “To overcome that and become a lawyer is impressive.” Connor took a sip of his drink. “But what I tried to communicate this morning in the sermon had nothing to do with academics. It came from an experience.”