Chapter Twenty

Sam strode up the steps of Golden Ridge Courthouse. On a mission, he didn’t offer up a whole lot of greetings as he made his way to Judge Miguel Lopez’s office, nor did he pause at the secretary’s desk. She ran up behind him, protesting his entrance. He opened the door and found Miguel combing through a set of briefs.

“I’d like a word with you,” Sam said.

The judge took off his reading glasses and waved the woman away. “It’s okay, Claire. I’ve got this. Nice to see you, Sam. Is this a social call?”

“Hardly.” Sam pulled out a chair and sat down. “I want you to issue a warrant to arrest Bill Pendleton.”

Miguel’s brows shot skyward. “What for? Isn’t that a matter for the police?”

“They don’t think I have enough evidence to warrant an arrest.” Sam plunked his forearms on the desk.

The judge took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. “What’s this about?”

It took Sam less than ten minutes to spell out everything that had gone down at Grace House over the past few weeks. “I want the bum locked up so he can’t do any further harm. He’s a menace to society.”

Lopez started chuckling. “How Christian of you. Should we give him three meals a day or just bread and water?”

“I know we can’t prove it, but in my gut, I know it’s Pendleton. If we don’t do something fast, someone is going to get hurt at Grace House and I’d prefer it not be my son or anyone else’s child.”

The mirth left the judge’s face and he leaned over his desk. “Is it really that bad? Give me more proof.”

Sam rubbed his brow. “I don’t have any more. As I said, it’s not just Joshua I’m afraid for.”

For a few moments, Miguel just sat there like he was caught in a time warp. Then he shifted back in his chair. “Who else are we talking about?”

Sam dropped his hands to his knees and stared at his black Nikes, not sure he wanted to spill his guts about…everything. “Nobody should stay in that house with Pendleton sneaking around sabotaging things.”

“I see.”

The placating tone in Miguel’s voice grated on Sam’s nerves as if he thought Sam was over-reacting and jumping to conclusions. He glanced up at the judge. “No, I don’t think you do, because if you did you wouldn’t just be sitting there.” Sam popped out of the chair, walked over to a bookcase and gazed at the titles to settle his anger.

One grabbed his attention. How to Manage Your Life Even When the Waters are Deep. Sam let out a sarcastic laugh. “Beautiful. Just beautiful.” He tossed the book on the judge’s desk.

Miguel picked up the tome. “Looks like someone is trying to tell you something.” Sam leaned against the bookshelf and folded his arms over his chest. “Come on, picking up that book isn’t divine intervention; it’s just dumb luck.”

Miguel riffled a thumb through the pages. “You believe what you want to believe. But I think miracles happen all the time. You might be living in one right now.”

“Save me the sermon. I can get plenty of those from Pastor Martin.”

“All right.” Placing the book back on his desk, Miguel gave Sam a pointed look. “Let’s talk about what is really bothering you. You’ve been going to Grace House every day. So I’m sure your son and the ladies are well protected.”

“What makes you think I can keep them safe?”

A smile crept over Miguel’s lips. “You can. But if it makes you happy, Nicole can file for a restraining order if she has some proof.”

Sam pushed off the bookcase and went to the window. The cool breeze coming through the screen helped defuse the roiling calamity within him. The sound of laughter drew his gaze to a couple of kids playing in the park across the street, taking turns going down a curvy, yellow slide. They didn’t seem to have a care in the world. How he wished he could be like them. Carefree.

Free of worry.

Free of regret.

Free of guilt.

He took a deep breath and briefly closed his eyes. “That wouldn’t solve the problem. Besides, Pendleton is an attorney. He’d find some loophole.”

“No doubt,” Miguel shifted in his seat. “Let me ask you another question. Do you think Grace House is a safe place to have a preschool? Maybe Pendleton is right and the place should be closed.”

Sam spun around and glared at the judge. “It’s safe. It shouldn’t be closed. Nicole is doing a fantastic job with those kids. Most of the repairs are minor. And Nicole and I know Bill is doing this because he wants the property to go up for sale…”

Miguel lifted an eyebrow. “Sounds chummy. So has your opinion of Nicole changed?”

“You’re reading more into this. We’re just—”

“Go on. You’re what? Acquaintances? Friends? Maybe more?” Miguel’s eyes narrowed as if he were getting ready to listen to a confession.

Sam turned back to the window, unwilling to hold the judge’s penetrating gaze. “We have something in common—my son. That’s it.”

“She’s a fine woman.”

The quickness of his pulse all but infuriated Sam. “Not my type. Too controlling.”

The judge’s chair creaked behind him. “Did you ever think there might be a reason for that?”

Sam thought to give a quick jibe back, but then hesitated. When it came down to it, he knew nothing about Nicole except that she came to Golden Ridge a few years back and opened a women’s center and preschool. The only thing he did know was at one point in her life she had a mother who gave her a pink two-wheeler. That was it. She didn’t talk about her family, ever. But then neither did he, which didn’t mean a thing. Or did it?

After prayers the night before, Joshua had been thinking of the three of them as a family—and for a brief moment the idea had sounded pretty good to Sam, too. He rolled his tight shoulders. How had things here gotten so twisted and crazy?

He turned to face the judge and shrugged. “Unless you want to enlighten me, I think her past is none of my business. Besides, whatever made her that way isn’t going to change what’s happening with Pendleton.”

“You’re right. Nicole’s story is not mine to tell and as far as her problems with Pendleton, I can’t be much help there, either. Even though I may be the best judge in town, I’m not the only one.” Miguel grinned at his stale joke. “If Bill can make a case that the place is unsafe, there isn’t much any of us can do, except let the courts handle it.”

“The best judge? Good one.” Sam made for the door. “There’s one thing you can do for me.”

“What?”

“Call your brother and have him meet me at Grace House around noon if he can. He’s a basement specialist. If he says Grace House is safe enough to stay open—”

“Way ahead of you, my friend.” Miguel picked up the telephone. “Consider it done.” Sam was halfway through the door when he heard, “Give Nicole my best and I’ll keep all of you in my prayers.”

The door clicked shut behind him. Miguel would pray for all of them as if they were one big conflicted family. An idea that didn’t bother him as much as it should have.

Within the hour, Sam and Juan Lopez stood in the basement at Grace House examining the walls. “It is unfortunate the basement is not in good shape as the rest of the house, but I am not surprised. Many of the old homes around here have foundation problems.”

Sam sighed. Earlier that week he had spotted the deep dark crack that zigzagged down the back basement wall, but he didn’t tell Nicole because he hadn’t wanted to alarm her. Whoever tampered with the sump pump would have noticed the crack. He’d hoped Juan would assess the crack as just normal house settling. But he didn’t. The crack revealed a real problem with the foundation.

“Can it be fixed?” Sam asked.

Juan took out his pen flashlight and ran his fingers over the crack. Then he walked back and forth examining the rest of the wall. He angled his hand sideways where some of the mortar between the damp bricks had started to deteriorate, then took small metal tweezers out of his shirt pocket and picked at some of the gray cement. Soggy, fine particles crumbled to the floor.

“This is not good. Over the years the foundation in this area has weakened. This crack will only widen until the foundation breaks loose. I can fix this, but it will be expensive.”

The doubtful look in Juan’s face made Sam laugh. He’d paid for most of the minor repairs at Grace House; it only seemed right that he should pick up the tab for the bigger ones as well. “Don’t worry about the cost. I’ll pay for the repairs. But I want you to tell Nicole that you are doing them for nothing, out of the goodness of your heart.”

The look of doubt was replaced by pure anxiety. “Sam, I don’t mind taking your money, but taking credit for your good deed is not right.”

Sam put a reassuring hand on Juan’s shoulder. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but I’m pretty sure Nicole won’t take any more gifts from me. She may take this from you. I’m sure you can come up with a good reason that she doesn’t have to pay.”

Juan scrubbed a hand across his stubble chin. “Miss James has done much for my family, especially for my sister Maria.”

Sam remembered when she had left her abusive husband. Apparently she had gotten help from Nicole. “Well, then do we have a deal?”

It took a few seconds before the inspector shook Sam’s hand. “We have a deal.”

“Good. I’ll be in touch.”

“In touch about what?”

Nicole’s voice drew their attention. At first, Sam worried that she might have heard more than she should, but the wide, carefree smile Nicole wore gave no hint that she knew what they’d been talking about.

Immediately, Juan extended his hand. “Miss James, how nice to see you again.”

She grabbed the foundation expert’s hand with both of hers and held it for a few seconds before letting it go. “How’s your family?”

“Fine, Miss James. My sister, Maria wants you to know she is doing well. She just got a promotion over at the bank.”

“Wonderful, I knew she could do it!” Nicole turned to Sam. “Maria was at Grace House last summer. She is very good with numbers. It was easy to get her a job at a local financial institution.”

“She always was the bright one in the family.”

Nicole laughed. “Oh, I think you’re pretty smart too, after all you do own your own business and from what I hear it is very successful.”

Juan tilted his head. “You tease me.”

“Not at all, I trust you to give your honest opinion.” Nicole glanced around the damp basement. “So, what do you think? Will Grace House survive Mr. Pendleton’s inspection?”

His smile faltered and he glanced at Sam. “I have discussed a few things with Dr. Morgan.”

Her brow creased. “Is there something I should be concerned about?”

Juan’s gaze slid to Sam’s briefly again. “Yes. The missing float turned out to be a blessing. It alerted us to a more pressing problem. See this?” His fingers waved across the rusty streak that trailed over the bricks. “The wall is wet because water is seeping in here.” He pointed to a window well just above the moist marks. “When I went outside I noticed that a few slabs of the concrete patio are pitched toward the house. When there are heavy rains, water pours through the window. You need to mud jack some of those slabs so any moisture drains away from the house.”

She nodded slowly. “That shouldn’t be too bad. I know that the children will be a little upset they can’t play in the backyard for a while, but we’ll make do.”

“There is more.” Juan pointed to a visible crack snaking down the side of the wall.

As he explained the foundational problems, lines of worry etched her beautiful face. Sam found it hard to stand in the background when all he wanted to do was pull her into his arms and tell her everything would be okay.

Juan must have seen the horror in her eyes for he quickly added, “This is a common thing with homes as old as yours. No worries. I can fix this. I promise. I will do a good job.”

Sam noticed the color drain from Nicole’s face. No doubt she was calculating the cost of the repairs. Just when he thought he might have to catch her if she swooned, she straightened her back and looked Juan right in the eye.

“I’m sure you would do an outstanding job. Just how much will it cost to complete such a project?” she asked.

The trepidation Juan wore on his face earlier, faded away. “This will cost you nothing.”

Nicole shook her head and frowned. “No. What is your price for the repairs?”

Juan frowned and glanced at Sam one more time. “Nothing. Nor can I accept anything. My family debt must be paid for what you did for Maria. She is a new person because of you.”

Sam let out the breath he hadn’t even realized he was holding. Juan hadn’t lied, but he hadn’t exactly told the full truth either.

Understanding dawned on her face. “Juan, you are very generous, but I can’t let you do that. The work could take weeks and there are costs for materials and labor. Think of your family. They’re counting on you for your financial support.”

He threw his burly shoulders back and lifted his chin. “You said so yourself; I am a successful businessman. Besides I have other work and many employees to see to it. No one will starve if I do not take your money.”

“I can’t. It’s too much.” She glanced at Sam, hoping he would give her some support.

He cleared his throat. “Nicole, you don’t want to insult the man, do you?”

Her gaze shot to Juan then back to Sam. She put her fingers to her lips. “Juan, I—”

“This is the only way I can do this, Miss James. Otherwise you will have to get someone else to do the repairs.”

She started protesting, but then stopped. “All right, Juan. You have a deal. But I want you to know I’m the one who is eternally grateful for the sacrifice you are making here. Thank you so much.” She shook his hand. “I will never be able to make this up to you.”

Juan’s cheeks grew rosy as he glanced uncomfortably toward Sam. “Be assured, you already have.”

They walked up the cellar stairs and headed for the front of the house. Juan promised to have his full inspection report to them by the end of the week. Plans were made to start the work on the basement in the near future. Things seemed to be on the right track.

Three hours later, a loud banging replaced the dinging of the bell before Nicole could make it to the front door. When she opened the door, William Pendleton and a thin, pinch-faced man stood on the other side.