The Watchman
Page 23
Rachel shook her head. “Poor man.”
“Marshall hired a detective to dig up all the information on his victim. The reports were at the cabin. London left his law firm in New England after a nervous breakdown. He was recuperating at the cabin when Marshall shot him. With that information it became easy for Marshall to step into the man’s shoes.”
The intercom phone rang. Rachel lifted the receiver and said with a smile in her voice, “Glad you’re here. Come on up. Noah arrived a few minutes ago.” She released the gate and turned to me. “That’s the rest of the party.”
As soon as they were in the foyer, Cody rushed in and grabbed Amos’s hand. “Come see my tree house. It’s big enough for all of us.”
Amos waved at me, and laughing, followed Cody outside.
George and Norma greeted me with handshakes and hugs. George’s eyes inspected my face. “Norma, do you still think he’s prettier than I am, with that nose?”
With her back to George, she turned to me and winked. “Yeah, I must say I do. The scar across his nose gives him a rugged, sexy look.”
Tugging his baseball cap down, George said. “I’ll be outside if you need me.”
Jake strolled over and surveyed my slightly misshapen beak. “Should have known I’d find you in the kitchen. Why is it that every time I see you, you have a broken bone?”
I smiled into his kind eyes. “Hazardous duty. As to being in the kitchen, Rachel has taken me under her wing since you’ve stopped feeding me.”
He turned to Rachel. “Better give me some grilling utensils so I can help. You have no idea how much food this boy can put away.” Rachel tied a frilly apron around his waist, handed him metal tongs and sent him out back. I looked at Rachel and shook my head. “Jake will be in charge of the steaks before Bill knows what hit him.”
I put both elbows on the island and leaned toward Rachel. “Any other plans for the future?”
She glanced through the window at Bill as he backed away from the grill and Jake moved in. Her mouth turned up in a gentle smile. “Nothing firm, but there are definite possibilities. Bill was my rock during that horrible hour while I thought Harry shot Cody.” She shivered. “I don’t even want to think about it.”
Norma moved to help Rachel, and I joined Amos outside. The weather was still crisp, but the sun’s rays soaked into my skin. The sun couldn’t compare to the warmth that filled my soul. I had learned to forgive myself.
We stood and watched as a young boy joined Cody under the big oak that held his tree house. Within minutes, Cody laughed and followed his friend up the ladder into his private abode.
God bless the resilience of children.
As I watched Cody and his friend, two small faces floated through my mind—mental pictures of Joey’s sad-eyed photograph and Tommy’s love for baseball, their violent deaths, all came to the forefront. Children who died too soon—great promise lost in early, senseless violence. Remorse overcame me, so poignant it manifested itself as a sharp pain in my chest.
I punched my hands into my jacket pockets and gazed at a tiny blade of grass trying to get a jump on spring. Perhaps, in some small way, the death of Ben Marshall balanced the scales of justice.
I dedicated Cody’s rescue to Tommy and Joey.
There was no way to save all the abused children.
But by God’s grace, I would save all I could.
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May God’s glory shine through
this inspirational work of fiction.
AMDG