Bay Hideaway

by Beth Loughner

  “You two can stop the whispering!” Edwards’s blue eyes darted accusingly between the two.

  “Simmer down, all of you!” Tilly shook her head vehemently. “I’ve about had my fill of this! Now, Van, you get off your high horse for a minute and let these young folks decide what they want to do.” She turned to Nathan and Judi. “And the two of you can take a few minutes to talk over this thing while I get the food situated. I promised you a dinner and heads are gonna roll if this perfectly good roast goes to ruin.”

  Mr. Edwards harrumphed but backed off and strode irritably back into the kitchen, paying testament to the equality of stubbornness he and Tilly possessed.

  “That’s better.” Tilly seemed appeased for the moment. “Nathan, you take our Judi here and get comfortable at the table. Don’t let the old coot scare you off.” Her tone suddenly turned soft. “He’s just a big ol’ teddy bear on the inside.”

  Nathan could hardly believe the audacity and outright perjury of her words. Was the woman blind? Her “teddy bear” rivaled the great black bears roaming the countryside of his home state, and these bears were anything but cuddly. He was tempted to enlighten her about this fact, but instead turned toward the table, doing as he was told, still smoldering inside over the turn of events. He didn’t want to eat, and he was sure Judi’s appetite was spoiled, as well. He was sure, however, that Tilly’s threat about heads rolling wasn’t an idle warning if the food went to waste.

  “What do you think the old-timer is up to?” he asked Judi as soon as they were alone.

  “Just what he said,” Judi answered matter-of-factly. “He’s no lightweight and a real fighter. You should see him during the church business meetings. Only a few brave ones dare to take him on.” She paused in thought. “There’s also something strange about him.”

  “Other than the fact he’s wearing a lacy apron?” Nathan couldn’t help asking.

  This brought a small smile to her full lips. “Other than that,” she answered. “I don’t know how to make sense of it, but a con artist can usually spot another con artist. You know what I mean?”

  “Possibly,” Nathan answered hesitantly. “Are you saying this Edwards guy is a con man?”

  “Rumor on the island says that he has to work at the Dairy Barn to make ends meet. I don’t buy it!”

  “In what way?”

  “It’s hard to put into words, but things seem to happen when Mr. Edwards becomes involved.”

  “Things happen? Like what?”

  “Take the new camp for example,” Judi began. “Old man Edwards fought hard against the development of this camp for the longest time. The church was even having second thoughts since the camp committee couldn’t secure the land—at least not until Mr. Edwards finally agreed the Thunder Bay Landmark might not be such a bad site for a Christian camp after all.” She flung her hands out. “Then all of a sudden, the land is donated and money starts pouring in—and I don’t mean hundreds—I mean thousands.”

  “You think he’s a rich entrepreneur who tries to pass himself off as a helpless old man?”

  “Maybe,” she conceded.

  “What about Tilly?”

  Judi visibly relaxed and gave a fond smile. “She’s creative and devious, but genuine. No doubt she thought her dinner tonight was going to be a matchmaking experience. She must be extremely disappointed.” She gave a light chuckle. “You wouldn’t believe how good she is in the romance territory—it’s almost eerie. With Tilly on your side, you can’t go wrong.”

  “She seems nosy to me.”

  “You won’t think that once you get to know her,” Judi argued amicably. “There’s not a person on this island who doesn’t love her.”

  Nathan frowned, trying to make sense of the information. “I still don’t like it!”

  “Neither do I, but what choice do we have?”

  Nathan signaled her to be silent with a squeeze of his hand on hers when he heard movement from behind. Tilly bustled into the room carrying a platter overflowing with carved roast beef, followed by Van Edwards juggling steaming bowls of mashed potatoes and green beans.

  “Go ahead and get your drinks,” Tilly directed to Nathan and Judi, pointing beyond the head of the table. “There’s soda, iced tea, and a pitcher of ice water on the sideboard over there.”

  The older couple disappeared again into the kitchen. Judi looked tentatively at Nathan before rising from her seat.

  “Iced tea for me,” Judi said. “The caffeine might come in handy for what’s ahead. What about you?”

  Nathan puckered his brow. “Make it the same.” It would take more than caffeine to make this evening bearable or palatable.

  In a matter of minutes, everyone seated themselves around the table Tilly had completely loaded with food. Mr. Edwards gave a short, stiff prayer. When he finished, a tomblike silence engulfed the room. The quiet made Tilly scowl.

  “Go on, now,” she demanded. “Dig in before it gets cold. No sense in sulkin’ when everything’s gonna be all right.”

  Ever so slowly, the clinking of serving ware and dishes being passed filled the void, but tension remained high throughout the meal. The delicious down-home food seemed to be squandered on such a dour group, and Nathan knew this upset the matronly woman. Soon the meal drew to a close, and Mr. Edwards seemed ripe to start their previous discussion by suggesting the group retreat to the living room.

  “Which one of you is going to tell me what’s going on?” the old man asked when the four assembled, flopping himself down into the overstuffed chair, linking his fingers together across his slightly plump belly.

  Nathan was about to speak when Judi put a restraining hand on his arm. “I’m responsible for this mess. Let me tell it.” She looked sadly at the couple. “All I ask is for you to keep an open mind and to be reasonable at any requests Nathan might make of you.”

  “I’ll keep an open mind,” Mr. Edwards retorted, “but that’s all I’m promising.”

  Judi fidgeted, bouncing one foot nervously. In a sense, she should be glad to let loose her haunting past. Maybe Mr. Edwards would be able to help—or not. She didn’t have a handle on the man yet. He was too much of an enigma.

  She began her story slowly, gaining speed and strength as she continued, relating the threatening notes and sparing nothing of her former life that gave the menacing letters their power. Nathan sat stiffly beside her on the couch, brooding and unhappy. Occasionally, they exchanged glances, and he would give a slight assuring nod of his head, bestowing on her the much-desired encouragement she needed to continue.

  “So, as you can see,” Judi concluded, “Nathan didn’t know anything about my faked death until he arrived on the island to see for himself that I was alive and well.” She threw a penitent glance at Nathan. “I falsely believed he was the culprit. I was wrong! Because of this, he’s spent the last two years going through the horrific pain of losing a spouse and ironically came to personally know Christ through the experience. Now we’re just trying to find our way by doing what God would have us do.” She drew her chin up as she looked at the old man. “I know the trouble I face is tremendous, but Nathan is innocent and shouldn’t be made to bear the brunt of my problems.”

  A silence covered the room, and she heard Nathan take a tired breath.

  “What do you say about that, young man?” Mr. Edwards’s large blue eyes nailed Nathan like an arrow, his docile tone indecipherable.

  Nathan shot back a look under frowning brows. “I say she’s been quite patient, more so than I would have been, and bared her soul truthfully to the two of you.” His gaze hardened. “Now I would like to know your intentions.”

  The old man’s lips thinned. “I already know she’s been truthful. I’m asking what your position is on what she said about your role as it relates to her problems.”

  “What are you getting at?” Nathan asked.

  Judi drew a frustrated breath. Why couldn’t Mr. Edwards understand? “I’ve already told you Nathan didn’t know any
thing about the letters or my faked death. He’s innocent!”

  Nathan shook his head. “I don’t think that’s what he’s talking about.”

  “You’re right, young man,” Mr. Edwards sternly agreed. “It’s not my intentions, but yours that concern me. You are still her husband. What do you plan to do about that?”

  Judi could tell Nathan was growing weary and angry at this line of questioning. What was Mr. Edwards up to? From his tone, it was difficult to know if he was seeking to help or harm. Tilly seemed to be taking everything in, processing the information like a court reporter. All she needed was a stenotype machine.

  “Let me tell you something,” Nathan said, his voice dropping dangerously low, “Judi is still my wife, and I’m going to do everything in my power to help her—including walking all over you if need be. She’s played fair with the two of you even though you’ve drawn her here possibly under false pretenses, bullied, threatened, and frightened her—much like the person who wrote those menacing notes.” He leaned forward on the seat, taking a stance similar to those Judi recalled him using in the courtroom when he wanted to intimidate. “If you want to threaten her with the law, then you’ll have to go through me first.”

  A brief and puzzling smile lit on the old man’s lips. “Don’t go spitting fire like a sea dragon,” the old man strangely responded. “You’ll wear yourself out. If you plan to fight this thing sensibly, you’ll need to conserve your strength.”

  “What are you saying?” Nathan demanded.

  Tilly finally came to life with a knowing grin. “He’s saying you’re gonna get some help.”

  Nathan looked unsure, but Judi knew Tilly was right. Help had arrived!

  eleven

  Nathan stared at the ceiling, drawing his arms up then under the satin-covered feather pillow. What a strange and bizarre day. It might take him weeks, if not months, to straighten out what had gone on at Tilly Storm’s house. How Mr. Edwards went from a grumpy old codger to a multitasking thinking machine couldn’t be explained. Before Nathan had known it, the man was writing down the names and numbers of people he wanted Nathan to contact—the last being an extremely well-known and definitely expensive criminal lawyer.

  “Don’t worry about the cost,” the old man had told them. Don’t worry about the cost? Nathan could only dream of making in a lifetime what this fellow lawyer probably grossed on just one client. How could he not think about the cost?

  The whole thing was off the wall, and he knew Judi’s observations had been right. Mr. Edwards was more than he made himself out to be—more than a busboy at the Dairy Barn and more than a church elder in a small, obscure church on Bay Island. He knew too many important people, including congressmen and federal agents. Why Mr. Edwards should be living incognito among the islanders was a question worthy of asking. Why play out his golden years wiping down tables and hauling leaky, soda-filled trash bags to the restaurant Dumpster? It just didn’t make sense. Surely, if the man was a wealthy philanthropist or even some type of retired government agent, why reside in an everyone-knows-everybody’s-business place like Bay Island?

  The old man was full of advice, as well. Nathan was to return as planned to Pennsylvania in the morning and immediately contact the criminal attorney who would be awaiting his call. He was to say nothing of Judi or his trip to Bay Island to anyone else as he prepared to present his eminent domain bill to the house floor. Nathan would then make a return round-trip to the island the following Monday to collect Judi for an appointment with the attorney in Harrisburg. In the meantime, Mr. Edwards would take care of the writing analysis, which he insisted could not be performed correctly unless an FBI expert executed the examination. Nathan tried to explain he was already in contact with a detective who was a pioneer in the field. This news didn’t even faze the man.

  The white-haired man just went on looking again at the copy of the threatening letter Nathan carried with him, the note so close to the man’s thick glasses Nathan wondered how he could read it. When Mr. Edwards asked rhetorically whether Nathan had left his fingerprints on the notes when he copied them, he and Judi merely blushed in reply.

  Mr. Edwards seemed so sure about what to do. Nathan wasn’t so convinced, his head still swimming with the possibilities and complications of the new plan.

  Somehow, through all of the intricate scheduling, he would have to fend off questions from his family, friends—and Lindsey. That could prove to be difficult.

  Judi, however, had quickly embraced the old man’s plan and seemed encouraged with the news that he believed her case was a winnable one. Most of all, the couple hadn’t openly judged her poor choices and insisted she was still a valuable and much-wanted resident of the island and the congregation at their little redbrick church.

  The sanguine expression on Judi’s face said it all. Knowing she was still loved and accepted by those on the island was more important to her than the legal outcome of her dilemma. Yet a thick cloud of sadness exuded from her features when their eyes met. He knew she was thinking about what was at stake—including their husband and wife relationship.

  Was this relationship salvageable? Could their marriage withstand the strain? Could he really trust Judi knowing what he did about her propensity toward secrecy and mistrust? God could change people. He knew this firsthand. Yet a person had to be willing to hand their life over to Christ for this transformation to happen. Judi claimed to have totally given her life to God—and Nathan believed her. But what he really wanted to know was if she was absolutely committed to giving up her previous methods of problem solving to focus on God’s plan—not her own.

  Another consideration needled him. What if Judi’s con game had also included her marriage to him? She’d admitted her former insatiable need to achieve a lifestyle where she wouldn’t have to scratch and claw to be like everyone else. Did that include marrying a man who could financially acquire such a position on this ladder of success? Maybe love never entered the picture where she was concerned. If so, would she admit to such treachery and willingly release him from a loveless marriage? The thought made his chest tighten. The fact was, he didn’t want to be released. He still loved her in spite of everything. The realization didn’t give him any satisfaction; it made him feel weak and foolish. How could any self-respecting man settle for anything less than a spouse who could fully return his love?

  At best, even if she truly loved him, several obstacles stood ready and willing to drown them. Neither of their families seemed the least bit flexible concerning their marriage—not three years ago, and he could safely assume the new turn of events would exacerbate the tension. Judi would wither in such an environment after experiencing the love and acceptance she knew on the island.

  Would these factors doom them to become another in the long line of couples joining the dismal ranks of the divorced?

  I’m lying on this bed with a lot of questions and few answers. God, I’m in need of serious counsel where Judi is concerned. I’ll live in a loveless marriage if that’s what You want, but it’s not what I want. Yet living without her seems just as unbearable. It’s not how You planned it, I’m sure!

  I know her honor should have been defended when my family often treated her with disrespect. I’ll make that right! I’m pleading with You to bring back the love I thought Judi had for me. If this is not to be, then please take away the desire that’s gnawing at me. I don’t think I could stand the pain of losing her again. Give me the perseverance to see this thing through. Your honor is at stake, too, and I never want it to be said that I’ve dishonored You in any way. Help me to trust You. I can’t do this alone.

  He turned to glance at the bedside clock. Time was quickly gaining on midnight and he knew sleep would not come easily. He checked the alarm setting one more time. A confirming red dot glowed back at him. He couldn’t afford to miss the morning plane, not when so much depended on timing—and a stellar performance on the house floor.

  As Judi stood in front of her bedroom mirror adj
usting the collar of her blouse, she was only too conscious of the shadows and strained lines etched around her eyes. Even her mouth looked strained and tight. She smiled experimentally, but her reflection looked stiff and artificial. Tilly wouldn’t be happy with her peaked appearance, either, when she came by the church office to take Judi to lunch. She was sure of that.

  There was a reason for the droopy appearance. Despondency! Yes, that’s what it was. Nathan’s plane would be halfway to Harrisburg by now and already her heart felt empty without him. He had called earlier to say his transport had arrived on time and to see if she was holding up after their taxing evening at Tilly’s. She was holding up well, actually, mostly because she had felt so protected by Nathan during Mr. Edwards’s inquisition and because his actions almost made her believe there was some spark left of their love.

  Over the phone, Nathan’s voice resonated with husbandly concern, and when he paused for several seconds, she was so sure he had to be sensing the growing fire within her coming through the airwaves that he was on the verge of pouring out the words she desired to hear. She waited, willing for any expression of love to come.

  The words never came.

  Instead, he told her to take care while he was gone and that he would call her sometime the next day after finishing with the house session.

  What had she really expected, anyway? A fairy-tale ending to a mixed-up Cinderella turned modern-day runaway bride story? Tilly and Mr. Edwards assured her the church would continue to love and welcome her. Those words meant more than their weight in gold. Yet she wanted Nathan’s love and acceptance even more. She was afraid she might not gain either.

  Deciding not to morbidly dwell on the unforeseeable, she quickly finished dressing. Breakfast consisted of nothing more than a few gulps of orange juice and one very burnt piece of toast on her way out the door.