Walk Through the Valley (Psalm 23 Mysteries) Read Free Page A

and Jeremiah’s heart plunged. “Get out of my way,” he growled, ready to tear the man apart.
    Then just over the man’s shoulder he caught sight of Liam, Mark’s new partner. Before he could call to him the man shifted a step to the side and he saw that Liam was talking to Cindy.
    He closed his eyes for a moment as relief flooded him. He had to get control of himself.
    “What happened after you found him with the body?” he clearly heard Liam ask.
    “I shouted for help and that’s when Christopher here came running. He was the one who called 911,” Cindy said, indicating a tall, well-dressed man with blond hair who was standing next to her.
    Jeremiah took a step backward, feeling as though he had been physically struck. Cindy had been shouting for help and he hadn’t heard her. Someone else had come to her rescue when it should have been him. He felt a sudden, intense hatred for Christopher, whoever he was, and imagined himself snapping the other man’s neck like it was a twig.
    “Hey, buddy, are you okay?” the uniformed officer asked him.
    Liam glanced around. “Jeremiah, how do you fit into all of this?” the detective asked.
    Jeremiah took a deep breath. “I guess I don’t,” he said.
    “Sorry. I thought the two of you were inseparable.”
    Jeremiah met Cindy’s eyes. From the sounds of things she had found another dead body and maybe even the murderer. Yet, somehow, all the drama was actually between the two of them and noone knew it.
    He was losing control, emotions roiling within him and it was just a matter of time before he did something he’d regret. For the second time in his life he felt like everything was slipping away from him.
    “I was glad I heard her shouting,” Christopher said, and he put an arm around Cindy’s shoulders. “I can’t imagine what might have happened if I hadn’t shown up.”
    “Take your hand off of her,” Jeremiah snarled.
    “Okay, settle-” the uniformed officer choked on his words as Jeremiah grabbed his hand, gave it a sharp twist, and put him on the ground.
    Jeremiah stepped over him and met Christopher’s startled eyes. The other man hastily backed away from Cindy, eyes widening in fear. He should be afraid. Christopher would regret trying to replace him.
    “Jeremiah, stop!” Cindy said sharply.
    He paused and turned to look at her. Her eyes were wide, too, but in surprise instead of fear. The others were right to fear him, but Cindy wasn’t afraid of him. She never was. Even if she should be. Her blind trust in him had always worried him. What would she say if she knew the truth about him?
    He blinked, coming slowly out of the fog that had seemed to descend over him. She did know the truth. At least, part of it. And she was still looking at him the same way. No fear. No suspicion. Just trust.
    He took a deep breath and she reached out and touched his arm. He turned to Liam. “I’m sorry. I was just so worried about her.”
    Liam was staring from Jeremiah to the officer he had put on the ground. “Remind me never to get in between you two,” he muttered.
    Jeremiah flushed. He turned and helped the officer to his feet. The man glared at him, but didn’t say anything. Jeremiah knew he was lucky the man wasn’t making an issue of it. He had, after all, just physically assaulted a police officer. In the man’s eyes, though, Jeremiah saw fear. The man was afraid to push it.
    Before anyone could do or say anything else a woman in an expensive looking blue suit hurried up, blond curls bouncing against her shoulders. “Where’s my husband?” she asked in an anguished voice. Her gaze flitted to Christopher and then quickly back to the rest of them.
    “Marjorie, I’m over here,” a distraught voice called out.
    Jeremiah tilted his head to the side. There, sitting about fifteen feet away on the ground with a police officer standing over him, was a man who looked familiar. His dark hair was cropped close and he wore suit slacks with a dress shirt