The Sooner the Better

by Debbie Macomber

  He shrugged. “Ginny was afraid that if she left the country for more than a few days, she wouldn’t be able to return. She worried about her parents. She worried about you, too. Your mother loved you beyond everything, and she wanted you to have the best education and all the advantages America has to offer.”

  “But…she told me you were dead.” Lorraine didn’t know if she could forgive either of them for the lie.

  “You were a child and far too young to carry the weight of our secret.”

  “But I’m an adult now. I have been for years. There was no reason to continue hiding the truth from me,” she insisted. No reason Virginia couldn’t have told her and allowed her to form her own judgments, make her own decisions.

  “Any blame falls on me, Raine,” he said. He raised his hand to her face, touching her cheek. “I was the one who screwed up. I was the one who got involved in a bombing that claimed an innocent man’s life.”

  “But I needed you,” Lorraine said, fighting back tears.

  “I needed you, too,” he said, and gathered her in his arms. They clung to each other for a long time.

  When he released her, Lorraine sat back and tried to collect herself.

  “You must be exhausted,” he said. “Hungry, too, I’ll bet.”

  Her stomach growled, reminding her that, except for a few pieces of melon in Mérida, her last meal had been on the airplane. Yogurt, a banana and some type of forgettable roll. Her father was right; she was both tired and hungry.

  He took charge of her suitcase and led her out of the school. While they walked the short distance to his house, Thomas told her how he’d spent his life here in Mexico. Until nine years ago, he’d worked at various odd jobs around the country, never staying in any one place for long. Then the opportunity had come to teach science and math at this private school, a job he thoroughly enjoyed.

  “I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t find my calling in life until I was over forty.”

  Already Lorraine could see how easy it would be to love this man. He might have been militant in his youth, but despite the tragic results of his actions, he’d joined the antiwar effort for compassionate reasons. He’d repented his mistakes and was obviously still a good man, but one who’d achieved self-knowledge.

  Lorraine was grateful to have found him.

  It had been a shock when Lorraine showed up in El Mirador, but one of the happiest of Thomas’s life. His daughter was everything he’d hoped she’d be. Intelligent, beautiful, caring. And so much like her mother.

  His first look at Lorraine had stopped him cold. She resembled Ginny in almost every way. In fact, it was like stepping back and seeing Ginny at nineteen.

  The news that his wife was dead was a hard blow, and he’d need time to assimilate it. Time and privacy to mourn. He’d told Raine the truth—he had loved her mother. Yes, she’d hurt him; yes, she’d disillusioned him, but he’d forgiven her. He couldn’t blame her for the tragic turn his life had taken. He just wished things had been different for both of them. Too late now for wishing, though.

  His home was a humble one and Thomas hoped Lorraine would understand that the village was poor. The school couldn’t afford to pay him a large salary.

  Antonio and Hector were playing in the front yard. Under other circumstances, his sons would have raced toward him, but they were shy boys and unaccustomed to seeing him with strangers. They stopped and stared, Antonio clutching the soccer ball to his chest, as Thomas opened the door for Lorraine.

  Azucena was in the kitchen preparing dinner. The scent of garlic drifted through the house. Thomas set Lorraine’s suitcase in the living room and tried to find a way to explain that this very pregnant woman was his common-law wife. Lorraine would probably be surprised, perhaps disapproving, but Azucena was his wife in every sense except the legal. Now that he was free to marry her, he would do so.

  Azucena stepped into the room, her smile automatic until she saw Lorraine. Her welcome faded as she glanced at him, her eyes filled with questions. Azucena spoke little English and showed no desire to learn. Because she made no effort herself, their sons knew only a few English words.

  “This is my daughter,” he said in Spanish. Her eyes widened, and Thomas could see that she was flustered. He’d told her about his family, about Raine, and realized that she felt threatened. He wanted to reassure her but wasn’t sure how.

  “Where’s Jack Keller?” Azucena asked abruptly.

  “Back on his boat, I suppose. I left him when I learned my daughter was at the school.”

  “You knew about your daughter’s visit?” Her beautiful dark eyes were accusing.

  “No.” He longed to take Azucena in his arms and apologize, but didn’t dare. “Her mother died last month, and she only recently found out I was alive.”

  Azucena nodded, her expression sympathetic. “Introduce me as your housekeeper,” she advised with gentle wisdom. “Your daughter has had more than enough shocks.”

  “I won’t lie to her again. It’s better if she knows.”

  “We’ll tell her together,” Azucena said. “Later. She’s traveled a long way and must be exhausted.”

  He hesitated, then agreed with a short nod.

  “Ask her to sit down, and I’ll serve you both dinner.”

  “What about you and the boys?” It didn’t seem right not to have them at the table with him. As he’d told Azucena, he didn’t like the idea of lying to Raine, but he could see that his daughter was physically tired and emotionally distraught. He didn’t want to burden her with still another difficult truth. But he also feared her anger. He couldn’t bear to lose her when he’d only just found her again. Although it went against his better judgment, he agreed with Azucena that they would delay telling Raine about their relationship.

  “Don’t worry, we’ll eat later,” Azucena said.

  Thomas noticed Raine listening to the flow of words between them. Her eyes revealed her lack of comprehension. “This woman is someone special?” she asked, eyeing Azucena closely.

  “My housekeeper,” he said, silently adding and so much more.

  “She’s meticulous,” Raine said, glancing around the sparse but lovingly decorated home. Thomas tried to see the house through her eyes and knew it must be far less than she was used to, but he made no apologies. He’d earned his living by honest means.

  “Dinner’s ready if you’d like to eat now. Azucena’s a wonderful cook. She’s made a dish called camarónes con ajo, which is shrimp with garlic.”

  “It smells delicious. Please thank her for me,” Lorraine said.

  “I will.” Thomas showed his daughter to the bathroom, where she could wash up.

  She returned a few minutes later. The table was set with steaming ceramic bowls filled with rice, tomatoes and the delectable-smelling shrimp.

  Lorraine took a seat. “When is…your housekeeper’s baby due?”

  “Any day now,” he answered as he passed her the rice, hoping to avoid further questions for the moment.

  “Those were her children outside?”

  Thomas nodded.

  “Her name is lovely.”

  “It means lily.”

  The irony of the situation didn’t escape him. At one time Azucena had, in fact, been his housekeeper. The school had hired her on his behalf, and for six months he’d hardly been aware of her. His house was kept spotless and his meals cooked every night. Beyond that, he was absorbed by the demands of teaching and enjoying his newfound profession. He’d never intended to take Azucena to his bed. He was married, although no one in El Mirador knew about his American wife. Nor did he wish to indulge in behavior that would be viewed with disfavor by the church-supported school.

  To date, the headmaster had never mentioned Thomas’s living arrangements. He’d eaten meals in this house, so he had to know what was going on. Nevertheless he always referred to Azucena as Thomas’s housekeeper. And for those first six months that was exactly what she was. Thomas hadn’t made so much as an untoward g
esture, and in the end, Azucena, whose name was regarded as a symbol of purity and perfection, had been the one to seduce him.

  The meal was excellent. Azucena had chosen his favorite. He could see that Raine was enjoying it, too.

  “She really is a wonderful cook,” Raine said as Azucena carried a plate of hot tortillas to the table.

  It was difficult for Thomas to disguise his fondness for his common-law wife. He knew Lorraine had seen the smile he’d given Azucena and might have commented, but their meal was interrupted by a loud demanding knock on the door. Both women looked at Thomas.

  He set his napkin aside and hurried across the room, unsure what to expect. The knock was not that of a friend. He knew trouble when he heard it.

  Two uniformed policemen stood on the other side of the threshold. He’d rarely seen armed police in this town; not only that, he didn’t recognize either man, which was unusual in itself. He knew almost everyone in El Mirador, if not by name then by sight.

  “Can I help you?” Thomas asked, taking care to pronounce each word distinctly and with authority.

  “We’re looking for Lorraine Dancy.”

  “May I ask what this is about?”

  “Dad?” Raine said from behind him. “I heard my name.”

  He ignored her, refusing to break eye contact with the two officers. “Why are you looking for my daughter?”

  “We need to ask her a few questions,” said the taller and more muscular of the two.

  “Questions about what?”

  “Jason Applebee,” the second policeman informed him. “We need to know what her relationship is to this man.”

  “Dad?” Raine had joined him. “What’s this about?”

  “Do you know anyone by the name of Jason Applebee?” he asked in English.

  She nodded. “He’s an American I met in Mérida. He helped me buy my bus ticket. Is everything all right? Nothing’s happened to him, has it?”

  Thomas asked the two police officers those very questions. Raine had said nothing previously about meeting this other man, but Thomas could see that she cared about his welfare.

  They answered, and he turned back to Lorraine. “They’re holding him at the police station. They won’t tell me why.”

  “Oh, no.” She covered her mouth with her hand. “Something’s wrong. We’ve got to help him.”

  Thomas had been in Mexico long enough to know how difficult situations with the police could get. If for no other reason than Raine’s endorsement of her new friend, he felt obliged to do what he could to help the guy.

  “They want you to go to the station with them,” Thomas explained next.

  “Me?” Raine frowned uncertainly.

  “I’ll be with you.”

  “Then I’ll go,” she said. “I’m sure this is just a misunderstanding and everything will be cleared up in no time.”

  Thomas wished he could believe that. But one thing he knew: he would do everything within his power to protect his daughter.

  The minute Lorraine entered the small building, Jason leaped to his feet, relief at seeing her evident on his face. “Lorraine!” he cried as if she were the answer to his prayers.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  Jason looked at the two officers standing near the door; they gazed back at him impassively.

  With three policemen and Jason, plus Lorraine and Thomas, the station was crowded. For the first time Lorraine realized that only one of the men who’d come to the house had accompanied them here. She hadn’t a clue where the second man had gone. Not that it particularly concerned her.

  “This is my wife,” Jason announced in English.

  Lorraine barely managed to swallow her denial.

  Her father glared at her, eyes narrowed. Both policemen immediately glanced at the ring finger on her left hand.

  “Is this true?” the older man asked. He was tall and distinguished-looking with a crop of thick white hair.

  Everyone present seemed to await confirmation. Jason’s expression begged her to go along with him. She forced a smile and nodded.

  The room erupted into shouts and denials from the officer who’d escorted Lorraine and her father to the station. She didn’t know what anyone was saying, but it didn’t take long for her father to become involved in the heated conversation.

  “What’s all this about?” Lorraine asked Jason under her breath.

  “I don’t know,” he said, looking as confused as she felt. “But from what I can make out, they think I’ve got some Mayan artifact, which is ridiculous.” He appeared frightened, baffled and apologetic. “I didn’t mean to drag you into this,” he confessed in a low voice, “but I didn’t know what else to do.”

  “Why’d you say I was your wife?”

  “I had to tell them something so I could convince them to contact you. I told them you were visiting your father, so you hadn’t registered at the hotel yet.” He paused, lowering his eyes. “They wouldn’t let me place a call or have an attorney present. I didn’t know what to do or what’s going on. I helped you and I was hoping you could help me.”

  “Don’t worry,” she told him, although she hated lying. Still, she supposed there were times it was necessary; now seemed to be one such occasion.

  The argument continued between the police and Lorraine’s father.

  “I still wish you’d told them the truth,” she murmured.

  “You want me to tell them I was recently on a dig?” He stared at her with wide-eyed disbelief. “Lorraine, that’s crazy! The minute they learn that, they’ll be convinced I actually have the thing.”

  The white-haired officer walked over to the other side of the room. Jason’s backpack was open on a table and his clothes and personal effects littered the top. His bag had been thoroughly searched.

  “Dad?” Lorraine stepped closer to her father. “Have you found anything out?”

  “Sergeant Lopez is of the opinion that your…husband is guilty of stealing a national treasure. They think Jason stole the Kukulcan Star.” He went on to explain that the Star was an artifact associated with the god Kukulcan. It actually consisted of two separate parts, designed to fit together. One half of the Star had been discovered in the 1930s and kept in a Mexico City museum. That piece had gone missing a few days after the second half of the Star was found on a new archaeological dig. But it disappeared under mysterious circumstances before its authenticity could be verified. Even worse, one man—a guard at the museum—was hospitalized and not expected to live. Another man, an archaeologist named Raventos, hadn’t been seen since the first theft. There was evidence of foul play. It was assumed that the same person was responsible for all these crimes. “And the police suspect Jason of being the culprit,” Thomas said, concluding his explanation.

  “That’s not true!” Jason shouted. “I swear that isn’t true.”

  “Fortunately for your friend,” Thomas said to Lorraine, “Lieutenant Jacinto is inclined to believe him.”

  “Thank God,” Jason whispered, sagging against his chair. “They’ve searched everything I have. They tore my backpack inside out.”

  Her father faced Jason and met his look squarely. “If you’ve taken this artifact, it would be best to own up now.”

  “I didn’t!” Jason said fervently. “I swear I don’t know what these men are talking about. I’m just a part-time university instructor.”

  Lorraine noticed that he conveniently forgot to mention that the subject he taught was archaeology or that he’d just been on a dig. Not that she blamed him—well, not entirely. She understood the reason he’d given her: just mentioning his background would make him instantly suspect in police eyes.

  “They said they were looking for a long-haired blond American male with round glasses and a bad cut on his right hand,” Thomas said.

  Jason shrugged. His own hair was dark and clipped short and he didn’t wear glasses. “I don’t know what to tell you. It isn’t me.”

  “I’m not sure I’d have made it
to El Mirador without his help,” Lorraine told her father.

  Thomas leveled his gaze on Jason. “Like I said, lucky for you Lieutenant Jacinto believes you.”

  Jason sighed with relief.

  “I’ve been able to convince them to let you go back to your hotel room for the night, but they might want to question you again in the morning.”

  “Of course. I’ll do anything I can to clear my name,” Jason said eagerly.

  “I’ll be here if you need me,” Thomas added.

  “Thank you, sir. I appreciate your help more than I can say.”

  “Jason won’t disappoint you,” Lorraine said with confidence. “He’ll do whatever he’s supposed to do.”

  “Well, for tonight you’re free to go back to the hotel,” Thomas reminded him.

  “Thank you again,” Jason said.

  Jason, Lorraine and her father left the police station together. The police had repacked his bag and returned it. Her father insisted on walking Jason to his hotel and stopped to talk to the proprietor, an old man who greeted Thomas warmly.

  Although Lorraine couldn’t understand what was being said, the gist of the conversation was obvious. The man in the hotel was to keep an eye on Jason.

  Thomas didn’t refer to her role in this fiasco until they were almost back at the house. “Why’d you lie about being Jason’s wife?” he asked her point-blank.

  “I…I didn’t know what else to do.” She knew she’d displeased him, but that couldn’t be avoided. “I certainly hadn’t planned on doing it,” she qualified. “But when he said I was his wife…” Lorraine gave a helpless shrug. “Anyway, I know Jason’s innocent.”

  “You’re that sure?”

  “Yes, positive,” she replied without further thought. “Yes,” she said again for emphasis.

  Her father was about to say something else, then stopped abruptly. “Antonio,” he called as a youngster ran toward him with an older boy she didn’t recognize.

  Antonio had been one of the children playing in the yard at the house, she recalled. Something was clearly wrong, because the boy burst into a torrent of Spanish almost as if he couldn’t get the words out fast enough.