Chapter 15

Watching the dust from Randy’s motorcycle drift toward the barn, Hailey slipped the letter into the back pocket of her jeans without reading it. As the roar of the motor dimmed, T.J. walked out of the house, suspicion etched on his face.

“What did he want?”

“Just to say good-bye. He was visiting a friend in Chicago. He’s on his way back to Nebraska.”

T.J. turned away, but not quickly enough to hide a soundless “Good!”

Not until she reached her room and shut the door behind her did she pull the letter out of her pocket and read it slowly. He said he had written it in case he hadn’t found her home, but from the look in his eyes, Hailey knew he hadn’t trusted himself with words.

When she went downstairs several minutes later, a bittersweet sadness was inside her that she pushed away with sheer determination. As she tackled the breakfast dishes, she glanced at the Saturday chore list Karlee had left for T.J. and Shelly, and she felt a surprising eagerness to get on with the day.

“Okay, you guys, front and center this minute! There’s a barn to clean, a cat and a dog and a horse and a guinea pig to feed, beds to be made, clothes to be washed. . .” She watched their faces fall. “And a picnic at the park when we’re all done!”

“Aw-right! I’ll take care of Blacky; Shel has to do the inside stuff!”

Hailey opened her mouth with a comeback when the phone rang. As she picked up the phone, she winked at Shelly and said, “Feed Penny and Mrs. Patches, and we’ll take care of him later!”

The sound of Cody’s voice brought a strange warmth to her chest. “Hi! Hear anything from the honeymooners yet?” he asked.

“Karlee’s called three times already. I don’t think she trusts me! Life on the Riviera is just ‘divine,’ she says.”

“Ta-ta! So how are things in the aunt business?” he asked.

“Interesting. I was just about to give a lecture on the evils of gender-role stereotyping!”

“Aren’t they a bit young for that kind of brainwashing?”

“Rrr! Men! You’re going to make some little woman very happy someday.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Nothin’ like comin’ home after a hard day at the office to find the wife in a purty little apron. I can just smell that homemade pie, fresh from the oven. . . .”

Hailey glanced down at Penny’s food dish and the charred waffle that had gotten stuck in the toaster. Even the dog wouldn’t touch it. “Well, you’d better keep shopping around, mister.”

“Hey, you made a pretty tolerable blueberry pie.”

Hailey laughed, remembering the wads of failed piecrust that had found their way into the garbage. “Believe me, that was a fluke.”

“Well, I don’t believe that for a minute, but I just happen to have an offer that will get you out of the kitchen.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, ma’am. How would you like to spend a few days in the Montana mountains? Just imagine yourself hiking along the lush green trails, drinking from a crystal clear mountain stream, going horseback riding, tubing down the rapids, where bighorn sheep are as common as rabbits, and the black bears eat out of your hand. . . .”

“Save your breath for the courtroom. What’s the deal?”

“I got a call last night from the private investigator who had been talking to Halona, the woman who runs the art shop. Some guy brought in a couple of paintings yesterday morning that he said he’d been given years ago by a local artist and wondered if she would be interested in selling them for him.

“She recognized my mother’s signature from our description, so she agreed to take it. She got his name and a post office box. Then about two hours later another guy came in and started asking questions about the first guy, and about my mother. She tried to act like she didn’t know what he was talking about, and the guy got mad and stomped out. What do you make of that, mystery buff?”

Hailey felt a rush of adrenaline as she thought over the possibilities. “Did he describe the men?”

“No.”

“And you didn’t ask? How old they were or what they looked like?”

“Not much of a lawyer, am I?”

“I guess not! Okay, here’s my theory—these two guys were accomplices in the robbery and they hid the stuff; maybe they found out none of it was worth all that much at the time. Who knows what their motive was in the first place. Anyway, now one of them figured out he could make big bucks off the stuff, and so he moves it where the other guy can’t trace him, New Mexico or somewhere, and the other guy finds out his buddy is making thousands of dollars and he’s out to find him!”

“Not bad. That’s almost exactly the same scenario the sheriff came up with.”

“What? You let me go through all that, and you’ve already got it figured out?”

“Just testing. I had to make sure you really knew your stuff before I asked you to go out there with me.”

“You’re serious!”

“I’m always serious. Dad and I decided this would be a perfect time to go out for a few days. He’s cut his patient load down to about a fourth, and with the center opening later than expected, it won’t be hard for him to get away. And I got to thinking that a change of scenery would do you some good, too. Plus, of course, your expertise in mystery solving. If we time it right, we might just be there when the case cracks. How ’bout it? Dad bought two tickets, but one more reservation is just a phone call away. David and Karlee get home tomorrow, and we’ll leave on Monday.”

“I don’t know. Wouldn’t Paige be the logical one to take along? If they catch these guys and find the paintings, she’d be a big help.”

There was a long pause from Cody’s end. Finally, he said quietly, “I don’t want Paige. I want you.”

❧

Hailey’s unplanned Sunday afternoon nap ended abruptly with a nudge from T.J. She was startled to find that she had fallen asleep at the kitchen table. Visions of Montana had kept her awake most of the night.

T.J. was holding the cordless phone out to her. “Mom’s on the phone.”

“What?” she asked, still dazed. “I didn’t hear the phone.”

Trying not to sound like she’d been sleeping on the job, Hailey answered. “Hi, Kar.”

“Hi! Listen, I’m going to keep this short, ’cause if I start talking now, I won’t quit. We just got home, and David’s on his way to pick up you and the kids and the cat and dog—Paige and I are fixing dinner for all of us, and then the two of you can ride home together. Okay? Say yes; I can’t wait to talk to you!”

Hailey laughed. “I guess I have no choice!”

T.J. and Shelly were already hauling bags and boxes out to the porch, and Shelly was chattering nonstop. They flew out to meet David’s car while Hailey ran to comb her hair and touch up her makeup. She came down the stairs at the same time David walked into the kitchen. He greeted her with a hug, then held her at arm’s length, looking at her questioningly. “Are you okay? T.J said Randy was here. What did he want?”

Hailey tried a smile that she knew wasn’t convincing. “Oh, he was just passing through.”

David’s silver-streaked blue eyes stared intently at her. “Nobody just passes through Milbrooke, Wisconsin, Hailey. What did he want? Was he looking for Karlee?”

She fought the tears and hoped the kids would come in and interrupt them, but there was nothing but silence and David’s piercing blue eyes. She shook her head. “He came. . .to apologize. . .to me.” The tears streaked her cheeks, and David’s strong hands eased her into a chair. He waited for her to go on.

Hailey stared down at her hands, feeling them once again in Cody’s firm grasp. She remembered his prayer for this moment and felt the tension in her shoulders weaken. Her eyes brimmed with tears, but there were no sobs. “A year and a half ago. . .I had. . .an abortion. It was Randy’s baby. He didn’t know until last November. . .when he was here.”

There was no response from David, and she was afraid to look up at him. “This must seem so awful. . .to you.”

His voice was soft when he finally spoke. “It is awful, Hailey. It’s awful that the option of abortion even exists in a civilized country; it’s awful that you didn’t know the Lord at that time and that you weren’t surrounded by His people.”

David put his hand under her chin and lifted it gently until her eyes met his. “Jesus paid for this already, Hailey. He took the lashes and the nails so that you wouldn’t have to. Your job is repentance, not punishment. He can’t heal your wounds until you put the whip away.”

Hailey nodded, and David pulled his hand away and leaned closer. “Karlee said you’d memorized Isaiah 61:3. Think about it: ‘beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.’ Those are powerful promises.”

She took a tight breath. “I know. I guess. . .I can see how God would promise to comfort you and Karlee, but. . .I caused this. My selfishness took my child’s life!”

“If it weren’t for human selfishness, Jesus wouldn’t have had to give His life. He wouldn’t have had to come here at all! Isn’t that the root of all sin? And isn’t that what grace is all about—undeserved forgiveness for our selfish acts?”

“I guess. . .”

“When we first found out that Shawna was pregnant, my mother suggested that she come home and live with her and my dad until after the baby was born. She could have gotten the proper nutrition and medical care, and she wouldn’t have been exposed to diseases that she had no natural immunity to, but I couldn’t imagine staying in Senegal without her. I never even asked her what she wanted to do, never took the time to think about what was best for her and the baby. Don’t you think I beat myself up with that after she died? But I finally had to let it go. I had to get out of the way so that God could use me again, and that’s exactly what you have to do. Not only can He heal you, Hailey; He can use you;.He can use your mistakes.

“The Sparrow Center wouldn’t be opening in two weeks—it wouldn’t even exist—if it weren’t for my son’s death. God gave me a compassion I could never have gained in any other way.”

He was silent for a minute. “This is why you don’t want the position Robert offered you,” he said.

“Yes. But I guess I have some rethinking to do.”

“It’ll be easier once they know. Have you had anyone to talk to?”

“Just Cody.”

“Just Cody?” He winked at her and grinned. “They don’t make ’em any better than Cody, sis.”

The porch door slammed, and they heard the children’s voices.

David stood and held out his hand. Pulling her to her feet, he wrapped her in a bear hug. As she put her arms around him, she remembered her wistful comment to Karlee as they had looked at slides. “I want a David,” she had said. She smiled against her brother-in-law’s chest. You’re right, she thought, they don’t make them any better than you and Cody.

Pulling away as the kitchen door flew open, she smiled up at him. “Thank you, David.”

Later that night, the second in a row without sleep, she got up and reread the letter from Randy:

Dear Hailey,

Thank you for taking the time to talk to me. I’ll always regret what I did to you. It’s hard to believe that you don’t hate me for it. This whole thing about forgiveness is so strange.

Remember what I said about God cornering me? I now believe what you said—there is no such thing as coincidence. The guy I went to see in Chicago has a sister who’s a Christian. We stayed up and talked all night. She read Romans 8:28. I hope something good comes out of this for you, Hailey. I still have some questions, but I’m beginning to see that I can’t keep running.

Give my love to Karlee. Tell her I wish her the best.

Love,

Randy

Hailey folded the paper, wiped her face on her sleeve, and walked to the bookshelf. Gently, almost reverently, she picked up the silver music box and wound it. As the delicate chimes filled the room, her tears fell again, and she prayed silently. Dear God, take care of my baby. I give him to You. I’m so sorry for what I’ve done, Lord, but so grateful for what You have done. I still can’t understand that kind of love. Help Randy to stop running; help him to believe. And thank You, Lord, for Cody and David and Karlee and Paige, for their understanding. I love You, Lord.

She folded the letter into a smaller square and placed it inside the box. As she set it back on the shelf, she had a sudden certainty that didn’t come in an audible voice but was just as real: She would wind the box again someday, for another child.