Broken Ties

by Gloria Davidson Marlow

  The alpaca led Teddy toward the steps, where he took up his canes.

  “You did good, sweetheart,” he said, giving her a loving pet on her neck. He grinned at Levi. “Mom was almost as happy as I was when I bought her. You know her love of four-legged beasts of burden. She’s going to be heartbroken when we move.”

  “Are you planning to move?”

  “Yeah, I bought the old Morrison farm just outside town.”

  Merilee looked at him through thick lashes, blinking solemnly.

  “Oh, Teddy, look at her!” Sidra exclaimed from behind them, pushing the screen door open and rushing down the steps. “She’s gorgeous.”

  Merilee accepted Sidra’s touch, letting her fawn over her for a few minutes before turning her head to look at Teddy with what appeared to be reproach.

  Teddy chuckled, “You got it, babe,” he said and made some sort of gesture that sent the alpaca trotting toward the meadow where the horses waited.

  “I was out there earlier and didn’t see her,” Levi told him.

  “She’s trained to stay in the barn until I call for her.”

  “So I guess your plan to move out to the farm means you aren’t coming back to work at Tanner & Tanner,” Levi observed, sounding much more disapproving than he felt.

  “That’s right. I’ve got a gig up at Mama Jo’s, playing piano and singing, which will actually pay the bills while I get the farm up and running.”

  “So, what? You’re going to be a musician-slash-farmer and never leave Gulfview again?”

  “Yeah, Levi. That’s my plan, and I really don’t give a damn what you think about it.”

  Levi knew by the low growl in Teddy’s voice it was no use arguing. Not that he would. How could he, when he couldn’t get the idea of moving here out of his own head?

  Teddy’s cell phone rang, and he grimaced as he pulled it from his pocket.

  “Hey, Mom. How’s everything going? That’s tonight?” He listened for a minute. “Don’t worry. We’ll clear out so they can do their thing. Yeah, Levi’s here with me. He brought Sidra for a visit.”

  Levi heard his mother’s voice rise, and he gave Teddy a thumbs-up.

  “Yes, Sidra. It was a spur of the moment kind of thing. No, I don’t think she’ll be here for Christmas. She’s already talking about going home.”

  Levi’s eyes shot to Sidra, who seemed struck by Teddy’s words. Teddy shrugged at her, as if to say the words meant nothing, but they all knew differently. They all knew home for Sidra was now a place they had never been, in a world they had never known.

  “If I can talk him into staying, I will. Mom, quit crying. I know you’re happy Levi’s here.” He chuckled. “Yeah, I know. We’re both here, and you’re missing it. Okay, Mom, I’ll do my best. Love you, too.”

  “Is she okay?” Levi asked when he hung up.

  “She’s crying, but fine. She called to remind me there’s a holiday tour of homes tonight. The women’s club is setting up in our house and serving coffee and dessert. They’ll be here at five, which means we have to find something to do from five until they leave at nine.”

  “We could take the tour of homes,” Levi suggested, knowing the Lawrence home was always part of it. He would love to see Sidra’s reaction to it. He glanced at her. “Can you stand that much Christmas?”

  “Do I have any choice?”

  “No.”

  “We’ll leave in time to go by and see the farm,” Teddy volunteered. “Then we can park in town and start the tour. Afterward, the two of you can come hear me play.”

  Sidra looked at her watch. “Good, that gives us an hour to search for Philippe.”

  “Search where?” Levi asked.

  “And why?” Teddy shrugged when she shot him an angry glare. “Sorry, but the man gets on my nerves.”

  “I don’t care if you like him or not,” she retorted, her voice cold and distant, as she turned to look at Levi. “You go with me, or I go alone. Your choice.”

  There was no way either of them would let her go alone, and she knew it. She pointed toward the building she and Levi had searched earlier. “We should start there, since we know someone was there. We’ll move out from it.”

  “Does this mean you’re not mad at me anymore?” Teddy asked as they followed her across the yard.

  “I’m not mad,” she told him. “Just hurt, I guess, and disappointed that our relationship isn’t what I thought it was.”

  “Sidra, I care about you. It started out being about the money, but the minute I met you, it became real.”

  She turned toward them when they reached the edge of the woods. “It’s all right, Teddy. I’ll survive, and in a few days I’ll be back in Medelia.”

  With that, she turned away and stalked into the trees behind her.

  ****

  “I don’t see anything!” Teddy yelled as they neared the end of the woods.

  “Me either!” Levi answered. “Sidra?”

  “No.” She turned toward the sound of his voice, and stopped in her tracks, the sun temporarily blinding her. A wave of dizziness swamped her, and she stumbled. Dropping to her knees, she fought the horrific memory of murder that surged through her mind.

  Blood gushed from Nanny’s wounds, running warm and thick through Sidra’s small fingers as she grasped the woman’s face.

  “Get up,” she sobbed. “Please, please get up!”

  The woman’s breath was raspy and weak, her eyes closed and her head listing to the side.

  She could hear the man coming closer, his growls of anger as he pushed through the vines and bushes making her shake Nanny, begging her to get up. Suddenly, Nanny’s blue eyes flew open and her unfocused gaze locked on Sidra. With the last of her strength, she gripped Sidra’s hands tightly.

  “Run, Princess!” she hissed. “Run and don’t stop!”

  Sidra did as she was told, running through the woods away from the woman she loved, fighting to silence her hiccupping sobs of fear and grief. Screams echoed through the forest, and she ran faster, harder, tears pouring down her cheeks. The sound of the gunshot followed her as she burst from the trees onto a clear lawn that led to a large brick building and a parking lot. A man was going through one door and Sidra rushed to the other, pushed it open, and rushed inside, stumbling to the sink, where she began to scrub her hands with soap and water, not stopping even when they turned red and began to sting. She sobbed out her fear as she scrubbed, not realizing someone else had entered until she felt a hand on her shoulder. With a cry, she spun around, coming face to face with the kindest blue eyes she had ever seen.

  “Stop, Sidra,” the woman said quietly. “You’re safe now.”

  Relief swamped her small form, and she fell into Carlotta’s arms with a cry.

  She huddled against the tree, trying to get her bearings as the mental picture faded. No wonder her mind had pushed the memory away. She desperately wished she could send it back to wherever it had been, but she couldn’t. It was there, in all its gory terror. The fact that Carlotta had been the woman who found her, that there had been no one else who found her and brought her to the police station or anywhere else, barely registered through her shock. But it added one more question to her growing list.

  “Sidra!” Levi yelled. “Come on.”

  She pushed herself to her feet, trembling from head to toe as she moved back up the trail. She saw them as soon as the barn came into sight, both watching impatiently for her return, both realizing her distress the minute their eyes met hers. Levi was the first to reach her, but Teddy was a close second, his usually laughing eyes dark with concern.

  “What is it?” Levi demanded. “Did you find him?”

  She shook her head, suddenly afraid that if she tried to speak she would burst into tears.

  “Did you remember something?” Levi looked into the trees as she nodded her head. She saw when he realized what memory the forest would have for her. “The murder?”

  She took a shuddering breath, and he gathered he
r close.

  “Whose murder, Sid?” Teddy’s hand lay on her back.

  “A woman whose picture someone sent her. We aren’t sure who she was.”

  She forced the terrible knowledge from her lips.

  “I called her Nanny.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  “You look downright festive,” Levi teased as Sidra came downstairs an hour later. “How are you feeling?”

  Dressed in a red sweater, blue jeans, and boots, she could almost pass for a more willing participant in the holiday festivities.

  “Better,” she said. “I just wasn’t ready for that vivid or violent a memory.”

  “I wish I could spare you those kinds of memories.” He sighed. “Especially when they don’t get us any closer to the truth.”

  The door to the kitchen opened, and Sidra turned, expecting Teddy instead of a pretty, petite brunette in a ruffled red apron adorned with frolicking snowmen.

  “Levi, Mrs. Thorpe needs you in the kitch-, oh, hi.” The woman stuck her hand out at Sidra. “I’m Morgan Tillman.”

  She recognized the name immediately as that of Levi’s former fiancée, and she smiled as she shook her hand.

  “Sidra Martin. I work for Tanner and Tanner.”

  “Oh!” Morgan’s face brightened, although she still looked a bit confused. “Will you be here for Christmas?”

  “No, just passing through town on my way home.”

  “Well, that’s nice, then.” Morgan smiled and grabbed Levi’s hand. “Excuse us. We need his help with some heavy lifting.”

  “So you met Morgan, I see.” Teddy stepped out of the study. “She never has quite accepted the fact that Levi got over her. She’s sure if she just tries hard enough she’ll win him back.”

  “She’s very pretty.”

  “Yes, she is.”

  “Are we ready?” Levi returned, looking like a deer in the headlights.

  Morgan was right behind him, surreptitiously applying a new coat of festive red to her lips while his back was turned.

  “I wish I could go,” she chirped as she slipped the tube of lipstick into her apron pocket, “but I committed to helping here.”

  “I’m sure the ladies appreciate it, Morgan. You’re a great asset to them.”

  “I’d like to be an asset to y—”

  Before she could finish, Levi pulled open the front door and pushed Sidra through it. “Sorry, but we’ve got to get going.”

  She pouted prettily as he closed the door in her face.

  “Hurry, before she decides she isn’t needed here and invites herself to tag along.”

  “She seems very nice,” Sidra said as they got into Levi’s SUV.

  “She’s dangerous.”

  “Really?”

  “No,” Teddy answered her with a laugh. “Not unless it’s possible to be pampered to death.”

  “I like sweet, but eating sugar by the spoonfuls just isn’t for me,” Levi added as he sent his vehicle speeding down the drive like the hounds of hell were after him.

  “Morgan just got her third divorce, and after each one she comes looking for Levi. Seems like she can’t find anyone who measures up to big bro here.”

  Levi whipped his head around in surprise, and Sidra couldn’t contain her giggle at the double entendre.

  “What?” Teddy asked with feigned innocence. “I’m pretty sure Sidra knows you’ve played the field, and something sure made an impression on your little bit of sugar back there.”

  “Where are we? In eighth grade?” Levi said, his eyes meeting Sidra’s in the rearview mirror.

  She lost it, laughter overtaking her as she lay across the seat, giggling. She knew the silly pre-adolescent reaction was too much, but she couldn’t get hold of herself. For just a minute, she was afraid something had snapped in her mind and she’d gone insane. Then she decided she didn’t care. Laughter felt a lot better than the fear that had hounded her for the last few days.

  “You’re going to pass out if you don’t breathe,” Teddy told her with a grin, but she just shook her head. He turned back to Levi. “Great, she’s completely lost it.”

  “Yeah, I kind of figured that when she let me kiss her,” Levi responded, sounding appropriately despondent.

  She felt her face turn red with embarrassment, but she giggled some more, and when Levi finally brought the car to a stop, she lay breathless in the back seat while he and Teddy got out.

  The door nearest her head opened, and Levi leaned in, placing a soft kiss on her lips.

  “It’s good to see you laugh.”

  She pulled herself upright and climbed out of the car, tears still streaming down her cheeks. Levi shook his head at her, but a smile played at his mouth, and she gave him a quick peck before falling into step behind his brother.

  Levi watched her following Teddy toward the ramshackle old house.

  “I know it needs some work, but can’t you see its potential?” Teddy asked her.

  “Of course I can,” she said, scanning the house and yard. “It’s a beautiful place.”

  Levi was sorry to say he couldn’t see it at all. No one had lived in the house since old man Morrison had been put in a nursing home ten years ago. His daughter had tried to keep it up the first few years, but when he died last year, she’d pretty much given up. Apparently, she’d put it on the market “as is,” and Teddy had decided to buy it just like it was.

  “Is it livable?” Levi asked, and both Teddy and Sidra glared at him over their shoulders as they kept walking.

  “Sure. It just needs a bit of cleaning and decorating.”

  “I think it needs a damn sight more than that, Ted.”

  “Yeah, well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

  “And you’ve been blinded by Morrison’s daughter and the real estate broker. How the hell did they think you were going to take care of this place?”

  He wished he could take the words back the minute they were out of his mouth, but it was too late. Teddy turned to him, his eyes dark with anger.

  “You are one arrogant son of a bitch,” Teddy informed him. “I’m not some damn invalid. Yeah, there will be some things I’ve got to hire someone to do for a while. I realize I have some limitations at the moment, but I sure as hell don’t need you coming here acting like I’m too stupid to know that.”

  “I’m sorry, man,” Levi said. “I worry about—”

  “How many times do I have to tell you not to worry about me? Damn it, Levi! You don’t always know everything.” He turned back to Sidra, who was looking at Levi with unmasked disapproval, and the two of them started toward the house again.

  Envy bubbled up inside him, but he strolled along behind them. Their heads were bent close together as Teddy pointed toward the porch, telling Sidra something Levi couldn’t make out, and Sidra nodded in agreement. The two of them shared some bond he had never been a part of. Even now, the same day Sidra had been so upset by the idea of Teddy being paid to be her friend, she seemed to have forgiven him. They walked up the steps in tandem, and when Teddy threw open the door, Levi heard her proclaim the interior beautiful with an amazed gasp.

  “Look at those floors! Oh, Teddy, this is gorgeous.”

  “I think so, too. I’ve been looking for a designer who can come in and make it all just right, but so far, I haven’t latched onto anyone.” He sighed. “If I don’t find someone soon, I’ll have to let Mom help, and I just don’t know if I could live with her love of all things ruffled.”

  “We’ll find someone after the holidays,” she assured him.

  “I thought you’d be gone after the holidays.” Teddy was looking at her now, waiting with bated breath for her answer to his unspoken question.

  In spite of himself, the same old suspicions rushed through him. He reminded himself it was him Sidra had made love to in the early hours of the morning, and him she had just kissed. He didn’t think she was the type to play them off each other. If she was, she had been afforded ample opportunity over the last
four years. But she had never done anything that pitted them against each other and had denied his suspicions at every turn.

  “Levi, quit glaring and get in here,” she said now from a doorway. “You have to see this place.”

  He stepped into the house and realized immediately that Jennifer Morrison had only let the outside of the house fall into disrepair. The inside gleamed spotlessly and was still fully furnished. It was a house in which time had come to a standstill, and he would guess the year it stopped to be around nineteen-fifty.

  “Does it come furnished?” Sidra picked up a figurine in the shape of a Siamese cat.

  “Yes.”

  “All of this stays?” She waved her hand around at the room. “Amazing.”

  “I’ll probably sell quite a bit of it, actually,” Teddy admitted. “What do you think?”

  “I can’t imagine you living here with all these things.” She disappeared through the door that led to the kitchen, and Levi stared at his brother.

  “What?” Teddy demanded finally. “You want to ask how a cripple like me intends to get all this stuff out of the house?”

  “No.”

  “Then what is your problem? You’ve done nothing but glare at us since we got here.” Teddy’s face brightened as the answer dawned on him. “Oh, I see. You’re back on your jealousy kick about me and Sidra being lovers.”

  “Are you?”

  “You know what? I’m not even going to answer that.” Teddy started toward the kitchen but spun around, anger in every line of his body as he braced a hand on the doorframe. “If you really think Sidra is the kind of woman who would sleep with both of us, you’re an idiot who doesn’t deserve her.”

  Teddy stormed into the kitchen, leaving Levi speechless. He was right, of course. Levi knew Sidra better than that. She would never go behind their backs and see both of them, much less make love to them both. It was crazy for him to let jealousy continue to get the best of him when he knew it was unfounded and nonsensical.

  With a heavy sigh, he followed them into the kitchen, where Sidra was admiring the gleaming mid-century appliances and kitchen table.

  “We’ve got to get going if we’re going to join in on the tour.”