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as soon as the chores are tended to I can be at the shop.”
    “Maybe you should call her first,” Shane suggested.
    Deborah stopped so abruptly Melinda bumped into her.
    “To be sure the shop is ready to open,” Shane said.
    “Surely the crime team will be done by morning —” Callie’s voice rose a full octave and Aaron began to stir in his chair.
    “That’s one of the things I wanted to talk to you about,” Shane explained. “Deborah, can you call her before you come in?”
    “Sure. I can call from the phone shack at the end of the road.”
    Callie scowled but nodded in agreement.
    Melinda gave everyone a small wave and pushed the wheelchair through the door. Deborah glanced over her shoulder as she followed Melinda and Aaron out into the night. The last glimpse she had of Callie was Shane leading her back to the chairs they had just been sitting in.
    Everything about the man, from the tightness around his shoulders to the scowl on his face, said the news he was about to deliver was going to make her friend very unhappy.

Chapter 6
    S HANE SAT CLOSE ENOUGH that his arm brushed against Callie’s, close enough he could feel the weariness rolling off her in waves.
    If there was one thing Shane Black wasn’t, it was a hypocrite. He knew he wasn’t a spiritual example to anyone. He and God had been at a standstill for years. So far, God hadn’t blinked.
    Shane was good with that.
    So why did Callie Harper make him want to drop his head into his hands and ask God, “Why? Why is the one woman I care about in harm’s way again?” And in the same breath he wanted to breathe a prayer of thanksgiving that she had walked away unscathed.
    This from a man who only darkened a church’s door when he was visiting his parents during the holidays.
    “I wanted to be sure you’re okay.”
    “Of course I am.”
    He pulled her hands into his, wondering how best to proceed. Callie wasn’t known for being reasonable, especially when she was tired. Right now her eyes told him she’d passed exhaustion at least an hour ago. Her hands were freezing, and he rubbed them with his thumbs, trying to restore her circulation. “The paramedics checked your vitals?”
    “Yes.”
    “Tell me what’s going on, Callie.”
    “Tell me why you think my shop won’t be open tomorrow.” Instead of answering, he asked again. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
    “I wasn’t even the one hurt. Why all the questions?” She wouldn’t hold his gaze for long, and when she did, she kept blinking rapidly.
    Exhausted? Or still frightened?
    “This is our third homicide together, and I’ve never seen you react this way.”
    Max watched their conversation silently, his head moving back and forth as if he were viewing a game of volleyball. Too many times when Shane was with Callie, it seemed they were engaged in a verbal match of some sort.
    Why did he have trouble showing her he cared?
    Why couldn’t he come out and say it?
    Callie’s eyes brimmed with tears, and she stared at a stain on the chair across from her.
    “Callie?”
    “This one feels more personal, that’s all!” The words burst from her like a confession.
    “Why does it feel personal?”
    “Mrs. Knepp was my adversary. We were competitors. This jerk …” She pointed at the poster he’d placed on a nearby table. “He took her out. Why would he do that, Shane? What did a little old lady ever do to him?”
    “We’re checking into that. Seems to be a burglary.”
    “Who kills someone on a public sidewalk for a purse? Why not grab it from her and be gone?”
    “Happens all the time —”
    “In New York, maybe, or Houston. When was the last time it happened in Shipshe?”
    “I have the same questions that you do.” He waited three beats, then pushed forward. “You don’t know of any other enemies she had? Other than you?”
    Callie’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t tell me I’m a suspect.”
    “Nope. I already checked out your alibi. It held.” He refused to let go