Abide With Me (The Barn Church Series Book 3)

by Shellie Arnold

  “Julius, are we any closer to clearing my name?”

  “I’m afraid not. Do you know a woman named Trina Iles?”

  “Not that I recall.”

  “She contacted the FBI when she didn’t get expected dividend checks from PGI. She was interviewed by several news stations this morning.”

  “You told me not to watch the news.”

  “Better for you that you’re following my instructions. She says she had an online video call with you before she invested.”

  “That’s not true!”

  “Don’t panic. This might be a good thing. If we can prove she is mistaken, it’ll be a big step toward convincing both the State Prosecutor and the FBI they need to broaden their investigation.”

  “Tell me what to do.”

  “Do you have a pink dress shirt?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Put it on and come out fast,” Julius said. “I’m dodging press to get in the driveway.”

  Nick headed for the closet. “Two minutes.”

  He changed quickly and hurried down the stairs. He found Laurie in the kitchen pouring a glass of juice.

  “Hi, Laurie.”

  “Any news?” she asked. “Is everything okay?”

  “I’m not sure. I’ve got to go with Julius. One of us will call when we know more.”

  “Are you coming back?”

  “I don’t know. I hope so. Did you clean up?”

  “Angie did.”

  He hadn’t seen her in the hall. Could he blame her if she were avoiding him?

  “Nick, if you want me to I’ll stay with her until we hear from you.”

  “Thanks. I need to go.”

  Outside, Nick climbed in Julius’ car. They drove down the driveway and out onto the street. Photographers snapped pictures, journalists spoke into microphones, and video cameras recorded their exit.

  “Wow, you weren’t kidding about the press. Where are we going?”

  “Back to the state prison. First, you’ll participate in a police line-up. Don’t worry; I’ll tell you exactly what to do.”

  “And then?”

  “I’ve scheduled a polygraph—a lie detector test. It won’t be accepted as conclusive evidence, but it will add weight.”

  “If I pass. How quickly can they put me back in prison if I don’t?”

  “I don’t want you to think about that right now.”

  Nicholas hung his head and took slow, deep breaths.

  “Stay with me,” Julius said. “They’re going to make a recording of your voice to use for voice print analysis. Trina Iles also has a voicemail on her phone she says is you leaving a message about PGI. We want to prove the voice isn’t yours.”

  “I can tell you they won’t match.”

  “That’s what we’re counting on. Did you think of anywhere Gavin might go? Anywhere he might be?”

  “No.”

  “We ID’d the blonde in the picture. Olivia Furtado. Does that name ring a bell?”

  “I’m sorry. No.”

  “She’s a model. Lives in New York. Travels a lot. Right now she’s supposedly out of the country on assignment.”

  “Is Gavin with her?” Nick raised his head. He couldn’t help thinking of what Angelina had just said. “Do you know for certain Gavin had a relationship with her, or was she just a random hook-up?”

  “We don’t know.”

  “Is the FBI reviewing her emails? Phone records?”

  “That’s trickier than it sounds,” Julius said. “The woman resides in New York, which is neither Alabama nor Mississippi where Frances Sweeney lives. The feds would have to get search warrants in New York to focus on her, and they’re not yet convinced Gavin’s disappearance isn’t coincidental to their investigation, so she’s not a priority.”

  “He could be hiding at her place in New York.”

  “Cameron checked. Gavin’s not there. We’ll be another forty minutes to the prison. Sit back and try to relax.” Julius paused. “How’s Angelina?”

  Nicholas looked out the passenger window at winter-withered fields. “That remains to be seen.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Nicholas lay back against the headrest in the front seat of Julius’ car and closed his eyes as they exited the parking lot.

  He’d been in stressful situations before. He’d shaken hands with men who could easily run a small country. He’d given “here’s the bad news” presentations to CEOs who looked as if they might like to throw him out the nearest high-rise window.

  Yet nothing had prepared him for today.

  “I let myself hope Trina Iles wouldn’t recognize me.”

  “I’d hoped the same.” Julius reached the highway and accelerated. “Who knows? She might remember another helpful detail tomorrow or the next day.”

  Although Nick had participated in three separate police line-ups, the spry eighty-one-year-old wasn’t certain the man she’d spoken with online wasn’t him. The man she’d seen had like coloring and facial features. Nick supposed he and Gavin could be mistaken for each other from the shoulders up given the right conditions—they both had dark hair, dark eyes, a similar shape to their faces. Add the pink dress shirt, and there you go.

  Which meant Nicholas hadn’t been absolved, but at least he hadn’t been arrested again.

  So they’d moved to the next phase. In a special room, he’d read from pre-printed cards while an FBI technician recorded his voice. Finally, he’d taken a lie detector test.

  “The polygraph results are in your favor,” Julius said. “Although the FBI will probably ask for its own.”

  “So I’ll have to do that again.”

  “I’m sure it won’t be scheduled until Monday. Take the weekend off.”

  At first, the technician had been robotic and monotone. What is your name? What is today’s date? Have you ever lived in Florida? He documented each response.

  As the questions were repeated, time had seemed to stop. Then, the mundane was set aside.

  Is PGI your company? Have you ever stolen anything? Did you use PGI to steal millions from investors? What is today’s date? Is PGI your company? Have you ever called Trina Iles or Frances Sweeney? Are you guilty of real estate fraud?

  On and on the questions went. Nick had endured by using every bit of self-control at his disposal until Did your wife conspire with you to commit real estate fraud?

  “I’m sorry I lost my temper during the polygraph. I’m so frustrated they’re not looking for Gavin. He did this. Not me. Not Angie.”

  “I believe you. But you’re going to have to manage your emotions better next time, and whenever they question you again. Seems you’ve got a slow boil, but you can’t blow up. You understand?”

  “I understand.”

  They rode on in silence. Two of the gifts he’d kept in the safe deposit box had been returned and were in a bag in Julius’ trunk right now. Dare he offer Angelina one of those tonight? Neither he nor Julius knew why, but the multilayered necklace from the gold box was still being held as evidence.

  With every moment that passed, every mile they drove, he grew more anxious at seeing his wife and possibly picking up where they’d left off in their earlier conversation. Even after hours apart, he still didn’t know what to say to her.

  Julius slowed at Nick’s driveway.

  “News vans are gone,” Julius said. “That’s a good sign. Must be something more spectacular to report.”

  Nick hoped Lorenzo was gone, too.

  The sun sank lower behind them, the last rays almost making the white cross-fencing glow amber. They reached the dense stand of pine trees. Nick rolled down his window. He simply wanted to breathe air that didn’t reek of accusation, despair, and stale human sweat or the bleach-based disinfectant that failed to cover their combined stench.

  “You’re not alone,” Julius said. “I always feel like I need a shower and a spray of air freshener up my nose when I leave that place.”

  “I appreciate everything you’ve
done for me.”

  “I know you’re discouraged. Don’t do something foolish and run. It’ll make you look guilty.”

  “I’m not going to run. But I don’t know how long I can afford to pay you, especially with the added expense of the private investigator. My priority might have to be providing for Angie and hoping the justice system actually does its job.”

  Julius stopped in front of the house.

  Nick got out. “Thanks again.”

  “I’ll pop the trunk.”

  “Right.” Two of Angie’s gifts waited there.

  He closed the passenger door and retrieved the bag from the trunk, then watched his lawyer drive away.

  ***

  Lorenzo’s rental van was gone, as was Laurie’s car. An unfamiliar sedan sat on the far side of the circle driveway.

  Nicholas let himself in the front door. He sniffed. Fried chicken?

  He quickly stowed the bag in his office, then followed the scent into the kitchen. Sure enough, an open bucket of chicken, side dishes, and biscuits covered one end of the counter.

  Then he heard Daniel’s belly laugh. He hadn’t heard that sound in years. Despite his fatigue, he smiled.

  “Oh, you’re finally home. Poor thing. Let me hug your neck.” Kay did so. “Rough day, I bet. Let’s fix you a plate. Come back to the sunroom, prop your feet up, and eat. You can fill us in, or we’ll talk about something else. Whatever you need.”

  “Is Angelina still here?”

  “Yes.” Kay handed him a plate. “We had Hope for the day, but by this afternoon that precious youngin’ wanted her mama and nothing else would do. So we brought dinner and handed off my grandchild whom I adore but could not make happy. That’s the beauty of being a grandparent. Your grandchildren visit, then you hand them right back to their parents and get a good night’s rest.

  “Anyway, Daniel and I stayed with Angelina in case you called with tough news.”

  He’d not even thought to call. Guess he hadn’t fully learned that lesson, had he?

  “Sorry, false alarm. Julius says we’re good for the weekend, anyway.” “Wonderful. Then you and Angelina can get some rest.”

  “Angie’s not sleeping here.”

  “I know.” Kay’s voice lowered, and she squeezed his hand in comfort. “She’s been talking to me and Daniel for the last two hours. I’ve never seen her open up so much. It’s a good sign.”

  “I guess that depends on what she’s been telling you.”

  He’d had about all the accusations he could handle for one day.

  “Now don’t get defensive. Bring your dinner in here with us. You might be surprised at what she’s shared.”

  She grabbed a pitcher of tea and carried it from the room. Nick prepared his plate and followed, passing through the library with its nearly empty shelves.

  Consequences, he thought. Bad decisions usually had consequences. Angie was suffering—parting with her once-beloved possessions— because of his choice to invest with Gavin. Her bad decisions regarding men meant Nick now suffered.

  He continued through the back parlor and out into the sunroom. He didn’t recognize anything in the room. Not the white-washed wicker furniture with striped cushions nor the host of glass-topped tables scattered throughout. Small trees, their foliage shaped into perfect spheres—topiaries?—gave the illusion of perpetual spring brought indoors.

  He did a double-take at the paint treatment on the walls, as Angelina had once mentioned this was her favorite room. Sky blue at the top, then lighter and lighter shades blended to white on the bottom third. Gradient color, she’d called it. The effect was calming, yet didn’t match the overt elegance of the rest of the house. He couldn’t shake the feeling if she spent time in here, it was so she could pretend she was elsewhere.

  Nick took a chair opposite the loveseat occupied by Daniel and Kay. Angelina sat cross-legged on the nearby rug.

  “Hello, Nick.” Daniel nodded in his direction. “Glad they let you come home, son. Any news?”

  “Oh, Daniel, let him eat,” Kay said. “He’ll tell us what he wants us to know soon enough.”

  “It’s good to see you both.” He updated them on the day’s events. “I lost my temper today during the polygraph. Julius says it won’t affect the results, but I’m not so sure.”

  “Anyone who’s wrongfully accused is going to have some feelings about it, son.” Daniel shifted in his seat. “If we’d been here when they arrested you, I’d have given that State Prosecutor a thing or two to think about.”

  Kay looked at Daniel with mild exasperation. “And gotten yourself arrested, too, no doubt. You can’t just tell people what to do.”

  “Sure I can. I’m a preacher. I tell everyone what to do. Nicholas isn’t guilty. I’d have told them that.”

  Kay chuckled. “The State Prosecutor would not have cared what you think.”

  Silence fell as he finished eating and set aside his plate.

  “I’m really glad they didn’t arrest you again,” Angelina said. “Daniel and Kay have been here a while. I pretty much told them everything.”

  He hadn’t expected that. “About?”

  “About me not living here since before Thanksgiving, and why. About what I almost did in Las Vegas.”

  His chest tightened. “Did you tell them about the first guy? I don’t even know where that happened.”

  He looked away from the hurt and embarrassment in her eyes.

  “Yes,” she said. “They know I’ve been terribly lonely for some time now, and how poorly I handled it.”

  He pressed his fingers to his forehead. “You call almost committing adultery twice handling loneliness poorly? Did you tell them you were probably a one-night stand away from leaving me?”

  She jerked as if she’d been struck, then moved as if to stand. Kay placed a firm yet stilling hand on Angie’s shoulder.

  “I asked for their help,” his wife whispered. “I want to keep what came in my heart last night. I’m tired of hurting alone. I’m tired of us hurting each other.”

  “How about you?” Daniel asked. “You ready to stop hurting each other? She’s swallowed some tough truth about herself the last twenty-four hours. Don’t think Kay and I went easy on her before you came home.”

  Kay placed a hand on her husband’s knee. “Be easy now.”

  “If the truth hurts, it needs to,” Daniel said. “I care about you two too much to let this go on any longer. I should’ve done something, Kay. I should’ve jerked a knot in his neck and sent you after her when they moved back.”

  “I don’t think so,” Kay said. “I think it took getting to this place before they’d listen. Now spit it out so they can move forward. These children have hurt long enough.”

  Daniel popped another piece of Juicy-Fruit into his mouth. Kay bit her lip.

  “Don’t laugh at me. This stuff serves many purposes. Not the least of which is stress relief.” Daniel offered a stick to Nick. “Want some?”

  Nicholas accepted. “Thanks.” The same old Daniel. Ready to listen and help.

  “Angie told us about the anniversaries and what not,” Kay said. “About all the plans and starting over you two have done. How you’d make promises you didn’t keep.”

  “I meant to keep them,” Nick said. “But I didn’t. I didn’t listen to her, and I didn’t listen to God. Since being arrested, I see where I went wrong.”

  “God often uses pressure to reveal where He wants to work in us,” Kay said.

  Nick raked a hand through his curls. “Until this morning, I thought I was mostly at fault for our problems. Now, I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to get past what she told me.”

  “You’re barking up the wrong tree.” Daniel continued chomping his gum. “You’ve both got the same lousy habits. Ten years is long enough to prove your tactics failed. Son, you’re an efficiency expert. What’s wrong with this picture?” He looked at Kay. “Help me out, here.”

  “Daniel’s not angry at you two,” Kay sa
id. “Even though he might sound like it. What he’s trying to say is you have to start with forgiving each other.”

  “Stop reacting to each other and blaming each other for your individual behavior.” Daniel’s eyes twinkled as he smacked his gum. “Refusing to forgive? You two are chasing your own tails. You work, and you’re tired, but you’ve got nothing good to show for your efforts.”

  Kay pulled on Daniel’s arm. “Come on. You’ve made your point. Let God get a word in. Goodnight, Nick and Angelina. You know where to find us.”

  “I’ll walk you out,” Nick said.

  He followed them to the door. Hugged and thanked them both.

  “How?” Nick asked. “How do I forgive her?”

  “You can’t without God’s help and love,” Kay said. “Look up I Peter 4:8. ‘Love covers a multitude of sins.’ If you two put your heads together, you’ll figure out how to make your marriage a healthy one. Two becoming one is a mysterious teamwork only God can guide you through.”

  “Thanks, again, Kay.”

  ***

  Nick returned to the sunroom to find Angelina sitting on the love seat where Daniel and Kay had been. Her eyes were closed. She fiddled with the chains at her neck.

  “Angelina.” He stepped to her. “May I sit with you?”

  She looked up at him and nodded. “Yes.”

  “What are you thinking?”

  “I’m thinking and here I thought you and I had nothing in common. No common ground whatsoever.”

  “You agree with what Daniel said?”

  She nodded. “We made the same huge mistake over and over again.”

  “Yeah, we did.”

  She turned, and light from a nearby lamp reflected off one of her many necklaces. A silver chain with a cross.

  He couldn’t quote the scripture passage about the crucifixion. He probably couldn’t even find it if pressed. But he remembered being at church last Easter Sunday morning. At the end of the service, a young girl of about sixteen stood and sang. The lyrics, something about watching Jesus die.

  He’d sat in the back row beside Angelina and felt a stirring in his soul. Not merely from the girl’s compelling voice, but from picturing Jesus hanging on the cross for him. The spikes through His hands and feet. The crown of thorns pressed into His scalp. The agony with which He took each breath, then spoke forgiveness to all who watched, all who wept, and all who gloated at His pain.