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Story: Shadowed Witness

A thump followed by a loud cry from Hailey’s end of the line made Allye jump.

“Oh, hold on.” The sound muffled somewhat, but Allye could clearly hear the screams from Hailey’s almost-one-year-old. After a moment, they settled to hiccupping sobs, then quieted. Finally, Hailey returned to the call. “Sorry. That had to be loud. I have you on speaker, and Jenna’s baby walker got away from her. She crash-landed right by the coffee table where the phone was.”

“She okay?”

“I think it scared her more than anything. You’re okay, aren’t you?” Hailey laughed softly, and Allye could picture her signing to her daughter as she spoke. “Yep, she’s already squirming to get down.” Her tone changed. “Hey, Wes? Could you grab milk on your way home tonight?”

“Sure thing, babe. Love you.” Wesley’s voice carried clearly across the line.

Heat surged to Allye’s cheeks. She hadn’t realized he was home. Hopefully, he hadn’t heard too much of her side of the conversation.

“Love you too.” A door closed, then Hailey’s voice returned. “Sorry again, Allye. I had to catch Wesley before he left. He’s been so busy lately that it’s always a toss-up whether he’ll see a text while he’s out. I’ll be so glad when this election season is over and things go back to normal.”

“I’ll bet.” Allye checked the time. “Hey, I need to go. I’ve got to set up for a photo shoot. They’re going to be here any minute.”

“Keep me posted about the health stuff, okay?”

“All right. And please don’t say anything to my mom or anyone.”

“You haven’t told her?”

“Not yet. I don’t want to worry her about nothing.”

“It doesn’t sound like nothing.”

I know.She blinked against more tears. “There will be plenty of time for that after I know something concrete.” The MRI scheduled for next week should give them something definitive to work with. One way or the other. A car pulled into the lot and swung into the spot next to her.

“Allye, you really should—”

“My clients just arrived. I have to go, but we’ll talk later, okay?”

“Later, for sure.”

“Bye, Hailey. And thanks for listening.”

“Anytime. Take care of yourself.”

“Trying.” Allye ended the call and climbed from the car, pushingthrough the dizziness at standing too quickly. She forced a smile at the Alexanders and gave them a wave. They’d have to wait for her to set up now, but it shouldn’t take much time. And if they weren’t in a hurry, she was glad to extend their time slot as needed. As long as her energy held out.

6

An hour later,Jayden and his mom were pulling away, leaving Allye to pack up her equipment. Before she put her camera away, she leaned against the back of her car and scanned through a few of the photos. They’d gotten some really good shots, including some near the lake. And neither Jayden nor his mom had seemed to notice her slight shakiness or the few times she’d stumbled. Both were wins in Allye’s book.

As she viewed some of the trail photos, a particularly pretty bush caught her eye. That would make a lovely postcard print for her table at the upcoming Wool Fest. The local festival showcasing much more than textiles was one of the highlights of her year.

She studied the photo. Could she find that bush again? She navigated back and forth through a few shots. Based on the surrounding photos, it shouldn’t be too far from the beginning of Spicebush Trail. But did she have the energy to go back out there today?

She chewed on the side of her lip. It would be pushing it, but better to do it now while she was already out here than make a special trip later—if she even remembered to. With a sigh, she pulled a fresh memory card from her bag and swapped it for the one containing Jayden’s photos. She placed the nearly full cardinto the small plastic casing and dropped it into her purse. After stashing most of her equipment in the trunk, she set out with just her camera and purse slung over her shoulder.

Her thoughts returned to her conversation with Hailey as she neared the trailhead. She hadn’t told her everything, but she still cringed at having been so transparent. Still ... it had felt good to tell someone. And if she had to choose someone to confide in, her cousin was a good option. She wouldn’t rat her out to her mom, and unlike Allye’s best friend, Hailey wasn’t expecting a baby. Married to Allye’s brother early this past spring, Corina was now expecting her first child while still running her own business. Allye didn’t want to add to her stress levels. Of course, Hailey had her own stress with the unique challenges of an almost-one-year-old with hearing loss and a husband in local politics....

Allye’s shoulders slumped. She probably shouldn’t have burdened her either. Couldn’t be helped now though. She entered the shade of the trail and began looking for the bush or another that would do.

A bit farther in than she’d hoped, she found a good candidate for her still shot. She adjusted her settings to account for the difference in subject and lighting. She took a few photos, made more adjustments, then snapped a few more. That would probably be enough. But as long as she was here, she might as well grab plenty to be safe.

Careful not to disturb anything, she stepped off the trail and rounded the bush to see what it was like from the back. Nice. She lowered herself to a crouch and began to work that angle. As she was focusing for her third shot, a young, angry voice broke the silence.

“I didn’t sign up to kill people!”