Page 87 of Glimmer in the Darkness

“I know the perfect spot.”

Chapter Thirty

They parked on the edge of a narrow side road halfway up the mountain. “Is this wise?” she asked. “The car sort of sticks out here.”

“There are some hunting cabins nearby mostly used by tourists. Nobody’ll worry about the car except Bart Bradley, who lives up the road.”

“My gosh, is he still alive?”

James’s chuckle had her grinning. “He’s in his mid-seventies.”

“You’re kidding. He seemed older than that ten years ago.”

“I think he likes his crusty-old-man persona.” James yanked his bag from the backseat, dug inside, and pulled out a slip of paper and a pen. He scribbled something down.

“Whatcha doing?”

“Leaving a note saying the car broke down. Hopefully, that’ll keep it from getting towed or drawing too much attention.”

They each donned their backpacks. Grumbling about the loss of his backpacking equipment—the canteens, particularly—James pulled out two water bottles and a box of granola bars. “Will you carry these? This little backpack is crammed full.”

She shoved them, along with her phone, into her backpack, ensured her gun was loaded and ready, and locked the car.

They’d been hiking for fifteen minutes or so when she broached the subject on her mind. “Tell me about this gut feeling you have.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Seriously?”

He said nothing, just continued the trek.

“Why not?”

“If I’m right, we’ll know soon enough.”

“You’re a stubborn man, James Sullivan.”

Without turning, he said, “If I weren’t, you’d be in jail.”

A fair point.

He turned to help her up a particularly steep rock. As she took his hand, she caught his smile. At least he wasn’t annoyed with her for pressing him.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you…” James’s voice faded, and he glanced around to see her.

“What?”

“You ever talk to your mother?”

Cassidy’s stomach swooped like it did every time anybody asked about Mom. “Nope. I can’t figure out how to contact her without telling the authorities my name. I tried to call once, but I used a fake name, and she refused the call. Maybe she knew it was me and didn’t want me to get in trouble, or she knew it was me and didn’t want to talk to me. Or she had no idea it was me.”

Guilt pressed in, but Cassidy pushed it away. She could only do what she could do. If she got everything worked out, she’d be able to contact Mom, see her again. Tell her about the hope she’d found in Christ.

“What’s your life like back in…?” James’s words trailed off.

“Seattle,” she supplied.

He shot a grin over his shoulder. She loved that she’d made him smile. Amazing what trusting a person could do. “Why Seattle?”