by J. D. Robb
Theirs had been a special bond that few fathers and daughters were fortunate enough to share. Though Ted Crenshaw had urged his daughter to follow her own dreams, he’d been fiercely proud when she’d joined his advertising agency. And when she landed the Lyon Entertainment account, garnering national attention not only for herself but for the agency as well, he’d been over the moon.
She felt tears prickle and had to blink hard. At least she’d had the satisfaction of making her dad proud before he’d been swept out of her life without warning.
In the years to come she’d surely find some comfort in that. For now, her heart lay like a stone, and she wondered if she would ever again feel even the smallest measure of happiness.
“Why are we here, darling?” Vanessa studied the drab metal desks littered with file folders and half-filled paper cups of lukewarm coffee.
“I want to see if the investigators have made any progress on our”—Ted’s nostrils flared in anger—“accident.”
He studied the faces of the men and women at work behind the desks. “Fascinating. I’ve never had a reason to be in the state police crime lab before.”
He peered over the shoulder of a man whose sleeves were rolled above his elbows, reading from scribbles on a notepad and entering them on a computer.
“This one isn’t ours.” Ted drifted to another desk. “Not ours.” He paused in the midst of two young men commiserating over their long hours and lack of overtime pay. “Let’s hope they’re not working on our case.”
One of the men glanced at the open file on the desk in front of him. “What’ve we decided about the crash up in the hills that claimed the millionaire and his wife?”
“Wickham wants every test in the book before we write up our report.”
“Wickham.” The second investigator spat the name with a snarl of disgust. “Easy for him. Now that he’s being forced to retire, he’s looking to go out in a blaze of glory. Nothing he’d like better than to uncover some sort of evil conspiracy so he can grab some headlines.”
“So what do we do?” the first detective asked.
The second bent to initial the document. “Simple. This was open-and-shut. Rain-slicked highway. Plenty of champagne flowing. Old geezer took the turns too fast and lost control.”
“Geezer?” Ted’s hands fisted at his sides as he turned to his wife. “Did you hear that idiot? He called me a geezer.”
“What’s more, darling, he’s decided that you were drinking and couldn’t handle the curves.”
“Did they test for blood-alcohol level? Did they even think to take a look at the car’s brakes?”
“You heard him, darling. Case closed. And we’re not allowed to interfere.”
Ted and Vanessa watched with matching looks of distress as the young detectives strolled away, still complaining about the hours they’d been forced to work lately and the lack of pay.
Vanessa turned in time to see her husband positioning a fan in front of the open file. While she watched, he plugged it in, causing the blades to begin turning furiously, whipping up the papers on the desk.
He picked up their file and carried it to the next desk, bearing the name Henry Wickham. Ted dropped the document on the desktop, then kept a hand on it as other papers fluttered about on the breeze.
Minutes later a paunchy, gray-haired man in rumpled suit, tie askew, walked to the desk and sat, sipping a fresh cup of coffee from the vending machine. Idly picking up the file, he began to read, before muttering furiously, “Young fools. Thought they’d rubber-stamp this, did they? Not if I have anything to say about it.”
Ted turned to his wife with a look of triumph. “Now maybe we’ll get the investigation we deserve.”
“Wickham?”
“You heard those young smart alecks. This guy’s probably seen enough in his day to know that no case should be closed until all the tests are conducted and the results are in. If, as they said, he wants one big important case before he retires, he’s our man. I’m betting he’ll put our car through a battery of tests. And though the guys in the field will grumble about the extra work, old Henry has enough seniority to get what he wants.”
“Oh, Ted.” Vanessa’s smile bloomed. “That was brilliant.”
“Thanks, babe.” He dropped an arm around her waist and led her through the walls of the building and out into the fresh air. “Now that our investigation is in good hands, we can concentrate on a way to keep Christina and Tyler safe from that murdering scum, Mark.”
“Chris?” Noelle Morgan’s voice drifted over the phone. “I ran into Mark yesterday, and he said you’ve given up your apartment to live in your parents’ house.”
“Yes. I want to stay close to Tyler while he gets through this.”
“What about your business? Mark told me that you haven’t been in your office once since the accident.”
“I’m perfectly capable of conducting business from here, Noelle.”
“I suppose that’s true. But what about Mark?”
“What about him?”
“He’s grieving, too, Chris. You know how he felt about your parents. He told me that you seem vague and distant, unable to concern yourself with anything but your little brother. It may be noble. It’s certainly understandable. But honey, Mark’s a man. If you’re not around to comfort him, there are plenty of women out there who would die to have Mark Deering in their beds.”
“Mark isn’t like that, Noelle. If he were, I’d sense it. Now, I really have to go. Thanks for calling. I know you’re only concerned with my happiness.”
“I am. I wish I could ease your grief, Chris. But I think the sooner you marry Mark, the sooner you’ll start to move on.”
Hovering, Ted and Vanessa turned to one another with matching looks of dismay.
“You see?” Vanessa began to pace. “Even her friends are pushing her into his arms. We need to act quickly, Ted, or Christina and Tyler could very well be facing the same fate that we did.”
“I know, babe. I know.” He caught her hand and led her through the walls to the garden.
“Where are we going, Ted?”
He shrugged. “I don’t really know. But I always enjoyed being out here.” At a sudden thought he said, “Gram? Are you around?”
“Hello, Teddy.” His grandmother appeared directly in front of him. “What can I do for you?”
“You know what’s going on?”
The older woman nodded. “I know that Mark Deering arranged for you to suffer a fatal crash. And now you know, too.”
“We do. Shocking,” Vanessa added. “We’re still reeling from it. But now our concern is to keep Christina and Tyler safe from him. Since we can’t physically stop him from his evil scheme, I’m thinking that our children need a champion.”
Ted put a hand on his wife’s shoulder. “You know Vanessa. Ever the romantic. She’s thinking that if we can find a good man ...”
“A good, decent, honorable man who is big, strong, handsome, and single,” his wife added.
Ted chuckled. “See what I mean?”
“You know I’m right.” Vanessa smiled. “Having an honest man around might be the temptation Christina needs to take a step back and get a good look at the man she’s engaged to marry.”
Ted’s grandmother sighed. “That’s a tall order, especially since we’re on a time limit here. But I’ll see what I can do.”
She shimmered and glowed before disappearing from their sight.
Four
“. . . and all the animals in the kingdom, after roaring a welcome to their new king, lived happily ever after.”
Christina closed the book and set it aside, all the while smiling at the sight of Tyler, sleeping peacefully in his bed. She tucked up the covers and brushed a lock of fine hair from his forehead, allowing her hand to linger on the warmth of his skin.
He’d fought to stay awake. This was one of his favorite books, and he loved the happy ending. She knew because his eyes always lost their vacant stare when she re
ad those beloved words.
“Good night, Tyler.” She felt her heart swell with love as she bent to press a kiss to his cheek. “Stay safe.”
She swallowed the lump that always rose to her throat whenever she whispered the same words her mother had always said to him at bedtime.
“Oh, Mom. Dad. How I miss you.”
When she walked from the room, Ted and Vanessa remained, watching their little boy as he slept.
They looked over as a young woman appeared.
“What are you doing here?” Ted reached out a hand as though to shield his son from danger. “Are you lost?”
“I . . . I guess I am.” The young woman seemed surprised by the unfamiliar surroundings. “I’d planned on seeing my husband. I must have been even more distracted than I realized.”
“Distracted?” Seeing the sad, haunted look in her eyes, Vanessa attempted to soothe. But when she touched a hand to the woman’s arm, she was startled to see it pass completely through, as though in a mist. “Why, you’re . . . one of us.”
The young woman’s head came up sharply. “You’re spirits, too?”
At their nods of agreement, she seemed relieved. “Then I’m meant to be here, though I have no idea why. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned since entering the spirit world, it’s that I ought not to question the why of things. For, you see, there are reasons for everything. Even, it seems, for death. Still, in my case, I have no answers. Why should I”—she touched a hand to her middle—“and my unborn baby have to die, leaving a husband to grieve so deeply he has turned his back on everything that once mattered to him?”
“It sounds as though you need to unburden yourself.” Ted patted the edge of his son’s mattress, and he and Vanessa sat on either side of the sleeping boy, their hands resting lightly on his hands atop the blanket.
In sleep, Tyler smiled. Seeing it, the two shared a tender look before turning their attention to their visitor.
The young woman perched on the edge of the bed. “My name is Lily Ridgeway. My husband Jake and I were so happy when we learned that we were having a baby, even though the doctors had warned me that I carry a dangerous gene that could claim my life and that of any child I might conceive.” She looked away. “Perhaps I was foolish, but I believed myself invincible. And though Jake worried, I think I’d halfway convinced him as well. Then one night, before I could even call out to him for help, I was gone. Of course he blames himself, though it was never his fault, and there was nothing he could have done. But I’m so worried about him. His grief is wide and deep. He has given up a successful business, one that made him millions of dollars and gave him such joy, and has given away most of his money to a foundation he started that is researching the terrible illness that took my life and that of our unborn child.”
“But that’s so noble.” Vanessa reached out to catch Lily’s hand, careful to touch her lightly enough to keep from passing through. “Surely you understand that making piles of money won’t bring your Jake as much pleasure as finding a possible cure for your illness.”
“Of course. I’m pleased that he’s using his fortune for a just cause. That isn’t what worries me. But he’s become so reclusive. He takes only an occasional job as a carpenter and cabinetmaker, and then only when he thinks the work will satisfy him. He’s turned his back on his friends. There are weeks at a time when he speaks to no one. It isn’t right. It isn’t healthy to be so grief-stricken that he turns away from all the good things that could build happy memories. I want him to find some joy in his life before it’s too late. It breaks my heart to see him so sad and lonely.”
Vanessa’s eyes narrowed with sudden concentration. “Is your Jake handsome?”
Lily’s smile lit up the room. “Very handsome. I was so proud to be his wife.”
“And brave?”
“Now Vanessa . . . ” Ted tried to silence her, but she got to her feet and stood facing Lily across the bed. “Tell me. Is Jake brave?”
“I know that he would have died for me if he could. He’s the bravest man I know.”
“Oh, Ted.” Vanessa clapped her hands together. “He’s the one.”
“You don’t know . . . ”
She shook her head. “Oh, but I do. Don’t you see? Jake Ridgeway is the perfect guardian for Christina and Tyler.”
“Guardian?” Lily looked from Vanessa to Ted. “What is this about?”
As quickly as possible they told her what they’d learned since entering the spirit world.
She listened in silence before giving a slow nod. “It sounds as though your daughter and son are in grave danger. This man who caused your death will stop at nothing to have their fortune.”
“Exactly.” For a moment Vanessa looked as though she might break down and cry.
Lily’s voice grew stronger. “As I said, I knew I was meant to be here in your space, though I didn’t know why. Now I do.” She took a deep breath. “If Jake can save your loved ones from peril, and if your daughter can bring joy back into Jake’s life, I’ll do whatever I can to bring them together.”
Vanessa hesitated. “It won’t cause you pain to see your husband . . . love someone else?”
Lily smiled then. “Love has a very different meaning in the spirit world. Here, love is completely unselfish. We want only the best for all those who matter most to us. And if your Christina can bring the joy and laughter back to my Jake’s life, I will ask no more.” She paused. “Do you have a plan to bring them together?”
Ted glanced at Vanessa. “Jake Ridgeway may have been a successful businessman, but our families moved in different circles. And it would seem that despite his wealth, he now spends all his time in woodworking, while Christina is in advertising. I just don’t know how we’ll get them to meet.”
“We’ll find a way.” Vanessa was smiling now. “After all, darling, it’s meant to be.”
“So you say.”
“I know it.” She touched a hand to her heart. “I can feel it here.”
“So can I.” Lily stood and circled the bed, embracing first Vanessa, then Ted. “Just meeting the two of you, I feel a renewed sense of hope. I believe that you are more than capable of resolving this without me. But if there is anything I can do to help, please let me know. I have already extended my stay here, but I will never be able to enjoy my new world until I’m satisfied that Jake has found a measure of peace and happiness in his. It means more to me than anything else in heaven or on earth.”
When she turned away, some of the pain in her eyes had faded, to be replaced with a look of bright anticipation.
As quickly as she had appeared, she was gone in a shimmer of light.
“What’s wrong, Miss Christina?” The housekeeper paused in the doorway to see Christina standing at the window, staring into space while chewing on her lower lip.
“I’m having quite an argument with myself, Mrs. Mellon.”
“What about?”
Christina gave an embarrassed little laugh. “I was searching through a pile of file folders that I’d stashed in the corner, and it occurred to me that Dad’s office just isn’t adequate for all the work I’m trying to do here. But I’m reluctant to give up and go back to the city. It would mean leaving Tyler, and neither of us is ready for that.”
The housekeeper pointed to the doorway leading to a lovely sitting room beyond the office. “It was always your mother’s intention to convert that into her own office, to oversee all her charitable work while remaining close to your father. It seems to me it would be a simple matter for some workmen to remove that wall and double your office space so you could continue working right here instead of going into the city.”
Christina crossed her arms and began tapping a finger nervously, reminding Mrs. Mellon of the very thing Vanessa always did when she was thinking. “I’m not sure I’m ready to make any changes to Dad’s office.”
“It’s your office now, Miss Christina. And if you don’t mind my saying, not only would the remodeling project give y
ou the space you need, but it would give you the chance to put your own personal style on this office as well.”
“I wouldn’t know who to call to start making such changes.”
Mrs. Mellon lifted a hand to her mouth as a thought came to her. “That reminds me of something. Susan, the Wallingfords’ housekeeper, mentioned an excellent carpenter and cabinetmaker they’d hired to do some custom work in their library. He’s a bit reclusive as I recall, but Mr. Wallingford couldn’t stop singing the man’s praises. If you’d like, I could call her and ask for his name, along with references.”
Christina nodded. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to ask. If and when I decide to move ahead, at least I’ll have the name of someone highly recommended.”
The housekeeper turned away. “I’ll call her right now.”
When she was gone, Christina looked around the office. She loved this room, loved knowing her father had spent so much time here. Still, as she walked through the doorway from the office to her mother’s sitting room, she could see the possibilities. Combining the two rooms made perfect sense. She began mentally measuring the walls for more cabinets, tucking a larger desk by the big bay window, seeing in her mind’s eye a fire on the hearth when the cool winds blew in off the ocean, and imagining herself being able to sip tea and work late into the night after tucking Tyler in.
Her musings were interrupted by the ringing of the phone.
“Hello.” Her smile fled as she listened to Mark chiding her for forgetting their luncheon date. “Oh, Mark, I’m so sorry. Something . . . came up here, and I got sidetracked. Can we reschedule it for tomorrow?”
“Now I’ve become someone you have to pencil in on your calendar?”
She listened in silence, then soothed his ruffled feathers before replacing the receiver. Mark was angry, but then, Mark always seemed angry lately. And he was right when he accused her of neglecting him.