If I Wait For You (33 page)

The judge chuckled and moved behind
his desk. “Nathan Wright. Can’t say that I recall ever having met
such a person.”

“
You, sir, will hang for
what you’ve done,” Zachary spat.

“
I doubt it. I’m certain
whatever you think you have in your possession is some falsified
document. Why don’t you let me take a look at it. I’m sure this is
all a terrible mistake. Really, son, you cannot think me capable of
murder. It’s absurd. Let me see this so-called confession and we
can resolve this little matter.”

“
It’s well-hidden. And if
you call me son one more time I will not be responsible for my
actions. I am not your son.”

This seemed to distress the judge.
“Well, I can give you proof of your birth,” he said, opening up a
drawer.

Zachary expected him to withdraw some
sort of legal document, but his heart stopped when the judge
withdrew a large pistol and aimed it at his head. “Oh my, you look
a bit peaked. Son.” The judge smiled weakly. “Now. Tell me where
this confession is.”

Though Zachary’s blood ran cold, he
refused to allow this man to see just how terrified he was. “I will
not.”

The judge sighed. “Then I’m afraid I’m
going to have to kill you, as much as I regret it. I didn’t much
like the idea of killing Evelyn, but she really gave me no choice.
That farm boy, really.”

Zachary foolishly thought he could
reason with the man. “If you kill me, you will never know where the
confession is.”

The judge seemed to think on this a
bit. “True. But if you’re dead, you cannot tell anyone else of its
existence either. Unless your sister…”

“
My sister knows nothing of
this,” Zachary said, fear for Sara nearly driving him to his knees.
“Do you truly think I would come here and put my sister in danger?”
Zachary swallowed and felt a bead of sweat move down his
forehead.

“
As a matter of fact, son,
I do.” And he pulled the trigger.

Sara had just finished dining with
West and a handful of guests when their butler announced Judge
Reynolds had come for a visit and was requesting an audience with
her. As the small group was about to move into the drawing room,
Sara asked the butler bring the judge there so he could join their
party.

Sara and West led their guests into
the large drawing room, startling Judge Reynolds, who was staring
contemplatively out a window. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize you
were entertaining.”

“
Please, don’t worry
yourself, judge. You are always welcome and this is only a very
small entertainment. We’re happy you’re able to join us,” Sara
said, taking the judge’s hand warmly. “May I offer you a brandy or
glass of wine?”

“
Nothing for me, my dear,”
the judge said, smiling at her.

The judge took a handkerchief out of
his pocket and drew it over his face. Indeed, he looked a bit
flushed and Sara wondered if the man was unwell.

“
Your brother visited me
this evening,” he said.

“
Did he?” Sara asked,
completely surprised.

“
He mentioned he was in
possession of an important document concerning myself and was
rather stubborn about sharing its location with me.” The old man
chuckled. “Quite reminded me of myself at that age. All fire and
indignation.”

“
So Zachary knows about
you, that you’re his true father?”

He tucked the handkerchief back into
his jacket pocket. “Oh, yes. He was quite surprised.” He frowned,
his mouth curving downward dramatically. “Wasn’t all that pleased,
come to think of it. No. Not at all. Not the meeting I would have
hoped for. Ended badly.”

A sliver of fear made its way slowly
up Sara’s spine, ending in a fiery, prickly heat at the base of her
skull. “I don’t understand why Zachary went to see you. He couldn’t
have known about you, for I didn’t tell him. Did he find his birth
records or something that would have proved his lineage? Is that
what the document was about?”

Something hard and awful glittered in
the old man’s eyes. “Then you don’t have it.”

“
Have what?” Sara turned to
look for West, relaxing slightly when she saw he was not far away
talking in a group of men. But Sara still felt afraid, even as she
told herself the judge was no threat.

“
He said you had no
knowledge of it, but I didn’t believe him.” His eyes darted a bit
wildly before he visibly relaxed. “Well, now I feel quite awful.”
He shrugged and smiled down at Sara, only adding to her confusion.
“How was your wedding trip?”

Startled by the sudden change of
topic, Sara could only shake her head. “Where is Zachary now? Was
he terribly upset?”

Judge Reynolds patted her hand. “Now
don’t you worry about your brother, my dear. He’s likely gone back
to the ship.” He paced a bit, then nodded. “Of course. The ship.”
The judge walked away, hailing an acquaintance as he did, leaving
Sara with a strong feeling of foreboding.

Pulling West rudely away from a group
of guests, Sara said, “I’m worried about Zachary. He’s just found
out Judge Reynolds is his father and I’m afraid something happened
between them. Judge Reynolds is acting strangely. Or might I say,
more strangely than is usual.”

Concern marred West’s handsome
features, and Sara was grateful he did not dismiss her fears as
unfounded. “Tell me what happened?”

“
As far as I can tell,
Zachary went to the judge because of some document, something that
the judge now wants. He thought I might have it and seemed quite
relieved when I told him I knew nothing about it.”

“
A birth
document?”

Sara shook her head. “That’s what I
thought as well. But why would that disturb the judge? He already
knew he was Zachary’s father.”

“
Perhaps he is not,” West
offered.

“
No. The resemblance
between the two is uncanny. The judge must be Zachary’s father.”
Sara chewed on her lip a moment and West smiled at the endearing
habit. Her eyes lit up. “I have an idea. You tell the judge Zachary
gave you the document for safe-keeping. Since we don’t know what it
is, you can say you haven’t read it, that you are simply holding it
for my brother.”

“
And what will that
accomplish?”

“
Perhaps then we can find
out what it is?” she asked hopefully.

“
Why don’t we just wait and
ask your brother.”

Sara nearly stamped her foot in
frustration at West’s maddeningly logical response. “Because I want
to find out now. Tonight. Something happened between the judge and
my brother, West. I know it.”

He squeezed her hand. “All right,
Sara. I’ll talk to the judge.”

West made his way over to the older
man, more curious than alarmed about what had transpired between
his former mate and the judge. But he hated to see Sara worrying
about anything, not when she’d had a lifetime of worry already. “A
word with you, sir?”

Judge Reynolds nodded and followed
West to a small sitting room across the hall away from the guests
that continued to linger in the drawing room. When they were both
seated, West said, “Sara told me you were asking about a document
of her brother’s.”

The other man stiffened and West,
despite what Sara had told him, was surprised the judge was so
visibly affected by his innocuous words. “Yes. It’s quite important
that I retrieve it.”

West’s eyes narrowed slightly, his
curiosity intensified. “I have the document in question. Mr. Dawes
gave it to me for safe keeping.”

Judge Reynolds lunged to his feet. “I
must have it.” His eyes were wild and a small amount of spittle had
settled on his bottom lip.

Keeping his tone level, West said, “I
don’t know what it contains, and I don’t care. But I have promised
to keep it for Zachary. If you wish to see it, you must take it up
with him.”

The old man breathed harshly through
his nose, his face becoming so red, that for a moment West feared
the judge was about to have a seizure. “That’s impossible,” he
spat.

“
I don’t see how. Mr. Dawes
is a reasonable man. If the document somehow concerns you, I’m
certain he will share its contents.”

The judge sat suddenly, as if his legs
could no longer hold his body. “You don’t understand,” he said, his
hands audibly clawing into the chair’s silk fabric.

“
I’m certain I
don’t.”

“
None of it was my fault.
You don’t understand. She…she…I will not be
cuckolded
,” Judge Reynolds said with
intensity.

Though West appeared relaxed, his
entire body was strung taut. He knew nothing about what the judge
was talking about, but clearly the man was about to lose the
tenuous hold he had on his sanity. West remained silent and waited
for the judge to give him a clue about what he was so agitated
about.

“
I must have that document.
I will get a warrant if I must.” Then he chuckled and shook his
head, as if he’d amused himself. “No, no. That would never
do.”

An instant later, West cursed himself
for relaxing when the man began laughing, for Judge Reynolds drew a
pistol from his coat, his eyes as hard and sane as his own. Judge
Reynolds stood, looking haughty and assured, the gun steady and
pointed directly at West’s heart. Only his eyes kept that slightly
wild look that made an icy sliver of fear move along West’s spine.
“I’ll have that document, young man.”

“
He doesn’t have it,” Sara
said frantically from a far door, and West’s fear grew tenfold. He
should have known she would sneak around to listen to the
conversation.

He watched with dread as Sara strode
into the room seemingly oblivious to the danger she was putting
herself in. “We don’t even know what you’re talking
about.”

“
Sara. Leave
now.”

“
Where is Zachary?” Sara
said, ignoring West completely. The judge brought the pistol around
to point at her and West’s heart stopped.

“
Jesus God, Sara, get out
of here.” Sara wouldn’t even look at him. The foolish girl didn’t
even look afraid.

“
Where is Zachary,” she
repeated. “Where is your son?”

The judge flinched at her words but
his aim did not falter. Then, suddenly, his entire body sagged as
if turning abruptly into the old man that he was. “Oh, my darling.
I’m so sorry.” He began to weep, a horrible sound, wrenching and
monstrous. When West took a step toward him, he spun around and
thrust the pistol toward him again and West thanked God he’d
distracted the old man enough to leave Sara alone. Judge Reynolds
sniffed loudly and wiped his eyes with his free hand.

“
Where is Zachary?” Sara
whispered tearfully, and West feared they both knew the horrible
answer.

“
He said he wasn’t my son,”
the judge said dully. “He said his real father was dead. That I
killed him, that he had no father any longer.” Judge Reynolds shook
his head sadly. “It happened so quickly. Before I knew what I’d
done, he was lying there.”

A sob escape Sara’s throat.
“No.”

He turned to Sara, his eyes red and
watery. “Oh, my darling girl. I have done such awful things.” And
then he turned his gun to himself and fired.

Chapter NINETEEN

Though he looked dead, though there
was enough blood on the floor to make it appear as if murder had
been done, Zachary was, miraculously, quite unharmed by the bullet
that had grazed his head. He suffered from a mighty headache and
was a bit woozy from a lack of blood, but the doctor proclaimed him
well just a few hours after being knocked out by the grazing
missile.

He was much more undone by
his sister, who upon coming into Judge Reynolds study and finding
him alive, nearly tackled him to the floor. Zachary had just been
rising, his head muddled, his eyesight blurred, when he spied a
flash of bright blue flying at him. He fell to the floor and
promptly passed out. Two days later, he was well enough to attend
his true father’s funeral, but opted instead to leave on the
Julia
with no remorse.
Sara gave her brother a tearful good-bye while West bade farewell
to his stiff and unforgiving brother.

Hundreds of mourners attended the
judge’s funeral on a day when the sun shone so brightly it hurt the
eyes. West managed to keep the lurid details from becoming public
until after Judge Reynolds was laid to rest with all the dignity
the old man would have wanted.

Sara looked over to her husband giving
him a small, sad smile. “All these people,” she said, glancing at
the long line of carriages that bordered the cemetery, the horse’s
heads adorned with black plumbs. “I wonder what they will think
when they realize they have honored a murderer.”

“
I always thought him a
fine man.” West shook his head, knowing he sounded like a fool. “It
is such an ugly story with a horrible end,” he said
finally.

“
I’m not so noble that I
will let sentiment continue to mar my name,” Sara said with a touch
of warning.