Righteous Obsession (52 page)

Startled, his head shot up, but he smiled when he saw
it was Alethea.  He quit playing, laid his guitar down and took out his
earplugs.  “Hi!”  He stood, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hard on
her mouth.  “How did the shopping trip go?”

“Fine.  Deb found some really pretty clothes.” 
Alethea smiled mischievously.  “I found something for myself, too.”

“Oh?  When do I get to see it?”

“It’s a surprise for next weekend.  You’ll have to
wait until then to see what it is.”

“It wouldn’t have Victoria’s Secret
®
printed on
the bag, would it?”  He guessed.

“Sorry, but that’s highly classified information!” 
She teased.  She freed herself from his embrace.  “Amanda and Deb are waiting
in the living room.”  They walked back inside.  Amanda was sitting on the couch
while Debbie was looking at Colin’s aquarium.  Alethea excused herself and went
to get their drinks.

Colin sat down beside his mother and gave her a hug. 
“How was the shopping?  Did you clean out every store in the city?”  He teased.

“No, but I think we made a good sized dent, though,
didn’t we, Deb?”

Debbie giggled.  “We tried real hard, but there were
totally too many stores!”

Amanda smiled.  This was the first time since Debbie
had come to live with them that she’d seen her display any behavior typical of
a teenager.  She turned to Colin.  “I’m sorry we interrupted your playing.”

“It’s okay, Mom.  I had to stop anyway because my
fingers are getting slightly sore.”  He flexed his fingers.  “My calluses have
gone soft.”

Alethea came back and passed the drinks around.  She
sat down beside Colin.

“Alethea was telling us that she going to interview
Metallica.  I think that’s so cool!  I can’t wait to tell Din!”  Debbie said.

“I’ve never done an interview with them before so it
should be interesting,” Alethea remarked.

“Are you nervous about your interview with CNN next
week?”  Amanda asked Colin.

“Yeah.  Mostly because it’ll be the first one since…”
His voice trailed off and he couldn’t finish the sentence.

“Is Unforgiven up for any awards on MTV this year?” 
Debbie asked changing the subject.

“No. 
Ruins of Love
came out just after the
deadline.”

“Wait until next year – they’ll make a clean sweep!” 
Alethea predicted.

“Do you recall me mentioning that I wanted to have a
small reception so the ones who couldn’t make your wedding could meet Alethea?”

Colin nodded.  “Yes.”

“When would be a good time for you two?”

“Well, we have plans for next weekend.”  He looked at
Alethea.  “Do we have anything going on the weekend after that?”

“Nothing I can recall.  If that weekend works for you,
Amanda, it’s fine with us.”

“Good!  We’ll plan it for that weekend.”  She put down
her glass.  “If you’re finished, honey, we’d better be heading home.”

“Could I talk to Colin – if you and Alethea don’t
mind?”  Debbie asked hesitantly.

“Why don’t you go out on the deck,” Alethea suggested,
briefly wondering what Deb couldn’t say in front of her and Amanda.

Colin and Debbie went out on the deck.  “So, what’s on
your mind?  Are you worried about starting a new school?”

“A little,” Debbie admitted.  “Din isn’t going to be
here and I won’t know anybody.  All the kids in Brunsville I’ve known since
kindergarten.”

“Don’t worry.  Kids are pretty much the same in Minnesota
or California.  You won’t have any trouble making friends, I’m sure.”

“I hope not, but that isn’t what I wanted to talk to
you about.”  She stared silently at the view of the San Francisco skyline,
trying to decide what to say.  She looked down at her hands and said softly,
“Colin, I want to apologize.  It’s my fault what happened to you.”

“No, it’s not,” Colin replied firmly.

“It is!”  She insisted.  “I should have told the
police right away it was Father Michaels who was driving that car.  They could’ve
arrested him that night!”

“Deb, it wouldn’t have made a bit difference because
his mother would have lied and sworn herself blue in the face that he was with
her the whole time!”

“I still can’t believe you’re related to him.”

“Half-brothers,” Colin mused.  “I have a hard time
believing it myself.”

“Why did he want to kill you?”

“I’m sure he’d planned to kill me from the first
moment he’d found out his father was looking for me.  If anybody should
apologize, it’s me.  You got caught in the middle of his hatred for me and it
almost cost you your life.”

“Do you think he’ll ever get caught?”

“Eventually he’ll get careless and they’ll get him.”

Debbie studied the view again for a moment then said,
“I really like Alethea.  She helped me pick out some really cool clothes,
showed me different things I could do with my hair and gave me make-up tips.” 
She frowned.  “I feel so guilty now about sleeping with you.”

“I feel the same way, but I also know it would hurt
her terribly to find out the truth so I’ve decided to live with my guilt.”  He
glanced at Debbie.  “You don’t have any reason to feel guilty – I made the
first move.”

“I could’ve told you no.”

“It’s just something that happened that neither of us
intended to happen.”

Debbie patted Colin’s hand.  “Thanks for trying to
make me feel better, but I did do it of my own free will and I’ll just have to
live with it the best way I can.”  She turned and went back into the house.

Colin was going in as Alethea and Amanda were coming
outside.  He followed them out on the deck.  “I’m showing Amanda our new
furniture before she leaves.”

Colin gave Alethea a tight hug and kissed her.  “It
looks great out here because I have a very talented wife!”

“This is lovely and the style suits this house so
well!”  Amanda declared as she examined it.

“It’s really comfortable, too,” Colin added.

“He should know,” Alethea teased.  “He fell asleep on
the chaise yesterday.”

Colin gave his mom a hug and took his Steinberger
inside
and placed it in its case then brought in his practice amp and stowed it in its
customary place.  He heard the front door open and Alethea call, “Colin?”

“In here, Alethea.”

She came into the room.  “Would you mind if I ordered
a pizza for supper?”

“It’s fine with me.”

She picked up the phone.  “What kind do we want?”

“How about a Supreme?”

“With anchovies, too?”  Alethea teased.

“Sure!  Let’s live dangerously!”  He replied then
joked, “At least this way we’ll both have bad breath!”

“What size?”

Colin rubbed his jaw.  “A medium should do it.”

“Okay.”  Alethea made the call, gave them their order
and turned back to Colin.  “They said it’d be a half-hour to forty-five
minutes.”

They went outside and sat down. “How long did you play
today?”  Alethea asked.

“Altogether, about two hours, I guess.”  He made a
face.  “I didn’t sound too great either.”

“You sounded fine to me – what I heard of it.  I
couldn’t tell the difference, really.”

“Well, maybe, I don’t sound as bad as I think I do,
but I’ll keep playing every day and I should be up to speed by the time we go
back on the road.”

Alethea remained silent.  She didn’t like to think
about Colin going back on tour.

“How did the shopping go?”

She shook herself out of her momentary funk and
replied, “At first it was hard.  Deb seemed drawn to the ugliest, most
colorless and unattractive clothes in the store.  It seemed as if she thought
those were the only kind of clothes she should wear.”

“From what Diana told me I’m guessing that’s her
mother’s influence.  She probably told her only whores wear attractive clothes
– moral women don’t call attention to themselves.”

“Once Amanda and I convinced her that there was
absolutely nothing wrong with buying clothes that made you look pretty and feel
good it was much easier.”

Colin shook his head.  “Poor kid!  I think she’s
really mixed-up about herself.  I hope mom and dad can convince her to give
therapy a try.”

“What did you and Deb talk about – if it’s not
something private, I mean.”

“No.  She wanted to apologize.  She thought it was her
fault Father Michaels stabbed me.”

“You mean because he was her teacher?”

“I’m assuming that’s part of it,” Colin answered as
honestly as he could under the circumstances.

Alethea felt Colin’s body stiffen the moment he said
that.  She knew something was making him uncomfortable and wondered what it was. 
“What did you tell her?”

“I told her she had nothing to do with it.  I told her
Father Michaels had planned to kill me from the time he’d found out his father
was looking for me.”

She was quick to note that Colin had not said my
father or our father when referring to Jeff.  The doorbell rang and she got up
to answer it.  “I hope that’s our pizza because I’m starving.”

While she did that, Colin set the table in a haphazard
fashion.  She came back with the pizza and they started to eat.  “Did you see
the mail?”  He asked, wiping a string of cheese off his mouth.

Alethea shook her head.  “No.  I was going to look at
it later.  Was there something important?”

“We got a letter from your folks and I got another
letter from Caitlin.  I left them on top of the television.”

“I’ll read them as soon as I’m done eating.  The photo
shop called and the copies of our wedding DVD are ready.”

“Copies?  How the heck many did we order?”

“Eleven.”  Alethea counted on her fingertips.  “One
for my parents, one for my grandmother and Dorothea, and one for Vanessa. One
for your parents, one for Liam, one for each of your grandparents, one each for
Angie and Dick.  The last one is for Jeff and Caitlin – you did promise to give
him a copy.”

“So I did and unlike him I don’t say one thing and do
another.”

Alethea glared at him and suddenly, much to his
surprise, exploded.  “Colin, I’m sick of your rotten attitude towards Jeff! 
I’ve sat for weeks now, listening to you making all kinds of nasty remarks
about him.  I kept my silence because I didn’t want him to become a constant
source of friction between us, but I’ve had it!  I’m fed up with your childish
and unfair attitude towards him!”

“Childish!  Unfair!  What about what he did to us –
was that fair?  Why do you always take his side against me?”

“I’m not taking Jeff’s side, but you’re not even
trying to see things from anybody’s viewpoint except your own!  Jeff made that
call, hoping to convince Father Michaels to turn himself in rather than
watching him be arrested and possibly get hurt in the process.  Any father
would have done that!  He didn’t know his wife was going to help Father
Michaels escape!”

“Yeah, right!  I suppose he didn’t know either his
wife hated my guts and would have done anything to save her precious son’s
ass!”  Colin snapped.

Alethea sighed.  They kept going over the same ground
without getting anything resolved.  She decided to something else.  “Colin,
suppose Liam accidentally hit a pedestrian, panicked, and left the scene. 
Suppose Peter found out about it before the police.  Wouldn’t he want to talk
Liam into giving himself up rather than watch him be arrested?”

“Sure and I’d try to help in whatever way I could!”

“So why is it right for Peter to do it for his son and
wrong for Jeff to do the same thing for his son?”  She asked gently.

“Dad wouldn’t sacrifice one son for the other!”  Colin
crossed his arms over his chest with a stubborn look that Alethea knew very
well.  “He gave me all this claptrap about how much he cared about me then at
the first opportunity to prove it he turns his back on me!”

Alethea threw down her crumpled napkin on the table
and got to her feet.  “You know, Colin, I’m beginning to wonder if you’re not
as angry at Jeff as you are jealous of Father Michaels!”  She strode back into
the house, letting the door slam and leaving Colin speechless.

“That’s ridiculous!”  Colin yelled after her.  “Why in
hell would I be jealous of that creep?”  He slumped back in his chair, staring
at the distant skyline, until his temper cooled.  He got up from the table, put
the remainder of the pizza into the refrigerator, came back out and sat down on
the chaise.  He didn’t try to find Alethea, figuring it was better to let her
cool off before they had any more discussions on this particular subject. 
Despite his attempts to think about other things, his mind kept drifting back
to her accusation.  He tried to toss it off as something she’d said in the heat
of her anger that had no basis in reality.  His innate sense of honesty forced
him to admit there was at least some truth to her claim.