Finding Gracie's Rainbow

by Deborah A. Price

  “Mr. LaVern. . .” Gracie started to talk as he cut her off.

  “Detective LaVern,” Christian corrected her as Annie watched them with interest.

  “Detective LaVern, excuse me.” Gracie stood and looked at him straight in the eye. “I have no need to tell a lie to you or anybody else.” She started to pace, and Annie knew that Gracie was starting to warm up. “What I've told Annie is the truth, and it is a truth that I don't wish to visit again today or any other day. Now unless you have something to tell me, I have a daughter whom I would love to spend some more time with before my vacation is over.”

  He glanced sideways at her as she had finally come to a standstill beside him. “There’s something I could tell you.” Christian was impressed by the way she had stood up to him. “As I think you know, Annie and I had a meeting yesterday. I can talk about that now.”

  Gracie looked over at Annie, who was writing things on a memo pad as Christian spoke to her. “So are you going to tell me?”

  “The meeting was with Susan.” He turned around so he could watch for any expressions. “She told us that Mark had a friend who was a judge, and that was why he never really spent any time in jail.”

  “That does explain a lot.” Gracie finally sat back down next to Annie, who was listening as Christian continued.

  “We’ve looked into his files and out of curiosity; I wanted to ask if Judge Maddox rang a bell with you.” He had to look back at his files before he said the name.

  “Judge Carl Maddox?” Gracie looked up as he walked over to her.

  “Yes, m'am,” Christian looked at her stunned as she told him the first name.

  “He’s Mark’s cousin.” Gracie informed him. “I didn’t think relations could work a case that involved a family member.”

  “They can’t.” Christian looked angry as he realized that the system had slipped over that fact. “Somebody has really pulled one over on us.”

  Annie looked up from her tablet as she asked. “So what’s the next step?”

  “I guess I wait until Monday and have a warrant issued for the judge’s arrest. This just gets more interesting every day.” Christian looked at Gracie seriously after he had answered Annie’s question and told her everything that Susan had told them yesterday.

  “She was trying to get arrested?” Gracie was stunned as she asked.

  “She wanted safe haven.” Annie answered her. “He treated her the same way he had treated you when you were married to him.”

  She frowned as she stated a fact. “So Mark had his cousin sentence her to house arrest to keep her around him.”

  “That’s about it.” Christian watched Annie stand. “Where are you going?”

  “I think we’ve said everything that we know.” She grabbed her purse. “Unlike you, I'm not married to my work.”

  “I’m not married to my job.” Christian caught the amusement on Gracie’s face before he glanced over at Annie. “I just like to solve my cases.”

  “This case is already solved, Christian, if you haven’t already noticed that.” Annie motioned for Gracie to follow her. “Right now, we're going to spend some time with our families. You do know what that is, don’t you?”

  He narrowed his eyes. “I'm sure that I do.” Walking over to his desk, he flipped the file shut as he watched them walking out of the office. “Women!” He mumbled under his breath wondering just what it was about Annie that irritated him so much. He glanced at the pictures of his parents whom he barely remembered and then of his grandparents. They weren't around anymore, and he had no brothers or sisters. “I know what family is; it’s something I don’t have.”

  He opened the file and looked down at Annie’s handwriting. How much of Mark’s family was actually Amish and how did that fit into the case they were working on? Maybe it was time he went to visit Gracie’s parents to see what else he could find out. He was frowning as his phone rang, and he answered it while looking up Janet McBride’s address.

  ~

  Gracie saw that Jackson’s car was parked in her driveway after they pulled into the court, and she asked Annie to stop at Kim’s. Annie glanced at her sideways as she parked her car. “Are you and Jackson arguing?” She asked as they started to walk up to Kim’s door.

  “Why would you think that?” Gracie walked into her sister’s house watching as Sammie grinned up at her from the couch.

  “Oh, Mom is so good.” Sammie stood up. “She saw Jackson’s car and said that you would probably stop here first.”

  “She did?” Gracie sat down and studied her niece thinking about what she had told Annie the day before. “I could've just dropped by to pick up Bea. She doesn’t know me that well.”

  “Don’t I?” Kim walked into the room listening as Sammie and Gracie talked.

  Gracie looked up at her as she sighed. “How long has Jackson been down at the house?”

  “About thirty minutes,” Kim looked over at Annie, who was looking lost.

  “Can I please ask what is going on?” She looked over at Gracie.

  Gracie narrowed her eyes as she asked Annie a direct question. “How do I know you won’t tell Jackson everything I've told you?”

  “My job swears me to confidentiality.” Annie informed her as Garrison had finally realized his mother was sitting in the living room. “You could swear me to secrecy.”

  “You are sworn to secrecy, Annie." Gracie looked solemn as Kim watched her amused that she was acting a lot like her teenage daughter.

  “I swear I won’t talk.” Annie looked down at her son before she asked him to go back outside for a little while longer.

  Gracie waited until after Garrison left. “Jackson is hanging around a lot. He's at the house as much as I am.” Gracie stood at the front door looking out before turning back to Annie. “Don’t get me wrong, I love the fact that he was there when Bea was missing. Then I go and change the game. I told him that I would give us a chance, and he’s been at the house all the time.” She paused. “I didn't know that meant I was going to see him every single night. I need some space; some evenings just to spend with Bea.”

  “And he isn't giving you that.” Annie stated the obvious. “I have seen that this week, and was wondering how long that would last. You're the only one that can change that. You, Gracie, have to talk to him and let him know what you're feeling.”

  “Why can’t men just take the hints that you throw at them?” Gracie turned as Sammie started to laugh at her.

  “Who needs to watch a soap opera when they have an aunt like you?” Sammie kissed her cheek before walking outside to the back yard.

  Annie looked back over at Gracie, who had sat down before she started to talk again. “For over eight years, my life was blissfully quiet, and all of a sudden in the last couple of months, it gets turned in every direction possible. Upside down, inside out, and completely in circles.” She looked down at her hands knowing that Annie and Kim were still staring at her. “I need some time to catch up with myself.”

  “And that makes sense, so tell him.” Annie looked over at Kim, who was the one looking puzzled as she tried to figure out just how much Annie knew about her sister’s life.

  Gracie looked over at her sister who was still staring at Annie. Kim knew that at that point Annie probably knew more except for when it came down to Gracie’s emotions. “Gracie has never been one to share much of her own feelings with anyone.” Kim sat down at the table with them. “She can talk to us about Jackson because it doesn’t affect us.”

  “So let me talk to him.” Annie offered as Gracie shook her head.

  “I’ll talk to him.” Gracie just stared at them as Bea came running into the room.

  “When? I've heard about this before and evidently your hints don’t work on him.” Kim stood.

  “Jackson is walking into the driveway.” Bea whispered in Gracie’s ear as they both watched the door.

  Annie watched as Jackson walked into the house and looked over at Gracie. She leaned over and whispe
red to her. “Maybe now would be a good time to talk to him.” She motioned for Bea to walk outside with her as Gracie begged Kim with her eyes to stay.

  Jackson looked at them and then studied Gracie before speaking. “What is going on with you, Gracie?” He focused on her eyes as he talked. “Are you trying to avoid me or avoid us?”

  “Neither.” Gracie still sat at the table as he walked towards her. “I just have a lot going on right now.” She grew quiet when she saw anger in Jackson’s face.

  “So?” Jackson asked as Kim saw Gracie lose her nerve.

  “I can’t talk to you like that.” Gracie looked down at the table.

  “Like what?” He sat down at the table. “Gracie, why can’t you talk to me?”

  “Because you're angry.” Gracie looked at him and then at Kim, who had been about to answer Jackson for her. “Your eyes are angry.”

  “Jackson, I need your help for a minute.” Kim glanced at Gracie worried that she would never be able to do her own talking.

  “What is going on, Kim?” Jackson looked at her seriously as the kitchen door had shut behind them, and Kim started to hand him lemons to squeeze.

  “She’s starting to feel suffocated, Jackson.” Kim started to pour sugar into the pitcher as she talked.

  “And why couldn’t she tell me that?” He frowned as some acid from the lemons filtered into a scratch on his finger.

  “She wanted to. Gracie is always scared of making somebody mad or angry.” Kim started to stir the lemonade. “Between her job, the publishing of her book, and Bea’s case coming to trial it's enough to drive her crazy. Then there is this new relationship that she added to the mix.” Kim paused as she poured some lemonade in a glass for Jackson to taste, “More sugar?” Jackson nodded, and she added more to the pitcher. “Gracie is afraid that now since you now know that she wants and needs space that you're going to throw your temper and give her too much space.”

  “I wouldn't do that.” Jackson smiled as he tasted the lemonade she had just poured. He put a thumb up in the air.

  “Yes, you would. Don’t forget just how long I've known you and your family.” Kim watched as Jackson looked straight at her. “Remember what happened when you followed Steven’s advice? It almost backfired on you.”

  “I promise I won’t do that this time.” He smiled as he took the pitcher of lemonade out to the living room where Gracie was still sitting.

  “I think that’s supposed to go outside for the children.” Gracie looked into his eyes noting that the anger was gone.

  “And I'm inviting you to join us. Then I need to go home.” He saw the relief wash over Gracie’s face. “You could've told me what was going on in that pretty little head of yours.”

  “I try; I just find that it isn't as easy as other people make it look.” Gracie accompanied him outside.

  “What’s not so easy?” He put the pitcher down next to the tray of glasses before he looked at her.

  “Sharing.” Gracie hugged Bea as she walked up to her.

  Kim looked over at Annie, who had raised her eyes as she heard them talking. Annie looked back over at Kim wanting to ask questions and watched as Kim just shook her head.

  Annie walked over to her. “What do you mean ‘no’?”

  “I mean she froze.” Kim informed her. “So I had to talk to Jackson for her.”

  Annie turned to watch Gracie. “Has anyone ever suggested to her that she should see a head doctor?”

  Kim groaned and turned back towards the house as Annie followed her. “Gracie is a level-headed person. Why would we suggest that she talk to a psychiatrist?”

  “The entire trauma she’s been through is why she can’t talk about what she's feeling.” She watched as Kim turned towards her. “Her river runs deeper than you think, Kim.”

  “I have always thought so.” Kim looked up as Gracie walked into the house. “Is Jackson still here?”

  “No, he walked down to his car.” Gracie answered while she studied them. “Can’t you find someone else to talk about?”

  “No one that we care about.” Kim pointed to a chair across from her. “Why did you freeze like that when Jackson got upset?”

  “Because I didn’t want him to…” Gracie looked up as she thought about what she had been about to say. “Oh, my goodness.”

  “Jackson would never hit you.” Annie looked at Gracie seriously. “Nor would he hurt you in the other way.”

  Kim looked over at her sister. “What other way?” Her jaw dropped after Gracie told her about what her marriage had been like. “That is why you took that vow.” Gracie nodded as Kim stood. “Maybe you should see a shrink.”

  “Maybe not,” Gracie snapped. “If Jackson was the only thing that I had to concentrate on, I might be able to figure it out on my own. Unfortunately, he is not. Bea’s case is coming up, and it has opened a lot of things that I had buried to forget them.” She glanced at Annie while she talked.

  “I am sorry.” Annie looked apologetic. “If it hadn’t been me, it would have been someone else asking you those questions.”

  “And you've said that all of this is going to be coming out in the trial.” She paused as she glanced to the back door before looking back at Annie. “Bea is going to hear all of that.”

  “I can have her removed during your testimony.” Annie told her before Gracie had started pacing again. “Or we can have her there only when we need her to testify about her time spent with Mark.”

  “You can do that?” She had stopped to look at her.

  “I’m pretty sure we can. I'll call Christian to make sure.” Annie picked up her phone and dialed Christian’s number. “He is so flipping arrogant.” Annie hung up, looking over her shoulder at Gracie. “He agrees about having her there only for her testimony.”

  “Thank God.” Gracie finally sat down and looked at Kim. “I still don’t understand why, with all the testimony and statements, there even has to be a trial.”

  “It's his constitutional right.” Annie glanced over at Kim as she looked down at her watch.

  “The victim doesn't have a constitutional right, but the criminal does.” Kim stood as she looked over at Gracie. “Paige will be here in a bit. She said something about your hair.”

  “She thinks I'm going to let her cut it.” Gracie was feeling a little better knowing that Bea wouldn't have to listen to any of the testimony.

  “Let her.” Kim smiled as she looked at the bun that Gracie always sported.

  “Sure,” Gracie said as she watched Kim. “It’s time for Bea’s hair to be trimmed.”

  “New hairdo equals a new attitude.” Her sister smiled as Bea came into the house.

  “Do I need a new attitude? My co-workers would have to argue about that.” Gracie laughed as Paige walked into the house with her hair supplies.

  “A new attitude wouldn't hurt every once in a while.” Paige smiled when she placed her bag on the table and took down Gracie’s bun. “Just us girls today?”

  “Garrison is here.” Annie said.

  “But no grown-up men,” Paige was still smiling when she started to brush out Gracie’s hair. “Say good-bye to all of this.” She showed Gracie her senior portrait. “I love the way you used to wear your hair. It’s chic. It's business, and it is so totally you.”

  “Did you ask if you could donate what you cut off?” Gracie had looked over at Kim, who was holding the picture.

  “I had already checked because I knew you would want to do that.” Paige held a bag out for Kim to hold as she took the scissors out of her bag. “Are you ready?”

  Gracie nodded and closed her eyes when she heard the scissors cutting through her hair.

  “Open your eyes, Gracie. The deed is done.” Paige closed the bag that was holding the hair. “Now let’s style what is left.”

  Kim and Annie both watched as Paige transformed Gracie into a different person.

  “Wow! She looks like she did while she was in school.” Sammie had walked into the house and stopp
ed as Gracie stood. “She needs to try on that dress we bought the other day.”

  “What dress is that?” Kim asked her daughter while she walked around Gracie.

  “You know. The one you said is too grown up for me.” Sammie answered as Bea walked into the room, stopping short to stare at her mother.

  Paige watched Bea stare at her mother trying to figure out if she liked the new look. “Would you like your hair that short?”

  “I think I want to keep my hair.” Bea had still not taken her eyes from Gracie.

  “Just a trim then,” Paige motioned for Bea to sit in the chair before looking back over to her sister-in-law. Paige thought Gracie looked at least ten years younger. “You could pass for Sammie’s sister now. How about we go shopping after I finish with Bea?”

  “How about we don’t and say we did.” Gracie sat down as Sammie made eye contact with Kim.

  Kim grabbed Gracie’s hand, and they walked down to Sammie’s room where Sammie took down the dress that she wanted Gracie to try on. Gracie took the dress and walked into the bathroom to try it on. She strolled back into Sammie’s room with the dress on, and Sammie elbowed Kim to get her attention. “Jackson had better watch out.”

  “That’s no lie,” Kim smiled as she agreed with Sammie. “Maybe that dress is too grown up for her as well.”

  “I would like to see before she takes it off.” Paige yelled as Annie walked down the hall to the room where Gracie was standing.

  “Bowsers.” Annie said as she sat down beside Kim on Sammie’s bed.

  “Bowsers?” Gracie looked over at Annie. “Where did that word come from? Jackson used it the other day."

  “Off of some cartoon, and when did Jackson use it?” Annie quizzed her.

  “When he tried to catch the kitchen on fire and used my shirt to put it out.” Gracie answered laughing at the look that Kim shot her. “I was in my bathing suit.” She walked out of Sammie’s room and into the kitchen where Paige was finishing Bea’s hair.