Hope's Discovery (THE MATCHMAKER TRILOGY) (18 page)

“He didn’t know she had died either?”

Trevor shook his head. “Somehow he’d come into the knowledge that there might have been a child born from their affair.”

Ruth nodded. “I am so sorry that my daughter could stir up so much trouble.”

“With all due respect, I don’t think she’s stirred up any problems. I think either Donald or Delores Buchanan have something to hide, and I have to figure out what it is before they get to Hope.”

“Hope?” she asked, and Trevor realized he’d been thinking aloud.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to mention…”

“Is that the daughter of Mandy and Donald?” she asked, and Trevor nodded. Brightness came into her eyes and her lips softened into a thin smile. “What is her sister’s name?”

“Carissa.”

Ruth nodded. “She called me once.”

“So you said.”

“I wasn’t very nice to her. Maybe I should have been.”

“You had your reasons. If it’s any consolation to you, they were raised by a fine man.”

“Do I know him?”

He gave some thought to telling her his name, but he couldn’t help but like the woman who had once made him fear the very thought of doing his job. “David Kendal.”

Her eyes opened wide again. “David Kendal is Carissa’s father?”

“You know him?”

“He flew for the charter company my husband and Donald used all the time. My husband was very fond of him. That would have been where Mandy met him. We’d often meet him when his plane would come in. David Kendal was one of my husband’s favorite pilots.”

“You were unaware that he was the father of your daughter’s first child?”

“We were very upset. I don’t suppose it would have mattered much then,” she said as she looked out the window next to her. “You know Mandy’s daughters?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And they are good people?”

“I don’t think you’d find better.”

She kept her stare out the window. He watched her as she chewed on her lip. “She was an artist, my Mandy. Did you know that?” Trevor shook his head. “So was Donald if I remember correctly,” she added. “When she was twelve she won a district art competition.” The tears were back, but the look was different. There was joy in her face. She’d remembered something good about the daughter she’d all but forgotten about.

“Mrs. Marlow.” He cleared his throat. “Would you be interested in meeting the girls?”

“Oh, no,” she answered quickly. “No. They don’t need me in their lives. I’ve always blamed myself for the way Mandy turned out. I couldn’t suddenly show up and say ‘Hi, I’m your grandmother.’ I’m sure they had a wonderful grandmother.”

K. Burkhalter, Trevor thought. From what he’d heard, she was a wonderful grandmother.

“If you change your mind, or if you think of any other reason Donald or Delores Buchanan might have gone looking for Mandy, would you call me?” He took his business card from his pocket and handed it to her.

“I will.”

“Thank you.” Trevor stood and Ruth followed.

“Mr. Jacobs, I’d like to give you something. Would you mind waiting a moment?”

“I can wait.” Trevor watched her slowly walk down the hallway to what he assumed was a bedroom.

Ruth wasn’t gone long and when she returned she carried with her a box. It wasn’t a large box, but the way she carried it he knew it was full.

“This is all I have left of the Mandy I knew before she dropped out of school and became the woman I’ve tried so hard to forget,” she said, guilt plaguing the very sound of her voice.

She set the box down on a table in the entryway and opened it. “I would like you to take this to her daughters if you don’t mind.”

“May I?” Trevor asked nodding toward the box for approval to search through it.

“Of course.”

Inside the box were pictures of a little girl looking up at him who remarkably looked like one of Carissa’s daughters. He couldn’t remember which one, but the face was the same. She was swimming, holding a sparkler on the Fourth of July, and sitting on her father’s knee in the pictures. The ribbon from the art show her mother had told him about was in the box along with small trinkets and memorabilia from Mandy’s youth.

“Are you sure you want to part with these?”

“Yes. I’m sure whatever those girls know about Mandy isn’t good. Maybe this will shed some light on who she started out as.”

And that, he thought as he assured her they would appreciate it, was what Hope had been looking for.

CHAPTER EIGHT

H
ope turned off the lights in the store as Thomas and
Carissa walked through the door.

“Ready to go?” Carissa stepped inside.

“Yes. Will you at least let me go by my place and get a few things?” Hope pleaded.

“Of course. But I’m going in with you,” Carissa demanded.

“I wouldn’t have expected anything else.” She followed Thomas and her sister out and locked the door behind them.

“Does this look familiar?” Thomas stood at the curb by the car, holding a wrinkled piece of paper that had a tire track on it. He handed it to Hope.

She studied it and felt the pang of guilt pierce her chest when she realized it was one of Trevor’s lists. Unwilling to share any more information, Hope folded it and tucked it into her purse and hoped there would be no more questions about it. “It must be something Trevor dropped when he left yesterday. I’ll talk to him about it when he gets home.” She opened the door to the car and climbed in back.

She hated keeping secrets from her sister. And how careless of Trevor to drop such an important piece of information. She’d give him some credit; he was rushing out when he’d left.

Thomas pulled to the curb in front of Hope’s apartment and parked the car.

“Why don’t you wait for us? We’ll be right out.” Carissa gave her husband a quick kiss along with the instruction before she climbed from the car. Hope followed her toward the apartment and let them in.

As soon as Hope turned on the light Carissa put her hand out. “Let me see it.”

“See what?”

“The paper Thomas found. What are you two up to?”

Hope huffed out a breath and shook her head. She reached into her purse and pulled out the paper.

“These are phone numbers and addresses of banks.” Carissa glanced at her.

“In the things that I have that were Mandy’s, we found a key to a safe-deposit box.”

“A safe-deposit box? Why would someone like her have one of those?”

Hope shrugged. “That’s what we’re trying to find out. Just a little piece to our puzzle.”

“Where’s the key?”

Hope hesitated. “In the box on the table.”

She led Carissa to the table, where the box she and Trevor had gone through still sat. She pulled out the key and the piece of paper from the wallet and handed them to Carissa. Her sister was frowning at the paper. “Is this an account number?”

“I don’t know. That was what Trevor was trying to find out when he left.”

“Hope.” She looked up. “Do you think this is why Trevor’s room was broken into?”

“What could be so important that they would break into houses and hotel rooms? She didn’t have anything.”

Carissa tapped her foot and bit at her lip. “Listen. I talked to Trevor about Mandy’s mother. If he’s looking into some of those leads, maybe someone realized he knew something about Mandy. Maybe Mandy had something.”

Hope’s eyes flew open wide. “You’re talking to Trevor about Mandy? I thought you didn’t want me to do this.” Anger shook in her voice with the betrayal of her sister’s confession.

“I just wanted him to be careful about who he sought out.”

“Wait.” Hope held her hand up to her sister. “You knew who Mandy’s mother was?”

Carissa cringed. “Hope, this isn’t important.”

“Yes it is.” She took the key from her sister and the piece of paper that Trevor had written on. “You can’t tell me not to find these people when you already know about them. That’s not fair.”

“Hope, let it go.”

“No! How do you know Mandy’s mother? I thought you didn’t know anyone but Mandy.”

“I didn’t. I mean I don’t.” She blew out a ragged breath. “Listen, when I was fifteen I looked up her mother. Yes, I wanted to know there was more to her than the coke addict who ditched me.” A crease formed in her forehead as her brows drew together. “Anyway, I called Mandy’s mother. She was mean and rude. She told me to never contact her again and then she hung up on me.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.” Carissa took a step closer to her. “Listen, if Trevor contacted her, then maybe she came after him.”

“Some seventy-year-old lady is going to go about destroying his home and office?”

“Maybe not personally.”

Hope nodded. “We need to find that safe-deposit box.”

“What about Trevor?”

“He won’t be back until Saturday morning. We have one day to do this.”

Carissa pressed the palm of her head to her forehead and rubbed. “Okay. But we don’t tell Thomas. He’ll freak out if he knows I decided to help you.”

Hope’s smiled, grateful to have Carissa’s help. “You’re amazing. You never have let me down.”

“I don’t plan to start either, no matter how I feel about doing this. C’mon. Get your stuff and get what you need of Mandy’s, and let’s go.”

Trevor sat at the kitchen table with his father and Bryce. They each took pulls from their beers as they studied the cards in their hands.

“Who dealt this?” Brandon Jacobs shook his head.

“That would be you, old man.”

“Watch it, Bryce, or you’ll wake up naked in the ditch with no sign of your money.”

“There is already no sign of my money,” he whined, and Brandon laughed. “Okay, slacker.” He nodded toward Trevor. “You in or out?”

“Out.” He threw his cards on the table, picked up his beer, and paced the kitchen.

“This is no fun if you’re not in with us.” Brandon set down his cards. “What’s wrong, son?”

“Nothing.”

“He misses his girlfriend.” Bryce threw down his cards and swigged his beer. “I think we need to take him out back and beat him, just for the sport.”

Brandon raised his brows in consideration.

“You’ll do no such thing.” Violet walked through the kitchen, slapping Bryce on the back of the head. “He’s allowed to miss her.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

Violet smiled and patted his cheek. “So is that what’s wrong? You miss your girlfriend?” she asked in the same patronizing tone Bryce had used, and they laughed at Trevor’s expense.

He shook his head and finished his beer. Then he said quietly, “Yeah. I really do.”

“Well, you patched things up with the redhead. I guess you can go back.” Bryce rolled his eyes at him.

“Thanks,” he said with a nod in Bryce’s direction. “But I’m staying there.”

“ I thought you’d changed your mind.”

“You’re moving to Kansas City?” Violet opened the refrigerator and took out a beer. She handed it to Trevor, who opened it for her and passed it back. She took a sip, her eyes still steady on his.

“I am. It’s where I want to be. I want to be with her, Mom.”

She nodded and then a smile slid across her lips. “For some reason when you took this case I knew you were never coming back. Fate is a strong thing.”

“I know.”

“As long as you’re happy.”

“I am.”

“Great.” Bryce lifted his beer. “Your dad has all my money. Your girl gets you for a roommate, and what do I have?”

“A new lead on a hit and run?” Violet interjected.

“You have a job for me?” When she nodded, he jerked his thumb over his shoulder and grinned at Trevor. “Go.
 
I don’t need you.. Mom will take care of me now. She always did love me more.” Bryce winked at Violet.

Brandon slapped him on the back of the head just as Violet had done earlier. “Better deal another hand of cards so I can take more of your money, and then you can think about winking at my wife again.”

Hope watched her sister take command of the morning ritual at their home from her place at the kitchen table. Thomas hadn’t questioned Carissa when she’d instructed him to take the kids to school, the little ones to her mother’s, and get to work early. As soon as he left, Carissa dropped a box on the kitchen table. Hope watched silently as her sister filled a cup of coffee then piled her hair atop her head and secured it with band before sitting down at the table.