Finally he spoke. “I talked with Laurie this morning, and I think we’ve found someone who can analyze at least one of those threatening notes you received. I sent her a copy of the one note and three checks that I wrote during that time period.”
Judi stopped eating. “You told your sister about me?”
“No,” he answered, his gray eyes on her. “Laurie doesn’t know the how or why of the project. That’s the marvel of trusting someone—they do what you ask without questioning, even though they don’t understand why.”
Judi felt a blush come to her cheeks again. She wasn’t sure he’d meant to zing her, but his words held a bitter sting, and behind those deep, penetrating eyes lingered a hurt she knew she had placed there with her mistrust. He was being more aloof today, and she wondered at his changing mood. For the moment she would choose to ignore the barb, if that’s what it was, and move on. “What do you hope to find by having the analysis done?”
“First, it will prove that I’m not the author of the notes,” he stated plainly, and when she tried to protest that she had already figured out that fact, he stopped her. “I think you’ll feel better if it is in writing. The other reason is to gain information about who did write the letters.”
“Then what?”
“Then we have to get through dinner tonight without this Tilly woman discovering who I am.”
Judi scooped the meat back into the fractured taco with a plastic fork. “That will be hard to do.”
“It’s imperative she not find out,” he insisted. “I have a very important eminent domain bill coming before the House. If anyone, especially the media, finds out about you before the vote, that bill will be dead in the water.”
“It sounds really important.”
“It is!” His serious, handsome eyes turned to the lake waters, a passion taking over his voice. “People are losing their land to private developers who are abusing the eminent domain laws. This bill would put a stop to that. Unfortunately, the legislative session is closing earlier than usual, and I have to be there to present the bill for a vote on Friday.”
“This Friday?” Judi nearly choked on the last bit of lettuce.
He gave a solemn but decisive nod. “It couldn’t be helped. The vote was due earlier, and I’ve already stalled it once. They won’t keep the session open just for this bill, and waiting until the fall will seriously jeopardize its passage.”
“That means you’ll have to leave tomorrow,” Judi pronounced, pointing out the obvious. “What am I supposed to do?”
Nathan took a deep breath. “I haven’t worked out all the details yet, but I was thinking it might be best if you stay on the island until I send for you—maybe on Saturday. We’ll need to retain an attorney, and then I’d like to gather our families together to explain the situation before going to the police. It depends upon a lot of things falling into place at the right time.”
“But if I leave on Saturday, when will I get a chance to talk with those close to me here on the island?” she asked, her pulse quickening. “I can’t just leave and let them find out about me on the news. What about my job? This will leave the pastor and the church in a terrible spot come Monday morning.”
“I’m still working on that part,” he countered, turning his face to meet hers squarely. “What’s important right now is that Tilly doesn’t detonate the bomb before its time.”
Distressed, Judi shook her head. “I’ll do my best, but you’ve seen firsthand how tough she can be.”
“I know.”
She knew Nathan was doing his best to hold the situation together with so many delicate threads of circumstance hanging in the balance, any of which could snap between now and Friday.
A deep sigh erupted within. Nathan should never have come looking for her. It was disastrous for both of them. Yet another passion pulled just as hard at her heart, if not harder, telling her she was glad he did. But what could she do about that now? If only she could just disappear again. She wondered if he’d considered the possibility and decided to pose the question. “How do you know I’ll be here when you send for me?”
A flicker of surprise registered in his eyes, but his voice remained even and calm. “You’ll be here,” he said confidently, “because I believe you’ve told me the truth and there’s no reason for you to run from me now.” Suddenly he frowned. “You’re no longer frightened of me, are you?”
“No!”
He leaned forward. “Don’t you have some level of trust in me?”
“Yes.”
“Then why would I think you might not be here when I send for you?” His rhetorical question seemed suspended in the air, a feather sustained only by a slight updraft. Then he added, “And I trust you, Judi!”
The conviction of his words caused two things to happen:
It kept Judi’s hopes afloat that Nathan might still have some love left for her within his bruised heart, and the words caused her to rethink the risk Nathan was taking for her. He trusted her and this trust caused him to act gallantly on her behalf. Although it would break her heart to lose him again, it was extremely painful to know this allegiance might cost him everything.
“Nathan,” she approached softly with her voice, daring to take his hand in hers, “you said that your assistant is the only one who knows that I’m alive and no one here knows about us. Have you considered going back to your own life in Pennsylvania and leaving me to my own here?” She looked down at his strong hands. “It might be easier that way.”
“Is that what you want?”
She raised her eyes and saw that his face was very quiet and serious, his gray eyes unfathomable, as if her next words meant a great deal to him. “It’s not what I want that matters anymore, Nathan. I can see how important the people of Pennsylvania are to you. They need you! Your family needs you. How can I ask you to chance all of that?” She shook her head despairingly. “Look at what it has already done with this important bill that needs to be passed on Friday. I don’t want to be the one to mess this up for you or the people who are depending on you to obtain justice for them.”
A slow smile crept across his face in what she could describe as relief. “We promised to do this God’s way, right?” She nodded noiselessly and he continued. “Then that option doesn’t exist for us.”
“So what option does exist when it comes to us?” she asked, anticipating and dreading the answer at the same time. “If we’re going to publicly come out with this, where do we stand as a husband and wife?”
He was silent for a long moment, and she feared he might not answer. Then he took a deep breath and met her stare.
“For now,” he finally conceded with some hesitancy, “we stand together.”
Judi should have known she was pushing too hard, too fast. She could feel it. Nathan was a man of action. Once the dust settled, he’d look at their marriage and determine whether it was worth salvaging or if the woman waiting in the wings was his destiny. She only hoped what was left of their love wouldn’t be trampled when all was said and done.
Nathan looked over at Judi in the passenger seat, her wild hair flying in the wind as she pointed to the next road. She directed him up the pine needle-covered driveway to a quaint cabin shaded by a swarm of mature trees.
“This is it,” Judi declared when he stopped the cart and turned off the ignition.
Nathan glanced at her again. She’d given him a scare that afternoon with her talk about disappearing. The thought hadn’t occurred to him until the moment she spoke it aloud. He supposed the possibility existed, but it seemed, at least on the surface, her thoughts of escape had been born out of a concern for him.
Then again, maybe he was being suckered. Wouldn’t that be a kick in the pants? Yet, when she reached for and held his hand within hers, her forceful green eyes looking vulnerable and alive, he had wanted to kiss her—badly. But he didn’t! He wanted to drive away her pain. But he couldn’t! Their problems had begun well before the threatening letters were ever sent. Cert
ainly, his feelings and even passion for her was still strong. He wouldn’t, however, leave his heart exposed and bleeding again until he was sure she was through conning herself and other people. She had to be serious about sticking around to save their marriage.
Suddenly, the sound of a screen door flying open and the twang of the metal spring broke his deliberations, and he saw Tilly racing out to meet them.
“Come on up,” she said, beckoning with her hands as she quickly ambled toward them.
By the time he climbed out and was waiting for Judi, Tilly was upon them. First she gave Judi a mammoth hug, totally eclipsing the tall, slender figure. Then Tilly turned on him.
Nathan quickly held out a hand. “Thank you for inviting us for dinner.”
Tilly gave a dismissing look at his hand and then barreled forward, wrapping her thick arms around him, pushing the air clear out of his lungs. “We don’t stand on ceremony, honey. We’re friendly people.” A few swats to the back made him cough until she finally drew him back with a wide, toothy smile. He delicately tried to withdraw himself, feeling as if he’d been put through a wringing machine, but Tilly kept a tight grip on his arm. “I’m mighty glad you’re here.”
Nathan barely had time to catch his breath before she swept them up onto the porch landing and into the cabin.
“Sit yourselves right down and relax,” she demanded, scurrying around the small living room. “Dinner is almost ready.”
Tilly disappeared around the corner and into what he presumed was the kitchen. The living room opened into the dining room where a beautifully table was set for four.
Judi sat down on the small sofa and Nathan dropped down next to her, adjusting his long legs in an effort to get comfortable.
“Who else do you think is coming for dinner?” he whispered, his mouth within inches of her ear.
Judi turned toward him, but before she could utter a word, the answer appeared out of the kitchen. An older man with pure white hair and the most enormous blue eyes bulging from behind thick glasses came into the room. A frilly and quite unmanly apron was tied around his waist. A somewhat grumpy look was planted on his face.
Although Nathan was sure he’d not seen this person up close before—he would have remembered those eyes—the man did look familiar. Nathan racked his brain to place him.
“Hello, young man,” the older man said gruffly, stepping forward. “I see you found the place all right.” He nodded a greeting at Judi. “And you brought the missus.”
Nathan stood silently to his feet, and he felt Judi scramble up beside him. An uneasy feeling settled over him, but he momentarily shook it off and held out a hand to the old man.
If possible, the elder one’s eyes grew wider as he intently looked at Nathan’s face and then his outstretched hand. He seemed to be taking inventory, and Nathan wondered if the old man would find him up to snuff.
When the man finally grasped his hand in a viselike grip, he blurted only two words. “Van Edwards!” Then he scrutinized Nathan’s face again as if waiting to see if the name meant anything to him.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Edwards,” Nathan returned, wondering if he should recognize this man who didn’t seem inclined to let go of his hand. Yet the name meant nothing. “I’m Nathan and I think you know Judi.”
Mr. Edwards peered out from his thick glasses, aiming his sharp gaze at the two of them. “I know who you are, Representative Whithorne.” He paused only briefly as he zeroed in on Judi. “And I know this is your wife!”
ten
Nathan stared at the old man in stunned silence until he felt Judi sway lightly against his arm, the coolness of her skin shocking him back into reality. He turned to see her colorless face and hastily placed a steadying hand around her waist, guiding her back to the couch, where she sank down without an argument. Even Mr. Edwards’s eyes grew pensive when he glanced at the pale figure. Nathan straightened and, like a shield, slowly moved into position between Judi and the white-haired man, keeping both within sight.
“Now look what you’ve gone and done,” Tilly scolded as she came into the room and took in the scene. “I told you to wait until we had finished dinner.” She brushed past both men, her ample hips swishing loudly against her polyester skirt as she did. Sitting down solidly beside Judi, she threw another reproachful look at the unsmiling elder before turning her attention back to Judi. “There, there,” she soothed, firmly patting her hand.
“Well, it had to be said,” the old man argued, his lips firmly set.
“And I told you there had to be a logical explanation if you’d just give ‘em time.” Tilly blew an upward, frustrated breath that lifted the few wisps of gray hair loose on her forehead. “Now look at the poor girl. You’ve shaken her bad.”
Nathan returned his gaze to Judi, who seemed to be thunderstruck, but recovering, and then he turned to Tilly with barely concealed anger in his voice. “What’s this all about?”
Tilly in turn looked at Mr. Edwards and then to Nathan. “Now let’s everyone stay calm like. It doesn’t do a body a bit of good to get all riled up. There’s a plain and simple explanation for everything.” Her head tipped toward the old man. “Van here saw you eatin’ at the Dairy Barn yesterday and recognized you as the lawmaker from Pennsylvania. With a little searchin’ on the library computer, we found a news piece about the drownin’ of your wife whose picture was lookin’ remarkably like our Judi here.” She thumped Judi’s hand a few more times. “Guess we kinda put two and two together.”
Nathan remembered the man now. He was the one cleaning tables at the restaurant where Judi and he had eaten the day before. Knowing this made him even more confused. Why should an old man playing busboy in his retirement years recognize a state representative from another state when 80 percent of his own people in Pennsylvania didn’t even know the name or face of their own representative, let alone someone not in their district? Yet this man from Ohio knew who he was.
“Are you denying that this woman is your wife?” Edwards challenged, ignoring the warning look Tilly gave him.
Nathan narrowed his eyes. “I’m not confirming or denying anything until I find out what your interest is in this matter. Tilly invited us to dinner tonight, and yet it seems more like an ambush party with accusations for the main course, apparently meant to cook our goose instead of the pot roast. I want to know why!”
“I invited you to dinner—that’s what I planned and that’s what you’ll get,” Tilly quickly interjected, shaking her head in frustration. “I love Judi like one of my own. It’s just that being the observant body that I am, I noticed a slight tan mark where a weddin’ ring used to be on Judi’s finger when she first came to the island. I figured she’d be talkin’ about it one day when the time was right.” Her keen eyes gave Nathan a knowing look. “But when you came waltzin’ in yesterday with her, I figured you must be the ex. Thought maybe I could help the two of you, that’s all.” Unperturbed, she casually took a balled-up facial tissue from her apron pocket and loudly blew her nose into it. “Findin’ out about this other nonsense didn’t happen until today.”
“When Mr. Edwards supposedly recognized me, the two of you decided to do some investigating, is that it?” Nathan asked bitterly, not liking the story one bit.
“Tilly thinks there must be a mighty good reason why you’ve misled people to believe Judi’s dead when she’s been living right here on the island.” Mr. Edwards seemed bent on being unpleasant. “Now I’m not so easy to fool.”
“Please stop!” Judi stirred restlessly to the edge of the seat, seeming to rally at last. “Nathan had nothing to do with this, Mr. Edwards. This whole thing is my fault.”
“Don’t say any more, Judi,” Nathan immediately warned, holding up a hand to silence her.
“Nathan,” Tilly pleaded, hoisting herself up with effort from the couch. “Listen to what Van has to say. If you’re in trouble he can help. I’m a pretty good judge of character, if I have to say so myself, and I’ve seen your record at the s
tatehouse. You’re a good man.”
“That still doesn’t tell why the two of you are so interested,” Nathan reasoned, a sudden blaze in his eyes. He didn’t care for Edwards’s highhandedness any more than he liked Tilly’s nosiness.
“First of all, young man,” Mr. Edwards retorted, pointing a bent finger his way, “Judi is our church secretary. If she’s not who she says she is, then I want to know the why and how of it. I don’t take lightly to our church people being duped. As a church elder who has served more years on the board than you’ve been breathing, I have a right to know the extent of this pretense.” The man squinted his eyes. “No funny stuff, either. I’m warning you to be careful with your words, and you’d better tell the truth the first time around. I won’t waste any time getting Officer Newkirk over here. That boy’s right smart. He’ll sort this whole thing out lickety-split.”
“Please, Mr. Edwards,” Judi implored, scooting closer to the edge of her seat. “It’s not Nathan you want, it’s me.”
Nathan shushed her, not so gently this time. “Let me handle this.”
He needed time to think. He’d asked God to provide a path to follow and the wisdom to guide him to the right people. Then why did he suddenly feel like he was on a challenging downhill slalom course without the benefit of skis? It wasn’t like there was a fork in the road where he had a choice of paths. There was only one steep and icy path, taking this trust thing with God to an entirely different level of technical difficulty—perhaps beyond his capabilities of faith. What could God have possibly been thinking to send him a grumpy old man who wore women’s lacy aprons and an island busybody whose loyalties, and possibly brains, seemed scattered?
“Well,” the old man groused, “what’ll it be?”
Frustrated, Nathan frowned. What choice did he have? It irked him to be shoved into a cage like a cornered dog.
“It’s all right, Nathan,” Judi insisted with resignation. Grabbing his arm, she stood to her feet. “We have no other choice but to confide in them. If Larry comes, he might be understanding of the situation, but he would be bound by duty to take action.” She lowered her voice to a hush and lifted her face close to his. “And I know Mr. Edwards. He won’t back down for anything. We can only hope to pacify him long enough so you can leave tomorrow to complete what you need to do.”
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