Coulson's Secret

by McIntyre, Anna J

  Alex and Kate agreed to return the following morning to help prepare for Carol’s wake. As Kim walked them to the door, she realized they had not quizzed her about the trip to Clement Falls and her visit with Franklin Myers, in spite of the fact they obviously knew about it. Kim was grateful they hadn’t pried, which made their offer of support even more appreciated.

  “Can I ask you a favor?” Kim asked impulsively as she stood on the front porch of her mother’s house.

  “Certainly,” Alex answered before Kate.

  “This may be a strange request, but would you mind sitting with me at the service? I’ll feel so conspicuous sitting on the front pew. I would ask Adam, but I think that would be kinda weird, with Angela and all. She doesn’t know about the history Adam and I have, and I really don’t want to do anything to make him uncomfortable.”

  “Certainly,” Alex told Kim before giving her a brief hug.

  Kate gave Kim a quick hug after Alex, and then the sisters said their final goodbyes. Kim remained on the porch and watched as Alex and Kate got into a car and drove off.

  Chapter 8

  The small chapel at the funeral home was filled to capacity, which surprised Kim. Russell and Garret joined their wives and sat on the front pew. Speculation as to why the Coulson brothers were sitting with the daughter of the deceased and what the connection between the victims might be was reignited by the seating arrangement. Adam and Angela sat several rows behind the front pew with Angela’s father, the retired police chief.

  Kim found the service surreal. Unable to look away from the urn at the front of the chapel, which held Carol’s ashes, Kim suddenly regretted her decision not to view her mother’s body prior to the cremation.

  After the minister concluded his service, he asked if anyone wanted to say anything about the deceased. Three of her co-workers got up and spoke briefly about Carol, each making complimentary but not overly personal comments.

  Kim didn’t want to stand in a long receiving line and shake hand after hand with her mother’s friends and acquaintances, especially since she was hosting a wake at her mother’s home. The minister conveyed to the gathering the location of the wake and explained that those who wished to offer their condolences to the family could do so then. The term family struck Kim as odd, considering she was the only family in attendance.

  When the service concluded, Kim watched the crowd disperse and looked to see if her father had decided to come. Her eyes swept the crowd and then settled on a man sitting on a back pew. He was alone. Just as he stood up to leave the chapel, he looked up toward Kim. Their gazes locked. It was her half-brother, Nick Myers. They stared at each other for a moment. His expression was unreadable, yet he didn’t look away or pretend not to see her.

  Kim’s heart began to race at the sight of him, and she asked herself why seeing her half-brother made her so nervous. Why does he make me feel so uncomfortable? Kim asked herself. She had to admit, he was a handsome man. While the son looked exactly like the photograph of her father at a similar age, Nick had a darker complexion. He nodded at Kim, yet did not attempt to approach her. He turned and exited the chapel.

  Less than a quarter of those attending the chapel service showed up at Carol’s house for the wake. Kim was a little relieved. The thought of making small talk and accepting condolences from that many strangers was overwhelming. She hadn’t expected her brother to show up at the wake and was quite surprised when he walked through the front door less than thirty minutes later. Her father was not with him.

  Kim was standing in the living room by the doorway leading to the formal dining room when Nick Myers walked through the front door. He didn’t knock or wait for someone to let him in. Like others attending, he simply opened the door and walked into the front entry. The adjacent living room was fairly crowded, and there were several conversations going on simultaneously.

  A few minutes earlier, Alex and Kate had chased Kim from the kitchen, telling her they would handle things. Kim stood with Garret, who was discussing plans for Thanksgiving dinner. Kim remembered how Adam had initially loathed the man when Garret had first started dating Alexandra. For loyalty’s sake, Kim had tried to see Garret in a negative light when she was a teenager.

  Garret was a handsome man, something Kim had first noticed when she was in high school. Like his wife, he had aged well, and she found him immensely likable. Adam is lucky, Kim thought, to have been blessed with two fathers who cared about his family. Her conversation with Garret stalled when Nick walked straight up to her and extended a hand.

  “I don’t believe we were formally introduced the other night. I’m Nick Myers.”

  Not sure what to say, Kim shook his hand. Before she had the chance to introduce him to Garret, Nick extended his hand to him.

  “Hello. My father was once married to Kim’s mother,” Nick explained, as he shook Garret’s hand.

  Garret eyed the young man with curiosity. Alex had already told Garret about the situation. According to what Adam had told his mother, Kim’s father had a son with his second wife, and apparently, this was the son.

  “I’m Garret Coulson, an old family friend,” Garret returned.

  “I was hoping I could speak to Kim alone. Kim, is there somewhere we might talk?”

  It was crowded downstairs and going outside wouldn’t insure they would have privacy. Kim decided to take Nick upstairs to her mother’s study. She needed to check on Jake anyway. When they got upstairs, Kim showed Nick to the room and shut the door behind her. Jake immediately leapt from the floor to the desktop, attempting to get Kim’s attention. It was difficult to ignore the hefty feline as he weaved back and forth on the edge of the desk, meowing loudly.

  “Holy crap. Now, that is some big cat,” Nick commented. “Was he your mother’s?”

  “No. He’s mine,” Kim said before scooping Jake up in her arms and taking a seat on the desk chair. She twirled around in the chair, the cat in her lap, and looked up at her half-brother. She noticed he didn’t refer to her as his sister. That is fine with me, she thought angrily.

  “Okay, we have privacy. What do you want?” Kim asked. Jake made himself comfortable on her lap and began to purr loudly. Nick glanced down at the cat and smiled.

  “He seems to be comfortable,” Nick commented. “Lucky kitty.”

  “Mr. Myers?” Kim asked curtly, annoyed at the direction of his banter.

  “I would think Mr. Myers is a bit formal for our relationship,” Nick told her, as he sat down on the couch opposite the chair and faced her. He looked far more relaxed than Kim did.

  “Well, it’s obvious the idea of referring to me as your sister is repulsive.”

  “Perhaps repulsive is a bit harsh,” Nick corrected. “Let’s just say I’ve never thought of you as a sister, so it’s rather hard to start now.”

  “Why did you want to speak to me alone?”

  “First, I do want to extend my sincere condolences for the loss of your mother. I also apologize for allowing this conversation to start on such an irreverent note, especially considering the gravity of the situation. I’m very sorry for the loss of your mother, and so is my father.”

  “But he couldn’t bother coming to her service?” Kim asked. The sound of hurt in her voice did not go unnoticed by Nick.

  “My father has not been well. He was diagnosed with cancer a while back, and while the doctors are confidant they have it under control, he still tires easily.”

  “He has cancer?” Kim whispered. She wondered, Is that why he didn’t seem interested in getting to know me?

  “I’m afraid your visit the other day was especially rough on him. I was hoping—and I don’t want to sound harsh, especially considering what you have been through—that you might contact me first if you feel compelled to see him again.”

  “Compelled—compelled to see him again? Excuse me for wanting answers from my father.” Kim stood up and set Jake on the desk. The cat immediately jumped to the floor and began pawing at the door, wanting t
o go out. “I didn’t know he was ill, and I’m sorry for that. But if he has no interest in getting to know me, and it’s obvious you don’t consider me your sister, don’t worry, Mr. Myers, I won’t bother your father again. Perhaps you should leave now.”

  “Kim, please. I’m sorry if that came out wrong. There are just things you don’t know. I actually think you should talk to my father again, but considering his health, I’d like to make sure it’s on one of his better days. As for you and me, I very much want to get to know you better. But rather than thinking of you as a sister, I would like to get to know you as a friend.”

  “Why is it so difficult for you to call him our father?” Kim asked, afraid she might start crying.

  Nick stood up from the couch and looked at her for a moment, his dark eyes sweeping over her trembling features. He smiled softly and placed his hands firmly on her shoulders. “Kim, do you really think of him as your father? Has he ever been a father to you? Honestly, I don’t think he has earned that title.” Nick’s voice was soft, mesmerizing. His serious expression confused her.

  “Was he a good father to you?” Kim asked. Her voice sounded almost childlike.

  Nick didn’t answer immediately. “Yes, but I imagine one reason he was such a good father to me was his regret over his treatment of you and your mother. Kim, why don’t you come have Thanksgiving with me? He’ll be there.”

  “But you just said that you wanted to make sure he was having a good day.”

  “Oh, screw that.” Nick sounded exasperated. “Don’t start taking my advice now. Hell, it’s too soon in our relationship for you to cave now.”

  Kim couldn’t help but smile at his strange rant. One minute, he wanted to coddle his father, and the next, he wanted to throw Kim at him.

  “I can’t. I’ve already accepted a Thanksgiving invitation at the Coulsons’.”

  Nick dropped his hands off her shoulders, but he continued to face her.

  “How about Friday? I’ll pick you up.”

  “I have to go to Senator Harrison’s funeral on Friday.”

  “Okay, Saturday. I’ll pick you up on Saturday.”

  “Won’t you have guests staying at the bed and breakfast?” Kim asked, wondering what she would have to say to her father.

  “That’s okay. We have a cook who serves the meals, and I stay behind the scenes. I imagine our guests will be out hiking or locked in their room doing things newlyweds do.”

  “Honeymooners?”

  “Yep.” Nick grinned. “At least one couple. I suspect the second is not even married, but we have a strict don’t ask don’t tell policy. I’ll pick you up Saturday morning, bright and early. Be ready at 8:00 a.m.” Nick gave Kim a quick kiss on the cheek and then barreled from the room, closing the door behind him so as not to let Jake out.

  A bit unsettled from the bizarre encounter, Kim walked to the study window and looked out. She watched as Nick exited the front door, walked down the drive, got into a pickup truck, and drove away.

  Most people left by four. Kim talked only briefly to Adam as Angela remained constantly by his side. Kim didn’t feel especially comfortable with the couple and wondered how she was going to handle Thanksgiving. Secretly, she wished Angela would go away so she could spend time alone with Adam. It wasn’t that she wanted to renew their romantic relationship, but she didn’t want to share her old friend.

  Alex and Kate insisted on helping with the cleanup. When five rolled around, Kim was alone at her mother’s house with the sisters. Garret and Russell had left earlier.

  “Oh no, Jake! I forgot,” Kim blurted out as she was helping Kate fill a bag of trash.

  “Who is Jake?” Kate asked.

  “My cat. I locked him in the study upstairs for the wake—without a litter box. I need to go let him out.”

  Kim raced up the stairs. When she didn’t return within the next fifteen minutes, Kate and Alex decided to go check on her, wondering if she was finally experiencing a meltdown. Through the funeral and wake, they hadn’t witnessed a single tear.

  They found Kim sitting on the floor in Carol’s study with an open box on her lap. It appeared to be filled with old photographs. Several faded pictures were on the floor beside her. Kim had obviously been rummaging through the container. Jake was persistently trying to climb in with the pictures, but Kim kept pushing him away.

  “You okay?” Alex asked. She noted the peculiar expression on Kim’s face, as if the girl had just seen a ghost.

  “When I came in the room, I couldn’t find Jake and saw he had pushed open the closet. When I opened the closet door to get him, I found this.” Kim nodded to the box. “He had pushed the lid off and was inside it.”

  “Pictures?” Kate asked. She sat down on the floor by Kim and peeked in the container. Kate assumed Kim was simply getting sentimental. Alex suspected it was more than sentiment bothering Kim.

  “You don’t understand,” Kim explained. “Growing up, Mom never had photographs around. There were never any pictures of me as a baby and none of my parents. When I asked once, she told me they never took pictures.” Kate reached into the box and picked up a photograph. It was obviously a wedding picture. The woman in the picture looked like Kim and the man looked like the fellow Kim had taken upstairs earlier. Yet, the picture was several decades old.

  “Is this your mother? Wow, she looked just like you,” Kate commented, then reached into the box and pulled out another one. The second photograph was of the same woman, this time with a baby girl.

  “Is this you? You were a cutie,” Kate commented, still oblivious to Kim’s frantic state.

  “But you don’t understand. Mom told me she threw away her wedding pictures after my father left her.” Kim sounded panicky. “Look at the pictures!” She pushed the box off her lap onto the floor. Alex sat down next to Kim and Kate and began rummaging through the old photographs while Kim watched.

  Alex noticed several things about the box of photographs. All the pictures appeared to have been taken when Kim was a baby or before she was born. There were no photographs of Kim when she was a toddler. The second thing she noticed was that Carol Myers had been a beautiful young woman who looked very much like her daughter. The Carol Alex had met years before was an obese woman who wore ill-fitting, unflattering clothes and cropped her hair in a short and unflattering manner. The Carol in the photographs was attractive and stylish.

  “What happened to my mother?” Kim asked. “I don’t understand.”

  “Oh my, I see what you mean. She definitely changed sometime after you were born,” Alex said, still looking through the photographs.

  “When my father said she wasn’t heavy when they were married, I thought perhaps she gained all that weight when she had me. And I figured that’s why she resented me.”

  Kim reminded Alex of that frightened teenage girl those many years ago in the hospital room, after losing Adam’s baby.

  “Oh, honey.” Alex set the photographs back in the box and took Kim’s right hand in her own. “Your mother didn’t resent you. I know she loved you very much. I remember how worried she was about you after you lost the baby. She loved you; don’t you ever doubt it.”

  Kim closed her eyes and gave way to the silent tears. Alex reached over and patted Kim’s knee. Silently, Kate gathered up the remaining photographs from the floor and placed them in the box before setting the container back in the closet. She went to the bathroom and found a clean washcloth. After wetting it and squeezing out the excess water, she took the damp cloth to Kim, who had finally stopped crying.

  Kim accepted the cloth and wiped her face. Alex gave Kim another reassuring pat before standing up.

  “I don’t understand,” Kim whispered as Jake climbed back into her lap and pushed his head against her hand.

  “I don’t, either,” Alex agreed. “Your mother changed drastically over the years. I don’t know why. Perhaps it was depression over the loss of her marriage or a medical condition. You may never know. Unfortunately, we don�
�t always understand what makes our parents tick. But just remember, your mother did love you.”

  Chapter 9

  On Thanksgiving morning, temperatures in Coulson dropped twenty degrees, suggesting the end of warm Indian summer days. Gray skies promised rain and prompted Kim to dress warmer for her holiday dinner with the Coulson family. She selected a tailored wool dress for the occasion, one that she had only worn once, as it was simply too warm for the Phoenix area. Initially, it had been an impulse purchase, choosing the sapphire blue dress not because she had anywhere to wear it but because she loved how it fit her slender figure. When packing for the trip to Coulson, Kim had added it to her suitcase at the last minute.

  She spent the morning cleaning out the refrigerator and discarding the leftover food from her mother’s wake. It was not quite two when she left the house, making her first stop at the grocery store to pick up several bottles of wine to use as hostess gifts. Kim wondered briefly if the wealthy Coulsons were wine connoisseurs and would find her offering amusing. While not much of a drinker, she enjoyed a glass of merlot with dinner, though she was perfectly happy with discount brands costing less than five dollars a bottle. For the Coulsons, she would spend a little more per bottle, but she had no idea if she was actually getting a better wine. After making her purchase, she got back into her vehicle and started toward her ultimate destination.

  For decades, locals referred to the mansion on the top of the hill simply as the Coulson House. Built by the town’s founder, Randal Coulson, in 1949, it had been passed down to his son, Harrison Coulson Sr. In recent history, the residence had become known as the Senator’s House due to the fact that United States Senator Harrison Coulson Jr. lived in the mansion with his wife and father.