Finding Madelyn (18 page)

If Will was lying, Fredric would have to spill it.
T
he t
ruth and perhaps some blood too.
That would be worth the other hand hurting as much.

Not a person spoke to him as he walked out the door. An advantage of being a Langley, even if that name was going to hell today.

I
t
wouldn’t be him or Harland that made his Mama flip in her grave. If she hadn’t already.
Just the secrets that she kept when she was put there might have caused it.

Sheriff Jenkins grabbed his shoulder as he reached Harland’s sedan. It took a second to pull back his fist, just in time.

“I hope your father’s confrontation goes better.”
The sheriff handed him a roll of gauze.

Galen nodded, running his tongue over his teeth. “I need to know if…you find her.”

“I’ve got three deputies taking
him
out back.
Hard to believe he’s been living with her here in his own backyard.
”

Galen didn’t want to discuss
it, didn’t even want to think about it
. He got in the car without comment, growing more angry by the second. At least it was a few miles back home to get that under control.

In the driveway, he wrapped his hand with the gauze and let Madelyn’s image roll around his mind. Anything and everything he could think with her smiling…laughing.
The same thoughts he’d used the last three years, with a few new ones tossed in.

Two of the sheriff’s men parked on the other side of the street just out of view of the house, and he got out of the car.

The garage caught his eye but he would have to ignore it…for now.
The important thing was, Fredric’s car sat inside.
He opened the front door and still no one was there to greet him. Tess worked less. Mama was long gone.

Fredric sat behind his desk, looking somewhat stunned as Galen went for the shelf of decanters. He poured a glass of the sweet bourbon. “Want a drink
,
Dad
?”

Fredric stood up, “Where the hell have you been?”

“East.” Galen smiled.

“Maine
?
” Fredric raised his voice.

Galen handed over a well poured tumbler, something he’d learned from his mother in those last few years.

Fredric stared at the bandaged hand, blood seeping through where his knuckles were busted. “Have you been boxing?”

“Something like that.”
The
other person just didn’t get a p
unch in.

Fredric’s voice calmed even more as he took his seat again. “You know I’ve been looking the better part of three years for that girl. You’ve been home a few months and already found her.”

Galen nodded, thankful his father wasn’t a fool.

“You know,”
Fredric
continued, “no one expected you to come home. And when you finally do, you mess up thirty years of…”

Galen caught the hint of laughter.

“I’m guessing you’ve talked to Will.” Fredric said at length
with a slow drink
.

He flexed the fingers of his hand, the pain had lessened.

The phone rang. Casually, Fredric answered.

“Yes, Sheriff. I expected you to call.” He paused. “I’ll pass along that message.” He hung up. “I never knew where she was buried. All they can get me for is an accessory, after the fact, mind you. Anything else, can’t be proven.”

Galen swallowed the last of his drink. “We will have to see about that.”

He put the glass on the desk and stood.

“Don’t even want to hear me out do you
, son
?”

He thought for a moment, “You have something you want to say?”

The knock sounded through the house. The sheriff mus
t have called in his men to make sure this didn’t end up bloody
,
like Will’s house.

Fredric rounded his desk and straightened his tie. “Wasn’t supposed to be like this.”



Galen sat by the
s
heriff as the house was searched. He opened the safe for them, t
hen stayed out of the way. They had instructions not to mess up the place too much. Tess
,
after all
,
had to clean it up.

“Are you satisfied now, son
?
”

He sat on the front porch listening to the whispers. “This isn’t done. And I still need your help, sir.
Madelyn has to come home.
”

Seventeen

Pain and dread filled Maddy as she climbed on board the Boeing. At least they had decided not to handcuff her. They were letting her keep her dignity
,
even if Lucien had followed the Washington officer all the way to the airport, after he’d searched her suitcase for a gun.

Frank was watching over the diner
still
she was sure that business would drop for the week, even with old man Tate back in the kitchen. It was the least Frank could do for sending off that picture.
I
t was going to be good to get
t
his over with.

She set the suitcase in the seat next to her and buckled her belt. One engine roared to life while the other sputtered.

“It’s a
l
l
right
,
m
iss. Did the same thing on the way over.” The officer was just now sitting down.

It didn’t matter to her, this was no way to have her first plane trip. Galen wasn’t there to have it with her. The tears welled but didn’t drop. She would give none of them the satisfaction, most of all Galen. He’d known what he was doing al
l
right. He’d gotten to her, had her hand over her heart wrapped in the insurance papers, and taken off. Straight home to Daddy.

The other propeller caught and Lucien waved to her from the runway. She didn’t return the gesture, he was no better the Officer Redmond sitting across the aisle.

In the sky, everything looked so infinite. The sky and land never ended, much like looking over the sea. It was far different than watching the paper plane loop through the air. Such simpler times.

Stepping off the plane, they escorted her to the police car.
In t
hree years not much had changed. They’d gotten a traffic light to replace the old stop sign downtown, otherwise it was almost like she remembered.

The house they pulled up to hadn’t changed in her lifetime. They were bringing her straight to her accusers, not even bothering with the jail first. Sometimes, she thought,
love just isn’t enough
.

The officer knocked on the door, the sound echoed through the porch like a firing squad. She stood back at the bottom of the steps for a moment, still in disbe
lief. Then she changed her mind;
if they were going to accuse her, she was going to stand strong and make sure they looked her in the eye as they lied.

The door opened and there he stood. Galen couldn’t look at her no matter how unwavering her stare was.

“Thank you, Officer Redmond.” He turned to her. “Come in
,
Madelyn.”

She stepped into the house keeping her lips tight. Her face set in anger.

He shut the door behind her. “I’m sorry I had to do it this way.”

“You can keep your pathetic apologies.” She gripped her suitcase with both hands, trying not to swing it at him.

“The way this works,” he continued as if she’d said nothing, “if you agree, the officer is going to release you into my custody until we take you down to the courthouse. If you run, I’m the one that has to answer for it.”

“I’m ready to go now.”

He swallowed hard. “Judge says
,
we can take care of that after the funeral.”

She looked at him, really looked at him this time. His hand was bandaged and he looked very nervous. “Whose funeral. Yours?”

“Well, I’ll get to that in a second. You need to hear it all.” He waited a second before continuing. “I took your papers and came home for a reason. I showed the papers to
Harland, then the
s
heriff.
Didn’t take long and
Dad
spilled it
all
. Will was a little harder, a little painful.” He lift
ed his hand. “I’m sorry Madelyn.
Mama didn’t lie.”

Her suitcase fell to the floor as her hands shot over her mouth. While she’d always assumed Mrs. Langley had been telling the truth, to hear it from Galen was altogether different. She eased herself to the stairs and sat down.

M
ama hadn’t run off. Hadn’t left her. The tears stung as they fell to the hardwood floor.

“I made sure Cassie was at the
funeral home
before I made the call to Lucien. No reason in you being here fretting over whether he was lying or not. Everything is taken care of we’re going to bury her next to Pa tomorrow.”

She wanted to kiss him as well as beat him. Why hadn’t he called her? Why hadn’t he told her what he was doing? She tried to ask but nothing came out.

“We still have to go down to the courthouse
the
day after. You can stay here until then. Tess bought you a black dress for tomorrow and another for court so you’ll look right, and I gave her the rest of the week off. You’ll see her tomorrow though I’m sure.” He’d still
hadn’t
look directly at her. “Do you agree to behave and stay here? Or do I need to have Officer Redmond, take you down to the jail?”

She sat in silence a moment trying to stop the t
ears from falling. So much joy. I
t was all over. So much pain that it was all true. “I’ll stay.”

The front door opened and he stepped out onto the porch. He and Officer Redmond whispered and the officer went down the walkway.

The door closed behind him and they were alone. A house that had always been so full of life, stood empty beside the two of them. Everyone had grown up, moved away, passed away, or
sat
in jail. She’d be in the lat
t
er herself soon enough.

He picked up her suitcase. “You look tired Madelyn. Why don’t you go up to my room and rest?”

She nodded and pushed her hair out of her face. He held out the suitcase, she took it and headed up the stairs. Numbness filled her, empty except for the memories. Walking into his room didn’t help. So many summer days whittled away. Instead of lying down, she sat in the window seat that she remembered being much bigger. There was probably no possible way they could both sit in it now.

Pain hit again as she stared out into the fading sunlit backyard and the garage where her mother’s life had ended. She buried her head in her knees.

She dosed in and out of sleep. Lost between nightmares that were all too real and blissful dreams that were lost themselves. The door eased open but she didn’t realize it was in reality until his hand gently ran over her head.

“Are you hungry?”

Her head rolled to the side, he already had a tray setting on the bed, so she nodded.

“You want it over here?”

“Please.” She sat up and pushed her hair.

“You always were partial to sitting up there.” He picked up the tray trying to smile.

“Always felt like the princess locked in the tower.” She huffed out a half-laugh as he sat the tray down. “It’s also where we sat and you read to me.”

“I remember.” He sat in the oversized chair.

“My best memories are in, or around this house.”

“
Many
in this room.” He added.

“At least the early ones.”

She looked down at the tray,
S
hepard’s
pie, one of her favorites.

He laughed, “Tess refused to go home until she was sure I’d have something good to feed you.”

“I’ve missed her cooking. I’ve missed her. I miss a lot of people.” She couldn’t keep the pain out of her voice.

He didn’t respond
,
letting her eat in peace while she did her best not to look at him or out the window. As she finished, she pushed the tray away and curled back up.

Galen took the tray and walked to the door. “You should get some sleep. You’ve got a long day tomorrow.”

“I don’t think I can sleep. Would you read to me instead?”

He sat the tray in the hall and came back in. “What would you like to hear?”

“I don’t care.”