Righteous Obsession (34 page)

“So, you married Peter Matthews,” Jeff remarked,
shoving his hands into his pockets and strolling around.  “I don’t know why I
didn’t think of him right away when I started searching for Colin.”

“Did you think I was pining away for you after you ran
out on me?  I had better things to do!”  Amanda snapped then took a deep
breath.  “You were searching for Colin?  Why?”

“I started searching for him after my son, Dave, was
born. He’s two years younger than Colin.  I discovered how much I enjoyed being
a father and I wanted to be a father to my other child, too.  I got stymied at
first because I didn’t know his sex or his birth date.”  He looked up at
Amanda.  “You never told me how far along you were.”

“You didn’t stay around to find out!”

“No, I didn’t,” Jeff agreed, surprising her with his
honesty.  “My first glimmer of hope came when I obtained a copy of our divorce
decree that said you were granted custody of a minor male child, Colin.  I
couldn’t find a trace of him anywhere after that.  Of course, I didn’t know you
had remarried and Peter had adopted Colin.”

“No, you just arrogantly assumed that every man is as
irresponsible as you!”  She replied sarcastically.

He ignored her barbs and continued,  “Several months
ago, mom sent me a clipping about California’s new attorney general that
mentioned his wife, Amanda and two sons, Colin and Liam.  I suspected I’d
finally found my long-lost son. Shortly afterwards, there was that cover story
in
People Weekly
about Unforgiven.  Seeing Colin’s picture was
confirmation that he was my son, and I hired a private investigator to get me
as much information on Colin as he could.”

“Did you ever try to contact Colin?”

“I have his address and cell phone number, but every
time I’d decide I’d contact him I’d get cold feet.”

“Well, you didn’t make much of an effort it seems.”

“Because I didn’t know what to say to him.  After all,
I had no idea what you’d told him about us,” Jeff said pointedly.

“We never bad-mouthed you, if that’s what you’re
implying!”  Amanda snapped and then bit her lip, vowing to control her temper. 
She took a deep breath before she continued, “When Colin was ten we told him
that Peter was his adoptive father and, that you and I had split up before his
birth.  We told him we didn’t know where you were.  He accepted our explanation
and never brought it up again.  Believe me, I would have loved to tell him the
real truth about what a no-good rat you were, but Peter said it would only hurt
Colin and convinced me not to do it.”

“You couldn’t have hated me that much, Amanda.  You
put my name on his birth certificate and his middle name is Jeffrey.”

“Don’t flatter yourself!”  She retorted.  “I wanted to
put Peter’s name on Colin’s birth certificate, but Peter said it wouldn’t be
fair to Colin.  As for his middle name – it went nice with his first name!” 
She sighed and bit her lip again.  “Why don’t we drop this?”

“Agreed,” Jeff replied.  “You know, my daughter,
Caitlin and I went Colin’s concert in Minneapolis.  I was really amazed.  I
have no idea where he got his talent – certainly not from me.”

Amanda smiled for the first time since her ex-husband
had appeared on the scene.  “Or from me either.”  She frowned.  “Does your
family know about Colin?”

“My wife knew I was married before and had a child,
but I’m sure she didn’t know it was Colin until recently.”

“Meaning?”

Jeff sighed, stuck his hands into his pockets and
started to pace around the terrace.  A look a recognition crossed Amanda’s face
as she watched him.  “It’s really strange, but I’ve seen Colin do that exact
same thing when he’s trying to work something out.”

 “It’s an unconscious habit of mine.  It drives some
of my co-workers nuts.”  He looked up at Amanda.  “In regards to my wife; she’s
a member of the morality group, Purity in Programming that were picketing
Colin’s concert.  I assume she must have seen Colin and since his resemblance
to me is pretty obvious she was probably able to figure out he was my son.  My
marriage has been on the shaky side since that night.”

“I’m sorry.”

Jeff shrugged, embarrassed.  “Do the police have any
idea who did this to Colin?”

“They think it may have been a religious fanatic of some
kind. He had Colin’s cell number and was leaving threatening calls on his
voicemail, claiming God had ordered him to kill Colin.”

A definite look of unease crossed Jeff’s face. “Do
they know this for sure or are they guessing?”

“The police have downloaded the threatening messages
from Colin’s cell phone, but Liam and Alethea heard him say it before he
stabbed Colin.  He was apparently stalking Colin too.  Whoever did this knew a
great deal about him.”

“That isn’t unusual though since Colin is a public figure.”

“I mean he knew things that weren’t public knowledge
like how close Colin and Liam are.  He knew that Colin would have done anything
to save Liam – up to and including sacrificing his own life.”

“He got to Colin by kidnapping Liam?”

“Yes. Colin and Liam have always been close despite a
nine-year age difference.”  She straightened up suddenly and gave Jeff a hard
look.  “Colin’s an adult so there’s no way Peter and I can prevent you from
seeing him.  I’d prefer if you’d wait until we’ve broken the news to him.  I’ll
give you fair warning right now – if you hurt him, there won’t be a place on
the face of the entire earth where you can hide from me!”  She walked quickly
past him and went inside.  Much to her annoyance, Jeff refused to leave, but
spent most of his time quietly chatting with Alethea.

“Why don’t we go back to Beau and Louisa’s?”  Amanda
suggested.  “Colin’s still sleeping and I want to be there when Detective
Wickersham and the police artist interview Liam.”

“Are you sure he won’t try to see Colin if he wakes
up?”  Peter asked darkly.

“No.  Let’s go.”

“You know, Mandy we’re going to have to tell Colin
that Jeff’s here and wants to see him.”

“I know.  I suppose we’d better do it right away, but
I hate dumping all this on him when he’s so weak!”

“I know.  I feel the same way, but it’d be worse for
him if he found out on his own,” Peter said as they left, leaving Alethea with
Jeff.

“Do you have other children besides Colin?”  Alethea
asked Jeff.

“Yes, I have two.  Dave, who’s twenty-six and was ordained
a priest earlier this year; he’ll be leaving to do graduate study in Rome in
about three weeks.  I also have a daughter, Caitlin whose nineteen and just
finished her first year of college.  She’s anxious to meet you both.”

“Colin will be happy to hear he has a younger sister.”

 “You know, I saw you when I was in San Francisco on
business earlier this spring.  I drove past Colin’s house in the off chance I
might catch a glimpse of him and I saw you both out washing a Jeep.”  He smiled
wistfully.  “When Caitlin told me that Colin had gotten married I did wonder if
you were the one he married.”

“Why didn’t you ever stop and introduce yourself as
long as you had Colin’s address?”

Jeff sighed.  “I guess I just didn’t know what to say
and I’m still not sure I know even now.”

Colin was sitting in a chair when Alethea and his
parents arrived early in the evening.  Alethea gave him a hug and a kiss.  “How
are you feeling?”  She had dropped Jeff off at a hotel then gone back to her
parents’ home took a shower, ate, and had a short nap.

He smiled.  “Well, kind of groggy still, but aside
from the fact it feels like a herd of elephants trod over my stomach I don’t
feel too bad.”

Amanda brushed aside his hair and gave him a kiss.  “What
are you doing up?”  She asked, as she felt his forehead.

Colin laughed.  “They got me up and walked me just
around the room, but I feel like I ran a ten-mile marathon!  I didn’t feel like
going back to bed so they let me sit up for awhile.”

“Has Doctor Trumbull been in to see you yet?”  Peter
asked, giving him a hug.

“He was in about a half-hour ago.  He said I still
have a slight temperature, but other than that I’m doing well.”  He shifted a
bit and said, “I guess I am getting kind of tired and my side’s starting to
hurt a bit.  Could you help me back to bed?”

Amanda and Peter helped him back into bed and Alethea
tucked the blanket around him.  He settled back.  “Oh!  I almost forgot to tell
you that they’re transferring me out of here tomorrow.  I’m just going down the
hall to what they call acute care.  I think I’ll be getting rid of this thing
finally too.”  Colin said, nodding at his IV line.”  He sobered suddenly.  “I
want to apologize too for causing you all this trouble and worry.”  He looked at
Alethea with a half-grin.  “This definitely wasn’t the honeymoon I had
planned!”

“It’s all right.  You saved Liam’s life and you’re okay
so that’s what really counts,” his mother replied.

“And we can always take a honeymoon later on,” Alethea
added.

There was clatter outside in the hallway and then a
nurse carrying a tray followed by Doctor Trumbull came into the room.

“How are you feeling, Colin?  Any pain?”  He asked.

“Not much.  What’s that?”  He asked, pointing to the
tray.  “Not anything that has to be injected, I hope.”

“No.  This is your supper,” He replied, setting the
tray down in front of Colin.  “I’m going to start you out on a liquid diet then
tomorrow night we’ll try some solid food.”

Colin eyed his banquet of tea, broth and Jell-O
dubiously and said, “Really, I’d much rather have Alethea’s Cajun spaghetti or
mom’s chili and for dessert, Grandma Beth’s blueberry cobbler.”

“That sounds delicious,” Dr. Trumbull smiled. 
“However, this will have to do for now.”

“I suppose,” Colin replied with a sigh.  “By the way,
I never got a chance to thank you for saving my butt!”

“You’re welcome, but I just did the repair work and
you did the rest.”  He pointed at the tray.  “Right now, I want to see
everything eaten.”

“Okay,” Colin agreed.  “If you’ll answer one more
question?”

“Of course,” Doctor Trumbull replied.

“When can I get out of here?”

“Colin!  You just had major surgery!”  Alethea
admonished him.  “Let’s not rush things!”

“As long as there aren’t any other problems I think
you could possibly be out by the end of the week.”

“That’s great!”  Colin exclaimed.  After Doctor
Trumbull had left, he turned to his parents.  “I’ll make you a deal – I’ll eat
this stuff if you tell me what’s the story is on that guy who was in here
earlier.”

Amanda bowed her head for a moment and squeezed
Peter’s hand.  She looked up again.  “Colin, there’s no easy way to tell you
this, but that’s Jeff Michaels.”

Colin lay back in silence while he tried to make some
sense out of what his mother had said.  His biological father who hadn’t given
a flying fuck about him in twenty-eight years was here now?

“Do you remember what we told you about him when you
were ten?”  Peter asked.

He nodded.  “I remember.”

“Well, we didn’t exactly tell you the whole story,”
Amanda added.

“You mean that he ran out on you after you told him
you were pregnant?”  Noticing his mother’s shocked expression, Colin explained,
“Grandma Eileen told me.  She was still pretty steamed about it after fourteen
years!”

Amanda smiled faintly.  “Your grandparents were none
too fond of Jeff.  They thought he was shallow, irresponsible, and immature.”

“It sounds like they had him pegged!  Why did you
marry him – if you don’t mind my asking?”

“I think, mainly, so we could have sex.”  She noticed
Colin’s uncomfortable expression.  “Does that shock you?”

“No, but …” Colin glanced uneasily at his father.

“Goodness, Colin, your father already knows all this.”

“But you didn’t have to marry him just for that, Mom,”
he pointed out.

She shook her head.  “Well, I guess I wasn’t as free-spirited
as a lot of girls in that era.  Maybe, if Jeff and I had slept together; we
would have found out we had nothing in common besides sex.”

“Did you love him?”

“I thought I did, but we were so different – I knew
exactly what I wanted to do and what I had to do to get there while Jeff just
wanted to party.”

“I guess I don’t understand how you could marry such a
jerk.”

His mother smiled wistfully.  “Like so many other
women, I thought I could change him and …” She blushed.  “Good sex makes up for
a lot of other deficiencies.”

“Not forever, though,” Colin said.

“As I was soon to find out,” she replied, her tone
still revealing some bitterness.

“How did you meet mom, Dad?”

Peter smiled at Amanda.  “I met your mother on the
very first day of school.  She was in my first class and I thought she was the
most beautiful girl I’d ever seen.  I think I must have fallen in love with her
at that moment!”

Amanda smiled back at him, but remained silent.

“Do you think you want to meet Jeff, Colin?”  Peter
asked, changing the subject.

“You know, I’ve never been the least bit curious about
him.  He was just a name on my birth certificate as far as I was concerned, but
since he’s here I’ll admit to being somewhat curious about him.”  He frowned. 
“I don’t want anything to do with him if it means things will change.”

His father understood immediately what he was driving
at and gave him a reassuring hug.  “Colin, you’re my son – nothing can ever
change that! I loved you from the first moment I saw you.”

Colin squeezed Alethea’s hand.  She had been silently
listening to his parents’ stories.

“When did dad ask you to marry him, Mom?”

“I was being wheeled out of the recovery room after my
Cesarean and I looked terrible so I knew he must really love me,” she laughed
and gave Peter a kiss.  “After I was moved into a room your father convinced a
nurse, strictly against hospital rules, to bring you in so I could see you and
hold you.”

“Then she staggered in holding a baby whale!”  Colin
joked.

“You weren’t either!  True, you were big, but you were
very healthy with a head full of gorgeous dark hair.”

“It doesn’t look so gorgeous now!”  Colin remarked,
examining his hair that was in bad need of washing.  “I’d give anything just to
be able to take a shower!”

Noticing that Colin kept shifting his position and
appeared to be tiring, Peter motioned to Amanda.  “We’re going to leave now,
but we’ll be back first thing tomorrow.”

“Okay.  How’s Liam doing?”

“He’s been having some bad nightmares.  He spent this
afternoon with Detective Wickersham and a police artist doing a composite of
the perpetrator,” Amanda said.

“Would you tell him for me that I love him and I’m
really proud of him?  I know it couldn’t have been easy for him, but he did it
anyway and that takes guts!  Tell him I’d like to see him and he can call me
anytime, night or day, if he wants to talk.”

“We’ll tell him.”  Peter assured him.

“I love you,” Colin said, giving them both a hug.  “Thanks
for telling me about …him.”

“We love you, Colin,” Peter responded.  Both he and
Amanda gave Colin a hug.

“Now, get some rest.”  He turned to Alethea.  “Are you
going to stay here longer, Alethea?”

She nodded.  “Buck said to call him when I want to
leave and he’ll pick me up.”

Amanda paused beside his bed as she was leaving and
said, “Colin, you know you don’t have to see Jeff if you don’t want to see
him?”

“I know, Mom.”

After his parents had left, Colin stared out the
window, deep in thought.  It was true he didn’t have to see Jeff if he didn’t
want to, but if he didn’t he would always be hanging out there like a loose
thread.  What didn’t make sense to him was why Jeff would suddenly appear now
and be so concerned about him when he hadn’t shown the slightest bit of
interest in him for the previous twenty-eight years?

“What are you thinking about?”  Alethea asked.

Colin looked up, startled.  She’d been so quiet he’d
forgotten she was still here.  He shrugged.  “I guess there’s only one thing I
can think about right now.”

“Whether or not you’re going to see you father?”

“He’s not my father,” Colin corrected her.

“Okay, your biological father then.  Are you going to
see him?”

“I don’t know.  I think he has a lot of nerve.  I mean
where was he when she was in labor all that time?  Did he walk the floor with
me all night and still go to classes the next day?  Did he sit up all night
with me when I was sick?  A big fat no!  Now that he doesn’t have to take any
responsibility for me he thinks he can just waltz in here and grab a piece of
my life!”

“People change, Colin,” Alethea argued.  “I think he
regrets what he did and wants to make up for it.”

“Maybe,” Colin admitted grudgingly.

“I’ve talked to him a little.  He seems really nice
and he is concerned about you.  You look a lot like him.”

“I always assumed I did.”

“He’s quite sexy for an older man!”  Alethea teased. 
“If you’re going to look like he does in twenty years, I may not trade you in
for a newer model!”

Colin rolled his eye.  “Imagine my relief!”

She giggled and then continued, “When I heard him
speak I was amazed how much alike you two sound.”

Colin smiled slightly.  “You know, it’s funny.  When
he was talking to me after I had that nightmare, I kept thinking that his voice
was familiar yet I knew I didn’t know him.  I guess his voice was familiar
because it’s my voice I was hearing.  I suppose he’s married?”

“Yes, he said besides you he has a son, Dave and a
daughter, Caitlin.”

“He doesn’t have me by any stretch of his
imagination!”  Colin replied irritably.

Alethea ignored his peevishness and asked, “Are you
going to see him?”

Colin shrugged.  “I wish I had the answer to that.”