“I’d really appreciate it. He only has two more days here, and then Social Services will take over. I hate to see that poor old dear in the hands of the likes of Charity Good.”
Felicity shook her head. “I’ve always wondered what her parents were thinking when they named that woman. And then she had to go into social work. Selling broomsticks would be more her style.”
Murial disappeared around the corner laughing and clutching the vase of wilted flowers, and Felicity hurried out to the parking lot. Her imagination had supplied numerous scenarios of events at her home, and she wanted to get back and take command again.
When she arrived, there was nothing to command. Andrew was in the kitchen, a cup of coffee at hand and the morning paper folded neatly for his convenient reading. He looked up with a welcoming smile. Jenny stood at the stove scrambling eggs, and the smell of bacon pervaded the room.
“Oh, good!” Jenny exclaimed. “Now I can fix breakfast for you for a change. How are Mindy and the baby? And how would you like your eggs?”
The domestic scene was such a letdown that Felicity sank into the one vacant chair before her knees betrayed her. “Scrambled will be fine. They’ll match my mind. I worried all the way home that awful imposter had come back and demanded entrance and there would be police cars blocking the street, and I find you both as relaxed as if breakfast were the only thing on your minds.” Her mind was fuzzy with relief.
Andrew chuckled. “There’s been no sign of that scoundrel. It’s my opinion that he realized his game has been blown and he’s left town. You may indeed be stuck for the bail, Felicity, but it would be all for the best. And to echo Jenny’s question, how are Mindy and the baby?”
“Mindy is fine and baby Sarah is the most beautiful baby ever born. Her father is besotted, and will bear watching, however.” Talking about the most wonderful thing that had happened to her in years brought Felicity back to earth. “Oh, and Jenny, would you put a little shredded cheese in my eggs? I feel the need for extra protein today. Shall we move into the dining room where there’s more room for the three of us?”
“Oh, little Michael and I ate early, Mrs. Canaday,” Jenny replied as she placed a plate of food in front of Andrew. “I’ll fix your plate, and then I have to get ready. Marcus is picking me up to go to my birthing class.”
Felicity loved the casual way Jenny had referred to the young pastor. She had great hopes in that direction, but had to remind herself to keep her thoughts unspoken. Meddling in peoples’ lives caused problems. So she said, “That leaves me free to take a much-needed nap.” She looked at Andrew. “I suspect you could use a little snooze, too. If I set my alarm, I’ll be fine here.”
Andrew narrowed his gaze and swallowed the last of his coffee. “I put a call in to Jonas. He’s winding up his business and will be back tomorrow night to sleep on your sofa. You didn’t give that rascal the code to your alarm, did you?”
“Something made me hold back. I did give him a key to the back door, but of course, with the alarm set, we’ll know if he makes an attempt to get in. I don’t want Jonas to go out of his way for me, Andrew, but if he insists, tell him he’ll be on my payroll.” She moved back to allow Jenny to put her plate on the table. The eggs were perfect, just the way she liked them. “Jenny, I think you’ve just saved my life.”
“Well, you saved mine, so this is one way to pay you back. I have to go get ready. There’s coffee in the carafe on the counter.” With that, she made her way through the swinging door.
“That payroll business is nonsense, and you know it, Felicity. We’ll never be able to do enough for the way you stepped in when we needed you ...”
”We’ll not talk about that today, Andrew. It’s in the past, and besides, that’s what friends are for.” She crunched on a piece of crisp bacon. “Besides, I have another project to see to in the morning, and I have to do some research.”
* * *
A lovely morning nap gave Felicity the energy she needed for her trip to the hospital to visit the poor man who’d lost his memory. It broke her heart to think of him turned out on the world with no resources and no past, but the other alternative was Social Services, which was strapped for cash, manned by people who were stretched to the limit, and couldn’t give him the rehabilitation he might need to regain his memory.
She’d just gotten off the phone with a good friend who ran a nearby experimental psychiatric clinic, and if the patient had enough physical strength to perform either janitorial or yard work, there was a possibility he could be a boarder and earn further treatment.
Murial, rushed as usual, met her at the nurse’s station. “It’s a good thing you got here when you did. He’s had lunch and they’re bringing the paperwork anytime. I hope you have some ideas for him,” she said as they walked quickly down the hall toward an open doorway.
“If he’s agreeable, I think I have a situation that might help him,” Felicity replied. She paused in the doorway and stared at the man sitting on the edge of the bed. Suddenly the frustrations of the past week all made sense. “Freddie,” she breathed.
At the sound of her voice, the man raised his head and looked at her. The blankness left his eyes, and she saw relief relax the tension that had been written on his features. Recognition followed. “Felicity. Have you come to save me?”
The nurse who’d been fussing with the little bundle of oddments that were his few belongings dropped it on the floor. Her eyes widened and she ran for the door. Her shouted “Dr. Beckman, come quick!” echoed from the hallway.
Felicity hurried forward, her arms outspread. “Oh, Freddie, you poor man.” She hugged him gently. “It’s all over. You’re coming home with me. This should never have happened.”
“He hit me,” Freddie murmured against her shoulder. He continued haltingly, “He’s my half-brother, you know... my father wasn’t faithful to my mother, and I only discovered Dan after they both died.”
“You needn’t talk about it right now, Freddie,” she soothed. “The important thing is that you have your memory back, and you’re here with me. The police will take care of Dan.” She released him, and sat on the bed so she could look at him eye to eye. “You’re going to be fine. I have a suspicion that some of the things he left in my spare bedroom are yours.”
“My truck!” Freddie said. “He stole my truck!”
Oh, dear, thought Felicity. I should probably save that news for another day when he’s stronger. Her mind was scrambling with a way to continue the subject when Dr. Beckman entered the room at a half-run. He came to a stop and appeared to be struggling for words. Felicity thought his entrance couldn’t have been more timely, and smiled as broadly as she could at him. “I’m Felicity Canaday, Doctor, and I want to thank you for the wonderful care you’ve given my cousin. When I walked into the room I recognized him and called him by name, and apparently that helped him to come back to his true self. I’d like you to meet Dr. Frederick Canaday, known to me as Cousin Freddie.”
A smile slowly spread across the doctor’s face, and he reached out to shake his patient’s hand before groping for the stethoscope dangling on his chest. “I’m delighted with such a positive outcome, Mrs. Canaday. If you’ll just sit down over there, I’d like to give your cousin a brief checkup before I release him to your care.”
Felicity sat while Dr. Beckman went through his routine, listening to the questions he asked Freddie with half of her mind while madly trying to sort out the challenges ahead. The first step was to get Freddie settled in the last of her guest suites. It wouldn’t do to put him in the same room the imposter had occupied.
Then she would call Detective Maguire and inform him of the latest development. She truly hoped to hear from him that Dan Truxler had been captured. The idea of that rascal possibly coming back to her home made her uneasy, even though she knew Jonas was going to arrive late that evening and would be on duty. Dear Jonas. What would she do without Andrew and his more than capable son. Problems just seemed to keep popping up in h
er life. Suddenly she realized the doctor was addressing her.
“Do you want to handle the paperwork downstairs before you leave, Mrs. Canaday? Or would you prefer to come back later this week?”
Felicity swallowed a chuckle as she realized the doctor was subtly inquiring as to who would be responsible for paying for the care Freddie had received. There was no doubt in her mind that the expenses had mounted to a respectable sum. She also realized that the Canaday name and fortune would once again smooth the way. “I’d appreciate it if I could come in later this week. You may be sure I will cover whatever charges have accumulated. This is a happy discovery for me, and I want to get my cousin home and settled so he can complete his recovery.”
“My truck, Felicity. Where is my truck? Dan asked me if I’d bring him with me, because he had a job opportunity in Ohio. Since I was coming here anyway, I agreed.” Freddie seemed to struggle with the memory before a terrified expression appeared on his face. “Dear Heaven! Dan struck me down! He stole my truck!”
Realizing that Freddie had somehow fixated on the notion of that battered old pickup truck, Felicity decided she had her work cut out for her and took the direct path. Putting her arm around her husband’s cousin and giving him a squeeze, she said, “I have some bad news for you. Your truck burned. Apparently a defect in the ignition was the culprit. Right in front of my house. Nobody was in it, and nobody was hurt.” She urged him to stand. “Now, we’re going back to my house, and I’ll get you settled in your room. After a rest and a good dinner, we’ll discuss replacing your vehicle.”
Freddie’s face crumpled, and for a minute, Felicity was afraid he would cry. Really, she thought, men and their vehicles. She was attached to her venerable Buick, but certainly wouldn’t shed any tears if it burst into flames. As long as she wasn’t in it at the time. “Now, Freddie, that truck is the least of your problems. Once we get you settled, we’ll concentrate on repairing the damage that imposter has done to your reputation!”
With that she tugged on his arm and steered him out the door.
Chapter Thirteen
Before she turned her ignition key, she realized she had better prepare her friends and family for a shock, so she pulled out her cell phone and called both Andrew and Josh. Then she applied herself to answering the multitude of questions Freddie fired at her as she drove.
“I suppose that scoundrel has somehow accessed my bank account,” he said, almost despairingly.
“I don’t think so, Freddie. At least he hasn’t appeared to have a great amount of cash on hand. To be truthful, I think he’s been toying with the affections of one of my acquaintances. In fact, I suspect she may be harboring him right now ... because I don’t think he’ll leave town just yet. He appears to have been trying to involve her in an investment scheme of some sort. We can only assume he has already discovered that his deception has been exposed, but he might not yet know that you’ve recovered your memory and that I’m bringing you home.”
Freddie rubbed his hands over his face and kept his eyes averted for a moment. Then he looked up, met her eyes, and said softly, “I was such a fool. Years ago, when Dan brought me the proof that he was my half-brother, I remember how grateful I felt. It was comforting to discover a close relative, no matter what the circumstances.”
Felicity started the car and backed out of the parking slot, relieved that driving required her to keep her eyes averted. She understood how he must have felt, but wondered if it had occurred to him that Dan’s appearance might not be because he wanted to find a family, but a carefully planned plot to extort some money.
After the events surrounding Oliver’s death, she had developed a tendency toward cynicism. At the stop sign to her street, she said sharply, “Did you ever happen to wonder why he’d waited so long to approach you with all those brotherly feelings?”
“I should think not. You haven’t changed since I met you thirty years ago. Oliver always said you had the mind of a businessman behind your trusting blue eyes and dimpled smile. He certainly had you pegged.”
“What a wonderful compliment!” She pulled out into the street. “I never knew Oliver had figured that out, Freddie.” A warm glow encompassed her heart. Dear Oliver. He had been an odd duck, but he’d been her odd duck, and she cherished his memory.
“I don’t know how to thank you for rescuing me, Felicity. If you hadn’t shown up for me to recognize and jolt my memory enough to return, I might never have come back.” He looked at her with gratitude and tears in his eyes.
Freddie seemed to Felicity to be wallowing in sentimentality, and she really didn’t have time for that right now. Later, perhaps, they could have a glass of wine or two and appreciate what fate, in the form of her friend Murial, had brought to pass. Which reminded her that she must find some suitable way to reward her dear friend. But that was for another day.
“We’ll spend some time discussing this later, Freddie. For now, I want to get you home and settled, and to notify Detective Maguire that the real you has been with us all the time. His attack on you will be yet another charge against your rascally half-brother if we can get our hands on him.”
She carefully steered into the alley behind her house and pressed the remote to raise her garage door before remembering she’d disconnected it. She left the car running while she slipped in the side door to re-engage it. An acrid odor hit her nostrils.
When she went back to the car to drive in, she warned Freddie before he could open his door, “I apologize for the smell in here. Your imposter stored bags of his belongings in the loft. He’d rescued the contents from the back of the truck after the firemen put out the fire. I’ll go through them tomorrow. The police probably will want to look through for any clues he might have left behind. Go on out the side door, and I’ll disengage the other door before I join you.”
When she pulled the side door closed and locked it, she found Freddie shaking his head. “I simply don’t want to think about him anymore. He took advantage of my generosity, attacked me, and then imposed himself on you. You’d think by the time I reached my age I’d have developed some sense of self preservation, but obviously I was an easy mark.”
Felicity slipped her hand beneath his elbow and gave his arm a squeeze. “We both learned a hard lesson. There will be plenty of time to beat ourselves over the head later. Today is for celebration.”
She led him to the house. As they approached, the door swung open and Andrew came down the steps, his hand extended and a broad smile on his face. “We’ve never met, but I’m looking forward to meeting the ‘real’ Cousin Freddie. Welcome.”
The two men shook hands while Felicity edged around them to open the door wider. “Come along inside, both of you. I’ll get you settled in the living room and fix some lunch. I hope you don’t mind soup and grilled cheese. Right now I think we need some comfort food.” She hurried through the mudroom to the kitchen and stopped in her tracks to inhale the wonderful odors coming from a pot on top the stove.
“This seemed the only way to continue to repay you for all you have done for me. I started making my mother’s recipe for chicken soup after you left, before I knew there was going to be a celebration. Then Admiral told me you found your real cousin, and I was so glad I did. You deserve to be happy.” Jenny’s smile drooped before she said softly, “I hated to tell you how much I disliked the imposter. There was something about the way he looked at me ...”
Felicity hugged as much of her as she could reach around her baby bump. “I could tell he made you uncomfortable, Jenny, but I couldn’t hold it against you. If truth be told, the man annoyed me, too.” Then she introduced the real Freddie to the girl, adding, “Jenny has fallen on hard times, but she’s on the way to a better future, and I’m going to help her every step of the way.”
Instead of glaring at her as the imposter had, Freddie smiled warmly. “There you go again, Felicity. Oliver said you were never happy unless you were in the middle of a project to help someone.” He shook Jenny’s hand a
nd patted her shoulder warmly. “Once I’m rested and settled in, I want to hear about your plans.”
In that moment, Felicity realized how much Oliver’s cousin resembled him. Dear Oliver. As she herded everyone into the dining room, she realized again how much she missed him.
* * *
Dinner that night was as festive as lunch had been. Although Freddie had taken a long rest in his room, Felicity had no intention of wasting her time in the kitchen, and she called the Pizzeria to order lasagne, garlic bread, and a huge container of salad. Tony delivered the food, and she had a grand time sharing the wonderful news with him.
After dinner, Josh dropped by for a short visit, but then hurried back home to be on tap for what he called “Daddy Duties,” and Andrew stayed through the evening, gently prodding Freddie’s memory for the details of his encounter with his half-brother. “Jonas has been delayed yet again, Felicity, but he should arrive later this evening. He wants to install himself in your living room at night until this Truxler person has been apprehended. And I feel sure he’ll be able to help Freddie remember more of the details that are buried in his memory. He’s a professional interrogator.”
“I hate the idea of Freddie being interrogated, Andrew. He’s been through so much.” Although Oliver’s cousin appeared to be perfectly normal, other than suffering from a recovering invalid’s natural exhaustion, she just wanted to forget the entire impersonation and get on with more pleasant matters.
Andrew shook his head in disbelief. “My dear, that man is still out there, and he has abandoned belongings in your house. He appears to be a confidence man of the first order. Do you think there’s even a possibility that he’s not lurking out there waiting to salvage whatever he can from this caper?”
Lazarus chose that moment to enter the room. He paused in the doorway, then made a beeline to Freddie and gave him a head bump on his calf. Felicity nearly cried. “He recognizes you because you’re related to Oliver,” she cried. “I should have spotted the imposter at the beginning. Lazarus hated him.”
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