So Dark The Night. Margaret Daley

slipped from her eyes. It was so much easier not to think, not to feel.

      “Emma?”

      “I’m tired, Reverend. I’m sure there are others who need you more than I do.” It’s too late to help me, she thought, pressing her lips together to keep the words inside.

      Her tough words did nothing to disguise the sob in her voice. Wanting to comfort, Colin started to reach for her, but hesitated. If her stiff back and averted face were any indication, she didn’t want it. And he wouldn’t add to her pain. He’d done enough already.

      “I’ll be back,” he murmured as he walked toward the door, determined somehow to help the woman he’d hit.

      He paused outside her room, taking a moment to get his bearings and decide what to do next. The sound of her cries could be heard through the door. His chest tightened with sorrow. There was a part of him that needed to go back into her room and hold her, give her what solace he could, but he also knew she needed time to grieve by herself. She was a loner who he was sure had shown more emotion today to him than she usually did to people she knew.

      He understood all too well what she was going through. He’d lost his wife several years before and the pain was gut-wrenching. It had taken time for him to turn to others for help. He had to respect that, but he wanted to be there when Emma needed it. He owed her.

      Dear Heavenly Father, watch over Emma St. James. Soothe her pain and help her to accept Your grace and love. She will need them in the days to come.

      With reluctance Colin headed for the bank of elevators. He needed to talk with J.T. and find out what the sheriff knew so far with this case.

      Fifteen minutes later Colin stood in the middle of J.T.’s office, facing the sheriff. “Any leads?”

      J.T.’s dark, assessing gaze zeroed in on Colin. “Not much to go on. The cabin was obviously searched. We got a tire print at the cabin and footprints from the side of the road where they shot her. That’s all at the moment.”

      “They? There was more than one killer?”

      “From the footprints that’s a strong possibility. Did she remember anything after I left?”

      Colin shook his head. “Did you talk with her doctor?”

      “Yes, with her permission.”

      His heartbeat sped up, his palms sweaty. He had to ask and yet he didn’t want to know. “Why can’t she see?” Did I do that to her when I hit her?

      “There isn’t a physical reason. It’s all psychological, according to the doctor. She’ll see when she’s ready.”

      “What in the world did she witness that she refuses to remember? Her brother’s murder?”

      “Probably.”

      “Do you think she’s in danger?”

      “Could be. Then again, whoever killed Derek could be long gone, especially if they were hired to do the job or if they were just looking for something of value to steal. It doesn’t look like anything was stolen, but then we really don’t know for sure what Derek St. James had with him. We may never know.”

      “She’s leaving the hospital tomorrow.”

      J.T. straightened in his chair. “Where’s she going?”

      “She doesn’t know.”

      “I’d rather her not leave town, but there’s really nothing I can do to stop her.”

      “I don’t want her going back to Manhattan and being alone in her apartment.”

      “Especially if someone thinks she witnessed what happened to her brother and wants to eliminate her. Do you have any suggestions for her?”

      Colin kneaded the back of his neck, an idea taking form. “Maybe. But first I need to talk to someone. I’ll let you know what my aunt says.”

      “Grace.” J.T. laughed. “That tough old cookie.”

      “Don’t let my aunt hear you call her old.”

      J.T. scratched his jaw. “And if she finds out, I’ll know who told her.”

      “Your secret is safe with me as long as you keep me informed of any progress with the case.”

      “So you’ve taken a personal interest in this murder.”

      “It’s definitely personal. A woman’s lying in a hospital bed because of me.”

      “No, not because of you.”

      “I didn’t help the situation by hitting her with my car. She’s going to be sore a long time because of me.”

      “But she’s alive. Did you ever think that if you hadn’t happened along at the time you did, she would be dead right now?”

      Colin frowned. “That should comfort me, but it doesn’t. It was hard watching her try to remember and deal with not being able to.”

      J.T. rose. “She’ll be mighty lucky to have you and Grace watching over her.”

      “She may not think so. You know how my aunt can be.”

      “Yup. She doesn’t take no for an answer and has the strength and will to back it up.”

      “But she’ll be a good bodyguard when I’m not around.”

      “So that’s what this is all about?”

      “Someone needs to watch over Emma St. James and I believe the Lord picked me when my SUV hit her. I may be a bit rusty, but I know how.” His Special Forces training might help someone after all these years.

      Colin left the sheriff’s office and headed toward home, eager to see his aunt now that he had a plan to keep Emma safe until her memory returned—until he had repaid his debt to her. When he pulled into his driveway, he saw Grace’s Jeep Cherokee parked at the side of her house, which was next door to his. Glad to see she was home, he hopped from his vehicle and hurried across his lawn.

      Even though he had a key to his aunt’s house, he didn’t use it. Instead, he pressed the bell and waited for her to open the door.

      Dressed in army fatigues with her short red hair spiked on top, Grace blocked his entrance into her foyer. “I wondered when you’d come visit me. I heard about your little trouble last night.” Finally she stepped aside to allow him into her house.

      “Been busy with the sheriff and visiting the woman at the hospital.”

      “Emma St. James?”

      He nodded and started toward his aunt’s kitchen. He needed a large cup of coffee if he was going to keep himself going.

      “I also heard her mother is in town. Staying at the inn near the lake.”

      “Is there anything you don’t hear, Grace?” His aunt was only ten years older than he and when she’d come to live in Crystal Springs after her retirement from the military she had insisted he call her only Grace. He’d learned early on never to disobey her, so Grace it was.

      “Not much. You’ve got to know what’s going on. That way no one can take you by surprise.”

      In the kitchen Colin poured himself some of the coffee that was always on the stove in his aunt’s house. She lived on the stuff and yet slept like a baby at night. “Well, Ms. St. James took me by surprise last night. She came out of the woods and straight at my car.”

      “Sugar, I’ve got to teach you some defensive driving.”

      Colin gripped his mug. “I swerved, but so did she.”

      Grace eased her slender body into a chair at the oak table and pulled her coffee cup closer. “Sometimes there’s nothing a person can do to avoid an accident. Don’t beat yourself up over it. That’s wasted energy, and you know how I am about wasted