Past Sins Revisited

by Mary Goldberger

  Edric went to go stand up as he said, “I’m going to see Calida.”

  “Edric,” Matt said firmly getting his attention as most of his friends didn’t call him by his true first name. “Calida may not want to see you right now.”

  “What,” Edric uttered softly falling back into his chair.

  Matt reached inside his jacket and pulled out an envelope which he laid on the table before sliding it over to Edric.

  “These were found on the floor in the warehouse around Calida and Sophie by one of the officers,” he told Edric who had picked up the envelope and was already opening it.

  Edric stared at the pictures he pulled out and his hand shook slightly as he shifted to see each one although his green eyes flickered with so much anger.

  “I’m thinking Jeffrey taunted Calida with them,” Matt revealed quietly watching his friend’s face, “although I have to admit Jeffrey had seemed surprised by them.”

  “Sophie,” Tomas muttered as Mariah gripped his hand.

  Lida hadn’t spoken since she sat down but now she did. “I think” she said hesitatingly, “Sophie knew I was at Jeffrey’s house when I disappeared.”

  Tomas recalled Calida’s words as he said, “Calida mentioned that she thought it was odd when she remembered Jeffrey saying once you didn’t have any family after Sophie told us you had called and informed her that you were spending time with them.”

  Lida smiled although a brief flash of sadness went through her eyes. “Calida was right. I’m an only child for my mother died giving birth to me.”

  Tomas glanced at her and asked, “Your father?”

  “He died a few years before I met Jeffrey,” Lida told them her voice devoid of all emotion.

  Edric threw the pictures on the table and the others looked at them while Mariah and Lida gasped at what they hinted at to their eyes.

  “Why that bitch,” Mariah muttered vehemently eyes flashing with anger.

  “Did Calida say anything else,” Edric asked Matt his green eyes shielded from their view now.

  “She did, but I think it is better if you hear it from her,” Matt stated getting a single nod from Edric in agreement.

  “There is more, Ric,” Tomas said nodding his head to Mariah.

  Mariah took the hint revealing what they learned about Sophie’s reservations to Hawaii for two although they weren’t sure of the exact departure date.

  Edric closed his eyes as he gritted his teeth and forced out air.

  “I need…” he began only to be interrupted by the ring of his cell phone and although he knew that it couldn’t be possible, he pulled out his cell with hope until he answered it.

  “Ric,” Sophie uttered on a slight sniffle, “where are you? You were gone when I woke up.”

  Edric’s face took on a hard look at odds with the soothing tone that answered her. “I needed to get something to eat and since you were sleeping, I decided to go ahead downstairs to the cafeteria.”

  “Oh,” she breathed out, and he heard a hint of worry in the sigh she gave before she went on. “Did you talk to anyone?”

  A harsh smile swept across his face at the question but his tone didn’t change as he lied without hesitation, “No, Tomas is with Mariah and I haven’t been able to get a hold of Matt.”

  “He is probably busy,” Sophie was quick to say keeping the relief out of her voice. “I’m sure with everything that happened his boss needs him to answer a few questions and fill out some reports.”

  “You’re probably right, Sophie,” Edric agreed his green eyes shifting to Matt who raised his eyebrows but didn’t say a word at the look. “Once I finish eating, I will come back up to spend the night with you. Unfortunately, I will have to leave tomorrow morning early before your release to handle some business issues.”

  Sophie was quiet for a few minutes at his words and Edric sensed her mind was working in an attempt to keep him by her side.

  “Okay,” she finally said, “we will talk when you return to the room as there is something I would like to discuss with you, Ric.”

  When he flipped the phone closed, Edric asked, “Do you think I can talk to Calida’s doctor?”

  They all looked at each other before Matt admitted, “He’s been only talking to Wilma as he wouldn’t even talk to me when I called to ask about Calida’s condition.”

  Edric swore under his breath as he shifted a hand through his hair tousling the already messy hair as he said, “Wilma will protect Calida especially if she thinks I was playing with her.”

  He saw their agreement as they all shifted their eyes away from his stare and Edric sighed as his eyes narrowed and his mind began to come up with a way to see Calida.

  “Okay,” he said getting a chuckle from Tomas who raised his hands lightly as Edric gave him a stern look.

  “I know that tone and look, Ric,” Tomas told him as he sat back in his chair one hand resting on the table while the other landed on Mariah’s leg. “You’ve come up with a plan so you can see Calida.”

  “Let’s hope that it works,” Edric admitted in a rough voice giving Tomas a quick smile. “Mariah,” shifting his eyes to his secretary, “I need you to get everything you can on what Sophie’s been up to these last few weeks.”

  “That’s going to be difficult, but I will do my best,” Mariah told him with a nod.

  “Lida, can you keep an eye on Calida while you are here although I know that you will probably be released soon,” Edric asked turning to look at her and Lida’s eyes widened at him in astonishment but she nodded her head while a smile crossed her face.

  “Tomas, I will need your help with the business because I still plan on taking that vacation I had planned, “Edric said a hint of determination in his voice. “And Matt, I may need your help to kidnap my own fiancée if it comes down to it.”

  “Well, damn,” Matt said leaning back in his seat as he stared at his friend with laughing eyes.

  “What are you going to do, Ric,” Mariah quizzed as they all got up from the table.

  “Besides control myself from strangling Sophie, I’m going to find a way for Wilma to trust me again so I can talk to Calida’s doctor and eventually Calida herself.”

  They all nodded their head as they left the cafeteria where they separated. Edric headed back up to Sophie’s room while Matt escorted Lida back to her room. Mariah and Tomas left the hospital.

  “I’m going to enjoy this,” Mariah remarked as she climbed into the truck.

  Tomas laughed as he started it remarking, “You’ve never really liked Sophie since the moment you started working for us, did you?”

  “No, I didn’t,” Sophie replied bluntly and without hesitation as she glanced over at him. “But to be honest, I thought she was making a play for you at the time.”

  Edric went back upstairs where he took a deep breath outside Sophie’s hospital room before he knocked and walked in just as Sophie put down the phone.

  “Accepting calls now,” he asked in a polite voice walking over to a chair positioned by the bed.

  Sophie laughed lightly as she told him, “A friend called to see how I was doing” giving him a slight pout which he pretended not to see although he did notice the shifting of her eyes as she answered his question.

  Edric’s mouth tightened slightly as he sat down in the chair next to the bed while she said softly, “I was thinking that maybe…”

  Edric smoothly cut her off with ease as he said, “Did I tell you Sophie that I made plans to take some time off next week?”

  He saw the way her eyes widened in surprise and then with anticipation as she said with a slight husky note in her voice, “No, but it works in with what I had planned.”

  “Really,” he said with a slight lift of his eyebrows and Sophie bit her lip as she realized she had said too much. “I have to spend the rest of this week working to clear up any business that needs to be done before I leave although I trust Tomas completely in taking over for me while I’m gone.”

  �
��Have you decided where you plan on going because if you don’t, I have a good suggestion,” Sophie mentioned in a cajoling tone.

  Edric gave her a thoughtful look as if thinking about it before he replied, “I do, but I will wait to see what happens by the end of this week. I need this vacation so I can relax and come up with a plan to bring Reseda Electronics back to its feet the way it was when Jeffrey and Calida’s father ran it.”

  Chapter 24

  Edric saw the way Sophie’s eyes flickered at the mention of Calida’s name before she said in a low voice, “I’m sorry, Ric, with everything that’s happened since your return, you probably haven’t been able to get in touch with Calida. Maybe you should give her call.”

  She indicated the phone next to her and Edric felt anger rise up inside him but he forced himself to rein it in before he smiled shaking his head telling her, “I’ve tried calling since I returned, but her phone is off. I will have to wait until have a few moments to go pay her a visit and make sure that she is all right.”

  Sophie’s mouth tightened at those words before she asked, “What are you going to do about your engagement? I mean, now that everything is finished with Jeffrey.”

  “That’s the reason I need to talk with her, Sophie,” Edric told her watching as Sophie lowered her lashes to hide the satisfaction that lit her eyes. “We need to come to an understanding, but I can’t do that until Calida and I talk.”

  “Calida probably is staying to herself after what Jeffrey tried to do,” Sophie suggested giving Edric a slight grimace. “I know I would if it had been my brother.”

  Edric nodded his head turning to stare out the window a thoughtful look on his face as he said, “I’m sure that is one of the things going through Calida’s mind at the moment.”

  Sophie watched him quietly before she asked, “So you are going on vacation after you break your engagement to her?”

  Edric gave her a smile as he remarked, “I plan on going on vacation either way so breaking the engagement might have to be postponed to after my vacation.”

  Sophie frowned slightly before commenting, “Well, I guess depending on if you get hold of her before you leave.”

  Edric nodded his head as Sophie glanced up sending him a seductive smile and Edric gave her a wink before reaching for the controller on her bed.

  “I wonder what’s on TV,” he uttered turning his attention to the mounted TV up on the wall.

  He find a news channel while Sophie watched him with speculative eyes before she said, “I know that you said you weren’t sure about where to go for your vacation, but I know you, Ric, and you always have some idea of what you are going to do.”

  Ric laughed his eyes still on the TV as he revealed, “I was thinking of going to my house up in the mountains, but like I said before I haven’t completely decided yet.”

  Sophie turned her eyes to the wall a harsh scowl crossing her face unaware of the quick glance Edric threw her catching it before he returned his attention back to the TV.

  “It will be cold up there, Ric,” she complained in a cajoling voice.

  “I know,” Edric told her settling back in the chair more comfortably, “but it so happens I like the cold and it is a quiet place that allows me to think.”

  Sophie opened her mouth to say something else when she stopped her eyes narrowing slightly her mind already starting to work quickly and suddenly she relaxed against the bed a smug smile lifting the corners of her mouth. Convincing Edric to go with her wasn’t going to be difficult, she thought to herself, because he was already willing to go on a vacation. She merely had to be suggestive about the location and including the addition of her company, and she didn’t think he would be able to resist.

  As her body relaxed in the bed, the late nights for the last few days caught up with her and her eyes began to close even though she tried to keep them open, and Edric seeing that she was almost asleep asked in a low tone, “Where would you like to go, Sophie?”

  “I was thinking of Hawaii,” Sophie told him sleepily not realizing the scowl that crossed Edric’s face as she sighed softly. “Maybe we can go together, Ric, since you haven’t decided.”

  “Maybe,” he repeated his green eyes narrowed on her face seeing the tilt of her lips in a smirk.

  Everything was falling into place, Sophie thought as she yawned snuggling down in her pillow, and she would make sure to keep Edric close to her as she talked him into going with her. Her first move was getting invited to stay in his house for the rest of the week before he left on his vacation.

  She fell asleep already making plans about their wedding and changes that she would make in Edric’s home once she was moved in starting with that despicable Ms. Welsh.

  Her light snore caught Edric’s attention and although he didn’t turn to look at her, his green eyes were hard with anger while his body was tense in the chair.

  Once he was more certain that Sophie was asleep, he got up from the chair and stood at the window glancing out his jaw clenched as he thought about Calida.

  I will be with you soon, honey, and then we will talk about everything Edric promised with green eyes narrowed in determination.

  When Sophie woke in the morning, Edric was stepping out of the bathroom in a pair of dark slacks with his hair still wet and buttoning up a green shirt.

  “Good morning,” he said giving her a smile as he finished buttoning up the shirt with easy movements.

  Sophie pouted at him playfully pushing her hair away from her face before she froze and hurried out of the bed for the bathroom.

  As the door closed behind her, Edric smiled a hard smile as he tucked the tails of his shirt into his slacks. By the time Sophie came out of the bathroom, Edric was dressed and slipping on his jacket as a nurse came in after a brief knock on the door followed by an attendant with Sophie’s breakfast.

  “Ric,” she said in a soft alluring voice as he walked over and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

  “I have to get to work, Sophie,” he reminded her. “Eat your breakfast and I will be back later.”

  Sophie was frowning as her mouth opened to detain him, but the nurse forestalled her as she smiled telling her, “I need to take your vitals again so if you wouldn’t mind sitting on the bed.”

  Edric was heading for the door when the nurse told Sophie, “The doctor will be discharging you this afternoon.”

  Edric closed the door at the nurse’s words as Sophie called out, “Ric, I need…”

  The closing of the door drowned at her words and Edric walked away without looking back and as he reached the elevator, his cell went off.

  “Ric,” Mariah said a worried note in her voice, “Jake just dropped off an envelope addressed to you in Calida’s handwriting.”

  Edric felt his gut clench as he told her, “I’m on my way.”

  Twenty minutes later, Edric entered his outer office as Mariah looked up from her computer and handed out an envelope that had been resting on the corner of her desk.

  He nodded his head taking the envelope before walking into his office and closing the door with a snap behind him.

  Staring down at the envelope in his hand, he strolled over to his desk and sat down ignoring the cell phone going off in his pocket.

  His jaw clenched as he opened the envelope tipping it as the papers within slid out and he stilled when Calida’s engagement ring slid out also to land on the desk.

  His hand slightly shook as he reached for the ring picking it up to stare at it before he clenched his hand around it turning his attention to the papers in his other hand.

  The first was a notary for the shares that Calida had signed over to him and he put that aside without a second thought, but the other two sheets caught and held his attention.

  He had to read it twice before he leaned his head back against the chair with his eyes closed as his face filled with anguish.

  “No,” Edric said harshly a few seconds later as he sat up folding up the letter and slipping it into the inside
pocket of his suit jacket.

  The notary he put back into the envelope before he stared down at the ring he still had clutched in his hand. With ease, he undid the clasp of the only piece of jewelry he wore which a charm that his sister gave him years ago and he placed the ring next to that charm kissing it lightly before he replaced the necklace tucking it back under his shirt. Calida’s engagement ring would stay there until he could put it back on her finger, Edric told himself as he stood up from the desk grabbing the envelope.

  “Mariah,” he said stepping out of his office getting Tomas and Mariah’s attention. “Do I have any appointments that I can’t put off until later this afternoon?”

  “One,” Mariah mentioned turning to their day planner to tell him the name and where they were meeting, and Edric nodded his head glancing down at his wristwatch.

  His eyes narrowed as he asked, “Tomas can you take that meeting for me?”

  Tomas frowned at him as Mariah glanced up in surprise before Tomas began, “Ric…”

  “Calida learned the truth, Tomas,” Edric told them lifting the envelope that he held in his hand his green eyes filled with anguish. “Even though she recently learned the truth, she had sensed something before even then and yet she still accepted my proposal.”

  Edric recalled her words the day before he proposed when she told him until you no longer need me.

  Edric shook his head getting rid of those words as he said in a rough voice, “There is something that I need to do.”

  “I’ve got the meeting, Edric, go do what you’ve got to do,” Tomas urged him with a nod of understanding and encouragement.

  “Thank you,” he knowledge in gratitude heading for the elevator where he paused briefly turning his head back around. “Mariah, did Calida give you any receipts, or information, concerning our wedding?”

  Mariah shook her head informing him, “She told me that she hadn’t actually engaged anyone yet that she was still looking for the right people.”

  Edric nodded his head as he continued to the elevator and out of the building his face a mask hiding the worry and fear he was feeling. As he got into his car, the cell in his pocket went off and as he put the key in the ignition he pulled it out of his pocket. Studying the caller id, he answered it with a brief, “Walwyn.”