Rest in Peace (23 page)

He smiled and stood up. “I’ll have my assistant give you a receipt for these and will call you when the translations are complete.”

“All right.” I stood, too, since I was obviously dismissed. “Do you have any idea when you’ll have them done?”

He frowned. “I have a banquet to attend tonight. I might perhaps have time to at least start them tomorrow afternoon. But my assistant will call you.”

“Very well. Thank you, Professor.” I reached my hand across the desk, and he took it in his massive one.

I left the campus feeling like I’d been kicked out of his office. To soothe my feelings, I went through a coffee shop drive-through and treated myself to a caramel cappuccino.

I pulled into the driveway at Cedar Lodge at two forty-five, proud of myself for making good time.

Mabel was putting the chickens into the oven as I walked in.

“My son called.” Excitement filled her voice, and a wide smile graced her face. “A few minutes after you left. He’s fine. He apologized and said he’ll call Sarah tonight. He said he had no idea so much time had passed since he went to the Bordens’ house. He’s not used to drinking, you know.”

“I’m so happy to hear that. Sarah will be ecstatic.”

“He said he was going to call his boss right away and make sure he still had a job. And guess what?” Her face was radiant.

“What? It must be great.”

“He got saved this morning.” She put her hands to her face, but I could still see the tears that were raining down her cheeks. “I’ve been praying for him for years. This morning, he woke up on a cot in a mission. Tom was there, too, but he was still asleep. Bobby went downstairs to see what was going on. Breakfast was being served, so he sat down to eat. A man came over and began to talk to him about the love of God. Bobby said suddenly the words the man was speaking went right into his heart, and he repented right then and there. Then the man led him in a prayer to accept Jesus as his Savior. Oh, my.” She reached for a tissue then wiped her wet face.

“That’s wonderful, Mabel. God is so good.” I gave her a hug. “We were worried about what to tell Sarah, and all the while God was speaking to Bobby’s heart.”

I went up to change into my jeans, praising God all the while. “Thank You, Lord. Your way is so perfect. And You have all the answers. Thank You for the joy that little girl will experience today. Please comfort Bobby and keep him strong. And Lord, I ask that what You’ve done for Bobby, You’ll do for his wife, Carol, and the Bordens. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

When I got back downstairs, Sarah was in the kitchen, laughing and chattering like she’d never had a care in the world. I walked into the kitchen, and she stopped speaking. The look she gave me was one of total joy. When she grabbedme around the waist and hugged me tight, a strange but thrilling sensation bubbled in my chest.

“You kept your promise. You found my daddy for me.” She continued to hang on, and suddenly my arms wrapped around her, and I hugged back.

Finally, I leaned over, brushed her bangs back, and looked into her eyes. “It was really God who did it, honey. He just used me as a tool to get the job done. See how much He loves you, to do that for you?”

A look of awe washed over her face. “God did it for me?”

“Yes, for you and your grandmother and for your daddy.”

A beautiful smile appeared on her face. “Cool. He sure loves me a lot, doesn’t He?”

The phone rang, and Mabel, with tears still flowing, went to answer, then handed it to me.

“Hi, honey.” I knew from Benjamin’s voice he had some good news. “Guess who just turned up at Simon’s house?”

I gasped. “Miss Aggie?”

“The one and only. Fit to be tied because Simon had offered a reward for her. Said she felt like a display in a museum when she was only taking care of some business.” He chortled.

I joined him, laughter bubbling up. Miss Aggie was safe. “When is everyone coming home?”

“Corky and I are leaving now. Miss Aggie is staying on a day or so to talk to the police about a few things and to visit with Simon. Then he’ll bring her home.”

“I have to go tell the seniors. Come by when you get to town.”

“Oh, believe me, sweetheart, I will. I can’t wait to hold you in my arms. I love you, baby.”

“I love you, too.”

I ran up the stairs and called out, “Hey, everyone, Miss Aggie’s coming home!”

Miss Jane’s door was the first to fly open. “What did you say? Aggie’s home?”

By then all the seniors were out in the hall.

“Did you say Aggie’s home?” Miss Georgina’s face was bright enough to light the whole house.

I laughed. “No, but she’s safe, and she’s coming home in a day or two. I just got off the phone with Benjamin.”

We all trooped downstairs and filed into the parlor, where they insisted I tell them about the call from Benjamin, word for word.

“Can you beat it?” Martin frowned. “Here everyone was worried half to death thinking she’d been killed, and she gets mad because her nephew reported her missing and offered a reward. Women.”

Frank winked at him and placed his arm around Miss Evalina. “Aw, Martin. Women are great. Especially my Evie. Maybe if you had one of your own, you wouldn’t be so snappy.”

Miss Evalina blushed and patted her husband’s hand. “Aggie is probably embarrassed that she went off without thinking. We all know she’s a little absentminded sometimes. But I don’t think she set out to deliberately make us worry.”

A tap on the parlor door drew my attention. Mabel stood there smiling. It was a joyful day in more ways than one.

“I’m leaving now, Victoria. I put everything on the steam table. The salad is in the refrigerator, and dessert is already on the buffet.”

“Thanks, Mabel, and I’m so glad everything turned out well with Bobby.” I turned to the seniors. “I want to say good-bye to Sarah.”

She was in the backyard giving Buster a farewell hug. They’d become great friends. In fact, when she was around, I might as well not be. And he used to be stuck to me like glue.

When I walked out the door, she came running, a big grin on her face. “See you tomorrow.”

“Okay, see you tomorrow.” When they drove away, I went into the yard with Buster. “Want to stay out a little longer, boy?”

I’d been making him stay in the yard in the daytime and in the basement at night. He was such a monster dog. An oversize puppy, really.

He rubbed against my leg, and I scratched his head. “Oh, why not? Come on inside.”

He followed me into the parlor and plopped down in front of the fireplace, tolerating the pats and affectionate murmurs the seniors poured on him.

A big grin split his shaggy face. My heart turned over, and I gave him a hug before I flopped down on my chair. What a perfect day.

I was waiting on the front-porch swing with Buster asleep by my feet. Benjamin’s truck pulled up and parked in front of the lodge. I ran to meet him and snuggled into his arms, welcoming the familiar scent of his aftershave. Buster nudged us once, then went back to his spot by the swing.

“How long have you been waiting out here in the cold?” He took my hands and rubbed them.

“It’s not that cold. Only fifty degrees tonight. And I’ve only been outside a half hour or so. The seniors were so excited that they stayed up late. I knew you’d be arriving anytime, so I came out to wait. We can go inside if you’d rather.”

“Nah. Let’s sit on the swing. My favorite place.”

“Mine, too, as long as you’re here with me.”

We sat, and he pulled me close. I leaned my head on his shoulder. The world seemed so right when Ben was near and so wrong when he wasn’t.

“I thought Corky might stop by with you.”

“No, I dropped him by Phoebe’s. That’s where he left his truck. He’s probably still there.”

I laughed. “I’m sure. Oh, by the way, Jack Riley’s back. He said he’d been away on business.”

He raised an eyebrow and grinned.

“Uh-uh.” I put a finger to his lips. “Don’t you dare say ‘I told you so,’ because I’m still not convinced he’s innocent.”

He shook his head. “Vickie, Vickie.”

“Never mind. Tell me about Miss Aggie.”

“I don’t really know anything more than I told you on the phone. She was rip-roaring mad, though.”

“I hope she’ll tell us what’s going on. She didn’t go to Jefferson City merely to sightsee. She’s up to something.”

“You may be right.” He bent his head and nuzzled my neck, sending a thrill clear to my toes.

“Behave yourself.”

“I’m tired of behaving myself. Let’s neck.” A wide yawn interrupted his ardor.

I laughed. “I think what you need is to go home and get some sleep.”

“Yeah, I know. When are we going to finish making plans for the wedding?”

“Let’s talk about it when Miss Aggie gets home and this mystery about Clyde’s death is solved.”

He groaned. “It’s always something.”

I reached over and brushed a lock of his sandy hair from his forehead. “We don’t want an unsolved murder hanging over us during the wedding and our honeymoon, do we?”

He sat up and took my hand. “I guess you’re right. But I don’t even want to think of postponing our wedding day.”

“Neither do I, but I don’t think it’ll come to that. We may be closer than we think to solving Clyde’s murder.”

He narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean? Have you been up to something?”

“Not really, but I think the documents Laura brought me are going to reveal something.”

I told him about the references to Jack Riley in some of the letters and then admitted I’d taken them to be translated.

“I asked you to take them to the sheriff.”

“But I did. I simply made copies first. You know he wouldn’t have told us anything.”

“Does he know you have copies?”

“No, but what difference does that make? I didn’t break any law, and I gave him the originals, so I’m not withholding evidence.”

A muscle jumped beside his mouth, and then he chuckled. “No, I suppose you’re not.”

I leaned over and pressed my lips briefly against his. “Good night.”

“You running me off?”

“Uh-huh. You need to get some rest.”

He stretched and yawned again. “Sorry.”

I laughed. “You don’t need to be sorry. I know you’re not bored. How could you be? You’re with me.”

“Okay. That’s very true.”

“So go home. And don’t try to work tonight, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He jumped up. “One more for the road, okay?”

I laughed and put my arms around his neck. “I love you.”

He bent toward me, and I closed my eyes. His lips pressed against mine, and when he raised his head, I leaned against his chest.

“I love you, too, baby.” His voice was hoarse. “G’night.”

“Good night. Come to dinner tomorrow?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

After he’d gone, I filled Buster’s water bowl and put him in the basement, then turned off the lights and went upstairs.

A few minutes later, I crawled between cool, soft sheets and sank into my down pillows. “Thank You, Lord. For everything.”

With a smile on my lips, I closed my eyes.

I sat up, heart pounding, and glanced at my alarm. Only six o’clock. A scream pierced the air, and a crash reverberated through the house. What in the world? I jumped up and raced across the room, flinging the door open. I raced down the first flight of stairs and headed down the hall, flying past startled seniors with their heads stuck out their doors. I bolted down the next flight of stairs and tripped on the bottom step, almost losing my balance.

A black-and-white streak disappeared down the foyer and into the great hall. Buster thundered after it, barking fiercely. My feet hit the bottom stair and skidded off. I landed on my behind, just as Sarah ran by, her screams as loud as Buster’s barks. Mabel appeared in the kitchen doorway, her eyes wide.

I jumped up and ran to the great hall. The cat crouched on the mantel, snarling down at Buster, while Sarah, who’d grabbed Buster’s collar, hung on to keep him from trying to climb up after the offender.

“Sarah!” I shouted to make myself heard over the snarls and barks. “How did that cat get in here?”

She whipped around. “Oh, did we wake you up?”

“Uh, yeah.”

She looked down at my feet. “You’re barefoot.”