Righteous Obsession (65 page)

“Mom made up my former bedroom for us.”

“Would you make sure I’m awake
in time for supper?”

“I will,” she promised.  After Colin had gone
upstairs, Alethea and her mother sat in the kitchen, talking.  Louisa brought
Alethea up to speed on all the family gossip, including the recent break-up of
her cousin, Nancy’s marriage.  Alethea told her mother about meeting Luke and
Nora, about Jake and Vanessa dating, and about Liam’s new girlfriend.  She
showed her mother the pictures she’d taken of San Francisco during the weekend
she and Colin spent there.

“Are you happy, darling?”  Louisa suddenly asked.

Alethea took hold of her mother’s hands and said seriously,
“Mom, I’m very happy.  I never imagined I could ever be this happy!”

“I can tell that just by looking at you, but you know
how your father worries?  I’m afraid he doesn’t have my confidence in Colin’s
ability to make you happy.”

“Well, you can set dad’s mind at ease.  Colin’s a
wonderful husband and there’s nothing he wouldn’t do to make me happy!”

“I believe I’ll let your father discover that fact for
himself,” Louisa replied with a smile.

Colin woke, rolled over and looked at the bedside
clock.  It read five-fifteen.  He recalled Louisa saying supper would be ready
at six.  He yawned and stretched, his feet pressing against the footboard.   He
got cleaned up then went downstairs.  He stopped at the bottom of the
staircase, noticing the closed door of Beau’s study.  Recalling his promise to
Alethea, he took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Beau called.  He looked up, surprised to
see his tall son-in-law, hovering hesitantly in the doorway.

“I’m sorry to disturb you, but I’d like to talk to you
if you aren’t too busy.”

“Why don’t you come in and sit down,” Beau replied,
motioning to the couch opposite his desk.  “What did you want to talk to me
about?”

Colin sat down on the edge of the cushion.  He felt as
if he was twelve years old again and seated in the principal's office!  “I want
to apologize for losing my temper earlier.  We’re both concerned about
Alethea’s safety first and foremost so I shouldn’t have taken offense at what
you said.”

Beau cleared his throat, clearly embarrassed. 
“Alethea and her mother are quite insistent that I owe you an apology for
implying that you would, in any way aid Father Michaels.”

Colin smiled faintly.  “Well, I know from personal
experience Alethea makes no bones about it when she thinks you’re wrong!”

Beau smiled, too.  “She gets that from her mother’s
side of the family!”

“Why don’t we leave it at this – I’ll accept your
apology if you’ll accept mine.”

“That sounds fair,” Beau agreed.  They walked out of
his study just as Alethea was going upstairs to wake Colin.  She appeared
surprised to see them together.  Beau went ahead into the dining room while
Colin stayed behind to talk to Alethea.

“What were you and dad talking about?”

Colin smiled, put his arm around her and gave her a
kiss.  “Well, I did promise my best girl I’d apologize to her dad.”

“Did you and dad get things straightened out?”

“Mostly.  I mean your dad’s never going to like my
hair or this earring and he’s never going to agree with my liberal point of
view, but, at least now I think he respects me.”

“Good!”  She gave him a hug.  “I’m really proud of you
for doing this!”

The phone rang just as they finished eating.  Louisa
got up to answer it.  She came back into the dining room.  “Colin, it’s for
you.”

“Thanks, Louisa.”  He rose.  “I hope nothings wrong at
home.”  He’d left Beau and Louisa’s number with Page should the pool installers
run into some unforeseen difficulty.  He went into the living room and picked up
the phone.  “Hello?”

“Colin, this is Marie Wickersham.”

Startled to hear her voice, he asked, “Are you calling
from Rome?”

“No.  I’m calling from the station.  We got back about
a half-hour ago.”

“Is Father Michaels in jail?”

“Yes, in maximum security,” Wickersham assured him. 
“However, we have an unanticipated problem.”

“What kind of problem?”

“Father Michaels appears to have had some kind of a
breakdown after the Italian authorities arrested him.  He’s unable to speak or
understand English.  Through an interpreter he had in Rome he claims to be
Father Giuseppe DePalo.  He says he was born in the village and he’s never left
it

“Is he faking?”

“I don’t believe so myself, but I’m going to have our
consulting psychiatrist examine him.”

“When will you need us to view the line-up?”

“I don’t know how long this evaluation is going to
take so I’ll call you when it’s done.”

“We’ll be waiting to hear from you.  Thanks for
keeping us informed.”  Colin hung up and returned to the dining room.  He sat
down at the table and said, “That was Detective Wickersham.”

Alethea could tell by Colin’s expression that
something was wrong and she ventured the most obvious guess, “It wasn’t Father
Michaels after all – only somebody that resembled him?”

“No, it’s definitely him,” Colin replied.  He related
everything Wickersham had told him and concluded by saying, “She’ll call when
she needs us.”

“Well!”  Beau huffed.  “That certainly is a convenient
turn of events for that priest!”

“I bet he’s declared insane, committed for a while,
and then declared sane and released.”  Liam said.

“No way!”  Colin declared.  “He’s either going to be
imprisoned or committed to a state hospital, but it’s going to be for a long time! 
I’ll make sure of that!”

Both he and Alethea went to bed early.  Despite being
tired; he couldn’t sleep.  His mind kept going in circles, wondering if they’d
allow him to see Father Michaels and how it would feel to be face-to-face with
his attempted killer again.  He wondered if he’d see Jeff too and what he could
possibly say to him.  He finally fell asleep towards early morning, but his
sleep was restless and disturbed.

It was two o’clock before they heard anything from
Wickersham the next day.  She apologized for the delay, but the psychiatric
evaluation of Father Michaels had taken longer than she’d anticipated.  “I’m
also calling to warn you that the news of his arrest has gotten out and the
front of the police station is swarming with media people.”

“Terrific!”  Colin groaned, rubbing his forehead.  He
had the beginning of a throbbing headache caused by the tension of waiting for
something, anything to happen.

“I’m sending an unmarked cruiser to pick up the four
of you.  We’ll bring you in the back way so the press won’t see you.”

“Alright, thanks for letting us know.  We’ll see you
shortly.”  After hanging up he reported what Wickersham had said and explained
how they would precede from there.

“I suppose it’s inevitable that news of Father
Michaels arrest leaked out,” Alethea commented.

“Would you like us to come to the police station with
you?”  Louisa asked.

Colin held up his hands.  “Thanks for the offer,
Louisa, but please don’t.  So far, the media hasn’t discovered you and I’d
rather it stayed that way.”

“Colin’s right, Mom, but thanks,” Alethea added,
giving her mother a hug.

Nobody spoke much on the drive to the police station. 
They arrived at the station without incident and followed their escort inside. 
As they passed the front entrance on their way to meet Wickersham, Colin
glanced out the double doors and saw the mob of media waiting outside.  Two
police officers stood blocking the entrance and making sure no unauthorized
people got inside.  Wickersham rose from behind her desk as she saw them.  She
greeted them warmly then said, “Please follow me.”  She led them down a hall
and into a room, containing only a table and some chairs.  As he entered the
room, Colin wondered perversely if this was where they questioned suspected
felons.

“Quite a show out there,” Wickersham remarked.  “We’re
aware the media has contacts inside this department, but we’ve promised severe
penalties if any further information is leaked about this case.”

There was a knock on the door and two men entered. 
Wickersham introduced them as William Morgan, assistant district attorney and
John Heath, defense attorney for Father Michaels.  “These two gentlemen will be
present for the line-up.”  She paused then explained, “I’m going to take you,
one at a time, into the next room to view the suspects.  They won’t be able to
see you.  I want you to look at them and if you recognize anyone, I want you to
indicate it by their number only. Are there any questions?”

Nobody had any so Colin went first.  The room
contained a big window, dark at the moment.  In front of it, sitting slightly
higher was a table with a microphone on it.  He and Wickersham sat down at the
table.  She spoke into the microphone, “We’re ready.”  The lights in the room
dimmed as the lights in the room behind the window came up, revealing the five
suspects.

“Take your time,” She advised Colin.

Colin nodded and carefully studied the suspects. 
Although all were about the same height and coloring, only one of them stood
out in his memory.  Number four was definitely Father Michaels.

“Do you recognize any of the suspects, Colin?”

“Yes, number four.”

“From where do you recognize him?”

“He’s the person who stabbed me.”

“You’re certain?”

“I’m positive.”

Wickersham nodded and spoke into the microphone again,
“We’re finished.  Thanks.”  She led Colin out of the room and into another
unoccupied room.  “I’m putting you in here temporarily to avoid any appearance
of collusion between witnesses.”

Colin nodded.  “I understand.”  Shortly after
Wickersham had left, there was a knock on the door and Detective Madison opened
the door.  “May I come in, Colin?”

“Sure,” Colin replied.  He walked over and shook
Madison’s outstretched hand.  “I’m glad to see you again.”

“It’s nice seeing you again, Colin.  You’ve had a
rough time of it since the last time I saw you.”

“Well, hopefully, it’s just about over.”

“How is Miss Simpson doing?  Diana told me you’d found
her a safe place to stay.”

“She’s coming along slowly, but surely.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

Colin ducked his head for a moment, trying to decide
whether or not to ask Madison about Jeff’s reaction to his son’s capture then
looked up at Madison again.  “How did Jeff and Caitlin take the news about
Father Michaels’ arrest?”

If Madison was surprised by Colin’s question he gave
no indication of it.  “They were shocked, of course, but I think they were
mostly relieved that he’d been taken into custody without himself or anybody
else being hurt.”

“I gather Jeff is still at home,” Colin remarked.

“Yes.  He’s waiting to contact his parents to break
the news to them.  They’re out of town, I believe.”

“I hope he can get a hold of them before they hear it
somewhere else.”

It was at least forty-five minutes before everybody
was back together again.  Colin put his arm around Alethea and gave her a hug.

“All four of you picked Father Michaels out of the
line-up,” Wickersham announced.  “It will be a few days before the judge makes
his decision whether or not Father Michaels is mentally capable of standing
trial.”

Colin was just going to ask something when there was a
knock on the door.  The Assistant DA and the defense attorney for Father
Michaels walked into the room.  He turned back to Wickersham.  “Can I see
Father Michaels?”

Heath spoke up immediately, “Detective, I object to
him having any contact with my client, especially after he what he said on MTV!”

“I said I hated him, Mr. Heath, I didn’t say I wanted
to harm him,” Colin replied calmly.  He wasn’t going to let this pompous
dickhead know how much he annoyed him!

“I don’t believe Colin poses any threat to your
client, Mr. Heath,” Morgan said.  “Doctor Hopewell, our consulting
psychiatrist, feels Colin’s visit could even be beneficial to your client.”

“I want my objections placed on record!”  Heath
demanded.

“Noted,” Wickersham replied.  She motioned for Colin
to come with her.

“I’m going in there with you, Colin,” Alethea
announced.

Colin whirled around.  “No, you’re not!  I don’t want
him seeing you!”

“He’s already seen me, Colin,” Alethea replied
calmly.  “Besides he doesn’t remember anything anyway.”

“Well, I don’t want you refreshing his memory
either!”  Colin rubbed his forehead that had begun to throb to the point of
making him nauseous.  “Alethea, please don’t argue with me about this.”

“Alright …fine!”  She snapped, crossing her arms over
her breasts and turning away from him.

Colin knew he’d really pissed her off, but what was
wrong with him wanting to protect her?  He put his arms around her, kissed her
cheek and whispered, “I’m sorry.”  He followed Wickersham out of the room. 
“Who the hell is that jerk, Heath?”  He asked Wickersham as they walked down
the hall.

“He’s probably the best defense attorney in New Orleans,
if not in the entire state.  Jeff Michaels must be laying out big bucks for his
son’s defense.”  She led Colin into an empty room.  Like the other rooms, it contained
only a table and some chairs, but unlike them, it had another door at the other
end of the room.  In a few minutes the opposite door opened and Father
Michaels, dressed in bright orange coveralls and handcuffed, walked in with a
police officer.  A younger, twenty-something man trailed behind them. Both he
and Father Michaels seated themselves. The officer handcuffed Father Michaels
to the table.  Wickersham nodded to the officer and he left the room.  “The
officer will be right outside that door if you need him.”

He nodded.  “Thanks.”

She went out, leaving the three of them alone.  Colin
regarded Father Michaels silently for several seconds.  He felt amazed at how
ordinary he looked – certainly not the crazed killer he’d seen that night in
the warehouse!  All the arrogance, brag, and bluster of “God’s Holy Avenger”
had gone, leaving only a frightened, confused and rather pathetic individual. 
As Father Michaels stared back at him, Colin saw a look of curiosity, but not
even a trace of recognition.  It appeared he had absolutely no idea who he was.

Father Michaels whispered something to the younger man
who looked at Colin and said, “Father DePalo wants to know who you are.”

Colin looked directly at Father Michaels as he
answered, “My name is Colin Matthews.  I’m the person you stabbed and almost
killed.”  He paused then added, “I’m also your half-brother.”

The young man translated what Colin had said.  Father
Michaels’ eyes grew wide and his mouth fell open as he listened.  He looked at
Colin then exploded into a spate of Italian.

“What’s he saying?”  Colin demanded.

The young man held up his hand until Father Michaels
finished speaking and then replied, “Father DePalo says he’s sorry for what was
done to you.  He’ll pray for that person so he’ll realize the terrible thing
he’s done and turns himself into the police, but it wasn’t him who hurt you. 
He also says he’s an only child.”

“You found that file Jeff had on me and you knew he
was looking for me.  You were jealous and afraid I might replace you in Jeff’s
affections so you decided to kill me,” Colin continued coldly.

The young man turned back to Father Michaels and translated
what Colin had said which was followed by another flood of Italian from Father
Michaels.

Colin looked at them and raised his eyebrows.  “What’s
his answer?”

“Father DePalo denies this accusation.  He says he’s
just a simple parish priest and he’s never been out of his village until the
police took him away from it.”

Colin placed his hands on the table and leaned down
until his face was level with Father Michaels.  His long hair fell over his
shoulder and he pushed it aside impatiently.  “Well, I can prove everything I
say!”  He paused, staring directly into Father Michaels eyes and then
continued, “There’s a scar on your right arm, above your elbow.  My bodyguard
shot you to stop you from killing my wife, my brother, and myself.”

Father Michaels assumed a stunned expression upon
hearing the translation then replied. His tone sounded very angry. The younger
man got up and knocked on the door.

The police officer came in immediately and took hold
of Father Michaels arm.  “Are you through with him?”

Colin shrugged.  “I guess.”  He noticed the younger
man starting to follow them out and called, “Wait!”  He turned at the sound of
Colin’s voice.  “What was that last thing he said to me?”

“He said he’s never met you and he doesn’t know why
you’re telling these terrible lies about him.  He said he has complete faith
God will help him prove his innocence.”

Colin slumped against the wall and rubbed his face. 
He head felt as if somebody was hitting it with a sledgehammer!  He
straightened up and walked out into the hall.  Alethea was waiting outside and
came over immediately when she saw him.  She put her arm around him and said,
“You look kind of pale.  What happened with Father Michaels?”

“I’ll tell you about it when we get back to your
parent’s house.  Right now, I just want to get out of here.”  Colin groaned and
rubbed his face again.  “I’ve got of those headaches that makes you wish you could
take your head off and give it to somebody else!  Where are Liam and McGregor?”

“They’re waiting with Detective Wickersham.”  They
made their way to her desk.

Wickersham got up as she saw them coming.  “Detective
Madison, Mr. Morgan and me are going out front and make a statement to the
press.  When we go outside, you can leave.  Your escort is waiting to take you
home.  We’ll keep the press busy so they won’t see you or try to follow you.”

“Thank you,” Alethea said.  She gave Wickersham a
hug.  “You’ve been wonderful through this whole terrible ordeal!”

Wickersham appeared touched by her gesture.  “I’ll
call and let you know what the outcome of Father Michaels’ sanity hearing is.”

“We’d appreciate that,” Colin said.  After the press
conference started they left by the back entrance.  The officer driving them
was very careful to make sure nobody followed them.  When Colin came in the
door he excused himself and went upstairs.

“What’s wrong with Colin?”  Beau asked.

“He has a terrible headache, Dad.”

“I know just the thing for that,” Louisa said and went
out into the kitchen.

Beau chuckled and said, “Some of your mother’s magic
herbs, I suspect.”

Louisa quickly brewed up some tea, instructing Alethea
to have Colin drink it while it was hot.  Alethea took it upstairs and found
Colin stretched out on the bed with his head under the pillow.  “Sit up a
minute, Colin.  Mom made you some tea to help with your headache.”