Chapter 9

Damascus Library

Grace Covenant University

Reston, VA

September 4

There were so many things Sue loved about libraries. She watched the morning sunlight filter through the windows and dance among the shelves. Libraries smelled good, giving off the comforting scent of old, much-loved books. Each story held the promise of history. "Read me!" the books all seemed to shout. "Important things happened in my pages!" Sue looked around her, thinking of all the students whose lives had been formed in this building.

Finally she forced herself to return her attention to her work. Gina had been right; Biblical Literature was going to be difficult. Since she had no idea how much longer she would be a student at Grace, she had to make the effort to do well. She was determined to get a little more studying done before she approached Joshua Evans. She had seen him as soon as she came in, but hadn't spoken to him. She didn't want to be too obvious, and she was hoping that if she waited long enough, he would approach her. After almost two hours, she was about ready to admit defeat.

Suddenly Levi jumped up into her lap to get her attention. Sue looked up to see Joshua standing in front of her. He was just finishing talking; she couldn't catch any of it. Her heart jumped, but she forced herself to remain calm. "I'm sorry; did you ask me something?"

He smiled apologetically. "No, I'm sorry. I had heard that you were deaf, but I forgot. I'm Joshua Evans. What are you studying?"

"Biblical Literature," She answered. She took a second to really look at him. He was even better looking than his photo had suggested, with his blond hair and blue eyes. His expression seemed to reflect nothing more than friendliness and curiosity. If he was hiding something, she couldn't see it.

"That's a really hard class. Stop by the library any time you want; I'll help you look for resources," he offered.

She nodded. "I might have to take you up on that."

He smiled. "Great; just let me know. I have to get back to work now." He picked up one of her library books. "Are you ready to check out?"

"Yes," she said, with probably a little more force than was necessary. "I've had plenty of studying for one day."

Joshua chuckled, "I'll bet." He gathered her books into his arms. "Come on; I'll run these through the system."

"Thanks," Sue replied.

He checked all of the books and slid them into a bag. He also pointed to a stack of flyers on the counter. "Don't forget our upcoming fundraiser; it's a party. Maybe you can come."

"Maybe. I'll have to check with my boyfriend," Sue said.

Something flickered briefly in his eyes. "Yes, well…it's for a good cause. See you around, Sue."

"Bye." Sue left the library, wondering. He didn't like it when I mentioned my boyfriend; maybe he was just hoping I was single? She had to admit that she really didn't know.

~~~~ST~~~~

Hoover Building

Washington, D.C.

September 4

"Huh. This is…disgusting."

"What is it?" Jack was by Tara's side in less then a second.

Tara shot him an amused glance. She and Myles had come in to the office this morning, giving up their Saturday to work on the case. Jack had joined them. He hadn't seen Sue since the day before, and he was positively twitching with nervous energy. She started to tease him about it, but took pity on the look in his eyes. "Dalton Mitchell was let go from a university six years ago for having a relationship with a female student, but it doesn't look like the administration at Grace was aware of it. It took me awhile to find anything; he either fixed the records himself or hired someone to do it. Whoever cleaned this up was very, very good with computers."

Myles looked at her with pride. "But you're better."

Tara smiled triumphantly. "Yes, I am."

"Good work, Tara," Jack said approvingly. "Did the police interview Mitchell during the initial investigation?"

"Yes," she replied. "All of the men on campus had to give official statements. Mitchell was immediately ruled out as a suspect; he had an alibi for the night Linda Martin was murdered."

"We'll have to check that again," Jack said. "The lab didn't find anything on the glass Sue gave me. What else do we know?"

Myles spoke up hesitantly. "There's something about Joshua Evans. All I've uncovered so far is that both his parents and sister are dead. He looks fine on paper; I can't explain it except to say that something doesn't feel right." He looked decidedly uncomfortable with such illogical reasoning.

"Trust your instincts, Myles," Tara said.

"Absolutely," Jack agreed. "If you think it needs a second look, that's good enough for me. Sue was supposed to meet him today. I'll ask about it when I see her in the morning."

"Escorting your lovely girlfriend to church?" Myles asked dryly.

"Yes, Myles," Jack said sarcastically. "I'm taking Sue to church. You know, you might want to go sometime yourself. I hear it does wonders for attitude problems."

~~~~ST~~~~

Reverend John Moore Chapel

Grace Covenant University

Reston, VA

September 5

Jack didn't even try to lie to himself about how glad he was to see Sue the following morning. Her security team had reported no problems since he had left her on Friday afternoon. Still, he felt a rush of relief when he saw her waiting for him outside the school's chapel. She was wearing a royal blue dress that made her look elegant and utterly desirable, and he realized that the only place he wanted to be was by her side. His world had changed irrevocably two days ago as he watched her dash across a busy street to save a child. That...presence that had lodged in his heart had taken root, and he was just about ready to give it a name. He took Sue's hand and squeezed it gently, accepting that he was no longer playing a role, if in fact he ever had been. "Good morning, beautiful."

Sue blushed, but managed to answer steadily enough. "Good morning." She had noticed the change in Jack as soon as he stepped out of his car. His eyes positively glowed when he looked at her, and his every action seemed to have such...purpose. She decided that Lucy had been right; all Jack had been waiting for was a chance. She envied him his confidence and wondered what she would decide when the time came. She had learned a long time ago that what felt right wasn't always the best choice.

She motioned to the older woman standing beside her. "Jack, this is my interpreter, Judy Marshall. She agreed to come to church this morning with me."

"It's nice to meet you. Do you mind if I borrow my girlfriend for just a minute?" He grinned, his eyes twinkling. "I haven't seen her since Friday, you know." Judy agreed, laughing, and he pulled a very embarrassed Sue to a grove of trees not far from the building.

"Jack..."

"Ooh. Are you going to use that tone with me when we get married? I hope so." He knew he was pushing his luck, but he just couldn't seem to help it.

Sue put her hands on her hips. "Jack, be serious."

"Okay, I'll try to behave." Sobering quickly, he gave her the latest news. He had told her on Friday that Tara and Myles had joined the case, and she couldn't help the feeling of relief she got from working with people she knew. When Jack got to the part about Myles's preoccupation with Joshua Evans, she jumped in.

"I met him yesterday at the library, he checked out my books for me. He got upset when I mentioned my boyfriend." She told him exactly what had happened.

Jack's gaze narrowed thoughtfully. "The bag of books he checked out for you, have you done anything with it?"

"No, I haven't even looked at it since," she said somewhat guiltily.

"Avoiding your homework, young lady?" Jack teased.

"I prefer to call it creative time management," Sue replied. "Anyway, if you think the bag might be useful, I can give it to you after church."

"And thus have a convenient excuse for not finishing your assignment," Jack chuckled.

Sue turned up her nose. "I think it's time for the service to start." She moved away so quickly that Jack had to rush to catch up with her.

As sunlight settled on the pews in the chapel, Sue admitted to herself how good it felt to sit beside Jack; she had a sudden image of doing this together every Sunday, of what it would be like to be part of a couple with him. It seemed right, but she reminded herself to be cautious. Guiltily, she realized that the preacher had begun the sermon while she was daydreaming. She forced all stray thoughts from her mind and concentrated as Judy's hands portrayed the beauty of the scriptures.

Jack watched the interpreter sign the message and was amazed yet again at the elegance of the language. He thought about how much he would have missed if Sue hadn't come into his life. Overcome by the thought, he sent up a fervent prayer of thanks for the blessing God had given him in meeting Sue...

...and loving her.

And just like that, the presence in his heart had its proper name. He reached down to hold her hand, and she smiled at him. If the light from the chapel windows got a little blurry, he told himself it was just because he was happy.