“True. Now that I’ve seen it, I guess I can go home.”
Her features settled into a puzzled frown as if she couldn’t tell if he was kidding or not.
“You can, if that’s what you want to do. I’m not going to stop you.”
He really shouldn’t tease her. She was far too gullible. “I’m going to church with you, don’t worry. Do you always get your way?”
“Not usually. This is a nice change after yesterday afternoon.”
“What happened yesterday?”
“I tried to see Charla Renault, but her servant, Bosworth, wouldn’t let me in the door.”
“Are you giving up?”
“Not a chance. She has to come out of the house someday. I’m actually hoping to see her in church this morning. I do wish you’d brought your motorcycle.”
“It’s got a leaky gasket.”
“Is that bad?”
Chuckling, he took her elbow. “Only if you have to special order one from California.”
“I looked up your award article online. Nice photo. You looked prestigious.”
“Ha! Nobody could have felt more out of place in a suit and tie than I did for that shot.”
As far as Shelby was concerned, he looked equally good in his leather jacket or a three-piece suit. This morning he’d tamed down his biker image by wearing crisp heather-gray slacks with a button-down sage-green shirt.
She could easily find a tie that would go with his outfit. The wifely thought made her smile.
He cocked his head to the side. “What?”
“Nothing.” She hoped she wasn’t blushing. “What was it like to earn international recognition for your work?”
Rolling his eyes, he said, “Tiring. Lots of meetings with motorcycle manufacturing bigwigs from Germany, Japan, England. The best part was the prize money, plus my boss gave me a month’s vacation.”
His crooked grin and the light in his eyes intrigued her. “Something tells me you didn’t spend your vacation cleaning out closets like I did on my last break.”
“Closets need to be cleaned? I thought their purpose was to hold stuff.”
It was her turn to roll her eyes. “Spoken like a true man. I’m going to guess you took your prize money and blew it in Vegas.”
“Wrong. I socked most of it away. The rest I used to take a trip through Mexico.”
“On your bike?”
“Is there any other way to travel?”
Wistfully, she said, “You live the most exciting life.”
Not at all like the life she led. She glanced at her watch. “I guess we should get going or we’ll be late.”
Late was good, Patrick thought. Never might be better.
What was he doing going off to worship when he could be working on his bike or getting the house in shape to be sold?
He had a screw loose, that’s what was wrong with him.
And Shelby had loosened it.
In going to church, he was begging to get slapped down again by the good folks of Loomis. He knew what it was to be snubbed. Shelby didn’t. He swallowed hard. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”
“You’ll be fine. I promise no one will be thrown to the lions today. Including you.”
He returned her smile, but his nervousness intensified.
The trip to the church took only a few minutes. Located just off Main Street, the redbrick structure with its white-trimmed arching windows and steepled bell tower hadn’t changed since he was a kid. Behind the church a playground surrounded by a wooden fence marked the boundaries of the Loomis Preschool area.
As Patrick walked through the wide door with Shelby at his side, he was immediately struck by a familiar, long-lost sense of peace.
Sunlight streamed through the stained glass windows. White lilies in large baskets decorated the sanctuary. The rows of wooden pews gleamed with fresh polish. The smell of candle wax and lemon oil was as familiar as the feel of the hard pew where he had squirmed as a boy, wanting to be anywhere but inside on a spring morning.
The sermons back then hadn’t meant much to him. He recalled his stepfather hiding his yawns, but not his mother. She paid attention, even through the long-winded ones. For her, Sunday services always held special meanings.
Could he find that meaning for himself? Where would he start?
Glancing around, he noticed only a few people glancing his way. Two pews back and to the right, Coral Travis sat beside her fiancé. There was no mistaking the animosity in her glare or the black scowl on the face of the man beside her. Wendell Bixby looked ready to blow his gasket.
Shelby didn’t seem to notice.
She was either good at pretending it didn’t bother her or she was still practicing being invisible. Either way, he was sorry he had subjected her to such scrutiny.
A rustle of people turning in their seats made him turn his head as well. Bosworth was wheeling Mrs. Renault to the front of the church.
Charla was resplendent in a suit of robin’s egg blue with a matching wide-brimmed hat. Her dog rode in her lap. A small breeze of whispers sifted through the congregation as she passed.
Shelby leaned toward him and he lowered his head to catch her whisper. “At least they aren’t talking about you.”
Some of the tension drained from his body. “Small favors,” he whispered back.
A new rustle of activity began at the rear of the church and spread forward. Unable to keep his curiosity in check, Patrick turned to look.
Lenore Pershing, head held high and wearing a pristine white linen suit and matching hat, walked regally to her place at the front pew opposite Charla.
Patrick saw them exchange daggerlike glances before Lenore took her seat. The breeze of whispers became a small squall inside the church. As he glanced at Shelby for an explanation, he saw even her eyes were wide with shock.
“I can’t believe it,” she muttered. “Lenore must have gotten out of jail yesterday.”
“Jail? What would a Pershing go to jail for in this parish?”
“She tried to keep her son, Max, and Ava Renault apart by making Ava think Max killed Ava’s brother, Dylan. The whole thing backfired when the police arrested Max. Lenore finally had to admit what she’d done and was arrested for interfering with a police investigation.”
“That’s twisted.”
“I can’t believe she’s out already. It isn’t right.”
Gradually, the whispering around them settled into an uneasy quiet. Turning his attention back to the front of the church Patrick listened to the choir begin the service with joyous song. Before long, he forgot to pay attention to who was looking his way and lost himself in the beat of the music and the message of resurrection.
Reverend Harmon rose and walked to the pulpit. After greeting everyone, he began to talk about salvation and living life anew. They were words that now made sense to Patrick. He wanted a new and different life. He looked down at the woman seated beside him. What would it be like to share a life with her?
Just then, she glanced at him and smiled.
The man who won her heart would be a lucky man indeed.
The service was long, and more than one boy was fidgeting in his pew by the time Reverend Harmon was done, but Patrick wasn’t among them. Sitting here was one thing, going outside among the congregation would be the tough part.
At least they all had someone else to talk about today. Maybe Lenore Pershing’s arrival was a gift from God to keep the Loomis gossipmongers off his back. He chuckled to himself at the thought that God might be on his side for a change.
As the final note of the choir died away, the parishioners started filing out. Shelby rose, signaling it was time to get on with the inevitable.
The sun was high in the blue sky when Patrick walked out the doors. The Lord had chosen to bless Loomis with a beautiful spring day. To his surprise, Shelby took him by the hand.
“How was it?”
He thought about making some flippant remark, but he couldn’t. Her
eyes were filled with compassion and hope as she gazed at him.
“It felt good, Shelby. Thank you for inviting me. I’ve missed talking with God. I didn’t realize it until today.” He hadn’t missed some of the looks cast in his direction but he tried not to let them mar the beauty of the day.
A wide smile wreathed her features. “Great. Come on, there’s someone I want you to meet.”
After guiding him through the crowd, she stopped beside a tall man with dark eyes and dark hair. The woman at his side had her back to Patrick, but he saw she was a slender woman with strawberry-blond hair.
Shelby stopped in front of the man. “Max, I have someone I’d like to introduce. Max Pershing, this is Patrick Rivers. Patrick, this is Max.”
The woman with Max turned to face Patrick. It was Ava Renault.
His heart kicked hard against his ribs, and he readied himself for her scorn.
She maintained the smile on her face with difficulty. Uncertainty clouded her green, almond-shaped eyes.
Patrick considered strangling Shelby on the spot but decided against it. He was just getting back on the Lord’s good side.
Shelby looked from Patrick’s hard face to Ava’s set features and said, “I believe you two know each other.”
He nodded toward Ava. “Miss Renault, I was sorry to hear about your brother’s death.”
“Thank you.”
“If you’ll excuse us, Shelby and I have to be on our way.”
“I don’t have anywhere I need to be,” Shelby piped up.
What was she trying to prove?
“You don’t need to hurry away on my account, Mr. Rivers,” Ava said quietly. “Today is a day when Christians should show love and forgiveness to each other as God did to all of us.”
“I didn’t come here looking for forgiveness.”
She tilted her head. “Didn’t you? That’s odd, because that’s exactly what you’ll find here.”
He glanced around and found Coral glaring at him from across the lawn. “Not everyone feels that way.”
“I can’t control how others think. I can only ask your forgiveness for myself.”
That pulled his attention from Coral back to Ava. “You’re asking forgiveness. From me?”
“Shelby, our friend Jocelyn and I had a long conversation last evening. I’m willing to admit I may have been misled by what I saw.”
“Misled?”
“Will you accept my apology?” She held out her hand.
He took it more out of reflex than conscious thought. “I don’t know what to say.”
He released her hand, but she held on. “Say that you can find it in your heart to forgive the wrongs done to you.”
Glancing at Shelby, he saw the hopeful look in her eyes. Beyond her, he noticed a number of people staring at them with interest.
With sudden clarity, he knew if Ava Renault and Max Pershing accepted his presence here today, the community was going to view him in a whole new light. It spoke volumes for how much social clout the two families held in the town.
His gaze returned to Ava’s face. She knew exactly what she was doing.
Shelby had arranged this. She believed in him. She was willing to stand up for him…and beside him.
Humbled, Patrick nodded. “I accept your apology, Miss Renault.”
She smiled brightly and released his fingers.
Max held out his hand. “Shelby told me on the phone yesterday that you’re having some problems with a property you want to sell. Something about a missing deed? Maybe I can be of some assistance.”
Shelby watched with smug satisfaction as Max and Patrick conferred together. Taking a deep breath, she pressed a hand to her heart and turned to Ava. “Thank you.”
“I’ll admit I wrestled with my conscience for some time about this last night.”
Jocelyn, accompanied by Sam, walked up beside her. “You made the right decision.”
“I hope so. Having seen Max falsely accused of murdering my brother has made me see many things in a different light.”
Jocelyn reached out and grasped Ava’s hand. “That’s all behind the two of you now. It’s time for wedding plans, Miss Wedding Planner.”
Sam scowled. “Lenore Pershing planted evidence to make her son look guilty in your eyes and keep the two of you apart. The justice system isn’t always manipulated so easily. And just because Max was innocent doesn’t mean Patrick Rivers is. I think I’ll run a background check on Mr. Rivers.”
Jocelyn wrapped her hands around her husband’s arm and squeezed. “Spoken like a true G-man.”
Ava folded her arms over her chest as she stared across the lawn at Coral and Wendell getting into their car. “Once I got over the initial shock of finding them together, I had doubts about Coral’s story. Something didn’t add up. I think that may have been part of the reason we didn’t stay friends after that year. But then when Patrick left town so quickly, I thought he must be guilty.”
Shelby sighed. “That’s what a lot of people thought. But Patrick left because he didn’t see any way to clear his name.”
Sam said, “There’s no statute of limitations on rape in Louisiana. Your friend could find himself back in jail if Miss Travis decided to push the issue. In that case, Ava, you could testify only to what you saw and heard. Not what you thought later.”
Shelby glanced to where Max and Patrick were still engaged in conversation. “I think he knows that.”
Beyond the men, Shelby saw Bosworth helping Charla into her car. She was leaving already. Shelby’s hopes of speaking with her took a nosedive.
She shifted her gaze back to Ava. “I hate to ask for another favor, but is there any way you could persuade your mother to see me?”
Ava glanced toward her mother’s car. “Things have been strained between us since Max and I became engaged, but I’ll speak to her about it. I’d like to see the library establish my brother’s memorial.”
Sam said, “Shelby, Jocelyn tells me you believe something happened between Dylan and Leah at a Christmas party four years ago?”
Ava turned her startled gaze on Shelby. “What’s he talking about?”
Unnerved by Sam’s directness, Shelby crossed her arms and looked down. Anything she said with Ava present would surely get back to Charla. Shelby didn’t want to lose what little chance she had of gaining Charla’s support by gossiping about her son.
Without looking up, Shelby said, “It’s nothing. Leah and I attended an office party together. She quit her job the next day.”
“To marry Earl, right?” Ava asked.
Shelby shrugged. “I don’t know what her reason was.”
“But you think it had something to do with Dylan?” Sam’s pointed question made Shelby realize why he was so successful as an FBI agent.
“As I said, I don’t know what her reason was.”
From the corner of her eye she saw Clint walking toward them. Sarah, too cute in a frilly pink dress and straw bonnet with a pink bow, skipped along at his side.
When Sarah caught sight of Shelby, she dropped her uncle’s hand and raced to her friend. Happy for the interruption, Shelby crouched to catch the child in a hug. “Oh, Sarah, I’ve missed you.”
Grinning, Sarah patted her own head. “Look, I got a hat.”
“It’s beautiful.”
Nodding, the little girl said solemnly, “I know.”
The adults around her chuckled.
Clint, catching Sarah’s hand again, looked at Sam. “Are there any new leads?”
They all knew he was talking about his sister.
Sam shook his head. “We’re still actively working the case. We haven’t stopped looking.”
Clint pressed a hand to his eyes and nodded. “I understand. All through the service I was praying something would surface today. It’s Easter. She should be here with us.”
Shelby threw her arms around him. “We’re all praying for her, Clint.”
“Thanks.” He drew back to look at her. “Any m
ore threats?”
Sam’s brows snapped into a fierce frown. “Threats? Why haven’t I heard about this?”
Shelby tried to make light of the situation. She didn’t want Clint or her friends to worry about her.
“It’s nothing concrete. The sheriff’s office isn’t even sure the incidents are related. Someone left a note on my car last week. Then Thursday someone left a message in lipstick on the mirror at the library.”
“Don’t forget the snake in the return book bin,” Clint added.
Shelby managed a smile. How could she ever forget that? “Sheriff Reed thinks it was an April Fool’s joke by some of the high school boys.”
Sam said, “I don’t take any kind of threat lightly. Any idea who’s behind them?”
Shelby crossed her arms as a sudden chill ran down her spine. “No. They’re so vague. ‘Keep my mouth shut.’ ‘Don’t talk about what I saw.’ I have no idea what it is that I’m supposed to have seen. I’m hoping it’s someone’s idea of a joke.”
She looked around. Was she being watched now? Was that someone here at church, blending into the crowd of worshipers while harboring evil in his or her heart?
“When did these threats start?” Sam demanded.
“The last day of March.”
A speculative look crossed Sam’s face as he stared at Patrick. “The day after Rivers arrived in town.”
“Yes.” Shelby glanced at Coral and Wendell, standing with a group of Wendell’s supporters. How far would someone in Loomis go to keep secrets?
Patrick was encouraged by Max’s assertion that his office could locate the missing deed. Looking over Max’s shoulder, Patrick saw Mrs. Pershing approaching.
She stopped at Max’s side and took his arm. “May I talk to you privately, son?”
Sending an apologetic look in Patrick’s direction, Max said, “Of course. If you’ll excuse us?”
“Sure.”
“What now, Mother?” Max’s tone was definitely cool as he took his mother’s elbow to lead her away.
“I want you to come to Easter dinner at my place. It’ll be just like old times.”
As the Pershings walked away, Shelby left her friends and came to stand beside Patrick. “How’s everything?”
A Cloud of Suspicion Page 11