Obsession (29 page)

Sol interrupted his thoughts. “So, what's new with the Greene investigation? Anything?” Sol frowned. “You don't think this miscarriage thing is anything we need to worry about, do you? On a personal level, I mean.”

Abe was puzzled. A personal level…? How could Julie's miscarriage have anything to do with them on a personal level? Suddenly his heart skipped a beat as a long-buried memory flashed into his mind. Surely his uncle wasn't referring to that incident years earlier.… Did he really think there could be a connection? Abe felt a shudder ripple through his body. It had never occurred to him that he would have to worry about that awful experience raising its ugly head again at this point in his life. Was it possible that he was involved in an investigation that might uncover evidence that could lead to his own undoing?

“I… hadn't thought of that.”

“I did. We've got a lot to lose, boy, if you get my drift—especially you. I managed to bail you out once, but I'm not so sure I could do it again now.”

Abe nodded slowly, and his jaws twitched. His uncle was right. He was going to have to handle this investigation very carefully.

“Thanks for the warning. I'll keep my eyes open.”

“Good. So, anything new on the case?”

Abe was amazed at how easily and quickly his uncle could change course. It took him a bit longer to catch up, but he determined to block out the painful memory of his youthful indiscretion—and the fear of its resurrection—and refocus on the matter at hand. “Not really,” he said, his voice almost back to normal. “Although, just about
the time the girl's body was found, Toni Matthews started getting some strange phone calls. You know, anonymous, vague threats, that sort of thing, telling her to mind her own business and no one would get hurt. She ignored them until a couple of weeks ago when the guy threatened to hurt someone close to her. That was right after Julie Greene's aunt, April Lippincott, came to stay with Toni and her sister. That's when she told me about the calls, and we put a trace on her phone. There haven't been any more calls since then, so we really don't have any leads on that.”

Sol frowned and took his cigar out of his mouth. “You still think there's some sort of connection between Paul Matthews and the Greene kid? I thought the autopsy cleared all that up.”

“More or less. Still, I thought it was worth following up, just in case.”

His uncle grunted and stuck the cigar back between his teeth. “Just in case what? In case she needs someone to hold her hand while she waits for the phone to ring? Sounds a little too convenient, if you ask me. She gets all these phone calls until you put a trace on her line, and then they suddenly quit? And she just happens to report those calls directly to you instead of the department? Wise up, boy. She's making a play for you, can't you see? Are you blind, or just stupid?” He raised his dark eyebrows. “Or are you being stupid on purpose? Maybe you're more than just a little bit willing to accommodate the lady, maybe even donate your free time to serve as her personal bodyguard. Is that it?” Still chewing his cigar, he added, “You got it bad, don't you, boy?”

Abe thought of the nights he had recently spent driving by Toni's house and parking in the shadows to watch and make sure she was home, safe and sound. The familiar stab of pain came as he remembered the night he had seen Brad bring her home, then kiss her good-night on the porch.

“Yeah, Uncle Sol. I got it bad, OK? But I've got to get over it. She's just not interested, and she's definitely not making a play for me. She
made that perfectly clear. She's engaged to somebody else, and that's that. So, can we change the subject?”

Sol shifted his cigar from one side of his mouth to the other. “Whatever you say. So what's up with Sophie? You talk to her lately?”

There he went again, changing gears without missing a beat. Abe sighed with relief as he felt his shoulders relax a bit. Aunt Sophie was definitely a much safer topic than his past indiscretions or his feelings for Toni. “Actually, I went up to see her last month. She's fine, as always. You know Aunt Sophie. She never changes.”

“Yeah, I know. Ever the religious fanatic.”

Abe was surprised to find himself defending his aunt. “She means well, you know. She… gave me one of Uncle David's books, an English translation of the
Tanakh.”

Sol's eyebrows shot way up. “You're kidding. What did she do that for? She doesn't expect you to read all those fables and old wives' tales, does she?”

“To tell you the truth, that's exactly what I did. Just finished it, as a matter of fact.”

“You read the whole thing? Cover to cover?”

Abe nodded. “I did, and I thought it was very interesting.”

Sol, the cigar perfectly still between his clenched teeth, studied him for a moment. “And did you come to any life-changing revelations?”

“Not yet. I'm still thinking about it.”

Sol shook his head. “You really are
meshugga
, aren't you? Absolutely
meshugga.”

Abe didn't argue with his uncle, nor did he tell him what he planned to do next. It was such a radical step he could hardly believe it himself.

Toni had managed to avoid Brad since the Sunday brunch at his parents' house. Now it was Friday night, and he had been insistent
about coming over to take her for a ride—alone. “Just the two of us. Please. We need some time alone… to talk.”

Toni knew he was right, but she had dreaded the evening ever since she had hesitantly agreed to it the previous day. Now it was here. Brad was waiting for her at the door, Carrie was spending the night with Melissa, and April was thrilled to supervise the pajama party. Toni had no excuses. Waving goodbye to April and the girls, she had headed out the door to join Brad, but not before noticing the wary glance she got from April.

This time I know what she's thinking. That's a switch. It's usually April who reads my mind. She's wondering if I'm going to tell him or if I'm going to keep my mouth shut and go through with this wedding just to keep from hurting him. Oh, April, I don't know! I just don't know. Pray for me. Please pray….

“Where are we going?” she asked as soon as they got in the car. “You really weren't very specific on the phone.”

Brad pulled away from the curb, keeping his eyes on the road as he answered. “That's up to you. I thought maybe we'd take a ride, and then, I don't know, go get something to eat… unless you're hungry now, that is. We can eat first if you'd like.”

“No. I'm… really not hungry at all. A ride would be fine.”

Her mind raced and her heart ached as they drove out of town and up into the surrounding hills. The daylight hours were getting shorter, but it was only a little after seven, and it wouldn't be dark for at least another hour. She studied his profile, a profile that had been dear and comforting to her for so many years, one that was almost as familiar to her as Melissa's or her dad's. She swallowed the lump that came automatically with the reminder of her father. How she missed him. If only he were here to talk to and advise her….

I am your Father
. Once again, the memory of her heavenly Father's words rose up within her, filling her with a sense of peace, as if he were assuring her that he was in control, that she could trust him to deal with this seemingly impossible situation. She relaxed in her seat.

Brad stopped the car on a rise overlooking River View. It had always been one of their favorite spots to park, to gaze at the peaceful scene below with the mighty Columbia River providing a clear-cut border between Oregon and Washington, and to observe the town where they had grown up and where they would someday live as man and wife and raise a family together. But now everything had changed. The river and the town were the same, Brad's love for her was as strong as ever, but Toni's father was dead, her mind was in turmoil, and her heart belonged to someone else. Her future life with Brad loomed, empty and meaningless, in front of her, even as he reached over and took her left hand in his.

“I thought we could sit here and watch the sun go down together,” he said. “We haven't done that in a while.”

Toni, staring out the window in front of her, forced a smile. “That would be nice.”

They sat in silence for several minutes, Brad still holding her hand as Toni prayed for a miracle that would settle the question of their future together, once and for all. Suddenly Brad lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. “Toni, look at me.”

The tone of his voice was distant and unfamiliar, as if it belonged to someone she didn't know. She turned her head. The shock of sandy blond hair fell across his forehead, giving him a vulnerable look that tore at her heart. How could she hurt him? How could she ever disappoint him and break their engagement? After all, she had promised….

“Sweetheart,” he said, “I've been doing a lot of thinking… and praying… about us. About our marriage, our future, our relationship. I…” His voice caught, and Toni saw a hint of tears in his hazel eyes. “It's taken me a long time, but I've finally realized that I've been trying to impose my will on you, and… even on God. I've been praying that he would change your heart, cause you to love me as you once did… or, at least, as I thought you did. But…” He dropped his head for a moment. When he looked back up, the tears were clinging
to his lashes. “I just haven't wanted to face the truth. I kept thinking that… if I just loved you enough, if I just prayed hard enough, and believed… then you would love me again, and things would be the way they used to be. We'd get married and everything would be wonderful, the way we'd always planned. But sitting here with you now, I realize that… things have changed. You've changed. Whether it has anything to do with Abe Matthews or not, I'm not sure, but…”

He paused as he choked on his words. Toni's heart raced and she wondered what he would say next. Never had she experienced such a roller coaster of emotions in such a short span of time. She found herself hoping that maybe, just maybe, Brad was going to do for her what she could not do for herself and spare her the agony of being the one to break their engagement. The next minute she felt devastated at the thought of truly letting go of Brad, of never having him in her life again. His presence had always been so steady, so safe and reassuring.

“I… can't marry you, Toni.” The tears were spilling over onto his cheeks. “I want to, more than anything in this world. But… it's not right. I know that now. Your heart is somewhere else, and I… have to let you go. It's the hardest thing I've ever done, but… I can't let you go through with this. I know you don't want to hurt me, but… that's not a good enough reason for us to get married.”

Still holding her left hand, he caressed the diamond on her ring finger. “Why don't you give this back to me? Let's make it a clean break. It'll be… easier that way.”

Toni felt her own tears coming then, and she didn't even try to hold them back. As she removed the ring from her finger and placed it in Brad's hand, she knew she was letting go of a huge piece of her life, and the pain was immense. But when Brad kissed her gently, for the last time, she felt, once again, the comforting presence of her heavenly Father, and she knew, whatever the future might hold, that Brad had made the right decision. She would always love him for that.

CHAPTER 14

I
t had been a beautiful drive up to the lake, with just a slight hint of approaching autumn in the air. The early morning sun was beginning to burn through the clouds, promising to warm the temperature quickly as the day progressed. They pulled into the dirt parking lot in front of the store, and Toni started to open the door, then looked over at April, who was sitting very still and staring straight ahead.

“April? Are you OK?”

Slowly, she turned her head and looked at Toni. “I'm… all right. It's just…”

“I know. It affected me the same way when Abe first brought me up here after… my dad…”

April nodded. “Of course. If anyone would understand, you would. Thank you… for bringing me here. It's something I need to do.”

“We really don't have to go into the store if you don't feel up to it. We can just go on over to the north shore.”

“No, I'm fine. I would like to get something to drink to take with us since we're not sure how long we'll be there. But… I do have one request.”

“Of course. What is it?”

“If we run into the owners or anyone else you know, would you mind not mentioning that I'm Julie's grandmother? I really don't feel up to talking to anyone about it, and I'm sure we wouldn't find out anything from anyone around here that the sheriff hasn't already discovered in his investigation, so there's really no point.”

“I agree. We won't say a word. We'll just get a couple of cold drinks, do our best to avoid getting hung up in a lengthy conversation with Maude or Simon, and get right out again.”

Once inside the store, the familiar smell of fresh popcorn tugged at Toni's heart. She could almost see her father standing at the counter, buying her a sack of it as she waited anxiously at his side, mouth watering. She didn't let herself dwell on the memory though. She and April went immediately to the back of the store, picked out their drinks, and headed for the front counter to pay for them. As the only other customer in the store pocketed his change and began to walk toward the door, Toni spotted both of the Olsons standing side by side behind the counter. Apparently she and April weren't going to be able to avoid at least a minimal conversation with them. It was Maude who caught sight of them first.