Garden of Secrets (28 page)

“I would appreciate a bed. I haven’t had much sleep the last few days.”

“Then let me show you to your room.” She led him down the hall and up the stairs. Grabbing some of her clothes off the bed, she tossed them into the hamper in the closet. “I’ll change the sheets for you.”

“Don’t bother. It’s fine.”

“Is there anything else you need?”

“I’m good.”

“Okay.” She drew in a deep breath. “Thanks for seeing Jamie home.”

“Your brother is a brave man,” Gabe said. “It was my honor.”

“I can’t understand why he would want to go back.”

Gabe gave her a small smile. “No, you can’t. Not if you haven’t walked in his shoes.”

“So what will you do next?”

“It depends on what I find when I get to River Rock.”

“You’re looking for someone?” she asked, remembering her brother’s words.

“Yeah—someone,” he said cryptically.

When he didn’t explain, she said, “I’ll see you later, then.”

She walked into the hall, turned to shut the door, and saw Gabe take a photo out of his wallet. He gave it a long stare and then put it back. Then he tossed his wallet onto the table and dropped onto the bed.

She quietly closed the door and went downstairs, telling herself it was none of her business who he was looking for. He’d be gone in the morning.

Smiling, she headed off to work. And at the thought of spending the night with Joe, she smiled even wider.

Joe took the chair by Jason’s desk late Friday morning. “Give me some good news.”

Jason sat back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair. “I might actually be able to do that. We’ve cleared the trainer and his girlfriend. Both have alibis for New Year’s Eve.”

“What else?”

“Got some information on Michaela Gomez, the woman Charlotte saw on the stairs. She was born at
the hospital in Montgomery and given up for private adoption at birth. She was raised by a family in San Diego. Those parents were killed in a car crash last year. She worked at a restaurant until a month ago, when she quit. Her manager said she told him she had some family issues to address.”

“Where are you going with this?” Joe asked, seeing the gleam in Jason’s eyes.

“You’ll see.”

“Get there faster,” he said impatiently.

“Constance Garcia gave birth to a child in Montgomery on the same day that Michaela was born, and she gave her baby up for adoption.”

“Now you have my attention.”

“Put the two together. Constance is Michaela’s mother. I suspect Michaela came here looking for her biological parents after her adoptive parents were killed. She took a job with the catering company a couple of days after she arrived in town. The caterer thought she was staying at the Windmill Motel. I checked the motel, and she spent five days there and left. No one seems to know where she went after that.”

“I wonder if Constance and Michaela connected with each other or if Michaela was just checking out her mother before announcing who she was.”

“Well, Constance certainly never told us she had a daughter working the party.” Jason paused. “In looking into Constance’s background, I learned that she was working at the manor during her pregnancy.
And I have to wonder if the biological father was also there—either as another employee or as the owner.”

“That’s a big leap to make.”

“Agreed. But think about it, Chief. Constance has a relationship with her boss, gets pregnant. He doesn’t want the baby. She gives it up and continues to live with him for the next twenty-something years. He dies, and what does he do? He leaves all his money to charity, not one penny to his trusted and loyal housekeeper. Now the daughter shows up, looking for her mother. The two of them think, why shouldn’t they take something for themselves? Something they’re both owed.” Jason looked extremely proud of his theory.

“Not bad,” Joe said. “Now comes the part where you find some proof. Get Constance down here. She was extremely nervous when I talked to her yesterday, especially when Michaela’s name came up. I want her questioned on our turf.”

“Will do.”

Joe returned to his office just in time to pick up a call from Charlotte.

“How’s your brother?” he asked.

“He’s okay. Exhausted and obviously in pain, but he’s home for a while, and that’s really all that matters. As you can imagine, my mother is over the moon. Annie is thrilled, too. I thought she might be nervous, since her father was mentally disabled by his military experiences, but she seems to be okay around my brother. Anyway, I know you’re busy, but
Jamie’s friend Gabe needs a place to stay tonight, and my mother offered him my room. She was sure I could find a bed somewhere.”

He smiled. “I’m more than happy to share mine. Is that what your mother had in mind?”

“I doubt it, but it’s what I had in mind. What about Isabella?”

“She comes and goes. I have no idea what she’s doing, but it’s not a problem. She’s had Nick here many times.”

“Okay. Well, I want to have dinner at home with Jamie, so I’m not sure what time I’ll be there.”

“Come anytime you want. Just save some room for dessert.”

“I can always eat dessert. Before I go, Joe, I drove by that old car and got the owner’s phone number. Is it too pushy to give it to you?”

He smiled to himself. “If I said yes, would that stop you?”

“No, because I really think you should look at that car.”

Laughing, he said, “Give it to me.”

After he hung up, he stared at the number. It wouldn’t hurt to find out how much they were asking. The idea of restoring a car was appealing. Charlotte was right: he had moved to Angel’s Bay, but he hadn’t moved all the way in, and he wanted to. He wanted to stop putting things off and start living his life.

Maybe Charlotte would realize that was exactly what she needed to do, too.

*   *   *

Andrew entered the back of the church around five o’clock, surprised to hear someone singing. Choir practice didn’t start until five-thirty. As he moved down the aisle, he was even more surprised to see Tory at the piano, singing one of his favorite hymns with a voice so beautiful and pure it made his breath catch in his chest. But she wasn’t in the choir. At least, she hadn’t been before now.

As soon as she saw him, she stopped, giving him an embarrassed smile as she got to her feet. “How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough to know you have an incredible voice. Why haven’t I heard it before?”

“It’s the acoustics in here. They make me sound better than I am.”

“I hope you’re joining our choir.”

“I’m just subbing in for Joan Schumacher while she has her tonsils removed. I’ll step out when she comes back.”

“No need to do that. We can always use more singers.”

“I’ll think about it. It depends on my schedule at the theater.” She smiled. “I wanted to find out what happened with Charlotte after she saw us together the other night. Did she take the bait?”

“She was curious, but we went out for pizza last night, and she made it clear that she’s interested in Joe Silveira.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said with sympathy.

He shrugged. “I’m not throwing in the towel yet. I don’t think Charlotte should be with someone coming off a long marriage. She should be someone’s first love.”

Tory flinched a little, and he realized his mistake. “I—uh, that didn’t come out the right way.”

“Didn’t it?” she asked a little sadly. “I can understand where you’re coming from. I’m sure I’ll have the same problem as Joe when I start thinking about dating again. Who wants to be second?”

He frowned, realizing he’d let his own jealousy hurt someone he was beginning to care about. “No, Tory, don’t pay any attention to me. I don’t know what I’m talking about.”

“You’re talking about not wanting Charlotte to be with someone who vowed to be with someone else until death do them part.”

“It was more about not wanting Charlotte to be with anyone but me.”

“Why do you love her, Andrew?”

He caught his breath at the question. “All the usual reasons. She’s beautiful, kind, generous, smart. She’s my girl. The first one I fell in love with. I was just too scared to commit to what I felt back then. I didn’t treat her well.”

“I find that difficult to believe.”

“I didn’t give much to any relationship I was in. I was a taker. Whatever they were giving, I took, but I didn’t give anything in return. I cheated on Charlotte, and as she told me quite bluntly, not everyone gets a second chance.”

“Steve wants a second chance, too.”

“Well, he doesn’t deserve one.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

It wasn’t his place to give an opinion, but he couldn’t help himself. “He did more than cheat on you. He rejected his own child for months, and even now, all he does is send Annie a monthly check. He doesn’t see the kid. He needs to change his life, and until he does, he probably needs to be on his own.” He let out a breath. “And that wasn’t my professional opinion; it was a personal one. Because I consider you a friend.”

She smiled. “I think of you that way, too. So I have to ask a harder question. Do you ever consider the fact that you and Charlotte might not have lasted, even if you hadn’t cheated on her? Some relationships just have their moment in time, you know? And that’s okay. You love, and you live, and you move on.” She tilted her head, giving him a thoughtful look. “When I asked you why you loved her, you didn’t tell me one thing that was unique to her.”

“So it was a trick question?” he asked.

She shook her head. “When I fell in love with Steve, I loved the way he held me at night, like a teddy bear he couldn’t let go of. I loved the way he sang in the shower and the way he cut the crusts off my toast when I was sick. Love is in the details, Andrew. And you don’t seem to have any details about Charlotte. Maybe you don’t know her as well as you think you do.”

“Because she’s not letting me back into her life,” he said, feeling defensive.

“Have you let Charlotte in?”

“Of course.”

“Are you sure?” she persisted.

“Do you think I’m holding back some deep, dark secret?”

She considered that for a moment. “Sometimes when I look at you, I see shadows in your eyes, as if you’re somewhere else, someplace that doesn’t make you happy. But as soon as you realize I’m looking, you cover up.”

Her words were a little more insightful than he liked.

“There are things I haven’t told Charlotte—things I’m ashamed of. It’s all in the past now, but our relationship has been so tenuous, I haven’t wanted to rock the boat. Now I’m a little worried that my secrecy could hurt the one person I’m trying to protect.”

“Then you should tell Charlotte.”

He nodded. “I know. I’m going to do that.”

“Now?” she pressed.

“I doubt she’ll answer her phone.”

“Well, you can try.” She paused as several other members of the choir entered the back of the church. “Looks like it’s time for practice.”

He was sorry to have their conversation end. Tory challenged him in a way that no one else did. And talking to her helped cut through the confusion
in his brain. “What are you doing after this?” he asked.

“Going home, making dinner, and taking a bath.”

“Feel like some company?”

“Well, my tub isn’t that big.”

He grinned. “How about the dinner part?”

“Sure. I feel like some company. How about seven-thirty?”

“It’s perfect,” he said.

“But Andrew, if you get hold of Charlotte and want to break the date, I totally understand.”

He shook his head. “Steve was an ass to cheat on you.”

“Yes, he was. I’m amazing,” she said lightly.

She was only kidding, but a part of him wanted to convince her she was exactly that.

After work, Charlotte entered the kitchen and found Jamie inhaling a bowl of cereal. He’d changed out of his uniform and was wearing a T-shirt and baggy gray sweats that hid his cast. “I’m glad to see you haven’t outgrown your love of Cocoa Puffs,” she teased. “Did Mom make a special trip to the market for you?”

He gave her a slightly crooked grin and said, “You bet she did. She got all my favorites.”

“Because you’re her favorite. She can’t wait to spoil you. Not that you don’t deserve it.” Her smile faded as her gaze drifted to his injured leg.

“Don’t think about it, Charlie,” he advised. “There’s no point.”

“I can’t stop thinking about it. I want to see your X-rays. I want to talk to your doctor. And I want to take you to one of the orthopedists in town.”

“Stop,” he said, putting up his hand. “I’ve had my
fill of doctors. I’m healing. There’s nothing else to be done.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. I don’t need you to be a doctor, just a sister.”

She sat back in her chair. “I can do that. I talked to Gabe a little earlier. I told him that I couldn’t imagine what you’d been through, and he said I was right, I couldn’t. He’s a very cryptic guy.”

“He doesn’t have a lot to say, but when he talks, it’s usually important. He carried me on his back for six hours, Charlotte, and he promised me he’d get me home.” Jamie’s mouth tightened. “That’s exactly what he did.”

“It sounds horrible.”

Jamie shrugged, shaking off the emotion he’d just revealed. “There’s bad and good in every job.”

“Most jobs don’t put you in danger of bullets or landmines.”

He grinned. “Yeah, most jobs are boring.”

She gave a helpless shake of her head. “How can you love what you do?”

“Because I’m proud to serve my country.”

“I’m proud of you, too.”

He gave her a smile. “How are you and Mom getting along?”

“The usual. She criticizes. I try harder. She criticizes. I don’t try at all. She criticizes, and we start all over again.”

“Being critical is the way she loves you.”

“Well, I’d like her to find a different way.”

“Why are you still here if things are that bad?” he asked.

“I brought Annie into the family, so I couldn’t leave her with Mom. Although they get along better than Mom and I do.”

“Mom likes to be needed, and Annie needs her—you don’t. Your independence has always made her feel a little unimportant, so she overcompen-sates.”