Chapter Seventeen

When Kate woke up the next morning, she stared in disbelief at a clock that said ten thirty. She scrambled out of bed, pulled on her bathrobe, and padded to the kitchen, where she found Paul talking on the telephone.

“Oh, I agree. Providential. Yes, I certainly will tell her as soon as she gets up.” He winked at Kate as she poured herself a cup of coffee from the brimming pot. “No. No problem. I’ll let her know.” He hung up the phone, put an arm around Kate, and kissed her. “Good morning, sleepyhead.”

She kissed him back. “Good morning. Almost afternoon. Why didn’t you wake me up earlier? Who was that on the phone?”

“You didn’t get in until two,” Paul replied. “Toast?”

Kate nodded.

“That was Dot Bagley.” Paul put two slices of whole-wheat bread in the toaster. “She was calling to make sure you were fine and to see if I could fill her in on all the news. She was the tenth call this morning.”

Kate looked at him wide-eyed over her coffee cup.

“The jungle drums are pounding all over town.” Paul leaned over and kissed the top of her head. “I’m just thankful you’re home safe.”

“But not alone,” Kate reminded him. “I had Joe and Matt with me.”

“And Renee,” Paul added.

“Yes, well, that wasn’t my idea.”

“I’m sure.” Paul put the toast on a plate and handed it to Kate. “Eat up,” he said as she started buttering. “You’re going to need your strength. I have a feeling that everyone in the Faith Freezer Program is either going to call or come by to hear the saga straight from the horse’s mouth.”

Kate groaned and took a big bite of toast. “I’ve got to get dressed,” she said swallowing. “Have you heard from Matt?”

Paul shook his head.

“How’s Amanda?”

“Just fine,” Paul said. “Sheriff Roberts filled her in last night.”

“How did she take it?” Kate asked, taking a large swallow of coffee.

“Quietly furious at Junius. And quietly proud of Joe being part of the posse.” He winked at Kate. “There might be a thaw coming.”

“Maybe.” Kate grinned. “I can’t believe I slept so late!”

“Finish your toast.”

“It’ll be lunchtime soon.” She looked at Paul. “How about if we go down to the Country Diner?”

He nodded. “Sure. I’ll buy you lunch.”

“It’s a deal.” Kate took a last sip of coffee and ran off to get showered and dressed.

THE COUNTRY DINER was packed. When Kate and Paul walked in, they were hit with a volley of questions.

“Did Junius really try to steal a car?” asked Martha Sinclair.

“Did he really try to make a run for it?” asked Morty Robertson.

“Did someone say something about a gun?” Gail Carson, the local Realtor, asked.

“I heard he had thousands of dollars on him, all stolen from the bank!” Roberta Grant exclaimed.

“He didn’t steal a thing from the bank,” Georgia Cline snapped. “He stole it from Ada Blount.”

“But that was ages ago. He’d have spent all that,” Martha objected.

“Jennifer McCarthy wants to do an interview with you,” Gail added, holding up her cell phone. “She’s on the phone now if you have time.”

Kate gasped, then she realized that the barrage of questions weren’t aimed at her but at Renee Lambert, who was sitting in state at the counter, Kisses in her arms.

“Maybe later, Gail,” Renee said. “But, of course, you know my Kisses was the hero of the day. He chased down that thief in the middle of the casino. You should have seen him, my brave Little Umpkins!”

Kisses sneezed.

LuAnne came up to Paul and Kate. “If you want a table, I think there’s a back booth available,” she said quietly.

Kate shrunk back. This wasn’t what she had in mind. “How long has Renee been here?” she asked.

“All morning. She’s in hog heaven.” LuAnne made a face. “How much of it’s true?”

“Junius is in jail,” Kate whispered back. “And she did Kisses on him.”

LuAnne sniffed. “Well, that’s something.” Her tone held a hint of hostility.

Some healing needs to take place here, Kate thought.

Paul looked at Kate and said, “LuAnne, I think we’re going to go somewhere quieter today.”

LuAnne nodded.

“Of course, I never trusted that man for a minute,” Renee said loudly as Paul and Kate crept back outside.

“Back home?” Kate asked.

Paul shook his head. “I know a quiet place where you can get a pretty good hamburger. Come on,” he said, opening the pickup door for her.

Paul drove to Barnhill Street and turned left. When they crossed the railroad tracks, Kate asked, “Where are we going?”

“The Dew Drop Inn.” Paul laughed as Kate raised an eyebrow. “Trust me. It’s not bad.”

There were only a couple of cars outside the old roadhouse, assuring Kate that it would be a quiet lunch.

She followed Paul inside and heard two men talking.

“Peyton Manning,” said one.

“Steve Young,” said the other.

When her eyes had adjusted to the dim light, she saw that Matt Lawson was talking with that huge man who ran the place, Bo Twist.

Matt shook his head. “Peyton Manning broke Steve Young’s passer rating.”

“That’s only single season, not career,” Bo replied.

“But,” Matt said, “Peyton Manning has the most touchdown passes, most career passes—”

“No, consecutive-season passes,” Bo interrupted.

“Let the games begin.” Paul grinned.

“Hey, Pastor!” Bo called. “Where’s the rest of the band?”

“Just me and the wife today,” Paul said. “We wanted a quiet lunch.”

“Well, you sure weren’t the only people with that idea. Matt here said the diner was a regular circus today.”

Matt shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

“How are you doing, Matt?” Paul asked.

Matt shrugged. “Okay.”

“Why don’t you folks sit with Matt, and I’ll get us all some lunch,” Bo said blandly.

“Do you mind?” Kate asked Matt.

“No,” Matt said, glancing briefly at Bo. “Please. Sit down.”

“What to drink?” Bo asked. “I’ve got coffee and some sweet tea on tap.”

“Tea,” Kate said as they sat down.

“Coffee,” said Paul.

“Be right back.” Bo lumbered off, the floorboards creaking under his feet.

“I didn’t know you two knew each other, Matt,” Paul said.

“Huh? Who?” Matt asked, looking at Kate, bewildered.

“Bo Twist,” Paul added.

“Oh. Yeah. We met at one of the high-school football games last fall. He likes football a lot, like me.”

Paul nodded.

“And I also help him with his investments.” Matt drank some coffee. “Yeah. He and I...we talk every once in a while.”

“That’s good, Matt. I’m glad to hear it,” Paul said.

Kate was amazed at the friendships that could spark between such different people.

“Here you go,” Bo said, coming back with their drinks. “Now me and Matt were gonna have hamburgers and fries. Sound good to you two?”

Paul and Kate both nodded.

“I’ll just slap a couple more burgers on the grill, then,” he said and went off again.

“You didn’t have to work today, Matt?” Paul asked, stirring a little packet of sugar into his coffee.

“When I got home last night, I called the bank and left a message on the answering machine that I would be in late today so I could sleep in.” He lowered his head. “I didn’t want to go straight in and face people.”

Bo returned with platters, three of them bearing a hamburger and a huge mound of french fries. The fourth, with two hamburgers on it and an even larger mound of fries, was his.

“Dig in, folks. Oh, and if you’d like to say grace”—Bo looked straight at Paul—“go right ahead. I won’t mind.”

Paul suppressed a smile and said a blessing, then everyone began eating. The hamburgers were delicious, juicy but not greasy, and the fries were perfect.

“I’m glad you’uns came on out here,” Bo said, picking up the last hamburger on his plate. “I know this boy here’s been going through a lot, what with watchin’ his daddy being arrested and all.”

Kate almost gasped at the casual way he said it.

Matt hung his head. “And now it’s all over town,” he said.

“I know,” Bo said, “but you’re worryin’ way too much.” Then he turned to Paul and Kate. “He’s got some cockamamy idea that this is gonna reflect on him in a bad way. I figure maybe you can talk some sense into him.”

Matt looked around, his eyes like a puppy’s again. “I like my job. I like Copper Mill. It’s quiet. And there aren’t too many people. I don’t want to have to leave.”

“You don’t have to go anywhere,” Kate exclaimed.

“It’s not you that’s in trouble,” Paul pointed out. “It’s your father.”

“But people will blame me,” Matt said. “They’ll think I’m just like him.”

Kate took a deep breath and said, “Matt, that’s one thing you don’t have to worry about. Nobody is going to blame you.”

Matt thought for a moment, then asked, “Do you really think I can stay here?”

“Of course you can,” Paul assured him. “What your father did isn’t your fault.”

“That’s not what he says,” Matt replied.

“What do you mean?” Paul asked.

“Well, the truth is, I’m...different,” Matt said slowly. “I always have been. I knew that back when I first went to school. I didn’t fit in. And I know that people get angry with me, and frustrated, because I don’t do or say what they expect.”

“That must be hard,” Kate said, biting off the end of a french fry.

Matt was quiet for a moment, then continued, “Mom didn’t mind that I’m different. But it drove Dad crazy. It still does. He says that if I wasn’t so different, we could hang around together. But we can’t, and that’s why he has to find his fun elsewhere. And sometimes he gets in trouble.”

“That’s...that’s nonsense,” Kate said, anger surging through her.

“That’s just an excuse your father is using to cover up his own behavior,” Paul added. “It has nothing to do with you at all. If it wasn’t you, he’d find somebody or something else to blame.”

“Really?”

“Really,” Paul assured him. “People do it all the time. Proverbs 19:3 says, ‘A man’s own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the Lord.’”

“I knew he’d quote somethin’ from the Bible,” Bo said casually, finishing the last of his french fries.

“And if they don’t blame God, they blame their jobs or their parents or their children,” Paul continued. “But those are just excuses. Your father stole and lied and cheated and gambled, and none of it has anything to do with you.”

“But Dad—” Matt began, but Bo interrupted him.

“Matt, would you believe what your father says about his finances?”

“No. He always lies about money.”

“Then why in tarnation do you believe what he says about you?” Bo asked.

Kate felt like cheering.

Matt was quiet for a moment. “I never thought of it like that,” he said.

“Well, if I was you, I’d start thinkin’ about it now,” Bo said.

“Good advice!” Paul glanced at his watch. “Well, we’d better get going. And any time you want to talk, Matt, just call me.”

Matt nodded. “I will. Thank you.”

“How much for the burgers?” Paul asked, getting up and reaching for his wallet.

Bo looked up at him and shook his head. “Don’t you dare bring out a penny. This one is on the house.”

“Thanks,” Paul said.

Bo turned toward Matt and said, “Now, I still say that career passes trumps consecutive...”

JOE ANSWERED THE DOOR at Amanda’s house, and Kate smiled with delight to see him there.

“Kate! Come on in,” he said, gesturing for her to enter.

“Kate!” Amanda cried.

She started to rise, but Kate protested, “Don’t you dare get up. I just wanted to see how you’re doing.”

“Just fine, now that she knows we didn’t rob her blind,” Joe said.

“Sit down, Kate,” Amanda said. “Joe, would you mind putting the kettle on and making us all some tea? We never did have our tea last night.”

“No, we didn’t,” Kate said. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m not,” Amanda replied. “I’m glad you found out the truth about Junius, and that you got him. The nerve of that man! And that reminds me,” she added. “I was told all about the scarf, and it’s sitting on my bureau. Please take it back. If I had only known...Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Well, to be honest, you had just had a heart attack,” Kate said.

Amanda chuckled. “I suppose that isn’t the ideal time to tell someone that her suitor’s a crook.” She patted Kate’s hand. “I understand.”

“Here’s tea!” Joe said, bringing in a tray loaded with teapot, cups, creamer, and sugar bowl. “Needs to steep a minute, but we can wait.”

“Well, good,” Amanda said. “Sit yourself down, Joe, and don’t loom over people.”

Kate stifled a smile, looking at Joe’s slight figure.

“So, Junius took Ada Blount’s money,” Amanda said calmly. “I heard this morning that Mabel Trout’s silver creamer was found in a box marked quilt scraps, and no one has any idea how it got there, least of all Mabel.”

Kate nodded. “Mindy’s necklace was found in Junius’ apartment. And this morning Renee told Betty that her ring has been turned in as evidence. As far as Ada’s rhinestone brooch, well, I have a feeling that’s going to be turned in as evidence as well.”

“Oh good,” Amanda said, smiling.

“If you don’t mind my asking, did Junius ever ask you for any investment funds?”

“No,” Amanda replied, “but I’m sure he was working up to it. Although he’d have had a sore disappointment in me. I’ve had experience with bad eggs.”

There was a sudden, heavy silence.

“I’ve changed,” Joe said softly.

“Yes, I know you have,” Amanda said apologetically. “I was talking about my brother, Bob.” She sighed deeply. “Truth is, compared to him, you were an angel. Yes, you cleaned his pockets of money that wasn’t his. But Bob was the one sitting there with a wallet full of payroll money. Did you ever wonder what he was doing with it?”

“No,” Joe said. “I never thought about it.”

“I did,” Amanda said. “And I asked him about it. You should have seen his face! And the spluttering he did...That’s when I knew what he really was. He’d taken that money specifically to gamble with, and if you hadn’t shown up, he’d have gambled it with somebody else. No, you might have tempted him, but he fell all on his own.”

Amanda looked down at her hands. “It took me a long time to realize that. I blamed everybody in the world for Bob’s faults, when he was the one who committed them. But then, he was my childhood hero.”

“I’m sorry,” Joe said.

Amanda nodded and turned to Kate. “Kate, would you mind getting the graham crackers out of the kitchen cabinet?”

“Of course,” Kate said, fetching them and putting some on a small plate.

“I always like a graham cracker with my afternoon tea,” Amanda said when Kate returned with the plate. She picked up a cracker, snapped it in quarters, and dipped one quarter in her tea.

She glanced at Joe every once in a while in a way that made Kate apprehensive.

“The money you sent,” Amanda said suddenly. “To repay Bob? He pocketed it. He’d already repaid the bank with the money out of my college fund.”

“No!” Joe cried. “And you never got to college?”

“I did indeed go to college,” Amanda said, wiping her fingers on her napkin. “I didn’t graduate, but that’s because I got married. The only difference is, I worked my way through instead of having it all paid for. But I think it was good for me. I got to know what it was like to live on a paycheck.” She smiled ruefully. “That’s something I didn’t know back when you and I were seeing each other.”

“But Bob took your money and never paid you back?” Joe asked.

Amanda nodded. “He told the bank he’d lost the wallet somewhere. And then, once he’d gotten my college money—”

“How did he do that?” Joe interrupted.

“We-ell,” Amanda said reluctantly. “Bob was executor of Daddy’s will, not to mention chief beneficiary, so he could actually do anything he wanted with the money. But that money was earmarked for me, and he did do me the honor of asking me to help him out first. And I agreed. Partly because I was so angry with you.”

Joe winced.

“So he got the money and went trotting back to the bank and told them he’d found the wallet. I’m still surprised they believed him, but I think we were more naive in those days, don’t you? I certainly was. Or perhaps the bank just didn’t want the scandal. I certainly didn’t want that either.”

“But why didn’t he pay you back?” Joe persisted.

“Because he didn’t have to,” Amanda said. “I’m his sister. Besides, I didn’t even know about the money you’d sent him until long after Walter and I were married. Mama told me when I came home to take care of her when she was dying.”

Amanda was silent for a moment, then she sighed. “I kept waiting for him to come back, but he never did. And to be taken in by Junius after all that...”

“Amanda, it’s perfectly understandable,” Joe said.

“I was flattered, and I enjoyed it,” Amanda replied. “He flirted with me, gave me compliments and presents. Stolen ones, but presents. The truth is, it was my pride that was involved, not my heart. It may be silly, but being a woman stays with you well into old age. And sometimes you want to feel attractive, even when you’re wrinkled and gray and arthritic.”

“Don’t say that,” Joe said. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known. You always have been, and you always will be.”

“Joe!” Amanda protested.

“It’s true. You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved. Don’t you know that? I love you. I’ll always love you.”

They reached out for each other, touched, and held hands. Kate could almost see time peeling away from them. Quietly she got up, picked up her purse, and went to the door. She paused at the door and looked back at them. They were sitting together, hands entwined, looking deeply into each other’s eyes.

Thank God that old wounds can be healed by love. She softly closed the door behind her and headed home.