Luther was eventually acquitted and was now a minister in Hampton, Virginia. Five years ago, after serving ten years of his sentence and being termed a model employee and a born leader, the governor had approved Sheppard’s transfer to Delvers, a prison that housed low-risk offenders. He worked closely with the warden as a trustee, initiating various projects to ensure that the less-serious offenders didn’t become serious offenders in the future.
He was proud that, so far, all the men whose lives he had helped turn around at both Glenworth and Delvers had stayed on the straight and narrow. They came to visit from time to time now that they were on the outside, and he was proud that they were making positive impacts on their communities. And what he liked more than anything was that, from time to time, when they couldn’t visit, they would send Sheppard an email to let him know where they were and how they were doing. Some had gone back to school, many even to college, and others were business owners—successful men in their communities.
He opened an email from Andrew Logan. Andrew had been in trouble since the age of ten, when stealing had been his favorite pastime. He had been in and out of youth detention as a way of life. Now Andrew had a college degree and worked on the right side of the law as a police detective in Alexandria.
Like most of the other emails he’d opened so far, Andrew’s reported that he had heard the reports on the radio and television about Jace. Although they’d never met Jace, they knew Jace was his son. They had all written because they knew Sheppard would be upset and feeling useless since he couldn’t do anything to help his son while he was in prison. They all said how glad they were that Jace had been rescued before anything bad had gone down during the kidnapping.
Shep drew in a deep breath, thinking that no one was gladder about that than he was. If anything had happened to Jace or any of his three sons, Shep didn’t know what he would do. Thank heavens, the FBI had gotten there in time, and he appreciated Dalton for putting that tracker on Jace’s phone.
At the end of the email, Shep tried not to get emotional when he read what Andrew had written:
Mr. Granger, a lot of the guys whose lives you touched at both Glenworth and Delvers got together this past weekend at my place. We went to a ball game then came back here for chips and beer. Matthew Fontane was here, and since he was the last one released from Delvers, he brought us up to date on everyone and assured us you were doing well...at least as well as can be expected under the circumstances. We all know you’ve been given a raw deal, being an innocent man in prison and all. And I hope this doesn’t sound selfish, but we all agreed that we thank God that you were at Glenworth and Delvers for us. We all know that if it hadn’t been for you making us see the light, the majority of us would still be serving time. Now, you of all people know I’m not a religious man...as much as Reverend Luther Thomas wishes otherwise...but we believe there was a reason you were sent to prison. Because someone knew you were needed for the six guys who’d lost their way. So, although you may have lost time with your three sons while being locked up, we all want you to know that you’ve gained six others. And one day, when you’re finally found innocent and released from prison, we’re going to make sure all nine of your sons get together and give you the biggest homecoming party ever.
Shep leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes for a second. He’d done what any other human would have done for those guys. They’d been young, foolish and like Andrew had said...lost. But he’d looked beyond their tough and rough exteriors and had seen guys who’d been denied love and affection, attention and a chance to succeed. Some even had the attitude that the world owed them something. He would be the first to admit it hadn’t been easy getting through to some of them, and Andrew and Matthew had been two of the hardest.
He opened his eyes and chuckled. But then, Courson and Striker had been real badasses, too. In the end, he’d gotten through to them and was proud they were back on the outside as productive citizens.
Shep went through several more emails before coming to one with a sender name he didn’t recognize. He started to delete it, but something about the subject line—Suggest You Read This—aroused his curiosity, so he clicked on it.
Granger. You don’t know me, but I know you. If I were you, I would make sure your sons don’t get it into their heads to prove your innocence. Something tragic could happen.
Breath was snatched from Shep’s lungs, and for a moment he found it difficult to breathe. Once he got his breathing under control, he looked at the sender’s email address and frowned. Again. He didn’t recognize the name and figured it had been sent from a public computer.
When he saw Ambrose making his rounds across the room, Shep called out to him. He’d grown close to Ambrose, who, in his middle forties, was a hard worker, a dedicated and fair prison guard, and a family man with a wife and two sons who were the same age Caden and Dalton had been when Sheppard had gone off to prison.
“Yes, Mr. Granger? You need something?”
Shep nodded. “I need to get in touch with my attorney right away.”
Ambrose lifted a brow. “Is something wrong?”
“Yes.” Shep slid his chair out of the way and motioned for Ambrose to take a look at the email that he still had up on the computer screen.
He watched as Ambrose’s eyes sharpened to a steel-blue. “Holy Toledo! I’ll contact your attorney right away.”
Nine
“Hannah, I’d like you to meet Shana Bradford.”
The first thing Shana thought was that the older woman was beautiful, although it was obvious that she didn’t flaunt it. According to Jace, Hannah was in her early seventies, yet her skin was smooth with very few wrinkles. Her hair was pulled back in a knot, but Shana knew when she wore it down and around her shoulders it would frame her face dramatically. Another thing Shana noticed was that her eyes were sharp, intuitive and perceptive. They had to be if she’d raised these three Granger boys. She bet they had been a handful.
“It’s nice meeting you, Ms. Bradford.”
Shana smiled. “Same here, and please call me Shana. Is it okay for me to call you Hannah?”
Hannah beamed. “It certainly is. I just found out about the meeting a couple of hours ago, but that still gave me time to prepare refreshments. Oatmeal cookies and my special fruit punch.”
“You shouldn’t have gone to any trouble,” Shana said.
“Yeah, Hannah, you shouldn’t have,” Dalton said, chewing on his fourth cookie.
Jace rolled his eyes. “And he’s still stuffing his mouth as he speaks.” He then looked over at Caden, who was standing at the window looking out. He seemed preoccupied with something. He had greeted them when they’d first arrived, but he now had eased back into his own little world. Jace had noticed that same behavior earlier today, as well. Caden had quickly left the office without telling anyone where he’d gone. Jace figured he’d gone looking for Shiloh. If he’d found her, how had it gone?
“I hope this meeting is important, Jace. I have a hot date.” Okay, so he was lying through his teeth, Dalton thought, since he really didn’t have a hot date. But he planned to hit that club just in case his mystery lady showed up again tonight. That was a long shot, but when you were desperate, what else could you do?
“No problem. We can get started since we’re all here,” Jace said, breaking into Dalton’s thoughts. “If we can get you away from the cookie platter and the punch bowl. And, Caden?”
Caden