Redemption (Desire Never Dies)

by Clara Grace Walker

  “It’s not your fault, Carlita. It was just a terrible accident. Please don’t cry.”

  “I know, Mr. Grayson, but-“

  Whatever she’d been about to say, he never heard. The receiver filled with the hum of a disconnected line and went silent.

  “Damn it!” Earl pushed down on the switch hook repeatedly, hoping to hear Carlita, a dial tone, anything. But the receiver remained annoyingly quiet. Finally, he slammed the phone back into its cradle, all the while holding in the sick feeling in his gut. How was he ever going to tell Mindy about Pretzel?

  Frustration propelled him through the door of his hotel room. He had no idea what was going on at this so-called resort. He had no idea what to tell Mindy. And he had no idea if love alone would be enough to save the life they’d once shared. Nothing about this trip was going the way he’d planned.

  Racing down the hall, he mentally rehearsed the tongue-lashing he was going to give Shirley about his suddenly dead telephone, oblivious to everything around him, until he felt a body slam into his shoulder. “What the….” He stumbled backward, looked down and came face to face with Nick’s wife. He grabbed hold of her shoulders. “Oh, geez, I’m sorry.”

  She steadied herself, eyes wide and confused. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah. Sorry.” Whatever Nick was up to, he realized, she would know about it. He wondered how much he could get her to share of what she knew. “Just a bit pre-occupied at the moment. Are you okay?”

  She shrugged. “I’m fine. You look angry though. Does this mean your phone and TV aren’t working either?”

  “The TV’s out, too?” He’d been so pissed about the phone he hadn’t thought to check the television.

  “Yes; and Charlotte’s having a mini-meltdown because she can’t watch cartoons. I left her with Maggie so I could go downstairs and find out what’s wrong.”

  He nodded. “I was on my way to do the same. Although probably less politely.”

  She grinned. “Who said I was planning on being polite?”

  “I guess I should know better than to assume things.” He glanced down the hall, making sure they were still alone. “Would you mind if I asked you a few questions about your husband?”

  Her eyes narrowed. “What would you like to know?”

  “Why is he really here?”

  “He’s being treated for alcoholism.” She said it dismissively, without the least bit of concern.

  Earl caught her by the arm. “Sure he is. And this is a five-star resort and a world-class treatment facility.”

  Indecision played in her eyes only briefly before she gave up the pretense. “Fine. He’s doing a story. But I suspect you already knew that.”

  “I did.” She didn’t seem to want to play twenty questions any more than he did, and the impatient tapping of her foot told him he should just spit out whatever it was he had to say. “I know Mindy’s helping him with whatever he’s working on, and I know Nick believes Mindy about seeing Pauline’s body being dragged out into the woods. Do you think she’s in danger?”

  Jamie sighed. “I don’t know.” Regret registered in her voice. “I’m sorry. I wish I could tell you everything’s going to be fine, but Carole Mance doesn’t believe her daughter killed herself, and neither does Nick. And if they’ve already killed two people here, there’s no telling what they might do.”

  Great. Just what he’d been afraid of. “I need to get Mindy out of here.”

  She nodded. “That would be best.”

  “So why are you and your daughter still here? Nick doesn’t strike me as the type of guy who’d want his wife and child anywhere near danger.”

  “He’s not. But I’m every bit as stubborn as he is. And I hated the idea of him being here alone. Besides, I’ve got a car. I can always pack Charlotte up and leave if I get spooked.”

  He supposed that was true. Murderers or not, the CRC psychos still needed to be careful. Their patients and guests were rich and powerful. And rich and powerful people didn’t just go missing. And another ‘suicide’ might bring them under more scrutiny than they were looking for. That thought, at least, gave him some comfort. He drew in a breath. “Thanks for leveling with me. Maybe I’ll head out to the pool and let you handle the complaints about the phone and TV. Care to fill me in when you’re done?”

  “I’ll let you know what I find out.”

  “Thanks.” He smiled, making it look dazzling. But it was a smile he didn’t feel inside. He thought about Mindy all the way to the pool. He wished she’d come to see him today, but she hadn’t. And while she’d been pleasant enough during visiting hour last night, she’d made no attempt to kiss him or be intimate in any way; not even in their conversation. It was probably his fault. He probably shouldn’t have initiated their love-making yesterday. He should have stuck to his vow of just being supportive until she worked through her issues. Instead, the temptation of being alone with her, the desire to be with her again, had overpowered him, and before he knew it they’d been locked together on the bed, their bodies enjoying the easy pleasures of years past.

  He needed to keep his self-control better handled. And for now, he decided, it would be best to keep the news of Pretzel’s death from her. She was going to take it pretty hard.

  He reached the pool, filled a plastic cup with water and slid onto a stool next to Preston, already breaking out into beads of sweat. “Damn, it’s hot.”

  “What’s wrong?” Preston asked. “You look like your dog just died. You been watching The Hallmark Channel or something?”

  “My dog did just die. And watching The Hallmark Channel would require a television.”

  Preston set his cup down on the bar. “Oh hell. I’m sorry. Excuse me while I pry my foot out of my mouth.”

  “It’s alright.” Earl closed his eyes, wishing he could make the image of Pretzel lying dead in the street go away. “You had no way of knowing.”

  “Still, I’m sorry. What happened?”

  Earl gulped down some water before speaking. “He slipped his collar somehow and got past the invisible fence. A car hit him right in front of the house.”

  “Oh man. I really am sorry.”

  Earl said nothing. How the hell was he ever going to tell Mindy?

  “So.” Preston cleared his throat. “You said something about the television?”

  “It’s out,” Earl said, more than happy to change the subject. “Phones, too.”

  “You’re kidding?”

  “I wish. Where’s Rod?”

  Preston gestured toward the shoreline. “Body surfing. Says he’s getting soft hanging out here drinking virgin margaritas every afternoon. Did you talk to anyone about the phones or TV?”

  “Jamie went to go give them a piece of her mind. She said she’d let me know what she finds out.”

  Preston laughed. “Sending Jamie’s a good choice. She’s not known for taking any crap from anyone. The one and only time Rod tried hitting on her, she slapped him.”

  “Rod tried hitting on her?”

  “Once. Before she married Nick and he fell in love with Darla.”

  “I’m starting to feel grateful he’s got Darla,” Earl said. “And happy he’s not chasing after Mindy.”

  “You have no idea.” Preston laughed. “Rod used to be quite the Casanova.”

  “I realize I’m broaching a sensitive subject,” Earl said. “And it’s none of my business, but I’m surprised you’ve rebuilt your friendship with him after that takeover business and his affair with your sister. And yet you still dislike Nick.”

  Preston sucked down some of his drink and leaned forward, resting his forearms on the bar. “Now you sound like my wife.”

  They sat there for a minute, while Preston seemed deep in his thoughts. It was a hot day, muggy under the canopy of the bar, with little breeze blowing in from the sea. A thick growth of brush and hardwoods hid most of the shoreline from view, though the constant crying of gulls testified to its nearness.

  Preston shook his head
and looked at Earl. “It was hard for me to imagine Nick as family. Which, I’ve come to realize, was my failing. Not his.”

  “I can’t say I like what he does for a living.” Earl got up from the barstool and refilled his cup. “When he first got here I was sure I wanted to punch his lights out for all the stories he’s printed about Mindy, but strangely enough, he seems to be the one person who’s as concerned about her welfare as I am.”

  Preston nodded. “Scott told me last night I had no right to complain about Nick’s lack of devotion to our family when we never treated him like part of it to begin with. My son likes Nick. Told me he’s a pretty cool guy once you get to know him.”

  Earl wiped a bead of perspiration from his brow. “I guess that’s why they say you can’t judge a book by its cover. You know, in the movies, things are always easy. You root for the good guy wearing the white hat and despise the villain wearing the black one. Real life is much more complicated.”

  Preston returned his gaze to his drink. “Maggie says most of us are just varying shades of gray; that we all have skeletons in our closet. Maybe she’s right.”

  Earl smirked. “She didn’t mean fifty shades of gray, did she?”

  Preston laughed. “I don’t know. She keeps her books on a tablet, so I never know what she’s reading.”

  “Well if she ever puts down her tablet and wants to try out something new, my guess would be romance novel.”

  Preston laughed. “That would be just like her. She’s definitely the romantic type. I’m pretty sure she was serious about the ‘we all have flaws’ speech she gave me though.”

  Earl thought about stealing his parents booze when he was a teen-ager; a joyride he’d gone on once in his friend’s father’s car; and his arrest shortly before he met Mindy for punching out his ex-manager. He’d reined in his temper since then and learned a few things growing up. And he’d never considered himself a candidate for the black hat. He just wasn’t sure how worthy he was of the white one. “I’m guessing your wife’s probably right,” he finally said. “99.9 percent of us are probably going to have to bargain our way past the Pearly Gates.”

  Preston nodded. “And I’ll be one of them. All I know is I’m done feuding with Nick. Disliking him has never accomplished anything positive.”

  Earl gulped down more of his water before answering, thinking about all the complexities that went with being human. “Why do I get the feeling all of the character growth coming out of this place has nothing to do with Shirley and her stupid program?”

  Preston opened his mouth to speak, but was pre-empted by his wife and her companions hurrying toward them.

  “Guess what?” Maggie and Jamie hurried across the concrete pool deck with Charlotte and Isabelle in tow. All of them dressed for a swim.

  Earl sat back down on the bar stool. “You find out when our TV and phones are getting turned back on?”

  Jamie threw her hands in the air. “No idea. Apparently CRC is having technical difficulties.”

  Earl grimaced. “Wonderful. As if this place wasn’t screwed up enough already.”

  Preston went back to his drink. “This place really blows.”

  Chapter 41

  Voices buzzed around Nick as he entered the rec room. Some sounded angry. Others dismayed or disgusted. All of them sounded confused. By the time he reached Jamie, he’d figured out why. CRC was experiencing a communication breakdown. And after his repeated requests for a private conversation with his office, he had a sick feeling it was by design.

  “There’s been some equipment malfunctions?” He greeted Jamie near the center of the room.

  She had Charlotte by the hand, frowning and tapping her foot. “So they say.”

  Charlotte tugged on his arm. “Daddy, the TV doesn’t work in our room.”

  He tousled Charlotte’s curls and looked back to Jamie. “They say when they’re going to get it fixed?”

  She shook her head. “Whenever they can get a technician out is all they would say. Oh yes, and they’re very sorry for the inconvenience.”

  “I’ll bet they are.” He didn’t like it. Not one damn bit. Thoughts of leading a mass exodus occurred to him. But mostly he thought about getting Jamie and Charlotte away from CRC. And he thought about Mindy. Stuck here via a Court Order. That presented a problem.

  He leaned in close, whispering in Jamie’s ear. “I want you to take Charlotte and go.”

  She pulled back frowning and shaking her head. “Not without you.”

  She could be so damn stubborn sometimes. “Please. And see if you can think of some way to take Mindy with you.”

  She gave him a knowing look. “You’re worried about her.”

  “And you. And don’t think I don’t know when you’re trying to change the subject.”

  “I’ll change it if I like. So have we officially adopted her?”

  He glanced over at Mindy, young enough to be his daughter, but a mere six years younger than his wife. “She needs a family,” he said. “I grew up without a father, and I lost my mother when I was young. I know how tough that is.”

  Jamie nodded thoughtfully. “I’m sure that’s true. Alright then, adopted she is.”

  “Daddy, I had to miss Dora and Mickey’s Playhouse.” Charlotte tugged on his arm, interrupting their conversation. “That’s not fair, is it?”

  “No, sweetheart. That’s not fair at all.” He scanned the room. Preston and Maggie sat with Rod, Darla, Scott and their daughter Isabelle at a table a few yards away. “Maybe you’d like to play with Isabelle for a little while.”

  Charlotte beamed. “I love Isabelle,” she proclaimed. “She’s my BFF.”

  “Really?” He couldn’t help but laugh, even as he choked a little on the irony. “That’s wonderful, sweetheart.” He glanced at Jamie. “BFFs, huh?”

  She grinned. “That’s what she says.”

  He picked Charlotte up and hugged her close before setting her back down. She was his longed for, beloved child; named for the mother he’d lost as a teen. His mother would have loved Charlotte. “You sound like a little teen-ager already,” he said. “You’re growing up way too fast on me, you know that?”

  “Yep.”

  She nodded; looking so serious it made him want to cry. He’d lived long enough to appreciate just how quickly the years rolled by. Having a child had only punctuated that observation. As he led Charlotte by the hand over to her new best friend, he noticed Mindy and Earl had joined the group. Mindy wore an anxious look on her face. The look his reporters got when they had a hot story. She had news.

  Preston and Earl stopped talking and looked up as soon as they approached. Nick tensed, half-expecting some disapproving comment from his former brother-in-law, but before anyone could say anything, Isabelle rushed forward, joining Charlotte in a fierce hug.

  “Bella, I told my mommy and daddy you’re my BFF.”

  As they erupted in giggles, Nick pulled Mindy to one side. “You have news?”

  “I do.” She beamed.

  He glanced around the room, noticing Earl’s frown and lowered his voice. “We’ll talk tomorrow at the pool.”

  “Nick,” Preston said. “It’s good to see you again.”

  Nick stared in surprise at the man’s outstretched hand. The last time they’d spoke, Preston had been shoving a copy of Tidbits in his face, filled with Peter Arnold’s smear campaign fingering Nick as the prime suspect in Janelle’s death. He shook Preston’s hand. “It’s good to see you, too.”

  Preston nodded at their squealing, giggling girls. “Looks like we’ll need to arrange some play dates once everyone’s sprung from jail.”

  He nodded, tossing aside whatever smart aleck comments had been on the tip of his tongue. “Sure. We’ll do that.”

  As he spoke, he caught Rod’s stare. Rod quickly looked away and busied himself stroking Darla’s curls. She pushed his hand away and frowned, darting her gaze around the room, looking first at him, glancing over to where Vince played chess with Beli
nda, and finally settling her gaze on Rory. Nick felt a stab of pity for Rod. He had a feeling the guy was about to find out for himself how much it sucked to be cheated on. Karma really could be a bitch.

  “Mind if I have a word with you?”

  Earl’s question dragged Nick’s thoughts away from Rod.

  “In private,” Earl said.

  Nick smirked. “You say that like such a thing exists here.”

  Earl didn’t answer and Nick followed him from the crowd over to an unoccupied corner of the room. “Alright,” Nick said once they were out of earshot. “What’s up? You here to ask for Mindy’s hand in marriage?”

  “No. That is, I mean, I would marry her, but that’s not why I wanted to speak with you.”

  Poor guy sounded flustered. Nick only had a decade and a half on Earl. He figured suddenly finding himself face-to-face with a father figure for Mindy, and one not-so-much older, had the guy going all tongue-tied. “So spill it. What did you want to talk to me about?”

  “I want to know what kind of shit you’re trying to involve Mindy in. I don’t want her getting hurt because of you.”

  Nick looked the guy over, trying to discern his intentions. He was pretty good at reading people and his gut told him what he’d thought the first time he saw Earl and Mindy together; that the man loved her. But Mindy was hiding something. And what that something was, and how it might affect Earl’s feelings for her, was difficult to say. “I could say the same to you,” he finally said. “If you plan on involving her in another relationship, you’d better make sure she doesn’t end up getting hurt by it.”

  Frustration flickered in Earl’s eyes, confirmed by his gritted teeth. “I don’t know what game you’re playing here, coming on like Mindy’s father all the sudden.” He practically snarled the words. “But if you’re doing this to manipulate her into helping you with your story, I will punch your fucking lights out.”

  “Get over yourself,” Nick snapped. “And keep it down. Or have you forgotten about the surveillance equipment?”

  Earl glanced at the camera over the exit door. “Sorry.” His voice dropped back to a whisper. “But I don’t want Mindy’s life put in danger.”