by Robin Janney
Angela nodded and helped Maude to her feet.
Her father sighed and released his daughter from both arms. He kept one around her as if sensing it wasn’t over yet.
Jared came and sat at his sister’s feet.
“How much did you hear?” Angela asked her brother.
“We were there a while. Enough to know Randy saved your life.”
“Oh my God,” whispered Angela. She covered her face with her free hand.
“Angela,” said Jared practically. “The only surprise to me was that you’re adopted. But even that makes sense now. I’ve always wondered how it was possible that you were the only one with blue eyes.” He shrugged and smiled up at her. “Even for cousins the odds are astronomical.”
“You mean…oh God, no…no…”
Craig leaned forward, tightening his grip on the hand he held, even as Philip’s other arm came back down around the woman between them.
“Breathe, Angela,” said Philip.
“You remember?” Angela was able to ask her brother.
“Yeah, I do. Not all of it, or very clearly. But I do remember the day you pushed me, and I managed to fall down the stairs.” He folded his hands in his lap, his face somber. “I didn’t understand everything, or why those ladies wanted to take you away. What I remember the most was what happened later that night.”
Some of her panic had dissipated as her brother spoke. “I don’t understand. What happened?”
“You don’t remember?” Jared’s face brightened. “You held me, Ange. I remember waking up to your sobs. You did that a lot back then. I came into your room and climbed onto your bed. Dad was already there holding you, but you saw me and opened your arms. I crawled into your hug and stayed there until you fell asleep.”
Wiping her face, Angela looked at her father for confirmation.
And Philip was nodding. “It happened just like he said. I’m not surprised you don’t remember it. Your PTSD was worse then, and your dreams stronger.” He reached up and wiped another tear away from her cheek with a thumb. “You held him for over an hour, promising him things would be different. When I pulled him away from you, he patted your face and asked if it meant you no longer hated him. Would you like to know what I told him?”
His daughter nodded. “Please.”
“I told him it wasn’t that you hated him, you were just afraid to love him. I think we understand a bit more of that after today.” Philip pulled her close again, with a sigh. “I wish you kids had come to us.”
Angela sighed too, an echo of the man she called father. The emotions flickering across her face were complex, ranging from anxiety to relief. Finally, curiosity was seen, and she looked over at Philip. “Dad, who are my birth parents?”
“Yeah,” chimed in Jared. “If she’s my cousin, where do her blue eyes come from? All our grandparents have brown eyes too.”
“Well now.” Philip ran a hand through his hair. “Your birth parents. Well, your blue eyes come from your mother. My sister Janine. Her eyes were the same shade. She died when you were about six months old. It tore your father apart. He didn’t make good decisions for years. I’m not sure he does yet.”
“Mom said he followed you guys here?” asked Angela.
“Yes. And you’ve met him, spoken with him.”
“Really? And Mom called him Rhett. Rhett…Rhett…Everett?” Surprise filled her face and her back went straight as she looked up at her father. “Bullshit.”
“I’m afraid so,” Philip said, his head nodding. “Everett Crane is your father.”
Angela was silent a moment. When she spoke again, it drew laughter from the three men around her. “I’m so glad I didn’t inherit his red hair.”
I t had been a difficult discussion with Cassie, but as Maude returned to the bottom level, it was with a small amount of relief. She didn’t like talking about the years her husband had worked for his sister’s lover, and it was even harder talking about the little girl they’d lost shortly before Angela came into their family. But it had seemed to reach the angry teen. Hopefully Cassie would come down and apologize to her sister before the other left.
Jared looked up from the spot on the living room floor where he was sprawled. “They’re all in the kitchen, Mom. Said it was time for grown-up talk.”
That sounded ominous. “Maybe you’d better run upstairs then. That way I don’t have to worry about you eavesdropping like your older siblings.”
The boy groaned but picked himself up off the floor.
She waited until he had disappeared up the stairs before continuing to the kitchen. Pushing through the swinging door, she found the other three sitting around the kitchen table. Each had a mug of steaming liquid in front of them. They sat quietly enough it was unnerving to her.
Sitting in the spot where her favorite mug was located, Maude took a sip of the tea one of them had prepared for them. “What’s next?”
Craig and Angela looked at each other.
“Uhm, long story short…the police found Harry Flynn dead in my apartment last night,” her daughter said.
Maude almost dropped her mug and tea spilled on the table. She barely heard her husband swear. “You need to tell the long story.”
“Let me get this,” Craig was saying. He left his chair to grab the dishrag from the sink. She pulled her hands back as he mopped up her spilled tea. He and Angela were definitely alike in that mannerism, the mother decided.
Angela sighed. Her fingers picked at the tea bag sitting on the table next to her cup. “After I talked to Dad about the farm yesterday, I walked down to Craig’s to talk to him about it. I was down there for a bit, had dinner and talked. When he took me back to my apartment, the door was open. The police came to investigate and found Harry Flynn. Dead. On my bed.”
She shuddered, noticing Angela doing likewise.
“I spent last night at Craig’s,” her daughter continued. “I don’t know when I’ll be allowed to go back to my apartment. The police officer working the case doesn’t know how Harry ties into the phone calls from Derek, or if they do.”
Looking at Philip, she saw he was thinking the same thing. “Do you want to move back in?” she asked, amused to hear her husband saying it along with her.
Her daughter managed a tiny smile. “I’ve thought about it. But like I told Craig, I can’t shake the feeling it would put you all in danger.”
Why couldn’t she protect all her children? Her husband’s angry growl told her he was having the same thought.
“She’s right,” Philip was saying. “We have to think of Jared and Cassandra’s safety too.”
“Exactly,” Angela said, with a quick shake of her head. She was picking at her tea bag again, a sure sign her anxiety was bothering her no matter how calm she looked right now. She could hide it if it wasn’t too high. Why did Philip have to teach their oldest two how to play poker? “Craig’s offered to let me stay at his place for as long as Kevin and Sherry are visiting,” Angela continued. Her smile grew a little. “Actually, he’s all but demanded that.”
“I’m not sure how long they’re in town for,” Craig said. He shifted in his seat and cast an uneasy look at her and Philip. “They were originally going home this morning, but they called their supervisor this morning and said their request for extended leave was granted.”
“They both work in the same place?” she asked.
Craig nodded. “Bellview, in Dryden.”
She didn’t ask any more questions though she wanted to. Angela was still picking at her tea bag. It was a wonder the girl hadn’t poked a hole in it yet. Maude could feel her husband’s eyes on her and knew he was waiting for her to tell the two it would be alright if they moved in together. But she couldn’t give her blessing to that. She didn’t want her child to make the same mistakes she had, no matter how much she loved the man she’d made those mistakes with.
“What happens when your friends have to leave, Craig?” she asked, keeping her voice neutral. “Angela can’t
just move in with you.”
The two nodded as one, even as she heard Philip’s tiny disapproving sound. It was one thing they were never going to agree on.
“Hopefully they’ll have some kind of lead soon.” Angela shrugged, looking defeated. “I guess it’s a good thing I called about the phone calls when I did. They were already looking into things.”
Philip made another noise, but their daughter didn’t notice. Instead Angela straightened in her chair. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to run upstairs to see what things I have left here. The less I have to buy the better.”
“That’s fine,” Maude found herself saying. She didn’t think there was much left in the old bedroom, but her daughter was more than welcome to look.
They watched as she left the kitchen. There was a determination in her step, which reminded Maude of the girl’s mother. She noticed Craig and Philip looking at each other and felt an undercurrent she hadn’t felt for years. “What’s going on guys?”
Craig cleared his throat. “I was wondering just how much danger Angela’s actually in. Was it supposed to be her found dead in her apartment?”
Turning to her husband, Maude didn’t like the look in his eyes. There was no surprise at the other man’s question, and more than a little fear. “Philip Andrew Carman…you’ve been holding out on me, haven’t you?”
“A little,” her husband admitted. “Everett broke the agreement and approached me in public. I called him months ago asking him to hunt Derek down even though I wasn’t certain it was him calling her yet. If he’d just went away after prom, I’d have let it go. But…” His gaze never faltered as he looked from her to Craig and back again. “Everett couldn’t find him. His organization has always been extremely loyal. For him to not be able to find one of his own men, means there’s another player in the game. Probably one of his rivals. What he did uncover, is that someone put a hit on Angela. So, yes Craig…it was probably supposed to be her.”
“What? Why?” Maude asked him, her hand on her chest as she tried to stamp down the fear suddenly hammering inside of her. She knew they couldn’t protect their children from everything, but surely their old life shouldn’t have been one of the dangers.
“I doubt Everett’s going to be looking for the why,” Philip told her, a comforting touch on her arm. “You know him, honey. Derek’s already dead, if for nothing more than trying to rape Angela years ago. He will find whoever is behind this and kill them too. Whatever mistakes he made in the past regarding his daughter, his sole goal right now is protecting her.”
Maude nodded. She turned her head to Craig as he cleared his throat and leaned forward in his chair.
“Then I have another question for you both. I’m planning on proposing to Angela on Saturday, after the wedding we’re attending. If Angela agrees to this as well, would you have any objections if I elope with her? That night. That way, no one will think twice about her staying with me, because she’d be my wife.”
Rising to her feet, Maude caught the approval in her husband’s eyes. Walking to the sink, she looked out the window to the pond and the cemetery beyond it. “I so wanted Angela to have the wedding I never had…” she trailed off.
Silence didn’t last long behind her.
“I’d have no problem with that,” her husband was saying. “But are the two of you ready for it?”
“As ready as we’re ever going to be I think. It’s not what I wanted, not what I had planned, but things don’t always go as planned, do they?”
“That they don’t,” agreed Philip. “People will talk no matter what you do, son. They’re already saying she’s marrying you because of the farm. And you haven’t even popped the question yet.”
“Then it won’t make much difference if they think I’m marrying her to protect her, will it?” She heard Craig shift in his seat again. He wasn’t as good as Angela at hiding low-level anxiety. “My love for her demands I protect her, Philip, but I can’t do that without damaging her reputation. The minute your daughter set foot in my store looking for a job, my life was turned upside down. In so many ways, she gave me my life back. I don’t want to lose her.”
I don’t want to lose you… Philip had said those words to her, too many years ago to count. Their first few years had been tempestuous, but their love had been strong enough to bring them to this place.
“There will be conditions,” she said, returning to the table.
“Maude, honey…”
She leveled a finger at her husband. “No, Philip, this is my daughter and I’ll have my way on this. Things don’t always go the way we want them to, I understand that.” Turning her gaze, and her finger, to a startled looking Craig she continued, “Elope with Angela and bring her back your wife but promise me these two things: a commitment ceremony under the maple tree this summer, and let her finish her schooling – she’s had her heart set on being a vet ever since she picked up that turtle in the zoo years ago.”
The boy was nodding his head. “You have my word.”
“Then you have our blessing.”
51
K evin listened to the sound of pacing coming from the second level of his friend’s home. It was a muted sound, but the house his friend lived in was old and the walls thinner than he’d liked.
“I hate chaperoning grown adults,” his wife muttered next to him on the couch. She crossed her legs and tossed her blonde curls. “Don’t get me wrong, one talk with Flo across the street has me understanding why they want one, but they’re adults!”
“I’m not sure I’ve met her,” he answered. His wife had taken several walks on her own during their stay despite the cold, and he hoped she was finding peace with their relationship again.
The sound of Princess barking alerted them to Craig returning from his store.
“She has some interesting stories,” was all Sherry said.
Craig called out from the kitchen, “I brought pizza for lunch.”
Kevin left the couch behind. Entering the kitchen, he said to his friend, “Angela’s been upstairs pacing for the past half hour. We didn’t want to intrude, but I wanted you to know.”
His friend nodded. “Let me check something.” Leaving the pizza box open on the table, Craig picked up the cordless phone and hit the ‘on’ button. A smile blossomed on his face. “I hate to interrupt ladies, but lunch is here…pizza…yes, just cheese on one half. Alright.” Craig hung the phone up and returned to the table. “She’s on the phone with her friend Michelle.”
“I’m so glad to hear that,” said Sherry, sitting at the table. “I’ve been worrying about how much time she spends up there alone.”
“She’s tired still, from being ill,” said Craig. He began filling a paper plate with pizza.
“It’s more than that,” said Sherry.
“Let it drop, Sher. Craig and Angela don’t need our degrees right now.” Grabbing his own plate, Kevin selected his own slices of pizza.
His wife drew a deep breath and surprised him by apologizing to their host. “I’m sorry, Craig. It’s just I see her, and I can’t stop the psychologist in me. I’ll try to stop.”
Craig nodded as he sat on one of the chairs around the kitchen’s island.
Joining him, Kevin couldn’t resist pointing out one tiny fact to his friend. “I will admit to finding it humorous that you both pace when you’re on the telephone.”
The other man’s eyebrows shot up. “You can tell I pace?”
Laughing, Kevin reminded him, “We did share a dorm room for four years.”
Craig shared his laughter. “That we did.”
“Hi everyone!” said a chipper sounding Angela as she bounced into the room.
The happiness he saw on his friend’s face as he turned to greet his girlfriend cheered both the friend and the doctor in Kevin. He cringed when there was a knock on the front door. Why were people always interrupting these two?
“I’ll be back.” Craig dropped a light kiss on Angela’s lips and left the kitchen.
Angela sat on the stool on the island’s end, three slices of pizza on her plate.
“Have a good chat with your friend?” Sherry asked the other woman.
“I did. If she’s not too pregnant this summer, she said she’s coming for a visit.” She bit into her pizza, her mind not on her food. “She hasn’t decided whether to keep studying to be a doctor or not. Her husband…can be funny sometimes. He’s a more conservative Christian than Michelle and I are. But she loves him…Erica! Hi.”
Kevin turned in his seat to see the tall blonde policewoman coming into the kitchen, Craig walking around to stand at Angela’s side. He hoped it wasn’t more bad news.
“Miss Carman,” the trooper said with a quick nod of her head, her brisk voice formal even though she was in street clothes. “The good news is Crime Scene’s done processing your apartment. I’m afraid we had to take quite a few items as evidence. I have a complete log and receipts for you. The detectives working the case want me to take you through everything, see if anything was stolen.”
Angela was nodding, her hand covering the bracelet on her wrist. “I understand. Can I get anything from my apartment? I’ve bought a few things, but…”
“It’s not cleaned yet. But I could take you up there if that’s what you really want.”
Pushing her half-eaten pizza away from her, Angela stood. “Let me get my coat.”
“I’ll come with you,” said Craig. He followed his girlfriend and soon the three were gone.
“These two cannot catch a break,” muttered Kevin, looking over at his wife.
Sherry’s eyebrows furrowed as she said, “If what Craig says is true, and she’s the daughter of a local crime boss…will they ever? Does he have any idea what he’s marrying into?”
“I think he does, he just doesn’t care.” Kevin returned his attention to his pizza.
T rooper Erica Stevens watched from the bedroom doorway as Angela pulled clothes out of her closet and dresser, trying to pack them all into a small suitcase. The younger woman’s hands were shaking, but the policewoman didn’t think the other was going to go into a panic attack. There was too much anger in her right now. Moore paced the apartment, pausing to look out windows.