“I’ve got terminal cancer. Only a few months to live.”
Heart thrumming, she turned to face him. No wonder he looked so thin and sunken. A brief surge of compassion enveloped her, but she refused to allow the smallest hint of guilt or responsibility to surface. “I’m very sorry,” she said, and meant it, but she could not let herself be roped back into his life now. She’d finally made peace and gotten closure. Most likely she’d be in jail anyway. “Good-bye,” she said quietly. “I hope your parishioners will be a comfort to you.”
The door clicked open behind her. She gave him one last look and then turned and left.
****
After an eternity of waiting across the street from the rectory in the tiny town of Fielding, Nick straightened in the cab of his truck. A dark sedan slid past him and pulled into the driveway.
He inhaled deeply and scrubbed a hand over his face. Lord, You know how I struggle with my temper. Help me get through this without losing control. Help me to leave this man’s punishment up to Your infinite wisdom.
He gave Tobias time to get inside then walked up to the run-down looking home and knocked. Tobias Cunningham came to the door, frowning. His small eyes narrowed even more when he saw Nick.
“What do you want?” His haggard face was wreathed in weariness.
“I’m Nick Logan from Rainbow Falls. I’d like to talk to you about your daughter.”
Tobias peered at Nick. His black clerical shirt and suspenders hung loosely on his thin frame. Graying hair, that had appeared wild yesterday, had been tamed into submission. “You from the police?”
“No. I’m a friend who wants some answers.”
His expression hardened. “I’ve answered enough questions for one day.”
Tobias started to shut the door, but Nick jammed his foot in the opening, barring the door from closing. “I won’t take up much of your time.” He stepped inside before the man could object and found himself in the living room.
The interior of the house was as decrepit as the exterior. The furniture looked to be from three decades earlier. Books, newspapers, and other clutter crowded the tables. A thick coating of dust cloaked the mantel, and cobwebs clung to the drapery at the windows.
Tobias scowled. “You might as well sit since you’re here.”
Nick waited until Tobias sat down before he perched on the edge of the worn sofa, hands clasped loosely over his knees. “I’d like to know exactly why you had Lily arrested.”
The man grunted. “Why should I tell you anything?”
Nick hesitated. “I’m in love with Lily and plan to marry her one day. Before I do, I’d like to know what possible sentence she might be facing.”
Tobias snickered, folding his arms across his chest. “Finally got a man to propose. That’s a first.”
Nick shifted on the lumpy couch. “What did Lily do?” he repeated.
Tobias raked a gaze over Nick from head to toe. “You’re a far cry from my daughter’s usual type. Guess you have a right to know the truth.” He paused as if relishing the moment. “She broke into my house and stole my emergency cash fund. And it wasn’t the first time she’s stolen from me.”
Nick absorbed the information without changing expression. “When did this take place?”
“Couple of months ago. Had the police looking for her ever since.”
A thread of irritation crept up Nick’s spine. “Did it ever occur to you that Lily might have been desperate and in need of help?”
The man only snorted. “She’s been in trouble since she was fifteen years old. A parent can’t keep bailing a child out forever.”
Obviously appealing to the man’s compassion wasn’t going to work. “How much did she take?”
Tobias’s eyes narrowed. “Eight-hundred–and-sixty dollars—give or take a few.”
Nick reached into his pocket for his wallet. “I’d like to pay you back for the amount she…borrowed.” He took out a wad of bills totaling over twelve hundred dollars. Almost his entire savings account. “If you’d be willing to drop the charges, that is.” The musty smell of the room irritated his nose as he waited.
Tobias sneered. “Why would I drop the charges? That girl needs to learn a lesson, once and for all. Face the consequences of her actions.” He banged a fist on the rickety wooden table beside him. A small lamp shuddered but didn’t topple.
The anger Nick had been holding back since he arrived sprang to life. “Don’t you think Lily has already served a life sentence…for a crime she didn’t commit?”
Tobias stared at him open-mouthed.
“First losing her real family in a tragedy, followed by her adoptive mother’s death at such a young age, and then having to live with…never mind.” Nick clenched his fist around the money in his hand. His pulse hammered a loud refrain in his temple. “Why don’t you take the cash, and we’ll call it even. You’ll never have to see Lily again.”
Tobias looked at the stack of bills in Nick’s hand and seemed to waver for a moment. Instead his eyes hardened. “No. That girl will pay for the humiliation she’s caused me all these years.”
Nick shook with suppressed rage. In a deliberate move, he rose from the couch and slid the money into his pocket. “I guess we’ll leave the matter up to God and the judge. I pray they can see through your bitterness and need for revenge.”
Nick stalked to the front door, the thud of his steps echoing across the space.
“Wait.”
The anguish in the man’s voice stilled Nick’s movements. With his hand on the doorknob, he hesitated, his scruples screaming at him. Before he could decide whether to hear him out, a loud thud sounded behind him. Tobias had collapsed on the floor, his body shaking.
Nick’s anger vanished as he rushed to his side and pulled him onto the sofa. He slid a cushion under his head, scrutinizing the man’s ashen complexion and sunken cheeks. How had he not noticed that Tobias was a very sick man?
“I’ll get you some water.”
Nick strode to the kitchen, pulled a plastic cup from one of the cupboards and filled it with cold water. Back in the living room, he helped Tobias sit up to take a sip of the liquid, after which Tobias sank back onto the pillow.
“Are you ill?” Nick asked quietly, pulling a chair closer to the sofa.
The man closed his eyes for a brief moment. “Pancreatic cancer. It’s terminal.”
Compassion edged into Nick’s heart. “I’m sorry. How long have you known?”
“Found out after I filed charges against Lily. You think God’s trying to tell me something?” He gave a harsh chuckle that turned into a fit of coughing.
Nick scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck. What did he do with this information? He drew in a deep breath, his nose wrinkling at the smell of rotting garbage coming from the now open kitchen door, and asked God for guidance. As a future minister, Nick would have to deal with many such situations with his parishioners. Whether he liked them or not, it would be his duty to minister to the sick and dying. Maybe God was asking him to do the same now.
He leaned forward, hands clasped over his knees. “Is there anything I can do for you?”
Tobias threw him a sharp glance. “I thought you hated me.”
Nick sighed. “I don’t hate you. I’m just angry for everything Lily’s gone through and how it’s affected her. How she doesn’t feel worthy of love or happiness in her life.” He held the glass of water back out to Tobias who took a long drink. “She changed a lot since she came to Rainbow Falls and”—he almost said “and fell in love with me,” but that didn’t sound right—“and found her sister. She even started coming to church.”
Tobias’s eyes widened as though he thought Nick were lying.
“Maybe it’s because she has someone else to worry about, to set an example for. I only hope being sent to jail won’t undo all the progress she’s made.”
Tobias scowled, creating more lines on his weathered face. “You blame me for all her problems. I can see it in your
eyes.”
“You’re right. I do. When Lily’s mother died, she needed support, guidance, and love, but all she got was anger. No wonder she acted out. She was crying for attention in any way she could.”
Instead of arguing as Nick expected, Tobias grimaced and squeezed his eyes shut. “Lily said the same thing to me today. Said she was trying to forgive me.” A silent tear escaped from the corner of his eye and rolled down into his sideburns.
“You saw her?” A thread of hope wound through Nick’s system. Lily was trying to forgive her father. Maybe she hadn’t returned to her former hardened self after all.
“She asked me to come to the station. Tore a strip off me about the way I treated her, but she didn’t seem to hate me anymore. Just told me she was moving on and that our relationship was done.”
Nick smiled sadly. “She was getting closure on her past. Making peace.”
“I think so.” Tobias wiped his face and struggled to sit upright on the sofa. “Maybe she has changed.”
Nick met his eyes. “It’s not too late for you, Tobias. You still have time to make amends. To do the right thing for your daughter.”
A shadow of sorrow passed over the older man’s face. “I’ll think about it. That’s all I can promise.”
Nick nodded and rose slowly to his feet. His glance slid across the debris-filled room. He tried to picture Lily living here as a teenager, but pain held the image back. No point in holding a grudge. Tobias would be in God’s hands soon enough.
Nick crossed the room and paused at the front door. “I’ll be praying for you, Tobias. No matter what you decide.”
30
Lily stared up at the cracks in the ceiling. At some point today she would go to court for her arraignment, where she would plead guilty. In a strange way, it would be a relief. No more hiding the truth. She’d face her actions, receive her punishment, and prepare to pay for her sins.
She tried to pray, tried to feel the presence of God there with her in the cell, but couldn’t call it forth. The peace she’d found yesterday during her confrontation with her father eluded her today.
In a futile attempt to escape her thoughts, she pushed up from the cot, used the crude facilities and brushed her teeth with the toothbrush they had provided her. Using only her fingers and a bit of water from the tap, she twisted her hair into a long braid and sank back onto the bed to wait in desolate silence.
A few minutes later, an officer came to unlock her cell door. “Your lawyer’s here.” He indicated with a flick of his head for her to come with him.
“I don’t have a lawyer.” She rose on unsteady legs.
“Court appointed.”
“Oh.”
She followed the man down the corridor to the same room she’d met Tobias in yesterday. A thin, balding man stood at the table, shuffling through papers in his briefcase.
He looked up as she came in. “I’m your attorney, Lionel Jones. We don’t have much time, so I need to know how you’re going to plead today.”
She stood across the table from him in her orange jumpsuit. The bleakness of her soul matched the décor of the sterile room. “I’m pleading guilty.”
His hands stopped moving for a split second. “Good. Makes my job a whole lot easier.” He snapped his briefcase closed. “Let’s be on our way.”
The next few hours played out like a scene in a movie. Oddly removed from reality, Lily waited in an anteroom until her turn arrived. The guards ushered her into the courtroom through a side door and led her to a table where Mr. Jones sat scribbling on a notepad. As she took a seat beside him, she managed a glance at the room behind her. Only a handful of people filled the chairs, none of the faces at all familiar. She bit her quivering lip. At this point, she might even welcome the sight of her hostile father. Instead, she faced her fate alone.
No, not alone. She had to believe God was with her, whether she could feel His presence or not.
Moments later the bailiff announced, “All rise.”
The judge swept up to his desk. He looked like a kind, grandfather type. Her hopes soared for a brief second. Maybe he would be lenient with her. Only give her a fine. But reality snuffed out the last shred of hope. It didn’t matter. She wouldn’t be able to pay a fine anyway. She’d still end up in jail.
The legal banter back and forth was a blur to her. The noise behind her of people coming and going from the spectator area served as background static, yet the tick, tick of the ceiling fan above her echoed loudly in her ears. Only when the judge requested that she rise, did she focus her attention back on the proceedings.
She stood beside Mr. Jones as the judge read the charges against her. Breaking and entering, as well as theft under a thousand dollars.
“How do you plead, Miss Cunningham?”
One irrational thought circled her brain—that technically speaking, she hadn’t broken in—she’d used her old house key. But it wasn’t worth the energy to argue the point. “Guilty, Your Honor.”
The judge’s bushy eyebrows rose a fraction of an inch above his wire glasses. Before he could utter his verdict, a loud clatter sounded behind her and a man crashed through the swinging gate.
“Your Honor, I want to drop the charges against Miss Cunningham.”
Lily’s mouth fell open. Tobias stood in the aisle beside Mr. Jones.
“And who are you, sir?” the judge bellowed, gavel in hand.
“I’m Reverend Tobias Cunningham, the defendant’s father. I’m the one who brought the charges against her in the first place.”
The stern man leaned forward on his desk to peer down at Tobias. “And why are you suddenly rescinding this action? Were the charges false?”
Tobias clasped his hands together in front of him. “No, sir. But I now realize my daughter only borrowed the money and intended to repay me in the future.”
Silence covered the courtroom while the judge spent several moments in quiet regard of Tobias, as though trying to assess his sincerity. Lily thought everyone must be able to hear her pulse thundering in her ears.
“How did you come to that conclusion?” the judge asked.
Tobias shot a sideways glance at Lily, then returned his attention to the front. “I had a conversation with my daughter yesterday. And later, her friend came to see me and convinced me she was telling the truth.”
In the audience behind them, someone coughed, another person scraped a chair back. A door creaked open. Lily held herself completely still as she awaited the judge’s next words.
He turned stern eyes to her. “Miss Cunningham?”
“Yes, sir?”
“Do you have the money to repay your father?”
Her last hope floated away. “Not at the moment, sir.”
Tobias took another step forward. “I’ll accept installments, Your Honor.”
The judge pressed his lips together in a firm line. “This is highly unusual.” He paused, eyeing them both, then let out a weary breath. “Very well. Seeing this is more of a family dispute than anything, the charges are hereby withdrawn. Case dismissed.” He banged the gavel.
Lily swayed on her feet and laid her palms flat on the table to steady herself. She lowered her head to make the dizziness subside.
Thank You, Lord. Thank You.
Mr. Jones stuffed his papers into the leather case and snapped it shut.
“What happens now?” she asked him.
“They’ll take you back to the police station to have your release papers processed and get your personal items. You should be free in an hour or two.” Mr. Jones rose. “Good luck to you, Miss Cunningham.” He nodded and disappeared through the courtroom.
Tobias approached the table. For once the usual air of hostility didn’t follow him. He fingered a battered hat and shuffled from one foot to the other. “I know this doesn’t make up for the past, but I suppose it’s the least I could do for you.”
Lily could barely take in what he’d done for her. “Thank you. I’ll start paying you back as soon as
I get a new job.” She pulled herself up to her full height. “Can I ask what made you change your mind?”
He shrugged. “Guess you could say I had a wake-up call.” He shot a quick glance over her shoulder toward the back of the courtroom. “Your friend, Nick, seems like a decent guy.”
In slow motion, Lily turned to follow his gaze. A shock of blond hair caught her eye. Nick was here—in the courtroom. And not only Nick. Maxi, Sonia Martin, Chloe, and Peg stood beside him. She bit her lip to hold back the sting of tears.
As the guard came to lead her away, a mixture of emotions fought to gain a foothold. For a brief moment, her blurred gaze locked with Nick’s. She stumbled, but the guard yanked her upright and pulled her out of the courtroom.
****
The single cell seemed much smaller as Lily paced on legs as unsteady as a new colt. She had no idea how long it would take to process the necessary paperwork to free her. Would Nick and the others wait for her, or would they leave now that they knew her fate?
At last the key clanged in the lock and the door swung open. The guard from earlier handed her the package containing her clothes and personal items.
“You can put these on. I’ll be back in five minutes to release you.”
Her spirits lifted as she changed, thanking God for one small miracle. She wouldn’t have to spend any more time in jail. Two days was more than enough.
Dressed in jeans and a wrinkled cotton top, Lily stepped out of the cell and once again followed the man down the hall. The murmur of voices grew louder as she entered the main area of the police station. The stale smell of coffee, cigarette smoke, and grease rose to greet her. Her legs shook with each step. Would anyone be waiting for her?
When she rounded the corner, tears of disbelief pricked her eyelids. They were all there, crowded together in the outer room—Nick included.
Her initial burst of happiness gave way to uncertainty, freezing her feet to the floor. What would they think of her now? A common thief—a criminal just released from jail. She swallowed her nerves and her pride. No matter what happened, she owed her friends a huge debt of gratitude for coming. She would thank them and say her good-byes. Wiping her damp palms on her jeans, she moved forward.
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