by Dana Mentink
Pushing away all disturbing thoughts, she crunched up the walkway.
It was stupid to come and talk to Bully alone, but deep down in her heart, she believed he had not harmed Paul. Not Bully, the man who used to pull her on a sled when she’d visited Uncle Paul and helped her make a massive snow monster that put the other kids’ sculptures to shame.
Hand raised to knock, she felt someone grip her shoulder.
She whirled to find herself staring at the angry face of Luca Gage.
His face was lined with pain and his right arm swathed in a sling. “You promised me you wouldn’t come here alone.”
She caught her breath. “You look terrible. What are you doing out of the hospital?”
“Tests came back fine, and Stephanie couldn’t go through with her threat to have me tied up like a rabid dog, so I discharged myself.”
“That wasn’t smart.”
“Neither is this,” he said, jerking a thumb at the door. “Someone is trying to kill you or me or both of us and you just walk right up here like a lamb to the slaughter. How does that make sense exactly? Explain it to me.”
“This is my problem. I don’t want you risking your life again.”
“It’s mine to risk, and what about you? You’ve got a father who loves you and I...”
“And?”
He huffed. “And I think this whole plan to confront Bully alone is ridiculous. Besides, you broke your promise.”
She could not resist a smile at his petulant tone, like a boy whose buddy had chosen someone else for the kickball team. “I’m sorry I broke my promise, but I stand by the decision. Let me handle it alone.”
He straightened, although the effort made him wince. “And what if I refuse to do that?”
She opened her mouth to retort when the door suddenly opened and Bully stood in his usual jeans and flannel shirt, chewing on a toothpick.
“If you two lovebirds are gonna raise a ruckus, maybe you should do it somewhere else.”
Luca’s cheeks pinked and Ava felt her own cheeks flush. “We’re not... Never mind. I need to talk to you, Bully.”
His eyes narrowed a fraction. “Cops already came an hour ago, asked me what I was doing up the mountain. I told them same thing I told you.”
“You were there before the cable snapped. We saw the tracks,” Luca said.
“You’re mistaken,” Bully said. “All this treasure hunting is making you paranoid.” He started to close the door, but Ava held it open as a piece of the puzzle snapped into place.
“Hang on. I finally remembered what’s been bugging me. That night when someone yanked me under the trailer. We told you about the box and you said Paul probably only found fake jewelry. You specifically mentioned a cameo.”
“So?”
Luca fisted his good hand on his hip. “We found a stash of jewelry at the lodge and it had a cameo in it.”
Bully went still. “Cameos are pretty common. My mother had one and her sister did also. Don’t prove anything.”
Ava pulled the other detail into place. “Your vest, the down one you always wear. I noticed it had a tear in the fabric on the back.” She locked eyes with him. “You got it crawling under Paul’s trailer, didn’t you? You knew there was a cameo in that box because you opened it.”
Bully looked from Luca to Ava, considering. “Yeah, I opened it. So what? Paul owed me a nice chunk of change for rent, and I knew he was gonna skip town again before I ever saw a dime of it. I noticed he was fussing around with something under the trailer couple days before his accident. I crawled under there while he was gone and took a look. Not easy. I got stuck for a while.”
Ava felt like her heart would beat out of her rib cage. “What was in it, Bully? What was in the box?”
“Some jewelry, on top of something all wrapped up. I couldn’t get a good look at it ’cause there wasn’t enough space to open the box all the way.” He looked down. “I was going to go back later and take it out, but he must have moved it because when I looked inside again, the contents were gone. Next day, so was Pauly.”
Ava’s throat thickened. “Oh, Bully, I wish you had told us before.”
His gaze was riveted to the ground. “I was just looking out for myself. I never hurt your uncle. Never laid a hand on him.”
“Why should we believe that? You still haven’t given us a good reason for being on Whisper Mountain this morning,” Luca said.
Bully’s head came up and he folded his arms. “That’s like I told you. Just checking in.”
“I don’t believe that,” Luca said.
His mouth tightened. “You believe what you want, sonny, but I don’t think you’re in a position to judge me.” The challenge in his eyes was clear.
“Why is that?” Luca retorted.
“You’re not from around here. You’re some rich kid who came to spend the winters and then leave to go back to your fancy house and fancy cars. And why are you here now? Not to fix Ava’s problems or help lay her uncle to rest. You’re here to find the treasure, or maybe you’re interested in buying up Whisper.”
Luca stiffened. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t I? Your rich daddy owns a share in Gold Summit, don’t he? Would be a pretty neat deal to tack on Whisper. Sticking around until you convince Ava to sell it to you?”
Luca’s eyes went wild with anger.
Ava stepped between them.
“Bully, I’m sorry,” she said. “Of course I know you didn’t hurt Uncle Paul. I want you to come to the memorial tomorrow morning at Whisper.”
Bully was still staring at Luca. “Sure you want me to come? Seems I’m under a cloud of suspicion.”
“Paul would want you there. Please. Ten o’clock.”
Bully shrugged. “I’ll check my calendar.” He bobbed his chin at Ava. “Be careful, honey. You’re getting confused about who your friends are.”
He closed the door.
Luca stalked down the steps, stopping so suddenly that she almost plowed into him from behind. He whirled to face her.
“That’s not true what he said. I’m not here to take your treasure or pressure you to sell. Do you believe that?”
His green eyes gleamed in the rich winter sun.
Did she believe that? When he had so much to gain? Looking into his battered face she felt a flutter deep inside, a curl of warmth that started at her toes and worked its way up to her throat. “Yes, I do.”
He sighed and reached an arm around to pull her close. Her heart sped up at the strong embrace, the warmth of his chin on her head. “I would never hurt you,” he whispered.
She wanted nothing more than to stay in that embrace, to hold tight to the comfort he offered, but Bully was partially correct. Luca would go when the treasure was found, back to his life, his future, which would happen far away from Whisper Mountain.
You’re right, Luca, she thought, pain trickling through the pleasure. You won’t hurt me, because I won’t let you. She allowed herself one more moment of tenderness before she pulled out of his arms.
* * *
They waited for Stephanie to pick them up. Luca remained silent on the trip back up to the lodge. His body protested at each bump and turn, and he was still irritated that Ava was bent on pursuing the investigation on her own. Their time together was coming to a close. All he could do was figure out who was after the treasure, if indeed there was actually a treasure to be found at all.
The wall had fallen back into place, the connection he’d felt between them severed. Maybe deep down she really did still question his motives. He was beginning to question them himself. Why was he taking her withdrawal so personally?
He had the sinking feeling she’d been building walls around herself since the moment her mother drowned in Melody La
ke. Nothing he did or didn’t do would change that. Only God had the power, and even He couldn’t change a heart that didn’t want to be altered.
Luca noted Charlie Goren’s car was gone when they arrived as the sun mellowed into a pastel sunset. Sue was already deep in preparations for the memorial, and Ava dived in, helping prepare sandwiches and potato salad, enough for dozens of guests, although Ava did not expect any visitors at all.
They would be lucky to round up a half dozen people bent on showing their respects but Luca kept that comment to himself. Everyone worked hard to keep him idle. He was not allowed to move a single table or even wipe down the counter. Aggravated to no end, he was relieved when everyone grabbed quick sandwiches and excused themselves to go to bed.
“I’m staying in Uncle Paul’s room,” Ava told him firmly.
He didn’t have time to muster a reply before she continued. “I’ve made up my mind.”
“I’m selling the resort to the highest bidder right after the memorial. If that’s your dad, he’s welcome to it.”
“There’s still a chance we can find the treasure.”
“It’s not worth the risk. I’m selling Whisper.”
A small cry came from the hallway. Sue came in, arms wrapped around herself. “No, Ava, don’t do that. Your father needs more time to heal, then he’ll come back and things will turn around.”
Ava showed surprised at Sue’s naïveté. “My dad isn’t going to walk again. He’s accepted that.”
“We can help him. Put in more ramps.” Her eyes glittered. “Have his car outfitted with hand controls.”
“No, Sue. He’s behind my decision to sell.”
“But, but I thought...” her mouth went slack.
“What did you think?” Luca asked gently. Towers’s strange comment flashed through his memory.
Was Sue in love with Paul?
Not Paul.
He exchanged a look with Ava and he saw his own confusion mirrored on her face. “Sue,” Ava said, taking her hand. “Why is it so important to you that my father come back?”
Sue clenched Ava’s fingers. “I just wanted it to be all right again, like it was before.”
“It can’t be that way, not after my mother killed herself.”
“Maybe she didn’t,” Sue said, yanking her hands away. “Maybe it was an accident and she fell in.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I’ve just had a lot of time to think over the years. This place doesn’t have to be a place of sadness, honey. It can be a new start.”
“It’s not going to happen. You’ve done a great job trying to keep Whisper in one piece. I’m grateful, and so is my father.” Ava moved closer as if to embrace Sue, but she kept out of reach.
Sue’s voice was low, intense. “Your father has nothing to thank me for.”
She walked stiffly away.
* * *
Ava puzzled over Sue’s odd reaction as she pulled on a pair of sweats and a T-shirt and got between the cold sheets. Mack Dog seemed disgruntled to be keeping Ava company instead of his newly adopted master, Tate, but Luca insisted. Sue had to know selling was the only option. What bothered her more was Sue’s suggestion that her mother’s death was an accident.
Ava’s mind drifted back to that horrible night. Her mother and father had been fighting. She’d heard their voices loud, though muffled, through the bedroom walls. Her adult mind found it perfectly understandable.
A man dealing with his sudden crippling.
A woman with a history of depression struggling over near bankruptcy and her husband’s frail condition.
Fights were natural and this one had seemed no worse than the others.
Then the squeak of her father’s wheelchair as he banged away down the hallway, past her door. Later, a quiet descended on the house until she heard the door open and saw, through the tiny upstairs window, her mother walking along the path into a delicate curtain of falling snow.
Ava’s body tensed, as it always did when she allowed her mind to travel back in time. Why hadn’t she run after her mother? Pressed herself into that dark cloud of sadness until she forced a smile out of Marcia Stanton. Would one smile have been enough to change her terrible decision that day?
Tears coursed down Ava’s face.
Why, Mom?
Why, God?
She had not asked Him in a very long time. It was like she’d told Luca.
I can’t pray. I can’t pray anymore.
Then I’ll pray for both of us.
She’d never imagined that someone else would hold her up to God. Would God reject her? she wondered. Cast His eyes away from her rage and bitterness?
He knows how hard that is for us sometimes.
God knew. Then why didn’t He send comfort?
She thought about Luca who was praying for her.
Why, God?
There was still no answer, just the same silence as before, but she felt a sense of something different. Something that felt strangely like comfort.
TWENTY-ONE
The pitiful collection of guests began to arrive. Ava saw their cars pull up, one by one. Charlie Goren, Bully, a couple from town who knew Uncle Paul only casually as far as she could ascertain. When she forced herself to join the others, she found Sue dressed in black pants and a soft sweater tidying up the kitchen. Harold had exchanged his worn jeans for a less-worn pair of khakis and a polo shirt. Stephanie, Luca and Tate showed up looking somber. Mack Dog was relegated to outside.
Sue had managed to convince the local pastor to come and say a few words. He kept it generic. No one had many good things to say about her uncle. It was over in a painfully short time before the guests were sent to partake of the food.
Charlie Goren bobbed his head at Ava. “I’m sorry about your loss. And I’m sorry you never found the Sunset Star. Luca told me it was most likely sold.”
She nodded. “I wish we’d had a better ending. I know how much you wanted to see the Sunset Star.”
Goren offered a smile. “I did, but no one would have appreciated a treasure like that more than Paul.”
True enough, and the memory of his endless enthusiasm brightened her spirits momentarily. She thanked Goren with a heartfelt squeeze to his hand and accepted condolences from Bully who looked unhappy to be there in a button-up shirt and boots. “You know how I feel. Anything you need, just tell old Bully.”
Luca began to head her way. Her heart sped up and she looked desperately around for a place to avoid him and the mixed-up feelings he stirred in her. Her cell phone rang. Her father’s number popped up, and she quickly returned to Uncle Paul’s room to answer it.
“Avy, am I interrupting the service?”
“No, Dad.”
“I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”
“Me, too. I was unkind when we spoke earlier.” She swallowed hard. “I know you had your reasons for distrusting Uncle Paul.”
“Thanks for saying that. I sure wish I could be there with you.”
“I wish you could, too. Sue and Harold worked so hard to spruce the place up.” She asked him about his health, reassuring herself that the doctors pronounced his recovery on track.
“Dad, Sue said something odd.” She told him about the conversation, expecting him to be as bewildered as she. Instead she was met by a silence that went on far too long. “Dad?”
He cleared his throat. “This isn’t the time to talk about it. Not over the phone.”
A strange feeling of dread coalesced in her stomach. “You have to tell me.”
Another extended pause. “That day, the day your mother died. There was some unpleasantness.”
“What kind?”
“I didn’t want you to ever hear this, Ava.”
“Hear
what? If you don’t tell me, I’ll have to ask Sue. Please, Dad.”
He sucked in a breath. “Your mother accused me of loving another woman.”
Ava’s mouth fell open. “Sue?”
“Yes.” He huffed. “I should be there telling you in person. Sue became attached to me, even more so after my accident. I kept her at arm’s length, but she insisted on telling me that day that she loved me. Your mom overheard and went ballistic.”
Ava forced out the words. “Dad, did you love Sue?”
“No, honey. As a matter of fact, I wanted her to leave months earlier, when I began to get the idea she had feelings for me, but your mother was so fond of her, and I thought it would exacerbate her problems to be alone on Whisper Mountain without another woman around. Stupid call on my part.”
“So that night, Mom accused you and later...”
“She drowned.”
She heard the grief in those two hard syllables. “Sue said it might not have been an accident. Maybe she slipped.”
He cleared his throat. “I’ve thought about it, obsessed really, for years over that very thing. I think that version is easier on her conscience. She doesn’t want to believe she contributed to your mother’s decision.”
“But you think Mom killed herself.”
“The police thought so.”
She gripped the phone so hard her hand ached. “Tell me what you believe.”
“Your mother was suicidal at several points over the course of our marriage, but...”
Ava leaned forward.
“The very last moment of her life was between her and God. I’ve always told you that we don’t know what happened in those last few seconds.”
Those last few seconds. Had she walked in willingly? Fallen in accidentally?
The final moment of her life was between her and God. But, oh, the heartache that moment left behind for Ava and her father.
“You didn’t tell me about Sue. All these years.”
His tone hardened. “No. I took that guilt on all by myself, Ava. I should have fired Sue months before. I should have gone after Marcia. God forgive me, I should have done so many things differently, but I didn’t.”
