Nate spoke. “It’s real hard to be certain. His face was pretty messed up, and I wasn’t about to move the body till the techs could get there. Besides,” Nate shrugged, “I don’t know what good it’ll do anybody if this guy turns out to be involved. He’s dead, the other guy’s disappeared, and I’m sure the money’s long gone.”
“How much did they get away with?” Jack asked.
“Pretty good sum as these things go. Eight hundred and some odd thousand.”
“That’s huge,” Lucky remarked.
“You can say that again.”
“I’m gonna take Joe over to Lincoln Falls to have a better look at this guy,” Nate said. “If his driver’s license and van registration don’t check out, he could very well be a traveler—we get ’em through every so often. Some of ’em come down from Canada. As long as they don’t cause any trouble, I have no objection. Wouldn’t be my choice of a lifestyle, but I guess it suits them.”
“What was this guy driving?” Jack asked.
“An old customized van, pretty beat up though. It’s at the impound lot in Lincoln Falls for now.” Lucky heard the bell over the door ring. She twisted in her chair and saw Miriam standing on the threshold. Miriam stepped into the restaurant and headed to the counter where Janie was working. She leaned across and spoke softly to Janie. Janie’s cheeks suddenly flushed. She flung a dish towel down on the counter and ran through the door to the corridor. Miriam followed.
Lucky excused herself from the group at the table. So far, the small drama hadn’t caught anyone’s attention. She hurried down the hallway and found Miriam at the rear door, crying. Janie’s car tires squealed as she pulled out of the lot behind the restaurant.
Chapter 13
JANIE SAT HUDDLED at one end of the sofa. Lucky placed a mug of tea on the table in front of her and curled up at the other end of the sofa. Janie finally mumbled her thanks and picked up the tea.
“Look, Janie, I don’t want to pry into your business, but from where I’m sitting, your mother hardly seems like a monster.”
“You think I’m crazy, don’t you.” It was a statement not a question.
“I don’t think any such thing. I just don’t know what’s going on. You and your mother . . . well, you two have always been so close. I don’t understand.”
Janie looked on the verge of tears. She clamped her jaw shut in an effort to control her feelings. “You’d never understand. You’d never get it.”
“Try me.” Lucky’s heart was torn just looking at Janie’s face. It was obvious she was suffering terribly. Earlier that day, Meg had done her best to offer comfort to Janie and had been rebuffed.
“You remember a couple of days ago when you saw me looking out the window at the Spoonful?”
Lucky nodded but didn’t say a word. She was afraid to interrupt Janie’s narrative now that she was willing to talk.
“When I went home that night, I mentioned it to my mother. I thought it was kinda creepy, ’cause I remembered seeing the same man in the market and the same man walking down my street, outside my house.”
“I remember.”
“I told you my mom had a real weird reaction. I could understand if she were concerned some stalker was around, but it wasn’t that at all. She started yelling, like she was blaming me for something. Like I caused it. That’s the best way I can put it. I was mad at her after that, so I just hid out in my room.” Janie took a sip of her tea. “Later, my mother came to the door and said she was sorry, she didn’t mean to get so upset, but she just had a lot on her mind. I was still kinda mad at her, so I pretended to be asleep.”
Janie took a deep shaky breath. “The next evening, my mom was at a neighbor’s for a little bit.” Janie looked over the edge of her mug at Lucky. Her expression seemed slightly sheepish. “There was something about him—the man I mean. Something like . . . like I’d seen him before, before all this, or . . . something about him seemed familiar, I guess. I opened my mom’s jewelry box. It has a secret compartment. She didn’t know I knew about it, but I’ve seen her open it before and take out an old photograph. I never let on I knew. So . . .” Janie took another sip of tea.
Lucky was silent, listening. This was the best thing that could happen. Janie was finally ready to open up.
“I pulled out the old photo she kept in there.” Janie took a deep shaky breath. “Lucky, it was the same man! A lot younger, but I’m sure it was the same man. Then I heard my mom come home. The front door slammed, and I heard her coming up the stairs. I should have just put the photograph back in the secret slot, but I didn’t. I wanted to know what was going on.
“She came into the room, and she saw me holding the old photo. Her face turned all white. I thought she was going to faint. But I was still mad at her from the night before. I held it out, and I . . . I was yelling. I didn’t mean to, but I was so . . . confused, I guess, upset and all.” Janie fell silent for so long Lucky wondered if she would continue. “That’s when she told me.”
“What did she say?” Lucky whispered.
“That man is my father. My real father,” Janie wailed. Her hands started to shake so badly, Lucky reached over and took the mug from her, placing it safely on the table. Janie burst into angry tears. “I started screaming at her. ‘You’re a liar! I have a father. You’re a liar,’ I said.”
Lucky could imagine the shock Janie must have felt. She couldn’t think what to say to calm the girl. She had been so attached to her father—the man she knew to be her father. His death had been very hard on her and surely difficult for her mother. But to learn that the man she loved was not truly her father . . . Lucky shook her head in disbelief.
“She tried to explain, but I guess I was yelling at her. She said this man was someone she had loved when she was young, but they were torn apart. At least I think that’s what she was trying to say. She was crying by then, and I was yelling at her, and it was just awful. I freaked out. She was trying to tell me stuff, but I just covered my ears and ran out of the house.” Janie reached over for a tissue, wiped her nose and eyes, and looked over at Lucky. “What does this mean? Was I an accident, Lucky? Was I an illegitimate child? What?” Janie demanded.
Lucky reached over and held Janie’s hand. “I don’t know. Obviously, there’s a lot more to this story you just weren’t ready to hear. It doesn’t sound like you were an accident or illegitimate, whatever that means. It sounds like you were conceived because two people were very much in love. The fact that something happened to them, that they couldn’t be together . . . well, that must have been out of their control. Stuff happens in life, Janie. Things people can’t control. Lovers go off to war and never come back. But certainly, you were loved. You’re the most important person in your mother’s life. She’s a lovely woman, no matter what happened to her when she was younger, and she’s done her very best for you.”
“And my father? Or the person I always loved and thought was my father—did he know I wasn’t his child? Or was he just like my mom—lying to me my whole life? Or did she lie to him? When he died, I thought I would die. It was so terrible to lose him. Everybody else has a family, a mother and a father, except me. You—you couldn’t possibly imagine what this feels like.”
“Maybe I couldn’t, but you know what? You have a mother that loves you with all her heart, and she’s still on this earth. And the man who raised you is your father, even if he’s not your biological parent. He loved you, and he was always there for you. My parents aren’t here anymore. They’re both gone. You have every right to know the truth, but Janie, you’re so young. You can’t even begin to imagine the things she might have suffered in keeping you and raising you. And she did. She didn’t abandon you. Maybe you’re right. Maybe your father, the father who raised you, knew the whole story and loved her and you just as if you were his own daughter? Maybe he wasn’t free to tell you more.”
“No,” Janie snuffled. “I mean, I don’t know. I don’t know what the truth really is. And who is this man? Has h
e been following me around? And why? And where has he been for the past eighteen years? Why is he around now? And if this hadn’t happened, would my mother have ever told me the truth?”
“Only your mother can answer those questions. I think . . .” The sound of the phone ringing interrupted her train of thought. “Janie, hang on a minute. I’ll see who it is and call them back.”
Lucky walked back to the kitchen and grabbed the phone. It was Elias. What bad timing.
“Can I come over to see you?” he asked.
“Now?” she asked. This was an odd preamble to their evenings together. Usually Elias suggested dinner at his house or at a restaurant.
“If you’re free,” he answered. There was something in his tone that sounded as if he were making a business appointment.
“Actually, I’m not. Janie’s staying with me right now. What about tomorrow night?”
“Uh . . . Lucky, I’d really like to talk to you, in private, if I could.” Lucky felt a sinking feeling in her chest. This was so unlike him. They had been seeing each other for eight months. They were never formal with each other. In fact, Elias had virtually proposed on several occasions. She felt as if she had been suddenly relegated to the position of a third-circle friend. And it had started the day Elias told her he had hired another doctor. Another doctor—Paula Sarens. This had to have something to do with her! Lucky had disliked her the moment she set eyes on her. It was time to get to the bottom of whatever was bothering Elias.
“Why don’t we have a drink at the Pub? I can meet you there in half an hour.” She kept her tone reserved. There was nothing friendly about this meeting. She could feel it in her heart. Something had changed. Elias had changed—at least toward her.
Lucky returned to the living room. “Janie, I’m so sorry. Something’s come up, and I have to go out for an hour maybe, but I’ll be back, and we can talk some more, if you like.”
“That’s okay, Lucky. I’ll be all right. I don’t think I can talk about it anymore anyway. I’m just gonna crash. I didn’t mean to dump all this on you. I’ve just been carrying it around for days it seems.”
“You didn’t dump on me. Don’t say that. I wanted you to talk to me. Getting it all out is the best thing. And finding the answers to all your questions is the next step.”
“I’m not really ready for that part just yet. I know you’re right. I just appreciate your letting me stay here. I need some more time on my own right now.”
“I understand. You can stay here as long as you need. If you’re still up when I’m back, well, I’m a good listener.”
Janie nodded. “Thanks.”
Chapter 14
LUCKY FELT A knot forming in her stomach as she walked the length of Broadway to the Snowflake Pub. She hated to cut her conversation with Janie short, but there didn’t seem to be another alternative. Elias hadn’t pressed, but she could feel his determination to talk to her tonight. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good; she could feel it in her bones. Elias had been distant and distracted the other day when he had stopped in at the Spoonful. She thought at first that he was just tired. He had been working long hours with no backup, and she had been thrilled when he told her he had hired another doctor, but there was an undercurrent of . . . what? Something not spoken? Something hidden? He didn’t sound relieved about his decision. More as though he were dreading something. Since that day, he hadn’t called or stopped by to see her at the restaurant for lunch as he usually did. Again, that was very unlike him.
Maybe it was best that they meet on neutral ground. They had been so close for so many months, and now something was wrong, but she didn’t know what. As hard as this might be, it would be better to talk to him and find out exactly what was going on.
She felt a hot rush of anger rising in her chest as she approached the Pub. She knew she had fallen head over heels in love with Elias in the early days, and she believed he felt the same way. This ambiguous behavior on his part was confusing her. Normally, she would have brushed her hair and put on some lipstick, maybe even a little blush. After all, wasn’t everyone always telling her she should be more feminine? No one denied she was good-looking, but she knew she was never one to care about fashion or her appearance. So be it. He’d get her as she was—tired, no doubt looking dragged out after her talk with Janie and a long day on her feet.
A noisy crowd was gathered at the near end of the bar as she pushed through the door. The overhead television was turned on, and the loud drone of a football game filled the air. She pushed past the group and spotted Elias sitting near the rear, behind the central fire pit that hadn’t been lit for the winter yet. She slid into the booth across from him.
He looked up and smiled. He was nursing a beer. He reached across the table and took her hand. “What can I get you?”
“Red wine would be nice.” She forced herself to smile in return. No point in being a downer right off the bat.
Elias slid out of the booth and headed for the bar. The waitress, the one that always flirted with him and made Lucky uncomfortable, was busy with her loud customers at the other end of the room. He returned with a glass of wine and a napkin. “Cabernet. A good one.”
Lucky took a sip. “Sorry I couldn’t invite you over. Janie’s going through some stuff, and she’s staying with me for a few days.”
“She all right?”
Lucky shrugged. “Upset about some family matters, but I think she’ll be fine.” Although I may not. She waited a few moments for him to speak. When he didn’t, she finally said, “What’s going on, Elias?”
He took a deep breath as if to steel himself. “I wanted to tell you this the other day, but I realized the Spoonful wasn’t the place to talk.”
Lucky waited, watching him carefully. There was nothing to criticize in his behavior, nothing concrete that is, but she knew she was right to feel the ground had shifted beneath her feet, an earthquake of the heart.
“You met Paula at the Clinic. The day you stopped by.”
“Yes.” And, in fact, I didn’t like her very much, Lucky thought, but for once kept her mouth shut.
“The part I didn’t mention is that Paula and I . . . well, we did our internships together and . . .”
“Elias, spit it out, please.” Lucky could feel her face flushing.
“We had a relationship—years ago.”
“A relationship.” Lucky felt her eyebrows reaching toward her hairline. She did her best to keep her tone neutral. “What kind of relationship?”
“We were involved . . .”
Lucky felt her heart sink. What was he trying to say?
“We were planning to be together.”
“Engaged? To be married?” Lucky was sure her voice had risen two octaves.
“Yes.” Elias finally looked her straight in the eye.
“I see. And now you’re working together?”
“Lucky . . . it’s not like that. It was over years ago. As time went on, we realized we wanted different things in life. Paula was interested in a specialty practice, and I . . . well, you know how I feel about my work here. I love Snowflake. Paula never wanted to leave the city.”
“And she does now?” Lucky couldn’t keep the skepticism out of her voice.
“She’s had second thoughts. And to be frank with you, not a lot of what I would consider experienced, qualified people have applied.”
This explained a lot. The feeling she had when she walked into Elias’s office. The energy in the room. The fact that Paula had been so close to him, almost in a sexually suggestive way. Elias’s embarrassment. She hadn’t misread the signals.
“I just don’t want you to be upset. I don’t want anything to interfere in our relationship. You know how I feel about you.”
Lucky felt as if she had been punched in the stomach. “Elias, I don’t know what to say. All this time we’ve been together, you never once mentioned you were ever engaged to anyone. This is all news to me.”
“We were never officially”—Elias shru
gged—“engaged. We were close; we just assumed that’s where it would lead.”
“Did you love her?”
“I suppose I did. I felt that way at the time. It just dissipated slowly as I realized how different we were as people. It was amicable when we finally broke up. I just hope you’re not upset about this. I’d really like this to work out for Paula too.”
Lucky remembered the strange car she had seen parked in Elias’s driveway the night before when she was searching for Janie. “Where is Paula staying?”
“Uh . . .” Elias hesitated. “She’s actually . . . uh . . . she’s staying in the spare room at my house until she can find her own place.”
Lucky stared at him silently. She felt torn between tears and anger. She took a deep breath, not trusting herself to speak at first. “Elias—I’m just really feeling confused and trying not to be upset. First of all, you have never, not once, ever mentioned this relationship that was so important in your life. And now, you’ve actually hired an ex-fiancée, whatever she is, to work closely with you at the Clinic. And she’s staying at your house? How else would you expect me to feel?”
As the words poured out, Lucky realized she sounded like an insecure, jealous lover, but she couldn’t stop herself. What would the mature response be? The civilized one? That’s fine, I’m glad this is all out in the open? Lucky was well aware of her own temper, and she could feel it gathering strength now.
“There’s nothing for you to be jealous about.” Elias’s expression was smug.
“I’m not jealous,” she replied hotly. “I’m just dumbfounded that you would choose to hire her.”
“Whatever we had was over a long, long time ago, Lucky. We’re friends now.” Elias’s face took on a superior look. “I would have expected you to understand.”
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