by Diane Noble
He gave her a pleading look that she couldn’t resist. She stood back while he added another scoop.
“Have you heard anything from the kids?”
Kate shook her head. They spoke for a few minutes about the latest tests and the difficult waiting period they were all going through. Kate felt herself sag wearily against him. Yes, she was worried about Mia, but also about the financial troubles they were in...and the fact that Paul wasn’t being straight with her.
Paul’s expression was filled with concern as he met her eyes. “We’ve been under a lot of pressure lately. How about going out for dinner? Maybe it would help to do something special just for the two of us.”
She smiled. “Cheeseburgers at the diner? That sounds wonderful.”
“I was thinking of the Bristol.”
“Oh, Paul, we can’t afford that. Especially not now.”
He frowned. “We don’t do things like this often, Kate. And I really would like to do something to lift your spirits.”
She studied the compassion in his face. He really would give her the whole world if he could.
But her concerns about the money they owed, for whatever reason, strengthened her resolve to say no to any frivolous expenditures.
“Actually, honey, I would prefer the diner.” She touched his cheek, thinking about her promise to trust him. She just wished he trusted her with whatever bad news it was that he was keeping from her.
His shoulders sagged, confirming her suspicions. It was indeed bad news.
THEY HAD JUST taken their seats at the Country Diner when the front door opened and Renee, Caroline, and Collin came in. Renee made a beeline to their booth, telling everyone within earshot about the wonderful day she and Collin had spent together as she showed him the sights of Copper Mill.
Collin, ever the polite and debonair gentleman, smiled but avoided meeting Kate’s gaze.
“Collin was planning to take me to dinner at the Bristol,” Renee said.
Caroline stepped up, tapping her cane with each incremental movement forward. “I told them the food’s better here, and if they’d change their minds about the Bristol, I’d join them.”
Renee and Collin smiled at each other over Caroline’s head. It was a sweet exchange, and Kate had a difficult time reconciling this Collin with the Collin she’d run into at Renee’s tea and at Faith Briar.
Paul fell quiet as he studied Collin, probably sensing Kate’s distrust of the man. His tight-lipped expression told her he was still upset at how Collin had threatened Kate.
Kate touched his hand, determined to change the direction of their thoughts so they could enjoy dinner. “I’ve never seen Renee so happy,” she said as the threesome moved on to their table. “And did you notice, Kisses isn’t with her?”
Paul glanced toward the group. “You’re right. Not a sign of him, not even a tote.”
“It must be a compromise. It seems the little guy didn’t take to Collin right off, and the feeling was mutual.”
Paul let out a soft whistle. “Now that could be trouble.”
Kate sighed. “Actually, I suspect that Kisses and Collin’s relationship will be the least of her troubles.”
She told Paul about her encounter with Collin at the church.
Paul worked his jaw as he again glanced across the room at Collin. Then he leaned in closer to Kate. “You had better be cautious in your dealings with him. From everything we know, he’s not safe to be around. We still don’t know what his role is in this whole caper.”
He was also intrigued by the strange battery she’d discovered in the basement, and when she told him about the urn popping open when she pushed on the cherubim, his brow burrowed in deep thought.
“Do you think—?” Paul began, then stopped abruptly when the diner’s front door squeaked open, then quickly slammed shut. In the few seconds between the two sounds, the Curly and Carrot-top duo stumbled through the door. They were in the middle of another argument as they made their way to a table without waiting to be seated.
They took a place in the back, near where they’d been seated before, away from most of the customers. Carrot-top, however, was facing Kate. Directly in his line of vision, and hers, was the table with Collin, Renee, and Caroline.
Caroline obviously recognized the duo as they walked by. She whispered something to Collin, then inclined her head toward the back table. Kate wasn’t within earshot of the conversation, but she imagined it had something to do with the GTO and Carrot-top and Curly, or “persons of interest,” as Kate had called them the day she brought Caroline for ice cream.
Kate and Paul’s meals arrived, with LuAnne carrying two platters on one arm and a basket of rolls in the opposite hand. Kate was pleased that Paul had taken her advice and ordered a grilled chicken salad and whole-wheat rolls. If he was keeping some awful news about his heart, or who knew what, from her, there was no time like the present to rev up that close watch on his cholesterol.
“Thank you, LuAnne,” Paul said, standing to help her out. He reached for the rolls and placed the basket in the middle of the table while LuAnne placed the salads in front of them.
“Lei è molto gentile,” she said.
Paul grinned. “And you are very kind as well.”
“Now, how did you know what I just said?”
“Word’s getting around,” he said, sitting down again. “If you keep this up, half the town will learn conversational Italian.”
Looking pleased, LuAnne adjusted the pencil over her ear and headed to the Curly and Carrot-top table. Kate noticed she had to wait briefly to get their order while the two seemed to be arguing about how much time they had and what they should get.
LuAnne was tapping her foot while she glanced around the diner at the patrons waiting to be served. It was obvious her exasperation level had hit its limit. She stuck her pencil over her ear, tucked her pad in her apron pocket, and whirled to leave—all in one fluid motion.
She’d taken three steps when Carrot-top called after her: “Okay, okay. Just get us a couple of hamburgers, as fast as you can.”
She put in their order, filled some coffee cups and water glasses, then hurried back to Kate and Paul.
“Somethin’s comin’ down, I just know it.” She hitched one shoulder slightly toward Curly and Carrot-top.
“Have they said anything?” Kate asked.
She shook her head. “It’s just the way they’re actin’, all nervous and jittery, like somethin’ big is about to take place.” She lowered her voice. “They’ve been in here a lot, but this is the worst. The one with the red hair’s knocked over the saltshaker three times.”
Kate kept one eye on the back table while she and Paul ate their grilled chicken salads. Wanting to keep from being too obvious, Kate changed the subject. “Do you have your sermon ready for tomorrow morning?”
“Well,” said Paul, “actually it’s been a pretty eventful week, and I haven’t had a lot of time for preparation. I’ll need to spend some time tonight to firm up my outline. Then I can flesh things out a little more in the morning.”
As they spoke, Kate noticed that Caroline kept turning her head to listen to what Curly and Carrot-top were saying, then whispering something to Collin and Renee. Kate’s curiosity was making it nearly impossible to stay glued to her seat, but she didn’t dare go over to ask what was going on.
She and Paul finished their meals, and when LuAnne brought their bill, Paul pulled out his wallet.
Kate reached for her handbag and was about to slide out of the booth, when Collin stood and walked over to Curly and Carrot-top’s table. He spoke with them for a moment, then returned to his table and resumed his conversation with Renee and Caroline.
Immediately, the duo slammed some bills on the table and hightailed it to the door. They were both patting their pockets for their car keys as they stepped through the open doorway and let the door slam behind them.
Kate’s heart thudded beneath her ribs as another dot connected. The boss’s ident
ity.
Everything pointed to Collin.
Paul and Kate turned to watch Renee. She was utterly aglow and seemed lost in deep conversation with Collin. He was holding her hand. Kate didn’t want to let the charade go on any longer. She rose from her seat and walked over to Renee’s table, smiling congenially at the three. Collin stood as she approached.
“I couldn’t help but notice your, ah, interaction with the two who were sitting behind you,” she said to Collin, keeping her tone even.
His piercing eyes were as cold as ever, his smile forced. “Ah yes, Mrs. Hanlon. You would wonder about them, wouldn’t you?”
Kate glanced at Caroline, who said, “I told him you were keeping an eye on them as persons of interest.”
Collin chuckled. “And if you must know, all I did was ask them to keep their voices down. Their language was—how shall I put this delicately?—unfit for the ears of the ladies who are with me.”
“And they left because you asked them to?”
He laughed. “Of course not. I had nothing to do with how they scurried out of here, like rabbits heading to their warren.” He paused. “One of them received a text message while I was talking to them. I would surmise that’s why they so hurriedly vacated the premises.”
I bet, Kate thought as she rejoined Paul at the entrance.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Kate woke to the sounds of distant thunder in the middle of the night. At first it rumbled across the valley from the mountains, then with each clap, it grew louder. Paul took Kate’s hand as a streak of lightning lit the sky, followed immediately by a clap of thunder that seemed to break on top of their house. A downpour followed, and Kate snuggled close to Paul, trying to go back to sleep.
The rain continued through the wee hours of the morning, and finally at 4:51, Kate gave up on sleep, swung her feet over the side of the bed, and pulled on her robe. She padded to the kitchen and put on the coffee, chuckling to herself as she remembered the last time it rained.
It had been while Renee was in Italy and Kate and Paul were taking care of Kisses. When the thunderstorm hit, the little Chihuahua dove under the covers and curled in the crook of Paul’s arm, quivering and whimpering in fear.
Paul softly sang to him, which seemed to be the only thing that would calm him down. Kate thought of the song, the sound of Paul’s rich voice, and the lyrics that even then touched her heart: “He is our peace, who has broken down every wall; He is our peace, He is our peace. Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you...”
Another low rumble of thunder rolled across the valley as the storm moved east. The earlier downpour had turned into a steady rain about an hour before, and now in the glow of the ambient light from the kitchen, Kate could see only a misty rain falling on the maple-tree leaves and the yard beyond.
She walked into the living room, sat down in her rocker, and reached for her Bible. For a few minutes she held it on her lap without opening it. She was the one who needed peace right now.
“Cast all your cares on Him...”
She thought about the financial trouble she and Paul were in and wondered how and when he would finally tell her. Maybe he thought that because of her worries over Mia, it would be better to wait until they knew for certain what her treatment would be.
“For He cares for you...”
She knew this to be true in her heart, but sometimes, like right now, she wanted to be the one tucked in God’s great arms, listening to his voice singing to her. “Cast all your cares on me...for I care for you...I am your peace, Kate. I am your peace.”
She thought about the image of Paul cuddling the tiny Chihuahua, and of God cuddling her, for a moment, and smiled. If Paul knew how much she was fretting over all this, would he still ask her to trust him? Would he still keep silent?
She went into the kitchen, poured her coffee, and glanced at the counter where Paul had left the previous day’s unopened mail.
The stack, with its usual jumble of ads and flyers, had slid off to one side of the telephone. It was in need of sorting, and in anticipation of their busy Sunday, she reached for the entire stack. Bending over the counter, she sorted out the real mail, then tossed the junk mail into the trash under the sink.
She idly glanced at the unopened envelopes, then frowned as she picked up an envelope with the Mid-Cumberland Bank’s return address. Thinking it might be their latest statement, she opened it. It was a confirmation of a new safety-deposit box, thanking Paul for his business. She looked at the envelope again and blinked. The new account was in Paul’s name only.
THE RAIN DIDN’T DAMPEN the spirits of the parishioners that morning. As Kate walked down the aisle toward her usual pew, she heard someone call her name.
It was Renee, with Collin at her side.
Renee waggled her fingers. She was dressed in pale pink, from coiffed tip to high-heeled toe, and wore a cape that definitely gave her a European flair. Her French manicure was freshly done, and the usual scent of Youth-Dew floated down the aisle with her.
Collin smiled at those he knew from the tour. Millie Lovelace was the first to come up to him, gushing about how glad she was to see him at Faith Briar, reminding him that she was the church secretary. The Jenners stepped up next. He bowed and kissed Livvy’s fingers and then shook Danny’s hand.
Then his gaze locked onto Kate’s, and though he smiled in greeting, the smile stopped well below his piercing eyes. He bent to kiss her fingers, and when he stood upright again, it was clear that his unblinking, cold expression held a warning even more severe than before.
Kate shivered, but gave him a weak smile. “I’m glad you could join us.”
“We’ll sit with you,” Renee announced and pushed her way into the pew. Kate stood back while the couple got settled, then she slid in beside Renee.
Paul stepped up onto the platform, followed by Sam Gorman, who seated himself at the organ and began to play “To God Be the Glory.”
A few minutes later, the congregation stood and joined in, lifting their voices in song. As the last notes faded and while the congregation remained standing, Paul moved to the pulpit to read the opening Scripture, Psalm 95:1–2: “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving...”
When Paul finished, he nodded to Sam, and the choir members took their places in front of the platform near the organ. Kate stepped into the back row next to Renee.
While Sam played the introduction, Renee held her hymnal over her mouth and whispered to Kate, “There’s somebody moving around in the foyer. I can see their shadows moving across the strip where the double doors come together.”
Kate squinted toward the doors, but she couldn’t see what Renee was talking about. Renee was standing in the center of the choir in a direct lineup with the double doors. If she had moved a few inches one way or the other, she wouldn’t have noticed anything unusual.
Kate glanced at Paul, who was sitting to one side of the pulpit, slightly behind her. But he was looking down as if in prayer. After a moment of silence, he stood and led the congregation in the opening prayer.
As the worshippers echoed a loud “Amen,” the organ introduction swelled. Then Sam gave the choir a nod, and they began to sing, “I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses...”
Renee was still distracted. Staring at the double doors instead of at Samuel or the hymnal, she sang verse two while everyone else was singing verse one. But Kate didn’t think anyone else noticed.
“There,” she whispered to Kate during the organ’s bridge between verses. “I see them again.”
Kate thought of the Diner Duo, and her heart caught. Would they have the audacity to rob the church during Sunday services?
“He speaks, and the sound of His voice is so sweet the birds hush their singing...,” the rest of the choir sang, then Sam gestured to the congregation to stand again and join the choir on the chorus. “And He walks with me, and He ta
lks with me, and He tells me I am His own...”
Just then, the sanctuary doors opened.
Kate stopped singing midnote and just stared.
Toddling down the center aisle, holding Mommy’s hand on one side and Daddy’s on the other, was Mia Elizabeth. She wore a happy smile, and when she saw Kate, she let go of Melissa’s hand and frantically waved to her grandmother.
Kate couldn’t help herself. She quickly slipped from her place in the choir into the aisle and scooped Mia into her arms, squeezing her tight. Mia, looking over Kate’s shoulder, giggled when she saw Paul and called out “Gampa, Gampa.”
Sam finished leading a rather raggedy “And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known,” then all the choir members, with the exception of Kate, filed back to their seats. Paul came down from the platform to stand beside Kate at the front of the sanctuary, and Mia reached out to be taken into her grandfather’s arms.
“We follow where the Spirit leads here at Faith Briar,” Paul said, “and that means things don’t always go as planned. I know you all have been holding Mia and her mom and dad—and her grandparents—in prayer over the past couple of weeks. So I’d like to take a brief break in our normal routine and ask Melissa and John to tell everyone the latest medical news about Mia.”
Melissa’s eyes were glistening with tears as she came up to stand by her mother, but Kate knew her daughter well: they were tears of joy.
“God is so good,” John said, his voice breaking.
Melissa jumped in, taking his hand. “He answered the prayers of our heart.”
PAUL HAD PUT A POT of chili on before church, and it was steaming hot and waiting for them when they arrived home. Kate poured the corn bread batter into a pan, then slipped it into the oven. She and Melissa worked together to chop some onions and grate a block of cheddar cheese while the corn bread baked.
Paul and Kate set the table, insisting that Melissa and John relax for a few minutes and telephone Melissa’s siblings—Andrew and Rachel in Philadelphia, and Rebecca in New York—with their good news. The phone was passed around, and after her turn, Kate sat back, enjoying the familiar banter and laughter and wishing her brood was gathered there in person.