“So that’s your brother,” Joe said.
Startled, she’d forgotten he was there. “Yes. I’m sorry, I should have introduced you.”
“I’ll meet him later.”
“I didn’t know he was hurt. Or that he was coming home. We haven’t heard from him in more than a week; I guess this is why. He looks so much older. He was nineteen when I saw him last, and that was four years ago, right before he shipped out.”
“Call me later.” Joe gave her a quick kiss. “I’m glad he’s home.”
“Me, too. This is turning out to be a great day.”
SIXTEEN
Jamie was sitting on the living-room couch, his leg propped up on an ottoman, when Charlotte entered the house. His friend Gabe was in the armchair, and she could hear her mother and Annie in the kitchen.
“Mom’s making breakfast,” Jamie said with the crookedly endearing smile that usually got him whatever he wanted.
“I hope you’re hungry, because I’m sure it’s going to be extra special.”
“I could eat.”
She sat down on the couch next to him. “We were getting worried because we hadn’t heard from you in a few days.”
“I couldn’t get to a computer for a while, and then I figured I’d be coming home.”
“For good?” she asked hopefully.
He shook his head. “Just until I’m well enough to go back.”
She hated his response. “Haven’t you done your duty? You’re hurt.”
“I’ll get better. But let’s not talk about that. What about you? What’s going on? Who was that dude you were with?”
“Joe Silveira. He’s the chief of police,” she said.
“Something going on with you two? I thought Mom said you were hooking up with Andrew again.”
“She’s caught up in the dream of me following in her footsteps, but I’m not going to be with Andrew.”
Jaimie nodded. “He was never good enough for you.”
She smiled. “Can I get you anything? What about you, Lieutenant?”
“It’s Gabe,” he said. “And I’m good, thanks.”
“Me, too,” Jamie added.
“So you’re the sister who was always getting into trouble and taking the heat off Adams here,” Gabe drawled.
She shot her brother a dark look. “Thanks for sharing.”
Jamie gave a weary laugh. “I wasn’t lying.”
“Yes, that’s me,” she told Gabe. “And my little brother was the spoiled brat of the family.”
“She adored me,” Jamie interjected.
“Mother adored you,” she countered. “I kept you humble.”
“Yeah, you did,” Jamie said, his eyelids fluttering, then finally closing.
“He’s had a rough couple of days,” Gabe told her.
She moved to the chair next to his. “Can you tell me what happened?”
He met her gaze. “I could, but it’s his story to tell. I just wanted to make sure he got home. I promised him I’d do that.”
She respected his loyalty. “What happens to you now? Do you go back?”
“No, I’m done.”
“Then you’ll stay here for a while?”
He shook his head. “I’ll leave tomorrow. I have another promise I need to keep.” His voice drifted away, as he stared at her brother. “He’s a good kid,” he added a moment later. “He taught me a few things.”
“Really?” She was surprised that her kid brother could have taught this world-weary warrior anything. “What did he teach you?”
Gabe didn’t say anything for a long moment, then he slowly smiled. “How to believe in the impossible.”
“He got that from our father.”
“Jamie said your father was a hard man to live up to.”
His words took her by surprise. “I didn’t realize he felt that way. He’s quite a bit younger than me, so he did a lot of his growing up while I was away at school.”
“I understand you’re a doctor.”
“Ob/gyn,” she said. “It’s one of the happier parts of medicine.”
“I’ll bet. Can you tell me where the restroom is?”
“It’s down the hall, first door on your left.”
“Thanks.”
As Gabe left, she got up and headed into the kitchen. Her mother looked happier than she’d been in a long time. Her skin was glowing, her eyes sparkling, as she scrambled eggs, made toast, and flipped pancakes.
As she passed by with a pitcher of orange juice, Annie gave Charlotte a smile. “Can you believe he’s home?”
“No, I can’t,” she replied. “Now, what can I do to help?”
“Maybe you could shower,” her mother said. “You smell a little ripe.”
“Good idea.” As she passed by her mother, she gave her a hug, ignoring her mother’s squeal of displeasure. “Jamie’s home,” she said, meeting her mom’s eyes. “Everything is right with the world.”
Her mother’s eyes glistened with tears. “Yes, it is.” She snapped her kitchen towel at Charlotte. “Go change. We’re going to have a big family breakfast.”
Over breakfast, Charlotte learned a little more about the firefight that had injured her brother and killed one of his friends. Jamie told them again that the lieutenant had saved his life, which made Gabe more uncomfortable. It was clear that the two men had become close and that Gabe was somewhat of a big-brother figure. Charlotte was glad Jamie had had someone he could trust to watch his back and to bring him home.
Neither man was inclined to talk about what had happened in any detail. Jamie was more interested in what was happening at home, and soon her mother was regaling him with stories, including details of the New Year’s Eve robbery.
“Figures you’d wind up in the middle of it, Charlie,” Jamie said.
“I just was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” she said with a shrug.
He smiled. “That doesn’t sound like you.”
“Ha-ha.”
“I can’t believe you’re still here. I didn’t think you’d ever make a permanent home in Angel’s Bay.”
“Well, I haven’t said it’s permanent,” she hedged, avoiding her mother’s suddenly questioning gaze.
“This house is nice,” Jamie said. “I kind of miss the old one, though. I heard that your old boyfriend got our house. Weird.”
“He wants to be her current boyfriend,” her mother put in.
“She can do better than him.”
“He’s a minister now,” her mother said sharply. “He’s grown up, changed. Andrew is a very eligible man. If Charlotte knew what was good for her, she’d accept his invitations and stop flirting with the chief of police.”
Charlotte cleared her throat. “Let’s talk about something else.”
“Everyone in town is talking about you, Charlotte,” her mother said. “What were you doing together this morning?”
“We went running,” she said shortly. “Who needs more pancakes?”
“I do,” Jamie said, even though his plate was still half-full.
“Great.” She took his plate to the kitchen and piled on another stack.
“So I guess I have a little sister now,” Jamie added, looking at Annie. “And an honorary nephew.”
“I’d be honored if you’d consider us that way,” Annie said a bit shyly.
“You’re even prettier than I thought. The videos didn’t do you justice.”
Annie flushed a little at his compliment. “You’re so nice. No wonder your mother loves you so much.”
“He’s not that nice,” Charlotte teased as she set his plate down. “He used to dress my Barbies in his GI Joe combat fatigues and send them to war.”
“Hey, you should be happy I included the girls in the war games,” he protested.
“I was, until you put black-out under their eyes and gave them military haircuts.”
He laughed. “I forgot about that.”
Charlotte sat back in her chair, listening as Jamie and her mother
told more stories. “Oh, my God,” she said suddenly. “We need to call Doreen.”
“I already did,” her mother said. “She’s going to come down on Sunday with the kids. We’ll have the whole family back together.” She drew in a deep breath. “Well, almost the whole family. I wish your father could be here.” She blinked quickly and then set down her napkin. “I’ll get us all some more coffee.”
Charlotte turned to Gabe. “Where are you headed after you leave here?”
“A town called River Rock. It’s up north of San Francisco about an hour.”
“Is that where you’re from?”
“It’s where I’m going,” he said.
“You should call first,” Jamie interjected, the men exchanging a look.
“I’ll call when I get there,” Gabe replied. “That will be soon enough.”
“Well, tonight you’ll stay here,” her mother said, refilling coffee cups.
“I don’t want to put you out,” Gabe said.
“You won’t be. You can have Charlotte’s room. She can stay with one of her friends.”
“Yes, I can,” she said quickly, seeing the hesitation on Gabe’s face. “We would love to have you stay here.”
“Do I have a room in this place?” Jamie asked.
“Of course you do,” Monica said sharply.
“Do you really think Mom would buy a house without a room for you? It has all your old things in it,” Charlotte added.
“Maybe one of you could show me. I’m kind of tired.”
“Of course,” Charlotte said. Gabe helped her get Jamie into his bedroom. Her brother collapsed onto the bed with a groan. She helped him off with his shoes, and by the time she was done, he was asleep again.
Gabe looked beat, too. She wondered again what the men had been through, but it was clear she wasn’t getting any answers anytime soon.
“My room is up the stairs,” she told him. “I’m going to work, so it’s all yours.”
“I don’t want to put you out, Charlotte. I can take the couch.”
“You’re not putting me out. I’ll be gone all day, and I have lots of friends in town I can stay with tonight. You’ve done a lot for my brother. Please take me up on the offer; it’s the least I can do.”
“I would appreciate a bed. I haven’t had much sleep the last few days.”
“Then let me show you to your room.” She led him down the hall and up the stairs. Grabbing some of her clothes off the bed, she tossed them into the hamper in the closet. “I’ll change the sheets for you.”
“Don’t bother. It’s fine.”
“Is there anything else you need?”
“I’m good.”
“Okay.” She drew in a deep breath. “Thanks for seeing Jamie home.”
“Your brother is a brave man,” Gabe said. “It was my honor.”
“I can’t understand why he would want to go back.”
Gabe gave her a small smile. “No, you can’t. Not if you haven’t walked in his shoes.”
“So what will you do next?”
“It depends on what I find when I get to River Rock.”
“You’re looking for someone?” she asked, remembering her brother’s words.
“Yeah—someone,” he said cryptically.
When he didn’t explain, she said, “I’ll see you later, then.”
She walked into the hall, turned to shut the door, and saw Gabe take a photo out of his wallet. He gave it a long stare and then put it back. Then he tossed his wallet onto the table and dropped onto the bed.
She quietly closed the door and went downstairs, telling herself it was none of her business who he was looking for. He’d be gone in the morning.
Smiling, she headed off to work. And at the thought of spending the night with Joe, she smiled even wider.
Joe took the chair by Jason’s desk late Friday morning. “Give me some good news.”
Jason sat back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair. “I might actually be able to do that. We’ve cleared the trainer and his girlfriend. Both have alibis for New Year’s Eve.”
“What else?”
“Got some information on Michaela Gomez, the woman Charlotte saw on the stairs. She was born at the hospital in Montgomery and given up for private adoption at birth. She was raised by a family in San Diego. Those parents were killed in a car crash last year. She worked at a restaurant until a month ago, when she quit. Her manager said she told him she had some family issues to address.”
“Where are you going with this?” Joe asked, seeing the gleam in Jason’s eyes.
“You’ll see.”
“Get there faster,” he said impatiently.
“Constance Garcia gave birth to a child in Montgomery on the same day that Michaela was born, and she gave her baby up for adoption.”
“Now you have my attention.”
“Put the two together. Constance is Michaela’s mother. I suspect Michaela came here looking for her biological parents after her adoptive parents were killed. She took a job with the catering company a couple of days after she arrived in town. The caterer thought she was staying at the Windmill Motel. I checked the motel, and she spent five days there and left. No one seems to know where she went after that.”
“I wonder if Constance and Michaela connected with each other or if Michaela was just checking out her mother before announcing who she was.”
“Well, Constance certainly never told us she had a daughter working the party.” Jason paused. “In looking into Constance’s background, I learned that she was working at the manor during her pregnancy. And I have to wonder if the biological father was also there—either as another employee or as the owner.”
“That’s a big leap to make.”
“Agreed. But think about it, Chief. Constance has a relationship with her boss, gets pregnant. He doesn’t want the baby. She gives it up and continues to live with him for the next twenty-something years. He dies, and what does he do? He leaves all his money to charity, not one penny to his trusted and loyal housekeeper. Now the daughter shows up, looking for her mother. The two of them think, why shouldn’t they take something for themselves? Something they’re both owed.” Jason looked extremely proud of his theory.
“Not bad,” Joe said. “Now comes the part where you find some proof. Get Constance down here. She was extremely nervous when I talked to her yesterday, especially when Michaela’s name came up. I want her questioned on our turf.”
“Will do.”
Joe returned to his office just in time to pick up a call from Charlotte.
“How’s your brother?” he asked.
“He’s okay. Exhausted and obviously in pain, but he’s home for a while, and that’s really all that matters. As you can imagine, my mother is over the moon. Annie is thrilled, too. I thought she might be nervous, since her father was mentally disabled by his military experiences, but she seems to be okay around my brother. Anyway, I know you’re busy, but Jamie’s friend Gabe needs a place to stay tonight, and my mother offered him my room. She was sure I could find a bed somewhere.”
He smiled. “I’m more than happy to share mine. Is that what your mother had in mind?”
“I doubt it, but it’s what I had in mind. What about Isabella?”
“She comes and goes. I have no idea what she’s doing, but it’s not a problem. She’s had Nick here many times.”
“Okay. Well, I want to have dinner at home with Jamie, so I’m not sure what time I’ll be there.”
“Come anytime you want. Just save some room for dessert.”
“I can always eat dessert. Before I go, Joe, I drove by that old car and got the owner’s phone number. Is it too pushy to give it to you?”
He smiled to himself. “If I said yes, would that stop you?”
“No, because I really think you should look at that car.”
Laughing, he said, “Give it to me.”
After he hung up, he stared at the number. It wouldn’t hurt to find out how m
uch they were asking. The idea of restoring a car was appealing. Charlotte was right: he had moved to Angel’s Bay, but he hadn’t moved all the way in, and he wanted to. He wanted to stop putting things off and start living his life.
Maybe Charlotte would realize that was exactly what she needed to do, too.
* * *
Andrew entered the back of the church around five o’clock, surprised to hear someone singing. Choir practice didn’t start until five-thirty. As he moved down the aisle, he was even more surprised to see Tory at the piano, singing one of his favorite hymns with a voice so beautiful and pure it made his breath catch in his chest. But she wasn’t in the choir. At least, she hadn’t been before now.
As soon as she saw him, she stopped, giving him an embarrassed smile as she got to her feet. “How long have you been standing there?”
“Long enough to know you have an incredible voice. Why haven’t I heard it before?”
“It’s the acoustics in here. They make me sound better than I am.”
“I hope you’re joining our choir.”
“I’m just subbing in for Joan Schumacher while she has her tonsils removed. I’ll step out when she comes back.”
“No need to do that. We can always use more singers.”
“I’ll think about it. It depends on my schedule at the theater.” She smiled. “I wanted to find out what happened with Charlotte after she saw us together the other night. Did she take the bait?”
“She was curious, but we went out for pizza last night, and she made it clear that she’s interested in Joe Silveira.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said with sympathy.
He shrugged. “I’m not throwing in the towel yet. I don’t think Charlotte should be with someone coming off a long marriage. She should be someone’s first love.”
Tory flinched a little, and he realized his mistake. “I—uh, that didn’t come out the right way.”
“Didn’t it?” she asked a little sadly. “I can understand where you’re coming from. I’m sure I’ll have the same problem as Joe when I start thinking about dating again. Who wants to be second?”
He frowned, realizing he’d let his own jealousy hurt someone he was beginning to care about. “No, Tory, don’t pay any attention to me. I don’t know what I’m talking about.”
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