“Don’t say that. You can’t possibly mean it. You were just using me to get information. Dear God, how stupid can one woman be?” Christy said with her eyes raised to the ceiling.
“It wasn’t like that,” Curt replied. “At first I did try to get information from you for the purpose of the investigation, but it wasn’t the reason I kept coming back. I fell in love with you. My boss even threatened to take me off the case—that’s how bad I was about the whole thing. I spent more time protecting your image than digging for the truth. You have to believe me, Christy.”
The pleading tone wasn’t lost on her. She nearly cringed at the sadness in his voice. It was almost like he knew he was fighting a final battle, and the outcome would forever change his destiny.
“I can’t believe you,” she whispered. “I don’t even know who you are.”
“Yes, you do. Down deep inside, you know the real me. The only important me. Christy, I told them all along that you were innocent. You can ask Debbie. I told her what happened this morning and that we were going to have to let you in on it or totally blow the work we’d accomplished. We have to put Grant away, Christy. He may be the person responsible for my parents’ crash.”
Christy shook her head. “You’re just using all of this to make yourself look better.”
“What can I say to convince you? I know things about you that you haven’t told me. I know about your shipping schedules and your European brokers. I know that you always use T.D. Express for your shipments. What you might not know is that T.D. Express is a subsidiary of O&F Aviation, the company that I co-own with my sister and Ben Fairchild.”
“All of this sounds contrived,” Christy said, sniffing back tears. “I mean you start out with this story about airplanes and drugs, and you end up snooping through my house and business affairs. Where’s the connection?”
“There are several, although until recently I didn’t realize just how many. When I started working on finding my parents’ killers, I was on my own. What I knew, I couldn’t prove. Then I met up with some people in the DEA, and we became good friends. Next thing I knew, I was part of the force, making it a whole lot easier to investigate. I knew that people in O&F Aviation were involved, but I had to get proof.”
“I still don’t see how this connects to me. I’m a dress design- er, for pity’s sake.”
“Christy, you have to trust me. I can’t give the entire case away because it involves too many people. You have to understand, the biggest problem that’s facing us in the case right now—the one that worries me about your safety—is Grant.”
“Grant?” Christy questioned. “Why Grant? I mean, I know he’s involved in drugs, but how does he figure into your case and why is it any of my concern?”
Curt shifted restlessly in the seat. “Cheryl Fairchild is one of your clients, and she’s involved with Grant.”
“Grant? Why should I believe you?”
“Because whether you care about the adults involved, the lives of two children depend on you keeping my cover intact.”
“Two children?” Christy questioned curiously.
“Yes, and both of them are unfortunately Grant’s.”
Christy’s eyes narrowed and her brows drew together as if she could somehow solve the equation that Curt put before her. “What are you saying?”
“Cheryl Fairchild is carrying Grant’s baby. She knows him as Stratton McFarland, however. I met him at a party my sister gave. I thought he looked vaguely familiar, but it wasn’t until I saw him arguing with you at the hospital and learned who he was that I was able to place him. I’d seen him leaving your driveway in a black Porsche. I didn’t get all that good a look, however, so when I met him at CJ’s, I just didn’t remember.”
Christy felt the blood drain from her face. She thought for a minute she might even faint.
“I’m sorry, Christy. I had to tell you because I fear for your life. I want to protect you, but I can’t unless you help me. Sarah is at stake, also. You can’t keep her safe by yourself. You need me and I need you, not only for this case, but for each other.”
Christy remained silent, contemplating everything Curt had shared with her. It was so much to take in, yet somehow she knew it must be true.
“Cheryl’s been engaged to Stratton, or Grant, for nearly a year. He must have met her right after marrying Candy,” Curt continued. “He courted Cheryl in great style, but according to my sister, he was strangely absent for long periods of time, and he didn’t explain his whereabouts. I presume that’s when he was at home with Candy. He and Cheryl set a wedding date, and Cheryl moved back to Denver from Los Angeles—at least I think that’s where they originally met—and planned her wedding. One thing after another took place to delay their plans. You should know, too, that it was Grant who insisted that Cheryl use your wedding design business. He told her, right down to the last detail, what he wanted her dress to be composed of.”
“Yes, I do remember Cheryl stating on occasion that her fiancé had specified many of the materials we were to use in her gown,” Christy said, forgetting that she didn’t believe Curt’s story.
Curt smiled for the first time since arriving. Refusing to let him have any hope in the situation, Christy immediately covered her mistake.
“Cheryl could have told you that,” she replied stiffly.
“In a way, I guess she did. She told my sister, and my sister found it very strange that a man should be so involved in the design and materials of a woman’s wedding dress. She even told me that Cheryl had to re-arrange her scheduled appointments with you on more than one occasion because she was trying to get Stratton-Grant to come with her and see the dress. But he knew he couldn’t come here because you would recognize him as your brother-in-law.”
“But why become involved at all?”
“The drugs. As best as I can figure it, Grant needed something special in a nonroutine shipment. He knew if he could get you to place a specific order, he could have the drugs or whatever it was he needed imported right along with the materials.
Christy, this thing is bigger than you can imagine. The proportions for this operation outrank anything even I expected.”
Christy got up and walked to the window. Lightly fingering the drapes, her mind raced with unspoken questions. Before she realized it, Curt was at her back, his hands on her arms.
“Please, Christy, please believe my love for you is real. I want to walk away from this entire matter when it’s done and know that I still have you. That I haven’t lost the one precious thing I have in life.”
When she didn’t react to his touch or respond to his voice, Curt continued. “I’ll give you the money Grant’s demanding for Sarah. I’ll do whatever I can to prove to you that I love you and the baby. Just help me nail Grant. Help me put him away where he can’t hurt anybody ever again.”
“How can you be sure that Grant is responsible for the deaths of your parents?” Christy finally asked in a strained voice.
“Because Ben Fairchild told me he was.”
“I just don’t know,” Christy finally said. “I need to think.”
Curt dropped his hands. “Don’t take too long,” he said and added, “we don’t have much time.”
Christy nodded and waited for him to leave. She heard his footsteps as he went from the room and through the foyer. She heard the front door open and close, then watched as he walked down the sidewalk, not even looking back to where he knew she stood. Then he was gone, and Christy felt the emptiness in her heart fill her being.
Fool! Her mind seemed to scream the word. Her heart pounded harder. What was she supposed to do? Grant was dealing drugs and would most likely take Sarah away from her if Christy didn’t do everything he told her to. Curt was involved in some major undercover sting operation, and her designer business was stuck in the middle of everything.
Fool seemed too mild a word.
seventeen
Christy stood with her brother at the graveside of their sister. Candy
’s funeral had been a quiet affair with so few people to mourn her passing that Christy felt even sadder. How could a child of nineteen pass through life and leave so little behind?
Neither her mother nor father had taken the time to come back to the United States for the service. Even Grant hadn’t bothered to show up, not that Christy really expected him to. He’d given no recognition of the baby’s existence, nor of Candy’s passing. Why would it surprise anyone that he hadn’t bothered to pay his final respects to a woman he had never respected in the first place?
“Psalm 116 says, ‘I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy,’ “the minister stated, but Christy barely heard the words. Her mind was turned back to that moment with Curt when she’d accepted the Lord as her own Savior.
“‘Be at rest once more, O my soul,’” the minister recited, “‘for the Lord has been good to you. For you, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling….’”
Christy thought of Curt’s verse in Isaiah. What was it? Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall…. Christy remembered the words and felt as though a warm arm had come to wrap itself around her.
The minister’s compelling voice continued the eulogy, “‘I believed; therefore I said, “I am greatly afflicted.” And in my dismay I said, “All men are liars.” ‘”
Christy felt the breath go out from her as though someone had punched her in the stomach. Those could be my own words, she thought. Hadn’t she felt men unworthy of her trust because they always lied? Wasn’t it the reason she felt Curt had betrayed her? She had to struggle to pick up the rest of the psalm.
“‘Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. O Lord, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant; you have freed me from my chains.’” The minister paused, and Christy waited in a strange sense of anxiety for what he would say. “This young child, Camille Burks, better known to her loved ones as Candy, is now free of her chains. Her brother explained that before she died, Candy found the truth of God’s love for her and felt peace in her departure from the life she knew on earth.”
Tears came to Christy’s eyes. She knew her desires to keep Candy on earth had been selfish, but the loss was so great and her pain so complete.
“Erik, Christy,” the minister was saying, and Christy snapped her head up to meet the face of the aging man. She barely heard the words of comfort he offered, however. Curt stood not twenty feet beyond, and Debbie was at his side.
Her eyes locked with Curt’s, and Christy knew that she loved him as much as she feared that she couldn’t trust him. It was all she could do to remain planted beside Erik and not run to Curt for comfort. But she refused to be made a fool of. She couldn’t let Curt know how much she needed him. She couldn’t be vulnerable and feel the pain of betrayal again.
The short service concluded, and before Christy could say a word to Erik, he left her side and went to where Curt and Debbie stood. So much for his support, Christy thought. Instead of waiting for Erik to return, Christy decided to walk back to the car.
“Curt, it was good of you to come,” Erik said and extended his hand.
“I thought Christy might need me, even if she doesn’t think so,” Curt replied. “By the way, this is Debbie. She’s a good friend of mine, and we work together.”
Erik smiled with genuine warmth at the exotic-looking woman. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Debbie, would you mind waiting at the car? I need to speak with Erik alone.”
“Sure,” Debbie replied and walked off, leaving the two men to talk.
Curt shifted uncomfortably for a moment, then made his mind known to Erik. “I wonder if I could ask you a favor?”
“What is it?”
“I’d like for you to take Debbie home, so that I can drive Christy home. We have to talk, but I’m not sure she’ll do it unless forced to.”
“And you expect me to force my sister to do something against her will? You’ve been a steady support, but, good grief, man, I don’t know you at all,” Erik stated honestly.
“I know,” Curt replied. “I don’t blame you for your apprehension, and sometime, when I can, I’ll explain in more detail. The bottom line is that I love your sister, and I want to marry her. Right now she’s hurting from all of this,” Curt said, waving his hand to where Candy’s coffin rested. “And she feels that I’ve wronged her, and in some ways, I guess I have. But, Erik, you have to understand that I want only the best for Christy. I want to love her for all time, and I want to help her raise Sarah.”
“Sometimes,” Erik said softly, “she can be very stubborn. She often misses what’s best for her. Maybe you’re exactly what she needs.”
Christy, still lost in thought, glanced up to see Erik assist- ing Debbie into his vehicle. What was he doing?
“Christy.” Curt’s voice sounded from right behind her.
She whirled around to protest that her brother was deserting her, but quickly realized it was exactly what Curt had planned. How could Erik do this to her? How could he leave her?
Christy glanced back at Erik as he prepared to drive away, then to Curt as if awaiting his explanation.
“I asked him to take Debbie home so that you’d have to accept a ride from me. Christy, I want so much for you to talk to me. I want…” He couldn’t continue. “Don’t look at me like that,” he whispered, coming to stand only inches from Christy.
“Look at you like what?” she asked in surprise.
“Like you expect me to hurt you. I’ve told you the truth—all of it. I even received a severe reprimand from my superiors.”
“You did?” Christy’s voice seemed to soften for a moment, then she quickly put her walls back in place. “Maybe you could just manipulate them like you did my brother.” She started to stalk off, but Curt put his hand out and took hold of her arm.
“Erik realizes that my intentions toward you are honorable. I’ve honestly never felt this way about anyone else, Christy, and I never will. Like it or not, I’m 100 percent yours.”
Christy fought between emotions of pure joy and stubborn denial. Curt always made her feel protected and cared for, but she quickly reasoned that feelings weren’t enough.
“I’ve heard a lot of words in my life,” Christy finally said. “I have a hard time putting trust in words.”
“Then seek your answer in prayer. Trust God, if you can’t trust me. I know you love me, Christy. I can see it in your eyes. I can feel it in your voice. When you looked up from Candy’s grave and saw me, what did you feel? What did you think?”
Christy opened her mouth to say something completely untrue, but Curt put his finger to her lips. “Remember how much you hate lies.”
Christy blushed, hating the fact that Curt knew her so well. “All right,” she said and twisted away from his hold, “you can drive me to the hospital. I’m going to visit Sarah.”
“First, answer my question. Tell me what you thought. Better yet, tell me what you wanted to do.”
“You think you know me so well,” Christy said sarcastically; “you tell me.”
“I believe I will.” By this time, Christy and Curt were the only ones left in the cemetery. “You wanted to come to me,” Curt stated simply. “No. You needed to come to me. You needed me to hold you and tell you that it would be all right. We’re two halves of a whole, Christy.”
Christy stared at him with more surprise than she’d intended to let him see. Two halves of a whole? Could it really be that way between them?
“I love you, Christy,” Curt said, taking her hands in his. “Marry me. Marry me and let me prove to you, day-by-day, just how faithful and true my love is.”
Christy shook her head. “I can’t.” She saw the pain in his eyes and added, “At least not yet. Give me some time.”
Several moments of silence filled the air around them. “All right,” Curt said with great exasperation, “but I need to talk
to you about the case. That I can’t wait on. Has Grant contacted you about the money yet?”
Christy shook her head. “No, I haven’t heard from him.”
“Good. When he calls you or comes to see you, you have to let me know. We figure we can pin him down when you give him the money.”
“I won’t do anything that puts Sarah’s life in jeopardy,” Christy stated firmly.
“I wouldn’t expect you to.”
“If Grant believes he’s being set up, he might try to hurt her, and I can’t have that.”
“I understand, Christy; just don’t let the exchange take place without me.” His voice was pleading.
“I’ll do what I can,” Christy replied thoughtfully. “But I won’t let anyone put Sarah in the middle of this. No amount of money or retaliation is worth the life of that child.”
“Just let me know,” Curt said and gently took hold of her once again. “Come on. I’ll take you to see her. I want to get to know her, too, you know.”
Christy looked up at him and thought to herself that he would make a good father. If only she could work through her anxieties and trust him. If only there weren’t so many lies already between them.
The floor of the hospital devoted to nurseries and new mothers was a far cry from the sterility of the intensive care ward. Pink and blue trimmed the halls, and photographs of babies very nearly wallpapered the lobby.
Making their way to the intensive care nursery, Christy felt very maternal. Sarah was completely dependent upon her for the future. The baby girl would one day call her Mommy, and the responsibilities were overwhelming. Almost against her will, Christy lifted her face to meet Curt’s eyes.
“It’ll be all right, sweetheart,” he said softly, and Christy nodded as if that was all she needed to hear.
When they approached the intensive care nursery, Christy learned that Sarah was thriving beyond the anticipations of the doctors. Christy and Curt were given gowns to cover their street clothes, then taken to a private room in the back of the unit. The nurse soon reappeared with the isolette containing Sarah, and Christy found that she had to sit down in order to keep her knees from shaking too hard.
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