A Father for Danny

by Janice Carter

  “Whoa! I haven’t even had my daily glass of wine and already I’m seeing double.”

  “I see you’ve still got your sense of humor,” Chase said as he and the twins followed Nancy into the front hall.

  “It’s certainly improved since I left the company. Come into the den. Tom’s made coffee. Everybody want a cup?”

  Chase heard either Sam or Skye—which, he couldn’t be sure—murmur assent as he trailed after Nancy down the hall. Her wiry, steel-gray hair bobbed around her head with each step. She’d always walked with such bouncing exuberance, ready for anything and everything. No employer in his right mind would have let Nancy Wicks go. At least, no one but Bryant Sullivan. They entered a small den where a tall, white-haired man carrying a tray of coffee mugs met them. “Just put it on the table, Tom,” Nancy said, and turning to them, introduced her husband.

  After a few minutes of polite conversation, sipping hot coffee and complimenting Nancy on her homemade oatmeal cookies, Chase got right to the point. “Nancy, we came to talk to you about what happened at the company thirteen years ago.”

  Nancy’s smile disappeared. “Has Bryant sent you?”

  “No, no, as I told you on the phone, I’m not here representing him.”

  “I heard via the grapevine that you resigned soon after I left,” she said.

  “Actually I was fired, but I would have quit anyway.”

  “Was it about those companies?”

  Chase locked eyes with Sam over Nancy’s head. “Yes.”

  “I’ve been waiting years for someone to ask me about those companies,” Nancy said. “I heard there was an investigation, but no one came to talk to me.”

  “Why didn’t you call the FBI yourself, then?” Skye asked.

  Nancy looked across the room at Tom. There was an awkward silence until Tom said, “Actually, I called the FBI—twice.”

  Chase glanced from Nancy to Tom. “I don’t understand,” he said.

  “Nancy was stressed out over this thing,” Tom said. “She was convinced there was something underhanded going on, but when she tried to get answers from her boss, he just put her off. She talked to you about it, Chase, but in the meantime I couldn’t stand seeing her come home every night worried sick that she was involved in something illegal. So I decided to stir things up a bit.”

  “It was you!” Chase was stunned, thinking back to the day he’d returned from the trade show and his father’s accusation of betraying the company and the family.

  “Maybe I caused some trouble for your family?” Tom asked hesitantly.

  Like maybe blasted it apart. But the past was long gone, Chase reminded himself, and the family held together by strings, anyway.

  “Nancy—and Tom—Chase hasn’t mentioned yet that my sister, Skye, was the FBI agent who went to the company to make inquiries after…uh…your anonymous phone call,” Sam put in, saving Chase from having to respond to Tom’s revelation.

  Nancy’s jaw dropped. “No kidding.”

  “We came to find out exactly what your suspicions were before your husband made his phone call and what evidence you saw to confirm those suspicions,” Skye put in.

  “Well,” said Nancy, drawing her five-foot frame up straight in her chair, “you may recall my talking to you about a couple of companies, Chase. We’d hired them to fill some government contracts and I had a question about one of the invoices. Contacting the company was just like spinning wheels. Going in circles. I’d get a voice mail to tell me to call another number and that one would be out of service. That kind of thing. I talked to you about it, Chase, before I went in to see your uncle. He was a gruff man and I avoided him as much as possible. Anyway, you’d only been in the department a few weeks and didn’t know much.” She grinned mischievously. “Window dressing, the girls in Shipping called Chase,” she said to Sam and Skye.

  Chase saw the amusement in Sam’s eyes and felt himself redden.

  Nancy went on. “When I did get up my nerve to talk to Mr. Bryant, he didn’t seem concerned at all. Basically told me his sons had given the jobs to those companies and they would look into the matter. Not long after that, I think you went and talked to him, Chase, because we couldn’t track down some numbered company. Everything started moving very quickly after that. Tom here called the FBI—and I want to say right now that I had nothing to do with that.” She glared at her husband.

  “She didn’t,” asserted Tom.

  “Then Chase was sent off to that trade show and the very next day, Mr. Bryant told me my job was being made redundant. He said Chase was going to share my work with his cousins and…well…that was the end of more than ten years with Trade Winds. I figured out what was happening, but had nothing to hold against them but suspicions. And we didn’t have the money to hire a lawyer to appeal my dismissal.” She stopped, her eyes glistening.

  Tom reached over to pat her hand.

  “But to Bryant’s credit,” she added, as if not wanting to offend Chase about his relatives, “he was very kind about my severance package. It was a nice one.”

  Chase pursed his lips. Kindness had definitely not been his uncle’s motive and he bet Nancy knew that, too.

  Sam pulled the folder out of her large shoulder bag. “Skye managed to get a copy of her old file. Can you take a look at this and see if you recognize or recall any of the companies mentioned?” She handed the folder to Nancy, who sifted through them carefully.

  “This one,” she said, holding up a slip of paper. “H. J. Weiner and Company. It was the first one, I think, that I couldn’t trace. See the invoice? They billed us nineteen thousand dollars for consultation. I never did find out what kind of consulting and why it should have cost us so much. Mr. Bryant gave me the order to pay it and I did. But I wasn’t happy about it.” She folded her arms across her chest indignantly.

  Chase realized right then that they’d gotten all their answers. “Is there anything else you can tell us, Nancy?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “No, I’m sorry. If I’d known what was going to happen, I’d have photocopied some things, or gone to the FBI myself. But it all came so quickly. They gave me a check and one of the boys—Terence, I think—watched me like a hawk while I cleared out my desk. That really ticked me off. As if I was the one who’d been stealing from the company, instead of the person trying to save them money.”

  Chase looked across at Sam, raising his eyebrow. She got the message and rose to her feet. “Nancy,” she said, “thank you so much for meeting with us.”

  “I don’t think I told you anything you didn’t already know.”

  “It was important to confirm our suspicions, Nance,” Chase said.

  “You are going to look into this, then, are you?”

  “Definitely,” Chase said. He bent his head to kiss Nancy on the cheek. “It was good to see you again.”

  “Don’t stay away so long this time,” she said, poking him in the chest. “Come back and fill us in on everything. I want the whole story next time.”

  Chase smiled. “For sure, Nance.”

  Moments later, standing on the sidewalk with Sam and Skye, he asked, “What now?”

  Sam was still looking back at the Wickses house. Finally she turned around and the flash of uncertainty in her face made him want to pull her to him. The desire to toss the whole business aside had never been stronger.

  “Well…” she began, looking from him to Skye. “I think we can’t do too much more until we find out if one of the companies is fake. And if so, then we have to prove somehow that Trade Winds just made up that company. Have I got it right?” She turned to Skye.

  “I have a friend who might be able to help me track down the Weiner company.”

  “Can you do it without getting yourself into more trouble?” Sam asked.

  “Keep your fingers crossed. How about I borrow your car, Sam, and you can go back with Chase?”

  Chase glanced away, not wanting either of them to see the eagerness in his face at the proposal. He
waited anxiously until he heard Sam say, “Um, sure, if Chase doesn’t mind.”

  Keeping his voice as neutral as possible, Chase replied, “No, not at all.”

  “Okay, then, give me your keys, Sam,” said Skye, “and I’ll phone you if I find out anything.”

  Chase watched her climb in the car and start up the engine. The car made a fast three-point turn and as it zipped past them, he could have sworn he saw Skye sporting a huge grin.

  He looked at Sam and said, “I don’t know about you, but I haven’t had any lunch. Are you interested? I know a great little place near the market.” Her face lit up with pleasure, and he knew—for now—the past was history. All that mattered was exploring this new and exciting development in his personal present.

  LUNCH, though every bit as delicious as Chase had promised, was merely a backdrop to the far more enjoyable pleasure of tracking every movement of his long fingers or his lips as he talked quietly and earnestly about his life on Bainbridge. The entire hour was a full sensory production, excluding the actual eating part, and Sam could have sat hours longer, taking in even more of Chase Sullivan. But unfortunately, the waiter had other plans and brought them their bill.

  After Chase insisted on paying and sent the waiter away, he said, “After your call I contacted my client and got a couple of days’ grace on that rush job. Since we have some free time, would you like to come back to the island with me for a bit—see my carvings?” His grin was teasing.

  “How could I refuse?” Then Sam remembered Danny. “There might be a tiny problem. I’m not sure how Danny’s going to take the news that I’m with you.”

  Chase frowned. “What’s up with Danny?”

  Sam quickly filled him in on Danny’s morning visit, too embarrassed to look at him when she got to the part where Danny had suspected Chase might be in her bedroom.

  “What?”

  Sam held up a hand. “It’s okay, Chase, really. I had a talk with him. The whole scene was driven by anxiety about possibly being rejected by you. Someday.”

  He was shaking his head in disbelief. “Haven’t I proved myself yet? What more do I have to do to persuade him that I accept him as my son—he is my son—and that I won’t shirk that obligation?”

  Sam waited a moment before saying, “I don’t think he wants to be merely an ‘obligation’ to you.”

  A stain of red crept up his neck. “You know I didn’t mean that to sound so cold. It’s just that mentally, I know he’s my son and I have no problem accepting that. But emotionally…” He looked down at the table.

  Sam placed her hand on his forearm. “Chase, no one expects you to suddenly love Danny as a father just yet. That will come. Just keep on doing what you’re doing. Connect with him as an adult and eventually you’ll both fall into the roles.” She sighed.

  He raked a hand through his hair. “You’re right. Relaxing and letting things just happen is the best strategy. But I’m curious—what precipitated his impromptu visit?”

  “Uh, well…it seems he was paying more attention to us the other night than we thought. He obviously misconstrued our hushed tones as we talked about Trade Winds and all that.”

  Sam didn’t have to fill in the blanks for him. She saw that he guessed right away what Danny imagined they were talking about.

  The waiter returned with the change and as soon as he left, Chase said, “Come on. I think we could both use a break from Trade Winds and—hell—even from Danny. How about it? Let’s get impulsive.”

  “Why not?” She grinned.

  “Okay, let’s go to the island.” He ushered her out of the restaurant and when they could walk side by side, he casually clasped her hand in his, a move so natural Sam felt as though she’d been linking hands with him forever.

  The truck was parked in a lot near the market and as they reached it, Sam decided to make her phone call right away. Chase stood aside while she pressed the speed-dial button for her mother’s, but Sam couldn’t take her eyes off him. He caught her looking and she flushed, grateful to have the excuse to turn away as her mother answered.

  “Mom, it’s me, Sam. I just called to say that I’m going to be a bit later than I thought. Is Danny still with you? Or did you take him to Minnie’s?”

  “Yes, he’s still with me. We’ve just come back from the hospital and I’ve been waiting for your call. I have an engagement this evening, Sam.”

  “Oh, sorry, Mom. I should have thought to ask before we left. Um, is it something flexible or…?”

  “A dinner date, actually. With Bill Carter.”

  Sam digested that. Bill Carter was the family lawyer. And perhaps the mystery man Skye had alluded to? “Oh…well…would you be able to take Danny back to Minnie’s place for the night? He can give you directions.” She paused, took a deep breath and added, “Chase has invited me back to his place for a bit.” There was a long silence. “Mom?”

  “Yes, dear. I’m just processing that. So what shall I tell Danny?”

  “The truth, Mom. I’m not asking you to make excuses for me.”

  “Is something going on I should know about, Sam? I mean, I don’t want to keep things from Danny and at the same time I don’t want to seem completely ignorant about my children’s lives.”

  Sam had to smile. It was so typical of Nina that nothing could be unfettered by questions. “He and I need to talk over some things, Mom. About the possible legal trouble Chase might be in.”

  Another pause, followed by, “Ah, yes. The legal trouble.”

  Sam ignored the irony in her mother’s voice. “Do you think I should speak to Danny myself?”

  “No, no, that’s all right. We had a little chat this afternoon about his visit to your place and the feelings prompted it. He’s a pretty amazing young fellow. And his mother is remarkable. I can see why you were compelled to stay with them, Samantha, in spite of the personal commitment involved.”

  Sam felt a rush of affection for her mother. “Could you tell Danny that Chase will call him in the morning?”

  “In the morning?”

  She saw right away what her mother was hinting at. “He plans to go to the hospital and I’ll probably join him there.”

  When her mother responded, there was a hint of disapproval in her voice. “All right, Samantha.”

  “Oh, and is Skye at home? She has my car.”

  “She’s here, but I haven’t seen her for hours. She’s been holed up in her room working on her computer. Do you want to speak to her?”

  “No, it’s okay.” She hoped Skye was busy researching information on Trade Winds.

  “Goodbye, then.”

  As Nina rang off, Sam thought about how quickly her mother had always been to come to their aid when they were teenagers. Not quite no questions asked, but few. And she was beginning to realize that perhaps the self-centeredness of her youth had continued on into adulthood. Why hadn’t she considered that her mother might be seeing someone? In spite of her surprise at the news, she was happy for Nina. Bill Carter was not only a longtime family friend, but a warm and wonderful man. She tucked her cell phone back into her purse and turned to join Chase, standing by the truck.

  “Everything okay with Danny?”

  “Sounds like it. My mother’s going to drive him to Minnie’s.”

  “That’s really great of her.”

  “Yes, it is. I think we don’t really appreciate our parents until we’re adults, do we?”

  His face sobered. “I suppose.” He lapsed into silence.

  For a moment Sam thought she’d broken the spell between them but suddenly he brightened and said, “Let’s talk about families on the way to Bainbridge.”

  “You’ve only heard the very tip of that gigantic iceberg from me.”

  “I’m all ears,” he said quietly, opening the truck passenger door and, cupping a hand firmly around her elbow, helping her up into the cab.

  The truck moved slowly through traffic around the market. “Saturday’s the worst day,” muttered Chase. “I
should have known.”

  “The lunch was worth it,” put in Sam.

  He turned to her. “I hope so.”

  Sam wasn’t certain if he was referring to food or company, though his expression suggested the latter. Personally she didn’t mind sitting at a standstill in the cramped cab of a pickup if Chase was the man behind the wheel.

  Five minutes later, Chase gave up. “I’ll cut off at the next intersection. I know a shortcut to the ferry through some side streets. It takes us near the Trade Winds office. Are you interested in seeing it?” He shifted his attention from the traffic to Sam again.

  “Yes, I am.” She thought back to what Skye had told her about the history of the family-run company. “When was the last time you saw the place?”

  “Two years ago, when I came back to Seattle from Alaska. My uncle and I had a business meeting.” He snorted at the word. “So he called it. But it was basically a settlement deal. Stay far and clear of Trade Winds, drop any claim to it and your mother spends the rest of her life in comfort at Harbor House.”

  “The other night you said your mother had sold her share of the company to him.”

  “That’s right. Bryant’s lawyer showed me the paperwork and wasn’t very subtle about informing me I’d have no chance of getting it back.”

  “Even if you could prove Bryant coerced an Alzheimer’s patient?”

  “Proving things like that cost money, Sam.”

  And that was that. Sam mulled over his predicament, while Chase finally managed to make his turnoff and wind through back streets toward the ferry docks. The truck crested a hill and Sam could see the harbor a few blocks below.

  “This area was once solidly commercial,” Chase said. “When Trade Winds was established as a shipping company, the port and dockyards were much closer. My father once told me the neighbourhood was alive with merchant marines, dockworkers, tradespeople and, of course, the taverns and boardinghouses associated with all that. Now it’s mainly residential, with some office buildings.” The street was lined with stately homes, some of which had been turned into apartment units and offices, with a handful of nondescript two-and three-story buildings scattered amongst them.