A Distant Memory

by Traci DePree

  “How about if I pray with you?” she offered.

  There was a moment of silence before he said, “That would be great.”

  Kate prayed with Brad over the phone. When she finished, she could hear a crack in his voice.

  “Thanks for that. It helps more than you know,” he said.

  Kate wanted to believe him, yet it was a big pill to swallow, the idea that he hadn’t realized how bad their finances were and that Sonja couldn’t handle them anymore. If Sonja tried to tell him as he said, why hadn’t he listened? Was that indicative of the gulf in the couple’s marriage?

  Her mind flashed to Brad and Judy together at the Bristol, and she didn’t know what to think anymore.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Kate called Livvy and asked her to drop by the house before their stained-glass workshop so they could mull over the case together. Kate had gone online to see if she could figure out something about the man in purple, looking at online clothing sites and trying to determine if she could figure out where the sweatshirt had come from. But it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

  Paul was still eating his supper when Kate and Livvy brought glasses of iced tea to the oak dining table to sit with him. Kate had told Livvy about following Brad and discovering the foreclosure on the house, as well as about seeing Brad with Judy at the Bristol.

  “Betty Anderson mentioned that the Weavers used to argue, especially after Brad lost his job. When Sonja worked at the library,” Kate asked, “did you sense any marital trouble between her and Brad?”

  Livvy reached for her tea and ran a finger around the lip of the glass while she thought. “Sonja did talk about financial stuff. I remember comments about Brad’s spending habits, him being a spender and her a saver, which certainly could have caused some marital discord.”

  “So, any talk about the house being in danger or that she thought Brad and Judy were more than friends?”

  “No.” Livvy shook her head. “There was no mention of their house being in foreclosure, and nothing that I can recall that would indicate she knew about any funny business between Brad and Judy. Sonja trusted Judy implicitly. She was a big part of why they chose to move to Copper Mill in the first place.”

  Kate had heard a similar comment from Judy when they’d first met. She glanced at her husband, who was taking it all in. Then she pondered out loud, “It’s just that the house being in foreclosure, seeing Brad and Judy together like that, and the timing of the life-insurance policy...it’s hard to ignore the implications of all of those clues combined.”

  “But what about Sonja’s reaction to Willy Bergen that day?” Livvy pointed out. “She was clearly not in her right mind, so there are logical explanations for all of those things.”

  “True,” Kate nodded. “But then there’s the man in purple, whoever that was—”

  “And Ronnie Gilbert,” Livvy contributed.

  “Has Brad tried to cash in on the insurance policy yet?” Paul asked.

  “I don’t know,” Kate admitted. “But I bet that no company will pay out a million dollars without proof that Sonja’s deceased.”

  “Would an insurance company pay out if the police declared her dead, though?” Livvy asked.

  “Probably not if there wasn’t an official Alzheimer’s diagnosis,” Kate said, appreciating that these two tracked so well with her.

  Livvy reached into her handbag for a pen and notepad and began to write while Kate talked. Kate held up an index finger to indicate her first point, then the next finger and the next with each point she made.

  “One, we know that Sonja was diagnosed—whether the diagnosis was correct or not—with depression and not Alzheimer’s, at least if we choose to believe Judy. Her testimony isn’t exactly without suspicion if she and Brad were seeing each other. But we’ll assume that what she said was true, for argument’s sake. Two, Brad and Sonja were having financial problems, foreclosure. Three, Brian snuck out of the house the night before Sonja disappeared, which no doubt caused her to be upset, and she and Brad had an argument the next morning as well.”

  She paused, giving Livvy time to write. When Livvy lifted her head, she went on. “Four, Sonja drove to Lookout Point with her dog, wearing a yellow jacket and a scarf. Then, presumably when the dog took off, she followed it a good two miles to where she saw Willy Bergen at the creek. Willy said she was agitated. She called him Ronnie Gilbert and took off running up the hill and into the woods. Somehow, she lost her jacket in the bushes and her scarf.” She waited for Livvy to finish writing, then said, “So, what else?”

  Livvy read through the notes and handed the pad to Kate to look over. “What did she do next?” Livvy asked.

  “According to our photos,” Kate thought out loud, “she went to the lot where my car was parked, more than likely after she saw Willy.” She lifted her face. “And why else would she have gone to the parking lot if she was confused and thought her car was there?” She shook her head. “Or perhaps she met the man in purple there, and he took her somewhere else...”

  “We need to find out where,” Livvy said as Paul took another bite of his pork sandwich.

  Kate pulled the list of names she’d gotten from the car dealership out of her bag. “Then we’d better get back to these,” she said, feeling a sense of renewed direction. And with it, renewed determination.

  CAITLIN EVANS KNOCKED on Kate’s front door a few minutes before seven.

  “I’m so glad you came,” Kate said when she met her in the foyer.

  “Thanks for inviting me. I’m really looking forward to this,” Caitlin said. “Riley and Wade were so excited about having the Jenner boys babysit again. You should’ve seen them. They were literally jumping up and down.” She waved to Livvy, who’d come into the living room from the kitchen. Paul had come out from the kitchen to offer his greetings as well.

  “My boys or yours?” Livvy said.

  “Both!” Caitlin said, laughing. “I can’t thank you enough.”

  “You already have,” Livvy said, waving a hand of dismissal.

  The doorbell rang again. This time Renee was there, with Kisses in a designer bag slung across her shoulder.

  “Do you know Renee?” Kate asked Caitlin.

  “I’ve seen you around town.” Caitlin reached to shake hands, but the dog gave a low growl.

  “He usually doesn’t have such a strong reaction,” Renee said, patting the Chihuahua’s head.

  Caitlin smiled. “My four-year-old can be the same way sometimes.”

  Renee gave the younger woman an offended look. “My poor Umpkins,” she spoke to the dog. “He’s just very sensitive, you know.”

  Kate waited for Renee to finish, then said, “Why don’t we move into the studio?” She motioned for everyone to follow her.

  Renee left Kisses in the kitchen with Paul, who sent Kate a “why me?” look.

  Caitlin glanced appreciatively around the organized studio. “Such great space,” she said.

  “You must have a studio for your artwork too, no?” Livvy said to Caitlin.

  “I have a little space carved out in our garage,” Caitlin said. “Though nothing as nice as this.”

  Kate handed her a set of tools like the ones she’d given Livvy and Renee at the first class, then gave a refresher on what she’d taught during the previous session.

  They spent some time practicing cutting the clear glass again. Caitlin seemed like a natural at the task. She moved the cutter with a firm hand and precision that yielded clean breaks.

  “What if I have a jagged spot?” Livvy held up one of her small pieces of glass, then laid it in its place on the stencil. The glass had a high spot that caused it to wobble against its neighbor.

  “The grinder works really well for that.” Kate showed them how to use the grinder, careful to keep water on the cutting head that smoothed off imperfections.

  “That machine looks rather dangerous,” Renee said, watching from behind the other two women.

  “Jus
t don’t accidentally grind off those press-on nails,” Livvy replied, dry as toast.

  “They most certainly are not press-ons,” Renee protested. “I get only the best French manicures!” Kisses must have heard his master through the door because he barked his defiance as well.

  The women shared a laugh. Kate glanced at Caitlin. A smile creased her face, a contrast to the stress and weariness Kate had seen in her before.

  Next Kate showed them how to tape the edges of the cut glass with copper foil. The tape allowed solder to stick, connecting the glass into one piece, so it was essential that the tape was centered along the edge and secure. She pulled out the soldering iron and melded the four pieces from her stencil design into one. The women oohed over the achievement and were soon doing the same to their own glass.

  “I’m doing quite well at this,” Renee said, looking oddly maniacal with a hot soldering iron in her hand.

  Kate grimaced.

  Just then, a cell phone buzzed, and Caitlin reached into her purse to get it. “I’m at the Hanlons,” she said in a low voice, her back turned to the others.

  Kate tried not to eavesdrop, but given the size of the room, it was impossible not to hear Caitlin’s side of the conversation.

  “I told you I was coming,” Caitlin went on. “You were probably too distracted to pay attention. No!”

  Given the tone on the other end of the line, Bobby sounded upset. “They’re with the Jenner boys.” Her voice was soothing, like a mother with a bee-stung child. “Honey, they probably took them to the park or over to their house. They only live a few blocks away.” There was a pause, then Caitlin said, “I’ll talk to you when I get home.” She hung up and turned back to the class, her face flushed from being overheard.

  “Did he think you went missing like Sonja Weaver?” Renee asked intrusively.

  Kate winced at the statement.

  “Kinda.” Caitlin shrugged.

  The room went awkwardly silent for a moment before Caitlin changed the subject. “I actually met Sonja before she disappeared,” she said. “I was at the library with the boys, and she was working the front desk. She was very good with people.”

  “She was,” Kate agreed.

  “As I recall, she was talking with a man. I think he was from out of town or something, but she took the time to ask him about himself. He even gave her his business card.”

  That piqued Kate’s curiosity. “From out of town?”

  “Yeah,” she said, then turned to Livvy. “He was asking about you, actually. Said you were an old friend of his.”

  Livvy’s brow furrowed. “Who was that?” she said, exchanging a questioning look with Kate.

  Caitlin shrugged. “It was several months ago, before Christmas, I think. I have no idea whether he introduced himself.”

  “Did he mention what the business card was for?” Kate asked.

  “You know,” Caitlin said, shaking her head, “I was distracted by my boys, so I didn’t hear the whole conversation.”

  “Sonja never told me about that visit,” Livvy mused. Her brow was twisted with curiosity.

  Kate found it odd. Especially the part about the business card. Who had the man been? And why would Sonja have taken his card on first meeting him?

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The next morning, Kate called John Sharpe to ask about Sonja’s life-insurance policy. It was a Saturday, but she knew that John often put in weekend hours to accommodate clients who worked during the week. However, he didn’t answer the phone.

  She tried his office three times, each time getting a busy signal, so she knew he was in. Finally at ten o’clock, she got in her car and drove to the office. The Sharpe Insurance Agency was a squat block building painted white.

  Kate parked on the shady street and went inside. John was on a call with a customer. He waved for her to take a seat, then said, “I hear you, Lyle. It’s not right. Yeah, yeah.” He made a puppet gesture of someone talking and talking.

  Kate smiled and whispered, “Don’t hurry on my account.”

  After another five minutes of John trying to get the man off the phone, he finally said, “All right, I’ll call you tomorrow, Lyle. Yeah. Bye,” and hung up.

  John offered a big smile to Kate and reached to shake hands with her. He was a tall, good-looking man with ocean blue eyes and sandy hair. “How’ve you been, Kate?” he said.

  “Well, thank you, and you?”

  John waved a hand in the air. “I’m hangin’ in there. Let’s just leave it at that.” Then he chuckled. “To what do I owe this honor?” He leaned back and put his hands behind his head.

  Kate began, aware that what she was about to ask was a sensitive issue. “I’m wondering if you can tell me something.” She paused. “How does life insurance work when a person is missing and the body is never found?”

  “Without a body, we can’t prove death,” John said, though his expression said he knew exactly what Kate was talking about. He straightened in his chair. “I’d have to be livin’ in a cave not to know that you’re talkin’ about Sonja Weaver.” His eyebrow quirked.

  “So,” Kate went on, undaunted, “you’re saying that in a case like Sonja’s, you wouldn’t pay out a policy without physical evidence?”

  “She was declared dead,” John reminded her. “And she had Alzheimer’s.”

  Kate was confused; was he saying that Brad could collect on the policy or not? She asked her next question thoughtfully. “Did Brad provide proof that she had Alzheimer’s?”

  John looked startled by the question for a moment, then he regained his composure and said, “Well, Kate, I can’t talk about this anymore. Insurance policies are private.”

  “You’re right,” Kate said, rising to go. “I’m sorry to take up your time.”

  Clearly her question had made the man curious, however. “Are you sayin’ there’s a chance Sonja didn’t have Alzheimer’s?”

  “I’m not saying anything of the kind,” Kate said, not wanting to start any rumors. “Just wondering.” She thanked him for his time and left the office.

  PAUL WAS GLAD TO SEE BOBBY EVANS at the Country Diner that morning for their pastors’ breakfast. Lucas and Pete had come and eaten, and then had to leave early for various obligations. So now only Paul and Bobby lingered over steaming cups of strong coffee.

  The breakfast crowd had thinned some while they’d been there. Two older men read the paper and chatted over French toast at the counter, and a young family sat in a corner booth toward the back, while Paul and Bobby sat in a booth up front that overlooked Smith Street.

  Paul glanced at the younger man’s wan face. He was staring across the street at the Town Green, where several families were enjoying a sunny spring day on the grass. A father and son were playing Frisbee.

  A frown formed on Bobby’s face as he watched them, and he finally broke the silence that had built since the others departed. He met Paul’s patient gaze. “I was hoping I’d get a chance to talk to you alone.”

  Paul leaned forward and rested his arms on the Formica tabletop. He could sense that something was going on with Bobby all morning, but exactly what, he couldn’t tell. He’d kept glancing at Paul and offering short, almost impatient replies.

  “What did you want to talk about?” Paul asked.

  “I, uh, had a revelation last night,” he admitted. “I came home late, as usual.” He let out a scoffing laugh and shifted uncomfortably on the vinyl seat. “Caitlin wasn’t home.”

  Paul knew that she’d been at Kate’s stained-glass workshop. He waited for Bobby to go on, in no hurry to fill in the blanks for his friend.

  “The Jenner boys had taken Riley and Wade to the park, so the house was empty, quiet...” Bobby shook his head. “It was the strangest feeling. I had this moment of panic where I thought Caitlin and the boys might’ve left me.”

  Paul could see the fear in the man’s eyes.

  “We’ve been having a hard time, Caitlin and I. In our marriage.” He sighed. “I’
ve been denying it, not just to her and you, but to myself. But when I felt that panic, I realized that deep down I knew she could leave me.”

  LuAnne Matthews arrived at the table then. She must have sensed the serious mood, because instead of her usual jovial banter, she said in a quiet voice, “Can I get you more coffee?”

  “Just the bill,” Paul said, offering her a smile.

  She scooted away.

  “What would I do without Caitlin?” Bobby went on once LuAnne was outside of hearing range. “She’s been trying to tell me for so long, and I’ve been listening to...myself, my own expectations for what a good pastor and a good husband needs to do. And in the process, I’m failing.”

  Paul nodded his understanding. “It’s part of being a man, isn’t it? That instinct to provide for our families.”

  “That doesn’t excuse it. But putting my ministry first has become so entrenched in who I am.” He lifted his face to the ceiling. “I don’t know how to change, Paul. I don’t know if I really can change.”

  “I know you can,” Paul assured.

  Bobby shook his head again. He glanced across at the park again before going on. “I need help. I see that now. Caitlin and I both do.”

  “What did you have in mind?” Paul asked, glad to see that his friend was finally seeing the situation clearly.

  “Counseling, maybe? I don’t want to come home to find it empty like that ever again.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  After leaving the insurance agency, Kate stopped at the Mercantile to pick up a few groceries, then started home. It was well after one o’clock, and she was starving, since she hadn’t had lunch yet. Paul was home, rummaging through the refrigerator like a famished teenager after school.

  “I was wondering if you were going shopping any time soon,” he said with a smirk, taking the shopping bag from her hands.

  He rummaged through the bag and pulled out a fresh-made pizza. Sam Gorman sometimes kept them in the cooler near the meats and cheeses at the small store, and Kate had found them to be almost as good as homemade.