She entered the same door she and Gerard had entered last Friday night. This time the lights were all on, the chandeliers gleaming on the burnished tables and woodwork, reflecting from the leaded glass windows. The marble floor had been cleaned of blood, but if Megan blinked she could see the stain of it surrounding Barry’s head.
“Up here,” Kirstie called from the top of the stairs. “I’ve been studying the banister.”
Kirstie took the carpeted stairway to join her friend. “Are you okay?”
“Not really.” Kirstie stepped over to the railing above the place on the floor where Megan and Gerard had found Barry. “This banister? Sheriff Moritz should have noticed that it’s not the least bit loose. And though Barry was a tall man, unless he intentionally climbed over this railing and jumped, he couldn’t have accidentally fallen.”
Megan grasped the banister and shook it for Kirstie’s benefit, but she’d gone over this whole thing in her mind since finding him. “What if he did jump?”
“Barry? I don’t think so. A man who’s trying to poison his wife—and possibly his daughter—for a large sum of money is not going to commit suicide.”
“Then you believe someone could have murdered him?”
Kirstie gazed down at the marble floor, and her face softened. “No. I can’t think that either. Uncle Lawson wouldn’t have done it even if he’d had the strength. And Gerard had a set of my keys, but he wouldn’t have had a reason to kill a complete stranger.”
“The only other person with a set—”
“Is Nora.” Kirstie’s facial features twisted with sorrow and pain. “I can’t believe it of her. Not Nora. She’s no killer.”
“Of course not.”
“But I found Eaton’s ring the other day in Nora’s attic, and I recalled seeing it before. Remember two years ago when Nora broke her leg? I moved in with her for a while to take care of her until she could get around on her own. I was cleaning in her bedroom when I accidentally knocked over a jewelry case, and the ring fell out.”
“He probably didn’t wear his ring when he went hunting.”
“He never took it off. He told me that when we went out on our first date. It was a gift from his father, and since his father’s death he never removed that ring. Did you know Eaton was a mean drunk?”
“I knew about his reputation.”
The sound of footsteps reached them from below. “I thought I saw lights,” Nora Thompson called up to them. “And so I took a stroll.” She started up the stairs, and when her gaze caught her best friend’s she didn’t look away. “I stepped inside and looked around, checked out the kitchen. You know I used to play chef here part-time?”
“I remember,” Kirstie said softly.
“I heard voices and came out to chat.” She reached the top of the stairs and turned to look down them. “Sound carries well in this huge area.”
“I know. Nora, I’m—”
“I had Alec attempt to purchase this building and the new area Lawson had in his plans. I told Alec the property values were only going up on this side of the creek, and we should invest while we had a chance. I wanted him to get into the game. Unfortunately, Alec’s never enjoyed the investment game the way I have.”
“Nora—”
“Lawson wasn’t interested in selling.” Nora stepped over to the piano and ran her fingers along the polished rim. “Our sins find us out, even when they aren’t really sins.”
“What happened?” Megan asked.
“Honey, are you sure you can’t convince that man of yours to build elsewhere?”
“I thought you wanted the rehab center here.”
“Not right here, Megan.”
“Why?”
“Kirstie, you were right about Eaton. I wished so many times that I’d listened to you, but you know I’m not the best at paying attention. He was a bully. He came home drunk one night and pushed a little harder than ever before, hit me once too often. I honestly didn’t mean to kill him, but the bottle didn’t break. I broke his skull.”
Kirstie gasped. “Oh, Nora.”
“I’d have called the sheriff if it had been Moritz, but it wasn’t. It was Sandoll, and he and Eaton were the best of buddies. I could have pled self-defense, but no one knew Eaton was doing what he was to me at home.”
“Alec?” Megan asked.
Nora shook her head. “Eaton was on his best behavior when his son was home. He was good about hitting me where it didn’t show.” She sat down on the piano bench and leaned forward. “I knew what Barry was doing, Kirstie. I went to him and threatened to tell you about his philandering ways if he didn’t help me make Eaton disappear. I was that desperate.” She looked up at Kirstie with tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“What did he do with Eaton’s body?” Kirstie asked.
Nora reached into the pocket of her slacks and pulled out a lethal-looking .380 semi-automatic.
People were chowing down on Nora’s cookies during a break. Gerard couldn’t have asked for a better crowd. He shot a glance toward Alec across the table, and Alec caught his eye for just a moment. They nodded to each other.
“Nora Thompson is going to owe us a bundle for this” came a quiet voice from behind the coffee urn. “Vance is making more and more sense.”
Gerard looked up to see surprise register on Alec’s face.
“She’ll make it up to us,” came another voice. “She always does. Just vote and keep your mouth shut.”
The voices grew softer as the men walked away.
Gerard met Alec’s gaze again. “I thought your mother was in favor of the rehab center.”
“So did I.”
“Then doesn’t she realize the manufacturing plant needs the rehab center in order to work?”
Alec shrugged. “Maybe if you sold the Barnes place to her at a decent price, she’ll see to it you get the zoning you want in a different place.”
“I’m not denying a man his dying wish. If she has the money, she can build her own resort.”
“You don’t know my mom very well.”
Gerard had come to know that Nora Thompson usually got what she wanted. So what was it she wanted?
Something didn’t feel right. Badly as Gerard wanted to stay and fight this battle, he couldn’t get Megan’s latest message from his mind. She was meeting with Kirstie at the lodge right now. The lodge Nora wanted badly enough to undermine his plans with the town.
He grabbed his notes and left.
Kirstie stared at the gun in Nora’s hand. “Honey, what on earth are you doing with that thing?”
Nora pushed the bench backward and stood up. “I’d have thought you would recognize this. It was Barry’s.”
“What?”
“After Barry took care of Eaton’s body so easily, I knew what he was capable of. So when word spread that Lawson was given such a short time to live, I wondered if Barry might pull something. And he did. Soon after, you started having your blackouts. I called him and had him meet me here one day, and I told him I knew what he was up to and that if anything happened to you I was going to tell the police about Eaton and have Barry investigated. That was when I told him he had to move out.”
“You’re the one who did that?”
“I thought he was putting something in your food, dropping something in your drinks, and if he left, it would stop. But it didn’t stop. It kept getting worse. Last Friday I called another meeting.” She held up the gun. “He brought this with him and pulled it on me.” She let the gun dangle between her fingers and held it out to Kirstie. “The idiot must have forgotten I’ve been practicing martial arts for years.”
“Self-defense.” Kirstie took the weapon. “Again.”
“Kirstie, you’re my best friend. I’ve done all
I could to protect myself, but Barry told me a few years ago he’d buried Eaton’s body here on the grounds. They were pouring concrete for the sunroom and they didn’t complete the job because Lawson got sick. My husband’s body is buried beneath a very thin layer of concrete, so the moment someone starts to excavate, the body will be found, and I’ll be arrested.”
“Barry thought you would hide his dirty little secrets because he helped you hide your accident?” Kirstie shook her head. “He didn’t know you at all. Honey, Alec’s a grown man now. You don’t have to protect him, and this town loves you. Come clean with Moritz. Clear the air.”
“I’m guilty of obstructing justice, and I could be found guilty of two murders.”
“Have a little faith, Nora. People in this town know you, and we all know you’re not a killer. Let it go. Get out from under all this.”
“And the first thing you can do,” came Gerard Vance’s voice from below, “is call off your committee and make the right zone change.”
At the sound of Gerard’s voice, Megan realized she hadn’t been running from Corpus Christi at all. The truth fell over her as if the sun had burst forth over the room. What had frightened her so badly was the thought that someday Gerard could be killed.
Losing Joni had not only undermined her confidence in herself, but the loss broke her heart. Period. She was afraid to love Gerard and lose him.
Megan took the gun from Kirstie, slid back the clip to check it for ammo and found it empty. She slid the pistol into her pocket and turned to greet Gerard.
Kirstie put her arm around Nora and led her down the stairs. “We need to find you a good attorney.”
“I know two of them. Maybe more would be better.”
“Why don’t you go ahead and call Moritz, get the jump on everything, turn yourself in?”
“Attorneys first, Kirs. You know I like to do things a certain way.”
“You know I love my tigress of a best friend.”
“Well, I guess you can be pretty certain that I love you too.”
SEVENTEEN
Megan ached from her toes to her fingertips by the time she reached Corpus Christi the first day of June. How had she forgotten the heat in such a short time? She’d become accustomed to the hot and humid air of Jolly Mill and forgotten it could be even hotter elsewhere.
She took the last exit before the bridge and made her way through traffic. He would be at the mission. Gerard couldn’t go to Corpus Christi without spending time at the mission, even if Tess and Sean had taken over management. Gerard was supposed to be moving his household furniture to storage so Tess and Sean could move in.
The house Gerard was having built wouldn’t be complete for another month, so meanwhile he was back in Kirstie’s upstairs suite, overseeing the arrival of household staff at the new Vance Rehab Facility.
Megan thought about calling Tess one more time to make sure he was there, but if Gerard was anywhere near the phone it might ruin the surprise.
After two more telephone calls to her parents, Megan had ironed out most of her problems with Mom. Interesting how much alike they were. And frightening. But Mom had changed over the years, and Megan hadn’t noticed. It was time. Things did change. People changed. Even Megan.
Nora, of course, had not only a group of attorneys on her case, but she hadn’t spent a single night in jail. Alec had at first been devastated to discover his mother’s dark secrets, but despite his father’s attempts to cover up his cruelty, Alec had suspected for many years. He too was on better terms with his mother these days. Maybe he and Megan had both matured a little these past few weeks.
Vance Manufacturing was halfway completed, with Hans overseeing the work and living at the rehab center. He never lacked for food or female attention, and though Megan had made several attempts to introduce him to her best friend, Lynley was back in her own home in Columbia, studying for her doctorate in nursing.
Megan pulled into the parking lot behind the mission and found a spot. Granted, her heart rate was slightly elevated, but she couldn’t tell for sure if that was from bad memories or the realization that she’d driven all the way down here to propose. What if he turned her down?
Old friends and residents rushed to greet her as soon as she stepped through the back door. She hugged several necks as she made her way toward the door to admin. Before she reached it, though, she glanced through the window to see a familiar head of blond hair bent over the physician’s desk.
He looked up as if he sensed her arrival. He met her before she could take three steps into the clinic. “Megan?”
She took a breath. “I missed you.”
He grinned. “I’m flying back tomorrow.”
“Want to ride back with me? Save money?”
He put an arm around her and turned to look at the clinic. “We’ve put walls up. Seven exam rooms. Two full-time nurses, a nurse practitioner and a physician.”
“I know. I was the one who told you to hire them and build the walls.”
“Wanted to check me out and make sure I wasn’t lying to you?”
She took his hand and tugged him back out the door. They’d had some good talks out walking along the streets that surrounded the mission. Granted, it wasn’t the best part of town, but it was where they found the neediest people.
“I hate to admit it,” she said, “but you were right. I was running from something I’ll never be able to avoid, not even in Jolly Mill.”
“You mean life?” He released her hand and put his arm around her again.
“I went out to your property the other day and prayed for you to have a good life, for some of your dreams to come true. But just standing on that land and praying for you didn’t cut it for me.” She recalled the sudden burst of joy she’d felt that day.
“At least you’re back on speaking terms with God.”
“I’m beginning to see His viewpoint more often. I’m realizing I never lost faith in Him, I was just angry. You don’t get angry with someone if you don’t believe in them.”
“I knew that. So Megan, tell me why you’re here. You said you’d never come back.”
“I was wrong. I wanted to prove it.”
“Well, I hope you’re not here for a job, because it’s filled.”
“Nope.” She grinned. “Got one.”
“It’s going to get busier pretty quickly too. You may even need another doctor in the clinic before long.”
“Gerard, I came here to say something, and if I don’t say it now I may chicken out.” She turned to face him. “You never gave up on me, no matter how hard I was on you. And that made me realize if you didn’t give up on me, then neither would God. Instead you were tender—some of the time—and patient—part of the time.” She gestured toward the mission building. “I feel safer now than ever before.”
“Careful about that. Remember the line in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe? ‘God is not always safe—’”
“‘—but He’s always good.’ If you’re trying to scare me off, stop it.”
“Marriage to me might not be safe either,” Gerard said gently, “but with you and me together, I know it would be good. We worked well together for nearly two years, Megan, but I want more than that with you. Marry me?”
She sighed. “You beat me to it.”
He threw his head back and laughed. She reached her arms up around his neck and kissed him. “Why do you think I came all the way down here?”
He took her into his arms. “Let’s be one another’s port in the storm.”
* * * * *
Dear Reader,
A couple of years ago I met a woman who has a heart that is very tender toward the homeless. She lives in Hollywood, and spoke to me about the growing number of homeless because of whole familie
s losing their jobs. I got all excited about gathering a bunch of things together that those people might need, and sent them to her to pass out on the street. But as I sent them I realized it wasn’t nearly enough. I wished I’d had more to do.
When I see something that touches my heart, I write about it in hopes that maybe it will touch the hearts of others who are like-minded. I realize that there are many homeless whose situations are almost hopeless, but there are also many who simply need a hand up, who have lost jobs, have too many bills, not enough money, or even lost unemployment income. So I dreamed about a homeless shelter and a hero who would be tough enough to handle all kinds of people, those who needed a hand up, and those who needed to learn to earn the food they eat daily. That’s how Gerard developed in my mind. Then Megan developed when I wanted a physician who loved these hurting people with a great passion—a perfect partner for Gerard.
Recently I got excited when I read about a man who is doing exactly what Gerard does in this book—he puts people to work. No free handouts. Even if it’s just sweeping the street, they earn their food. There is no better way to return a person’s self-respect. Free handouts may be necessary for a time, but love comes when we care enough to help the needy rebuild self-esteem they may have lost when they forgot how to work for their food and shelter. That’s what Gerard Vance is all about. I’d love to see real people in real places doing this same thing. How about you?
Many blessings,
Hannah Alexander
Questions for Discussion
Dr. Megan Bradley breaks contact and abandons her post at the rescue mission in Corpus Christi to return to her hometown of Jolly Mill, Missouri. Her excuse is that the nightmares she was having were disturbing her neighbors. Does her reasoning seem rational to you when she still has nightmares about her patient’s death?
Eye of the Storm Page 19