Nathan didn’t comment but quietly kept his gaze on the road ahead while looking deep in thought. Judi didn’t want to make too much of his comment about her resignation, but she had to wonder at the surprise, or perhaps it was disappointment, in his voice. Surely he knew for her to remain on the island two things would have to happen—exoneration from all criminal charges and the church’s willingness to let her continue in their employ. Did Nathan believe she was going to come out on top of this legal tangle? Was he already planning for her possible return to the island—alone? She didn’t hold much hope of him leaving his beloved Pennsylvania. A terrible thought struck. Maybe he had already made his choice. That might explain his mixed reaction to her kiss and verbal declaration of love.
Judi stopped the cart to let a laughing group of tourists cross at the next intersection, instinctively waving back at their friendly gestures. She smiled. Like her, the strangers seemed to be under the island’s spell, and she felt a responsive bond with the affable visitors. The island was her sanctuary, a calming hideaway from the rest of the world.
“Is the island always this busy during the weekdays?” Nathan asked as they moved forward again.
Judi turned and gave him a brief look. “From Memorial Day until Labor Day. The weekends stay full until the end of October.”
Nathan nodded and fell silent again until they reached Tilly’s cabin. When Judi cut the ignition and slipped off her seat belt, he gripped her arm lightly, and she looked at him expectantly.
“Mr. Edwards has secured one of the best lawyers money can buy,” Nathan remarked, looking quite serious. “But I think we should still be careful around the man until we know more about his real interest. He could be a humanitarian who goes about helping people in need, or he could be something more. As a public representative, I need to be careful.”
“You think he might be a political saboteur?” she asked, trying to picture the opinionated old man working for one of Nathan’s opponents. The vision was too ridiculous for words. Although their approaches were vastly different, Mr. Edwards and Nathan held a duplicate likeness when it came to being a straight arrow. No, the two of them were working on the same side. “I don’t believe you have anything to worry about, Nathan; but I’ll be careful all the same.”
Nathan nodded and led them onto the porch deck where he rapped on the door. Tilly came to greet them looking unusually solemn, and Judi immediately felt on the alert. Nathan’s taut expression let her know he’d sensed the change, too.
“Come on in, you two,” Tilly said, ushering them inside.
Mr. Edwards stood stiffly behind the living room chair. “Have a seat,” he directed when the two entered the room.
“Think I’ll stand, if you don’t mind,” Nathan returned, and Judi tensed when he passed on the niceties. “You have the results of the analysis?”
The old man nodded grimly. “It found a credible match.”
The room turned stone cold and silent. Judi felt her heart slam against her ribs, pounding like a hammer. It couldn’t be true!
“That’s impossible,” Judi blurted, breaking the unnerving void. She shook her head. “I don’t care what the test says; it must be wrong. Nathan did not write those letters.”
“I didn’t say it matched with him,” the old man asserted, staring at Judi with his magnified blue eyes. “The test cleared Representative Whithorne.”
Nathan looked as stunned and confused as she felt. “I don’t understand.”
Mr. Edwards and Tilly didn’t speak right away, but both continued to look at Judi with a mixture of pity, uneasiness, and regret.
“What?” Judi demanded. Slowly it all registered in her tired brain. “You think I wrote the notes?” Disbelief sent shock waves through her numb body. “That’s crazy!”
Immediately Nathan sent her a cautionary glance and slowly turned to the old man. “Exactly what did the test reveal? You weren’t given a sample of Judi’s handwriting.”
“Will the two of you stop conjecturing and just sit down so I can tell you what the test did say?” Mr. Edwards barked, firmly sitting down in the chair, obviously expecting everyone else to follow suit.
Tilly quickly swished over and lowered herself in the chair beside Mr. Edwards. Judi heard Nathan sigh and felt his hand on her back as he led her to the couch where he indicated for her to sit. He dropped inaudibly down beside her.
“Please continue.” There was palpable constraint in Nathan’s voice.
“That’s better,” the old man responded. “Let’s get something straight. The writing didn’t match Nathan, and as he just mentioned, we didn’t have a sample for Judi. It was neither of you.”
“Then who?” Judi murmured, totally mystified.
“It was the person who endorsed one of the checks Mr. Whithorne gave me to analyze,” answered the white-haired man, his piercing eyes zeroing in on Judi. “It was a man by the name of Stanley Porter!”
“There’s no way!” Judi felt unwell. A sick feeling at the pit of her stomach burned like fire, and her stricken lungs needed air. “My father?”
“It just doesn’t make sense,” Judi said, wiping her nose again. In her shock she hadn’t cried at Tilly’s place last night, but she’d let loose once she’d arrived at the condo. Now she was on a commuter flight with Nathan, and the tears were on the verge of coming again.
Nathan squeezed her hand. “I can’t explain it, either.”
“Your campaign manager would have made a better suspect than my father,” she contended with a sniffle. “I didn’t even know you’d given him money. He had never said a word about it.”
Nathan shrugged. “He seemed low on funds after his last hospitalization. I was only trying to help, but he wasn’t very receptive.”
“Why has it been so hard for our families to accept us?” Judi balled up the tissue in one hand. “Why couldn’t they just be happy for us?”
“Maybe we should have given them more time to warm up to the idea and had a proper church wedding,” speculated Nathan. “Eloping solved our problems but not theirs.”
“How could something so trivial cause a father to hate his child enough to threaten her life? Some of those letters were so vile.” She looked at Nathan, unshed tears blurring her vision. “I suppose he did have opportunity. He knew all about my past and could have taken my juvenile rehab identification badge.” She shook her head in disbelief. “To think I went to such great lengths to make my plan work to protect him. I thought he was in danger.”
“You need to listen to me, Judi,” Nathan insisted, gently tipping her face toward him with his hand. “I don’t know why your father sent those terrible letters, but you need to let go of it for the next few hours and save your energy for the attorney’s visit this afternoon. We need to concentrate on getting you through the legal difficulties first.” His thumb traced the line of her jaw. “I promise we’ll get to the bottom of this.”
Judi nodded and yielded to his touch when he soothingly brought her forward to lean on his chest. The comforting, even beat of his heart resounded against her ear, and she could feel the softness of his shirt, smell the scent of his familiar aftershave. Experiencing his protective arms around her shoulders calmed the wild beating of her own heart. With Nathan on her side she could almost believe the nightmare would work out into a manageable dream.
God… I didn’t see this last development coming. My own father! Am I to lose my family, too? I don’t think I can bear it. Now, more than ever, I need to keep the husband You gave back to me. It feels so good to have his arms around me, to hear his steady breathing. I don’t want to ever move from his hold. Please give Nathan the desire to keep our marriage together. What a joy it would be to serve You together. We’d make a great team! Change my heart to be what You desire, to make this thing work, even if it means forgiving those who have wronged us.
Judi snuggled further into his embrace, letting her heavy eyelids close and carry her tired body to a place of rest.
“Come
on and wake up, sleepyhead.” Nathan gently shook Judi’s shoulders and she stirred. He removed his anesthetized arm from behind her back, experimentally stretching his fingers to regain some circulation. “We’ve landed.”
Judi’s eyes fluttered open and she stared blankly at him for a moment. “We’re here?” She let a yawn break free and immediately covered her mouth with her hand. “Sorry.”
He gave a smile, glad to see her features more rested. Mr. Edwards’s bolt from the blue the night before had taken a toll on both of them. They had to remain strong for what lay ahead. Quietly, he ushered Judi from the plane and to the airport parking lot.
“What a beautiful car,” admired Judi when they reached the metallic blue sedan. She settled into the bucket seat, letting her hand slide over the expensive leather. “Isn’t this the European car reputed to go from zero to sixty in fifteen seconds?”
“Actually it’s seven seconds!” Nathan nodded appreciatively. “And it handles better than any car I’ve ever driven.” He threw her a grin. “Although I must say, I’m growing quite fond of your golf cart. I might be hard put to choose between the two.”
“I don’t know,” she said, cracking a small smile. “I’m willing to trade with you for a while.”
“Perhaps I’ll take you up on that offer.” Nathan maneuvered into the heavy traffic and onto the freeway. Judi seemed lost in thought, looking out the window as if seeing civilization for the first time. The companionable silence let Nathan think through his plans for the next few days.
Thirty minutes later he pulled into a space in the law office parking lot and shut the engine off. “Ready?”
Nodding solemnly, Judi slipped out of the car and looked up at the tall building. Quietly they walked into the office and waited while the secretary looked at the scheduling sheet.
“Mr. Winslow is waiting for you,” she announced, ushering them directly into the plush office.
As soon as the polished wood doors opened, Nathan caught sight of the huge plate glass window. But it was the enormous desk with a distinguished-looking man seated behind it that commanded the room’s attention.
The man instantly looked up and smiled. “Ah, you’ve made it. Come on in and make yourselves comfortable.” He stood to his feet, and Nathan could see that he was rather short and stocky. The middle-aged man firmly shook Nathan’s hand and immediately turned his gaze to Judi. “And you must be Judi Whithorne. Nice to meet you.”
Judi timidly took the offered hand. “Thank you for taking my case.”
“A very interesting set of circumstances, I must say,” Mr. Winslow noted warmly. “But I think you’ll be happy with the news today.”
Nathan liked the man; his warm, professional demeanor gave a welcoming feeling of interest and loyalty. “Then I take it you’ve had time to look over the information I gave you last week?” Nathan asked.
The attorney nodded and turned to Judi. “From what Representative Whithorne has told me, you had obtained the birth certificate of a child who had died and with this document you made a new identity, subsequently obtaining driver’s licenses in Pennsylvania and Ohio as this new person. You then faked a drowning death and have been living on Bay Island, Ohio, since that time. Does that sound correct?”
“Yes!” Judi looked nervously reserved.
“Let’s deal with the licensing issue first.” Mr. Winslow slowly swiveled back and forth in his chair. “The most either state could do for falsification is charge you with a misdemeanor, slap you with a fine, and put you in jail for six months if they felt so inclined.”
Judi tensed and Nathan placed his hand reassuringly on her arm. “But you have good news about that, right?”
The lawyer gave a reassuring smile. “The fact that you came forward of your own accord has worked in your favor across the board. To be honest, neither state has a desire to waste their time on a misdemeanor case where there’s been no intent to perpetrate a major crime. They are struggling enough trying to track down illegal immigrants and check scammers. It would be hard to justify spending several thousand dollars to collect a one-thousand-dollar fine or to make an example of you. So we’re going to destroy both driver’s licenses and the birth certificate and pay the fines.”
Judi leaned forward, gnawing at her bottom lip. “But I also have a Social Security card.”
“Not a big deal,” Winslow asserted with confidence, chuckling at Judi’s look of disbelief. “Although it goes against the grain of the American justice system, the feds aren’t terribly interested in you, either.” He scratched at the side of his nose. “The Social Security number will be revoked, of course, but the worst that will happen is that all the monies you paid into the system using that number will be lost. If you had tried to withdraw money from the program, that would be another story, but without any theft, and because of the circumstances that caused you to falsify your identification, they don’t care to prosecute.”
“That is great news!” Nathan’s confidence in the man was growing. Right now he was thankful Mr. Edwards had steered them in the right direction.
“I believe,” Winslow continued, tilting his head in thought, “I can get you through this entire process without any criminal charges being filed.”
“None?” Judi perked up. “How can that be?”
“It can be done, but it will be cost some money.”
Nathan knew this was coming. “How much?”
“Your biggest outlay will be in restitution to the city and county,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Restitution?” Judi asked.
“The city and county will want to be reimbursed for the rescue and recovery attempts they made. It won’t be cheap!” Winslow began ticking off items on his fingers. “There will be the police department’s man hours, canine units, dive teams, and the detective’s investigation to recoup—to the tune of around fifty thousand dollars.”
“Fifty thousand dollars!” There was awe in Judi’s voice.
“And if we make restitution,” Nathan asked, still sorting through the details, “then the city and county prosecutors won’t press charges, is that right?”
“They’ll probably kiss your ring for saving them the time and expense of attempting to prosecute such a case.” He shrugged his bulky shoulders. “If you don’t or can’t pay back this money, or if they decided to formally charge Judi, there’s a good chance I could still get a jury acquittal. Realize, however, there are some risks and there will still be court fees and possibly fines to pay. Another possibility if you were charged would be for you to agree to plead guilty to lesser charges and make restitution, which brings us back to where we started.”
“Then we’ll pay the city and county up front!” Nathan looked determinedly at Judi and then at the attorney. “There’s no sense in taking a chance.”
“I have absolutely no money, Nathan,” protested Judi. “Where would we be able to scrape up that kind of money?”
“Let’s not worry about that now!” Nathan would find the money, even if it meant selling their house. He turned back to Winslow. “What else?”
“There’s the matter of the life insurance policy.” Winslow tilted his head toward Nathan. “From what you’ve said, twenty-five thousand was donated to a charity. Unfortunately, the insurance company could not care less where the money went—they’ll just want it back immediately.”
“That’s over seventy-five thousand, so far,” Judi needlessly pointed out.
“The last matter will take more time than money to fix.” The lawyer leaned back in his chair as he looked at Judi. “A judge has declared you to be legally dead. We have to get that reversed and revive your real Social Security number. Until those steps are done, you won’t be able to hold a job or apply for a driver’s license—anything that requires identification or a background check.”
“How much time do you think that will take?” Nathan asked.
He shrugged again. “It might take weeks, but I’ll do my best to speed the process along.�
�
“Anything else?” Nathan was roughly calculating what it would take to pay the debts.
“I think we’ve discussed all the major issues.”
“Except for your fees,” Nathan added.
A surprised look crossed Winslow’s face. “My fees? They’re already covered.”
“Covered?”
“An anonymous donor is paying my fees,” he answered. “I thought you knew that.”
Nathan looked at Judi, who returned a suspicious nod. “Mr. Edwards?”
“I really can’t say,” he said with a knowing smile. “All I can tell you is that my services have already been taken care of, and I’ll do the best job I can.” His smile slowly faded. “I understand that you have recently discovered the identity of the author of the threatening notes. If you need my help in that matter, I’ll represent you.” He looked at Judi. “Do you have any plans to file charges?”
The stricken look on her face answered the question. “No matter what my father has done, I can’t do that to him.”
The attorney nodded with understanding. “Unfortunately, I can’t solve or heal family problems like the one you’re facing.” He leaned forward, his elbows on the desk. “Are there any other questions I can answer for either of you?”
“No,” Nathan answered. “You’ve been very helpful. I’ll let you know when the money is secured to make restitution.”
“Very well,” concluded Winslow. “My secretary has some papers for you to sign and then you’re free to go. Will you be staying here or going back to the island?”
Nathan felt Judi’s gaze on him. “We have some family business to take care of before we make any career or relocation plans.”
“Another set of decisions I can’t help you with.” There was empathy in the attorney’s eyes.
“I know!” Nathan stated.
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