Yuletide Jeopardy

by Sandra Robbins

  She laughed. “You can say that again.” Her smile faded. “Do you think we can ever be friends again?”

  He exhaled a long breath. “I don’t know, Grace. I’ve spent the past five years angry at you for dismissing my feelings so easily. When I told you I loved you, I thought I could trust you with my heart. But you broke it, and I don’t know if I can ever get the trust back I felt for you.”

  She nodded. “I understand. Now I know I was selfish and self-centered. I only thought of what I wanted. I never tried to come up with a compromise that could make us both happy. But then, neither did you.”

  “I guess we both failed. I guess we should chalk our romance up to one of those things that was never meant to be and go from there.”

  It surprised her to think that he might be right. She didn’t know if her life would have been different if she’d never fallen in love with Alex, but at least she wouldn’t have spent years getting over him. “I think it’s time we put the past behind us and concentrate on what we’re doing now. Maybe in discovering the truth about Landon’s death, we can find our way back to being the friends we were when we were children.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know, Grace. Going back may be too difficult. But maybe we can at least be cordial to each other while we’re working together.”

  She smiled. “Maybe so.”

  “Excuse me, Miss Kincaid.”

  Grace looked over her shoulder to see the maid standing in the doorway. “What is it, Nancy?”

  “Your mother’s car just drove into the garage. You said you wanted to know when she arrived so you could help her get your father inside.”

  Grace jumped to her feet. “Thank you, Nancy. Tell her I’ll be right there.”

  She turned back to Alex. “I’m glad we had this talk today.” She glanced at her watch and frowned. “They’re later than usual. I’m sure my father will be hungry and will want to eat right away. Why don’t you stay for dinner?”

  Alex rose from the sofa and shook his head. “No, I really should go.”

  Grace waved her hand in dismissal. “Don’t be silly. My parents will be glad to see you. Besides, I really do need you with me when I tell them about today.”

  She held her breath as he appeared to debate whether or not to stay. After a moment, he nodded. “Okay, if you’re sure it will be all right.”

  “Of course it is. Now sit back down and wait until I help get my father in the house. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  Grace hurried from the room before Alex had time to think up another reason to leave. She dreaded telling her parents about the incident in the park, but it had to be done. Her father didn’t need something else to worry about right now. He needed to concentrate on the therapy that was restoring some movement to his legs.

  Her prayer every night was that someday her father would be able to stand again. She hadn’t dared pray yet that he could walk, just stand. If he could do that, it would make walking possible.

  She glanced down at the friendship ring on her finger and said a quick prayer that God would lead her to the person who had kept Landon’s ring for the past twelve years. If she and Alex could find him, they might find that he and Landon’s killer were one and the same.

  * * *

  Dinner was drawing to a close, and Alex hoped he could soon make his exit. All during the meal Grace had tried to downplay the events of the past two days as best she could. He couldn’t believe how her account of their experience in the park had lacked certain details. To hear her tell it, someone had slashed her tires and shot up her car. She’d left out the part where she and Alex had been present and cowering beside the car as bullets whizzed past them. He had arched his eyebrows as she related her version of the story, and she had frowned and given a slight shake of her head.

  Her father’s piercing blue eyes bored into him. “Thank you, Alex, for what you did yesterday at the bridge and taking care of her car in the park. Our family is indebted to you.”

  A frown pulled at Alex’s forehead, and he rubbed his hand across his face. He could hardly believe Grace’s father was speaking to him like this. In the past he’d always treated Alex like someone beneath the social level of his family and had ignored him when they met. Now there was a warm tone to his words, and Alex found it difficult to associate it with the man he had once known.

  “There’s no need to thank me, sir. I was just doing my job. Of course, since it was Grace, I was especially thankful I was successful.”

  “And so are her mother and I.” He hesitated a moment. “I know your father must be very proud of your rise through the ranks in the police department.”

  “He is, sir.”

  “Well, I’m happy for you, too, but I do miss your father since he retired to Florida. When you speak to him, tell him hello for me.”

  “I’ll do that. He’ll be glad to know you miss him.”

  As the maid removed the dessert plates, Mr. Kincaid pushed the controls on his wheelchair and backed away from the table. “Let’s have coffee in the den.”

  Alex moved to the back of Mrs. Kincaid’s chair, assisted her as she rose to her feet and smiled. “Thank you for a wonderful dinner, Mrs. Kincaid.”

  She patted his arm and looked up into his eyes. “It was a pleasure having you, Alex, and please call us Martha and Harrison.”

  He darted a quick glance in Grace’s direction before he swallowed and nodded. “Thank you. I’d like that.”

  Harrison led the way as they left the dining room and headed toward the den. When they entered the den, the coffee service sat on the table in front of the sofa. Martha pointed to it as she sank into a chair next to her husband’s wheelchair. “Grace, would you serve the coffee?”

  Grace nodded, sat down on the sofa and picked up the silver coffeepot. Her hand trembled a bit when Alex settled next to her. She smiled and handed him the first cup. “Black, just the way you like it.”

  A small smile pulled at his lips as he took the cup. “I see you can remember some things better than others.”

  Grace ducked her head and nodded before she poured two cups for her parents. When they were finally served, Alex glanced at Grace’s father. “You seem to be doing well handling your wheelchair, Mr. Kin— I mean Harrison.”

  He nodded and set his cup on the tray of the wheelchair. “Yes. It took a while to get used to the controls of this motorized contraption, but I think I have it mastered now. It’s not like walking, but it gets me around.”

  “I’m glad to see you’re doing so well.”

  Harrison pursed his lips before he spoke. “I don’t think I’d be doing so well today if you hadn’t been there to help Grace yesterday and today. I want you to know how grateful we are to you.”

  Alex set his cup down and shook his head. “You’ve already thanked me for what I did, but I’m glad I was there, too. I’m sure any other policeman would have done the same.”

  “They might have done the same, but it wouldn’t have meant as much to me. Especially with our history.”

  Alex shook his head. “Please, there’s no need...”

  He held up and hand and interrupted him. “Oh, but there is. I’ve had a lot of time to think this past year, and some of the things I’ve remembered have troubled me a great deal. One of those things is how I acted toward you in the past. I never liked your coming here with your father, but I tolerated it because he was the best gardener I’d ever had and because I knew he didn’t want to leave you home alone after your mother passed away. I’m afraid I wasn’t very gracious to you, and I said things that must have cut deeply into a child’s heart.”

  Grace stilled and glanced at Alex. A slight flush covered her cheeks. He took a deep breath. “You’re right about that, but it’s in the past.”

  “Then when Grace told me the two of you were in love,” her
father continued, “I behaved even worse. I’m saying all this tonight, Alex, because I now realize how wrong I was to judge you because of my misguided ideas about social position. I’ve wanted to tell you this for some time, and I’m glad you’re here tonight so I can. I want to ask you to forgive me for how I’ve treated you in the past. I hope you can find it in your heart to do so.”

  After a moment, Alex swallowed. “I forgive you, Mr. Kincaid, and I thank you for telling me this. It means a lot to me.”

  Her father smiled. “Harrison, Alex. No more Mr. Kincaid.”

  A slow grin pulled at Alex’s lips. “That may take some time, but I’ll try.”

  Harrison let out a big breath. “Good. Now that’s all taken care of, we can finish our coffee.”

  A rustling sound at the door alerted them that someone had entered, and Alex glanced over his shoulder at Nancy, the maid, who stood just inside the room. She looked at Grace. “Excuse me, Miss Grace, a man from Hammonds Garage is on the phone. He says he needs to talk to you about all the damage to your car.”

  Grace set her cup on the coffee table and jumped to her feet. “Thanks, Nancy.”

  Her father glanced at Grace. “All the damage? I thought you said it was just a few bullet holes.”

  She cast a frantic look at Alex who had also risen before she responded. “I’ll, uh, go see what he has to say.”

  Her father shook his head. “No. I can tell you’re hiding something from me. What’s going on?” He moved his chair closer and glared at her. “I may be in a wheelchair, but I still have my mental faculties. Are you not telling me something?”

  Grace glanced over at the maid. “Nancy, please tell Mr. Hammonds I’ll call him later.” She turned back to her father. “Please, Dad, the doctor has told us it’s not good for you to get upset. I was only trying to spare you the details.”

  Her father grasped the arms of his wheelchair and gritted his teeth. “Grace, tell me what’s going on.”

  Even in his present condition, Grace’s father could still create a commanding presence. Alex had seen it many times, and tonight was no exception. Grace turned to him, a pleading look on her face. “Alex, help me out here....”

  Alex took a deep breath. “I’m sure Grace didn’t want to worry you by not telling you everything that happened in the park today. The truth is her car was bombarded with gunfire today while we were huddled behind it.” His voice seemed to echo in the now-quiet room.

  Her father’s face paled, and his mouth hung open. Her mother bolted out of her chair. “What did you say?”

  Alex glanced at Grace and sighed. “I’m sorry, Grace, but they deserve to know what happened.”

  “What are you talking about?” Mr. Kincaid’s voice thundered across the room.

  Grace started to protest, but Alex held up his hand. “No, Grace. They need to know the truth.” Before she could protest again, he began to speak and didn’t quit until he had told them everything that had happened since the incident on the bridge. “So,” he concluded, “I think Grace needs to back away from this story and let the police handle it.”

  “And I think you’re right,” her father said.

  “So do I,” her mother added.

  Grace clasped her hands in her lap and stared down at them for a few moments before she took a deep breath, rose slowly to her feet and looked at her parents. “I understand your concern, but I can’t back down from this. You knew when I entered this type of work that I might be called on to report stories that would put me in danger, but that’s one of the things that drew me to journalism. I love the excitement of following a story, and I want to find out what happened to Landon. He was my friend, and I think I owe it to him to find out the truth about his death.”

  Her mother’s eyes filled with tears. “Even at the expense of worrying your parents?”

  Grace hurried to her mother’s side and grasped her hands. “I don’t want to worry you and Dad, but this is something I have to do.” She glanced back at Alex. “Besides, I’ll be safe. Alex has agreed to help me.”

  Her father studied them for a moment before he shook his head. “Don’t you understand? Sometimes we have no control over what happens to us. Look at me. I’m a prime example of that. I never thought I’d end up in a wheelchair, but here I am.”

  Grace stared down at her clutched hands in her lap. “Dad, please, don’t get upset.”

  “No,” he said. “You have to understand how quickly something can happen that will change your life forever. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary when I left my office the day I was shot. People were leaving their workplaces, and the street was filled with traffic. All of a sudden I heard the roar of a car and gunshots. It took a few seconds for me to realize I was on the ground and bleeding. Even with so many potential witnesses around, nobody could describe the car or the shooter. The police thought someone shot into the crowd, and I was the unlucky one hit. I don’t want this or even something worse for you.”

  “Please, Dad, try to understand. This means a lot to me.”

  “Grace, your mother and I think—”

  Alex stepped forward and interrupted. “I think you’re wasting your breath. I’ve already tried to talk Grace out of this. But I promise you, I’ll stick close to her and make sure nothing happens to her.”

  Grace mouthed the words thank you before she turned to her father. “See, Dad? Alex will be with me.”

  Her father exhaled a deep breath and nodded. “Very well then. I don’t like it, but I’ll feel better if Alex is with you. Please be careful. I don’t think your mother and I could stand it if anything happened to you.”

  Grace bent over her father and kissed his cheek, then stepped beside her mother and did the same thing. “Thank you. I love you both so much. I promise I’ll be careful.”

  Tears flooded her father’s eyes, and he glanced at Alex. “Promise me you’ll take care of my daughter, Alex.”

  Alex nodded. “I’ll do everything in my power to keep her safe, sir.”

  “Good.” He cleared his throat and glanced at her mother. “Now why don’t you help me to my room, and we can leave these two young people alone?”

  “You don’t have to do that,” Alex protested.

  Her father shook his head. “No, I’m tired. I had a rough day with my therapist. I’m ready to go to bed.” He smiled at them. “Good night, Alex. It was good to have you in our home, and, Grace, I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Alex stood next to Grace as her mother followed the slowly moving wheelchair from the room. When the door closed, she turned back to Alex. “Thank you for supporting me.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head. “I don’t think I did you any favors. I’d feel better if you’d do what your father wanted and forget all about Landon Mitchell’s death.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  He studied her for a moment. “No, I guess you can’t. You always went after what you wanted, and it didn’t matter what anybody else said or if they got hurt as long as you got your way. You’d think after all these years I would have learned my lesson, but I guess I haven’t.” He exhaled and pulled the Sudoku puzzle from his pocket. “Why don’t we work on this now?”

  Before she could answer, he strode across the room, grabbed a chair and carried it to the desk by the window. After a moment she followed, and they sank down in the two chairs now at the desk.

  Neither of them spoke. Then Alex laid the paper he held on the desk, pulled a pencil from a cup that held a variety of writing instruments and began to study the puzzle. Beside him Grace crossed her arms and fidgeted as the minutes went by, but she didn’t say anything.

  Grace’s anger radiated out of her body like a blazing fire consuming everything in its path. Alex heard the intake of her breath and knew what that meant. He’d experienced enough of her lectures in the
past to know. He dropped the pencil onto the desk and leaned back in the chair.

  “Okay, let’s have it.”

  She hesitated. “Have what?”

  “The lecture you’re about to deliver. What is it this time? I’m insensitive to your feelings, or I don’t understand you or your opinion is never important to me? Which one is it? I’ve heard them all.”

  He turned to her, and his heart pricked at the tears she tried unsuccessfully to blink from her eyes. Her mouth opened as if she meant to speak, but she said nothing. Her shoulders drooped, and her body appeared to deflate. She didn’t move but held her gaze steady on him. Finally, she frowned and slowly reached across until her hand rested on his arm.

  “Was I really that awful, Alex? Did I make you feel like I thought I was superior?”

  The sudden shift in her mood startled him, and he regretted the harsh tone he’d used with her. His skin grew warm where she touched him, and he had to force himself not to cover her hand with his. He swallowed as he stared at her. “Sometimes.”

  A tear escaped the corner of her eye and trickled down her cheek. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize.” She closed her eyes and shook her head. Then she reopened her eyes and looked at him with a sad expression that stabbed at his heart. “I guess old habits are hard to break. I admit when I turned toward you a few minutes ago I was going to let you know that I wasn’t the only one at fault when we broke up. We were young, and we wanted different things. We gave up too easily.”

  Alex pulled his arm toward him, and her hand released him. He rubbed his eyes and shook his head. “Yeah, but we had a lot going against us, Grace. You wanted a life away from Memphis and I didn’t. Besides that, your family didn’t like me.” He sighed. “I guess it turned out all right in the end.”

  “It will turn out all right only if we can forgive each other and try to be friends again. Don’t you want us to be able to be together without reliving all the hurts of the past?”