by Carol Ross
“It was in a bag with your name on it, Laney.”
“So what? It was in my lunch bag and that automatically means it’s mine? I don’t even have a boyfriend. And even if I did I wouldn’t be having sex. I’m too young in case you didn’t notice. Did it even cross your mind that maybe it wasn’t mine?”
“Okay,” Mia broke in. “This is a lot for everyone to take in and—”
“Did you know?” Jay narrowed his eyes and looked at Mia. “Did you know Laney wasn’t pregnant?”
She sighed. “No, but I didn’t assume that she was, either. I was trying to tell you this when Josie called about Levi. But Laney is right, it should have occurred to you, too. You need to take a step back and think about some things, Jay. As much as you want to do the right thing, your lack of trust and confidence in people, especially people who love you, isn’t doing you any favors. It’s not doing your family any good.”
Levi stepped forward, appearing to be on the verge of tears. It nearly did her in. “Dr. Frasier, I want you to know that I didn’t—”
She would have given nearly anything not to have to interrupt him. “Levi, please don’t say anything. I’ve already spoken with my attorney. We can’t talk about what happened. I’m a witness and what I know could get you into more trouble.”
“You’re a witness?” Jay repeated.
Levi looked stricken.
She nodded. “Not just a witness. At this point, it looks like I may be charged in the case as well.”
* * *
JAY SHOULD HAVE known better than to believe that things couldn’t get any worse. What Mia had said was worse. What did she know about all of this? It had to be bad for her to tell Levi not to talk to her. This was all so unbelievable. He’d been so careful to keep her out of the madness that was his life and yet now she held Levi’s life, his future, in her hands. And Jay knew that she’d never believe Levi over Dr. Anthony. Why would she? She’d told him that he was a father figure to her. Family first. That was Jay’s very own philosophy. He’d seen Mia execute the same belief where her mom was concerned. She’d demanded her mom be rescued first; she’d begged Jay to take care of her. She treated Dr. Anthony, his wife and McKenzie with the same reverence. She’d committed to stay in Pacific Cove as long as Dr. Anthony needed her.
He couldn’t blame her. He’d do the same in her situation, had already done the same, essentially. He’d chosen his family over her from the very beginning. Why should it be any different for her?
Coastie jumped onto the sofa where he was sitting. Josie and Laney had gone to bed. Levi was in his room, but the soft light of his lamp glowing from beneath the door suggested he was still awake. Knowing Levi, he was probably studying ways to handle his own defense in court.
The dog nudged his hand and he turned to look into those brown eyes that always seemed to know how he was feeling and what he was thinking. He scratched her neck. “Laney is right, isn’t she? I need to commit. It’s not fair for you just like it wasn’t fair to Mia.”
She let out a contented sigh and curled up next to him, her head in his lap.
“I want you to stay.” There, he’d said it. It felt good to say the words. A lightness filled his chest. Even under these circumstances, it managed to ease the ache in his heart a tiny bit.
Was Mia right, too? Did he need to have a little more faith in the people he loved? And he did love Mia, he realized. He loved her and yet he suddenly realized how much frustration and pain he must have caused her. And now, because of him, his mistakes might cost her her livelihood, too.
* * *
MIA PACED IN her kitchen trying to solve this puzzle. Levi claimed he didn’t know he was selling the cats. His story was that he was acting on Dr. Anthony’s behalf. And hence, hers too in a way, since most of the cats he’d sold had come from Lucky Cats. It was too bizarre to believe and yet she knew Levi. But she’d known Ted longer.
Wait. Most of the cats...
She went to her computer and pulled up the photos that Jay had retrieved from her security camera. Recognition rolled through her brain, unstoppable and every bit as dreadful as a tidal wave. She knew exactly who the figure was. What she couldn’t figure out was why...? She needed to talk to him.
Closing the file, a photo of McKenzie on the desktop caught her eye. And that’s when she had her answer.
“Of course!” she said, giving her forehead a smack.
“Hey,” her mom said, walking into the room. “That’s my daughter you’re assaulting there.”
Mia managed a tired grin. “I think I figured this out, Mom. I may know what happened...” She riffled through the papers her attorney had given her until she found the name of the company Levi had allegedly been selling to. An internet search added further credence to her theory. But any satisfaction she would have felt quickly gave way to a bone-deep sadness.
She ran the scenario by her mom, who agreed with her theory.
“Wow, this is really terrible.”
“It is. What do I do now? How do I choose between people that I love? I understand Ted’s desperation, Mom. You know McKenzie. I’d do just about anything to save her myself. And if it were me, I think you’d do anything to save me.”
Nora reached out and squeezed her hand. “You got that right.”
“If this gets out it will ruin him. He’ll never be able to practice again probably. And then what happens to McKenzie? And to Sara? Levi will recover. The charges against him aren’t that serious. I mean, my attorney said it’s highly unlikely that he’ll spend any time in jail, especially since he’s underage.”
Nora stared out the window for a long moment, a troubled expression on her face. She looked back at Mia and said, “This is a very tough decision you’re facing here. Choosing one of them over the other will cause so much pain for the other...”
Mia felt a welling of sympathy for her mom.
“Mom, I’m sorry I’ve given you a hard time about Dad lately. It couldn’t have been easy for you to be stuck in the middle between two people you loved, either. I thought I was over it, but maybe I’m not.”
Nora glanced away for a few seconds, her fingers tapping on the countertop before her. “Except that...” When she faced her again, tears were shining in her eyes. “Oh, Mia. You’re right about your father. It shouldn’t have been that way for you. I should have left him when you were a girl. But he was a good dad to Kyle and...”
A tingle ran up her spine. “What do you mean?”
“I loved him. I did. He loved me and he loved Kyle. But you’re right, he didn’t love you.”
Even though she knew it, Mia felt the words like a blow.
“Because you weren’t his.”
“What?”
“I know the timing is terrible here with all of this going on with Levi and Ted. I’ve wanted to tell you for the longest time, but I didn’t know how.”
“Words are always good,” Mia said, the shock of this information still sinking in. “Or letters. Even a phone call... Who? How?”
“I had an affair with a married man before I met your fath... Bill. Bill promised he would take care of you if I married him, which he did. That was my mistake, because he never said he would love you. I believed that he would, though, I thought that would happen naturally. Especially after you were born, because you were so precious and sweet and smart as a whip, but he never...”
“Did.” Mia finished for her. Questions immediately coalesced in her brain. “Who was he? Did he know...?”
“No, he didn’t. And he died when you were only a few months old. He didn’t have other children. Mia, I promise you I wouldn’t have kept this from you had he lived. Bill and I had already agreed on that. That I would tell you someday. But when he died, it didn’t seem as important.”
Mia nodded, her eyes drawn to the image of McKenzie on
the screen. But it had been important. This information could have changed the course of her life. The truth, she believed, was nearly always the right choice. Because the truth always came out in the end. Lying inevitably did more harm than the truth ever could. She needed to table these feelings for now. She had to do what she could for both Levi and Dr. Anthony.
“Mia, I’m so sorry, honey. I know those are just words, but...”
Her mom was staring at her with a terrified expression, tears sparkling in her pretty blue eyes, eyes that had never looked at her with anything but love.
“I forgive you, Mom. I love you more than I can say. You’re the best mom in the world. Thank you for telling me. Yeah, maybe you should have told me sooner, but it’ll be okay. And under the circumstances I’m facing here I think your timing is spot-on.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
TED ANSWERED THE DOOR. “Mia! Hello, come in.” He stepped aside to let her in. “Sara and McKenzie aren’t here right now. I was just brewing some tea your mom gave me. It’s supposed to boost my immune system. I’ve had this cold that’s been lingering.”
She followed him to the kitchen, where Mia found the first few minutes of small talk excruciating. But she sensed she needed to tread carefully. He set two mugs on the small table in the breakfast nook adjacent to the kitchen. The view looked out on one side of their fenced yard where Gustav was rolling in the grass with their cat Tumble.
Mia took a sip from her mug and then asked, “Have you heard about Levi?”
Ted’s eyes snapped up to latch onto hers. “Levi? What about him?”
“He’s been arrested, Ted.”
“Arrested?”
“Yes. For illegally selling cats.”
His features twisted with confusion. “Selling cats? What in the world?”
“To a medical research lab.”
Mia watched his reaction carefully. He seemed truly surprised, yet she saw a slight tremble in his hand as he set his cup down.
“Do you know anything about this?”
“No, absolutely not. He’s delivered cats to Portland for me, to a shelter. Or so I thought.”
“What shelter?”
“Uh, the one I told you about a while back. I can’t remember the name off the top of my head. They all sound alike, don’t they?”
This confirmed for Mia that he hadn’t even tried to find Duke. If he had, he would know the name of the shelter. Disappointment coursed through her.
A long moment hung in the air between them. Twisting his mug on the tabletop, he went on, “Levi is a very intelligent, industrious young man. He’s told me a bit about his family. It’s extremely dysfunctional. Their financial situation is pretty desperate. He must have seen an opportunity to make some money. This is...extremely unsettling. What kind of trouble is he facing?”
“I’m not exactly clear on that yet. But we could be in trouble, too. Both the clinic and Lucky Cats are being investigated because Levi works for us. I’ve just come from our attorney’s office. We need to be prepared to answer their questions. If the clinic or Lucky Cats is implicated in any way, we’ll be finished. The ethical problem, even the appearance of one, will be too much to overcome. Who would want to bring their animals to a vet clinic who was selling cats for medical research? We have to be able to explain how this could have happened without our knowledge.”
His face was a mask of composure as he gave his head a slow shake. “I’m not sure what to say. I’m devastated. We’ll hire the best attorney in the state...”
As he rambled on Mia pulled her laptop out of her bag. She opened the photo file and shifted the screen.
“Let’s start with this. Remember how I told you cats were disappearing around my place? I installed a camera on my porch because I was afraid there might be a coyote or a cougar getting them. These are the images the camera captured.”
“Oh...”
She waited, noting how his complexion paled.
“Yes, I was going to tell you about this. I wanted to surprise you by trapping these strays and—”
“Stop. Ted, I’m giving you an opportunity to do the right thing here. You’re about to ruin a young man’s life. You have to be aware of that. He’s facing serious charges, possible juvenile detention.”
At that, his entire body seemed to crumple like a sand castle in the tide. He put his head down on his forearm resting on the table. When he looked at her again, she could see he wasn’t quite ready to concede.
Wild-eyed, he banged a fist on the table. “What about my daughter’s life? The FDA is dragging their feet and the drug company needs cats to test the medication that McKenzie needs. I had no choice, Mia. Surely you can see that. What else could I do? I didn’t mean for Levi to get caught or hurt. I love that kid. He’s like the son I could only imagine...” He broke off with a sob and Mia felt the weight of the world bearing down on her.
“Ted, this company used you, you know that, right? They’re not properly licensed. They don’t even have FDA approval for this testing...”
Mia’s insides twisted painfully. How could she ruin this great man’s life? She’d looked up to him, respected him, emulated him, loved him. He’d spent years trying to make the world a better place, saving the lives of countless animals, generously giving his time, expertise, advice, money to many different causes. Mia literally would not be where she was, she would not be the person she was, without him. At his core, she still believed he was a good man. A good man who’d made a terrible, horrible mistake.
She didn’t know what to do.
* * *
THINKING THEY NEEDED to close ranks, Josie took time off work and brought Dean and Delilah to stay in Pacific Cove for a couple weeks. Time crept by at a snail’s pace waiting to hear when Levi’s trial would begin. They tried to act as normal as possible, spending hours on the beach, playing games, enjoying family meals.
One morning, a week after Levi’s arrest, Josie, Levi, Laney, Dean and Delilah were all seated at the table. Jay had just placed a platter piled high with bacon in the middle. French toast was sizzling on the griddle.
A knock sounded on the back door at the same time that Jay saw their attorney, Becky Holt, through the window. He waved her in with a spatula.
“Hey, Becky,” he said as she came through the door.
“Hi. Wow. Smells delicious in here. Is this everyone?”
Jay smiled proudly. “Yep, this is everyone. We’ve got plenty if you’d like to join us for breakfast?”
Six faces stared at her expectantly. Delilah said, “Hi, I’m Delilah. I’m a mermaid.”
Becky smiled. “Nice to meet you, Delilah. I wish I was a mermaid.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Jay could see Levi twisting his napkin in his lap. These days had been absolutely brutal for him as the realization of what he was facing had sunk in. Initially, he’d believed that because he’d been ignorant of what he’d been doing it would mean that he’d be exonerated. Gently, Becky had shown him how difficult this was going to be to prove.
Becky said, “I’m glad you’re all here because everyone should hear this. Levi, are you okay with that?”
He nodded.
“Good, because all the charges against you have been dropped.”
A chorus of cheers rang out. Levi jumped to his feet. Laney joined him, throwing her arms around him. She picked him up and spun him around. Josie came along with Dean and Delilah who linked hands and screamed with delight even though they didn’t really understand why.
Jay eyed Becky curiously. “Why?”
“Dr. Frasier has produced evidence against her colleague—evidence that effectively exonerates Levi.”
* * *
MIA’S PHONE BUZZED on the coffee table in front of her. She picked it up and read the text from Jay: Can you meet me in the middle?
Staring at the words on the screen, she knew he meant that he wanted her to meet him on the beach, at the driftwood log, between their two houses. He must have heard the news about the charges. Jay’s problems were over while Mia’s had just begun.
“What do you think, George? Should we go hear what our Coast Guard friend has to say?”
Mia slipped on a fleece hoodie. George let out an enthusiastic bark while she tied her tennis shoes. She texted back a simple Yes. She left a note for her mom and headed down to the beach.
A short time later, she spotted Jay sitting on their driftwood log, which at some point he’d calculated was almost exactly halfway between their homes.
“Hey,” he said when she’d closed the distance. Coastie gave her an enthusiastic sniff and a tail wag before scooting over to greet George. The dogs barked with their usual excitement; long-lost friends together at last.
“Hi,” she said.
He gestured at the makeshift bench. “Sit?”
George and Coastie both obeyed the command, and they couldn’t help but share a laugh.
Mia gave the dogs each a pat. “All right, you guys are free.” They tore off down the beach, stopping to sniff a large jagged chunk of what appeared to be a broken Styrofoam cooler.
Mia lowered herself down onto the log next to Jay.
“So, I hear we have you to thank for getting Levi out of this mess?”
“Not really,” she said, draping her sweaty palms over her knees. Why was she nervous? “I just passed on the information that I’d learned. It took me a while to get everything together. Well, it took my attorney a while to make sure everything was all legal and whatever. I recognized Ted in the photos. Then I called the medical lab and...” She lifted a shoulder. “It all fell into place.”
“He was selling the cats to a company that researches McKenzie’s disease, wasn’t he?”
Mia looked at him sharply. “How did you know?”
