Righteous Obsession (53 page)

While he was growing up, he was curious about what his
biological father might be like, but he didn’t have any desire to eventually
find him or meet him.  When Jeff suddenly appeared at his bedside, telling him
how long he’d been looking for him and making him believe that he really cared;
he’d been willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.  Just when he was
starting to trust Jeff and maybe even care about him he disappeared again
without a word!  ‘He vanished out of my life just as he did moms!’  Colin
thought angrily.  Didn’t Jeff’s disappearing act really tick him off because
his other son was in trouble and needed him?  In all honesty, wasn’t his anger
at Jeff mostly resentment for what he viewed as Jeff’s preferential treatment
of Father Michaels?  Colin was so deep in thought that he barely noticed how
late it was getting until a bright light disturbed his reverie.  He looked up
to find McGregor staring at him.

“You’re a million miles away,” He commented.  “You
didn’t move until I was practically on top of you.”

“Yeah,” Colin answered.  He hoped he wasn’t going to
be on the receiving end of a lecture from McGregor about being more alert. 
He’d definitely had enough lectures for one night!  “Sorry.  I didn’t realize
how late it’d gotten.  Alethea’s probably in bed already.”

“Nope.  She’s doing something up in that front
bedroom.  Tell her to get some blinds for those windows!  I could see
everything she was doing as I was coming up the street!”

“I’m sure she’s planning to do that.”  Colin rose and
stretched, causing his wound to twinge slightly.  “Goodnight, McGregor.”  He
locked the doors, set the alarm and went upstairs.

Alethea was standing on a stepladder in front of the
windows, measuring them.  Absorbed in her work, she either didn’t hear him walk
in or pretended not to hear him.  She started down the ladder, missed her step
and would have fallen if Colin hadn’t been there to catch her.  “Careful!”  He
cautioned.  “What are you doing up there anyway?”

“I was measuring the windows.  I thought I’d look at
blinds tomorrow,” she replied coolly.

“McGregor will be relieved to hear that.  He was
having a fit because he could see everything you were doing from the street,”
Colin remarked as he turned off the light.

They walked into their bedroom.  Colin switched on the
bedside lamp and sat down on the bed.  Alethea switched on the dresser lamp,
undid her braid and began to brush her hair.

“Alethea, could you come over?  There’s something I
want to say.”

She nodded neutrally, put down her brush and sat down
beside Colin.  “What?”

Colin ducked his head for a moment, allowing his long
hair to cover his face.  He brushed it aside again and looked at Alethea.  “I
want to apologize for what I said about Jeff earlier.”  He paused briefly then
continued, “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and I’ve come to the conclusion
that what you said about me was right to some extent.”

“You mean my accusation that you’re jealous of Father
Michaels?”

“Yeah.  I am angry because he took a hike on me when
his other son needed him.  My anger over that phone call was just camouflage to
avoid facing why I was really angry.  I’m really sorry for being such a
dickhead.”  Colin shook his head.  “I guess Father Michaels and I aren’t that
much different – we’re both jealous jerks!”

“You’re nothing like him!”  She declared firmly.  “You
were jealous of him, but you didn’t try to kill him because of it!”

“I’ll write Jeff and apologize.  I’ll tell him what I
was really angry about.”

Alethea gave him a big hug and kissed him.  “I’m so
glad you’re doing this!  I just couldn’t stand, watching you being eaten up
inside by this anger.”

“I feel better, too,” Colin admitted.  “Maybe, I can
sleep better now.”

“I’m sure of it.”  Humming and obviously in a much
better mood, Alethea finished getting ready for bed.  She slipped into bed
beside Colin, settled herself and switched off her lamp.

Colin reached up and turned off his lamp.  “So, what
did you parents have to say?”

“They wrote that the University’s enrollment is at an
all-time high and they’re both carrying a full load of classes.  Mom’s
surprised that so many of her students know she’s your mother-in-law.  They’ve
asked her how you’re doing and some of them are afraid Unforgiven won’t ever
want to come back to New Orleans.”

 “That’s another issue I’ll have to address when I do
the interview next week.”  Colin was silent for a moment then said, “You know,
Steve told me they’ll be broadcasting this interview in Europe, too.”

“And Father Michaels could see it,” She finished.

“I hope he does!  I hope it makes him so angry he gets
careless, does something stupid and gets arrested!”

“I’m sure he probably watches CNN.  He needs something
to jolt him out of his complacency!”

“I’m sure finding out I’m not dead will be enough to
do that,” Colin remarked dryly.  “Did you read Caitlin’s letter?”

“Yes.  I really like her!  She has so much spirit!
She’s certainly tells you what she thinks.”

“Not unlike somebody else I know!” Colin laughed,
kissing the top of her head.  “You and Caitlin will get along great!”

“I’m looking forward to meeting her,” Alethea replied
with a yawn. She was soon asleep

Colin closed his eyes and fell right to sleep.  He
began dreaming.  He was driving his Patriot, coming up the street and pulling
into the driveway.  He got out and walked to porch, stopping first to check the
mailbox.  He unlocked the front door, went in, skidded and nearly fell into a
large puddle of blood.   His heart suddenly entered his throat when he saw the
entire foyer was blood-splattered and noticed the trail of blood leading into
the living room.  His heart was thudding loudly and he couldn’t catch his
breath as he followed the bloody trail through the house and saw it was leading
to the deck.  He was dreading what he knew he was going to find.  He stepped
outside and saw Father Michaels holding Alethea’s limp body while clutching a
bloodstained knife – the same one he’d used to stab him.  Father Michaels saw
him, smiled malignantly and released Alethea then jumped over the deck railing
and disappeared.  Her body slumped to the floor in slow motion.  “No!”  He
screamed, rushing over and catching her.  “Christ!  No!”  He held her tightly,
looking down at her.  Her eyes stared back at him blankly and her head slumped
at an odd angle because of the deep slash across her throat.  “Alethea!”  He
screamed over and over again.

“Colin!”  Alethea called, shaking him.  He was
thrashing around so much that she had to duck quickly to avoid being struck by
his flailing arms.  “Colin, wake up!”  She finally got through to him.  He
bolted upright, grabbed her and held her so tightly she nearly gasped in pain.

“It’s really you!  You’re really here!”  He mumbled
with his face buried in her hair.

“Did you have another nightmare?”  She felt him nod
slightly.  “Was it about Father Michaels?”  She felt another nod.  “Would you
like to tell me about it?”  He shook his head violently and clutched her even
tighter.  “All right,” She replied in a soothingly.  “Why don’t we try to get
back to sleep?”  It took some time, but Alethea was finally able to coax Colin
into lying back down.  Lying next to him, she could feel how tense he was.  He
kept a tight hold of her as if he feared she was going to vanish into thin air.

Alethea awoke the next morning and found Colin already
awake and watching her.  She studied the dark circles under his eyes and
decided he hadn’t slept at all after his nightmare.  She smiled at him and
teased, “I hope I wasn’t snoring!”  Her attempt at humor fell flat.  She touched
his face gently.  “Did you get any sleep at all?”

“No.”

She slipped out from underneath his arm and got out of
bed.  “I’m going to shower and get dressed and then I’ll make breakfast. 
Maybe, after you’ve eaten, you’ll feel like going back to sleep for a while.”

“I won’t!”  Colin shook his head for emphasis.  He
grabbed his wallet off the night stand and began digging through it until he
found a slip of paper.  He dialed the number on his cell.  Doctor Hughes wasn’t
in her office on Saturdays and her answering service picked up his call.  He
left his name and number and stressed it wasn’t an emergency, but it was
important that he speak to her at the first opportunity.

Alethea couldn’t remember ever seeing Colin so
dispirited.  She knelt behind him, put her arms around him and gave him a
comforting hug.

“God!  I hope she can help me because I don’t know how
much more of this I can take!”

“Was it the same nightmare you had before?”

Colin hesitated for just a second before nodding.  He
didn’t want her to find out what it was really about and become upset.  “Was I
screaming again?”

“Very loudly,” She replied.  “If we’d been sleeping in
that front bedroom, Buck would have been up here in record time, pounding on
the door.”  She gave him a kiss.  “I’ll take my shower.”  She winked at him. 
“Care to join me?”

Colin gave her a tiny smile – the first sign of
cheerfulness she’d seen from him.  “Thanks, but I’d better wait for the doctor
to call back.”

“Okay.”  She quickly showered, got dressed, dried her
hair then braided it.  “I’m going to start breakfast.  Come down when you’re
ready.”

He nodded, but said nothing.

Alethea sighed as she walked into the kitchen.  She
hoped Doctor Hughes returned Colin’s call as soon as possible.  She worried
about him, never having seen him in such low spirits before and silently cursed
Father Michaels.  She started making the seafood omelets she planned for
breakfast.  She was taking the second omelet out of the pan when she heard
Colin’s footsteps.  “You timed that just right,” she called.  She took two
slices of whole wheat toast out of the toaster, buttered them, cut them in half
and arranged them on either side of the omelet.

Colin walked into the kitchen, put his arms around
Alethea and gave her a kiss.

“What was that for?”  She asked, smiling.

“I don’t think I let you know often enough how much I
appreciate every thing you do for me.”

“Thank you.”  She eased
herself out of his embrace.  “Everything’s ready.”

“Okay.”  He opened the refrigerator and took out a
pitcher of tomato juice.

“Would you pour me a glass and I’ll get the coffee.”

“Sure.”  He poured two glasses while Alethea poured
their coffee.  He sat and took a sip of the coffee.  “Umm!”  Alethea had brewed
his favorite Mocha coffee.  He set his cup down on its saucer.  “I called Steve
and told him I can’t go back on tour until I get these nightmares under
control.”  He rubbed his hands across his face tiredly.  “I said physically I’m
almost recovered, but emotionally I’m a total basket case!”

Alethea felt secretly relieved at the tour's
postponement.  “What did he say?”

“He said not to worry about the tour and to take as
much time as I needed to recover.  He said he hasn’t rescheduled any of the
concerts and he won’t until I’m ready.  I called Liam to tell him we wouldn’t
be going back on the road for a while.”  He yawned widely.  “I think he’s
feeling relieved.”

They finished eating when his cell rang.  “Hello? 
Yes, this is he.”  Colin moved further into the dining room.  Alethea wondered
if it was Doctor Hughes.  She could hear the rise and fall of Colin’s voice,
but could not make out his words.  Colin came back into the kitchen and sat
down again.  “It was Doctor Hughes.  I have an appointment on Tuesday at
eleven.”

“Does she want to see both of us?”

“She wants to see me alone this first time.”

“I understand.  I’ll do some shopping while you’re
seeing her and we can have lunch when you’re through.”

“I don’t know how long it’ll take, though.”

“If you’re not done by noon, I’ll stop by Amanda’s
office and see if she’s free for lunch.  You can meet me there afterwards.”

Colin nodded slowly.  “Okay.”

Alethea studied him, worry clouding her face and
suggested, “Maybe, you should go back to bed instead of going with me.”

“I’m fine and of course I’m going with you,” He
insisted stubbornly.

“Alright,” she replied calmly.  “I don’t have that
much to do so we won’t be that long.”

“I thought you were going to look at blinds for the
bedroom?”

“I’ll do it on Tuesday.”

They straightened up the kitchen then Alethea went
back upstairs for a few minutes.  She returned to find Colin studying the
security system.  She took hold of his arm.  “Ready?”

“You know, I was thinking I should look at new
security systems today.”

“Why?  This one works fine.”

“Well, it is almost two years old and I want to see if
they’ve come out with anything better.”

“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to look,” She remarked.  His
sudden interest in a new security system puzzled her after he’d recently told
her this one was the best money could buy.

As they were pulling out of the driveway, Colin
suddenly launched into a safety lecture.

“You do know never to open the door without first
checking whose there?  Make sure you always keep the doors locked and the alarm
on when you’re home alone and always check the car…”

Alethea suddenly slammed on the brakes, pitching him
forward.

“Why did you do that?”

She crossed her arms over her breasts and glared at
him.  “Colin Matthews, if you’re going to keep on lecturing me like I’m
two-years old, I’m going shopping alone!”

“I wasn’t lecturing you.  I was reminding you.”

“I lived in Los Angeles for a long time without being
burglarized or raped!”

“Okay!”  Colin held up his hands.  “Peace.”

Alethea’s glare faded.  She could never stay mad at
Colin for very long even if he deserved it!  “Alright. I’m sorry I got angry.” 
She had to wonder about his sudden obsession with safety and security.  She was
guessing it was a side effect of the nightmare he’d had.  She drove to the
wicker store where they’d been earlier that week.  Alethea found a smaller chaise
and a table for the balcony.  She was conscious of Colin being right on her
heels.  He was so close he bumped into her more than once when she stopped. 
They paid for them then loaded them into the back of the Jeep, making sure the
rear window was clear.  She stopped at a paint store next to pick up some paint
samples.  She was once again aware of Colin right at her elbow.  She couldn’t
have turned around without bumping into him.  The last stop they made was at
the electronics store where Colin had bought his current security system. 
Alethea listened to the sales representative telling Colin about the features
of the newest systems, but she couldn’t see they were any better than the
system they already had.

Colin apparently thought so, too.  He shook his head
and said, “No, the system I already have offers us as much protection as any of
these.”

“What you can do if you don’t want to buy a new
system, but want to beef up the one you have is to install sensor lights.”

“You mean the kind that will come on if somebody walks
into my yard?”

“Yes.  They’re really bright and guaranteed to give
anybody intent on mischief second thoughts!”

He looked at Alethea.  “What do you think?”

“Well, I don’t think we need them, but it’s up to
you.”

“I’d feel more comfortable having them,” he replied as
he paid for them.

“Are those going to make you feel secure enough,
now?”  Alethea asked as they drove back to Sausalito.

“At least we’ll have plenty of advance warning before
anybody breaks into our home!”

“Even if it’s just a rabbit?”

“I want us to feel safe and secure!  What’s wrong with
that?”

“Nothing, unless you’re planning to turn our home into
an armed fortress!”  She glanced at Colin.  “I hope you aren’t planning to buy
a gun, too?”

“Of course not!  I hate guns!”  Before they drove
home, they stopped at the photography store to pick up the copies of their
wedding DVD’s then stopped at garden shop so Alethea could buy potting soil and
vermiculite.  They arrived at home and began unloading their purchases.

“Careful you don’t hurt yourself,” Alethea cautioned
as they carried the chaise upstairs and into the bedroom.  They went back
outside and brought in their other purchases.

 When they were finished unloading, Colin slumped down
on the chaise, appearing completely exhausted.

Alethea stood over him.  She ran her hand through his
hair in a comforting gesture.  “Why don’t you lie down for a while?”

Colin shook his head and got to his feet.  “I think
I’ll just put my feet up for a while and channel-surf.”  His cell rang at that
moment.  “Hello?  Hi, Liam, what’s up?”  He listened intently for a few moments
then replied, “It sounds like a great idea to me.  Not only will it keep us
from getting rusty until we go back on the road, but it’ll give our fans
something extra.  I’ll pitch your idea to Steve and call you back.”

“What did Liam say?” Alethea asked.

“He’s got an idea to record a six song CD while we
have this down time and I think it’s a great idea.”  He picked up the phone. 
“I’m going to call Steve right away.”

“I’ll be up here if you need me.”

Colin nodded.  He went downstairs, making sure to lock
the doors and set the alarm.  He was feeling less anxious as he stretched out
on the couch in the other room.  He punched in Steve number.

“Crowley.”

“Steve, I just got a call from Liam and he has this
really great idea!”  Colin explained Liam’s idea in detail then asked, “So,
what do you think?”

“It sounds good to me.  Mace is coming into town
tomorrow. We can meet in my office on Monday at ten and discuss it further.”

“Okay.  I’ll call Liam back and let him know.”  He
called Liam back then laid his cell on the coffee table and turned on the
television.  Before he even had a chance to change the channel, his eyes closed
and he was sound asleep within minutes.  The remote slid from his hand and fell
to the floor.

Out on the balcony, Alethea finished planting the
window boxes and after feeding and watering them she went downstairs.  She
noticed right away Colin had turned on the security alarm.  Sighing, she went
into the other room and found him asleep on the couch.  She turned off the
television then took the afghan lying over the back of the couch and covered
him with it.  She went into the kitchen and started supper. When supper was
ready she woke Colin by gently shaking his shoulder and calling his name,
“Colin?”

He groaned and opened his eyes, swung his feet to the
floor and sat upright, yawning widely and rubbing his eyes.  “What time is it?”

“After five.  I’m putting supper on the table right
now.”

He rose, stretched and yawned again.  “God!  I feel
like somebody wiped the floor with me!”

“Well, you were exhausted.  I’m glad you were able to
get some sleep.”

He followed her into the kitchen.  “Can I do
anything?”

Alethea handed him a bottle of wine.  “You can open
this for me, please.”

“My pleasure.”  He got a corkscrew out of the drawer
and opened the bottle.  “What’s the occasion?”  He followed her outside as she
took the food out and set it on the table.

“No special reason.  I just thought it might help us
to relax.”

“And hopefully will relax me enough I won’t wake up
screaming tonight,” Colin added, pouring them each a glass.  He raised his
glass.  “I’ll drink to that!”  He only drank one glass of wine during the
entire meal.  Alethea refilled her glass.  “Do you want any more of this?”

He shook his head.  “No.  I don’t want to get into the
habit of using something to avoid something else.  That’s what I’ve been doing
with Jeff.”

Alethea twirled the wine in her glass.  “Colin, do you
think your ambivalent feeling about Jeff could be causing these nightmares?”

Colin shrugged and pushed his food around on his
plate.  “I suppose it’s possible.”

Alethea squeezed his hand.  “I’m so glad you’ve
decided to see Doctor Hughes.  I know she’ll be able to help you.”

The evenings seem to pass quickly – too quickly for
Colin’s comfort.  He dreaded going to sleep with its possibility of another
nightmare hanging over his head.  He didn’t know which terrified him more – the
nightmares themselves or just the thought of having another one like he’d had
last night!