Beyond a Doubt

by Colleen Coble

  Lauri went to the kitchen and found a sleeve of saltine crackers. Munching a few of them, she went back to her room and packed her backpack. Rummaging through its contents for her favorite barrette, her hand touched the plastic wrapper of the sanitary napkins she always carried.

  The blood drained from her face as she pulled one out. When was the last time she’d had her period? Her hands shook as she grabbed her school calendar out of her backpack. It had been over a month, hadn’t it? She counted back. She was more than two weeks late.

  Her legs refused to support her, and she slowly sank to the edge of the bed. Could it be? Everything in her rebelled at the thought. There was no way she could be pregnant, was there? She felt the need to throw up again, but this time from sheer fright.

  Kade would kill her. She’d have to drop out of school in her sophomore year. There was no way she’d face the sly smiles and hurtful remarks of the catty girls at school. She wasn’t a whore—she wasn’t. Brian was the only boy she’d ever done it with. But everyone would call her that. For the first time, Lauri was glad her mother wasn’t alive.

  But maybe she was jumping to conclusions. There could be some other reason for her nausea and late period. She could have cancer or something. In fact, cancer would be preferable. For a moment, Lauri imagined herself wasting away in the hospital. Dressed in a gorgeous peignoir, she would watch as classmates filed in to see her, expressing their grief at the thought of losing her.

  She shook herself out of her reverie. There was only one way to find out. If she hurried, she could stop at the drugstore on the way to school. Cramming the rest of her things into her backpack, she grabbed her jacket and ran to her car.

  There was a free parking space right in front of the drugstore. She pulled into it and killed the engine. Glancing around, she was relieved to see the streets were fairly empty. She grabbed her wallet out of her backpack and went inside.

  Where did she find what she needed? Other girls had giggled about scares like this, but Lauri had never imagined the trauma of it. She hurried to the feminine-hygiene aisle and found what she was looking for. But which test was best? She wanted something accurate. She finally settled on one that promised to turn pink with a positive test. If she was pregnant, she wanted a girl.

  Walking toward the counter, she stopped in the aisle. What if someone saw her buying this? They would know. Maybe she should wait and go out of town after school. She started to put it back, then turned with sudden resolve back toward the counter. No way could she go through the whole day worrying about this. She had to know.

  The clerk was new, a complete stranger, so she was thankful for that. She forked over her money, then carried the test to the car, putting it in her backpack. At first break, she would go to the rest room and take it.

  Lauri’s fingers felt numb as she pulled out the pregnancy test and opened the package, her hands shaking so badly it took several tries to tear it open. After reading the instructions, she went to the toilet stall and followed them.

  She would have to wait five minutes. She stared at her watch. Her thoughts whirled in a kaleidoscope of confusion.

  The seconds ticked by in an agony of delay. Lauri dared not look at the test strip until the time was up. She wanted to know, yet she didn’t. Chewing on her thumbnail, she waited. Finally, she took a deep breath and held up the test strip. The pink line was in the test results window. For a moment she stared at it, certain she was looking in the wrong place. Maybe it was the collection line that showed it was working properly. But a closer look showed the other pink line that showed the test was correct.

  She was going to have a baby.

  Closing her eyes, she swayed on the toilet seat. Stay calm, she told herself. A girl today had options. She could abort it. But even as the thought crossed her mind, she knew she could never do that. What would her mother think? She believed her mother was in heaven looking down on her. Her mother would be horribly disappointed in her if she ever did something like that. No, abortion wasn’t an option.

  The future stretched before her: a series of scenes like a movie. Late nights changing diapers, a baby crying constantly, dances she wouldn’t be able to go to, parties she’d never attend, students who would turn their backs on her.

  On shaky legs, she exited the stall and went to the bench. She’d just settled on it when the swinging door to the gym opened and her old friend Ruth came in. Her sweet round face invited people to tell her their troubles.

  “Hi,” Ruth said. “You okay? Have you been crying?”

  There was such a wealth of caring and genuine love in Ruth’s voice that the hold Lauri had on her emotions broke, and she burst into tears.

  “Nothing’s okay,” she sobbed.

  Ruth rushed to her side and put her arms around her. “What’s wrong, Lauri? Can I help?”

  That was something Lauri had forgotten about Ruth—her giving, helpful nature. She was a Christian too, which had been something that once attracted Lauri to her, but as her path went in another direction, it had made her pull away from Ruth. Now Lauri knew she needed something bigger than herself to turn to.

  “I don’t know what to do.” She buried her face against Ruth’s shoulder and cried. When the tears were spent, she pulled away and wiped her eyes shakily.

  “You want to talk about it?” Tears stood in Ruth’s eyes as well.

  “I’m pregnant,” Lauri said with stark simplicity.

  Ruth’s brown eyes widened. She swallowed, and her Adam’s apple bobbed. “Are you sure?”

  Her friend’s careful tone nearly brought the tears to the surface again, but Lauri managed to swallow them down. “Yes, I’m sure. I just took a test.”

  Ruth gripped her hand. “Yikes! What are you going to do? Have you told Brian?”

  Bless her friend for knowing Lauri well enough to know that only one boy could be the father. “I just now found out. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

  “Maybe he’ll marry you.”

  “No, I don’t want to marry him.” Stating it so baldly shocked Lauri to her core. She didn’t love Brian. She didn’t want to marry him. She didn’t even want to be his girlfriend anymore. The price was too high. Too bad she hadn’t realized that a few months ago.

  If Ruth was surprised, she managed to keep it to herself, for she just squeezed Lauri’s hand. “How can I help? I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”

  “I’m sorry,” Lauri said with heartfelt humility.

  “For what?”

  “For not being your friend. For forgetting how important our friendship was.”

  Ruth absorbed the apology for a few moments. “That’s okay. I knew you were just star-struck.”

  Good term. But the stars had sure taken a hike now. For the first time in months Lauri looked at her life and realized what a mess she was in. But at least she had a friend. That was more than she’d had this morning.

  “What should I do, Ruthie?” she whispered.

  “I don’t know.” Ruth returned the pressure on her hand.

  “What would you do?” Lauri knew that was a ridiculous question. Ruth would never find herself in this situation because she planned to stay a virgin until she married. If only Lauri had been that smart.

  “What about . . . adoption?”

  To give away her own flesh and blood? “I don’t know,” she said doubtfully. A vision of Naomi’s smiling face flashed into her head. She cared enough that she’d taken time out from her own wedding to counsel Lauri, not that Lauri had been ready to listen at the time. But if she could make sure her baby had a mother like Naomi, maybe she could do it.

  “You don’t have to decide now,” Ruth pointed out. “You’ll need to talk to your brother. He’ll help you.”

  “He’ll kill me,” Lauri said, her shoulders drooping.

  “No, he won’t. Dinah and I always wished we had a brother like yours. You’ve been pretty mean to him lately, like you’ve . . .” She broke off and looked away.

  Lauri w
inced. She had been mean to everyone, even her two best friends since grade school. Had the problems with Kade been mostly her fault? She closed her eyes and sighed. Lately it seemed everything was her fault. And she didn’t know how to fix any of it.

  “Maybe you’re right,” she said, opening her eyes. “I don’t want to tell him. I’m not sure I can.”

  “Want me to come with you when you do?” Ruth was still holding her hand.

  Lauri sighed again heavily. “Don’t I wish! But this is something I’d better do myself. You don’t want to witness a murder.”

  “He’s not going to touch you.”

  “I might wish he would. It might hurt less than his words.”

  Both girls fell silent at this bit of truth. “You going to tell him tonight?” Ruth chewed on her lip.

  “I don’t know. Maybe. I have to work up the nerve.”

  “It’s just going to bug you until you do. Might as well get it over with.”

  “Maybe.” The bell signaling the end of break sounded. Lauri stood. “Want to sit together for lunch?”

  Ruth’s eyes widened, and for a minute Lauri thought she might cry. Shame overwhelmed her at what she’d put her friend through.

  “Sure. Dinah too?”

  “Yeah. I want to tell her what a bonehead I’ve been.”

  Lauri wiped away the last trace of tears from her face. Her stomach heaved at the thought of telling Kade. He wouldn’t take it nearly as well as Ruth had.

  21

  It was all Bree could do to stack sweaters on the display table. Naomi should be home anytime. It seemed her best friend had been gone for years instead of days. So much had happened.

  She glanced at her watch again. Nearly eleven o’clock on this Saturday morning. Her cell phone buzzed at her waist. She grabbed it up. “This is Bree.”

  “Bree, it’s me. What’s going on?”

  “Mrs. O’Reilly, you’re home! When did you get in?”

  “Just now. I called your house and got the answering machine saying to call you at Anu’s. Why are you staying there?” she demanded.

  “Well . . .”

  “Spill it!”

  “Someone set a fire in the basement of my lighthouse. You’d just left town after the wedding, and we were cleaning up the church.”

  “Oh, Bree, no! Who would try to destroy that wonderful old lighthouse?”

  “We don’t know. Luckily, the blaze was caught before it did more than minor smoke damage. The cleanup is almost finished, and I’m about ready to move back in.”

  “Praise God! But arson, Bree—that’s so scary.” Naomi sounded near tears.

  “Tell me about it! I have lots more to tell you too. Some strange things have been happening. When we get together, I’ll tell you all about it. I’ve sure missed you.”

  “I’d say I missed you too, but we were almost too busy to even realize how long we’d been gone. The kids loved the mountains, and we looked through all the tacky souvenir shops and watched for bears, all the fun stuff. But it’s good to be home. When can you come over?”

  “Can I come today?” Anu would let her slip away.

  “Don’t be silly! Of course. Come for lunch?” Naomi suggested.

  “It’s a date. Davy will be thrilled to see Timmy. You mentioned bears, and it reminded me I need to pick up some bear spray for my ready-pack. Want me to get you some too? The bears are out of their dens by now. We’re going to do a deep-woods training session next week.”

  “Yeah, I’m out too. When can you come over?”

  Bree glanced at the stack of sweaters she needed to finish. “Give me an hour.”

  Davy bounced with excitement on Naomi’s walk. Rushing ahead of Bree, he pressed the doorbell then turned the doorknob.

  “Wait a minute, Davy. This isn’t like when Naomi lived next door. You can’t just go rushing in. Other people live here too.” Bree caught up with her son and took his hand.

  The door flew open and Naomi enveloped Bree in a hug. “Gosh, I’ve missed you! Why on earth didn’t you just come in?”

  “I wasn’t sure if Donovan was here or not. I felt funny just barging in.” Bree looked around, trying not to focus on how much things were going to change now between her and Naomi.

  “You don’t have to knock,” Naomi said.

  From the trepidation in her voice, Bree knew the difference in their circumstances was just now hitting her friend. She dug in her pocket. “Here’s your bear spray. Got any bears hanging around?”

  “Only Donovan when he hasn’t had his coffee,” Naomi said with a grin.

  Bree smiled. “You look marvelous! I’ve never seen you so relaxed and happy. Marriage must agree with you.”

  “You might say that,” Naomi agreed smugly.

  “Wuv, twue wuv,’” Bree deadpanned.

  Naomi made a face at her, then knelt to hug Davy, who allowed it, then raced past her with Samson on his heels to find Timmy.

  Bree followed Naomi into the kitchen. She sniffed the pot of soup and smiled. “Where’s Donovan?”

  “At the hardware store. I think he might be gone awhile.” The front door banged, and Naomi smiled. “I guess I was wrong. There he is now.”

  Donovan came through the kitchen door and went straight to Naomi. Bree watched him kiss her. “Hey, you two, no PDA.”

  “We can have all the public demonstrations of affection we want,” Naomi said smugly. “I’m a married woman now.”

  Donovan grinned and kissed her again. “I’ll check on the kids,” he told them. “I know you two have a lot to catch up on.”

  “Coward,” Bree called after him. “You’re just afraid we’ll set you to washing carrots.”

  “Guilty as charged,” he said with a laugh.

  Bree turned back to Naomi. “I’m so happy for you, I could cry,” she said.

  “Looks like you’re on the verge already. Now tell me everything that’s going on.”

  Bree sighed. “You won’t believe it. Quentin is still lurking around Anu’s; at least I think it’s been him I’ve seen.”

  “Have they proved he set fire to your house?”

  “No, but who else would want to torch my place? He tried to run me off the road, and that proves how enraged he is at me and Anu.”

  Naomi nodded. “I’m not arguing with you. Did you find out for sure whose body was in your basement?”

  Bree nodded. “The lighthouse keeper, Peter Thorrington.”

  “He’s the guy who rescued Argie Hamel, right? My mother is good friends with Argie’s sister. She’s told me some of the old stories.”

  “You won’t believe this, but it turns out Peter was also friends with Abe, Parker, and Landorf, and he and Abe disappeared about the same time. I’ve even wondered if Abe Nicholls’ disappearance is connected. I just feel it’s all tied in somehow, if I can just figure it out.”

  “Maybe we’re just not seeing the connection yet.”

  “I’ll figure it out. I have to,” Bree said grimly.

  “Stalkers, arson—this is scary stuff, Bree. I’m not sure you should get any more involved. Let Mason handle it.”

  “He has his hands full with another murder out at Whetstone Falls.”

  “Another murder?” Naomi grasped the edge of the counter. “Turn my back for a week, and you’re up to your pretty neck in intrigue.”

  Bree told her about Bejamin Mallory. Just being able to talk about it helped. What would she do without Naomi? “I have to figure it out,” Bree said.

  Naomi sighed. “You’re like a pit bull when you get your teeth into something. I’ll have to help you then. The kids are back to school next week. We’ll see what we can find out.”

  “Oh, I have missed you!” Bree exclaimed. “Talking to you helps me focus my thoughts. What would I do without you?”

  Naomi grabbed a spoon and went to stir the soup. “Luckily, you don’t have to find out,” she said.

  Mason’s office was humming with activity when Kade walked in. The fax oozed out seve
ral pages, then paused and oozed out three more with great exertion. One woman sat waiting on a chair. Dressed in fatigue pants and army boots, she was doing something with her Palm Pilot as she asked a deputy some questions about the town. Kade recognized her as Cassie Hecko, Bree’s new student. She was new to town, and Kade knew little about her. Cassie had started bringing her sheltie to search-and-rescue training and was close-mouthed about her past.

  She ignored Kade as he walked past her and down the hall to Mason’s office. Mason’s door was open, and he sat in his chair looking out the window.

  “Doesn’t look like you’re swamped with work,” Kade said, shutting the door behind him.

  Mason grinned. “I’ve got plenty to keep me busy, just don’t have the ambition to start. Hilary had me up half the night talking baby names.”

  Kade smiled. “Then I assume you’re ready to talk shop for a while?”

  “You’re here to see what I found out about Benjamin Mallory, eh?” He rummaged through the stack of papers on his desk. He pulled out a piece of paper and read it aloud. “Benjamin Mallory, age twenty-nine, dropped out of high school when he was sixteen, picked up for possession of an unregistered firearm at age eighteen, possession of marijuana at nineteen. He was even suspected by the Canadian government of being involved in smuggling, though nothing was ever proved.” He cleared his throat. “Here’s where it gets interesting. According to the Houghton department, he got a job at the fish cannery and was a model employee. I talked with his parents, and he apparently became a Christian and changed. He went to schools and talked to kids about staying off drugs and staying in school. A guy like that doesn’t seem the type to be killed in the woods and be involved in men with guns.”

  “No, he doesn’t.” Kade thought quickly. “Unless he crossed wires with someone supplying drugs to high-school kids. You have cause of death back yet?”

  Mason nodded. “Gunshot wound, just as we thought.”

  Kade winced. “Man.”

  “Forensics is still going over the clothing and backpack you found. No news so far.”