Wade had never been so scared. Not knowing if she was still in this world was frightening, but for his life to make sense, she had to be.

Andrew had been his best friend since first grade, and losing him on the job had been a nightmare he had yet to escape. The thought of losing Logan was too painful to consider. She was not only his last link to Andrew, but a woman he loved without reservation, and she didn't even know it.

They'd been in the air almost an hour and a half now. He glanced at the chopper pilot and then back down at the geography below. Junior had been right. This jet chopper was a fast little bitch, just not fast enough.

"Hey Junior, time wise, how much longer?" he asked.

"Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes, tops," Junior said, without breaking concentration.

Wade glanced at his watch, then leaned back and closed his eyes. He wasn't much for prayers, but if there was ever a time, this was it. In his mind, he started and stopped a dozen times without being able to make a complete sentence. Finally, all he could say was, Please, God. Please.

Caitlin got to the hospital five minutes too late to see Logan before they took her to surgery. She felt more than just a responsibility to be there for her friend and heartsick that such an ugly thing had happened in her hometown. She didn't know who'd done this, but at this moment, if justice could be served by pushing the bastard into a gator-filled inlet, she'd volunteer to do the pushing.

She was pacing the waiting room when Chief Evans walked in. Before he could open his mouth, she was in his face.

"Do you know who did this? Do you have them in jail?"

"No, we don't know who did it, but I've been looking for you. Your husband, Johnny, told me you two were friends when she lived here, and I need somewhere to start. I need you to help me with her background. Was there someone here who might hold some kind of grudge?"

Caitlin shoved trembling fingers through her hair.

"I have to sit or keep walking. My legs are shaking too bad to stand still."

"Then we'll sit," Josh said, and pointed to the seating.

Caitlin dropped into one of the chairs and then took a deep breath, trying to calm herself enough to talk.

"Even though I hadn't seen her in ages, she was and still is my best friend. If she had a personal problem with someone, I never knew about it. Everyone liked her and Damon."

"About the brother, what has she said about him?"

Caitlin frowned.

"All she said was that he'd gotten mixed up in something which was why they left town. She married later and lives in Dallas, and I assumed he’d stayed in Louisiana? Why?"

Josh kept watching her face for a sign of lies, but there was nothing, so he told her what he’d found.

"Because he hasn't held a job since the one he had here in Bluejacket. Not anywhere."

Caitlin stared.

"What? How can that be?"

"I don't know, but if she lives through this, it would be helpful if you'd see what you can find out."

Caitlin gasped.

"Don't say that! She has to be okay. That is all."

Josh nodded.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry. By any chance, do you know who her next of kin would be, other than her brother?"

"Oh! Yes. When I had lunch with her yesterday, she asked me a favor. She said if anything happened to her, I was to call a man named Wade Garrett in Dallas. She gave me his name and number. I called him right after I heard what happened."

Josh's thoughts were scattered. If Logan Talman was so insecure about her welfare here, then why did she not tell him? Then he considered how they'd gotten off onto the wrong foot. So, who was she afraid of and why? His gut told him it had to do with the missing brother.

"Do you mind if I wait here with you?" Josh asked.

"Of course not," Caitlin said, but she couldn't sit still.

She took some money from her purse, got a cold drink from the vending machine at the end of the room, and then began pacing from the window overlooking the parking lot to the hallway, then back to the window again. She was so focused on waiting for the surgeon, she'd almost forgotten the chief was still there until his two-way squawked, and she heard him answer.

"Evans to dispatch."

"Chief, just got an incoming message from a chopper bringing in Ms. Talman's next of kin. Landing at the hospital helipad in ten."

"Ten-Four. I'm on site. Evans out."

Caitlin ran to the window. The helipad was in plain sight. She turned to ask Chief Evans a question, but he was already gone, so she focused on the sky, watching for sight of the incoming chopper, instead.

A few moments later, she saw Chief Evans exit the hospital and then backed up to stand in the shade at the ER entrance as he awaited Wade Garrett's arrival.

From the air, Bluejacket looked like someone had hacked out a clearing in the middle of a swamp and built a town. And while there was no room for the town to grow, somehow it had still managed to thrive. The football field was a lush green, as were the yards in the neighborhoods.

Wade could see parking lots, so it was easy to assume those were businesses. Not a lot of them, but more than he’d expected.

Even though there were no actual railroad tracks running through town, from this view it was easy to see where the division began of the right side, from the wrong side of the tracks. And now that he knew that's where Logan had lived with her brother before he’d been murdered, he couldn't help but wonder which house had sheltered her.

The chopper banked slightly, and as it did, the helipad came into view. The little hospital scared him, wondering if there was anyone there with the needed skill to save her.

"Goin' down," Junior said, and landed within the parameters of the helipad like a dragonfly on swamp grass. "Good luck to you, Wade, and tell that girl of yours I said a prayer."

"She's not my girl. She's my boss," Wade muttered, settled his Stetson on his head, and reached for his bag.

"Whatever," Junior said. "You save all that for people who don't know better. If something happens and you need a ride back, you got my number."

"We'll drive the Hummer home," Wade said, and opened the door.

The rotors were still spinning when Wade stepped out. He ducked and walked with one hand on his hat, the other carrying his bag. The chopper lifted off behind him but he never broke stride as he headed for the uniformed policeman standing near the ER entrance. He had a question that needed an answer, and that man would have it.

Josh had not expected a cowboy, and was chiding himself for being surprised. Texas put a stamp on their people just like Louisiana did on theirs. He stepped out from beneath the portico with his hand extended.

"I'm Josh Evans, Bluejacket's Chief of Police."

Wade shook it briefly, wasting no time in getting to the point.

"Wade Garrett. How's Logan?"

"Still in surgery. Follow me, and I'll take you up to the waiting room."

The moment they were in an elevator, Wade quizzed him again.

"Anyone in custody?"

"No. No witnesses, and so far, no clue as where to start. I hope you can fill in some blanks for me."

"I can give you a whole list," Wade said.

Josh was startled and it showed.

"What do you know?"

"She witnessed her brother's murder. Or at least overheard it. She never saw a face, but she heard it all go down."

"Good Lord. That explains why I couldn't find him," Evans muttered. "Why didn't she tell someone when it happened?"

"While she couldn't ID the killer, she'd heard everything as it was happening, which would have made her the next victim if the killer had found out."

"Where's her brother's body?" Evans asked

"She buried him in the swamp...right where he was murdered, and then she ran. She feared it was just a matter of time before the killer remembered Damon had a sister and would assume Damon told her where he was going that night along with who he was meeting. The truth was that she didn't know any of that and was hiding in the truck because of something she’d overheard from her brother's phone conversation. She hid beneath the tarp in the bed of the truck so her brother wouldn't go meet the man alone."

"Why was he killed? What am I missing?" Josh asked.

"The man was looking for someone to kill his wife, and when Damon turned him down, it cost him his life," Wade said.

Josh hadn't seen that coming. Now he was not only dealing with the attempted murder of Logan Talman, but the murder of her brother, and someone else’s wife.

Then the elevator doors opened and they stepped out.

"This way," Josh said, leading the way to the waiting room.

Caitlin was in the doorway as they entered.

"Mr. Garrett, this is Caitlin Baptiste. She's Logan's friend."

Wade dropped his bag near a chair and hugged her.

"Ma'am, I cannot thank you enough for calling me."

Caitlin was impressed. Good-looking and a gentleman?

"Logan asked me to. I would do anything for her, but I don't understand what's going on? Why would someone want Logan dead?"

Wade had told the police chief what he knew, but it wasn't something to just spread around.

"I can't say as I can answer that," he said, and was saved from further explanation as a man in scrubs entered the waiting room.

"Anyone here for Logan Talman?"

Wade pivoted.

"We all are," he said.

"I'm her surgeon, Dr. Silas. She lost a lot of blood, but she's stable. The bullet was a through and through, even though it nicked her collarbone. Given some time for healing, I expect a full recovery."

"Thank you, Jesus," Caitlin said, and sank into the nearest chair and started crying.

Wade's knees went weak. Thank you, God. "When can I see her?" he asked.

"She'll be in recovery for at least an hour, and then she'll be moved to the Second Floor. You can check there for her room number."

"Thank you, Dr. Silas. Thank you for saving her life," Wade added.

"You're most welcome," Silas said, and left.

"There's one more guy you can thank for keeping Logan alive," Josh said.

"Who?" Caitlin asked.

"T-Boy Locklan found her bleeding out by her car and had the presence of mind to apply compresses to both wounds until the ambulance came. It will be a long time before I forget seeing him sitting in all that blood with her in his arms."

"Wow," Caitlin said. "He was her nemesis all through school, but he came through for her when it mattered. I have a whole new respect for him."

Wade frowned.

"What do you mean, he was her nemesis?"

"He wanted her, and she wouldn't give him the time of day," Caitlin said, then sighed. "Heck, lots of boys wanted Logan, but she didn't mess with any of them. Between her ball bat and her brother, she kept them at bay."

Shock spread across Wade's face.

"Ball bat?"

Caitlin nodded, then grinned wryly.

"They all knew she was home alone a lot, so they would be knocking on her door begging her to let them in. She'd shout at them to go away, and if they persisted, she'd swing that bat against the doorframe so hard the front windows would rattle. Then she'd tell them the next time she swung, it would be at their heads. They always cleared out because they knew she meant it."

Knowing this was her life before he and Andrew knew her was shocking. He wondered if she'd ever talked about it to Andrew. He wanted to hear more, so he backed up and sat down.

"Where was her brother when all that was happening?"

Caitlin shrugged.

"Always at work. But they knew if they messed with her, she'd tell Damon, and he would make them sorry in a variety of painful ways. If it wasn't for him, she would never have been safe where they lived."

Wade was trying to absorb all this new knowledge, but it was definitely another reason why she’d run after her protector had been killed. He was staring off into space when Caitlin reached across the chair between them and patted Wade's arm.

"Now that I know you're here and she's going to be okay, I better get home. You have my phone number. I would consider it a courtesy if you would please let me know how Logan is doing, and I'll be back tomorrow to see for myself."

"Yes, ma'am," Wade said, and stood as Caitlin got up and left.

As soon as they were alone, Josh sat down beside him. "Talk to me," he said.

Wade went after his bag, then sat back down and pulled out a copy of all the info Logan had sent him.

"This is everything I know," he said. "She knew two things for sure. That the killer drove a late model white Chevrolet Silverado pickup, and that he would likely have lost his wife soon after he killed her brother. So she hired a private investigator some months back and started them searching for men in the year 2008 who fit that description. She's narrowed her list of possible suspects to five men who live in Bluejacket. All of them owned white, late model Silverados at the time of the murder. Three of them lost their wives within the year after her brother's death in supposedly random ways. Two divorced their husbands, but the agency could only find one actually living elsewhere. The other one is supposedly living off the grid in Alaska, but no one knows that for sure."

Evans was stunned by the depth of detail in the report, and to have a list of suspects just handed to him didn't happen every day.

"I'm going to the office with this. For the time being, keep everything between us. I don't want anyone else knowing this." Then he remembered one other detail. They would need a body to prove there had been a murder. "I don't suppose she remembers where she buried her brother's body?"

"You underestimate Logan Talman," Wade said. "The date of death and the directions to where she buried the body are tattooed on her belly, and she's already back-tracked to the location and verified it."

Josh shook his head.

"I sure wish she'd talked to me when she first arrived. We might not be here like this if she had."

Wade shrugged.

"She doesn't trust people, men in particular."

Josh frowned.

"Okay then. We'll be in touch. I'm going to keep a guard on her door, and I'm leaving orders for no visitors other than Mrs. Baptiste and you. And I'll tell you right now, if someone in this town had ten thousand dollars to pay to have someone murdered, they don't live on the south side of town. They're on the north side where the money is, and I don't like knowing that a murderer has hidden behind a cloak of pseudo-respectability in Bluejacket. As soon as Mrs. Talman is able, we're gonna set ourselves a trap and catch a killer."

"Fine,” Wade said. "You can rest assured I won't be leaving this place until she goes with me."

Big Boy had already hidden the gun and silencer in a secret compartment in the library within the bookshelves, then had gone upstairs to shower and shave.

Sugar was still sleeping, so technically, no one at home knew he'd left the house. He finished up in the bathroom and then dressed and went downstairs. It was Ruthie's day off, and he was in the kitchen making coffee when Sugar finally came down.

"Good morning, baby," Sugar said. "I overslept. Have you eaten?"

He kissed her forehead and grinned.

"I was waiting for you."

She beamed.

"You are so sweet. You know what I'd like to do?"

"What?" Big Boy asked.

"Go to Barney's for breakfast."

He grinned.

"That sounds like a plan. Want a coffee to go?"

She nodded.

He poured coffee in two of their insulated cups, grabbed the car keys, and they headed out the door.

The police were everywhere as they headed down Main.

"Wonder what's going on?" Sugar asked.

"I have no idea, but I'll bet someone will share that with us while we're in Barney's."

She giggled.

"Gossip central."

"Yes, but with buttermilk biscuits and sausage gravy," Big Boy said, and then took the turn off Main into Barney's and parked.

The place was busier than usual. Big Boy guessed it was because everyone had come down to Barney's for the latest news on the shooting, and he was right.

They'd barely been seated before Junie came flying by, filled the cups already on the table with coffee, and took their order.

Sugar slowed her down long enough to ask about the traffic.

"What's going on around here this morning? There's traffic everywhere."

Junie leaned over and lowered her voice

"There was a shooting at the Bayou Motel this morning," she said.

Sugar gasped.

"Oh, my Lord! Who shot who?"

"Someone shot Logan Conway in the back as she came out of her room—no, not Conway. She's Logan Talman now."

"How awful! What a loss," Big Boy said.

"Oh, she's not dead. Last I heard, she was in surgery. I can't imagine who would do something like that, or better yet, why? She never hurt anybody."

Big Boy was in shock.

She wasn't dead? Son-of-a-bitch!

"Well, thank goodness she’s all right," Sugar said. Curiosity satisfied, she moved on to her creature comforts. "I'll have a stack of buttermilk pancakes with a side of bacon."

Junie glanced at Big Boy.

"How about yourself? What tickles your fancy this morning?"

"Sausage gravy and biscuits with a side of bacon."

"Comin' up," Junie said, and went to turn in the orders.

Big Boy glanced up at the clock, then down at his wife. As always, she was talking, talking, talking.

He took a sip of coffee, then stirred in a packet of sugar to take the edge off the slightly bitter taste and tried it again.

He frowned.

Maybe it wasn't the coffee. Maybe it was his failure this morning that left such a bitter taste in his mouth.

Cognizance came slowly.

At first there was just pain, then the bed Logan was on began to spin. Before she could panic, someone grabbed her hand. It was the anchor she needed. Then she heard a voice—deep and husky with emotion.

"Hang on, girl. Ride it out. Meds are coming."

"Who..."

"Shh... It's Wade. I'm here."

There was a moment of silence, and then her voice was so low he almost didn't hear her.

"My Wade?"

He squeezed her fingers.

"Yes, your Wade."

"Safe..." she sighed.

It was humbling to know he meant safety to her. Before he could say anything else, she was out again.

Josh had just come back from the Bayou Motel and was in his office making notations in the case file that he'd started.

He wanted Logan Talman's motel room undisturbed and had put crime scene tape across the door to 4A to make sure no one went inside. Then he went up to the motel office to express his unhappiness regarding the lack of security footage to the owner, Bea Doolittle, who lived in the apartment behind the front desk.

Bea hemmed and hawed around the truth, which was that most of her income was derived by her hourly customers and their preferences for anonymity.

"I'm not breaking any laws," Bea muttered.

"Yes, ma'am, I know that. But what if it had been you? What if someone had come in and robbed you, then didn't want to leave a witness and shot you? How would you feel about no security cameras then? With all the technology available these days, it's very careless of you to assume you'll never need it. Hell, Miss Bea... Bluejacket isn't all that big. We know on a nightly basis who's screwing who on these premises because we all know what everyone drives. There aren't any surprises happening here. Or at least, there weren't until someone tried to kill one of your guests. Now we have ourselves an unknown resident of Bluejacket running around shooting people in the back."

"I didn't hear no gunshot," Bea said.

"Yeah, neither did anyone else, which means he used a silencer, but that changes nothing for Mrs. Talman. She's still fighting for her life."

Bea had glared at him, and now that's where they stood.