Finn helped her out of her costume without saying a word. Mousie knew he had long ago tuned her out. Taking deep breaths, she asked, “Did the cheese costume come in yet?”
“Yes, as you ordered, with studs galore.”
Mousie slipped into a purple silk robe and turned to face him. “I know you think it’s stupid, but they’re going to love it. Mark my words.”
“No doubt.”
Mousie noted Finn’s significant lack of enthusiasm. She knew she had made him close to $4,000. He had not even given her a high five or anything. “What’s with you?” she asked.
Finn shrugged his massive shoulders. “I’m getting tired of your, for want of a better word, split personality. It’s like you’re bipolar or something. I don’t force you to go onstage. You come here when the mood strikes, of your own free will, and you get on stage and do your thing. But once you’re done, you’re screaming and complaining at the catcalls.” He shook his head. “I don’t get it at all.”
Mousie was at a loss for words. She shivered and looked around the dingy room. Chipped paint and sagging posters depicting women in suggestive poses lined the walls. In a childlike voice, she acknowledged, “You’re right. I don’t know what I’m doing here. Maybe I won’t come back after tonight.”
Finn held up his hands and stammered, “Whoa. Easy now. Don’t get too hasty. I wasn’t saying all that. You asked me a question and I was giving you an answer. That’s all. I don’t care about your rants, as long as you make me money. Please come back. You’re my biggest draw.”
Tears streamed down Mousie’s face. “I’ve got to get out of here.”
“I won’t argue with you. There’s no point.” Finn walked up to her and touched her face with his large hands. “I wish you’d show me the real you. You undress and show your body, but you keep the real you on lockdown. You’re untouchable. Mousie—I don’t even know your real name—Mousie, let me in. I care about you.” He placed a gentle kiss on the bridge of her nose.
Startled, Mousie jumped back. “We agreed! We agreed!” she screamed. “We agreed! No touching! No touching!”
“Mousie, cool down. I didn’t touch you to harm you. You’ve got to relax. Breathe,” Finn said.
It took some doing until Finn’s words finally registered. Mousie nodded.
He turned toward the door, but swung back around to face her. “Why won’t you let anyone close to you?”
“Because,” Mousie answered, “no one touches me. I’ll get hurt.” The child within spoke those words. She had to protect herself. She could tell Finn thought she was cuckoo, but these were her terms for survival.
“Someone must have done a number on you. I’ve never met a woman so tightly wound. One of these days, you’re going to bust and fall apart.” He went to the door and opened it. “We all need someone, Mousie. Even you.”
Once Finn had departed, Mousie stood frozen. “Someone did do a number on me, and he paid. You will too, if you come near me again.” Her ominous words echoed off the walls. She grabbed her street clothes and got dressed. It was time to say good-bye to this place.
Finn ruined it for her when he talked about feelings. Mousie didn’t feel anything for men, for no one. Her cell phone rang. Seeing the number, she scurried out the door. This was one person she would not dare keep waiting.
Chapter Twenty
Different doctor. Same verdict.
Verona left the Continuum Reproductive Center with her head hung low. Located on Fifty-ninth Street, the center boasted some of the country’s leading fertility experts.
Her shop was closed. Unexplained infertility. What a cruel thing! The specialist had suggested all kinds of invasive procedures, but Verona closed her mind to it. Nope. She was not wasting her time. Not when she knew the truth. God had turned His back on her.
Verona tore up the paper with her results and tossed it in the nearest garbage can. Heedless of the nippy air, she walked the short distance to the parking garage with her coat in her hand. She paid and tipped the attendants for the hour.
Verona held the tears until she was inside her vehicle. Then she dropped her head onto the steering wheel and released them. Her shoulders shook. She could barely catch her breath.
“God, why?” she cried. “Why are you punishing me?” This was her second meltdown in her car and she hated it. It would be the last time.
Verona shook her head. She had the beauty, the body, and the brains. She had done it all right. She exercised and, for the most part, watched what she ate. What did I do to deserve this? How can this be happening to me?
Her cell phone jingled a reminder. Verona swiped away her tears. She was expected at Keith and Gina’s in less than hour. Her eyes were reddened from crying. “Get it together, girl,” she told her reflection.
Verona lowered the visor to look into the mirror. She pulled her compact out of her purse. She wiped away the dried mascara. Using bottled water, she washed her face. Then she fixed her face. If only it were so easy to repair the pain in her heart.
She experienced a moment of déjà vu.
“No more crying in your car, Verona,” she scolded. She put her car in gear. With each mile, she added to her armor. She wouldn’t let her internal pain distract her from the job she had to do. When all else failed, she had her career. Her job was her constant. She could rely on her skills. She knew better than to put her faith in God.
“It popped out,” Keith explained. The couple had taken a stroll around the perimeter of the property when Keith broke the news. He bundled his jacket around him.
“It didn’t just pop out. You forget I know you.” Gina’s teeth chattered. “Let’s get inside.” She picked up the pace. Keith had no problem keeping in step with her much smaller stride.
She continued, “You knew what you were doing when you told Verona about Lauren. You’re hoping she’ll tell Michael so you’ll still be keeping your promise.”
Gina opened the front door and Keith followed her inside. They went into his office to finish their conversation.
Keith shrugged. She knows me too well. Might as well come clean. “Technically, I promised Lauren not to tell Michael, which I didn’t. I told you. I told Verona.”
Gina shook her head. “You were wrong. You shouldn’t have brought Lauren into this. She’s a reporter. She’s seen the headlines. If she wanted to help, she’d have come out of hiding and she’d be here. Bottom line, it wasn’t your secret to tell.”
Keith took her small shoulders in his hands. “Aren’t you tired of secrets, Gina? Because I am. Don’t you realize how keeping our love hidden destroyed other people’s lives? Keeping secrets ruined my relationship with Michael.” He held his head and confessed, “It’s driving me nuts, the guilt of knowing where Lauren is and not telling Michael. You didn’t see what I saw. Michael is falling for Verona because a part of him is beginning to let Lauren go.”
“It’s not your business, Keith,” Gina countered. “You made a promise and there are innocent children to consider.”
Keith groaned. “I am considering the children.” He gave Gina a tortured look. She turned away from him when she saw his face.
He touched her arm and slid his hand under her chin. “Gina, I love you so much.” His voice broke. “It pained me when I lost those years with Epiphany, years I can never get back. It did something to me as her father. I can’t sit back and let Michael continue to face that agony.”
Tears pooled her eyes. Gina clutched her fist to her chest. “And, what about my agony? My pain? Keith, do you know what it was like living with someone who didn’t love me and who couldn’t stand to look Epiphany in the eyes?”
Pain united them. Keith bit out, “I know what you feel. We’re connected. I feel every ounce of your pain.” He adjusted himself and pulled Gina to stand in front of him. He kissed her to dim the memories of pain, until passion arose. Once he felt her lips go supple, he released her. “God has forgiven us, Gina. We’ve got to let the past hurt go and lay it at His feet once an
d for all. We’ve got to step forward now. We can’t stay here stuck between the past and the present.”
She closed her eyes, pulling away from him. “Don’t,” Keith urged. “Michael’s not here by accident. He’s here by divine ordinance. We both are God’s hands and His voice. God is depending on us to be examples. We can’t fail Him.”
Gina gave an imperceptible nod and Keith loosened his hold. Her arms circled his waist. “It’s hard, honey. So hard to do,” she said.
“I know, sweetheart. This road isn’t easy,” he soothed. “But the final destination makes it all worth it.”
“I told her to give me time to speak to Lauren but tomorrow’s the hearing. I have a feeling once the charges are brought, Verona’s going to ’fess up.”
Her little head nodded against him. “I’m not ready, Keith. However, I promise to pray about it and I’ll . . . I’ll speak on Michael’s behalf if I absolutely have to. I hope I won’t, though.”
It was the first time Gina had mentioned Michael’s name without rancor. Thank you, Lord. Small steps. “I won’t call you unless Michael is convicted,” Keith said. That was the closest he could promise. There was something about the case that bothered him. Something crucial he’d overlooked. Since he knew better than to question the feeling, Keith had invited Verona over to go through all the statements again.
“What time’s Verona coming to work on the case?” Gina asked.
“You read my mind.” Keith chuckled. “She’ll be here in an hour. I invited her for dinner. Josie is setting an extra spot at the dinner table. Everything’s handled.”
Ever the dutiful housewife, Gina removed herself from his arms. “Still, I’d better go check for myself how dinner is coming along.”
Within ten minutes of Gina leaving the room, Verona showed up.
Verona was a wonderful dinner guest. She particularly enjoyed Trey’s and Epiphany’s presence. After dinner, they had family prayer time. Before they prayed, they sang a verse of “Amazing Grace.” Verona joined in. Her strong singing voice was a pleasant surprise. That and the fact she knew the words to the song. Normally, Keith would question her spiritual background, but they had Michael’s case. He filed that away for a future conversation.
Once Gina went to settle the children into bed, Keith and Verona went to his office. For a half hour they poured through the documents in silence until Keith made an observation.
“Why didn’t they take a sample?”
Verona did not follow his thought pattern. She gestured for him to explain.
“Standard procedure is for a rape sample to be taken, but it seems as if Mindy refused one. So, how could Michael be charged with rape? This is a big mess-up that might work in Michael’s favor. We can make a motion to reduce to a lesser charge.”
Verona took the pages and went through the files again. “I don’t know how I could’ve missed this. I guess it’s because I’m masquerading as a criminal attorney.” She gave him a cheeky grin before returning to the case. “Bill’s defense team must know it too. They’ve been giving us the runaround for weeks. They delivered the files a mere week ago. This explains why Bill doesn’t want us near his daughter.”
Keith nodded his assent. “However, her state of mind, whether she’s been with a man before, the blood, all these things could factor into why a rape kit wasn’t administered. Her words were compelling evidence and Michael’s lack of words incriminated him.” He flipped through the pictures several times.
Something was not right.
Keith leaned closer to investigate but he could not tell. “We’ve got to scan these and blow them up. I need to get a better look at them.”
Verona quickly complied. Together they huddled over the computer screen. “It’s as I thought. Some of her wounds look self-inflicted,” Keith said.
“She could’ve done that while fighting her attacker,” Verona countered.
“She could’ve done them to herself,” Keith echoed. He studied the pictures at length.
“If she did, she’d have to be a sick woman.”
“You’d be surprised at what I’ve seen.” Keith scrunched his nose. He rubbed his eyes and glanced at the clock. It was close to midnight. “We have to get an expert to look at this. I’ll contact Dr. Daniel Northman. He’s credible and I’ve used him on countless cases in the past. My tired eyes can’t see anymore.”
“Aren’t you forgetting there was a condom with semen found on the scene?”
He could see how much it cost Verona to bring that matter up. “No, I haven’t forgotten. Though Michael protested, we need him to give a specimen. March may seem months away, but we’ve got to be prepared.”
“He’s refused. Michael’s arrogant enough to believe he won’t be indicted tomorrow. He doesn’t think he needs to belittle himself with that indignity. His words, not mine. I think he’s hoping for a miraculous confession before then.”
Keith didn’t reply because he knew Michael’s real reason for noncompliance. Michael didn’t produce a lot of semen and was deemed infertile. That compelling revelation led Michael to discover the truth about Trey not being his son. Keith and Gina had made sure to test Epiphany. She was 100 percent Keith’s. All the more reason why Keith needed Michael to know his children—his own miracles from God. Chances were Michael would never have any more.
But, first things first. Keith needed Dr. Northman’s expert eye to look over these crime scene photos. There were some midrange and close-up shots. The pictures held the truth.
Chapter Twenty-one
“Lauren’s alive.”
Seated at his dinner table, Michael almost choked on his spaghetti. He leaned forward, not sure he had heard Verona right. “Come again?”
“Lauren is alive. You were right and I was wrong.”
Rocks lined his stomach and he pushed away the savory food. He shook his head. “How do you know?”
Verona bit into her meatball. Her appetite hadn’t suffered any. “Your brother told me when we tried to talk to Mindy.”
Michael scraped his chair and stood. “That was Wednesday. Today’s Sunday.” He had his arms akimbo with his legs spread apart. “Are you telling me you’ve been sitting on this news”—he counted on his fingers—“for four days and you’re just now telling me? I don’t believe you! We were at church yesterday, and you said nothing. Now today, you have the gall to come here cooking and eating with me like all is well. Now look at you, sitting there stuffing your face like it’s a regular day.”
Verona arched an eyebrow but kept on eating as if she hadn’t flipped his world upside down. No, make that right side up. Lauren was alive. Michael banged his fist on the table to get her attention. She jumped from the impact.
She wiped her mouth. “I couldn’t believe it when Keith told me. Honestly, I needed time to process before telling you.”
“You needed time to process?” he repeated, stunned at her calm demeanor. It was like Verona was talking about the weather or something insignificant. “Lauren’s being alive could change my life for the better and you made it all about you.” He got into her face. “I don’t believe you would hold this from me for so long. Where is she?”
“Back off, Michael,” Verona warned. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. Keith begged me to give him a few days to talk with Lauren. He hoped she’d come to see you of her own volition. But, I’ve been stewing on it, and I care about you too much to hold this from you. If you want to know more, you’ll have to see Keith. Thanks for the meal. I’ll see you later.” She left him without even a second glance.
Michael knew he should go after Verona but he had bigger things to think about like Lauren being alive.
His chest heaved from the rage building within him at Keith’s deception. Why would his brother have kept this from him? Payback? How could he forget how good Keith was at keeping secrets?
Why wouldn’t Keith tell him?
Questions swirled around his head. Michael grabbed his coat. He needed answers. Before the ni
ght was through, he’d know everything.
“Michael? I didn’t know you were coming over? Keith didn’t say . . . Are you okay?” Gina asked.
He read the conflicting emotions on his ex-wife’s face. She cared. That was good to know. “I’m fine. I needed to speak with Keith, if he’s . . .” His eyes narrowed at the little hand circling Gina’s waist.
Gina pushed Epiphany behind her. Michael couldn’t fault her protective move. Gina wasn’t likely to forget how he’d tried to take her children from her. Michael smiled and reassured her. “I don’t want trouble. I need to see my brother.”
He watched her internal debate before she stepped aside to let him in. Michael tried to sneak a glance at Epiphany. He was curious to see if he would still feel apathy when he looked at her. Michael could not believe how much he had placed the demise of his marriage on Epiphany’s little shoulders.
“I’ll go find Keith,” Gina said. She took her daughter’s hand. Obviously, she did not feel safe leaving Epiphany in his presence.
Michael couldn’t fault her, but it hurt. Epiphany turned to greet him with a shy smile. Michael took one look at her dimpled cheeks and fell in love. She was precious. With quick strides, he snatched her from Gina and gave her a whirl in the air. Epiphany squealed with glee.
“Michael, what’re you doing?” Gina asked, tugging on his Armani suit jacket. “Put her down, please.”
He complied. As soon as he put her down, Epiphany ran to parts unknown. Michael could not take his eyes off Gina. Her cheeks were reddened. He reached out to touch one of them. When she did not flinch, he allowed instinct to take over. In one fluid motion, he kissed her full on the lips.
A heartbeat later, he felt her push against him and stepped away. She swung her hand and he grabbed it before it connected with his face.
“Care to tell me why you’re kissing on my wife?”
Michael lifted his head to see Keith standing behind him.
The Fall of the Prodigal Page 9