“I go to Sunday school but only on Sundays.”
Sunday school thought Fletch. That's it!
“Mom, you'll have to excuse me, I need to get something from my car.”
Samantha watched him walk quickly around the house, she was curious but was having a conversation with his sister and didn't want to stop her in mid-sentence.
Chapter Seventeen
Fletch pulled his notebook from his briefcase and entered the information into his computer. I knew it sounded familiar, I don't know why it took me so long to figure it out.
“I'm going to find Fletch; he's been gone for over ten minutes, I hope it isn't the station calling.”
Samantha saw Fletch sitting in the car with a strange look on his face.
“Everything all right, sweetheart?” she asked.
“Yes, come in and sit with me.”
Samantha opened the door, the windows were rolled down, but it was still hot in the car.
“Samantha, did I ever tell you I was a chronic liar when I was a kid? I told big lies, little lies, stupid lies, any kind of lie there was, I told it.”
“You're not lying about wanting to marry me?”
“No, of course not, I said when I was a kid. Well, my grandmother lived with us for the last few years of her life. She was a retired school teacher who had also taught Sunday school for years. I can remember her sitting in her rocking chair every night reading her Bible.
“My parents punished me for my lies, yet nothing worked until Grandma took over. Every time I told a fib, she would force me to memorize three or four verses from the Bible that talked about lying. She wouldn't let me leave the house until I recited the passages flawlessly. I can tell you, I missed a lot of baseball practices that summer.”
“Patsy gave me a list of the words in the letters she received. I've checked, and they are excerpts from bible verses. This one is from Proverbs 12:19: Fruitful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment. Whoever wrote it only included the part that mentioned lying, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.
“That narrows it down to someone who reads the Bible, or at least, has one in their home,” said Fletch.
“Oh my,” said Samantha, “Kate Turner has a beautiful old Bible on her coffee table. It's a family heirloom given to her by her grandmother.”
“Was she sleeping with C J too?”
“Not that I know of, but I didn't know about the others either. Kate and Nick Turner were together through junior and senior years, they've been married several years. If C J hadn't died, Nick probably would be just another high school football player. Instead, he received scholarships for college.”
“Have you seen either of them since you've been home?”
“I spent time with Kate on two occasions. She came to Mom's the first day I was home. Jody and Erin were there and talked about C J. Kate didn't like the conversation and insisted we change the subject, she seems agitated when C J's name is mentioned. I wonder if she discovered Nick had something to do with the accident.”
“Let me think about this for a while, we don't know if Kate's Bible had anything to do with these letters,” said Fletch. “Maybe we should rejoin the party. Your dad will be accusing me of seducing you out here on the street.”
I misjudged Allison Jennings. Matt Benson thought to himself. Everyone seems to like her. She doesn't look like a gold-digger, in fact, she's a fine-looking woman, fine-looking indeed. If I haven't blown it, I'll see if I can make amends with a Mimosa.
Matt grabbed two Mimosas from the bar on the patio.
“Go get her Matt,” said Archie Degan.
“I'm going to try, Archie,” he replied.
Allison was standing with Sharon Sinclair. Matt was certain his mother was defending him.
“A peace offering,” he said as he offered the drink to Allison.
“No thank you,” she replied, turning her head away.
“Mom, how about you?”
“No, son, I've had enough, for now, you'll have to drink them both yourself.”
“Did I tell you I don't like champagne and I like orange juice even less,” he said.
“Maybe you should have thought of that before you took two glasses. Are you always this presumptuous?” Allison asked.
“Never more than twice a day,” he answered.
“I'm going to leave you two to battle it out, I don't want to watch my son lose his case,” said Sharon giving him a wink.
“Has my mother been telling you I'm really a nice guy?” he asked.
“She's been telling me all sorts of things about how lucky she is to have four wonderful children and one pompous ass.”
“She was talking about my brother. Are you ever going to forgive me?” he pouted.
“There isn't anything to forgive, not that I liked being the subject of your disdain, but I do understand you were trying to protect your mother's husband from my greed.”
“Would you like to take a walk down toward the pond, I just saw a fish jump out of the water.”
“I love watching them go after bugs in the air. I hope it was a mosquito, it will be one less that bites Bella today.”
“She's a sweetheart, let's see if she's my sister, what are you to me?”
“Well, you and I aren't blood relatives, so we are in-laws. Because my daughter is your niece, it would make me your step-sister...if I had married CJ. You don't already have one of those, do you?”
“No, but it sounds totally crazy,” he laughed.
“You might as well know, I have a very dysfunctional family. My mother is nothing like yours. We won't even talk about my father and you've probably guessed I was barely older than Bella when she was conceived. Would my mother approve of you? Yes, it’s crazy, but that’s my family.
“We don't have to talk about your family if you don't want to. You seem to have overcome any obstacles in your way, Mom says you're a police officer, that's terrific.”
“This is Ashville, not exactly a high crime area, most of my cases involved auto accidents and hauling drunks to the pokey on a Saturday night.”
“Are you involved with anyone?”
“No, Bella has been my life for the last six years. It's a long story, I'm sure you don't want to hear the details.”
“I'm a good listener if you want to talk about it.”
Allison found Matt easy to talk to. She told him all about C J and her foolish infatuation, about the adoption and finally getting Bella back, her father's abusive behavior and her mother's mental illness. She half expected him to turn and run by the time she finished her tale of woe. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.
Bella played happily with the other children. She was on the brink of womanhood but behaved like a child at times. She spotted her mother and Matt standing by the pond. Matt had his arms around her.
It had only been two days since she found out her real dad was C J Sinclair and now her mother was hugging someone else. Bella quietly broke away from the other children and walked the four blocks to her home.
The latch on the side door of the garage was loose. Bella easily opened the door. She hopped on her bike and rode the mile to the cliffs where her father died.
Mom will be mad if she finds me here, I won't stay long; I want to tell my dad that he's my father.
Allison felt comforted in Matt's arms. She wasn't in the habit of pouring her heart out to anyone, especially a man. Kelli Degan startled her when she ran up and struggled to catch her breath.
“I can't find Bella anywhere, Ms. Jennings. We were playing with the other kids and she disappeared. Do you know where she went?”
Allison asked if she had gone inside the house to use the bathroom.
“No, she's not in the house, I looked everywhere.”
Allison glanced toward the pond. Matt could see the terror in her eyes.
“Okay, everyone, we have a missing child in the area, has anyone seen a pretty little girl named Bella?”
Colleen and Samantha, who knew the house best, searched every room including the basement but found no sign of Bella.
“Maybe she went home,” said Allison, “Kelli, did Bella talk about getting something from her room to show you?”
“No,” said Kelli through her tears.
Allison walked to her car, George and Matt followed.
“You are in no shape to drive a car, Allison,” said Matt, “Point me in the right direction and I'll get you there.”
“You aren't going without me,” said George, “I didn't discover my granddaughter only to lose her again.”
Mrs. Jennings was sitting in her favorite chair when the three of them walked through the door.
“Mom, is Bella here?”
“No dear, Bella is with you. Did you know Mr. Krause took me dancing last night? He's a very nice man. Do you know Mr. Krause?”
It was obvious to Allison that her mother had reverted to another world again. She couldn't deal with it now. She had to find Bella and called her name.
“I saw Bella on her bike. She rode in front of the window. She didn't wave goodbye.”
“Thanks, Mom. You sit tight; I'll be back in a while. I'm going to look for Bella.”
Allison walked through the garage door where Bella's bike was stored. “Her bike is gone,” she cried.
Matt wondered if Bella had seen him comforting her mother. He would never forgive himself if something happened to Bella because of his actions.
“I don't know where to start looking for her,” said a distraught Allison.
“Do the kids still sneak over to the cliffs?” George asked quietly.
“Bella knows it's dangerous, I don't think she'd go there.”
“That's where her father died, isn't it, George?”
George dropped his head in his hands. “Do you think she went there to be close to her father? Death is very confusing to a child.”
Matt drove Allison's car through the brush to within a few feet of the cliff drop off. Allison spotted Bella's bicycle.
The sound of the car doors opening surprised Bella, she turned quickly and lost her balance.
“Bella!” Allison shouted when she saw her daughter slip on the rocks.
Matt ran to her and realized that one wrong move on his part and the girl would drop to the bottom of the ravine. He was glad he'd worn rubber sole shoes, otherwise, he could easily have slipped himself.
Bella looked up at him, her eyes pleading for help.
“Stay very still Bella, I'm going to move slowly toward you,” he whispered. “I want you to grab my hand as tight as you can.”
Bella did as she was told. She looked directly into Matt's eyes. He looked nice, she liked his face. Maybe it's okay if Mom likes him too.
Allison and George stood by helplessly as Matt inched his way down the cliff. Allison held her breath when she saw Bella's hand take hold of his. He slowly brought her to safety and to the arms of her mother.
George held out his hand helping Matt to his feet.
“Bella, darling, why did you come here? You know it's dangerous.”
“I wanted to talk to Dad, I didn't mean to slip. Thanks for saving me, Uncle Matt. Grandpa did you know Matt is my uncle?”
“I know that and I'm glad to hear it. Your family gets bigger every day.” He hugged his granddaughter and said a prayer thanking God she was safe.
After returning to the party, Allison led Bella away from the crowd to a bench tucked away under the trees.
“Why did you go to the cliffs, Bella? Did it upset you when you saw me with Matt?”
“At first, it bothered me; I've never seen a man put his arms around you like that. I thought you might leave me like my other mom did. I wanted to talk to my dad. Maybe his spirit is still on the cliffs. Do you think that's true?”
“Your dad's spirit lives in George's heart and in here,” Allison said pointing to Bella's heart. “Matt had his arms around me because I told him about giving you up when you were a baby and getting you back. I always cry when I talk about being without you for those first years and he was comforting me.”
“Matt likes you,” Bella said with a big smile.
“I hope he likes me, I like him too.” Allison could feel the warmth in her cheeks and hoped Bella didn't notice.
“Matt really likes you. I think he loves you.”
“Bella, we just met this afternoon. We don't know each other well. He lives in another state, and I won't see him after Samantha's wedding tomorrow. Love needs time together to grow. It doesn't happen right away.”
“You said you loved me the first time you saw me.”
“That's a different kind of love; I carried you inside me for nine months before you were born. That gave me plenty of time to know I loved you.
“Why don't you join your friends, they look like they're having fun.”
As Allison walked to the pond, she heard Samantha call her name.
“Hey girlfriend, George told me about Bella and her scare, is she all right?”
“She's fine, I shudder to think what might have happened if Matt hadn't been there, he saved her life.”
“It looked like you two were getting along well,” Samantha grinned.
“After a rocky start, he turned out to be a nice guy.”
“If he's anything like his mother, he's a sweetheart. I'm happy George found Sharon. I loved Frances like a second mother, but she's gone, and George deserves to be surrounded by grandkids. His eyes light up when he's around Bella.”
“She loves him too,” Allison said. The party is winding down. I heard your father say something about cook-out tonight. It's a good thing you don't get married every day.
Chapter Eighteen
Megan and Mike and the rest of their Lancaster friends arrived in the early afternoon. The wedding participants met at the chapel to rehearse for the next day. After the rehearsal, everyone gathered again in the Degan backyard. Colleen and Sandy were busy most of the day preparing food for the rehearsal picnic, as they called it.
The mimosas and bloody Marys were replaced with beer, wine, and any drink Archie and Jack knew how to concoct.
“What's with our folks?” asked Fletch, “they've become party people in their old age. Listen to the music they're playing.”
“They're having fun, let them enjoy our day. We will have plenty of time to be alone.”
Allison and Matt walked toward Samantha and Fletch. “Guess who just strolled in and look who she dragged with her. That woman is a troublemaker.”
Samantha turned to see Erin walking arm in arm with Bobby Rooney.
“Erin, Bobby, so nice of you to join us,” she smiled. “Mom said you were bringing a friend.”
“We want to meet your detective, Samantha. I heard he's dreamy and he certainly is.”
Samantha felt a chill pass through her when she looked into Bobby's cold eyes. Why did she ever think she was in love with this man.
Fletch stepped forward and introduced himself to the twosome. “Help yourself to a drink or some food, there is plenty of both.”
“I see your father is pouring drinks, Samantha, is the bartender on a break?” Bobby asked sarcastically.
“My father is the bartender, Bobby, we're just simple folk, remember?”
Samantha could feel his eyes on her as the couple walked toward the bar. “I used to think Erin was the sweet one and Jody the bitch, now I'm not so sure.”
“Erin has become very bitter. Jody isn't any better. They both need to grow up,” said Allison
Samantha felt Fletch's hand on her back and as Erin and Bobby headed to the bar he said “Have I told you how sexy you look standing over here by this big tree. Do you thin
k anyone would notice if we hid in the bushes and made out?”
“What a great idea, I wonder if Dad has cleared out this year's crop of poison ivy?”
“On second thought, how about a drink?”
“That sounds safer, do you realize in less than twenty-four hours we will be married.”
“Are you sure you want to marry me? That Rooney guy thinks he'd make a better husband than some lame cop.”
“I don't care what that Rooney guy thinks, I'm sorry, I didn't know he'd be here. He's an old regret from the past.”
“You don't need to apologize, we've all had relationships that we'd like to forget. Did he tell you he's running for political office?”
“Yes, and he wants a little woman by his side. Erin is perfect for the part.”
“Which one has the Bible on her coffee table.”
“Kate Turner,” Samantha answered. “She and Nick are standing over there. I'll introduce you.”
They walked toward the couple not realizing they were arguing.
“You started it,” Nick said.
“I told you I was sorry,” Kate answered. “Nick I wish you wouldn't drink so much, it doesn't help you forget what happened.”
Nick looked up and saw Samantha and Fletch walking toward them and nudged Kate's arm.
“Hello Samantha,” he slurred his words slightly. “Hello, Detective, I'm Nick Turner and this is my wife Kate.”
“Please call me Fletch. It's good to meet you and all Samantha's friends.”
“I wish you could meet C J Sinclair,” said Nick. “He was a helluva great athlete, he would have made it to the pros, you know, he was that good. What a waste, he's dead now, he was good, really good and great even.”
“Nick, we'd better get you home,” said Kate. “The heat mixed with alcohol isn't good for him. It was nice meeting you, Fletch. We'll be at the wedding tomorrow.”
Kate declined Fletch's help getting her inebriated husband to their car.
“She was anxious to get him out of here before he said anything too incriminating,” said Samantha. “Did he sound like a guilty man?”
“Maybe not guilty of murder but he is hiding something. Was he a drinker in high school?”
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