Catch the Girl

by Melinda Woodhall

  Why did you die, Father Jed? Why does everyone good have to die?

  Her mother’s face, still beautiful even at the end, flashed into her mind. Her bravely cheerful eyes had hidden any fear, and her soft, accepting smile had denied feeling any pain. But Marie had known the truth; she’d felt it in the delicate, tell-tale trembling of her mother’s hand. That trembling had stayed with Marie long after her mother’s death, growing stronger, creating fissures in her heart that had been slow to heal.

  Wiping away the tears that often followed thoughts of her mother and Father Jed, Marie filled a kettle with fresh water and took down a teacup. She opened the cupboard by the walk-in freezer and reached up to the top shelf for her private supply of green tea.

  None of that nasty angel tea for me. It’s bitter enough to kill.

  Scooping out a small mound of tea leaves, Marie waited for the kettle to boil, keeping a watch out the window for Eli’s return. Something had gone terribly wrong with him; the earnest young man she’d first met had become increasingly anxious and aggressive, carrying that dreadful shotgun around, his eyes bloodshot and angry.

  And he hadn’t seemed at all worried about Candace and Ruth disappearing. In fact, neither Eli nor Jacob had seemed concerned that something may have happened to the young women. They’d just seemed annoyed and angry. But Marie’s worry was growing with each passing hour.

  Ruth should be back by now. She was just supposed to make sure Candy was safe before coming home. So where is she?

  Marie was beginning to suspect that something terrible had happened, and that her shy young friend wasn’t coming back.

  Pouring the boiling water over the tea leaves, Marie looked through the window, seeing Judith disappear into the barn, a full crate of oranges under each arm. Naomi and Priscilla walked behind her, each balancing a heaping crate in front of them.

  The mother and daughter seemed to be having a heated discussion. Marie shook her head as she saw Naomi drop the crate of oranges on the ground and stomp back toward the grove. Priscila stared after her with wounded eyes.

  If only Naomi knew how lucky she is to still have her mother.

  But it wasn’t Marie’s place to lecture the young woman, who had her own grief to deal with after she’d suffered a miscarriage earlier in the year. It wasn’t surprising that Naomi needed time to mourn, but she’d become withdrawn and bitter, seeming to blame Jacob and everyone else around her.

  Lost in her thoughts and worries, Marie didn’t hear the footsteps coming up behind her.

  “Having a tea break, Sister Marie? Mind if I join you?”

  Marie jumped at Jacob’s deep voice only inches from her ear. She felt his hot breath on her neck and twisted around, her elbow knocking into her teacup, sending a splash of hot liquid across the counter. Several scalding drops of tea dripped onto the floor.

  “You should be more careful, Sister Marie,” Jacob snapped, jumping back and inspecting his shoes. “Brother Tobias just finished this pair.”

  “And you shouldn’t sneak up on people, Brother Jacob. You might end up getting hurt.”

  Seeing that his shoes had been spared, Jacob relaxed again, picking up a kitchen towel. Instead of using it to clean up the spill, Jacob looped the towel around Marie’s waist and tugged her toward him before she had a chance to protest.

  “You can hurt me all you want, Sweet Marie,” he growled in her ear. “In fact, I just might like that.”

  A rattling cough from the doorway caused Jacob to spin around, panic lighting his pale blue eyes.

  “God, Ma, you scared the life out of me.”

  He crossed the room to take his mother’s arm, throwing Marie a warning glare as he passed her.

  “I thought you’d gone out to get some sun. Is everything okay?”

  Ma Verity squinted at Marie as if she didn’t recognize her. Marie responded with a reassuring smile, her outrage at Jacob’s actions overshadowed by concern for Father Jed’s widow.

  “It’s okay, Ma,” Marie said, not liking the confused look in the older woman’s eyes. “Why don’t you sit down and have a little tea?”

  “There’s evil in this house,” Ma Verity croaked. “It comes to me at night. It speaks to me.”

  Alarmed by his mother’s garbled words, Jacob stood frozen by her side. Marie almost felt sorry for him. The once sharp, strong woman had lost herself after his father’s death, and it was clear that he didn’t know what to do to help her find her way back.

  Marie decided to ignore Jacob for the time being. She’d have to deal with his unwelcome advances later. Guiding his mother to a chair at the kitchen table, Marie set a teacup in front of her. She pushed past Jacob to get to the special tea and herb concoction Ma Verity preferred, but the cannister was empty.

  “No angel tea left, I’m afraid.” Marie reach for a scoop of her green tea leaves. “How about I make you some special Marie tea instead?”

  Ma Verity didn’t respond. She just peered into the teacup as if it held the key to her future. Marie poured the hot water into the cup and watched as the tea leaves began to brew. When she looked around, Jacob was gone. Her shoulders slumped with relief, and she hurried to the window. The gardens were empty. Eli was nowhere in sight. Now all she had to do was watch out for Ma Verity until help arrived.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  “Fresh oranges if anybody wants one.”

  Judith sounded cheerful as she and Priscilla entered the kitchen. She set a wicker basket of freshly picked fruit on the counter, stopping short when she saw Ma Verity staring into the untouched green tea.

  “What happened?” Judith slid into a chair, looking up at Marie. “She having another one of her bad days?”

  Marie shrugged, holding back sudden tears. It was all just too much. Ruth and Candace missing, Eli’s strange behavior, Jacob’s aggression, and Ma Verity’s worsening condition. Everything seemed to be falling apart.

  “I think she’s…confused,” Marie finally managed to say. “She was talking about evil…about it coming to talk to her at night.”

  Priscilla placed a gentle hand on Ma Verity’s shoulder, but her eyes rested on Marie’s anxious face.

  “You don’t believe in evil, Sister Marie?”

  Suspecting Priscilla was teasing her, Marie shook her head.

  “I believe that some people do evil things, but I don’t think there’s an evil force in the world that can whisper in your ear at night.”

  “Well, I was raised to believe in the devil.” Judith picked up the teacup in front of Ma Verity and deposited it in the sink. “If he’s not an evil force at work in the world, I don’t know what is.”

  Talk of the devil seemed to rouse Ma Verity. She looked up, her face twisting in fear, then stood on unsteady legs.

  “I…I want to pray,” she demanded. “I want to pray that…that the devil stays away. Our congregation needs…prayer…protection…”

  Marie watched, feeling helpless, as Ma Verity shuffled out of the room, Judith scurrying behind her. Priscilla waited until the door had closed behind them, then turned to Marie.

  “It’s sad to see Ma like this. First she loses her husband, and now she’s losing her mind.”

  Marie frowned, offended by Priscilla’s callous tone.

  “I know how she feels.” Marie lowered her eyes to the table. “To miss someone so much…to be crazy with grief.”

  Priscilla raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for Marie to continue.

  “I mean, after my mother died, I kind of…lost touch with reality. I couldn’t think straight for so long.”

  “And now?”

  Priscilla’s cool gray eyes studied her as Marie struggled to answer the question she’d been asking herself more and more lately.

  What should I do now? Can I really just go back home after all this time?

  Cheeks burning under Priscilla’s piercing gaze, Marie shrugged.

  “I guess CSL has given me the space and time I needed to find peace…to a
ccept my mother’s death…to see how unfair I was to blame my father.”

  “Your father? Why would you blame him?”

  Marie’s chest ached at the thought of her father’s haggard face. She had tried so hard to forget him, had even tried to replace him with Father Jed. But it was no good; he was her father, and he was all she had left.

  “I thought his smoking had caused my mother to get…cancer.” The last viscous word stuck in her throat. “I had begged him to quit for so long, but…he always said he couldn’t.”

  Marie didn’t trust herself to look at Priscilla. The words she’d said to her father before she’d left still haunted her. Shame washed over her as she recalled the pain in his eyes.

  “After my mother had gone, I was so angry. I said terrible things. I told him that he should’ve died instead of Mom. I said I wished it had been him.”

  “And do you still feel the same?”

  Priscilla’s question knifed through Marie.

  “I don’t blame my father anymore,” Marie admitted, “and I’ve come to accept that nothing can change the past. There’s no use wishing things were different.”

  She met Priscilla’s gaze, suddenly ashamed for being so self-centered. The woman was having her own problems. She didn’t need to bear Marie’s burdens as well.

  “Anyway, maybe I’ll have to go see my father soon,” Marie said, straightening her back and adjusting her face into a smile. “Perhaps it’s not too late to make amends.”

  “Does your father live nearby?”

  Marie hesitated. The casual question was an easy one, but it would undoubtedly lead to questions that were more difficult to answer.

  “Not too far, really,” she said, dropping her eyes. “I’m sure I could manage the trip.”

  “Well, just make sure you clear it with Brother Jacob, first. Remember the new rules. No one leaves the compound without his approval.”

  Blood rushed to Marie’s cheeks at the thought of having to ask Jacob for anything. How could the insufferable man think he could get away with such a rule?

  “Has the rest of the congregation been told about this new rule?” Marie’s voice quivered with anger. “Are they all willing to be treated like children, or like…prisoners?”

  “I was against it at first, too,” Priscilla said, bristling, “but then I realized that it’s for the safety of the congregation. Two girls are already missing. Who knows what might happen next.”

  The words brought Marie’s fears for Ruth and Candy rushing back, and a defiant plan began to form.

  If no one else cares enough to go look for them, maybe I’ll go. And I won’t bother asking permission when I do.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Leo checked his phone repeatedly as the hours passed, waiting for a call or text from Eden to let him know she was all right, hoping she wouldn’t put herself in danger in her rush to find Ruth’s killer. He’d just pulled the slim, black iPhone out of his pocket again when a text alert sounded. Frankie Dawson had sent through a message with a photo attached.

  Leo stared at the close-up shot of a chubby man with small eyes and a stained cap pulled low over his forehead. Leo shook his head at Frankie’s accompanying text.

  Lil Ray’s cousin Dooley. He’s an idiot.

  Leo was already typing out a reply telling Frankie to stop messing around when another photo came through. The text with this photo was more interesting.

  Back of commune. Check out the chick.

  Zooming in on the photo, Leo could make out several women and a man. All he could see of one woman was her back. She was tall with long dark hair. The other woman was facing the camera. He studied the women without recognizing either one.

  Leo thumbed in a message.

  Which one? And why?

  As he waited for a reply, Leo sat on Eden’s big sofa next to Duke and scratched the soft fur between his ears. Frankie was quick to respond.

  The one with her back turned. Could be Taylor.

  Leo’s heart jumped at the message. He raised the phone and once again studied the back of the slim, dark-haired girl standing in the bucolic garden. Could the girl really be Barker’s long-missing daughter?

  The security panel on the wall by the door chimed, and an automated voice announced that motion had been detected on the driveway. Leo stood just as the garage door rumbled open, his relief at Eden’s return edged with unease. He looked down at Duke.

  “Let’s hope she’s feeling better now, boy.”

  The golden retriever padded over to Eden as soon as she’d stepped through the door, and she knelt next to him and hugged his warm body against her, dropping her head to hide the shine of tears in her sad green eyes.

  “I’m sorry, Duke,” she whispered against the golden fur. “I’m so sorry for everything.”

  Finally, she raised her head to look at Leo, her cheeks pink.

  “I guess I owe you an apology, too.”

  Leo shrugged and grinned.

  “I thought love meant never having to say-”

  Eden held up a hand in protest.

  “Don’t tell me you’re quoting Love Story. Isn’t that movie a bit sappy for a tough-as-nails defense lawyer like you?”

  Her gentle teasing stung more than he was willing to show.

  “You must have gotten me confused with someone else.” He pulled her up into his arms. “I happen to have a very soft heart, and I like sappy old movies.”

  Nestling against his broad chest, Eden let out a deep sigh.

  “Well, I am sorry…again. I’m just torn up about Ruth. I feel like I failed her so badly. But I don’t want to take it out on you.”

  Leo ran his hand over her hair, liking the feel of the silky, blonde strands though his fingers. He hated to leave her now, but Oscar Hernandez was counting on him, and he needed to get to the courthouse in time for the bail hearing.

  “I should have known she was in danger,” Eden whispered, her cheek warm against the soft cotton of his shirt. “I should have demanded the WBPD provide protection.”

  “It’s not your fault,” he objected, pulling her closer. “You couldn’t have known. The man who killed Ruth is the only one to blame.”

  Eden pushed against Leo’s chest and stared up with wide eyes.

  “That’s just it, Leo. It wasn’t just one man that killed poor Ruth. There were two people outside Ruth’s window last night. At least two people worked together to abduct and kill her.”

  Eden’s voice faltered as Leo stared down.

  “Another pair of killers in Willow Bay?” he asked weakly, not wanting to believe it was happening again.

  The last series of murders in the city had been committed by the unholy partnership of Douglas Kramer and Adrian Bellows. They’d been respected residents of Willow Bay, and they’d kidnapped eight girls over a dozen years, killing seven of them before they’d gotten caught. Eden’s persistence had made their capture possible, and she and Duke had risked their lives to save the last girl. Leo couldn’t believe the city was facing another homicidal duo so soon.

  “I know, it’s horrible. I still can’t get my head around it.”

  “What you need is some food, and some rest.” Leo checked his watch and winced. “How about I make you a sandwich before I head over to the courthouse? Then you can relax here with Duke, and I’ll be back before you know it.”

  Eden shook her head and smiled.

  “No, you go on. I’m not very hungry right now. The kids will be home soon, and Barb will be here, as well. I’ll eat with them.”

  Glancing again at the clock, Leo took both of Eden’s hands in his and squeezed.

  “I hate leaving you at a time like this. You know that, right?”

  “I know,” Eden said, squeezing back. “But you need to go, and Duke and I will be fine.”

  Leo wondered if she really would be fine. How could she remain physically and emotionally intact if she kept getting pulled into such dangerous situations? Maybe it was time for Eden to distance herse
lf from the day-to-day operations of the Mercy Harbor Foundation. He opened his mouth to share his concerns, then closed it again.

  Asking Eden to give up her work at the foundation would be like asking me to give up practicing law.

  They had both dedicated their lives to helping people in desperate need. It was their way of seeking redemption for the past, and it was the bond that had brought them together. Quitting at this stage wasn’t an option for either of them.

  “If I don’t get Oscar out on bond, he’ll have to stay in jail until the trial. That could take months, and he has a wife and child that depend on him, and….”

  Leo paused, not sure who he was trying to convince, himself or Eden, and sensing it wasn’t the right time to plead his case. Eden had too much on her mind now to think about anything else.

  “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He kissed the top of her head. “And then I promise I’ll do whatever I can to help find the bastards that killed Ruth and her friend.”

  Stopping to ruffle Duke’s fur, Leo’s eyes fell on a stack of wrapped presents on the side table. Christmas was only weeks away, even if none of them were feeling very festive.

  “It might be a strange time to say this, but I’m really looking forward to spending the holidays with you.”

  Eden smiled then for the first time since she’d heard about Ruth, and she kept the smile on as she walked to the door to wave goodbye.

  But as Leo pulled away from the house on Briar Rose Lane, a feeling of dread crept over him, as if someone had walked across his grave. Shivering, he flipped on the heater to warm the frigid air inside the car, promising himself he’d return as soon as Oscar Hernandez had been released on bail.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  The downtown traffic was surprisingly light for a weekday, allowing Leo to arrive at the courthouse thirty minutes before the hearing was scheduled to begin. His luck held out as he pulled into the parking garage. A minivan was just vacating a prime space on the second floor.

  Checking his watch, Leo decided to stop by the cafeteria in the courthouse lobby. He had just enough time to grab a cup of coffee and review his notes before heading to the holding room where Oscar would be brought prior to the hearing.