Life Everlasting

by Robert Whitlow

  “You’re kidding.”

  “No, and I don’t doubt that it’s true. I didn’t want to call Ted this morning because he’s probably sleeping. He needs his rest.”

  Gwen’s eyes narrowed. “That’s nice of you,” she grunted. “And you seem pretty nonchalant about the fact that he spent the night with another woman. Baxter Richardson is in no shape to chaperone.”

  “Oh, I know what they were doing.”

  “What would that be?”

  “They were worshipping God and praying for Baxter.”

  “All night long?”

  “Yep. What else would they do?”

  Gwen threw her hands up in the air. “I give up. Bring me back into your story when it reaches a place that makes sense.”

  Alexia patted the older woman on the shoulder. “Real life is always more unpredictable than fiction.”

  In the downstairs storage room, Rena held the slip of paper in front of her nose as she turned the dial for the wall safe. The safe was hidden behind a shelf containing cans of furniture polish, insect spray, and bathroom cleaners. The shelf swung outward, revealing the square beige door of the safe. Baxter rented a large safe-deposit drawer at a local bank but installed the safe so Rena wouldn’t have to run to the bank every time she wanted to wear expensive jewelry that couldn’t be left unsecured in their bedroom.

  The last tumbler clicked, and Rena opened the door. She pushed aside velvet-covered boxes containing diamond and sapphire earrings, a diamond pendant necklace Baxter purchased in Brussels, a unique antique bracelet once worn by an antebellum Southern belle, and a collection of rings worth more than some people in Santee made in a lifetime of hard labor. When it came time to leave, the jewelry would supplement the cash Rena gleaned from the Richardson family. No one could deny her claim of ownership to the contents of the safe, gifts freely and voluntarily given to her. Although she expressed delight when Baxter presented each bauble, they had no sentimental value to her, and Rena wouldn’t hesitate to dispose of them when needed for the right price. This morning she secured a more precious possession— the digital recorder containing Alexia’s questions and Baxter’s answers. She set it beside the bracelet, closed the door of the safe, and returned the shelf to its place.

  An hour later, the phone rang. Rena put down her second cup of coffee and glanced at the caller ID. Jeffrey.

  “I’m sitting in my car in front of the house. Can I come in for a few minutes before I visit Baxter?”

  Rena stepped to the front door and peeked out one of the sidelights. She could make out Jeffrey’s figure in a black Mercedes coupe.

  “Okay,” she replied.

  Her brother-in-law, dressed for the golf course, entered the foyer.

  “It’s going to be warmer this afternoon, and I have a golf date in Hilton Head,” he said. “But I wanted to stop by, see you, and then talk to Baxter.”

  “Why are you going to see Baxter?”

  “It’s not to shake his hand, though I hear he can at least wiggle a finger.”

  “How do you know about that?”

  Jeffrey’s face was serious. “I warned you that I would know everything you said or did. That includes what goes on at the cottage.”

  “Did the nurse call you?”

  “No,” Jeffrey scoffed. “Do you remember when the heating and air-conditioning crew serviced the unit at the cottage last week?”

  Rena vaguely remembered a work van with lettering on the side parked beside the small dwelling.

  “Uh, yes.”

  “They did more than check the heat pump.” Jeffrey took a step toward the living room. “Rena, you’re living in a reality show without knowing it.”

  Rena’s face paled. “You mean, there are cameras—” she stopped.

  “Let’s sit down and talk.”

  Numb with shock, Rena followed Jeffrey into the room. He sat in the large green leather chair Baxter always preferred. Rena sat at the end of a couch as far from her brother-in-law as possible. Jeffrey put his hands together in front of him and leaned forward.

  “I’ll get to the point. Did Baxter try to push you off the cliff at the waterfall?”

  “Is that what you heard?”

  “Just answer me. The video surveillance tape shows the parts of the conversation that the voice monitor picked up, but I need to hear it from you.”

  Rena swallowed hard and in a quiet voice said, “Yes, he did.”

  “Why?” Jeffrey demanded.

  “Does it matter?” she asked, fighting back tears.

  “You might as well tell me. I’ll find out eventually.”

  Rena rubbed her eyes before responding. “Okay,” she said with a sigh, “but you’re not going to like it.”

  “That will be for me to say.”

  “It’s not very complicated. Baxter was jealous. Not ordinary jealousy, but crazy jealousy. It started before we were married. I had to reassure him constantly that I stopped looking at other men when I met him. I thought everything would get better after the wedding made our commitment official. But it got worse. I suggested the trip to the mountains so we could be together away from everyone else and talk it out. On the hike, he accused me of seeing someone else. Of course it wasn’t true, and he seemed to settle down, but when we reached the waterfall, he brought it up again. We got into a big argument. He grabbed me and pushed me. I fought back. He slipped and fell. That’s it.”

  Rena put her head in her hands and waited.

  Jeffrey considered this silently before speaking in a subdued voice. “Baxter was jealous about his girlfriend during senior year in high school, but I had no idea it had become such a big problem.”

  Jeffrey’s admission of a prior similar tendency emboldened Rena. She raised her head but didn’t look at her brother-in-law. Instead, she stared at the carpet in front of the sofa as she spoke.

  “I thought Baxter and I could solve the problem ourselves. I mean, if I stayed with him, he would have to realize how much I loved him. My family taught me to show love, not just say it. That’s why his attack came as such a total shock. We’d had arguments, but Baxter never threatened me physically. You know him. He’s not an aggressive person.”

  Jeffrey nodded. “Why didn’t you tell the police what happened?”

  Rena shook her head. “Looking back, that’s what I should have done, but I thought he was dead and I didn’t want to embarrass your family. When I found out he was alive, I didn’t know what to do.”

  “So you tried to terminate his life support.”

  Rena felt her face flush. She looked Jeffrey in the eye. “No! Keeping him alive paralyzed from the neck down and in a coma was the cruel thing to do. I forgave him enough to let him go. I’m the victim in this mess. Don’t accuse me—”

  Jeffrey held up his hand. “I’m sorry. It will take time for me to work through this.”

  “I haven’t completely dealt with it, either,” Rena said. “And when he started waking up, I became terrified that he would make up a story trying to blame me for what happened. That’s why I asked Alexia Lindale to talk to him. I hoped that he would admit the truth before he had a chance to think through a lie. Did you hear his answers?”

  “The audio was faint, but it was obvious from your lawyer’s questions what was going on. Did you record the conversation?”

  Not sure about the range of the camera, Rena was afraid to deny it. “Yes.”

  “Did it pick up Baxter’s answers?”

  Rena nodded.

  “What did he say?”

  Rena summarized Baxter’s responses, emphasizing the incriminating implications. Jeffrey’s face was hard and impassive. He pressed his lips together.

  “Where is the tape?” he asked when she finished.

  “Alexia Lindale has it.”

  “What are you going to do now?”

  “Just what I told you. With the information on the tape, I don’t think Baxter can hurt me with a false accusation. I want to divorce him and leave Santee. I need
money, and I’ll help you maneuver into a better position with your father if I can stay out of danger.”

  Jeffrey nodded. “It changes my perspective too. Even if Baxter wakes up and regains some use of his arms and legs, I don’t want to be associated with him.”

  Rena pointed in the direction of the cottage.

  “Does your father know about the surveillance camera?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Do you know everything that goes on over there?”

  Jeffrey shrugged. “Once a day, I receive a written report, but I don’t spend hours watching Baxter lying on his back. Last night was bizarre. Lindale’s music-minister friend brought in an electric keyboard and played for several hours while one of the nurses sang and read from the Bible.”

  “That’s what they call music therapy. One of the doctors in Greenville recommended it.”

  “I thought it was nuts. Your visit this morning was much more interesting.” Jeffrey paused. “I still don’t know why you didn’t tell me all this about Baxter when we met in Greenville. I could have taken the truth, even if my father couldn’t.”

  Rena held firm. “Would it have made any difference?”

  Jeffrey didn’t immediately answer. “Not really,” he admitted. “I guess nothing has changed except that I know why you want out. And I can’t blame you.”

  Rena sat back against the soft cushion of the sofa in triumph. “As horrible as all this has been, it feels better to share it with someone besides my lawyer.”

  “Is she the only other person you’ve talked to?”

  “Yes. No one else knows the truth.”

  Alexia worked through lunch, opting to eat an apple at her desk. She rarely spent a full Saturday at the office. Shortly after two o’clock, she clicked off her dictation unit and took a stack of files to Gwen’s desk. The secretary would have more to do on Monday morning than increase her win/loss rating at solitaire. On her way out the back door, Alexia met Rachel Downey coming in.

  “I passed by your new office a few minutes ago,” the Realtor said. “There were a couple of trucks parked in front. What are they doing?”

  “I’m not sure,” Alexia responded in surprise. “I haven’t talked to Ted today. I thought he would be sleeping.”

  Rachel waved a ring-encrusted finger at her. “You haven’t been keeping him up too late, have you?”

  “No,” Alexia replied with a straight face. “He spent all last night with another woman, and I didn’t want to disturb him by calling his house.”

  Rachel dropped her hand. “Quit it, Alexia. That’s not funny.”

  “I’m not trying to be funny. It’s the truth. Call Gwen. She knows the details.”

  Rachel opened her mouth but no words came out. Alexia grinned at the minor miracle of rendering the glib saleslady speechless.

  “I’ve got to go,” Alexia said. “I was going home, but I’d better stop by King Street and make sure Ted’s okay. I wouldn’t want him to work while he’s exhausted.”

  She brushed past Rachel and headed out the door. The sky was cloudy, and a cool breeze that had brought a dusting of snow to the mountains near the North Carolina border caused her to shiver. The humidity in the coastal air made the temperature feel colder than it would in a dryer climate. She turned on the heater in her car as she drove the few blocks to King Street, but the engine didn’t have time to warm the car before she arrived. Ted’s white truck and another work truck were parked in the driveway.

  Alexia pushed open the front door. Inside, she could hear a banging sound from the rear of the house. She passed through the foyer and dining room into what had been the kitchen. The old sink was gone, and the counters had been pulled away from the wall. Ted and another man were working on the row of slightly rusted white metal cabinets suspended over the space where the counters had been. Ted had a paint sprayer in his hand, and one of the cabinets now glistened with a shiny, deep cherry color. He looked up when Alexia entered the room and pulled a mask away from his nose and mouth. A faint dusting of red paint framed the area of his face protected by the mask. He spoke to the other man, who also turned in Alexia’s direction.

  “Jackie, this is Alexia Lindale, the owner.”

  The other worker was a very thin, white man who looked to be in his sixties. He nodded in Alexia’s direction without taking off his mask.

  “I don’t want to interrupt your work,” Alexia began. “I just stopped by for a second.”

  “No, it’s fine. I can take a break. Jackie knows more about these cabinets than I do. He works in an automobile body shop and knows how to paint anything metal.”

  They walked into the dining room. Ted slid the mask over the top of his head. His fingers were tinged with red.

  “Actually, this was the only day Jackie could work for me.”

  “But aren’t you tired? Rena called me this morning and told me that you and Sarah were at the cottage all night.”

  Ted nodded. “Yes. It will hit me harder in a few hours.”

  Alexia decided not mention her visit. “What happened?”

  Ted’s brow furrowed and became more serious. “I’m still sorting it out myself. I’d rather talk about it when we have more time. Are you coming to church tomorrow?”

  “Yes.”

  “Let’s get together for lunch after the service.”

  “With or without Mary Lou Hobart?”

  “Without. She’ll understand, and I’ll promise to take a fried-fish platter to her house for supper one evening next week.”

  Rena was restless the remainder of the day. Shortly after Jeffrey left, her confidence in the protection offered by Baxter’s taped confession began to wane. She left the house for several hours and went shopping, but nothing caught her fancy. As she walked past a rack of expensive dresses at a chic shop on the outskirts of Charleston, she longed again for a permanent end to her husband’s threat. Divorce could not eradicate the possibility that Baxter might someday incite Giles Porter or some other detective to track her down. The only sure solution would be to silence Baxter, once and for all. Rena’s attempt to figure how to introduce a fatal secondary infection had come up empty. The stronger Baxter became, the more likely his chances of survival.

  She picked up a yellow chiffon dress and held it up in front of a mirror. It would have looked good on a brunette, but it made her blonde hair look washed out. She remembered a dark-haired classmate from college. The young woman, a fierce rival for a boyfriend, would have loved to include the dress in her clothes arsenal. Rena looked at the price tag. It cost more than six hundred dollars. If she’d had money in college, Rena would have bought the dress without blinking just to keep the other girl from discovering and wearing it. She returned the dress to the rack. Money was the key to power. It could keep things from happening, or it could make sure they did.

  33

  Obstinacy in a bad cause is but constancy in a good.

  SIR THOMAS BROWNE

  Alexia arrived a few minutes late at the Sandy Flats Church. A light rain had settled over the coast, and she shook out her umbrella on the steps outside the front door. She found a seat in the almost-full sanctuary a couple of rows from the rear.

  Ted sat on the piano bench playing a portion of a Bach fugue originally written for the organ. Alexia doubted anyone would complain. She settled into the pew. During the sermon, her mind drifted, and she looked at the stained-glass windows that lined the walls of sanctuary. The cloudy day muted the colors. Each panel depicted a miracle performed by Jesus, and the scenes had served as illustrations during her first conversations with Ted about faith. In her favorite, the healing of the crippled man at the pool of Bethesda, the face of Jesus came alive when viewed from a specific spot on a sunny afternoon. Today, the Savior’s gaze was trapped in the one-dimensional glass realm.

  Alexia continued to daydream until she heard the minister finish the closing prayer, and Ted began playing a piece that bore the marks of an original composition. Alexia had listened to Ted en
ough to recognize his creative musical voice. She remained in the pew as the congregation quickly exited the sanctuary. Ted saw her and smiled in her direction as he finished with a flourish. She clapped as she walked down the aisle to the piano.

  “Why the big crowd this morning?” she asked when she reached the low altar rail.

  Ted closed the keyboard cover. “When the weather gets cooler and wetter, the sanctuary fills up. Where do you want to eat?”

  “How about Cousin Bert’s? There’s nothing like a bowl of soup and cornbread on a day like today.”

  “Sure. I haven’t been there for a couple of months.”

  They walked to the back of the sanctuary. Ted slipped off his robe and put it on a hanger in the foyer. The rain had increased, so no one hung around the parking lot to talk. Ted didn’t have an umbrella, but he held Alexia’s over her head as they walked to her car. She glanced sideways.

  “You’re getting soaked.”

  Ted didn’t answer as he shielded her head while she unlocked the door of the car.

  “Tell me about Friday night,” Alexia said as she drove from the parking lot. She still wanted to hear Ted’s account without any input about what she’d seen.

  “It was wonderful and troubling,” he said.

  Alexia waited. She turned onto the road leading into the center of town. The rain began to fall harder. The windshield wipers for Alexia’s car rapidly beat back and forth.

  “I’m listening,” she finally said.

  “Which do you want first?” Ted asked. “The wonderful or the troubling?”

  “Good news before bad news.”

  Ted summarized what took place. He’d reached the place where Sarah confirmed the scripture he’d read about prayer and fasting when they arrived at the restaurant.

  “You’re not fasting now, are you?” Alexia asked.

  “Nope. God’s will for my life today includes a big piece of cornbread.”

  The restaurant wasn’t as crowded as usual, and they didn’t have to wait for a table. Most of the patrons were churchgoers. A family sitting near the door greeted Ted by name as they passed by to a table in the rear.