Her Deadly Inheritance

by Beth Ann Ziarnik

  Right now Jill didn’t feel like praying. Would God even hear her when her heart was in such shabby condition? Yet, how could she disappoint her young cousin?

  When they finished, Jill hugged the girl. “I’m going to town early. Would you like to come along?”

  Tia’s brown eyes lit up. “Yes! I’d have time to talk to Dad.”

  Jill turned away. Her coming to Windtop had brought Tia God’s unspeakable joy, but she had lost that blessing.

  Would she ever find her way back?

  A first lonely star winked from above as Jill helped Amelia cross the street for church early that evening.

  “Anything new about your mother?” her friend asked.

  Jill shook her head. “Unless I find some way to get into the house while the security system is on, I have no proof her death could be anything but suicide.”

  Amelia lifted her walker up the curb and stepped up behind it. “You know, I remember old stories about the time when Windtop was built. There were a lot of forest fires around here back then. Is it possible your house has some built-in escape route?”

  Why hadn’t she thought of that? She completed enough house histories to know what to look for, and the blueprints in gatehouse cottage might be a great place to start. “It’s worth checking out, Amelia. Thank you.”

  Sadness invaded her friend’s faded eyes. “If only the answer to Sonny’s problem were as easy.” She allowed Jill to help her up the church steps. “I still say you and Sonny would be good for each other.”

  Jill stifled a sigh. As much as she wished their circumstances were different, in a few days, their lives would separate. He had already made his choice, and it didn’t include her or God.

  She settled beside Amelia in the front pew while Tia quietly played the organ and Leo accompanied on his guitar. Uncle Drew slipped into the pew beside her.

  Her flesh crawled. Had he taken part in her mother’s death? Barely able to muster a welcoming smile, she quickly directed her attention away.

  The soft light of the mid-summer evening shone like pale gold through the long windows behind the sanctuary. The sweet fragrance of the fresh floral arrangement on the communion table below the pulpit drew her gaze. An open Bible perched on a tabletop stand. So much like Windtop’s family Bible where she had found her mother’s letter.

  Her heart stilled for a moment and Uncle Drew patted her hand.

  She glanced at him. Only kindness shone in his brown eyes. How could those be the eyes of a killer or a killer’s accomplice?

  People continued to file into pews, smiling and greeting one another. Some shook hands. Others hugged. Uncle Drew appeared to soak in each detail.

  When Pastor McGee approached the pulpit, Tia slipped away from the organ to sit beside her father. A quiet expectancy hushed the congregation.

  “Welcome in the name of Jesus. Do you remember the day you first asked him to be your Savior and Lord?”

  A warm murmur spread through the sanctuary, many heads nodding. Jill looked around and caught Carver standing at the back of the church.

  “Tia.” She tipped her head in Carver’s direction.

  Tia grinned as if her heart would burst.

  About to look away, Jill caught her breath.

  “Amelia,” she whispered. “Clay just came in.”

  Tears flooded her dear friend’s eyes, and Jill took her hand. Lord, please touch hearts in this service.

  Leo softly strummed “Amazing Grace” on his guitar while Pastor McGee told the story of the favorite hymn’s author, a man so wretched before he gave his life to Christ that people avoided him. “But Jesus Christ changed his life completely. Tonight, we will hear a young girl share her story of forgiveness. We all need forgiveness, don’t we?”

  Many in the congregation nodded.

  “Only a week ago, Tia Bradwell sought God’s forgiveness and gave her life to Jesus.”

  “Glory to God!” one man said.

  “Tia, would you join me at the pulpit?”

  Jill’s young cousin hurried to the pastor’s side.

  He smiled into her upturned face. “Will you please tell us what Jesus means to you?”

  Lord, Jill prayed, please give Tia words that will change hearts—especially Clay’s and mine.

  Tia took the cordless microphone Pastor McGee held out to her. “Jesus means everything to me.” She went on to tell how the onset of her epilepsy and later, her failing to feel her mother’s love had scarred her life. “Until I let Jesus become part of my life last week, I had no idea how wonderful his love could be.” She looked at her father. “I didn’t deserve it, but he forgave my sins and healed my heart. I’m not bitter anymore. God is showing me how to face my problems his way. He’s given me a whole new life.”

  The congregation applauded as Tia returned the microphone to Pastor McGee.

  “Now let’s pray for our new sister in Christ to grow strong in the Lord,” Pastor said.

  Joining in, Jill felt the unmistakable presence of God. “I know, Father,” she whispered. “I know. I don’t want to forgive, but for your sake, I will.”

  Letting her mother’s killer stand between her and the Lord was too great a price to pay. She needed God and his forgiveness every day, so she’d let him deal with whoever killed her mother. Maybe one day, she would feel that forgiveness she had extended. Right now, it was a mere act of her will she wished she could feel but just didn’t.

  Uncle Drew beamed at Tia with watery eyes, took a handkerchief from his suit coat, and blew his nose. As he tucked it back into his pocket, Jill caught his eye and her heart warmed. She smiled.

  God had touched her heart and her uncle’s, but what about Carver.

  How was he taking all this?

  She glanced back. Her cousin had vanished, but Clay stood in the shadows near the door, staring at the floor. He opened the door and left.

  Sagging against the pew, Jill ached in the depths of her soul.

  While Jill poured a cup of punch and gave it to her uncle, she stole a glance at Clay standing near the fireplace in his grandmother’s home. At that moment, Pastor and Mrs. McGee arrived with Tia and Leo.

  Her cousin rushed up to her and hugged her impulsively. “Jill, Pastor just made me the new church organist. Isn’t that wonderful? None of this would’ve happened if you hadn’t come.”

  Jill offered a wan smile. Well, God, thank you for this one good reason for sending me back. If only it were enough, but the puzzle of her mother’s death lay on her heart like one of those boulders Clay wrestled from the stone wall at Windtop.

  Tia threw her arms around her father’s neck.

  “Thank you for coming tonight, Dad.” Her voice choked up, and Uncle Drew held his daughter in his arms.

  Turning quickly away, Jill fought the powerful longing to know her own father’s love. Yes, she was happy for this father and daughter, glad Tia was no longer the frightened, angry girl she had been. Yet none of that removed Jill’s own longing.

  She poured punch into the cup she held, and Clay’s strong hand covered hers with a gentleness that made her heart flutter. He leaned in, his warm breath on her neck as he whispered, “Meet me on the porch later.”

  When he stepped back, he wasn’t smiling, and her joy shriveled. She nodded and hurried into the kitchen to begin arranging Amelia’s supper on the table. As she settled a large platter of sandwiches among the other offerings on the dining room table, she glanced at her cousin.

  Tia kissed Amelia’s cheek. “Mrs. Tanner, everything looks wonderful. Please let me return the favor. Come to my party this Saturday.”

  Amelia’s eyes widened. “It’s nice of you to ask, but—”

  “I would like to invite all my new friends,” Tia rushed on. “That’s all right, isn’t it, Dad?”

  Uncle Drew favored his daughter with an indulgent smile. Amusement settled into his eyes. “Well, I—”

  “Say no more,” Amelia said. “I appreciate your invitation, Tia, but perhaps another time
.”

  Pastor McGee shook his head. “Thank you, but my wife and I already have plans.”

  “But Leo can come, can’t he? You will, won’t you? One extra guest will be all right, won’t it Dad?”

  Uncle Drew nodded, his gaze resting like a blessing on his daughter.

  The matter decided, everyone crowded around Amelia’s table and filled their plates while Jill refreshed their punch cups. When they had settled down to eat, she noticed Clay across the room, his gaze never leaving her.

  Heat crept up her neck. A silly reaction unless he had changed his mind.

  She placed a narrow slice of chocolate cheesecake on a plate and joined the others in the living room area. With the prospect of meeting Clay later, she hardly tasted her favorite dessert.

  Not long after, Pastor McGee checked his watch and stood up. “What do you think, Helen? Is it time we head for home?”

  “Can Tia and I walk for a while?” Leo asked.

  “If her father gives his permission,” his uncle said.

  Uncle Drew nodded. “All right by me. I’ll help Mrs. Tanner put everything back in order here. I think Jill has done enough for one evening. Maybe she would like some fresh air too.”

  Jill studied her uncle’s round face. Had he overheard Clay earlier?

  Clay found Jill on the porch swing. When she looked up and moved over, he took it as an invitation. The swing jounced as he sat beside her. Not knowing quite how to open the subject that she had fought him on so vehemently before, he set the swing into a gentle motion, stirring a pleasant breeze in the warm night air as he collected his thoughts. Not an easy thing to do with her so near and the waning moon shining down on the fragrant flowers hugging the porch.

  “What was your father like?” she asked, her gaze in her lap.

  He flinched. What was this sudden invasion into his past? “Why do you ask?”

  “I never knew mine. I just wonder what it’s like, having a father.” Her voice came so soft and wistful that it hurt his heart.

  “I … uh … well, he was an ordinary man.” He hadn’t talked about his father in a long time. It was too painful.

  “Did he love you?”

  She gazed into his eyes with such hunger to know, he swallowed and went on. “Sure. I loved him too.”

  “Did you do things together?”

  “He was a big baseball fan, so we played ball and went to games. He coached my Little League team.” Here’s where it got hard, but there was no way to avoid it. “Until he died.”

  Jill stopped the swing and stared at him. “How old were you?”

  “Twelve.” He’d rather not think about this.

  “I’m so sorry, Clay.”

  He grasped the swing’s chain with his right hand. “It was a long time ago. Let’s change the subject, okay?”

  She nodded, her gaze still soft with sympathy.

  He should get to the point of their meeting here. “I wasn’t angry with you the night Grandma tried to set us up. I was angry with myself.”

  Curiosity lit her eyes. “Why?”

  “Let’s just say you’re a very distracting woman at a time when I need to stay focused.” He pressed his lips to stem the pain. Strange that it no longer bit as deep.

  He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees so that he wouldn’t have to look into her eyes. Clasping his hands together, he rubbed his chin with his knuckles. “You’re a lot like Janice. She lived in a way that made me question my not-so-close relationship with God. You do the same.”

  “I never meant—”

  He sat up and put a finger gently to her lips. “She didn’t either.” Leaning back, he reached his arm around her shoulders. She snuggled in and his gut clenched. This was how it should be. How it would be, if only …

  He kissed the top of her head, her silky hair fragrant beneath his lips. His heart ached. “Please, Jill. Give up your search, and go back to Chicago.”

  “I can’t.”

  The anguish in her voice made his heart sick. He eased away and groped for a way to make her understand. “You’re in real danger.”

  “I know.” Her agony cut him deeply.

  “Then why not listen to me?”

  “Why do you want me to leave?” she shot back. “Amelia thinks you’ve followed Janice’s killer here. Is she right?”

  “What?”

  “You heard me,” she said, her voice hardly above a whisper. “She’s scared to death that you plan to … to do something rash.”

  “Did she tell you?” Had Jill broken her promise? Had she talked with his grandma about this?

  “She doesn’t know that I overheard her praying when I came to visit. She wasn’t expecting me.”

  His breathing slowed to normal. Jill had kept her promise then.

  “Why are you here, Clay? Do you know who killed Janice?”

  He clamped his mouth shut. She was only guessing.

  “If you know, why not let the police handle it?” Her gaze pleaded with him as much as her words.

  He turned away. She didn’t know how useless that could be. The law was trapped by rules that let criminals go free. It wasn’t right. Not in his father’s case, or his little sister’s, and for all he knew, in Janice’s.

  Jill caressed his forearm, sending pleasant shivers through him. “Please, Clay, don’t break your grandma’s heart … and mine. Don’t ruin your life.”

  Did she think he wanted to do those things? What he really wanted was a life with her. “You don’t understand.”

  “Help me understand.”

  He ground his teeth. Did he have to rip open the pain of his past to convince her? So be it. “What did Grandma tell you about Dad?”

  She wagged her head slowly, her eyes somber. “Nothing.”

  “When I was twelve, he stopped at a gas station convenience store to pick up milk. He walked in on a holdup, and some young punk gunned him down. The police never found the killer.”

  Jill paled. “Oh, Clay.”

  “Seven years later, my little sister died in a drive-by shooting. She was hardly more than a baby. The killer got off turning state’s evidence for another crime.” He gritted his teeth. “Real life crime-solving isn’t like the movies, Jill. Victims don’t always get justice. I won’t let that happen to Janice.”

  “So, you do know who her killer is,” she whispered.

  He looked at his feet. “I’m not positive. But I will be.”

  “When you find that piece of evidence you’ve mentioned before, don’t do anything rash, Clay. Not if it means you’ll—”

  “I’m trying to stop a cold-blooded killer, Jill. One who will kill again. And until I do, I don’t want you around. That’s why you must leave before it’s too late!”

  She reached up, her fingers soft against his face. She traced the contours of his jaw, sending shivers down his body and intensifying his longing for her.

  “Clay, I’m frightened. Who wouldn’t be? But I can’t run. I’m here to accomplish something important. I have to stay and finish whatever it is.”

  “You don’t even know what it is, and yet you’re willing to risk your life?” Incredible!

  “Nothing will happen to me unless God allows it.”

  “Janice talked like that. Look where it got her.” He ground out the words. “I don’t want that happening to you.”

  “Trusting God didn’t get her killed, Clay. That was someone else’s doing. We can’t always protect the ones we love. We can’t always protect ourselves. But we can do our best to trust God to make it come out all right in the end.”

  He looked away and ground his teeth. What nonsense!

  “Besides, it’s too late. The danger at Windtop would simply follow me to Chicago. I’d be looking over my shoulder all the time, wondering when it would strike. I’m better off staying here and facing it now.”

  Good grief! She really believed that? “You don’t know what you’re doing.”

  “But you know who the killer is, don’t you, Cl
ay?” Her gaze pierced him as she gripped his arm. “Who, Clay? Who is it?”

  He clenched his teeth. If he told her, she’d get in the way and get hurt. Why was she so stubborn? Why couldn’t she just trust him?

  He eased her fingers from his arm and stalked into the night shadows. She was making his job much harder. What if he couldn’t stop the killer? It could cost her life.

  Time was running out. He could feel it in his gut.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Keeping to the inside of the forest edge, Jill angled toward the gatehouse. Since Clay refused to help her, she would find the answers to her mother’s death on her own. The minute he left for Hanley Field to bring Lenore’s long-time friend to Windtop, she knew she’d found her best chance to study Windtop’s blueprints. She had slipped out of the house while everyone else was busy with last minute preparations for Katherine Wentworth’s arrival.

  She paused in the shadows of the tree-sheltered drive and peered both ways. All clear. Hurrying across the drive, she let herself into the gatehouse and went straight to Clay’s drawing table. Bound at the top, Windtop’s great sheaf of blueprints lay where she had last seen them.

  Her heart thrummed as she turned over the pages of exterior elevations to get to the floor plans. If Windtop had a hidden escape route as Amelia suggested, she should find clues to its whereabouts among all the lines and symbols that identified the construction details.

  Over and over she scrutinized each page, but nothing caught her eye. Icy disappointment seeped through her veins. She arranged the pages as she had found them. If Windtop had an escape route, Clay made sure no one would discover the information so easily.

  She fisted her hands. The blueprints had failed her, but she had another trick that might reveal a hidden passageway. The method would take longer, and she would be in constant danger of discovery, but all she needed was a steel measuring tape.

  Jill knelt on the floor of the carriage house. Just as she remembered, Windtop’s old toolbox held two such tapes. She tucked one in the pocket of her loose-fitting shorts, carefully closed the box, and made sure it didn’t look disturbed before she headed for the house.