Ever Present Danger by Kathy Herman

to tie up my construction site for a week to ten days.”

    “I would guess they’ll check dental records?”

    Elam nodded. “We’ll just have to wait for the preliminary autopsy report. Wouldn’t it be something if it turns out to be Joe after all this time?” Elam glanced up at Ivy. “You ever wonder about him?”

    Like every day of my life . “Of course. He was a good friend of Pete’s. None of us were the same after he died. How are his parents doing?”

    “Never did get over it,” Elam said. “Probably because there was always a possibility that he was still alive.”

    “If this will bring them closure, I hope it turns out to be Joe,” Carolyn said. “I just hope it doesn’t present a whole new set of unanswered questions that makes their grief worse.”

    Elam took a sip of water. “Surely we can find something more appropriate to talk about over dinner. So Ivy, when are you working for Jewel?”

    “Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday from 6:00 a.m. till 2:00. My afternoons will be free, and I’ll have three week-daysoff. That’ll give me lots of time with Montana.”

    “Whatever happened to working two jobs?”

    Carolyn reached over and touched Elam’s hand. “We can discuss that later. Did you know that Montana made a friend at the ice rink? Ian Carter. I told him you and Ian’s dad are good friends. The boys are going to be in the same class at school.”

    “You don’t say?”

    Montana bobbed his head. “The teacher’s name is Mrs. Leopard.”

    “Shepard,” Ivy said. “Mrs. Shepard.”

    Montana flashed her a smile framed with a milk mustache. “Yeah. Can I buy lunch at my new school? Ian says they have really good spasketti and meatballs!”

    Carolyn saw Ivy wince and figured she was already worrying about the money and embarrassed by Montana’s seemingly obsessive references to food. “I’m sure we can arrange for a boy with a healthy appetite like yours to buy lunch at school.” Carolyn brushed the hair out of his eyes.

    Elam shot Carolyn an I-told-you-so look and stuffed a big bite of roast beef into his mouth.

    After dinner Ivy helped her mother with the dishes, then went upstairs to check on Lu and found Montana sitting on her bed, recounting every detail Ian Carter had told him about the new school and the teacher.

    Ivy stood in the doorway and memorized the moment, thinking it might be the last normal interaction between Montana and his Gramma Lu. She swallowed the wad of emotion that rose in her throat, then pushed a chair to the foot of the bed and sat. Even Lu’s brown skin couldn’t hide the dark circles under her eyes.

    “You and your mother are going to like it here,” Lu said. “This was a good move for you.”

    Montana took her hand in his. “You like it, too. Right, Gramma Lu?”

    Lu held his gaze, and then said softly, “This is not where I’mgoing to live, Montana. It’s time for me to go to heaven, and I can’t take you with me.”

    Montana let go of her hand and looked over his shoulder at Ivy, his expression like that of a helpless puppy, then turned back to Lu. “Why not?”

    Lu gently pulled him down next to her and cradled him in her arms. “Because you haven’t lived your life yet. Don’t worry about me. Heaven is a wonderful place. I’ll be very happy there.”

    “I don’t want you to leave.”

    Lu nodded. “I know.”

    “What is heaven, anyway?”

    “It’s a faraway kingdom where God lives. And it’s the happiest place you could ever imagine—better than Casa Bonita or Six Flags or even Disney World. Only you never have to go home because heaven is your forever home.”

    “Will I ever see you again?”

    Lu looked up, her eyes colliding with Ivy’s, her hand stroking Montana’s hair. “Ask your mom to tell you about Jesus. He’s God’s Son, and He knows the way to heaven. You just need to follow Him.”

    Ivy was surprised and a little annoyed that Lu had put her on the spot like that, knowing it