Hidden in the Wall

by Valerie Hansen

  Sighing, she finally climbed out of the car, grabbed her purse and computer case and headed for the side door where most of the people were entering. No sense delaying the inevitable. Once Alicia saw how uncomfortable she was, she’d probably excuse her for the remainder of the week. At least Steff hoped so, because she’d much rather be hiding in a dank basement and waiting for a prowler than spending the next five nights trying to fool everyone, including herself, into believing that she belonged in church.

  Pastor Rogers greeted Steff warmly as soon as she walked through the door, shaking her hand as if he were meeting the most important person on earth.

  “Welcome! We’re so glad you could come. Alicia told me to expect you.”

  Steff couldn’t help smiling in return. “Well, here I am. Point me to the kitchen?”

  “Of course, of course. But first, wouldn’t you like a tour of the Sunday school addition? We’re very proud of the way it blends with the original stone architecture.”

  That did interest her. “If you think we have time, I’d love to see it. As you may have heard, we’re planning to build an annex to the Kessler Library. I’m always interested in seeing other projects that carry out the style of the older architecture.”

  She fell into step beside him as he proceeded down the hallway past his office. “Who was your contractor?”

  The pastor’s smile faded. “Fowler Brothers did some of the earliest work but Whittaker Construction had to finish the job for us. I hate to say anything derogatory about anyone, but the truth is the truth. I’m afraid we caught our first contractor inflating his costs.”

  “Fowlers? Wow. I’m glad you spoke up. I’ve been looking for ways to convince my father that they’re not the only choice for our upcoming construction project. We’ve used them before and Dad is so sold on them he’s blind to other options.”

  “If you do hire them again, I’d certainly recommend that you check their figures carefully. I’m not saying their business practices are always questionable, I’d just be wary if I were you.”

  Thoughtful, Steff continued the brief tour of the church as she mulled over what she’d just learned. Her father would never believe anything negative about his buddies at Fowlers unless she could come up with concrete proof. What that proof might be, this many years after their last project for Magnolia College, was the question. Even if she did manage to locate some of their old bills, how would she know whether or not they had been padded?

  I could ask Trevor, she told herself, before immediately rejecting that idea. No. The source of her information would have to be a neutral party, although she couldn’t imagine who else might offer to help.

  The first thing she’d need to do, she reasoned, was lay her hands on the file containing those specific old records. All that stuff was piled in boxes in the basement beneath her office.

  It looked as though she was going to have to make at least one more foray into that dark storeroom if she hoped to prove to her father that Fowlers truly was a questionable choice. Tomorrow, she’d start looking through the old payment records and she wouldn’t give up until she’d found what she needed.

  Shivering, she vowed that the first thing she’d do was haul those records out of the basement and into the bright daylight. No more hanging out in dark basements when she didn’t absolutely have to.

  Trevor was surrounded by yammering youngsters when Pastor Rogers poked his head in the classroom and said, “This is our first-grade class. Hi, Trevor. How’s it going?”

  He looked up, saw Steff with the pastor and grinned. “I’m not sure. You’d better check on me in ten minutes or so and see if these kids have driven me crazy yet.”

  That made both the children and Steff laugh. He was glad to see her enjoying herself, especially since she hadn’t seemed eager to keep her promise to attend, even for Alicia’s sake.

  Trevor sent her a special smile. “Well, Princess. How do you like our church?”

  “It sure doesn’t seem as stuffy tonight as it was when I used to come here with my parents,” she answered.

  “We have our moments.”

  A red-haired little boy was insistently tugging on Trevor’s hand. He bent down to see what the child wanted, then began to laugh heartily. “My buddy here wants to know if you’re a real princess. I told him you were.”

  “Then it’s too bad I left my tiara at home,” she quipped. “Maybe I’ll remember to wear it tomorrow night.”

  “You’ll be here again?”

  “Yes,” Steff said, grinning and looking relaxed and happy. “I wouldn’t miss seeing how you handle your class. As a former rebel, I assume you’ll do fine, but I’d still like to see it.”

  “Just keep the cookies coming,” Trevor said, glancing at the children. “We all know we won’t get great snacks if we don’t settle down and behave. Right, guys?”

  To his relief the room quieted almost immediately. He grinned back at Steff and pretended to wipe perspiration off his forehead with a broad gesture. “Whew. So far, so good. See you later?”

  “Absolutely. You know where to find me.”

  As she accompanied the pastor out of the room and continued down the hall to the other rooms, Trevor couldn’t help grinning. Inviting her to help in the kitchen had actually been his idea and his sister had gone along with it. Now that he’d seen how Steff had reacted to the lighthearted atmosphere in the church, he was thrilled.

  He knew that one good experience wasn’t enough to undo all her negative memories of worship, but it was a start. Every journey, even a spiritual one, started with a single first step.

  Tonight, Ms. Stephanie Kessler had taken that step and Trevor was elated. Now, if he could only get her to trust him the way she apparently trusted so many other people, he’d be the happiest man on earth.

  Alicia and Cassie were waiting in the cavernous church kitchen when Pastor Rogers delivered Steff. She hugged the computer case to her as she looked around in awe. “Wow. This place could serve meals to an army. Why is it so big?”

  Alicia stood near the gleaming stainless-steel sinks and food preparation tables. “We have a lot of dinners on the ground.”

  “But you don’t actually rough it like folks used to, do you?”

  Cassie giggled. “No. We sit at tables, not on blankets on the ground, but the old expression has survived. Didn’t you ever attend things like that with your parents?”

  “No,” Steff said, sobering. “They socialized during and after the formal services but Mother wasn’t willing to sit on folding chairs and eat food prepared by strangers, so we never stayed.”

  “That’s a shame.”

  “Our gang makes up for it by having potlucks.” She concentrated on Alicia. “Did you enjoy joining us the other night?”

  “I loved it,” Alicia said. “All your friends are different, yet they get along fine. It’s like most of the people I’ve met since I started coming to Magnolia Christian. They come from all walks of life, but they really seem to accept and care about each other.”

  Cassie echoed her sentiment with an, “Amen.”

  “It is different from the stiff atmosphere I remember,” Steff said. “Of course, this meeting tonight isn’t really church, it’s more like the old Campus Christian Fellowship used to be.”

  “I beg your pardon?” Cassie was grinning. “This is how our church always is. Did you expect us to run around with long faces and sing dirges?”

  That made Steff laugh. “No. Please don’t.”

  “Okay. Come with me. I’ll give you an apron and show you around.”

  “First, let me stash my purse and computer where they’ll be safe.”

  “They’ll be fine wherever you leave them,” Cassie said. “After all, this is church.”

  Steff would have liked to accept her friend’s simple assurance but she couldn’t. Bad things happened everywhere. God must make mistakes. If He didn’t, then why had her dear brother Adam’s life been taken from him before he’d had the chance to live
half of it?

  And what about Adam’s widow and her little girl? Would a loving, compassionate God have allowed them to remain estranged from the rest of the Kessler family for ten whole years? It didn’t seem logical. Or fair.

  Closing her mind and heart against accepting divine omniscience, Steff hid her computer behind her purse in a high cabinet and went to work in silence. There were some things she couldn’t forgive or forget, and losing Adam was the primary one. Even if his death hadn’t been an accident, as her parents had suspected, a loving God could still have rescued him, have saved him from drowning.

  She sighed deeply. Not knowing for sure what had happened was probably the hardest part. Her parents had spent a small fortune on private detectives and still didn’t know any more than what was in the original police report.

  How could she ever fully trust the judgment of a God who had allowed that kind of horrible outcome to what had begun as a beautiful spring day?

  An hour later Trevor had marched his noisy charges to the fellowship hall in a line that had disintegrated as soon as the children spotted the snacks. When Steff glanced over at him, he’d smiled and shrugged before joining her.

  “Sorry about that. I thought I had them convinced to act civilized. From babysitting Alicia’s kids, I should have known better.”

  “It’s okay. Once they get their cookies and punch, they’ll settle down.”

  He saw her glance past him. When her eyes widened, he turned to see what had caught her attention.

  “Uh-oh,” she said, “here comes Cassie’s brother, Scott, and he’s carrying a camera. I have to go.”

  “Why?”

  “To keep my face out of the newspapers, if possible.”

  Trevor circled the serving table and slipped an arm lightly around her waist. “Nonsense. You’re the prettiest woman here. You shouldn’t hide.”

  If she was surprised at his boldness, she didn’t show it. He waved at the reporter. “Hey, Scott! Snap one of us, will you? I want a souvenir.”

  “Sure.” The camera flashed once as the young man joined them. “Cassie made me promise to stop by and take a few shots for the local rag. Is she here?”

  “In the kitchen with Alicia,” Steff said, finally ducking out from under Trevor’s arm. Hands fisted on her hips, she faced him. Her expression reminded him of the disgusted look she’d given him the night she’d gotten accidentally locked in the college basement.

  He raised his eyebrows. “What?”

  “You knew I didn’t want my picture taken, so why did you force the issue?”

  “Why not? Aren’t we good enough to be seen with you?”

  “No, I…”

  “Well, what is it then?”

  She shook her head and made a silly face. “Never mind. Sometimes I forget I’m all grown up and can think for myself. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with my being here working and there’s not one person in this church I wouldn’t gladly invite into my home. There. Does that satisfy you?”

  Trevor allowed his smile to develop slowly, lazily, as he gazed at her with affection. “Well, I don’t know. You never invited me over until you needed a janitor.”

  “I did so.”

  “Only by proxy. It was my sister you called when your place was first trashed. I just happened to be the only one available at the time.”

  “Point taken,” she replied, eyeing him from head to toe. “I will say you dress a lot better around here than you did when you were remodeling my office.”

  Trevor laughed heartily. “You did notice the torn jeans! I was beginning to think you hadn’t. I had to dig pretty deep to come up with a pair as worn out as those were.”

  “You did it on purpose?”

  “Of course.” He was still chuckling. “I remembered how you used to lecture me about my clothes, so I took extra pains to look as grungy as possible.” His shoulders shook. “You should see the look on your face, Princess. It’s priceless.”

  Steff rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I can’t believe you’re still acting like a rebel. Aren’t you ever going to grow up, Trevor?”

  “Not if it means I won’t be able to drive you crazy,” he said, grinning with satisfaction. “After all, I have a reputation to preserve.”

  “Preserving my reputation was why I was trying to hide from Scott,” she countered. “But now that he’s already taken my picture, I suppose there’s no need to worry about it. If my parents don’t like opening the morning paper and seeing an image of their only daughter wearing an apron, well, that’s just too bad.”

  “Now you’re getting the idea.” Trevor lightly patted her shoulder to show support. “Life is short. Don’t take yourself so seriously and you’ll enjoy it much more.”

  He saw the spark leave her gaze. Her expression closed, as if she were suddenly remembering sadness and trying to hide it from him.

  Steff was hurting. Deeply. He could see it in her eyes, sense it in her very being, and it caused him actual physical pain to watch her endure it.

  When had they become so in tune? he wondered. And when had she begun showing him her true feelings instead of always hiding behind her perfectly poised facade?

  When she sensed that I was falling in love with her? Trevor asked himself. Although he had never said it out loud, somehow, either consciously or subconsciously, Steff must know how special she was to him.

  His only real fear, at this point, was that he might have inadvertently stepped out of the will of God when he’d allowed himself to care so deeply.

  And if that was the case, their troubles were just beginning. Still, as long as she was in danger, however obscure, he was going to be there for her. Even if the strain killed him.

  ELEVEN

  T he time she was spending at the inn and the church didn’t bother Steff one bit. The idea of returning to her office or apartment, however, continued to set her nerves on edge, and entering the basement again, for whatever reason, promised to be the worst trial of all.

  Consequently she’d decided to enlist her coworker’s aid. “I need to make another quick trip to the files in storage,” she began.

  Brenda’s eyes widened. “You’re not serious. Not again?”

  “Yes, again. But this time I’d like you to stand by the open door and keep me company. You won’t have to go downstairs. I’d like you to be close by, that’s all. Just in case.”

  “In case of what?”

  Steff chuckled softly. “I don’t know. Call it insurance, or blame me for being scared silly, if you want. Both are true. It should only take a minute or two to find what I need and haul it upstairs.” She grasped the shorter girl’s arm to urge her forward. “Come on. I’ll slay the dragons. All you have to do is back me up.”

  “You promise?”

  The young woman’s overly dramatic reaction helped Steff find more humor in the situation, which, in turn, lifted her spirits. “Yes. I promise. Besides, Trevor fixed the door so we won’t have any more trouble.”

  “Famous last words.” Brenda shivered. “I wish he was still here.”

  Steff wanted to agree out loud but thought better of it. It was bad enough that her waking moments were filled with visions of that man and her dreams refused to let her escape, either. She hadn’t had schoolgirl crushes on movie stars when she was young but apparently her ability to engage in hero worship wasn’t as underdeveloped as she’d thought.

  “What are we looking for?” Brenda asked, pausing at the head of the stairs.

  “The financial records from nine or ten years ago. All the boxes are well marked. They shouldn’t be hard to locate.”

  Flipping up the light switch, Steff handed Brenda one of the new keys. “Hold tight to that door and keep it open so you won’t need that.”

  “Gotcha.” She managed a weak smile. “Hurry back?”

  Steff laughed again as she descended the narrow staircase. “Boy, will I!”

  Several minutes later she started back up at a near run. She was carrying a box. The
lid was closed.

  “Did you find what you wanted?” Brenda asked.

  “This is the right year.” As Steff left the cellar with a rush, she plopped the box onto the foyer floor and the top fell off.

  Brenda gasped. “No wonder you weren’t having trouble carrying it. It’s empty!”

  “It sure is.” Steff pressed her lips into a thin line and stared at what should have held the answers to all her questions. “Everything is gone. Everything. I even checked some of the other boxes to see if there’d been a mistake, but I couldn’t find anything left from this year or the next. Whoever was prowling around down there apparently got what he was after.”

  “Who do you think it was?”

  “Personally? Someone who’s on the side of Fowler Construction. I can’t prove it, of course, but everything points to them.” She pulled a face. “I’m really ashamed that I suspected Trevor.”

  “You should be. So, what do we do now?”

  Sighing, Steff shrugged. “Nothing. Unless I can convince my father that one of his cronies is a crook, Whittaker Construction doesn’t stand a chance of landing the library contract.”

  “What a shame.”

  Steff nodded. “Yes, it is. I’ll tell Trevor tonight when I see him at church.”

  “Tonight? Aha! No wonder you were so enthusiastic about helping at VBS. You may be able to fool some folks but I’ve worked with you long enough to know how your mind works. Admit it. If Trevor hadn’t been involved, you’d never have agreed to help, would you?”

  Steff wanted to contradict Brenda but found she couldn’t honestly do so. She hadn’t realized it at the time she’d been talking to Alicia. Now, however, her motives were clear. Trevor’s presence had made a difference. A big difference. She was not only thinking of him nearly constantly, she wanted to be near him, to hear his voice, to speak with him even if they were disagreeing.

  If Steff’s parents were upset about a little thing such as her choice of employment or seeing her apron-clad picture in the newspaper, how much more adamant would they be if they knew she was so strongly attracted to a man like Trevor Whittaker?