After wetting his throat with another gulp of coffee, he forged ahead, wishing he had a different story to tell. “You have all known me for so long, except for you, Miss Ruth, and you’re practically part of this family. I feel like I should start from when I moved to Kansas City with Aunt Toni.”
Ruth gave him a wide sympathetic grin.
“Go ahead, Justin,” Keri prompted, her voice tense as though she wasn’t sure she really wanted to hear the rest.
Justin smiled, hoping that she would still be able to look at him once she found out how he’d rebelled against God during those years. He glanced from person to person, then focused on a crack in the cup handle. “When I first went to Kansas City, I was determined not to let Aunt Toni’s agnostic views affect me. But little by little I slowed down on Bible-reading and devotions.
“Once school started two months after I moved, I made friends who weren’t exactly good influences, and before I knew it, I had grown bitter with God for my parents’ death. By Christmastime, there wasn’t much I hadn’t experimented with. Smoking—more than just cigarettes, drinking, even some hard drugs.”
He felt the shame churn in his gut. He couldn’t face Keri at the next admission. He focused on Mac, instead. “Dating and sex were one and the same for me. I grew numb spiritually and emotionally. I acted without thought.”
Silence permeated the room as Justin fast-forwarded through the rest of his pitiful teen years, skipping the details and leaving much to the imagination. “I met Amelia during my sophomore year of college. She got pregnant soon after we met, and I married her.”
A low whistle escaped Raven. Justin glanced up at her to find her studying Keri’s white face.
Clearing his throat, he knew he had to say something to her. Even if it meant doing so in front of the other three people in the room. “I’m sorry you have to hear this, Keri. But now you see why I didn’t come back like I promised. I wasn’t the same boy who went away.”
Silently, Keri nodded, tears pooling, her lips white and tense.
“Go on, Justin. I think we understand about the beginning of things with your wife.” Mac gave him a reassuring nod, and Justin expelled a relieved sigh that there was no anger or condemnation in the wise old eyes.
“Her mom had died a few months before we met, and she had no other family. I was all she had, and she was all I had. Aunt Toni made it pretty clear she wanted nothing to do with me once she considered me grown. So, every month I cashed the check that she sent for my apartment and necessities out of the funds my parents had left me. We had a roommate, too. My aunt paid the school directly so I stayed in college, and Amelia stayed at home, partying all night, sleeping all day. It didn’t take long to see we’d made a mistake. But the babies were on the way and I had a responsibility.”
Feeling choked, he picked up his coffee cup and glanced inside, only to find it empty. He cleared his throat and set the empty mug back down.
“It was almost unbelievable that she didn’t get an abortion. I begged her not to. As soon as the twins were born, she took off with our roommate.”
Keri stood, and Justin’s heart crashed. She couldn’t handle hearing about his disgrace. She’d despise him now. Secure in the knowledge that God had forgiven him long ago, Justin nevertheless had a hard time forgiving himself when he thought of things from her point of view. She’d stayed pure for him while he’d…
He shuddered, then looked up, startled to find her standing over him. She took his cup and walked to the coffeepot, replenished his coffee while no one spoke, and brought it back to him. With a pat on his shoulder and a reassuring, though shaky smile, she gave him an encouraging nod. “Go ahead and finish the story.”
Speechless, he met her gaze and the years slipped away. Once again she was the skinny, freckled girl he’d loved as a child, and whom he was beginning to love again. He knew that only God could mend the rift in time, if He so willed.
Grateful for her graciousness, he took a sip of his drink, then picked up where he’d left off.
“I knew I needed to raise the boys in church, so I found a great one close to home. After about six weeks, Amelia showed up again. She seemed ready to settle down and be a mother, so I let her come back. I figured my sons would be better off with a mother to take care of them, and to be honest, I needed help. So she came back and we picked up where we’d left off, only this time, my relationship with God was slowly being restored. Amelia refused to attend services after a few weeks, and I knew I couldn’t force her to live for God. But I was disappointed. My dream was that she would become a Christian, and we could somehow build on that and create the kind of family I had with my mom and dad. I guess she loved the boys as much as she was capable, but she never could quite settle in to motherhood. Before long, she started taking off for days at a time.”
“Why’d you keep letting her come back?” Raven stared at him as though she thought he was the worst kind of chump.
Justin felt heat creep up his neck. He shrugged.
“Right after I graduated from college, Rick and his wife started attending my church and we hit it off right away. His wife even tried to befriend Amelia, but, of course, that didn’t go anywhere. Anyway, Rick had just taken the position as director of the Victory Mission. It was in shambles. I began volunteering, and, before long, I headed up a volunteer program coordinating people who were willing to cook and serve or wash and mend donated clothing. Within a couple of years, the board was looking for a full-time assistant for Rick.
“I quit my job in sales at a large marketing company and took this one, for a lot less than I was making. Amelia was furious. But the house was paid for out of the last of the funds my parents had put away for me, plus the life insurance policy. We didn’t need fifty-thousand-dollar cars.”
Raven raised her brow. “I have to agree with her on that one, Justin. That’s a good job to leave to slop tuna casserole on a tray once a day.”
“Oh, Raven. Don’t be so shallow.” Keri’s scowl darkened her freckles as she faced her sister. “Of course he had to take the job. Justin has always wanted to help people.”
“Oh, he has?” Raven sent her a teasing grin.
Keri’s face turned bright red. She cleared her throat. “Does anyone want coffee?”
No one did.
Mac turned back to Justin. “Amelia?”
“Anyway, after the first time she left, our marriage was in name only. She chose that. But I agreed to it happily. The deal was that she wouldn’t drink or do drugs around the boys and absolutely no men were allowed in the house. She kept to her end of the deal until the last day.”
“All right,” Raven said matter-of-factly, glancing up from the notes she’d been jotting. “Let’s talk about the day Amelia died.”
“Like I said, we really didn’t talk all day. The boys told me that they’d seen their mom staggering in while Mrs. Angus was feeding them breakfast. When I got home from my regular overnight at the mission around 11:00 a.m., the boys were in school, of course, and Mrs. Angus filled me in.
“I should have calmed down before going upstairs, but the thought of my boys being forced to see their mother in that condition sent me over the edge. Her door was locked, so I kicked it open.”
Mac shook his head. “That didn’t make you look innocent, did it?”
Expelling a heavy sigh, Justin shook his head. “No, sir. It didn’t.”
“What happened next, Justin?” Raven asked.
“Of course, I startled Amelia awake. I remember her being so scared, she screamed and screamed, begging me not to kill her, until I calmed her down, and she realized it was just me.”
“So she may have already known someone was out to kill her.” Raven’s observation took him by surprise.
He shrugged. “Maybe. She was still pretty out of her skull.”
“What about your alibi? Surely you have a ton of witnesses who knew you were at the shelter all night.”
Justin gazed up at Keri. Apparently she hadn’t
filled her sister in on too many details. The fact that she’d protected his privacy, even against her sister, or perhaps especially against the reporter, filled him with hope and increased his respect for Keri.
She averted her gaze from him to her sister. “Two residents have come forward who are willing to testify that they saw Justin leave the shelter after lights-out.”
“Oh, boy, this isn’t going to be easy.” Raven leaned forward, frowning in concentration as she wrote something on the pad in front of her. “So the most likely suspect is going to be someone with enough clout to influence a resident at the mission? Your boss?”
Shock zigzagged through Justin with the intensity of lightning. “No way!” He heard the passion in his voice, but didn’t care. He knew what it felt like to be wrongfully accused and he couldn’t abide the thought of one of his best friends being put in that position.
“Okay, take it easy. It was just a question.” Raven rolled her eyes. “We’ll keep him off the suspects list for now. Who else had close contact with the residents?”
Justin did a mental checklist. There weren’t too many possibilities. “Me. Rick. Bob, my lawyer. He helps out with some pro bono cases. But there again, he’s a good friend. Like Rick. There’s just no way he could be responsible.”
Raven gathered a long breath and let it out slowly. She tapped the end of her pen on the table. “O-kay. Two possible suspects who aren’t capable of double-crossing a friend, for whatever reason. Who else then?” She glanced up from the notepad, her brow raised in question.
Mac, Ruth and Keri all turned to him, obviously thinking along the same lines as Raven.
Defenses raised by Raven’s sarcasm and the consensus of skepticism, Justin forced himself not to voice his frustration. Instead he searched his memory and picked through a possible list of the volunteers and part-time employees who might have a vendetta against him. He had named three or four possibilities when the kitchen door opened and Billy stumbled in rubbing his eyes.
“What are you doing up, son?” he asked.
“I’m thirsty.”
Keri stood. “Follow me, Billy-boy. I’ll get you a drink.”
Feeling suddenly stifled in the warm kitchen, Justin stood, as well. “I’m going to call it a night. Maybe we can pick this up in the morning.”
A wide yawn stretched Mac’s mouth. He suffocated it with the back of his veined hand and stood, arching his back. “That’s probably for the best,” he said. With a cautious glance toward Billy, he dropped his tone. “Thank you for opening up to us, Justin. I’m more convinced than ever that you didn’t do this.” He sent Keri a pointed look.
Justin stretched out his hand. Mac ignored the offering and pulled him in for a hug instead. “You just keep your hope in the Lord, my boy. He is a God of faithfulness, and He knows you’re innocent. Keep looking for a way to prove your innocence.” He pulled away and winked. “And don’t mind Raven, there. She’s naturally suspicious.”
“Thanks a lot, Dad,” she drawled, rolling her eyes.
A chuckle escaped Justin despite the difficulty of the last hour. “I’ll try to remember that.” He directed his attention to Billy. “Ready to go back to bed?”
The boy gave a sleepy nod and leaned his head against Justin’s waist.
As they stepped out of the kitchen, Justin overheard Keri’s husky voice. “So, what do you think, Rave?”
“I think Justin is innocent, but very, very naive.” Justin’s ears burned as he slowed his steps. “Someone is setting him up, and I’m sure it’s one of his friends.”
Chapter Twelve
Keri opened her eyes, instantly alert. She glanced over at the glowing numbers on the clock next to her bed and groaned. Four o’clock. Another night of little to no sleep.
Immersed in slumber, Ruth snorted and turned onto her side, pulling the quilts with her. Shivering, Keri eased out of bed, slipped on her fuzzy leopard-spotted slippers, her half-moon-accented terry-cloth robe, and moved into the hallway toward the kitchen for a drink of water.
After two nights of sleeping with Ruth, she was beginning to feel sorry for Dad, and the thought occurred to her that someone might have tipped him off about his fiancée’s sleeping habits. Maybe that was the real reason he kept putting off setting the date for the wedding. The woman couldn’t be still or quiet while she slept any more than she could while she was awake. A smile lit Keri’s face as she pushed open the kitchen door. She loved Ruth, anyway. So maybe she’d keep quiet about it. No sense in giving Dad an excuse to give in to cold feet.
The light above the sink glowed softly into the otherwise dark cabin. Keri frowned. She had been the last person to turn in the night before and she knew she’d switched off that light. Her heart picked up a few beats as anxiety swept her. Could someone be in the cabin? She scowled at the absurdity of the thought. What thief in his right mind would turn on the kitchen light? Relaxing a bit, she nevertheless walked to the back door and rattled the doorknob. It was locked, with no sign that anyone had come in through that avenue.
Keri shook her head at her paranoia. Most likely, she’d forgotten to turn off the light. Either that or someone had gotten up for a drink of water and had simply left it on so they could see their way through the house. In any case, there was no intruder.
She turned on the faucet and filled a glass with the ice-cold water sliding through the pipes. A sigh lifted and lowered her chest and she turned, leaning against the sink. Her gaze swept the kitchen and she could imagine that in just a few hours, the turkey would be tempting everyone in the cabin with its delicious aroma. They would all sit around the large table—after Dad added several mismatched chairs so there would be enough to go around. It had been ages since they’d had a Thanksgiving meal at the cabin. It only seemed right that Justin and the boys were here. After all, the Thanksgiving tradition had always consisted of the Mahoneys and Kramers.
Would the tradition live on? Or with the very real possibility of Justin going to prison and the boys into foster care, was this the last time they’d be together for the holiday? The thought churned Keri’s gut, but she pushed aside the dark musing, determined to enjoy today if for no other reason than to give Justin and the boys one last holiday together before his arrest.
She glanced at the clock on the wall. Four-ten. Three more hours of sleep—tops. She’d better go back and hope she was so exhausted even Ruth couldn’t keep her awake.
Just as she turned to rinse out her glass, her gaze swept over a slip of white paper left in the center of the counter, next to the coffeepot. Frowning, Keri lifted the note, then gasped as she read.
Keri,
I have to know what the killer is after. Mrs. Angus scared him off the first time, but it stands to reason he’ll be back. I want to get there first if it isn’t too late already. I plan to be back by the end of the day with good news. If for some reason I don’t return, please know how badly I regret the way my life unfolded. And despite my love for my boys, my biggest mistake was not coming back for you. You turned out to be everything a man could ask for in a woman. I won’t make the same mistake twice. If at all possible, I’m coming back for you this time.
Justin.
Keri’s eyes burned as she read and reread the note with tear-blurred vision. He regretted not coming back for her. That meant he still cared. Just as she did.
“Justin,” she whispered. What was he doing going off looking for clues all alone?
He was doing exactly what she would do if her life and the lives of her children were at stake. The difference was that she was trained for it. He wasn’t. And what kind of woman let the man she loved face a dangerous, unknown enemy alone? Definitely not her.
Moments later, fully dressed, she made her way through the living room, listening to her dad’s even breathing from his makeshift bed on the couch.
Raven slept, mouth open, in front of the fireplace. Keri grinned. Too bad she didn’t have a camera handy. That picture would be worth a million bucks—or could serve
as a nice consolation token for every poor sap Raven threw over for no good reason.
Raven stirred, then opened her eyes. “Kere Bear?”
“Shh. Go back to sleep.”
The last thing Keri needed was for her sister to wake up and start asking questions. She inwardly cringed as Raven rose up on her elbow and stared at her, the glow from the small flame in the fireplace dancing across her perfect skin. “What time is it? And why are you all dressed? Where are you going?”
Why couldn’t Raven have chosen a career in medicine? She always asked the right questions. Nothing got past her and for the first time ever, Keri wished her sister was a lousy reporter instead of such an ace.
“Justin took off for Kansas City to try to look for some clues in his house. Something the killer might have left behind.”
“After all this time?” Raven sat up the rest of the way and hugged her knees to her chest. “The detectives would have swept that place long ago and taken anything relevant.”
“Yes. But Justin’s lawyer said the place was broken into a couple of nights ago.”
Even in just the glow from the firelight, Keri could see the interest spark in Raven’s eye. “The killer came back to the scene,” Raven said, excitement building in her words. “You know what that means?”
“Obviously he left something to incriminate himself.”
“And to prove Justin’s innocence.” She jumped to her feet. “I’m getting dressed. Wait for me. I want to come, too.”
“No way. I’m not taking you away from Dad on the first Thanksgiving you’ve been here in five years.”
Raven hesitated as though weighing her words. Releasing a heavy sigh, she nodded. “I guess you’re right.”
“Neither one of you ought to be going out in this weather.”
Reasonable Doubt Page 12
