Tori looked at her with a touch of surprise.
“You believe she’s guilty now?”
“I never said, I didn’t believe. I just thought you couldn’t necessarily trust somebody like Joe Riley.”
“Joe Riley wasn’t lying. I know it. And neither was Robbie.”
“Well, together, we’ll make sure that Ava gets what she deserves.”
“It could take a while. I don’t know where I’m going with this, now that Robbie Riley’s disappeared.”
“As long as it takes. We’ll get Ava. I guarantee it.”
Through her depressed face, Tori managed a weak smile. This time she initiated, as she and Simone embraced again.
“Thanks, Simone. You’re a great partner. And friend.”
“So are you, Ms. Edwards.”
“I’ve got to stop sitting around here depressed, and come up with some ideas instead.”
“So, is this becoming an official case?”
“Yes, it is. We’ve got to find Robbie Riley and that tape, if he still has it. Also, I’ve been thinking about doing something again, though I dread it terribly.”
“Visiting Joe Riley.”
“Exactly. He’s the only option I know of right now. The thought of being around that man makes me want to die.”
“He’s nauseating. But he could prove valuable.”
“Right on both fronts. It's got to be done.”
“I can talk to him if you want.”
“I’ll do it. Not to insult you, but I’m a much tougher interrogator than you. Between my toughness, and Riley’s guilt, I can wring every possible bit of information out of him.”
“Cool. You handle it, then.”
“I know we’re gonna nail that bitch Ava. It’ll happen. A sure thing.”
Tori was only trying to sound assured. The fact was, right now, she wasn’t too confident in getting that disk. The only thing she knew to do was what she did best – work her tail off. Then, she’d just hope for the best.
Ava hadn’t been long come out of Susy’s room, which was around the corner. She had stayed in there for a while after everything had ended, contemplating her situation. The reporters and television cameras were gone now. Ava slouched over the water fountain in the hallway of Del Toray General. She took a long-needed drink, since she had not long ago finished doing more than her share of talking.
Ava felt so lucky, as she thought of her good fortune. In one of her earlier visits to the hospital, a general manager at one of the local TV stations had been on his way out, after visiting his wife. He had been so moved when he’d overheard Ava’s prayer for her stepdaughter, that he had had to get it on tape. He had wanted her to do another prayer.
Ava, though acting briefly as if she hadn’t wanted to do it, had been more than happy to do so. This was the day that had been chosen. She also knew it would be great publicity that would help deflect Joe and Tori’s accusations against her. Her prayer a short while ago over Susy’s bed had been one of her best performances yet. She was quite proud of herself. Public opinion was favoring her innocence, and this latest act would only add to its strength. Tori’s attack of her, which had been phoned in to the media by an angry neighbor she’d told of the incident, had also helped her. Letters and e-mails to the newspapers were running heavily against Joe and Tori. People simply couldn’t believe a religious woman like Ava Edwards could take part in such a scheme. Ava’s pleading and crying to the media also hadn’t hurt. In addition, the small bruise over Ava’s left eye, due to Tori, had made her face a sympathetic one to the public as well.
One thing, however, that did bother Ava was Robbie Riley’s situation. He had skipped town for the time being, and she hoped he was gone forever. It would be even better if he was killed by police. She hoped for it desperately. If he was caught, might he try to use his disk to get leverage and win a lesser sentence? Or, on the other hand, maybe he wouldn’t use it, thinking it might would add even more time to the murder sentence. If he didn’t get life, he wouldn’t want to risk adding extra years. Well, she’d just have to wait and see what would happen in that regard. She wasn’t going to sit back and constantly worry about things; that wasn’t her style. But she would be ready to split town if things didn’t work out. Meanwhile, she’d enjoy her fast-growing popularity. The more people who heard Ava’s great gift for oratory, the more they liked her. Ava was forced to smile.
She raised up from the fountain; she had heard her name called. She saw coming towards her the Reverend Holt. Ava fought hard to keep a pleasant look on her face. Whenever she saw this man, she couldn’t help but think of herself as representing the antichrist of ministers, while he represented the Christ of them. He made her nervous. She had even had a dream recently, where for some reason, he stood over her proudly with both finality and triumph. A chill went through her. She didn’t talk to Holt much, but whenever she did, she hated it.
Reverend Holt arrived at her. He took her hand.
“Mrs. Edwards, it’s nice to see you.”
“Reverend Holt,” she said somewhat tensely. “I heard you were here today.”
“Yes. My monthly visit here to comfort the dying.”
“That’s a good thing. The sick need cheer brought to them.”
“I agree wholeheartedly. But let’s talk about you. Is there any improvement in that little girl?”
“No . . . I’m sorry to say. There isn’t.”
“I’m so sorry. I pray for her every day and night. I’m sure the Lord is going to spare her.”
“I pray for her too. I have faith.”
“That’s all it takes – faith.”
“Amen.”
“I’ve seen Susy doing volunteer work to help her school grounds look prettier. I worked with her twice. She was so sweet.”
“She certainly was. And she’ll live to be sweet some more.”
“The child was truly of God. So goodhearted. There are so many phonies who claim to know God – of all ages.”
“Amen to that.”
“Little Susy was truly sincere. God will smile upon her. But for the phonies, God will not smile.”
Ava didn’t say anything. She was a little surprised by his tone, not harsh, but a bit firm.
“One should not play with God,” he continued. “He will not wait till hell to punish them. Life here can also become a hell.”
Reverend Holt’s eyes cut deeply into Ava’s. She felt herself tense up yet more.
“ . . . Yes. You’re right,” she replied.
“You understand?”
“Yes. Completely.”
“You’re absolutely sure?”
“Of course.”
“I hope so,” he said cautiously. “I truly do.”
Those eyes cut yet more deeply. Ava began to feel resentment, though she fought to hide it. Was she getting a sermon? she wondered. A judgment even? How dare the bastard. He couldn’t see into her soul.
“I’ll continue to pray with all my heart for your little Susy.”
Reverend Holt freed Ava’s hand, and then, he turned and departed. As he walked away, Ava felt defiant. You think you're so righteous, she pondered. You really believe all that crap. Well, when you die, the only Heaven you’ll see is death. And I hope that little witch around the corner will be right there waiting for you, starting real soon.
Ava turned. She too walked away.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Tori sat in her car in the driveway of her daddy’s home. She knew that Ava wasn’t there. During that time of the day, Ava was at the hospital with some of her members, holding a vigil in Susy’s room. Ava had made it a near daily occurrence. It sickened Tori to know that Ava was putting up such a great act – one that was winning her quite a bit of public sympathy. It was also putting a good deal of money into Susy’s Medical Expense Fund.
Tori was trying to build up the nerve to go inside and talk to her daddy. He wasn’t one of her more favorite people right now. However, she just had to say a few wor
ds to him before she left.
Tori thought of tomorrow and what had led to it. She would be leaving for New Port, Virginia tomorrow – she and Simone. Tori had made her visit to Joe Riley. He had been bowled-over by what his brother had done, but Tori had managed to get some information out of him. He had told her that more than likely, New Port was where Robbie had gone. Joe and Robbie had spent most of their childhood there. It was a small east coast city of about two hundred thousand people. Robbie had lots of friends back there. Joe was quite sure that was where his traitorous brother had run, but if not, then it was anybody’s guess.
Tori had also talked to several other people over the past two days; but the one whom she had gotten the most encouragement from was a Matt Barker – Robbie’s lover. Matt had forced her to pay him three hundred dollars for his information, a lot higher than anybody else had charged. Tori had gambled he would possibly know more, since he had been Robbie’s lover. More would be paid out, if his information led to anything. Matt hadn’t told anything to the police, since there wasn’t anything in it for him.
Matt’s information had been tremendous. He had told her that Robbie had approached him a few hours after Christy’s murder. He had begged Matt to run off with him. Matt had refused. Robbie had told him of money he had blackmailed from Ava. He had also told Matt, owed to desperation, that he would find a way to sneak back into Del Toray and blackmail Ava some more. Either that, or he would find someone to do it for him. He had a disk that Ava would pay lots of money to conceal from police. That disk would give he and Matt plenty of money to live from. Matt had considered him crazy and wanted nothing to do with him. Robbie had left in tears. Matt had also offered a couple of places where Robbie could have run, with the emphasis being placed on New Port. His input had sealed it for Tori in regards to New Port. She would try that city first. He had advised that she try Shadow Street once she got there.
Tori had been flabbergasted at hearing of the blackmail plot. She wondered where Ava got the money. She was sure she had covered her tracks well. Accusing her publicly would do no good without proof. It would just put her own self in the doghouse more and make Ava look more Heavenly. The only way she’d convince everyone Ava was a sick animal would be to get that disk. She was determined to do so. She just hoped that if the police got to Robbie before her, they wouldn’t have to kill him before she could somehow get that disk out of him. Or hopefully, the disk would be available whether he was dead or alive. She didn’t care what happened to that scoundrel, she just wanted that disk.
Tori decided she had sat out there long enough. It was time to go talk to her daddy. She hoped he would let her inside the house. She was well aware he was still quite angry with her. She also knew he loved her, though at times, he had a strange way of showing it. But because of that love, he would still talk to her.
Tori got out of the car and somberly walked up the walkway to the front porch. She went up the steps and rang the doorbell. The door came open just a few seconds later. Her daddy stood there in the doorway. They stared at each other. Tori could tell by his weak eyes her daddy had been drinking.
“ . . . What do you want, Tori?” Henry asked distressedly.
“I won’t take up much of your time. Just let me in for a few minutes, daddy.”
“Thought you didn’t want to come here anymore. Thought you didn’t want to be around me.”
“God only knows why I am here. I just want to say a few words to you.”
“I shouldn’t let you in,” he said.
“Please. We’re still father and daughter.”
“ . . . You can’t stay long.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
Henry reluctantly let her inside. As soon as Tori was in the den, she noticed a bottle of whiskey on the coffee table, and a half-empty glass. Henry walked to the couch in front of the table and dropped down. Tori walked to the adjacent recliner and sat.
“You might as well go to work,” she said, “ if you’re going to stay home all day and drink.”
“I’m a grown man. Don’t worry about my drinking. It’s really none of your business.”
“Why can’t you talk like that to Ava, instead of kissing her ass all the time?”
“If you’re gonna start up on Ava, just leave. Your behavior the other day was terrible.”
“Once I say my peace, daddy, I’ll leave. And my words are about Ava.”
“I don’t want to hear your lies, Tori.”
“Just hear me out. Then I’ll stop bothering you. I may never bother you again.”
“You’ll leave and let me have peace?”
“That’s right.”
“Say what you have to, and go. And don’t you ever come back until you’re ready to apologize to my wife.”
“Ava tried to have Susy killed. Robbie Riley does indeed have a videodisk that proves it.”
“Who told you that – him? He’s a murdering bastard like his brother.”
“Robbie blackmailed Ava out of six thousand dollars to keep quiet about the tape.”
Henry almost laughed.
“Oh really? And where would Ava get six thousand dollars?”
“She probably funneled it out of church money.”
“If you go public with this, Tori, I swear, me and Ava’ll sue you.”
“It wouldn’t do me any good. But I am going to get my hands on that disk. I had cut a deal with Robbie. He was going to sell me the tape before he ran into his problems.”
“A fake!” Henry suddenly leaned forward and banged his fist on the coffee table. Tori thought – it was a bit too vicious.
“He was gonna sell you a fake. There ain’t no tape. There ain’t, Tori.”
“I’m a detective, daddy. A damn good one. You think I would have paid him without having the real thing in my hands first?”
“You ain’t thinking straight right now. You’re doing stupid things.”
“The plan me and Robbie had would’ve kept us both from getting ripped off. So he wouldn’t have made the deal if he hadn’t had something legitimate.”
“Lies. Lies.” Henry again banged the coffee table much too hard.
“You trying to convince somebody, daddy? Yourself, maybe?”
“I am convinced. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I’m going after Robbie. And if he still has the disk, I’ll get it. And when I get back in town, the first thing I’m going to do is shove it in your face.”
“No more. I ain’t listening to no more. I want my peace right now. Get out, Tori.”
“You disgusting piece of . . . Your daughter is in a coma fighting for her life.”
“Get out, I tell you.”
“Ava did it. That’s why she suddenly acted so nice to Susy. She was conning us all.”
Henry jumped up and pointed to the door.
“That’s why she was so nervous around the police,” Tori went on.
“Get out of my house right now. Nobody believes you. You ain’t nothing but a jailbird your own self.”
Tori also jumped up.
“You are such a fool. You disgust the hell out of me. I hate calling you my daddy.”
“Then don’t. As far as I’m concerned, you ain’t my daughter. I ain’t got no daughters. One’s disowned, and the other’s…dead.”
The words froze Tori. She was hurt, shocked, and angered by everything he had just said. Tori slowly walked up to him. Henry shook with hostility. Tori raised her finger and pointed it straight between his eyes.
“Don’t you ever mistake Susy for a weakling like you. She’s a fighter. It’s an uphill battle, but she ain’t dead. And don’t you call her that. For once in your life, don’t give up on something.”
“You . . . You just leave my house.”
“I swear to you, somehow, some way, I’ll get that disk. Then I’m going to spend the rest of my life saying to your damn face – ‘I told you so.’ And I hope it eats you alive.”
“Get out, Tori! Get out!�
��
Tori swung herself around. She couldn’t stand to be in his presence any longer. She strutted to the door. As she opened it, she turned around to take a last look at her daddy. He had dropped back down on the couch, and he poured more liquor into his glass. He purposely avoided looking at her.
To Tori, he currently was the most sickening man who had ever lived. She departed, slamming the door behind her.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
She was wrong. She didn’t know what she was talking about. He was so sick of her accusations. He wished he hadn’t seen her yesterday. She was a damn . . . A damn . . .bit . . .
Henry couldn’t quite bring himself to call his daughter that word, not even in his head. But she made him so mad.
He sat at the foot of the bed, slouched over, hands clenched across his knees. He wore his pajamas. Ava hadn’t been long left in order to take care of some business at the church. She’d decided to drop Jimmy off at school on the way. As for Henry, it was still early in the morning, but already there was an open beer can at his feet. He had decided to take another day off from work. Ava had nagged him a little about sitting around all day again drinking, but he hadn’t paid her much attention.
That was even more proof, though, Henry thought sternly. It was proof of how much Ava loved him. She cared about how much he was drinking. She loved him terribly. She would never do anything to hurt him, especially not something like try to kill his daughter. Tori couldn’t be more wrong. Ava had loved Susy as much as him. It had just been coincidence, Ava’s behavior the night of the attack. Her sudden change in her treatment of Susy in the period leading up to the attack; it was coincidence. Besides, her change hadn’t been that drastic. She had always treated Susy fair. Sure, she had gotten on the child when she had misbehaved, but she had always been fair. She loved Susy. Tori was wrong.
There was no disk. Robbie Riley had somehow planned to con Tori. He was dirt just like his brother. How could his daughter trust such a man? He was a murderer.
Tori was wrong. She was dead wrong. He was sure of it. She had to be. She had to . . .
No. He knew that wasn’t right. She didn’t have to be. She was. There was no doubt about it. Ava would never do something so inhumane.
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