“It’s so easy to judge from your position, isn’t it?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why don’t you ask yourself what you would’ve done if your father, your best buddy that he is, was dying in some hospice bed, and someone came along and made that accusation against him?”
“But my father never would—”
“That’s not what I asked you. Would you let him die with dignity or do the moral thing and expose him with only days, maybe hours to decide?”
Belle’s blood simmered at Ally’s flip of the script. “Bob isn’t your father. He was a colleague and friend. It’s not the same.”
“He was the closest thing to a father I’ve ever had.”
Belle stood still as a death’s head. Ally must’ve been as convinced of Bob’s virtue as she was of her father’s. Could she have answered that question honestly?
“Like I said before, Belle, what do you want me to do? To what ends should I take this to satisfy you? Should I go public with the story and ruin his name so you and your family can file a civil suit?”
Belle shook her head with a weary smile. “I’ll be satisfied with ruining his name—before they start renaming schools or libraries or erecting statues in his honor. Leave him on your pedestal if you must, Ally, but keep in mind that somebody loved Charles Manson once, too.”
She ran inside and slammed the door, falling against it as she bawled into her cupped hands. How could everything have ended this way? Why had she met the love of her life only to have what they shared decay before it ever had the chance to fully flower?
She took her cell out of her pocket and called her realtor back. She instructed her to reject the offer on her condo, take it off the market, and take a ride up to Danville to get the Ashford place on the market, pronto.
She had to get out of there before the house destroyed her, too.
Chapter Nineteen
The morning of the interment service, Belle, her parents, and sister gathered around Judy Ashford’s grave in St. Gertrude’s cemetery. The urn containing the remains sat on a green, felt-covered pedestal as the priest droned a series of prayers into the thick, early September air.
Frankie Ashford was finally receiving a proper burial service, his ashes to be interred with his mother in her grave.
Belle stood between her parents holding their hands, silent tears streaming down her face from under her sunglasses. Her mother must’ve heard her sniffle and produced a tissue for her almost instantly.
A mother’s love was instinctual, automatic. Judy must’ve been inconsolable when her son died, if she hadn’t been scared out of her wits considering she was a kid herself.
Belle closed her eyes and let the hope and promise of the prayers lighten her heavy heart. But when the priest recited the part of the Shepherd’s psalm that said, “Surely goodness and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life,” she choked back indignation. What life? What constitutes a life in God’s eyes? Sixteen years for a girl traumatized by sexual abuse? An hour or a day for the innocent boy born of it?
She wanted to believe in God at that moment of abject sadness, but the God her grandmother used to speak of was incongruous with an entity that would’ve allowed all of that to happen—from the moment an adult betrayed a child’s innocence to the moment a human being had to die and be stuffed into an old milk crate, unnamed, and in an unmarked grave.
“Are you okay?” Belle’s father whispered.
Belle nodded, but she wasn’t—far from it. The tragedy of it all was too much, but so was her breakup with Ally. It was all so sad; the worst part was discovering that Ally wasn’t who she’d thought she was.
She’d fallen so deeply in love with a woman who was caring, intelligent, and seemingly above reproach. And then one event happened and changed everything she’d understood about her.
It was indeed a time for mourning.
When the service was over, Belle and her family turned to leave. Charlene and Craig were standing several feet behind. Belle wiped the last of her tears and approached them, hugging each one.
“I can’t believe you guys came all the way up here for this.”
“We wanted to,” Craig said. “Judy meant a lot to us.”
“I needed this,” Charlene said. “I finally feel a sense of closure after what you and I talked about—and knowing my friend and her child are together again.”
“I can’t thank you both enough for being so open and honest with me. The investigators wouldn’t have gotten anywhere in this case without you.”
“Do they know who the father is?” Craig said.
“I don’t know if the DNA test for the sheriff ever came back, but I’m assuming it’s him—given his dubious track record with pubescent girls.”
“It’s unbelievable,” Craig said. “But then it makes sense why he hated that I was dating Judy. If I had known what he was up to, I would’ve busted his head wide open, deputy sheriff or not.”
“I’m glad you didn’t,” Charlene said. “You would’ve rotted in prison forever if you had. What would I have done without my big brother?”
Belle smiled, her mood lifted by their love for each other. “Would you guys like to join my family and me back at the house? We’re gonna have a little cookout and visit for a while.”
Charlene looked at Craig.
“Please,” Belle said. “In a way, you’re like family.”
They agreed and followed Belle’s car back to the house.
***
After a simple cookout of hamburgers and hot dogs, Belle took in the traditional family scene happening on her stone patio. Her parents and Craig and Charlene were chatting like they were old friends, sharing their similar versions of the good old days while her brother-in-law attempted to get Red to chase a tennis ball.
As Belle moved the leftover side dishes into the shade, her sister, Carolyn, approached her with two crimson martinis splashing over the rims of their glasses.
“Try this.” She handed one to her as though they were kids again sneaking behind their parents’ backs.
“What are you doing to me?” Belle said as she sipped the pomegranate cocktail. “I’m trying to sober up from this insane summer.”
“Don’t be a wimp. It’s the Friday before a three-day weekend.”
“I’m trying to detox,” Belle said.
They both cracked up laughing as they clicked their glasses together.
“If Eddie thinks he’s gonna get Red to chase that ball, he doesn’t know who he’s dealing with. That dog is so old.”
Carolyn laughed. “Let’s see how long it takes him to figure it out.”
“Is that what twenty-five years together does to couples? Makes them secretly root for each other’s downfall?”
“I still adore him, but that doesn’t stop me from relishing those moments when his stubbornness backfires on him.”
Belle laughed, envying with good nature her sister’s enduring marriage.
“Speaking of significant others,” Carolyn said. “Where’s that deputy sheriff you were so hot and heavy with?”
Belle glared at her. “I told you it’s over. Way to bring down the room, Carolyn.”
“I know you did, but I thought you guys would’ve worked it out after the case was over.”
“Well, surprise, surprise. We didn’t.”
“I’m sorry. How are you doing?”
“I’m a mess. I miss her so much, and I’m so conflicted about everything. I have my condo in Guilford and this house, and I don’t know which one to sell, but I have to sell one of them so I can pay my bills.”
“Don’t sell this place.” Carolyn glanced around in awe. “You’ve done an amazing job renovating it. It’s just gorgeous.”
“I’m so torn. I put all of myself into it, and I love how it turned out, but it’s also filled with major negative vibes—my latest relationship disaster, oh, and lest we forget, two kids died here.” Belle shivered at the thought.
“We all have to die somewhere.”
Belle glared at her again. “Seriously?”
“It’s all about perspective, sis. I mean you inherited a free house on a picturesque piece of land, and you fixed it up into a dream house. I know it’s in the boonies, but I don’t know. If I were you, I’d get a shaman in here to sage the place and call it home sweet home.”
“Oh, okay. Some hokey incense ceremony performed by a crunchy granola is gonna solve all my problems.” Belle rolled her eyes.
“It would take a hell of lot more than incense to solve all your problems. I was only addressing your bad juju issue.”
“Making fun of your little sister’s heartache? Classy. I think we’re done here.”
Belle started to walk away, but Carolyn grabbed her arm.
“I’m sorry, Belles. You know I’m teasing you. It’s our thing.”
“I’m just really bummed. I felt a connection with Ally I’d never felt before, with anyone.” She paused to compose herself. “It’s been hard moving past this one.”
Carolyn put an arm around her and pushed Belle’s head onto her shoulder. “Call me more or come visit more. I’m always here for you.”
“Thanks. I will.”
“Liar. You’re gonna keep on pining over your deputy all by your lonesome.”
Belle smirked. “Probably. By the way, she’s the sheriff now.”
“Ugh. Then I guess I can understand your motivation for wanting to sell, even though I’m in love with this house.”
“You’re not making this any easier.”
Carolyn shrugged helplessly as Craig and Charlene approached to say good-bye.
“We have to head back now,” Charlene said. “Thank you again for all you’ve done.”
Belle hugged them both. “I wish I could’ve done more. I wish Bob had to face his victims and account for his actions.”
“I’m sure he already has had to account for them at the pearly gates,” Charlene said.
Craig agreed. “If there’s a hell, that’s where he is right now.”
Belle wasn’t sure about all that, but it was a lovely idea. She needed to believe that justice would be served even if she’d never witness it.
In any event, she found consolation in having seen it through to the only outcome that truly mattered—Judy and her son were finally reunited.
Chapter Twenty
Usually, the week after Labor Day was hectic, and this one did not stray from convention. With the fall semester under way, Belle had been held over on campus with extended office hours to meet with anxious students, both new and returning, and to attend the obligatory staff meeting her department chair insisted was necessary for morale building.
Pretending to take notes, she’d doodled Ally’s name and various animals on her notepad, preferring the feel of paper and pen to the laptops her colleagues used. She glanced out the window at the range of trees still lush with the vigor of the late season, but her summer had come to an end.
A pall of disappointment hung over her, rather than the eager anticipation of a new academic year and autumn. She was supposed to feel ready and revitalized, splitting her time between work and house-hunting along the Connecticut shore. Instead, she directed most of her energy into forcing images of Ally from her mind and dreams of their future from her heart.
Her sadness had locked her in a holding pattern. She couldn’t sell the condo where she’d lived but couldn’t bring herself to let go of the Ashford place either. Her mother had warned her about putting too much of herself into it during renovations.
Really, she’d put too much Ally into it.
She was on autopilot during the hour drive home from work, listening to smooth seventies on satellite radio. Love songs from the seventies seemed more genuine for some reason.
She pulled into the driveway and rolled over the gravel toward the house. Something was different, some detail that hadn’t been there when she left that morning. She lowered her window and knew right away by the scent what it was—a small lilac tree planted off to the left side of the veranda encircled by a white protective fence.
She smiled at the housewarming gift, then ran over to it, hoping it was from Ally and that she’d left some sort of note.
Nothing.
Red was waiting for her on the front steps, his wagging tail sweeping the porch behind him. After scratching his ears, she headed inside and toward the fridge, hoping a bottle of something was in there chilling.
She uncorked some white, let it roll over her tongue, and walked to the window to gaze out at the backyard. Noticing something moving in her periphery, she looked to where the koi pond was originally supposed to go. In its place was a magnificent flower garden brimming with vibrant colors, stems, and stalks of all shapes and sizes.
She stepped out onto the patio. That was when Ally stood up and wiped the sweat from her neck with the back of her gardening glove.
“Hi,” she said, shielding her eyes from the dipping sun.
Belle smiled and walked slowly toward her. “Hi.”
“I hope you don’t mind,” Ally said. “A promise is a promise.”
“It’s beyond beautiful.” Belle was almost breathless. “But you didn’t have to do all this.”
“I kinda did. But I also really wanted to.”
Ally bent down and picked up an oval garden stone from the center to show Belle. The name Ashford and a male cherub with wings holding a flower were carved into it.
“That’s amazing,” Belle said. “I don’t know what to say.”
Ally removed her gloves and walked toward her. “Say that you’ll accept my deeply heartfelt apology.”
“What are you apologizing for?”
“A lot of things, namely for handling everything wrong.”
“You can’t help the way you grieve.”
“No, but there were some things I could’ve helped. And I chose to bury my head in the sand instead of putting duty before loyalty to a friend.”
“It’s a slippery slope when that friend is a child molester,” Belle said. “Or isn’t it? I don’t know. I’ve never been friends with one.”
“It’s not at all, and if Bob hadn’t been days from dying, I would’ve acted on what you said, without question. I would’ve taken time to think about it, then acted on it. But during the time I needed to deal with what you told me, he’d already passed. I’m not using that as an excuse. I own what I did. I screwed up on my first big test as sheriff, and I’ll have to find a way to make peace with myself for that.”
“Did the DNA come back a match?”
Ally nodded.
Belle sighed in relief. She felt vindicated for her part in their breakup, for going behind Ally’s back when she’d felt she was wavering. For her, the end certainly justified the means.
“I’m an honest person, Belle. I have integrity, and my ethics may have stalled in this one case that hit too close to home, but they never failed. I would never have let that happen.”
“You knew he was about to die, but you didn’t take a sample from him.”
“I realize that,” Ally said. “I knew in my heart Charlene was telling you the truth.”
Belle remembered what Ally had asked her. What if someone had made that accusation against her dying father? It was time to stop judging her.
“I made a mistake, Belle, an error in judgment that taught me a valuable lesson.” She offered a humble smile. “But I got lucky.”
“Lucky? How do you figure that?”
“At the time I had a nosy, mischievous, very slick girlfriend who did my job for me while I wandered lost in a moral wilderness.”
Belle pretended not to be swayed. “Are you referring to me?”
“You’re the only nosy girlfriend I’ve had recently. And by recently, I mean in the last five years.”
Belle grinned. “You forgot sexy and brilliant.”
Ally grinned back. “I couldn’t if I tried.”
Belle flung her wineglass onto the law
n and lunged at Ally, clamping her arms around her in a grip as sturdy as steel. “I love you, Ally.”
“I love you, Isabelle, so much.” Ally whispered in her ear. “Can you ever forgive me for the jerk I turned into—temporarily?”
“Yes, my love. Yes,” she whispered back, then looked Ally in the eyes. “I hope you can forgive me for doubting you—temporarily.”
Ally smiled. “It’s been a wild summer. I think we’re both entitled to one ‘get outta jail free’ card.”
Belle wrapped her in another embrace, her voice quavering. “I’ve been so sad thinking it was over.”
“God, me, too, honey.” This time Ally looked her in the eyes. “I know we can make this work, Belle. Whatever the challenges, if you want to try, I’m all in.”
They kissed passionately in the yard as the sun, lowering into the trees, caressed their faces. When they finally came up for air, Belle glanced over Ally’s shoulder at the new botanical paradise.
“What’s in there,” she asked, her arms still looped around Ally’s neck.
Ally beamed at the question. “In the center is a red rose bush for love, obviously; some forget-me-nots on the left; and to the right some yellow daffodils, which signify new beginnings—oh, and some jasmine over there because they represent love and sensuality.”
“Wow. You must’ve put a lot of thought into this garden.”
“I did.” Ally gave her a sly grin.
“Hmm. How am I supposed to sell this place and move away now that you’ve planted a custom-made Eden of romance for me?”
“Duh. That’s the idea—you’re not.”
“Did you just ask me to go steady?”
“Well, since it would be foolish to propose to someone you’ve been dating for only three months, yeah. Let’s go with that.”
Belle laughed. “Good idea. Because it’s not like we’ve ever been fools for love before.”
Ally bit her lip in mock shame. As their laughter died down, she stared into Belle’s eyes. “It’s different this time. I can feel it.”
The Ashford Place Page 25
