Something Missing (37 page)

And so Martin Railsback, Jr., told Sophie Pearl the story of his life, beginning with the incident in his parents’ driveway so many years ago. He explained the rules by which he operated his business, described a few of his more interesting clients, and explained how he was able to earn a living while remaining undetected.
He told her about his friend Alfredo, and about how the incident in the Claytons’ home had led to the letter to Alan Clayton, and how that letter might have saved the Claytons’ marriage. He told her about Daniel Ashley’s surprise birthday party and the means by which he had intervened to preserve the surprise. He related his encounter with Cujo and Blondie, and how his intervention in the Ashleys’ affairs had led him to Laura. He told her about Laura, their blossoming relationship, and he admitted for the first time (even to himself) that he might be falling in love with her. Finally, he told her about the day that he saw Clive Darrow leaving her home, about how he followed the man to his house and ultimately identified him. He told her about how he had accurately deduced Darrow’s plan, including his intent to use Noah Blake as a patsy for his crime, a fact which Sophie confirmed, though it had taken the police more than a week to figure that out. Though he wanted to leave it out, he also told her about how he had ignored his father’s advice, and how this mistake had ultimately allowed Clive Darrow into Sophie’s home. His eyes filled with tears as he apologized for this error in judgment, and they remained teary as he described his entry into the Pearls’ house that night and his brief but decisive encounter with Darrow.

When he finished, almost an hour had passed, during which time Sophie Pearl had remained nearly silent, interrupting only when asking for details or clarifications. At first Martin had welcomed her silence. It had allowed him to narrate his story with rhythm and ease, but as it grew more protracted, Martin began to feel anxious, wondering if the absence of interruptions was an indicator of her growing anger or terror.

Nevertheless, he had pressed on.

Martin ended his story with a description of his injuries and a brief recounting of the past two weeks, including Laura’s increased presence in his life. When he was at last finished, he
said, “I guess that’s about it” and breathed a sigh of relief. He had done it. He had shared his story with another human being, and regardless of her reaction, he felt as if an enormous weight had been lifted from his shoulders. In some odd way, he felt more real than he had ever felt before.

“Remarkable,” Sophie finally said, after a long moment. “Absolutely remarkable. You’re telling me that you’ve been stea … acquiring things from my house for more than nine years, and I’ve never noticed?”

“I don’t know. Have you?”

“No,” she said, still clearly astonished. “Not once. I remember noticing that the earring was missing, but that kind of thing happens from time to time. Once I couldn’t find it, I put the other one out of my mind completely.”

“I know.”

“Absolutely remarkable,” Sophie repeated, clearly attempting to wrap her mind around everything that Martin had said.

Martin gave her a moment to sort things out before asking the question that he was afraid to ask. “Okay, Mrs. Pearl. Can I ask you a question? I know it probably sounds stupid and presumptuous, but can you forgive me? I can’t imagine how you must be feeling. Pretty disappointed to find out that your hero turned out to be a bad guy, huh?”

Sophie Pearl’s face instantly transformed from a blend of confusion and astonishment to one of sympathy and surprise. “Martin, you are most certainly not a bad man. You saved my life. You saved my husband’s life. And you risked your own life in the process. I honestly don’t know what to think of your career choice, but in the end it was your … it was your job that saved me. I can’t say that I’m happy to hear that you’ve been stealing from me for the past nine years, but I can’t say that I’ve ever noticed either. In a way, I guess you’ve been like my guardian angel. I kept you fed and clothed, and when I needed
you the most, you were there for me. You put your life on the line for me. How could I ever complain about that?”

Martin paused a moment to collect himself. Ever since that day in the driveway with his stepfather, Martin had wondered if the man had been right.

If he had turned out to be nothing more than a low-life criminal.

He never knew how much he had wanted that question answered, until now.

“I don’t know what to say,” Martin sighed, wishing he did. He had just shared more about his life than ever before, and now he felt as if there were no more words left inside him.

“Now listen, Martin, I’m not saying that everyone would feel the way I do. But that’s how I feel. As my mother liked to say, you and I are square in my book.”

“Thank you,” Martin said, wishing he could say more. He wanted to let Sophie Pearl know how much it meant to him to be able to share his story with her, but he doubted that she or anyone else could ever understand.

“So where do you go from here?” Sophie asked, catching Martin by surprise.

“I don’t know,” Martin admitted. “But I promise that you’re not on my client list anymore. Even before you showed up today, I had taken you off my list.”

Sophie laughed. “That’s not what I was talking about, Martin. I was thinking about you. Did you know that the police found your blood inside my house? On the railing. On the phone. All over. They didn’t have your DNA on record, so they couldn’t match the blood in my house to you, but you should know that there’s a sample of you on record now. If they were ever to find your DNA somewhere else or get a sample from you, they could match you up to my house. And like I said, the police suspect that you don’t want to be found. Most of them think that you’re
a hero, but that you’re a hero with something to hide. You’ll need to be very careful in the future, if you plan on continuing in your line of work.”

“You wouldn’t report me if I did?”

“Martin, you don’t listen very well, do you? I can’t say that I approve of your line of work, but in the end, I don’t think you’re hurting anyone. And Martin, you saved my life. There’s no way that I’m going to send you to jail for stealing unused jewelry forgotten dishes, and laundry detergent.”

“Oh,” Martin said with genuine surprise.

“But with that said, I really think you should reconsider your choice of career. You’re a smart guy, Martin. Brilliant perhaps. You must be. You could be doing so much more.”

“Maybe.” Martin thought about his novel but doubted that he could make a living writing. Still, it was at least an alternative.

“And what about Laura?” Sophie asked. “You said that you might love her. Do you plan on lying to her forever?”

“I… I don’t know,” Martin answered, suddenly feeling defensive.

“Martin, from what you’ve told me, I think this woman might be falling in love with you, too. But you won’t have any future together unless you tell her the truth.”

“I can’t tell Laura the truth,” Martin protested, the mere suggestion sounding ridiculous to his ear. “She’d leave me in a second.”

Sophie reached out and took Martin by the hand again. “If you don’t tell her the truth, she’s going to leave you anyway. Your lies are just holding back the inevitable. And in the end, they will hurt her more than you can imagine.”

The thought of hurting Laura stung Martin more than he’d have thought possible.

“But you may still have time,” Sophie continued. “You’ve
only been together for a few weeks. I’m not going to say that your odds of staying together are good, but if you don’t come clean now, you’ll have no odds. If you want a future with this woman, you need to tell her the truth today.”

Martin knew that Sophie was right. He had known it from the moment that he and Laura first met. Sooner or later, Laura would demand to meet his imaginary parents or his fictitious sister, and when Martin couldn’t produce them, she would know that he had deceived her, and she would leave him. He had known this for a long time but had been avoiding it until now.

“What should I say to her?”

“Tell her exactly what you told me today. Everything. Leave nothing out. She’s going to be angry at first. She’ll probably storm out of the house before you finish. But she may come back after she’s had some time to think. I can’t promise that she will, but she might. And if you need my support, I will be there for you. I can make a hell of a character witness, especially for a guy who saved my life.”

“Thanks. I might need one,” Martin said, realizing that, without any deliberation, he was going to follow Sophie’s advice. In the end, he knew that it was his only chance to be with Laura.

“And you realize that if she decides to give you a second chance, you’ll have to change careers. If she loves you, she can’t let you continue on as you’ve been. It’s going to mean a lot of changes in your life. Is she worth it?”

“I think she might be,” Martin said. “I never thought that I’d meet anyone more important to me than my job, but Laura might just be the one.”

“Then you’re a lucky man, Martin. It may sound strange, but you’ve got it pretty easy. You don’t have to worry about making the right decision. It sounds as if you only have one choice.”

“I think so.”

“Good,” Sophie said, standing up and reaching for her purse. “Then I think it’s time for me to go.”

Martin stood as well, meeting her eye to eye and reaching out to shake her hand. Sophie swatted his hand away and hugged him instead with her one free arm.

“Thank you, Mrs. Pearl.”

“No, Martin. Thank
you
. You saved my life. Never forget that. I certainly won’t.”

Martin nodded, unable, for the moment, to speak, distracted by the vaguely formed notion that Sophie Pearl may have just saved his.

Sophie turned and walked to the front door, leaving Martin standing beside the couch, overwhelmed with the knowledge of what lay ahead of him. At the door, she turned and said, “And Martin, just because I’m walking through this door doesn’t mean I’m walking out of your life. Sherman doesn’t know about you yet, and I’m not sure if I’m going to tell him. I can keep secrets too, you know. But I’ll be here for you if you need me. You made a new friend today, and I’d like to think that I made one too.”

“You did.”

“Good,” she said. “Then call me Sophie. And call me when you have some news about your lady friend, okay? I assume you still have my number?”

Martin smiled. “I do. And I will. I just hope it’s good news.”

“Me too, Martin,” she said with a smile.

With that, Sophie turned and left. Martin remained standing in place for quite a while before deciding upon his next course of action. First, he would call Laura at her office.

“Change of plans. Dinner at my place,” he would announce, without even saying hello. Give her a taste of her own medicine. “And I’m doing the cooking.”

He would cook her favorite dish, chicken marsala, and he would order half a dozen black and white cookies from the Elm-wood Pastry Shop in hopes that she might still be around for dessert. Over wine and dinner, Martin would tell Laura his story, and he would hope and pray for the best.

He wondered where he would begin.