27

 

Nick gaped in disbelief, his feet rooted to the cement. The wind picked up, blowing some discarded candy wrappers and leaves along the sidewalk. The remaining foul stench of the bus fumes filled his nostrils. This had to be one of Mike’s practical jokes. What other explanation could there be?

But when Mike took out a pair of handcuffs and clipped them on Lily’s wrist, reality exploded like a starburst in Nick’s brain, propelling him forward. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Mike shook his head. “I’m sorry, pal. Lily’s father is pressing charges.”

“What sort of charges?” Nick struggled to wrap his mind around what was happening.

“Breaking and entering. And theft under a thousand dollars.”

Theft? Nick shifted his focus to Lily. She held her pale face averted, her eyes cast down at the sidewalk. Why wasn’t she saying anything to defend herself?

The man Nick assumed to be her father stepped out of the cruiser and came forward. He wore his untidy gray hair swept over a thinning hairline. Small, beady eyes sunk into a wrinkled face. A sharp nose and thin lips reminded Nick of a rat.

“Took me a while to track you down,” the man said, glaring at Lily, “but you’re finally going to pay for your sins.” He fingered his clerical collar as though it were a badge of honor.

The shame fled from Lily’s demeanor. Her head snapped up and anger sparked from her eyes. “You owe me a lot more than a few hundred dollars.” Lily spat the words at him.

The effect hit Nick like a blow to the solar plexus. Had she really stolen that money from her father?

He’d just thrown his career away for this woman.

While he grappled with the revelation, Mike placed Lily in the backseat of the police car. Lily’s father climbed into the passenger seat. A group of curious onlookers had begun to gather at the curb beside the cruiser, their murmurs buzzing like busy insects around him.

Mike walked back to where Nick stood on the sidewalk and leaned his head toward him. “I’m taking her down to the station until we can sort this mess out,” he said quietly. “Why don’t you take your aunt home and meet us down there.”

Unable to find his voice, Nick could only nod.

Lord, what sort of test are You putting me through now?

As he watched Mike drive away, Nick’s mind swirled like the tumultuous clouds in the gloomy sky overhead. How had Lily’s father ended up here in Rainbow Falls right when, according to Maxi, Lily was supposed to be going home to see him?

And this arrest? The charges had to be false, fabricated by an embittered father.

“What are you going to do about this?” Maxi appeared on the sidewalk beside him, flags of red staining her cheeks.

Nick offered up a quick prayer for patience. “As soon as I drive Aunt Sonia home, I’ll head over to the station.”

“I can’t believe this. That man must be lying.”

“It won’t do any good to speculate. Just wait until I go down there and get the facts.”

Maxi tapped a foot on the sidewalk. The wind tousled her spiky hair. “I don’t understand anything going on here lately.”

“That makes two of us.”

She thrust her hands on her hips. “I’m coming with you to the station.”

Nick drew in a deep breath and kept his voice low to avoid the attention of the now dispersing group of onlookers. “Not a good idea. Too many people will only complicate the situation.”

He thought Maxi would argue with him, but her slim frame slumped, as if the fight had drained out of her, and a sheen of tears moistened her eyes. Weariness trickled through his veins. He placed a comforting arm around her shoulders. “Would you do me a favor and take Aunt Sonia home? Then I can head over there right away.”

Maxi glared at him with suspicion, but at least the tears disappeared. “Fine. But call me the minute you know anything.”

“I will.”

Ten minutes later, Nick pushed through the door of the police station. Instead of the chaos he expected, an eerie quiet filled the building. The ever-present smell of stale cigarette smoke hung in the air. He scanned the main room, noting the empty reception desk. Where was everyone?

Without knocking, he strode into the chief’s office and found Mike hunched over a stack of paperwork. Nick’s presence cast a shadow on the desk. “Tell me this is a bad joke, Mike.”

His friend looked up, an expression of guilt and sorrow shadowing his eyes. “I’m sorry, pal. I wish it were a joke. I’ve had my suspicions all along something wasn’t right, but I never expected this.”

Nick clenched his back molars together. “How did all this happen?”

Mike’s gaze slid away to the desktop. “I found Lily’s father, a minister up in Fielding, and realized she’d been using a different last name. Probably because there was a warrant out under her real name.”

Nick scrubbed a hand over his face, as though he could wipe away the confusion clouding his brain. “I don’t understand. Why were you looking for her father?”

“Just following my gut. Something about her didn’t add up. Next thing I know, Reverend Cunningham arrived here declaring that an arrest warrant had been issued and demanding I arrest his daughter.” Mike shrugged one shoulder. “I had no choice.”

Nick paced to the other side of the office and back. For the moment, he pushed aside the churning resentment. He’d deal with Mike later. Right now, only Lily could give him the answers he needed. He stopped in front of the desk. “I have to see her, Mike.”

The officer shook his head. “Sorry, pal. I have to transfer her to the Bismarck station. The car will be here any minute.”

The last thread of Nick’s patience snapped. He pounded his fist on Mike’s desk and pinned him with a furious stare. “As your friend, I’m asking you to cut me a break. I think you owe me that much.” He clamped his mouth shut to avoid saying something he’d regret. Like how friends didn’t betray friends.

Mike closed his eyes, lines of weariness etching his skin. He looked as miserable as Nick felt. “Three minutes. That’s it.”

Relief eased the pressure off Nick’s chest, and he let out a huge breath. “Thank you.”

He followed Mike into the outer office, which remained empty. The bitter scent of burned coffee assaulted him. “Where’s her father?”

“I sent him home. He’d only make matters worse.”

Nick unclenched his fists. “Good. I won’t be tempted to throttle him.”

Mike stopped and shook his head. “You’re so convinced she’s innocent, you’re not even willing to hear his side of the story?”

Nick shoved his hands in his pockets and ignored the question. “Can I see her now?”

Mike sighed, then continued on to the small, enclosed room and took out a key. “Wait here.” He entered, but emerged a minute later, a defeated expression on his face. “Sorry, pal. She doesn’t want to see you.”

The words hit him like a punch to the gut. He’d pictured Lily, scared and anxious, waiting for him to come to her…To do what? Rescue her? Comfort her? Now she wouldn’t even talk to him. Nick’s anger bubbled to the surface. He pushed past Mike through the still open door. “Lily, I need to—”

What he saw halted him in his tracks. His heart constricted, creating a slow ache that radiated outward from his chest. Lily lay curled in a ball on the stark metal cot against the wall, her hair in disarray, her back to the door. “Go away.”

The terse words shook him. “Lily, please. Talk to me.”

She turned over to pierce him with an angry stare. “If you’re here to find out whether I’m guilty or not, the answer is yes. I took the money. So you might as well leave.” She flipped back to face the wall.

It couldn’t be. There had to be some other explanation. “Why?” he whispered.

“Does it matter? Just go, Nick. I told you I’d ruin your life.”

The disgust in her tone tore through him like the slash of a knife. He stood still for a moment, trying to absorb the pain. Who was this harsh woman? What had become of the laughing, tender Lily he’d come to love? She was in there somewhere. He was sure.

He had to try one more time to get through to her. “There’s no crime so terrible that God won’t forgive. That I won’t forgive. We can sort this out together—if you’ll just talk to me.”

Her back muscles visibly stiffened. “Leave. Me. Alone.”

The loathing in her voice sapped the last of his strength from him, rooting him to the spot, in a nightmare he couldn’t wake up from.

“Let’s go, Nick.” Mike’s firm hand on his shoulder broke Nick from his immobility.

He stumbled backward, made an abrupt turn, and strode straight out through the station, not stopping until he reached the street. The first drops of rain hit his face as he jumped into his truck and laid his forehead on the steering wheel. Harsh gasps wheezed from his lungs.

Why had Lily kept this secret? He thought they’d moved past the stage of distrust to something deeper. Thought his love would be enough to conquer her inner demons.

He pounded his fist on the dashboard until pain shot up his arm. This would not be the end of their story. No matter what it took, he’d get to the bottom of this mess and figure out a solution. He sagged back in his seat and closed his eyes to pray.

Lord, I need your help. Send your healing grace to all of us involved in this unfortunate situation. Show us a way out of this abyss we’ve fallen into. If there is any way out…

With God all things are possible. His favorite verse from Matthew crept into his mind. As he recited the rest of the passage, a calming sense of peace invaded his muscles. He was not alone. God would be with him through this whole ordeal.

He had no idea how long he’d been sitting there when the door to the police station opened and Mike led Lily out in handcuffs. Nick straightened in his seat, noticing through the rain-splattered window the Bismarck police car now parked in front. For one brief moment, Lily glanced his way, their eyes locking. The stark sorrow on her face mirrored his own misery.

She ducked her head when Mike handed her into the waiting car. As Nick leapt out of his truck, the sky opened up. A solid sheet of rain pelted him, soaking him to the skin within seconds. Alone in the middle of the road, he watched the squad car pull away, taking the woman he loved off to jail.