He made his way down the yard and onto the dock. She didn’t look up as his boots echoed across. The wood was cold when he sat looking north and a little at her.
“Where’s Washington?”
She didn’t look at him. “On his way home, I’d guess.”
“Didn’t work out then?”
“He got what he came for and left.”
A tear rolled down her cheek. If given the chance, he’d punch the boy again. “Did I tell you about Ida?”
“The lady that came to visit a while back? Family reunion if I remember right.”
“Yes, her. She was all I wanted when I was younger. When she came of age, I asked her to marry me. She said no, she didn’t want a husband or kids. A month later she ran off to New York with dreams of Broadway.”
Maddy’s brow scrunched, “Didn’t she have a husband and four kids when they were here?”
“When she sent me pictures from their visit she also told me number five was on the way.”
“Must have hurt.” Her voice was still monotone.
“It did, until I realized how happy she was. The way I see it, my Ida is your Washington. The only difference is that boy still loves you.”
“Then why would he leave, Frank?”
He thought a moment, “Not sure about all that, but I know how he got here.”
Her head rolled to finally look at him.
“I’d always wondered what you were running from. Mostly whether or not it was a husband that would get in the way if I every asked you to marry me. Well, one of those pictures from Ida was a real nice shot of you serving me coffee in the diner. I sent it to a cousin in Oregon and he took it down the coast ‘til he found someone that knew you. Guy gave him fifty for the photo and another twenty-five to know where it was taken.”
“That explains that. I didn’t even remember someone taking a photo.”
“You were busy that week. That family reunion brought you more business than you could handle.”
She nodded.
Frank continued. “The way I see it, if Washington is gone, I’ll be here when you’re heart forgives me. If he comes back . . . I wish you’ll many children.”
“Thanks, Frank. I don’t think he’ll be coming back, at least not soon, and I might need your help before then.”
Sixteen
When Galen left Europe he’d thought the days of washing blood off his hands were over. Using Will’s kitchen sink told him otherwise.
The police were dragging Will out shackled, mumbling something about being sorry. Make sure and tell Maddy I’m sorry.
Galen flexed his fingers under the running water. They hurt but he wasn’t going to stop today to see the doctor about it. He hadn’t even realized he’d been hitting Will until one of the officers yanked him back.
Will’s telling of what happened to Cassie was far more graphic than what Mama had told Maddy. At least the pain had been worth it, sometime before Will started mumbling, he’d said where they took Cassie. As long as he hadn’t been lying, Cassie would be at the morgue by morning.
If Will was lying, Fredric would have to spill it. The truth and perhaps some blood too. That would be worth the other hand hurting as much.
Not a person spoke to him as he walked out the door. An advantage of being a Langley, even if that name was going to hell today.
It wouldn’t be him or Harland that made his Mama flip in her grave. If she hadn’t already. Just the secrets that she kept when she was put there might have caused it.
Sheriff Jenkins grabbed his shoulder as he reached Harland’s sedan. It took a second to pull back his fist, just in time.
“I hope your father’s confrontation goes better.” The sheriff handed him a roll of gauze.
Galen nodded, running his tongue over his teeth. “I need to know if…you find her.”
“I’ve got three deputies taking him out back. Hard to believe he’s been living with her here in his own backyard.”
Galen didn’t want to discuss it, didn’t even want to think about it. He got in the car without comment, growing more angry by the second. At least it was a few miles back home to get that under control.
In the driveway, he wrapped his hand with the gauze and let Madelyn’s image roll around his mind. Anything and everything he could think with her smiling…laughing. The same thoughts he’d used the last three years, with a few new ones tossed in.
Two of the sheriff’s men parked on the other side of the street just out of view of the house, and he got out of the car.
The garage caught his eye but he would have to ignore it…for now. The important thing was, Fredric’s car sat inside. He opened the front door and still no one was there to greet him. Tess worked less. Mama was long gone.
Fredric sat behind his desk, looking somewhat stunned as Galen went for the shelf of decanters. He poured a glass of the sweet bourbon. “Want a drink, Dad?”
Fredric stood up, “Where the hell have you been?”
“East.” Galen smiled.
“Maine?” Fredric raised his voice.
Galen handed over a well poured tumbler, something he’d learned from his mother in those last few years.
Fredric stared at the bandaged hand, blood seeping through where his knuckles were busted. “Have you been boxing?”
“Something like that.” The other person just didn’t get a punch in.
Fredric’s voice calmed even more as he took his seat again. “You know I’ve been looking the better part of three years for that girl. You’ve been home a few months and already found her.”
Galen nodded, thankful his father wasn’t a fool.
“You know,” Fredric continued, “no one expected you to come home. And when you finally do, you mess up thirty years of…”
Galen caught the hint of laughter.
“I’m guessing you’ve talked to Will.” Fredric said at length with a slow drink.
He flexed the fingers of his hand, the pain had lessened.
The phone rang. Casually, Fredric answered.
“Yes, Sheriff. I expected you to call.” He paused. “I’ll pass along that message.” He hung up. “I never knew where she was buried. All they can get me for is an accessory, after the fact, mind you. Anything else, can’t be proven.”
Galen swallowed the last of his drink. “We will have to see about that.”
He put the glass on the desk and stood.
“Don’t even want to hear me out do you, son?”
He thought for a moment, “You have something you want to say?”
The knock sounded through the house. The sheriff must have called in his men to make sure this didn’t end up bloody, like Will’s house.
Fredric rounded his desk and straightened his tie. “Wasn’t supposed to be like this.”
Galen sat by the sheriff as the house was searched. He opened the safe for them, then stayed out of the way. They had instructions not to mess up the place too much. Tess, after all, had to clean it up.
“Are you satisfied now, son?”
He sat on the front porch listening to the whispers. “This isn’t done. And I still need your help, sir. Madelyn has to come home.”
Seventeen
Pain and dread filled Maddy as she climbed on board the Boeing. At least they had decided not to handcuff her. They were letting her keep her dignity, even if Lucien had followed the Washington officer all the way to the airport, after he’d searched her suitcase for a gun.
Frank was watching over the diner still she was sure that business would drop for the week, even with old man Tate back in the kitchen. It was the least Frank could do for sending off that picture. It was going to be good to get this over with.
She set the suitcase in the seat next to her and buckled her belt. One engine roared to life while the other sputtered.
“It’s all right, miss. Did the same thing on the way over.” The officer was just now sitting down.
It didn’t matter to her, thi
s was no way to have her first plane trip. Galen wasn’t there to have it with her. The tears welled but didn’t drop. She would give none of them the satisfaction, most of all Galen. He’d known what he was doing all right. He’d gotten to her, had her hand over her heart wrapped in the insurance papers, and taken off. Straight home to Daddy.
The other propeller caught and Lucien waved to her from the runway. She didn’t return the gesture, he was no better the Officer Redmond sitting across the aisle.
In the sky, everything looked so infinite. The sky and land never ended, much like looking over the sea. It was far different than watching the paper plane loop through the air. Such simpler times.
Stepping off the plane, they escorted her to the police car. In three years not much had changed. They’d gotten a traffic light to replace the old stop sign downtown, otherwise it was almost like she remembered.
The house they pulled up to hadn’t changed in her lifetime. They were bringing her straight to her accusers, not even bothering with the jail first. Sometimes, she thought, love just isn’t enough.
The officer knocked on the door, the sound echoed through the porch like a firing squad. She stood back at the bottom of the steps for a moment, still in disbelief. Then she changed her mind; if they were going to accuse her, she was going to stand strong and make sure they looked her in the eye as they lied.
The door opened and there he stood. Galen couldn’t look at her no matter how unwavering her stare was.
“Thank you, Officer Redmond.” He turned to her. “Come in, Madelyn.”
She stepped into the house keeping her lips tight. Her face set in anger.
He shut the door behind her. “I’m sorry I had to do it this way.”
“You can keep your pathetic apologies.” She gripped her suitcase with both hands, trying not to swing it at him.
“The way this works,” he continued as if she’d said nothing, “if you agree, the officer is going to release you into my custody until we take you down to the courthouse. If you run, I’m the one that has to answer for it.”
“I’m ready to go now.”
He swallowed hard. “Judge says, we can take care of that after the funeral.”
She looked at him, really looked at him this time. His hand was bandaged and he looked very nervous. “Whose funeral. Yours?”
“Well, I’ll get to that in a second. You need to hear it all.” He waited a second before continuing. “I took your papers and came home for a reason. I showed the papers to Harland, then the sheriff. Didn’t take long and Dad spilled it all. Will was a little harder, a little painful.” He lifted his hand. “I’m sorry Madelyn. Mama didn’t lie.”
Her suitcase fell to the floor as her hands shot over her mouth. While she’d always assumed Mrs. Langley had been telling the truth, to hear it from Galen was altogether different. She eased herself to the stairs and sat down.
Mama hadn’t run off. Hadn’t left her. The tears stung as they fell to the hardwood floor.
“I made sure Cassie was at the funeral home before I made the call to Lucien. No reason in you being here fretting over whether he was lying or not. Everything is taken care of we’re going to bury her next to Pa tomorrow.”
She wanted to kiss him as well as beat him. Why hadn’t he called her? Why hadn’t he told her what he was doing? She tried to ask but nothing came out.
“We still have to go down to the courthouse the day after. You can stay here until then. Tess bought you a black dress for tomorrow and another for court so you’ll look right, and I gave her the rest of the week off. You’ll see her tomorrow though I’m sure.” He’d still hadn’t look directly at her. “Do you agree to behave and stay here? Or do I need to have Officer Redmond, take you down to the jail?”
She sat in silence a moment trying to stop the tears from falling. So much joy. It was all over. So much pain that it was all true. “I’ll stay.”
The front door opened and he stepped out onto the porch. He and Officer Redmond whispered and the officer went down the walkway.
The door closed behind him and they were alone. A house that had always been so full of life, stood empty beside the two of them. Everyone had grown up, moved away, passed away, or sat in jail. She’d be in the latter herself soon enough.
He picked up her suitcase. “You look tired Madelyn. Why don’t you go up to my room and rest?”
She nodded and pushed her hair out of her face. He held out the suitcase, she took it and headed up the stairs. Numbness filled her, empty except for the memories. Walking into his room didn’t help. So many summer days whittled away. Instead of lying down, she sat in the window seat that she remembered being much bigger. There was probably no possible way they could both sit in it now.
Pain hit again as she stared out into the fading sunlit backyard and the garage where her mother’s life had ended. She buried her head in her knees.
She dosed in and out of sleep. Lost between nightmares that were all too real and blissful dreams that were lost themselves. The door eased open but she didn’t realize it was in reality until his hand gently ran over her head.
“Are you hungry?”
Her head rolled to the side, he already had a tray setting on the bed, so she nodded.
“You want it over here?”
“Please.” She sat up and pushed her hair.
“You always were partial to sitting up there.” He picked up the tray trying to smile.
“Always felt like the princess locked in the tower.” She huffed out a half-laugh as he sat the tray down. “It’s also where we sat and you read to me.”
“I remember.” He sat in the oversized chair.
“My best memories are in, or around this house.”
“Many in this room.” He added.
“At least the early ones.”
She looked down at the tray, Shepard’s pie, one of her favorites.
He laughed, “Tess refused to go home until she was sure I’d have something good to feed you.”
“I’ve missed her cooking. I’ve missed her. I miss a lot of people.” She couldn’t keep the pain out of her voice.
He didn’t respond, letting her eat in peace while she did her best not to look at him or out the window. As she finished, she pushed the tray away and curled back up.
Galen took the tray and walked to the door. “You should get some sleep. You’ve got a long day tomorrow.”
“I don’t think I can sleep. Would you read to me instead?”
He sat the tray in the hall and came back in. “What would you like to hear?”
“I don’t care.”
He looked over the bookshelves, pulling out a thick book with a light blue cover.
“I remember it.”
“Would you rather I read something else?” He started to look back over the books.
“No, it’s perfect.”
He offered her his hand. She wanted to stay in the window but accepted, wanting to be closer to him even more. Once she was standing, he put his back to the wall and his leg against the window, giving her room to sit between his legs. The smile slid out and she took her seat, his arms curling around her so she too could see the book.
“The Sea Hare,” Galen began. “There was once upon a time a princess, who, high under the battlements in her castle, had an apartment with twelve windows, which looked out in every possible direction, and when she climbed up to it and looked around her, she could inspect her whole kingdom….”
Eighteen
Madelyn had fallen asleep before he finished the short Grimm’s Fairytale. Her day had been hard and all he wanted was to make it easier. To take the pain and hurt away. To take the hatred and lack of trust, just to have back his Madelyn.
He’d tried several times to write a note before taking off but how did you tell the woman you loved that you were going to clear her name, incriminate your father, and hopefully find her mother’s body. He’d even thought of waking her but she would have tried to talk him out of it.
He sat the book on the floor and pulled her into his arms. Life could pass by with them in the window seat and he would be happy with that. Yet, he picked her up and moved her to the bed with little more than a moan from her. He let her slip out of his arms and slid the blanket over her.
“Don’t go.”
His heart lifted, “If that’s what you want.”
“Never go.” She drifted back to sleep.
He slid off his shoes and eased into the bed behind her, wrapping his arms securely around his sleeping princess.
With her fingers caressing his hair, he woke to a sun filled day. A day that would hurt her beyond his imagination; but now she looked at peace, even with one hand balled in a loose fist against his chest, his shirt tangled in her grasp. The shirt slipped from her grip easily still her eyes opened wide as he eased from the bed.
“What time is it?” Her voice was thick with sleep, her eyes blood shot as she blinked.
He glanced to the clock on the wall. “Not quite seven.”
“When is the …” She cleared her throat.
“Not until eleven. I’m going to fix breakfast and let you get ready.”
Her brow arched but she didn’t say anything. Deciding not to ask, he picked up the tray from her dinner and headed to the kitchen. Tess, Rita, and a few others had made sure the house was clean after the sheriff’s department had gone through every room, finding little bits of the story hidden throughout.
He’d considered having the after funeral gathering at Harland’s when they offered but Madelyn wouldn’t have been comfortable. Not that she would be perfectly at ease here, it was just the best he could do.
He went out the back door and pulled the car out of the garage. Having her go into that building wasn’t going to be an option. Once back in the house, he waited for the water to shut off from the bathroom and cleaned the dishes. Then he put on fresh clothing and set out her dress.
Slipping on the black jacket, he left the room only to run into her.
“You look good.” She averted her eyes to the floor.
“So do you.”
She stood with damp skin in his dark blue terry cloth robe and her hair in curlers.
Finding Madelyn Page 12