Matter Of Trust (19 page)

A knock on the door jerked Ty from his brooding. “Come in.”

Nick entered the room carrying a tray of food. “Chloe thought you might be hungry.”

Ty glanced at the covered dish and glass of milk and felt his stomach churn. “Not really, though I do appreciate the offer.”

Nick handed him the tray despite his disinclination. “Take my advice and eat what you can. Facing what seems to be an uphill battle might take away your appetite, but you can’t afford to get sick.”

Ty offered him a wry grin. “Did Chloe tell you to say that as well?”

Nick laughed. “Apparently you know my wife.”

“Enough to know I’ll never be able to repay her … or you.” Ty set the tray in his lap and felt a twinge of appetite return as he took off the cover and the savory aroma filled his senses. Meatloaf and mashed potatoes would go a long way to keep up his stamina. “Both of you have gone far beyond the role of lawyer and hostess.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Nick leaned against the doorframe. “I would have done the same for someone else. Well, I might not share my wife’s meatloaf with just anyone, but hey … what are friends for?”

Ty took a bite and smiled. “I can see why you’re not keen on sharing your wife’s cooking.”

“And we’ve got some cherry cobbler as well if you’d like to join us in the living room.”

“I just might do that.” Ty took a second bite then held up his fork. “Can I ask you a spiritual question first?”

“You bet.” Nick slid into the rocking chair, pushing the footstool aside with his heel.

“I’m sure Chloe told you Christianity is a new thing for me.” Ty stabbed at a green bean, then frowned. “I guess the bottom line is that I’m grappling here as to how to justify God’s presence in my life when I’m in the midst of losing everything I have.”

Nick blew out a long breath. “I’d say that’s a question man’s tried to work out for centuries. Where’s God in the midst of pain?”

Ty nodded, certain there wasn’t going to be a simple answer to his problem. “I feel as if God has abandoned me and expects me to figure things out on my own.”

Nick leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “I don’t think I’ve ever told anyone this, but before Brandon was born, Chloe had a miscarriage. It was one of the worst experiences of my life. Realizing I’d never be able to hold the child we’d waited and prayed for was hard. Watching Chloe suffer was even worse. She went through a time of severe depression, and I was helpless to do anything about it. I asked myself some of the very same questions you have to be asking yourself right now.”

“So what did you do?”

“I was forced to answer one challenging question. Did I believe God was in control of everything, including His plans for my family? The truth was, if God wasn’t in control of everything, I had no reason to continue to follow Him. In the end it boiled down to a simple matter of faith.”

“We live by faith and not by sight.” Ty poked at the mashed potatoes with his fork, finding the words hard to come to terms with. “That’s a tough concept to grasp. Especially for someone used to dealing with concrete numbers and facts.”

“Or like a lawyer forced to deal only in evidence?” Nick leaned back in the chair and shook his head. “We want something we can hold on to, but God’s ways are never man’s. I made myself look back at other times in my life when God’s presence was unmistakable. He didn’t leave me then, and every day I choose to believe He won’t leave me now, either. Listen—I know you’re not looking for a sermon here, but Hebrews says we’re to hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. Nothing you experience here on earth can begin to compare with the reward of heaven Christ has in store for us.”

Ty set the tray on the bed beside him and tried to digest everything Nick said. “I can’t say my faith has been holding steady these past few days.”

“The Bible also says we are blessed when we persevere under trial, because we will receive the crown of life God has promised to those who love Him. It’s worth it, Ty.”

“Deep down I know it’s worth it.” Ty looked up and caught Nick’s gaze. “But what if the court convicts me? I’ll have lost my job, my reputation, and Kayla….”

He squeezed his eyes shut at the reminder. Losing Kayla would always be what hurt the most.

“I don’t know, Ty. All I can do is promise to do everything in my power to ensure the truth becomes known.” Nick rocked back in the chair. “Have you thought about calling Kayla? She has to be frantic.”

“The message she left on my answering machine made it quite clear as to what role she wants me to play in her life.” As much as he didn’t want to admit it, things were over between the two of them, and he respected her enough to step out of her life if that’s what she wanted.

Nick cocked his head. “What’s the old saying? It’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind? I wouldn’t give up on her yet.”

“More wisdom from Chloe?”

Nick’s boisterous chuckle filled the room. “If it were up to her, she’d plunk the two of you down in a locked room together and keep you in there until you work it out. She hates seeing her friend hurt. And besides that, I’d say she’s developed a bit of a soft spot for you for some reason.”

Ty let out a deep sigh, wishing he could say the same for Kayla after all that had transpired in the past twenty-four hours. “It’s nice to know a couple of people are in my corner.”

“We’ll get you through this.” Nick stood and clasped Ty’s shoulder. “Keep your eyes fixed on Him. He’ll never leave you.”

“I’ll keep reminding myself.”

“And for the record.” Nick stopped in the doorway. “I think Chloe’s right about Kayla. Sometimes you have to take a chance. It’s not as if you’re going to lose anything.”

“You’ve got a point there.” Ty grabbed his cell phone out of his back pocket and stared at the number pad. “Maybe it is time I took that chance.”

By the fourth phone call, Ty felt the lump of concern in his chest begin to swell. Where was Kayla? He’d called her cell phone, but no one had answered. Next he tried her mom’s house, her office phone, and even Jenny.

He stalked down the narrow hallway and into the living room where Nick was working through some files at his desk. “Something’s happened to Kayla.”

Chloe jumped up from the floor where she’d been reading a book to her boys and moved beside her husband. “What are you talking about?”

“I don’t know for sure.” Ty rubbed the back of his neck wondering when the nightmare of the past twenty-four hours would disappear. “I can’t get a hold of her, and no one has seen her.”

Nick took off his reading glasses and swiveled the chair away from the desk. “She’s probably running errands for tonight’s event. She mentioned it yesterday.” He looked to his wife. “What was it?”

“They’re catering the Walker/James wedding.”

Ty leaned against the half wall that separated the living room from the entryway. If something had happened to her because of his involvement with Abbott, he’d never forgive himself. What if subtle warnings had just escalated into a calculated attempt to silence Ty?

Beads of sweat collected on his forehead. “What if Abbott got to her?”

Nick shook his head. “There’s no reason for Abbott to call attention to himself at this point. If he’s guilty he’s got you where he wants you. His best move is to stay out of things, and he’s smart enough to know that.”

Ty wasn’t convinced. “I spoke with Jenny a minute ago. She’s at the church, and she hasn’t seen Kayla for the past four hours. You know Kayla. She’d never leave a job without telling someone where she’s going. Even Jenny’s getting frantic.”

“Where was the last place Jenny saw her?”

Ty worked to steady his breathing. “Jenny said they spoke after lunch at the church, and Kayla told Jenny she needed an hour or so by herself to pray. Jenny went back to finish up some of the food for tonight, but when she returned with the rest of the staff Kayla wasn’t around and she hadn’t finished any of the wedding stuff. All she could figure was that she went to the church’s prayer room and fell asleep. We all know how tired she’s been lately. She went to check on her but saw no sign of her. That was twenty minutes ago.”

Chloe dug into the pocket of her jeans then tossed her husband the car keys. “I’ll stay with the boys and make some phone calls. You two go find Kayla.”

Ten minutes later Ty and Nick pulled into the church parking lot. With the wedding scheduled to start within the next two hours the parking lot was already filling up with some of the wedding party.

Jenny was inside pacing the kitchen floor, her cell phone pressed against her ear. She held up her finger and motioned for them to wait. A moment later she snapped the phone shut. “She’s never done this before. I’ve called everyone I can think of; no one’s seen her, and she isn’t in the building.”

“What about her car?”

“It’s gone as well. None of this makes sense. We all know she was under a lot of pressure lately, but she’d never walk out on a job. Never.”

Ty still hadn’t shelved his theory that Abbott was involved. “Show me where you think she was last.”

Jenny stumbled from the kitchen, then scurried down the center aisle of the church auditorium. In the dim light of the room a half dozen people bustled around, making final touches in preparation for the ceremony. The door to the prayer room was half open. Jenny pushed it the rest of the way, then slipped in before them.

“As I told Ty I can’t be certain this is where she went, but she headed this way, and it’s a place she likes to come when she needs a few moments of peace.”

Ty glanced around the room. Approximately six by six, the room was painted in subtle hues of blue, with no furnishings other than a wooden bench and three other chairs. A large painting of the cross hung on the back wall. On either side, light filtered through to stained-glass windowpanes. The only other thing in the room was a potted plant in the corner. No place to hide anything. No clues that even placed her in the room.

He glanced behind the ceramic pot just in case. “Wait a minute.”

“What is it?” Jenny stepped up beside him.

Ty bent down and picked up a cell phone that had fallen behind the plant. He didn’t have to take a second look to know it was Kayla’s. “She’s been here.”

The phone had a long crack along the side. Something had happened in this room. Ty’s own cell phone rang, and he reached into his pocket to answer it. “Ty, this is Penny. Abbott’s got Kayla.”

fifteen

Ty parked his car at the marina, then checked the time on the dashboard. He had three minutes to spare. Penny’s instructions had been explicit. Twenty minutes to get there. Find his friend’s boat, the
Angelina
. And come alone. Any signs of police involvement meant he’d never see Kayla alive again. He felt for the tiny tape recorder in his front pocket that Nick had handed him at the church and wondered if he’d made the right decision to bring it. Abbott wasn’t a fool, and Ty wasn’t willing to risk Kayla’s life. Even if it meant Abbott won in the end.

He moved to the end of the floating walkway, replaying Penny’s message over and over in his head. The thought that Penny might be involved sent a shudder of fear through him. He was still uncertain if his former secretary was simply being used as a pawn in Richard Abbott’s game or if she’d been on his side all along.

Either way Kayla’s life was in danger.

He stared out across the blue waters of the harbor, took in the details of the scene and remembered all the summer days he’d spent out on the ocean with his parents. Somewhere, among the dozens of boats, was Kayla. It took him two and a half minutes to locate the
Angelina
. The sleek vessel was tied up at the end of one of the floating walkways, not in its usual slip. Convenient if Abbott was planning a quick getaway. But how did he find the key?

Abbott sat near the helm wearing a sweater and khaki pants. If it were possible, the man looked worse than the day Ty had walked out of the office on him. Pallid skin, thick jowls, thinning hair, all signs of stress … and guilt as far as he was concerned. Penny stood beside him, her hand possessively on his arm.

Where was the loyal secretary he’d worked with for three years? He’d considered her a friend. “You’ve been in on this all along, Penny?”

Penny avoided Ty’s gaze. “What can I say? Abbott pays well.”

“Glad you could make it, Ty. Your friend’s boat is a beauty.” Abbott pulled off his sunglasses. “I’m considering making an offer on one myself. Of course, I’m prepared to put out quite a bit more on a bigger one. Oh, and if you’re wondering how I got the key, well, let’s just say I have my ways.” He laughed.

Ty drew in a deep breath.
Where are You, God?

He stepped onto the familiar boat wishing the marina weren’t so quiet. The weather was too cold for most people to consider going out today despite a clear sky and calm sea. Somehow Abbott had even managed to use the weather to his advantage.

Abbott tapped a gun at his side. “Don’t get too close, please, Ty. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.”

“Where’s Kayla?” He refused to play the old man’s games.

“Twenty-eight feet, pedestal steering, three-blade propeller—”