Cast into Doubt (25 page)

With a little hunting, Shelby was able to locate the accordion folder with this year’s credit card receipts and began to sort through them. They were not organized by month, so first she had to put them in order, and then examine each charge. And, she thought, she had to keep an eye on the clock. She didn’t want Nadia coming in here and finding her rifling through the bills instead of attending to her mother.

Slowly, she worked her way through the charges, marveling at Talia’s abstemious life. Amazingly, she did have charges for clothing, although, given the way she dressed, it never seemed that she wore anything new. She charged books and music, and sometimes groceries, but there were almost no restaurant charges. And no liquor bills. Talia could protest that she forgave her mother for her habit, but there was no doubt that she had avoided following a similar path.

There were many charges to charitable and political organizations that made Shelby stop and look again. Bud Ridley’s words came back to her. Hadn’t he been maundering on about good people who tried to help everyone? Was that how the rest of the world saw her sister, Shelby wondered?

She forced herself not to speculate any further about her sister’s expenses, and simply search for the charges to Sunset Cruises. She had gotten halfway through the month of March with no luck when she heard the front door open.

Nadia was back. Would she would head right back upstairs, or come through toward the kitchen to leave her pocketbook there? Shelby hesitated, trying to ready some excuse, and then wondering if she really had to justify her actions in her mother’s home to this young girl. She hesitated a moment too long.

Talia walked into the living room and stared at Shelby. Her eyes widened.

‘What do you think you’re doing?’ she said.

TWENTY-SIX

S
helby stared back. ‘I didn’t know . . .’

‘You’re going through my papers?’ Talia exclaimed.

Shelby licked her lips. ‘I didn’t expect you home,’ she said.

Talia put her hands on her hips. ‘Obviously,’ she said. ‘I decided to come home for lunch and check on Mother.’

‘Look, Talia—’

‘Don’t “look Talia” me. That is my private business. I can’t believe my eyes. Why are you going through my papers?’

Shelby was embarrassed to be caught. But she reminded herself that she was looking for proof of a crime. She had hoped to arm herself with black and white proof. But, now, looking at Talia, she felt a reckless sense of entitlement. She could not imagine why, or how it could be possible. But if it were, no amount of snooping she could do would ever compare to that sort of treachery. If Talia had done this, arranged for the murder of Shelby’s child, there was nothing left to care about between them. ‘I’m looking through your receipts,’ Shelby said boldly.

‘Looking for what? You’ve got a lot of nerve.’

‘Faith’s parents went on a cruise. I need to know who paid for it.’

Talia looked completely baffled. ‘Faith? My graduate assistant?’

Shelby nodded. ‘Her father claims that he won the cruise in a contest, but he didn’t.’

‘So?’ said Talia.

‘He’s lying about it. Somebody paid for it.’

‘What’s that got to do with you snooping through my papers?’

Shelby hesitated. ‘I wondered if you paid for it,’ said Shelby flatly.

Talia shook her head. ‘Have you lost your mind? Why in the world would I send Faith’s parents on a cruise?’

‘It was the cruise that Chloe was on,’ said Shelby.

Talia looked at her blankly. ‘So?’

‘You tell me,’ said Shelby stubbornly.

‘I’ll tell you this. I haven’t got that kind of money, and if I did, I certainly wouldn’t spend it on people I don’t even know.’

‘You have plenty of money,’ said Shelby.

‘And how do you know that?’ Talia demanded. ‘Oh, that’s right. You’ve been going through my bank records.’

‘Did you do it?’ Shelby asked.

‘Do what? I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

There was the sound of a key in the front door lock, and then the door opened, and Nadia came in, carrying a shopping bag and her umbrella. Talia turned and looked at her aghast. ‘Where were you?’ she demanded. ‘Who is with mother?’

Nadia looked furtively at Shelby. ‘Your sister. She said she would stay with mother.’

‘I pay you to stay with her,’ Talia cried. ‘How dare you just go off shopping and leave my mother alone?’

‘Your sister said—’

‘You don’t do what my sister says,’ Talia cried. ‘You do as I tell you.’

‘I told her to leave,’ Shelby interrupted. ‘I said I would be here until she got back.’

Talia turned on Shelby with fury in her eyes. ‘And this is how you stay with her? You leave her all alone and come down here to snoop through my accounts?’

Nadia stood in the foyer, uncertain about what to do next. All of a sudden there was the sound of a loud thud from the second floor, and then a weak, plaintive moan.

‘Mother,’ Talia cried. She turned away from Shelby and left the room, running up the stairs. Nadia followed dutifully behind her. As Shelby watched them go, she had a sudden revelation, both disheartening and, at the same time, comforting. Talia was not worried about what Shelby might find in her accounts. She had rushed off to her mother’s side without a backward glance. She was not worried, Shelby realized, because there was nothing to find. Shelby heard Talia descending the staircase. She came back into the living room, glaring at Shelby.

‘How is she?’ Shelby asked. ‘Is she all right?’

‘How do you live with yourself?’ said Talia through gritted teeth. ‘You don’t give a damn what happens to her.’

‘This is more important,’ said Shelby.

‘She’s your mother.’

‘I know that,’ said Shelby. ‘I do my share.’

‘The occasional check,’ Talia said bitterly. ‘I suppose you think you shouldn’t have to help pay for her care. Your own mother.’

‘My mother used to chase me with a hammer, crawling under tables and chairs to try to whack me. She humiliated me for sport. She was cruel. I lived in terror of what she was going to say or do next.’

‘It wasn’t that bad,’ Talia scoffed. ‘You always exaggerate.’

‘Don’t tell me what I remember. Don’t tell me what I should feel about her,’ Shelby insisted.

Talia sighed. ‘You never cared about her feelings. You walked away and never gave us a thought. Mother always said that about you. Shelby does exactly as she pleases and the hell with everybody else. But I never thought you would stoop to this. Is that what you’re really doing here? Trying to figure out how your pitiful contribution to her care has been spent?’

Shelby stared at her sister’s face which was devoid of any recognizable emotion. ‘This has nothing to do with Mother,’ she said. ‘I’m here because somebody paid for Bud Ridley to go on that cruise. I think somebody sent him there to throw my daughter overboard,’ she blurted out.

Talia looked stunned, and for a moment she did not speak. And then she shook her head. ‘And you think I did it?’

‘I was just . . . I didn’t know,’ said Shelby, but even as she spoke, she was wishing she had never started this conversation. For a moment she felt frightened of her sister. Frightened to see that same fury blooming in her sister’s eyes that she had so often seen in her mother’s.

‘So, wait a minute. That’s why you’re looking through my papers. To see if I paid for someone to take that cruise and kill your daughter?’

Shelby nodded. ‘Yes.’ Even as she uttered the word, Shelby realized that it was the worst accusation she could ever make. To level it at her sister was tantamount to breaking every tie between them that ever existed. There was no taking it back, no matter what. The word hung in the air between them.

‘Oh, for heaven’s sakes,’ said Talia.

Shelby stared at her.

‘Why would I do that?’ Talia demanded.

‘To get back at me,’ said Shelby. ‘For leaving you with all the responsibility for Mother. For not helping you.’

Talia sighed, and her shoulders heaved. ‘Look, Shelby, if you feel guilty, that’s your problem. Personally, I will never have to ask myself if I did enough for Mother, if I made her happy. It’s you two who will have to suffer. You and Glen. Just don’t come crying to me someday, saying that you’re sorry. If you’re sorry then, it will be too late.’

Shelby stared at her sister. It was as if her heinous accusation had not even penetrated. Talia was not offended. She did not understand that Shelby had suffered the most grievous loss in the world. She did not even grasp that Chloe was the most important thing in Shelby’s life. Shelby thought about that impersonal sympathy card which Talia had sent Faith to buy for her. Chloe’s death had not really registered with Talia. To Talia, only one person mattered. She was devoting her life to the person she loved most, and, if she felt chagrin, it was because her brother and sister didn’t see it her way. They were missing their chance.

‘I’m sorry,’ said Shelby, suddenly ashamed of the enormity of her mistake. ‘I shouldn’t have said that.’

‘Said what?’ Talia asked.

‘Well, I shouldn’t have come here and rifled through your papers. I shouldn’t have implied that you might have made a deal with Faith’s father.’

‘I don’t know Faith’s father,’ Talia complained. ‘Why in the world would I make a deal with him?’

‘You’re right,’ said Shelby. ‘It makes no sense.’ Once again, she felt as if the answer to her questions had slipped from her hands and evaporated into the air.

‘So if you’re not going to help, why don’t you just go?’

‘I guess I will,’ said Shelby. ‘I need to get Jeremy.’

Talia looked puzzled, as if she didn’t know whom Shelby was talking about. And then her gaze cleared and she looked bored. ‘Well, go ahead then,’ she said. ‘You’re no help to me here. As usual.’

TWENTY-SEVEN

T
he next morning, before dawn, someone pounding on the front door of Chloe’s house awakened Shelby. She rushed down the stairs, tying the knot on her robe, and opened the door.

A couple stood on the doorstep surrounded by suitcases. They were both tall and thin, with glasses and short gray hair. His was in a crew cut, and hers was in a little silver cap. They both wore baggy pants, soft shirts, and sneakers. ‘Shelby?’ said the woman.

‘You must be Vivian,’ said Shelby. ‘And Hugh. Come on in.’

The Kendricks, though missionaries by vocation, did not dress in clerical garb or brandish Bibles. They both had a relaxed, genial appearance. Vivian did not leave the heavy lifting for her husband. Together she and Hugh picked up their assorted bags and wedged themselves through the front door. Vivian set hers down in the hall with a sigh. ‘There we go.’ She looked at Shelby with concern. ‘This is a terrible way to finally meet, isn’t it?’

‘It’s a very tough time,’ Shelby admitted. ‘But I’m glad you’re here.’

‘How are you holding up, dear?’ Vivian asked kindly. ‘I’m so sorry about Chloe. Such a lovely girl.’

‘It’s been tough,’ said Shelby. ‘I’m lucky to have Jeremy. He keeps me so busy I . . . I don’t have much time to think about it.’

‘Still,’ said Vivian. ‘The Lord doesn’t give us a more difficult trial than that – the death of a child. I can’t tell you how my heart aches for you.’

Shelby thanked her.

‘I know this is an uncivilized time to be showing up at the door,’ said Hugh. ‘But we’ve been in transit for the better part of twenty-four hours.’

‘You must be exhausted,’ said Shelby.

They looked at one another and nodded. ‘We’re pretty tired,’ Hugh said.

‘You should lie down,’ Vivian said to her husband. She turned back to Shelby. ‘He’s had some problems with a heart arrhythmia. He needs rest.’

‘Well, you can go upstairs to Rob and Chloe’s room and stretch out on the bed.’

‘I think I’ll do that for a few minutes,’ said Hugh.

Vivian rubbed her husband’s shoulder tenderly. ‘That’s a good idea. Go and rest for a while.’

Once Hugh had climbed the stairs, Vivian settled herself on the living room sofa and sipped some tea that Shelby had brought her.

‘I’d love to hear about your life in Southeast Asia,’ said Shelby, trying to stifle an early morning yawn.

‘Oh, there’ll be time for that,’ said Vivian. ‘You and I need to get to know one another. After all, we have a grandchild in common. I’ll just be so glad to see Jeremy and Molly again. The last time I saw Jeremy he was an infant.’

‘They’ll be glad to see you, too,’ said Shelby.

‘Do you know when Rob can come home?’ Vivian asked.

‘The doctor said maybe today,’ said Shelby. ‘But he’s pretty beat up. He may not even be able to climb the stairs. I figure he can sleep in that recliner if it’s necessary.’

‘Do they know how it happened?’ Vivian asked, frowning.

‘Actually, they do,’ said Shelby. ‘Apparently he got into an argument with some kids when he was buying gas. They followed him and ran him off the road. Luckily, the police have them in custody.’

Vivian shook her head. ‘Oh my God, that’s awful. Poor Rob. All he’s been through. Losing Chloe, when he’d finally found happiness. And now this.’

Shelby felt the color rise to her cheeks. ‘They did seem happy together.’

‘Oh definitely,’ said Vivian. ‘Lianna was never the right woman for him. Just between you and me and the lamppost, the only reason he married her was because she got pregnant and he wasn’t about to walk out on his responsibilities. Not that he regretted it, mind you. He adored Molly from day one. But the marriage . . . let’s just say, it wasn’t the best of times for him. He didn’t complain, but I could tell. He would have stuck it out, of course, if she hadn’t left him. He’s honorable that way.’

Shelby certainly wasn’t going to be the one to break the news about Molly’s parentage. Rob could tell his parents about that. More than anything, she was stunned to hear Rob’s mother’s perspective on his marriage to Lianna. An unhappy alliance, that only occurred because Lianna told him she was carrying his baby? Chloe, Shelby thought sadly, had worried for nothing.