Shadows of Love

by Crystal V. Rhodes

  badly that he suffered permanent brain damage and paralysis.

  Sin, James and Dana had made the discovery. Ray chose to sit in the car outside of the house. It was early in the morning and the street was nearly deserted when suddenly a car appeared. It moved slowly down the street as it passed him. For a flicker of a second, Ray’s eyes had met those of the driver, and he still remembered the uneasy feeling he got at that time. Weeks later he was at the San Francisco airport where not only did he see those same eyes, but the face that went with them. It was that of a man with more lives than a cat, but who Ray felt could never rise from the dead again. Or could he?

  “Ray! Ray!”

  The sound of his name startled him back to the present. “Yes? What is it?”

  “I asked what did you think?” Nedra repeated.

  “About what?” Ray blinked, noticing for the first time that they were driving on the highway again.

  “About James investigating this further and trying to find out who this Hardman is.” She thrust the photo of Joe toward Ray. “We need to know his connection to the guy in this picture because he looks too much like Sin to just let this go.”

  Looking at the carbon copy of Sinclair Reasoner, tendrils of fear began to snake down Ray’s back. His hands began to tremble. All he could do was pray that the connection wasn’t what he suspected.

  Please God, don let Hardman be who I think he is. Ray prayed, but he strongly suspected that this was one prayer that might not be answered.

  CHAPTER 4

  “I don’t care what he says. I still think we should take him to a hospital.” Nedra’s voice was strained as she waited with Sin outside the bathroom door in a fast food restaurant. They had stopped there at Ray’s command.

  When she glanced in the backseat of the car and saw him sweating profusely, she was certain he was having a heart attack. Frantic, she had barked at her husband to stop the car, whipped out her cell phone and was about to call 911 when Ray snatched the phone out of her hand. He insisted that he was simply nauseous from something he ate and they had ended up in the restaurant.

  Sin was upset with himself for letting Ray talk him into staying outside the restroom. “I’m going in there to see if he’s okay,” he insisted.

  In the small bathroom he found Ray leaning against a sink with both hands. His eyes were closed and he didn’t look good at all.

  “Man, we’re getting ready to take you to the nearest hospital.” Sin didn’t intend on arguing with him. He put his hand on Ray’s shoulder to guide him outside. It was then that he noticed the moisture on his friend’s cheeks. He was crying. Sin’s concern turned to panic.

  “Are you in that much pain? I’m going to call an ambulance, right now.” He reached for his cell phone, but Ray stopped him.

  “No, don’t.” Standing tall, he tried to pull himself together. “I’m okay, really.”

  But he wasn’t. It looked as though his worst nightmare might be coming true and he was caught between a rock and a hard place. A life altering decision had to be made right here and right now—one that would drastically affect a lot of lives, but his options were few. It was either living with the possibility of his wife discovering a truth that was better she not know, or his sharing a secret with Sinclair that could rock his friend’s world off its axis.

  Ray didn’t want to take the chance that Sin or Nedra might mention the letter and pictures from Mexico to Bev or to Darnell. He had no doubt that either would do so and that could not happen. Neither did he want the name of the mysterious Mr. Hardman brought up. He loved his wife more than his own life, and Sin was a good friend, but the choice was clear. In order to make sure Bev didn’t hear about the photo, or Thomas Hardman, he’d have to disclose what he knew about the man.

  There was the slim chance that his suspicions and conjectures might be wrong, but logic and intuition told him that wasn’t the case. The only way to assure himself of the couples’ silence was to share a secret he thought he would never have to reveal.

  Taking a steady breath, he turned to Sin. “We need to talk.”

  ****

  As Sin left the highway and drove the car into the parking lot of an upscale strip mall, Nedra took a quick peek at Ray sitting in the backseat. He looked haunted. She and Sin found Ray’s behavior disturbing, especially since it seemed to have occurred so suddenly. Nedra wondered if he was having some sort of stoke.

  Ray had dismissed his sudden illness as an anxiety attack and in making the request that they find a place to talk, he assured them that he would explain everything when they were settled. Removing his cell phone from his jacket, he called Bev just as Sin came to a stop. Ray managed a smile in his voice when his wife answered

  “Hey, baby.

  “Hey you.” There was a smile in her voice as well on the other end. “How close are you guys to getting here?”

  “That’s what I’m calling you about. We’re going to be arriving later than I thought. Nothing serious, but we’ve been delayed.” He ignored the questioning look that Sin gave him through the rear view mirror. Nedra turned completely in her seat to give him a wide-eyed stare.

  “Don’t worry,” he continued, avoiding both pair of eyes. “I’ll call you as soon as we get close to home.”

  Reassuring her of their safety, he disconnected and then addressed Nedra and Sin. “What I’ve got to tell you might take some time. Let’s go over there.”

  He indicated a coffee shop nearby. Getting out of the car, Ray walked to the establishment without looking back.

  “What is going on?” Nedra asked her husband. She was completely baffled by Ray’s actions.

  Sin shook his head in bewilderment. “I wish I knew, but I guess we’d better go find out.”

  Exiting the car, the couple followed Ray as he entered the shop. The place was nearly empty. All three purchased beverages and as soon as they were seated, Ray got straight to the point.

  “What do you know about Colton Cameron?” Ray asked Sin.

  His question caught the couple off guard, but seemed in line with his bizarre behavior. Sin addressed his inquiry warily.

  “I know that he fathered me and Darnell. Why do you want to know?”

  Ray decided to pull no punches. He wasted no words.

  “I want to know because I think Colton Cameron is still alive.”

  Sin and Nedra exchanged a look that clearly showed they both thought that something was seriously wrong with Ray. He had been working hard lately. Perhaps he was suffering from some sort of nervous breakdown.

  Ray looked at them knowingly. “It sounds crazy, I know, and you think I’m crazy. I would if I were in your shoes, but let me show you something.” Taking out his cell phone, he began tinkering with it.

  Under the table, Nedra grasped her husband’s hand, wordlessly reassuring him that they would get Ray the help he needed. Sin gave her a nod of confirmation.

  Having found what he was looking for on the internet, Ray thrust his phone in front of Sin. “Take a look at this picture. Does the man look familiar?”

  Framed in the window of his cell phone was a newspaper article and an insert of a photograph of a distinguished-looking man staring into the camera. The caption below the photograph read, Charles “Moody” Lake, former CEO of Stark Enterprises.

  Sin had seen that face before. His mind raced, searching his memory bank for where and when. Eventually, he was rewarded with an answer. “That looks like the guy who came to my office to return my jacket. It says in this article that he drowned.”

  His eyes wandered back to the caption where one word stood out—Moody. His heartbeat quickened.

  “So Hardman and this Lake guy are connected?” Sin asked, still confused by the point Ray was trying to make.

  “I’m telling you that I think Hardman, Lake and Colton Cameron are the same person.”

  There was a stunned silence. Nedra’s eyes locked with her husband’s eyes as they silently agreed. Whatever was wrong with Ray might be more ser
ious than they thought.

  “Maybe this Hardman fellow and Lake are brothers,” Nedra interjected, hoping that logic might bring Ray to his senses. “If they have different fathers they wouldn’t have the same last names, and they could still resemble each other.”

  Ray had to agree with the reasoning, but—

  “I still say Lake and Hardman are the same person,” he insisted. “Charles Lake faked his death and may have re-emerged as this Hardman. Before he was either of those men, he was Colton Cameron.

  For the next hour, Ray meticulously laid out his case for the couple, from his accidental discovery that Charles Lake had been renting a house across the street from Darnell, to his having seen the same man, years later, boarding an airplane in San Francisco during the period of time that the manhunt was in progress for the abductors of their daughter and niece.

  “I’m sure he had plastic surgery before he emerged as Charles Lake. That’s why he looks nothing like Colton Cameron. But, like I said, the housekeeper at the rental house and Darnell’s own housekeeper said that the man with this face,” he tapped the photo on his cell phone, “was renting the house for the summer under an assumed name. Now, how could Charles Lake be in Hawaii drowning at the same time he was vacationing on the Peninsula?”

  Nedra and Sin listened attentively. Ray Wilson was one of the best attorneys in the entertainment industry. His expertise as a persuasive negotiator was indisputable. Ray was thorough. He was meticulous and remained both when it came to his theory regarding Colton Cameron. He had left nothing to chance.

  “Some time ago I hired James Starr’s late partner, Nathan Webb, to investigate Cameron’s life and death,” he confessed, not sure whether Nedra was aware of this information, but certain that Sin was.

  Years earlier, on discovering his kinship with Darnell, Sin had personally tracked down information about the father they shared. When he found Colton Cameron’s old high school, he was told that he hadn’t been the first stranger trying to gather information about him. A man calling himself Mr. Smith had been to the school before Sin, asking questions. Ray had told Sin that Mr. Smith had really been Nathan Webb.

  “What happened with that investigation?” Nedra asked.

  “Nate wrote a report, but it was destroyed.” Ray didn’t bother to explain why or how.

  “So you don’t know whether he confirmed your assumption about Colton or not?” she questioned.

  “No, and I never thought that the subject would come up again, until today.” Ray swiped a hand across his face. “This can’t be happening. It just can’t be.” Nedra and Sin couldn’t have agreed more.

  The blessings in their lives were plentiful. Their children were healthy. They were surrounded by good friends and a close extended family. Their wealth supported a lifestyle that included a lovely home in Carmel and a condo on the upper West side of New York City. They enjoyed luxurious vacations all over the world. They lived privileged lives. Yet, they knew from experience that unpredictable storms could appear in even the safest of ports. They had weathered several of them and emerged stronger for it, but this—

  Although they were listening to Ray intently, neither wanted to believe what was being said. If what Ray was telling them was true, the ramifications would be enormous.

  Nedra loved her cousin, Darnell, dearly and identified with her. Both of their fathers had been killed in tragic accidents. Their widowed mothers had raised their daughters as single parents and had worked diligently to keep alive the memories of the fathers their daughters had never known. Could it be possible that the fantasy that Bev had created about her late husband had been just that?

  “So basically you’re telling us that you came up with this entire theory based on what the housekeepers told you and the fact that when Colton’s car crashed, his body was disfigured beyond recognition?” Sin didn’t like the direction this conversation had taken. There was the possibility of too much truth in its content.

  “You’re simplifying what I’ve told you.” Ray understood the reason why. This was Sin’s father he was talking about—a man who until a few years ago Sin knew absolutely nothing about. He could only imagine what he must be feeling about this situation.

  “I never thought the day would come that I would share this secret with anyone and I know how it sounds.” Ray took a shaky breath. “I’m aware that the two of you must think I’m insane, but I’m telling you, I’ve lived with this for a long time. I’ve examined every aspect of what I’ve told you and I believe it’s solid. And that’s why I can’t let you mention this Hardman guy to my wife or step-daughter. ”

  “Because he may turn out to be my sister’s dead father,” Sin said harshly. “But it’s okay for me to know, even though he was my father too. I don’t matter,” he spat.

  “No,” Ray empathized. “I never thought that.”

  Pushing away from the table, Sin rose and walked away from the others, unsure of how to handle Ray’s revelations. To say that they were unsettling was an understatement. Remembering his clandestine effort to piece together the life of Colton Cameron and the information he uncovered, the nickname Moody fit prominently in his own investigation. Could the improbable be possible? If so, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

  Nedra could sense her husband’s emotional turmoil. He had been forced to deal with a lot regarding family relationships. How much more was he supposed to take? She was torn between believing the absurd tale that Ray was weaving, and wanting to find the closest psychiatric hospital and have him admitted. She pushed for more answers.

  “Tell me, Ray, why would Colton want to make Bev think he was dead in the first place? From what I’ve heard, he was deeply in love with her and excited that she was pregnant with their child.”

  Ray glanced at Sin, whose back was still turned to them. He thought it best not to express his belief that illegal activities might have been involved in Colton wanting to disappear. He had no doubt that Sin had already figured that out. Nedra was smart and eventually she would too, so Ray didn’t’ want to bring it up. They were dealing with enough right now.

  “That would be a question that Colton would have to answer,” he told her. “But there is a way to resolve this. The housekeeper that wrote the letter can be contacted so we can find out about Hardman’s health. If he’s able to speak, we can ask him some questions about himself.”

  “That sounds logical,” Nedra concurred.

  “It sounds naïve.” Sin walked back to where they were sitting. He plopped down next to his wife.

  “But if this Thomas Hardman is willing to answer questions the mystery might be solved,” Nedra insisted.

  Sighing, Sin threw Ray a look. “See what you started.” He took his wife’s hand. “Sweetie, don’t get excited about this. It’s only speculation.” And he wanted this whole thing to disappear. So did Ray.

  “Neither of you want this entire situation to go away more than me,” Ray admitted. “But, I’m a realist. We have to get ahead of this. All we can do is hope that this guy is willing to reveal who he is if he’s asked and I hope when he does that I’m proven wrong.”

  “And why should he say anything?” Sin snarled. “If this guy, Hardman, does admit to being Moody Lake or even Colton Cameron, then what?”

  This was the question that nobody could answer. Then what was the unknown.

  CHAPTER 5

  A call to the island on which Hardman lived proved non-productive. Mrs. Ruiz was not available. Because of his wife’s occasional use of his phone, Ray was reluctant to put the phone number in his cell, so Sin made the call, leaving instructions that the housekeeper was to contact him as soon as possible.

  As they drove to Marin County the trio was on pins and needles waiting to hear from her. Before arriving at Ray’s houseboat, they made plans to meet again the next day. They agreed that James Starr would be recruited to assist them in deciphering the mystery of Thomas Hardman.

  “Since he’s not only a professional investigator, but my brot
her-in-law, I trust him to work discretely,” Ray reasoned.

  Dropping him off at his home, Nedra and Sin greeted Bev and made brief happy talk. Ray’s wife was so preoccupied with her reunion with her husband that she didn’t seem to notice their anxiety.

  Later, as they settled in their hotel room, Nedra and Sin moved around each other quietly, both trying to process what had happened today. When the time was right they would share their thoughts and feelings, but Nedra knew that as disturbed as she was by Ray’s revelations, her husband was even more so.

  The intelligent, good looking man that she married appeared to have it all. Women craved him. Men envied him. Nobody but Nedra knew how fragile he could be. Sin’s childhood had scarred him and she was the only one he trusted with his deepest emotions.

  Laying in the darkness of their Sausalito hotel suite, Nedra was unable to rest. This was not a day that would be easily forgotten, nor should it be. Too much was at stake.

  Getting out of bed, she pulled on her robe and sauntered through the open door to the balcony where Sin was sitting on a chaise lounge. The night was perfect, cool, but not cold. There was no fog to obscure the panoramic view of San Francisco across the Bay. The city was ablaze in lights against a blackened sky. From their vantage point, the world appeared at peace, and it probably was for some.

  Without a word, she slipped onto Sin’s lap. He wrapped his arms around her and planted a kiss in her hair.

  They sat in silence, comforted by the beat of each other’s hearts. Snuggling on the balcony outside their bedroom in Carmel had become an evening ritual. This was their quiet time of reflection, as they sought relief from the stresses of daily life. Moments like these were meant to strengthen the fulfillment of their vow to love, honor and cherish one another, during the best and the worst of times.