Vanessa's Match

by Judy Christenberry

  Of course, she hadn’t bothered to tell Rick she’d sorted out her problem without his generous donation. So when she finally told him her degree was not in jeopardy, he might be angry with her.

  Why was their romance so complicated?

  That was a foolish question. With Lindy and Sharon in the mix, it had to be complicated. And she knew her reluctance to be involved, in spite of the attraction she felt, had made things difficult, too.

  That was an understatement!

  She raised her head and packed the last of her papers in her briefcase. Time to go home, check on her mother and Danny, and maybe get some rest before she set out for the sleepover.

  AT HOME, Vivian was lying down on the sofa in the morning room. When her mother looked up, she asked, “How are you feeling?”

  “Bored. I’ve rested long enough.”

  “I know, but you don’t see the doctor till Monday. You have to wait until then.”

  “I’m so sorry you had to move the slumber party to Rick’s house. I feel like I let everyone down.”

  “You’re being silly, Mom. We all know you didn’t want to ruin Lindy’s plans, but we also know that the baby is a lot more important than a slumber party.”

  “I know,” Vivian said with a sigh. “By the way, have you heard anything about Rick’s situation?”

  “No, have you?”

  “No. I asked Will once and he just kissed me and said nothing.”

  Vanessa sighed. She needed someone to talk to, and as always, her mother was here for her. “You remember I told you about Dr. Cavanaugh being at The Mansion that night?” At Vivian’s nod, she continued. “I sorted it out with him by arranging for Lindy to see another therapist. But I didn’t tell Rick that.”

  Her mother just listened, not passing judgment.

  “I guess he was worried about it, because today Dr. Cavanaugh showed me a big check to the Psychology Department that Rick sent, along with a letter praising my work and saying he hoped I’d be associated with the department for many years.”

  “Oh, how wonderful of him.”

  “Yes. And now I feel a little guilty that I hadn’t told him what I did.”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t tell him?”

  “I don’t want to lie about anything to him. He—he’s indicated he’s serious about our future.” She waited, breathless, for her mother’s reaction.

  “How do you feel about it?”

  “I think I feel the same way.”

  Vivian reached up to hug her daughter. “I think he’s a good man. And he certainly fits in well with our family.”

  “Mmm-hmm. And he’s done a wonderful job with Lindy.”

  “With your help. The two of you didn’t get off to such a great start.”

  “But even then there was something between us. I was resisting as hard as I could, but I didn’t hold out long. I can’t.” She let herself smile.

  Her mother took Vanessa’s hands in hers. “I’ve worried about who you would marry. We’ve been so lucky with marriages in our family. It took me a second time to find the right guy, but I did. You were the last one, and I’ve been concerned about your future for a while now.”

  “Oh, Mom, you’d better worry about the little one you’re bringing into the world. You’ve got Danny and the baby to marry off in a few years.”

  “I know. Time really flies. It seems like just last week that it was just the two of us. Now we are such a big family.”

  Vanessa laughed. “Not everyone, but we are getting bigger all the time.”

  “Oh, I forgot to tell you. Rachel called. She’s pregnant again.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. It appears we conceived at almost the same time.”

  Vanessa laughed and backed up. “Maybe I’d better stay away from both of you in case it’s catching.”

  “It’s not us you need to stay away from to avoid pregnancy. It’s Rick. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

  She chuckled, feeling lighthearted. “You could be right, Mom.”

  Just then Betty brought in lunch for the two of them. “I expect you both to clean your plates,” she said before she left them.

  Vivian stared at the loaded tray. “How does she expect me not to be overweight when I go to the doctor if I eat everything? Look at that coconut pie. She knows it’s my favorite.”

  “Mine, too. We’ll just do the best we can and then you can plead your appetite is off. And I’ll say…What can I say?”

  “You can say you’re in love. Betty already knows that, and she approves too!”

  “In that case, maybe we can go straight to the pie.”

  They had almost finished their lunches when the doorbell rang. Vanessa glanced at her mother. “Are you expecting anyone?”

  “No. Not anyone who would come to the front door. Maybe it’s Rick.”

  “I’ll go see.”

  When she opened the door onto the hallway, she could hear Sharon’s strident voice as Peter tried to close the front door on the woman. Vanessa went to assist him.

  “Let me in!” Sharon screamed.

  “What do you want?” Vanessa asked.

  “I want revenge!”

  “That’s not going to make me let you in, Sharon. Besides, I haven’t done anything.”

  “Oh yeah? You were the one who told him about Larry, weren’t you?”

  “So?”

  “Larry’s furious with me! He refuses to have anything to do with me now.”

  “He didn’t know about Rick?”

  “No! I didn’t want—He’s my—”

  Sharon stopped talking because tears were falling from her eyes. For the first time, Vanessa felt sorry for her.

  “Sharon, I’m not the reason Larry is mad at you. The fact that you tried to trick Rick with Larry’s baby is your fault.”

  “Who told you that?”

  “No one. I figured it out.”

  “Well, I’m going to kill you before you tell anyone else! You’re not going to destroy all my plans!”

  Peter, who had moved behind the door, out of sight, yelled, “Betty, call the police!”

  But his order was too late.

  Sharon pulled a gun and pointed it at Vanessa.

  Vanessa jumped behind the door and gave it a mighty shove. It knocked Sharon’s hand and the gun went off, chipping the door. When the crazed woman bent down to recover the weapon, Vanessa pushed her over. Then she closed the door and locked it.

  It all happened so quickly, Vanessa couldn’t believe it. Her mother was coming down the hall, almost running, and Danny and Betty had emerged from the kitchen. Then a bullet struck a window in the front of the house, shattering the glass.

  Gathering her wits, Vanessa guided everyone to the library. Its windows were narrow and looked out on the side of the house. She thought they would be safer there.

  “Betty, did you call the police?” she shouted.

  “I didn’t have a chance.”

  Vanessa grabbed a phone and dialed 911. When the police answered, a bullet shattered another window.

  “Ma’am, is that gunfire?” the police dispatcher asked.

  “Yes, there’s someone outside shooting the windows out. She tried to shoot me.”

  “We’ve got two cars on their way right now. Stay away from the windows.”

  Next Vivian called Will. She told him what was happening.

  “I’m on my way. Stay away from the windows.”

  As if to underscore his words, another shot hit the house. They all cringed.

  “I wish there was something I could do,” Peter said. “We should be able to stop her. I could slip out the back and attack her from the back and—”

  “No!” Vivian shouted. “Will said to stay inside.”

  They realized that Sharon had figured out where they were, when she shot out one of the narrow library windows. Vanessa was the closest to it. The bullet didn’t strike her, but shards of glass did. Her arm started bleeding.

  Betty got up. “I
’ll go get some gauze and—”

  Vanessa stopped her. “No, give me your apron, Betty. Now everybody get down on the floor behind a piece of furniture.”

  Peter crawled across the room with Betty’s apron and wrapped it tightly around the cut.

  “Thank you, Peter,” Vanessa said softly.

  Then they heard the sounds they were waiting for. Police sirens. Vanessa knew the barrage wouldn’t last much longer. But, to her surprise, she heard more gunshots.

  “Surely she isn’t stupid enough to shoot at the police?” Vanessa asked no one in particular.

  Then the shooting stopped as abruptly as it had started. After several moments of silence Vanessa knew the siege was over.

  The doorbell rang, and Peter got up. “I’ll answer it.”

  “Peter, make sure it’s the police first,” Vanessa said. “Do you want me to go with you?”

  “No, Vanessa, you stay in here. Take care of the rest of them.”

  Just then they heard the screech of tires as a car pulled into the drive.

  “That will be Will,” Vivian said with confidence.

  “Stay here until he comes in, Mom. We have to be sure.”

  Moments later the door swung open and Will searched the room with his gaze, looking for Vivian and Danny. He came to them at once. “Are you all right, sweetheart? Danny?”

  Danny crawled into his daddy’s arms. “It was scary, Daddy.”

  “I know, son, but Mommy and Vanessa took care of you, didn’t they?”

  “Yeah.”

  He looked over at Vanessa. “You’re bleeding! Were you shot?”

  “No, Will, it was glass from the window.”

  Jim appeared then in the doorway. “Everyone all right in here?”

  “Vanessa has a wound from flying glass. We need to get it taken care of.”

  Her brother came to her. “Come on, Vanessa. There’s an ambulance here. They can take care of you.”

  “I didn’t know you’d come, Jim,” Vanessa said, feeling a little better.

  “With someone shooting at all of you, of course I came. Let me help you,” he said, taking her wounded arm in his hands.

  She was afraid to ask, but she had to know. “What happened to Sharon?”

  “She started shooting at the policemen. They didn’t have much choice.”

  “You mean…she’s dead?” Vanessa asked, her voice rising.

  “Maybe they just wounded her,” Jim said.

  “Oh, no, the baby!”

  “You think that was Rick’s baby?”

  “It doesn’t matter now,” Vanessa said, tears starting down her cheeks.

  When Jim led her out the front door, Peter was talking to one of the policemen. “Here’s Vanessa. That woman tried to shoot her.”

  “What we don’t know is why,” the policeman stated.

  Jim whispered to Vanessa, “Let me handle this.” In a louder voice, he asked, “Can the EMTs bandage her arm? And while they do that, I think I can explain all this.”

  “We’d be interested in hearing that,” the officer said as he waved for the EMTs to come to the front door.

  “Can they take her into the kitchen? I think that would be the best place to work.”

  The EMTs immediately did as Jim asked and led Vanessa into the kitchen. After they sat her down at the table and unwrapped her arm, she asked, “The, uh, the shooter. Is she dead?”

  “I’m afraid so.” The man kept working on her arm.

  Vanessa ducked her head, trying to conceal her tears.

  “Wasn’t she trying to kill you?”

  Vanessa nodded but said nothing else. They finished the bandaging and she thanked them with as much sincerity as she could manage under the circumstances. She was shaken over Sharon’s fate.

  “Ma’am,” the officer said, stepping into the kitchen, “did the lady say why she wanted to kill you?”

  “There was a man she intended to marry, only he hadn’t asked her. She thought he was going to ask me.”

  “And the man’s name?”

  “I don’t think I want to tell you that.”

  “Is it the man in the hall?”

  She shook her head.

  “Ma’am, I think you need to tell us his name.”

  “Why? He hasn’t done anything wrong.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  “Yes. Jim?” she called. She was relieved when her brother came into the kitchen. “This policeman keeps asking who was involved, but I don’t think I should tell him.”

  “Me, neither. I’m not required to reveal a client.”

  She turned to the policeman. “I decline to tell you anything else.”

  “Not even the name of the shooter?”

  “No, I can tell you that. Her name is Sharon Cresswell.”

  “Did she live in the area?”

  With a sigh, Jim gave the policeman her home address. Then he turned to Vanessa. “Have they finished with you?”

  “I think so.”

  After the EMTs left the room Will stepped into the kitchen. “Did they take care of you, Vanessa?”

  “Yes, Will, thank you. Is everyone all right?”

  “I think so. I had Vivian call her doctor.”

  “Was she injured, sir?” the policeman asked.

  “No, but she’s pregnant. We want to make sure she is all right.”

  “I see. And do you know the gentleman who was involved in this shootout?”

  “Of course I do, but he’s our client, and we’re not going to reveal his identity. He has done nothing wrong. He offered to pay the woman’s medical bills and when the baby was born, he wanted a DNA test to ensure that he was the father.”

  “So she was pregnant?”

  “We’re not sure. The woman could have lied. We were investigating the situation.”

  “I see.” The officer nodded. “You’re sure that’s all you can give us?”

  “Yes, absolutely—” Will began, then they all heard noises outside the house.

  Rick burst into the kitchen and snatched Vanessa up into his arms.

  “Are you all right? Did she hurt you? Damn it, why didn’t you call me?”

  The policeman stepped forward. “So this would be the gentleman involved. May I ask your name, sir?”

  “Certainly. I’m Rick Austin.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Vanessa loved the feel of Rick’s arms around her. She lay back against him, wishing they were anywhere but here. That this entire tragedy hadn’t happened.

  But it had, and now Rick had gotten himself involved.

  “We were trying to keep you out of it,” she told him.

  He looked down at her. “Why?”

  “You’re a client, and Will would’ve kept you confidential. Your business, your reputation…”

  He silenced her with a hush. “My business and my reputation mean a lot to me,” he said, “but not as much as you. And Lindy. And telling the truth about what happened. Besides, I didn’t do anything wrong, except be a bit dense.”

  If Vanessa hadn’t already realized she loved this man, she did then.

  Rick looked up at the policeman, not letting her go. “The woman—Sharon—was claiming to be carrying my child. But we all doubt that.” He shook his head, as if in disbelief. “I can’t believe she tried to kill Vanessa. Have you taken her to jail?”

  A silence fell over the room which Vanessa finally broke. In a low voice she said, “She’s dead.”

  Rick looked at her but didn’t speak.

  “She fired on the policemen. They fired back.”

  Rick pulled her tightly against him again. “I feel sorry for her,” he whispered. Then, “But she should never have pulled a stunt like this. I didn’t realize she’d go this far.” His brow creased and he asked, “But why did she come after you?”

  “She thought if she killed me, I couldn’t repeat that I thought she was using Larry’s baby to scam you.”

  “Did she admit that?”

  �
�No, but I took a chance and guessed.”

  “You took a big chance, sweetheart.”

  “I didn’t have any idea that she would try to kill me. I guess I never realized, either, how desperate she was.”

  With a big sigh, Rick said, “Neither did I. Thank God you’re all right.” He buried himself in her embrace.

  “Sir, we’d like to ask you a few questions,” the policeman said, interrupting their quiet discussion.

  Rick looked up and gathered himself. “I understand. But first I need to make sure she’s resting. I’ll be right back.” He led Vanessa out of the kitchen and into the morning room.

  “I’m fine, Rick,” she protested. “I could’ve stayed in there and helped you.”

  “I’ll be fine. Besides, Will and Jim will be there. You need to rest and it wouldn’t hurt if you took something for the pain.”

  “I might fall asleep,” she said, as if that would be horrible.

  “That wouldn’t be a bad thing. We still have the slumber party tonight.”

  “Oh I’d forgotten that. We can’t—” But how could she disappoint Lindy? Besides, the party might be a pleasant diversion from the horrors of today. “I guess we have to go through with it.”

  “Not if you don’t want to.”

  “No, I couldn’t do that to Lindy.”

  He kissed her. “We’ll see. We’ve got a few hours before we have to make a final decision.”

  By that time they had reached the morning room. They found Vivian lying down on the sofa and Betty entertaining Danny. The little boy immediately looked up to see who was coming in. They both saw the disappointment on his face. But he came running to them.

  “Have you seen my daddy? Is he okay?”

  Rick knelt to the little boy’s level. “Your daddy is safe, Danny, I promise. He’s just talking to the police so your mommy won’t have to.”

  “Can I go help him?”

  “I think you’d better wait here until he comes back.”

  “Okay.” It was clear Danny wanted to say something else, so Rick waited.

  “Were you scared?” the boy finally asked.