A MAN LIKE MORGAN KANE

by Beverly Barton

  "I'd say Eileen is acting on instinct, as usual," Maxine said. "I'm sure, in her own mind, she has a good reason for showing up and bringing Anne Marie with her."

  Morgan knew he couldn't be in two places at once, but right this minute he wished he could split himself in two. He needed to get Bethany safely out of the courthouse and away from the reporters and Farraday fans. But he knew that she wouldn't go anywhere as long as her daughter was in the midst of the madness. He couldn't whisk Bethany to safety and rescue Anne Marie at the same time. He'd give a year's pay to have Hawk at his side right now.

  Releasing her hold on Morgan, Bethany took a deep breath. "Morgan, give Holt the keys to my Mercedes. He can get the car and have it waiting for us." When Morgan hesitated, she prompted, "Go ahead, give him the keys." When Morgan handed the young lawyer the key chain, Bethany told Holt, "Bring the car out of the parking deck and around in front of the Criminal Justice Building on Eighth Avenue

  the minute you see us break through the crowd."

  "Bethany, this is insanity," Maxine said. "Farraday's fans will eat you alive if you go out through the front entrance."

  "I'm not leaving my daughter out there to face only God knows what." Bethany looked up at Morgan's stern, somber face. "You can handle this, can't you? You can get me to Anne Marie and—"

  "Let's go." Cupping her elbow in his big hand, he urged her toward the door. "Have the car waiting for us, Perdue!"

  "Holt, tell the reporters that Bethany will be coming out the back way." Maxine opened the door and ushered her colleague into the hall. "It could divert some attention away from us." Stepping outside, she watched while Holt approached a bevy of reporters. "They're following him. Let's get out of here while the gettin's good."

  With Maxine on one side of her and Morgan on the other, Bethany said a silent prayer for courage as they marched down the hall. They made it halfway to the front entrance before a newspaper reporter recognized Bethany and hurried along behind her, shooting out questions like bullets from a machine gun.

  As more people moved in on them, Morgan reached inside his jacket and checked his shoulder holster, revealing its presence to the onlookers. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't use his Sig as a means of crowd control, but it didn't hurt to simply give people a glimpse of his weapon.

  As they drew nearer the entrance, the crowd that pressed in around them grew heavier. Morgan burst through the front doors, his big body draping Bethany's like a shield as he drew her closer to his side.

  Eileen Farraday, the picture of mature loveliness, stood on the top step, speaking into a microphone held up in front of her by Tony Hayes. Eileen had one arm around James's waist and the other around Anne Marie's. Seth Renfrew, who stood directly behind Eileen glanced in every direction, as if searching for someone. The moment he saw Bethany, he frowned and shook his head in warning.

  Bethany stopped dead in her tracks. "What does Mother think she's doing?"

  For several minutes, no one seemed to notice Bethany as all eyes focused on Eileen.

  "You have something you want to tell Jimmy's fans, Mrs. Farraday." Tony Hayes swept his arm through the air in a grand gesture. "Your husband's fans are surrounding you here at the courthouse, and out there across the state of Alabama." Tony smiled into the camera. "They are waiting to hear whatever you have to say to them."

  "Thank you, Tony." Eileen laid her hand on Tony's arm and patted him affectionately. "I know that you loved Jimmy, too, and his death has been a tragedy for all of us."

  "God love you, Mrs. Farraday." Shoving James aside, Tony hugged Eileen. "Please, tell us how you feel about your daughter being indicted for Jimmy's murder."

  "My daughter is innocent," Eileen proclaimed. "I believe in her and I support her completely."

  "Despite all the evidence against her and all the cruel accusations her lawyers have made against Jimmy, defaming a fine man, you still defend her?" Tony bowed his head for a dramatic moment, then lifted it again to show the world the tears in his eyes. "How like a mother to love her child despite all that she's done."

  Eileen grabbed the microphone out of Tony's hand with a swift adeptness that seemed to surprise the heir to Jimmy's television throne.

  "I know that someone else killed my husband," Eileen said in a strong, sure voice. "I am putting up a reward of fifty thousand dollars to be given to anyone who has information that will lead us to the real murderer and help us convict him or her."

  The crowd went wild, with shouted cheers and jeers, and a chorus of both praise and condemnation. Two fistfights broke out in the throng that covered Twenty-First Street North

  directly in front of the gray stone courthouse. Reporters representing every news agency in the state and nation swarmed around Eileen, firing questions at supersonic speed.

  "Well, she's done it now," Maxine said. "That reward will bring out every crazy in the state."

  Morgan glanced over Bethany's head, trying to discern the best course of action for rescuing Anne Marie, who still stood beside her grandmother. Suddenly Seth Renfrew whispered something in Anne Marie's ear and drew her away from Eileen. The two of them eased backward, through the heavy crowd. Noticing what was happening, James followed them.

  Seth brought Anne Marie safely to her mother. Bethany reached out and grabbed her child, pulling her into her arms.

  "Oh, Mama, I'm so sorry. I can't believe the jury indicted you."

  Seth glanced over at Morgan. "You'd better get them out of here immediately, while Eileen still has all their attention. I'll take care of things here."

  "Thanks," Morgan said, then spoke directly to James. "Can you help me get them out of here?"

  "Just tell me what to do," James said.

  "You and Anne Marie are going to go out directly in front of Bethany and me," Morgan said. "Keep one arm around Anne Marie and use the other one to push through the crowd if they move in too close. Don't look right or left and don't stop for anything. Just keep moving straight ahead. Get out on the side-walk and head directly for Eighth Avenue

  . Holt Perdue has Bethany's car waiting for us."

  Following Morgan's instructions to the letter, James circled Anne Marie's waist in imitation of Morgan's hold on Bethany, and when Morgan gave him a signal, James led Anne Marie through the crowd. While Eileen maintained her place in the spotlight and a few reporters cornered Maxine Carson, the foursome slipped through the mob of reporters, fans and onlookers. They made it to the corner of Twenty-First Street

  and Eighth Avenue

  before a group of irate Jimmy Farraday fans surrounded them, blocking their way.

  "Don't stop," Morgan told James. "Don't even slow down. Plow right through them if you have to."

  When James obeyed Morgan's command, the hecklers moved aside just enough for the four of them to pass through. All the while the group shouted threats and accusations, and one person tossed an empty aluminum can, hitting Morgan's shoulder. He didn't even flinch.

  Bethany prayed for escape, wanting nothing more than to get her child to safety. Once again she thanked God for Morgan's presence, for his strength, upon which she depended. Fate had brought him back into her life when she needed him so desperately.

  Holt Perdue whipped the white Mercedes coupe out of the parking deck and up in front of the Criminal Justice Building the minute Morgan motioned to him.

  The foursome rushed across the street, the crowd on their heels. Holt jumped out of the car. James shoved Anne Marie into the back seat and crawled in beside her. Morgan pushed Bethany into the car on the driver's side. She scooted over quickly, her breath ragged, her palms clammy and damp. He dove into the car, slammed the door and revved the motor. Within seconds, he maneuvered the Mercedes through the heckling onlookers and out of downtown Birmingham. Heading southeast, toward Red Mountain, to home.

  * * *

  Morgan drove through the intricately carved iron gates that guarded the road to his mother's estate on Argyle Road

  . He had intend
ed taking Bethany and Anne Marie straight home to Forest Park, but Bethany had insisted on telling Claudia, in person, that the grand jury had indicted her.

  "I know that I could phone Claudia and tell her," Bethany said. "But I'd rather be there with her when I tell her." And I need time alone with Claudia to discuss how I'm going to go about telling you that Anne Marie is your daughter.

  Ida Mae's face paled the minute she opened the front door. "Come on in. The phone's been ringing off the hook, but I've caught it every time. She don't know." Ida Mae grabbed Bethany's hands. "I knew you'd come tell her yourself. Oh, Miss Bethany, it's a sad day when a woman as good and kind as you is accused of murder."

  Bethany hugged the old woman. "Is Claudia in her room?"

  "Yes, ma'am. I've had the devil's own time keeping her up there and explaining to her why the phone hasn't stopped ringing."

  When Anne Marie started up the stairs, Bethany called out to her. "Wait, sweetheart. I want to go up and see Nana by myself. Later, after I've talked to her, you can come up and see her before we go home."

  Gazing at her mother questioningly, she asked, "Is something wrong? Something you're not telling me?"

  "No. I—I just need some time alone with Claudia. I want to discuss plans for your future, in case—"

  Anne Marie rushed toward her mother. "No, please, don't even think it. You won't be convicted. They can't send you to prison. I'd die without you."

  Morgan glanced away, unable to bear the agony he saw on Bethany's face and the terror on Anne Marie's. He noticed James looking down at the floor while he nervously shuffled his feet.

  Grabbing her daughter's shoulders, Bethany forced a smile. "We will hope for the best, but we must prepare for the worst."

  "Mama…"

  "Ida Mae?" Bethany called to the housekeeper, who stood close by, wiping her eyes with the edge of her apron. "Would you take the kids into the kitchen and fix them a snack and make Morgan a pot of coffee?"

  "I most certainly will," Ida Mae said.

  Bethany gazed into Morgan's concerned eyes and without saying a word conveyed her feelings to him. Please, dear God, let him understand.

  "Come on." Morgan slipped his arm around Anne Marie's trembling shoulders. "You're going to have to be strong and brave for your mother now. Let her do what she needs to do."

  Turning to watch as Bethany headed up the stairs, Anne Marie called after her. "Mama, let me know when I can come up and see Nana."

  Pausing briefly, Bethany glanced over her shoulder at her daughter and nodded affirmatively, then hurried up the stairs and down the hall to Claudia's room.

  Easing the door open, Bethany stepped inside the opulent bedroom. "Claudia?"

  "Come in, dear. I've been expecting you."

  Bethany turned her head sharply toward the sitting area where Claudia rested on a tufted velvet settee in the corner between two towering floor-to-ceiling windows. Late-afternoon sunlight shimmered on the decorative gilded drapery rods that stretched the silk side panels to the edge of the fourteen-foot-high ceiling.

  "How are you feeling today?" Bethany asked as she laid her purse on top of the sleek glass Muvano table.

  "The news isn't good, is it?" Claudia held out her thin, frail hand.

  Grasping Claudia's hand, Bethany sat down in the highly decorative Louis XVI armchair to her right. "The grand jury indicted me for murder."

  "Oh, my dear, dear Beth." Claudia clung to Bethany's hand, her clasp weak. "Morgan will find Farraday's murderer. He and that agency he works for are the best in the business. We must never give up hope."

  "I'm hoping and praying that Morgan can find the real murderer," Bethany said. "But I have to be prepared to stand trial and perhaps even serve time in prison."

  "I refuse to believe that will happen." Tears welled up in Claudia's eyes. "Before I'll let that happen, I'll have Morgan whisk you out of the country and into hiding. I'll—"

  "Don't get upset." Bethany patted Claudia's hand. "No matter what happens, I can face it, as long as I know that Anne Marie is in good hands. If—if your health wasn't so … you know there is no one I'd rather have take care of Anne Marie than you. But you're not well enough to take on the responsibility. And having Mother do it is out of the question."

  "You're going to tell Morgan the truth, aren't you? You're going to tell him that he's Anne Marie's father?" Releasing her hold on Bethany's hand, Claudia leaned back against the cushions on the settee and sighed deeply. "He'll hate me then, more than he already does."

  "He doesn't hate you," Bethany said. "And there's no reason why he should blame you for not telling him about Anne Marie. I'm the one who chose to keep her a secret from him, after we found out where he was. Even after Amery died, I was the one who convinced you and Henderson not to tell Morgan the truth."

  "When do you plan to tell him?"

  "I'll tell him before the trial starts. If I'm convicted, I want to be certain that Morgan will take on his responsibilities as Anne Marie's father." Bethany leaned over the edge of the chair toward the settee. "You should see them together now that they've gotten to know each other. She adores him. And he's very protective of her."

  "They're so much alike. They'll do just fine together."

  "At first, Morgan may hate me for keeping the truth from him all these years," Bethany said. "But he can't blame me for something that's his own fault. He left me and never came back. Anne Marie, though, is so innocent, so blameless. I just don't know how she's going to feel about me when she learns that I've lied to her about her father her whole life."

  "She may be upset at first," Claudia said. "But she loved Morgan before she ever met him. I gave him to her with all my silly little Morgan stories. And she loves you, my dear. She knows what a good mother you've been. Once you and Morgan explain the entire situation to her, she'll understand."

  "What will I do if Morgan refuses to stay in Birmingham? What if he takes Anne Marie out of the state? If I go to prison and he has custody of her, he could keep her away from me, never let me see her."

  "Morgan would never keep your child from you. Whether he realizes it or not, he loves you. He always did and he still does."

  "You're wrong, Claudia. Morgan never loved me. He wanted me. He cared for me. He even needed me to a certain extent. But he never loved me. If he had loved me, he would have taken me with him when he left Birmingham. He knew I would have gone to the ends of the earth with him."

  "My dear, there is something I must tell you." Claudia eased to the edge of the settee and looked pleadingly into Bethany's eyes. "It's something I never knew. Something none of us knew. If we'd had any idea that—everything would have been so different. You wouldn't have had to marry Amery. And Anne Marie would have been raised as Morgan's child, and—"

  Bethany grabbed Claudia's arm. "What are you talking about?"

  "He came back for you."

  A cold, deadly chill encompassed Bethany's body, as if she'd suddenly been trapped in an arctic storm. "What do you mean he came back for me?"

  "Morgan told me, the day he read in the newspaper about your being arrested." Claudia laid her hand over Bethany's. "A few months after he left Birmingham sixteen years ago, he realized that he wanted you with him. And he came home to get you. He went to your house and was told you were at the church."

  "Oh, please, God. No. No." Terror so stark, so painfully devastating that it threatened to devour her tunneled through Bethany's heart. "Morgan came back to Birmingham to get me on the day I married Amery."

  "Yes." Tears trickled down Claudia's delicately wrinkled cheeks. "He stood outside the church in the rain and watched you and Amery come out of the church and get into the white limousine."

  "Damn him!" Bethany hit her knee against the glass table when she bounded out of the chair. "Damn him for coming back and damn him for not taking me away from Amery. If he'd loved me, he wouldn't have cared that I married Amery. He would have understood why. He would have…"

  Bethany burst into tears. T
ears she'd held inside her for far too long. She cried not only for the foolish young girl she'd been, not only for faded dreams and lost chances, but for Morgan, who had stood outside the church in the rain. And for Amery who had tried so hard to make her love him and had died so tragically. And for Anne Marie who'd spent the first fifteen years of her life without her real father. And even for Claudia. Poor, sick, lonely Claudia. They had all lost so much. Lost what could never be retrieved. Precious moments gone forever. Shared pleasures never experienced.

  Claudia eased her frail body off the settee and walked over to Bethany, placing her hand on Bethany's back. "He's never understood why you let your mother and Henderson and me talk you into marrying Amery only a few months after he left town. When you tell him that Anne Marie is his child, he'll know why you married his cousin."

  Bethany turned, opened her arms and hugged Claudia, tenderly stroking the old woman's back as they both cried.

  * * *

  "I wonder what's keeping Mama so long." Anne Marie sipped on the lemonade she'd helped Ida Mae prepare. "You don't think Nana is sick or something, do you?"

  "I'm sure Bethany would have called us if Mother was sick," Morgan said. "I imagine Mother is upset over the news of Bethany's indictment and Bethany is trying to reassure her."

  "Who's going to reassure Mama?" Anne Marie swirled around on the swivel bar stool. "Gee, Morgan, I thought surely by now you'd at least have some leads on the real killer."

  Before Morgan could reply, James piped in. "Hey, when a guy's got a list of suspects a mile long, it takes a while to narrow it down. Let's face it, my old man made more than his share of enemies."

  "Well, you'd never know it by the way that horde of fans of his was acting at the courthouse today. You'd think Jimmy had been Godalmighty!"

  "Anne Marie Wyndham!" Ida Mae scolded. "Watch your mouth, young lady."

  Morgan clamped his big hand down on Anne Marie's shoulder. "I promise you that I will do everything possible to keep your mother from ever going to trial, let alone being convicted and sentenced to prison."

  She looked at him adoringly. "I know you'll save Mama. I just wish saving her wasn't taking you so long."