Indemnity: Book Two: Covenant of Trust Series (18 page)

“
Uh-huh.”

Chuck took her Bible and sat down at the kitchen table with her, with Bobbi across from them.

“
Okay, Mommy taught you these,” Chuck said as he began to count on his fingers. “Genesis, Exodus ...”

“’
Viticus,” Shannon said, picking up the list. “Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, First and Second Samuel, First and Second Kings, First and Second Chronicles—”

“
Hold it right there,” Chuck interrupted.

“
But I can say the rest.”

“
I know that, but I want to read some from First Chronicles with you.”

“
Daddy, nobody reads that.”

“
Pastor Glen would probably agree with you.” Chuck smiled and turned the pages in her Bible. “Here, let’s read this part right here.” He pointed out the genealogical list of King David’s wives and sons.

Shannon followed along, reading the words she could with Chuck tackling the names. When they finished, he laid the book aside. “What did you see in that stuff we just read?” Chuck asked.

“
David had a lot of kids,” Shannon said.

“
He sure did. What else?” Chuck read the passage again to help her remember.

“
He had a lot of mothers, too.”

“
Well, they weren’t David’s mothers, they were his sons’ mothers. Just about every son had a different mother. Do you think that’s the way God wanted it?”

“
I don’t think so,” Shannon answered.

“
You’re right. It’s not. But David was still the daddy, and he had to take care of all those boys even though they all had different mothers.” Shannon nodded. Chuck swallowed hard and continued slowly and carefully. “Sweetheart, your daddy ... I ... I have another little boy ... who has a different mommy than you do.”

“
You do?”

“
Yeah,” Chuck answered quietly. He glanced over at his wife, looking for reinforcement that he was handling this right. Bobbi’s eyes were brimmed with tears, but she gave him the subtlest nod. “His name is Jack, and he’s six years old.”

“
He’s almost the same age as me!” Shannon sat up straight in her seat, her eyes wide.

“
Yes, he is, and he’s going to stay here with us sometimes. In fact, he’s going to spend this weekend with us. Friday night and Saturday night.”

“
Can he go to church with us?”

“
Definitely. It’s going to take some getting used to for all of us, especially Mommy and Jack. This is not Mommy’s little boy, so it’s a little weird for her. And Jack, he just has his mom, so it’s going to be different for him to have a bunch of family around.”

“
It’ll be okay. I’ll teach him everything he needs to know.”

“
I’m sure you will,” Chuck said with a smile, his own eyes tearing just a bit. “Thanks, sweetheart.” He motioned for Shannon to come closer for a hug. “Thanks for understanding.”

When Shannon let go, she looked him in the eye and gently asked, “Is that why your name was under the bucket?”

“
Yeah, but I think it’s out now.” He glanced at Bobbi again.

“
Yes,” Bobbi said. “Daddy’s name is out of the bucket.”

While Chuck read Shannon’s bedtime story, Bobbi brewed a single cup of coffee and retreated to the quiet and solitude of the study. She switched on the desk light, leaving the overhead light off. Curling up on the love seat, she pulled an afghan down over her feet, and sipped from her cup.

Chuck, she had to concede, handled Shannon brilliantly. His explanation was simple and straightforward, and Shannon took it all in stride. Was she being unreasonable, then? Chuck kept saying Tracy wasn’t a threat to them.

Dear God, I get a sick to my stomach every time I think about Chuck going to her house, seeing her every week. I don’t believe her when she says she’s not after him. God, he’s only human, and if she—

“
Honey? You okay?” Chuck switched on the overhead light. “You’re all alone here in the dark.”

Bobbi quickly wiped a tear away. “I’m fine. Just wanted a little quiet time after everything.”

“
You want me to leave you alone?”

“
No, come and sit with me, and tell me you love me.” She set her cup over on the desk, and swung her feet down off the love seat to make room for him.

“
I thought you’d never ask.” Chuck flipped the light back off, and slid in beside his wife, pulling her close. “I love you.”

She nestled against him, lightly running her hand across his chest, across his favorite well-worn Cardinals jersey. That’s the way their marriage was, wasn’t it? Comfortable and familiar. Was that enough?

“
She’s not what I pictured,” Bobbi said.

“
How so?”

“
I hoped she was a lot sleazier. Nothing was low cut. Nothing was too tight. She’s very attractive.”

“
There’s no contest, you know.”

“
Doesn’t matter. I can’t get it out of my head.”

“
That’s my fault.” Chuck shifted around to face Bobbi. “Honey, my affair happened because I wasn’t right with God, and I wasn’t right with you. It will never happen again. No matter what my other failings are, I will never betray you again. You know that, don’t you?”

“
Yeah,” Bobbi whispered. Rationally, she knew Chuck was right, but that awful knot in her stomach would never go away as long as Tracy was around. “She said she didn’t have a choice about coming back here. What’s that supposed to mean?”

“
How should I know? She never confided in me.”

With some relief, Bobbi leaned against him again. “It’s almost like she’s bringing Jack to you. She made sure you found him. She knew you’d find out he was yours, and that you’d want to be part of his life. She’s arranged it all so it looked like you were the one pushing it forward. Then, after all her belligerent pretense, she didn’t fight you.”

“
Why would she want me to take Jack?”

“
I don’t know. She said he was her life. The whole reason she ... I mean, she wanted a baby, your baby. The creepy part again.”

Chuck gave his a wife a gentle squeeze. “How do you feel about Jack?”

“
Jack’s a doll. I’d take him in a minute.” She reached for her cup and took a long drink. “This was never about Jack.”

“
Never?” Chuck raised his eyebrows. “You said you didn’t want anything to do with him.”

“
All right, for a little while, it was about Jack, too. You knew I’d come around though.”

“
I was counting on it.”

“
So ... you’re going to her house tomorrow?”

“
To pick Jack up, yes. Do you want me to take Gavin or Glen?”

Bobbi sighed deeply. “No. I trust you.”

“
I know that, but will it put your mind at ease?”

“
I’ve got to get past this. As long as it tears me up, she owns me.”

Friday, September 7

“
Miss Laurie! I’m gonna spend the whole weekend with my dad!” Jack Ravenna shouted as he got off the school bus at Building Blocks Daycare. “The judge said so!”

“
What great news!” Laurie Dillard held the door for him.

“
He’s a good guy. Mom said so, and he wants a picture of me for his wallet just like his other kids. And I have brothers and a sister, too!”

“
That’s very exciting, Jack. I hope you have a great weekend with him.” Jack hung his backpack on its designated hook, and skipped outside.

As Laurie watched him dart around on the playground, she wondered what changed. A few weeks ago, Tracy couldn’t say anything good about the deadbeat who showed up suddenly. Was she simply trying to give the guy a fair chance by telling Jack that his dad was a good guy?

Chuck and Bobbi were in court yesterday, too. Wouldn’t it be bizarre if Chuck were Jack’s father?
Laurie Dillard, that’s completely preposterous. Chuck’s not a vindictive deadbeat like Jack’s dad.

Chuck sighed when he checked his watch again. It was twenty after three, just four minutes later than the last time he’d looked. Unable to focus on anything but Jack, he spent the afternoon deleting old files from his computer, and clearing his desk.

Now his mind settled on the conversation with his wife last night. Bobbi had a point. Tracy’s actions didn’t make much sense.
She threatened to fight me, came down here and made a scene, but she rolled over in court. She could have used Rita’s interference against me, and that would have shut the case down, but she didn’t. What’s her game?

He pulled the file from his briefcase with all the public records information he’d gathered on Tracy and read back through it.

She had a pattern of covering her tracks and disappearing. Was she getting ready to do that again? Would she really leave Jack behind? If Jack was her life like she said, how could she bear to leave him? Unless she was convinced somehow it was in his best interest.

What if he told her he knew all about the murder? What if he promised that he would see to it that she and Jack were safe? Would that be enough? Would she trust him that much?

“
Mr. Molinsky?” Christine stood in the doorway. “It’s four o’clock. You asked me to remind you to call your wife.”

“
Right, thank you. Aren’t you ready to go home yet?”

“
It’s not five.”

“
You make me look bad. I’m leaving after I make this phone call.”

“
If you’re leaving, it’ll be just like getting off an hour early,” Christine teased.

“
Hey,” Chuck pointed at her as she closed his office door. He dialed his home number, and Bobbi answered after a couple of rings. “I’m getting ready to leave.”

“
I hope everything goes smoothly,” Bobbi said with a long sigh.

“
You sure you’re okay with me going by myself?”

“
I’m trying not to think about it.”

“
We won’t be alone. Jack will be there.”

“
I know. Just don’t ... don’t linger. Hurry home.”

“
I will. What ... What do you want Jack to call you?”

“
Just Bobbi. That’s the simplest.”

“
Kind of impersonal, though.” She didn’t reply. Best not to argue with her right now. “It works. I love you.”

“
I love you, too, and Chuck ... I trust you.”

“
Thank you.”

Chuck shut things down in his office and left. He didn’t want to get to Tracy’s house too early, and give her another excuse to be difficult, so he stopped for gasoline. Inside the convenience store, he picked up a drink for Jack, and another one to take home to Shannon.

He set the drinks on the roof of the car while he took his suit jacket off and pitched it in the backseat. He started to slip his tie off, too, but decided formality with Tracy was wiser.

God, help me be civil, and not let any of Tracy’s comments get to me. I don’t want to lose my temper with her, especially in front of Jack. Ease Bobbi’s mind about the visit. Help her remember the things she already knows are true.

He took a deep breath and headed for Tracy’s house. When he and Gavin came, he was so busy looking for the house, he didn’t notice anything about it. While it wasn’t new construction, the two-story was very up-to-date with new windows, probably a new roof, too. Neat, well-maintained landscaping set off the perfectly manicured lawn. As he neared the house, he had to shield his eyes from the blinding glare of the late afternoon sunshine reflecting off Tracy’s spotless white Lexus parked in the driveway.

Almost as soon as Chuck got out of his car, the front door opened. “You’re here! You came! Mom!” Jack Ravenna ran back through the house leaving the front door wide open. Chuck walked up to the porch, but didn’t venture inside. He could hear Tracy talking to her son. There was no sarcastic, defensive edge to her voice, just a soft gentleness. Shame reddened Chuck’s face as he involuntarily recalled the last time he’d heard her talk that way.

He closed his eyes and pushed his hands deep into the pockets of his slacks.
The capital of Alabama is Montgomery. The capital of Alaska is Juneau. The capital of Arizona ...

“
Jack, the air conditioner is on,” Tracy said from just inside the door.

“
Sorry. Gimme a minute.”

“
I’ll get it,” she said, but before she could close the door, she found Chuck waiting on the porch. “Jack didn’t mention you were here. That explains why he left the door open.” She stepped out of the way. “You can come in.”

Chuck silently thanked God Tracy hadn’t changed into shorts and a tank top yet. “I’ll just wait for him out here. I think that’d be safer for everybody.”

“
Suit yourself.” She started to close the door.

“
Tracy, thank you.” Chuck surprised himself when he spoke.

“
For what?” Tracy’s eyes narrowed.

“
You told Jack I was a good guy, and you didn’t fight this.”