“Weirder things have happened.” She hoped Jewel realized she was teasing. She would never encourage Jewel to date an older guy. Anyone who would date a person more than ten years younger than him was a creep in her book.
“Nate is my one and only true love, I have not given up on him. My new friend – stress on the word friend – is named Clinton Mayer.”
“No way! The best-selling mystery writer?” Emily was speechless. She loved his books. They kept her on edge until the very end, giving her an adrenaline rush that she could not find anywhere else. He was a great author, even if his scientific evaluations were wrong half the time.
“One and the same. Can he come?” Jewel sounded so hopeful, Emily couldn’t let her down.
“Yeah, sure! Listen, Jewel, I need to get back to work, but I’ll talk to you later, ok?” She really hoped she wasn’t being pushy.
“Ok. Bye, Emily.”
“Bye.” Emily hung up her phone and remembered to turn it to vibrate this time. No sooner had she dropped her phone back in her bag than Sam and Nate walked through the door. She smiled at Nate and nodded to Sam.
“Hey, Emmy,” Nate greeted her.
“Em,” Sam said simply.
“I’m a little busy,” Emily started, glancing nervously at her computer, “but what did you need?”
Sam held up the evidence bag. “To drop this off personally.”
“Well, thank you for the consideration. I will check it into the evidence locker.”
She snatched the bag and expected them to leave. They didn’t. She knew she couldn’t keep her computer from re-telling her the results of the test, but she turned back to them anyway.
“Something else?” she asked impatiently.
Sam glanced at Nate, who shut the door and leaned against it.
Emily rubbed her sweating palms against her jeans. This could not be good. She really hated it when those two teamed up. They were ruthless. Besides, she couldn’t hold it in very long with them looking at her like that.
“Nate and I decided it’s time for an intervention.”
Emily swallowed silently and shrugged coolly. “Like I said, I’m busy. Can it wait?” She started to turn back to her work.
Jesus, let them leave now. She prayed.
“No. We are going to talk about this now,” Sam insisted sternly.
Emily folded her arms and turned back to him. If he wanted confrontation she would give it to him. He would get it all right, and he would get it hard. “Fine. What are we intervening in?”
“Your life,” Nate almost mumbled.
Emily threw her hands in the air. “What now? You guys already know almost everything!” She tried to sound frustrated, and it worked. She really was, so that wasn’t much of a surprise. What was surprising was that she stayed so calm.
“What are you working on?” Sam asked.
“The Landers case. You should know that as well as anyone.” Her computer chose then to bring up the test results. She nearly choked on her own saliva.
“Come on, Emmy,” Nate interjected. “You know he means besides the Landers case.”
Emily felt her breathing get raspy. “Nothing,” she croaked out. There was no way that Sam and Nate didn’t hear her voice change, but thankfully they decided not to point out that particular fact.
“Em, we know you’re lying,” Sam managed, his voice still calm but edging on hysteria.
“Look. It’s a personal issue, it’s under control, and I don’t need you spying on me like two…guard dogs!” She nearly exploded. If they didn’t leave she was going to call security. Even if they were her two favorite agents – had she really just thought that? – they had no right to invade her personal space.
She saw Sam thinking it over, and he finally nodded. “Alright. However, if it gets out of control, I want you to contact me or Nate. I don’t care which one of us, but get a hold of someone.” His eyes searched her face for any sign of agreement.
Emily debated it. She had everything under control. But then again, if she did get into trouble, she wanted someone there. Finally, she nodded her consent. Anything to get him to leave her alone.
“Good,” Sam said, unfolding his arms and smiling with relief.
“Can I go back to work now?” Emily asked, pointing to her computer.
Nate used his shoulder to push himself off of the door and turned to unlock it. “Come on, Sam, we have work to do, too.”
Sam nodded and followed Nate out the door.
Emily almost felt bad that she hadn’t told them, but she reprimanded herself. This happened once a year and that was it. It was nothing to worry about. It had happened before and she had handled it herself. This was no different.
She sighed. Who was she kidding? This time it was different. She knew it, and she knew she didn’t want to admit it. She sank her head into her hands and let her mind wander.
Mark sat on his porch and watched the passersby as he sipped his lemonade. He wished Len would show up. He had been waiting for hours.
Len was Mark’s best friend and confidante. Mark had called him earlier because he needed to talk to someone about Emily. She just hadn’t been herself lately. Normally she only acted this way once a year, but it was not that time of year. He had to talk it through with someone. It was so heavy on his mind he had barely slept last night. His little girl needed him, but she wouldn’t let him in.
Finally, Len’s car pulled up in the driveway and he came speedily up the sidewalk. The look of concern on his face was enough to pull Mark from his chair.
“It’s not that horrible,” Mark assured Len as the two men embraced. He sincerely hoped it wasn’t.
“Good. Because I was beginning to think that your life was in danger or something.” Len nervously rubbed a gray temple. He had been on the police force for two decades before finally retiring and starting his own private investigating firm. He still had connections in the department.
Mark laughed understandingly and motioned to a chair. “Want some lemonade?”
Len nodded and gratefully accepted a glass. “So, what’s the big deal?”
Mark didn’t know how to put this. It was, after all, a delicate situation. He knew if Emily ever caught wind of it, she would kill him. Maybe not literally, although he knew she could if she ever wanted to. She was a forensics genius, for Pete’s sake.
“You’ve been a PI for a really long time, right?” He finally asked. This was no way to start the conversation, but if that’s what it took to get him warmed up, so be it.
“Yes. You know that, Mark. Are you in need of my services?”
Mark nodded reluctantly. He hated admitting it. He liked being his own man, able to manage his own family.
“What for? Is something really wrong?”
Mark breathed deeply. “It’s Emily.”
Len laughed. “That precious bundle of joy? How old is she now, thirty?”
“Twenty-seven,” Mark corrected him.
“And still not married. What kind of trouble could she be into? I know I haven’t seen her for a while, but she still seems like a lovable girl.”
“Oh, she is!” Mark was quick to answer. “It’s just that she’s been acting strangely lately. I can’t seem to figure out what it is.”
Len leaned forward, obviously intrigued. “Has she ever acted like this before?”
Mark wished he hadn’t asked that. He didn’t want to have to answer. He didn’t have a choice but to tell him, though. He and Len had never been anything but honest with each other.
“A few years ago she had a bad breakup. Her ex sends her a present every year on her birthday. But her birthday was over a month ago.”
“That does present a problem. I’ll see what I can do.” He leaned back against the chair and soaked up the unusually warm November day.
Mark was so relieved that he couldn’t even put two words together. He slumped back in his chair, too, and thanked God silently for his best friend. He believed with all his heart that God ha
d positioned his best friend as a private investigator for just such a time as this. God was always doing that. In everyone’s life, if he was really honest with himself.
Esther, of course, was positioned as queen so she could save her people from annihilation. Boaz was positioned so Ruth wouldn’t be in need of anything. Rebekah was positioned so that Isaac would have a godly wife and not have to marry a Canaanite. The list went on and on.
“Mark, buddy, what are you thinking about?” Len interrupted his thoughts.
Mark shook his head and sighed. “Lots of things. I don’t want to lose her in any way, Len. I know perfectly well that you can lose somebody to death and it never hurts as much as losing them to their emotions.” He hoped he never lost anyone to their emotions again. He had been through that, and he still bore the inner scars as proof.
Len nodded thoughtfully. “You’re talking about Fran.”
Mark nodded. “Yes. It hurts so much to see her and know she doesn’t love me anymore.”
How he could stand to say those words, he didn’t know. Somewhere, deep inside, he had hoped that Fran still loved him. Had prayed for years that she did. All to no avail.
“I am so sorry your marriage had to end that way.”
Mark stood and picked up the tray that the lemonade had been on. “It’s not your fault. You don’t have to be sorry.” He quickly moved it inside and stomped back out to the porch. He didn’t bother to take his seat again.
“You’re still bitter that Fran never said she was sorry.” It was a statement, not a question. Len was good at doing that.
Mark felt the fury rise and, without thinking, he spun on his best friend. “I have waited sixteen years to hear her say she was sorry. Not to me, but to Emily. She never even told Emily she was sorry that she only saw her twice a month. Emily never had a mother who said she loved her. Do you know how impressionable kids are at age eleven?” He remembered telling Emily that her mother still loved her, but he never got the sense that she believed him. The only time Fran had ever said she loved Emily was when the girls had been very, very small.
Len shook his head, calmly riding out the storm.
“She had barely begun to be a kid and her mother up and left. She never had a mother figure. Even after that, she is one of the most compassionate people you’ll ever know. How did that ever happen?”
Len raised an eyebrow. “Are you done?” he asked.
Mark nodded. His temper tantrum was over, he could let Len speak. It almost felt good to get those emotions out in the open. Even if they weren’t in the open with Fran.
“Sit down,” Len commanded.
Mark sank back down into the chair, looking like a child who knew he was about to get a lecture.
“Mark, you can’t hold onto unforgiveness like that. Jesus said in Matthew that ‘if you forgive those who sin against you, your Heavenly Father will forgive your sins, too. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins’. You have to forgive her, buddy.”
Mark looked pained as he dropped his head into his hands. “I thought I had.”
“Obviously you haven’t.”
“How do I let it go?” Mark nearly cried. It still hurt so much.
“Well,” Len said thoughtfully, “Romans says that it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God and by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. If that’s how you become a Christian, then maybe you should try confessing to God your sin and asking him to take it away. Tell him you forgive her and hold no more grievances against her. Ask him to forgive her for her sin, too.”
“I guess that makes sense,” Mark said convincingly. It did make sense, but that didn’t make it any easier. On top of that, he knew that Len wouldn’t let him get away with an empty promise. There was no getting out of this one. He was right.
“Then let’s pray together,” Len said quickly.
And they did.
SIX
Sam sat down at his desk and stretched his legs until his feet rested on top of it. Who knew that searching five square miles of forested land would be so difficult? His whole body ached from the search for clues. All they had found was that darn green shirt and lots of animal tracks. Whoever this guy was, he was good. No footprints, no DNA, no nothing.
His mind wandered to Emily. When would she come to her senses and decide to let him know what was going on? She had been acting so different lately; it was almost scary. She pushed him away now more than ever, and something behind her eyes told him it wasn’t a good sign.
He leaned over to mark off another day on his calendar. Six days until Thanksgiving and, amazingly, the weather had not gotten colder than forty-seven degrees. He couldn’t wait to finally meet Emily’s dad. He wasn’t so sure what her mom was like, though. Emily hardly ever spoke of her mom. In fact, she hardly spoke about her childhood at all. It was as if she had blocked it from her thoughts.
Maybe it just wasn’t a good childhood, Sam thought, maybe she just doesn’t want to talk about it. I should be more considerate.
“Hey, Sam, where are you at?” Asked Nate with a laugh. “I feel like I’ve been talking to myself for the last three minutes.”
“Yeah. Sure. Rub it in, rookie.” Sam laughed along with Nate. “I just have a lot on my mind right now. Sorry to ignore you.” A lot on his mind. Yeah, that about summed up all the emotions and frustrations.
“It’s ok. I’m concerned about Emily, too. Among other things.” He shrugged and looked down at his paperwork.
Sam caught the sharp tone of his voice and slung his legs off the desk. He placed his chin on his fists and raised his eyebrows.
“Did you and Jewel have a fight or something?”
This ought to be an interesting story. Nate and Jewel didn’t fight, they discussed. Hardly was there an argument that lasted longer than a few hours. It was good for them, but made moments when Nate was frustrated all the more interesting.
Nate looked up at him. “She’s bringing Clinton Mayer to Thanksgiving dinner.”
Sam shrugged. “What’s so bad about that?”
Clinton Mayer couldn’t be too bad. He was eccentric from what Sam had heard, but he was also a writer. They tended to be eccentric anyway.
“Have you ever met the guy?” Nate asked passionately.
“No. Neither have you.” He didn’t think too much of it. It wasn’t as if Jewel would ever leave Nate for someone else. That was as ridiculous as Johnny and June Cash becoming enemies.
“True, I haven’t met him, but I still bet that he’s a weasel. He’s too famous to not be a weasel.”
“You’re just mad that she went to New York.”
Nate breathed deeply and Sam could have sworn he saw steam come out of his mouth. “Yes. I am a bit…perturbed that she went to New York.”
Sam sat back and began to laugh. This was amazing. He had finally witnessed a disagreement between them that had lasted longer than a week.
“What’s so funny?” Nate asked.
Sam finished his laughing and then leaned forward again. “Nate, you told her to go to New York. Besides, it’s a big deal for her. A huge stepping stone in her career.”
“Yeah,” Nate laughed wryly. “Stupid flying penguin.” He made a reference to Jewel’s children’s book, Percy the Penguin That Flew. “Your point?”
“You’re stewing over something you told her to do. It’s your own fault, don’t be mad at her.” He would get this point through Nate’s head if he had to bash it in during the process.
“Unfortunately, you’re right.” Nate spun a pencil like a top on his desk. “I guess I’ll have to stop ‘stewing’, as you so eloquently put it.”
“Yep. Probably should,” Sam said, signing his name to a piece of paperwork. “Besides, she’s the best thing that ever happened to you.”
Sam’s phone began to ring and he looked at the caller ID. He smiled widely.
“Yes, Jewel?” he answered. She was his favorite nineteen-year-old on the face of
the planet.
“Thank you for answering!” Jewel sounded relieved. “Nate won’t answer his phone when I call and I don’t understand why. Is he mad at me?”
“Not anymore,” Sam answered. He could hardly contain the laughter in his voice. This was too rich.
“What do you mean ‘not anymore’? He was mad at me before now?” She sounded about ready to cry.
“It was a ridiculous reason and he’s over it. He’ll probably answer his phone again now.” His eyes never strayed from Nate as he had this conversation. The rise and fall of emotions on his face was hysterical.
“Good! Listen, I was calling to tell him that he doesn’t have to worry about Clinton Mayer. He’s not coming. He says something came up at his home, but it didn’t look that way when he answered the call right before the explanation,” she paused. “Did you understand a thing I just said?”
“I get it. What did this phone call sound like?” Sam was intrigued. Suspicious activity from a well-known writer, well, it got his attention.
“I don’t know. Like a scene from one of his books. Ring, ring. Hello? Then silence because I couldn’t hear the other person. Actually, I couldn’t hear Clinton, either, because he started to mumble. But his face looked like he was ashamed of the call, like he was into some sort of shady business.”
Sam could picture Jewel shrugging and rolling her eyes in exasperation.
“That does sound like a scene from one of his books. Maybe he lives the book and writes what he lives.”
There was a pause on the line. “What?” Jewel asked in confusion.
“It would be easier to explain in person with a diagram. I’ll explain when you get home. I’ll check him out for you, ok?” He was already sending an email to a PI buddy.
“Ok. Good.”
“When are you coming home?” Sam was eager to know.
“Two days. Then I’ll see you at Thanksgiving dinner. I cannot wait to meet Emily’s family. She doesn’t talk about them much, you know?”
“Yeah, I’ve noticed. I’ll see you there.” He started to hang up the phone, but stopped when he heard her start to speak again.
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