Searching for Faith - A gripping psychological thriller

by Kristen Middleton

  “Unfortunately, she already has,” said Mackenzie. She lowered her voice. “And, I think the guy is married or living with another woman.”

  Rachel’s eyes widened. “Really? Have you met him?”

  “No. In fact, I just heard about this guy last weekend. After the bachelorette party, she stayed overnight at my place and talked a little about him.”

  “What did she tell you?”

  “Not much. I guess his name is John and they’ve been seeing each other for a few months. The bad part is… he’s involved with someone, but trying to break it off.”

  She frowned. “Oh, no. That’s not good.”

  “I know. But, she claims that she’s falling in love with the guy and wants to wait to see what happens between him and his significant other.”

  “Is he’s married?”

  “She wouldn’t say. I’m sure she doesn’t want me to give her the third-degree, if he is. Anyway, I think she’s going to get hurt and whoever this guy is, might just be stringing her along.”

  “You’re probably right,” Rachel replied, feeling sick to her stomach knowing that Maddy might indeed get hurt. She’d known her since she was a little girl and felt protective of her. “How did they even meet?”

  “She was pretty vague about that, too.” She forced a smile to her face. “Great. Here comes my mother. Don’t say anything to her about it. She’ll get upset.”

  “I won’t.” Rachel looked over to see Mackenzie’s mother walk toward him. Carol was tall, thin, and as usual, impeccably dressed. Even though her shortly cropped hair had long ago turned white, she looked young for her age, which was somewhere in her late fifties. “Hi.”

  “Hello, Rachel,” Carol said, smiling warmly. She pulled her into her arms for a hug. “It’s been so long. How’ve you been?”

  “Great,” replied Rachel as she was released. “And you?”

  “Stressed out, because of this damn snow,” she replied, frowning. “And the minister still hasn’t shown yet. Good grief, what’s next?”

  “It’s not that bad, mother,” said Mackenzie. “It’s actually very beautiful.”

  Rachel had to agree. It was like a winter wonderland around them. Especially, with the glistening snow and twinkling white and red lights that were strewn around the courtyard. Plus, the staff were now handing out Styrofoam cups filled with apple cider.

  “You know me, I’m not much of a snow person,” replied Carol, shoving her hands into her coat pockets. “As long as you’re happy, then that’s all that matters.”

  “I’ll be happier when we know that everyone is here safely,” said Mackenzie.

  “Me, too. By the way, where is Chloe?” asked Carol, looking around.

  “She was with Angie, the last time I checked,” replied Rachel, looking over to where she’d seen them last. Unfortunately, the girls were nowhere to be found.

  “Great. I’d better go and look for them,” said Rachel.

  “And I suppose that I’d better go and see how everyone else is doing,” said Mackenzie, smiling as another couple headed toward her. “Hi, Aunt Betty. Hi, Uncle Ted! I’m so glad you made it.”

  “I’ll be back,” Rachel told Carol.

  “If I see her, I’ll let you know,” she answered.

  “Thanks.”

  Chapter 9

  CHLOE AND ANGIE were standing outside of the indoor pool area, staring longingly toward the water through the glass.

  “I wish we could go swimming right now,” said Angie, pressing her forehead against the pane as they watched two older kids play Marco Polo.

  “I know. I brought my swimming suit. Did you?”

  “Yes, but Mommy said that I can’t go swimming until Sunday,” replied Angie, frowning. “I have to wait until after the wedding.”

  “I’m going to ask if I can go after the rehearsal. I bet my mother will let me swim,” said Chloe, who loved to swim. She’d been taking lessons since she was three-years-old and could go into the deep-end, as long as her mother was nearby, in case she needed her.

  “You’re lucky.”

  “Maybe your mom will change her mind and let you go swimming, too,” said Chloe. “Especially if she finds out that my mom might watch you.”

  “Should we ask them?” asked Angie, smiling.

  “Yes,” said Chloe. “Let’s go.”

  The two girls headed back the way they came. As they were about to step outside and into the courtyard, Rachel found them.

  “Where have you been?” she asked sharply.

  “We went to go look at the swimming pool,” said Chloe. “You should see it! They have a whirlpool and a bunch of floaty toys to play with.”

  “Don’t you ever take off like that again. You girls can’t just go wandering around the lodge,” Rachel said.

  Chloe’s eyes widened. “Angie just wanted to show me where the swimming pool was.

  Angie swallowed. “Sorry.”

  Rachel sighed. “It’s fine. Where did your brother go?” Angie’s brother was twelve and usually watching over his younger sister, who was almost a precarious as Chloe.

  “I don’t know. I think he’s playing with one of our cousins,” said Angie.

  “You’d better go and find your mother. She was worried about you, too,” said Rachel.

  “Okay,” said Angie, going back out to the courtyard.

  “Mommy, can you take us swimming later tonight?” asked Chloe.

  “No,” she replied. “Zip your jacket back up before we go back outside.”

  “But, I want to go swimming and you said we could go earlier today, but never took me,” said Chloe, stubbornly.

  “I know. I’m sorry. Maybe tomorrow,” replied Rachel.

  Chloe groaned. “But, the wedding’s tomorrow and you said there wouldn’t be enough time. That’s why you were going to take me today.”

  “We’ll go Sunday or Monday,” said Rachel, rubbing her temples.

  “Hey, young ladies. No fighting,” joked Brock.

  They turned around to find him, Paul, and Maddy walking toward them in the hallway. All three were carrying cocktails and smiling.

  “I want to go swimming later, but Mommy won’t let me,” said Chloe.

  “There’s no time tonight, sweetheart,” said Paul. “After the rehearsal and dinner, it will be too late to do anything but go to bed.”

  “But, I don’t want to go to the dinner,” pouted Chloe. “It’s going to be sooo… boring.”

  “My, my. Someone is definitely getting tired already,” said Paul, bending down. “Should we bring you back to the cabin and put you to bed now since diner is too ‘boring’?”

  Chloe scowled.

  “She has to stay for the rehearsal,” said Rachel.

  “Why? She’s not the Flower Girl or the Maid of Honor. She’s definitely not a Groomsmen. She really doesn’t have to be here,” he replied, as they all walked back outside into the courtyard.

  “Heck, at this rate, I don’t have to either,” said Brock, looking at his watch. “It looks like the minister hasn’t even made it here yet.”

  “Exactly. We could be waiting around all night,” said Paul, taking a drink of his cocktail.

  “Still, she needs to eat. I’m sure dinner will be soon, even if we have to wait on the rehearsal,” said Rachel.

  “Dinner is supposed to be at eight. You know, once she eats, I can bring her back to my cabin. Then you can relax and spend some time with Mackenzie. I know that she was looking forward to seeing you,” said Maddy.

  “Aren’t you in the wedding?” asked Paul.

  “No. I have this weird phobia about standing in front of a large group of people and having them stare at me,” she replied, looking embarrassed. “It makes me almost… hyperventilate, I get so anxious. It’s stupid, I know...”

  “It’s not stupid,” said Rachel, smiling at her. “I’ve always hated speaking to large groups of people myself. I feel like throwing up, most of the time. Even now, at twenty-nine years old, I’m still
nervous about it.”

  “What is it that you do again?” asked Brock.

  “I’m a computer analyst. Sometimes I help train new staff for the company I work for,” said Rachel. “And that’s when my anxiety begins to show.”

  “You always seem so confident about everything,” said Maddy.

  “It’s all a façade,” she replied, winking.

  “Don’t let her fool you. Nothing seems to scare Rachel. Sometimes I think her balls are bigger than mine.”

  Rachel frowned. She could tell that Paul was already tipsy, which made her uncomfortable. He tended to get mouthy and almost always, embarrassed her.

  “Hey, there’s the minister,” said Brock, as an older gentleman stepped into the courtyard, with an apologetic smile.

  “Yes, here I am,” said the man, walking over to him. He held out his hand. “I’m so sorry that I’m late. The roads are atrocious.”

  “No problem at all. I’m just glad you made it here safely,” said Brock, shaking the minister’s hand. “By the way, Pastor Bill, these are friends of ours. Paul, Rachel, and Chloe. Obviously, you already know Maddy.”

  “Yes,” he replied, smiling at them warmly. “Nice meeting you. Well, shall we get this rehearsal started, Brock? I’m sure everyone wants to get back inside, where it’s warmer.”

  “Yes, indeed. Let’s go find Mackenzie,” he replied.

  “I’d rather be swimming,” mumbled Chloe.

  “Don’t worry,” said Maddy, leaning down next to her. “You and I will have fun back at my cabin. We’ll watch a movie or something. After dinner, of course.”

  Chloe smiled in relief. “Okay.”

  Chapter 10

  AFTER REHEARSAL, THE wedding party went into Blue Waters, to an area that had been sectioned off for them for dinner.

  “Mommy, I have to go to the bathroom,” said Chloe, a few minutes after they were seated.

  “I can take her, if you’d like. I’d like to wash my hands, anyway,” volunteered Maddy.

  “Would you? Thanks so much,” said Rachel, smiling in relief. Mackenzie had just poured her a glass of wine and they’d been reminiscing about their days in college.

  “No problem. Let’s go,” said Maddy. “Come on, kiddo.”

  The two stood up and headed toward the bathrooms, when they ran into Harold.

  “Hello, again,” he said, smiling brightly.

  “Hi, Harold,” said Maddy. “Busy, night, huh?”

  “Not too bad. Your mother definitely has me running with the camera,” he replied, looking amused. “But, that’s why I’m here. To make sure that your sister has some great shots of today and tomorrow.”

  “My mother is very demanding” she said. “Speaking of being here, where’s your fiancée?”

  “Oh, she stayed home,” he replied. “It’s been a long week for her and she just wanted to kick up her feet and relax.”

  “Is she also a photographer?” Maddy asked.

  “No. She’s a librarian. Anyway, she might come tomorrow.”

  “Good. I look forward to meeting her,” she replied.

  “Maddy, I’ve gotta go potty really, really badly,” whined Chloe, shuffling from one foot to the other.

  “Sorry, kiddo. See you later, Harold,” pushing open the bathroom door.

  “Most definitely.”

  “Are you almost finished?” asked Maddy, five minutes later. From experience, she knew that it sometimes took the little girl a long time to do her business.

  “Yes.”

  Maddy glanced at her reflection in the mirror and pushed a strand of hair back into place. She then applied some lipstick and rubbed her lips together. As she put the tube back into her purse, Chloe began to sing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

  “Hey, kiddo? I’m going to wait outside for you.”

  “Don’t leave me!”

  “Relax. I’ll just be in the hallway. I want to make a phone call anyway.”

  Chloe sighed. “Okay.”

  Maddy stepped outside of the bathroom, almost bumping into one of the hotel staff, a good-looking guy with blond hair, bright blue eyes, and thick eyebrows. He was holding two large rolls of brown paper towels.

  “I’m so sorry,” Maddy said. “I almost ran you over.”

  “No, it’s my fault. I was in a hurry and not paying attention,” he replied, smiling. “By the way, someone mentioned that they were out of paper towels in the Women’s Room? Is that right?”

  “I used the hand dryer, so I’m really not sure,” she said as her phone began to buzz.

  “Is there anyone else inside?” he asked, watching as she pulled out her cell phone.

  “Just my friend’s little girl. She should almost be done.”

  “Okay,” he replied, leaning against the back wall. “I can wait.”

  While Maddy sent a text, she felt the guy’s eyes on her. She had to admit - he was cute. Very cute. But she wasn’t interested. Maddy was in love with a man who took her breath away. The only problem was that he was married and taking his sweet time in leaving his wife. But, he’d sworn to Maddy that his heart belonged to her and very soon, they’d be together.

  Her cell phone buzzed. It was from him. Butterflies swarmed in her stomach as she quickly read the text message

  It’s not a good time.

  Maddy sighed and texted him back.

  Are you going to tell her this weekend?

  He replied that he would try but wanted to wait until it was the right time.

  Gritting her teeth, she put her phone away.

  “So, are you with the wedding party?” asked the stranger.

  Maddy back looked up. “Yes. My sister is actually the bride-to-be.”

  “Ah. You two look alike. My name is Ben, by the way.”

  “I’m Maddy,” she replied, noticing that he had a dazzling, white smile. He reminded her of someone on a toothpaste commercial.

  “I usually bartend, but we’re short on staff tonight.”

  “And that’s how you got stuck with toilet duties?” she teased.

  He chuckled. “Yeah. I only do paper towel and soap refills, though. I draw the line at anything else.”

  “I don’t blame you.”

  Smiling again, he yawned.

  “Long day?” she asked.

  He nodded. “It’s going to be an even longer night. I don’t mind though. I have nothing else going on or anybody waiting for me at home.”

  She bit back a smile. That was subtle. “Lucky you.”

  “I don’t know about luck. It gets pretty lonely, especially on cold winter nights,” he said, with a flirtatious smile. “I’m hoping that might change soon.”

  He was definitely a player. Although she wasn’t interested, she could tell he liked her and if felt good to be appreciated. “I like your optimism. Hopefully it will pay off.”

  Before he could respond, the door opened and Chloe walked out.

  “Did you wash your hands?” asked Maddy.

  Chloe nodded and held them up. “But there weren’t any paper towels, so I had to wipe my hands on my pants.”

  “You could have used the dryer,” replied Maddy.

  “I don’t like the kind they have. It’s too loud,” she replied.

  “You have a point. The high velocity dryers are definitely loud,” said Ben. “I’m going to go and refill the dispensers. Do you want some?”

  “No. I’m okay,” she replied, wiping them on her pants again.

  Maddy grabbed her hand. “We’d better go back to the table before your mother begins to worry. See you around, Ben.”

  “I hope so,” he said, giving her another disarming smile.

  “Who was that?” asked Chloe, glancing at him over her shoulder as Maddy pulled her down the hallway. He was still watching them. He winked at Chloe and she smiled.

  “Someone who works here,” she replied.

  “He’s handsome.”

  Maddy smiled. “You noticed it too, huh?”

  “Yes. Not as
good looking as my daddy, though,” she replied. “Nobody is as good looking as he is.”

  Maddy chuckled. “You love your daddy very much, don’t you?”

  She nodded. “I just wish…”

  “What?”

  “That he would play with me more. He used to. Now all he cares about is his stupid phone. He loves it more than he loves me,” she pouted.

  Maddy stopped and bent down on one knee. “Honey, your daddy loves you very much,” she said, brushing the hair out of Chloe’s eyes. “Don’t you ever think otherwise.”

  Chloe didn’t reply.

  She sighed. “Do you want me to talk to him?”

  Chloe’s eyes widened. “No. He’ll get mad.”

  “Not if he knows how upset you are,” said Maddy. “I think he’d want to know how you really feel.”

  “But I tell him all the time and he ignores me.”

  Maddy knew that Paul could sometimes be an ass, but he loved Chloe and would want to know about their conversation. “I’ll talk to him.”

  She sucked in her breath. “But-”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll do it in a way that will not make him angry with you, okay?”

  “Okay,” said Chloe, smiling in relief. If there was one person she trusted, it was Maddy.

  Chapter 11

  AFTER DINNER, CHLOE reminded Maddy of her promise to take her back to her cabin.

  “Sure,” she replied. “As long as your parents are okay with it.”

  “Are you sure it’s not a bother?” asked Rachel.

  “Not at all,” she replied. “Chloe and I can watch a movie.”

  “Yay!” cried Chloe. “Can I stay the night with you?”

  “If you want,” she replied.

  “Are you sure?” asked Rachel.

  “Yes. It’s kind of lonely there anyway, since I rented it all by myself,” said Maddy. She patted Chloe’s hand. “You can keep me company.”

  “I will. Can we go and get my blanket and pajamas?” she asked.

  “Of course,” replied Maddy.