Righteous Obsession (66 page)

He pulled the pillow off his face and sat up, taking
the cup of tea from Alethea.  He drank it slowly and finished it then lay back
again.  Alethea partially closed the blinds, darkening the room and covered him
with an afghan.  “Just rest for a while and let the tea do its work.”

“I’ll bet I could rest a lot better if you lie beside
me.”

“If this is some new form of seduction, I definitely
approve!”  She teased, kicking off her shoes and wiggling under the afghan next
to him.  “Do you feel like telling me about what happened when you saw Father
Michaels?”

Colin sighed.  “That’s just it – nothing happened! 
Not a damn thing!”

Alethea could hear the frustration in his voice. 
“What do you mean by nothing happened?”

“I mean he didn’t know me from a hole in the wall!  He
denied stabbing me, denied knowing I was his half-brother.  I told him I could
prove everything I was saying and I told him about the scar on his arm where
McGregor shot him.  He said he didn’t know why I was lying about him, but God
would help him prove his innocence.  I guess I really thought he was faking or
if he wasn’t his memory would suddenly snap back in place when he saw me.”

“You’re satisfied he isn’t faking then?”

“Yes.”  Colin sighed and confessed, “You know, as much
as I hate him, a part of me couldn’t help feeling sorry for him.”

“Really?”

He shrugged.  “Well, it’s obvious he’s very
intelligent and he could’ve done so much with his life if he hadn’t let his
jealously of me drive him into doing this.  Maybe, he could’ve been the first
American pope.”

“What?”

“Grandma said that’s what Mrs. Michaels told everybody
when he was born.”  He paused briefly before continuing, “Instead, he’s going
to spend the rest of his life in a mental hospital and if he ever gets out of
there, in jail.  He’s caused his family untold pain and misery, and for what? 
Information he found in a file his father had and may not have been planning to
do anything with it.”

“So, you think this is Jeff’s fault for not being more
careful with his file?”

“Nobody’s to blame for this mess.  It was just stupid,
bad luck he stumbled across that file and nobody could’ve predicted he’d go off
the deep end over it.”  He wrapped his arms around Alethea and kissed the top
of her head.  “I owe you an apology for snapping at you earlier.  I was only
trying to protect you.”

“I think you’re over-protecting me, Colin,” Alethea said
pointedly.

“I know, but I am working on it.”

“How are you feeling now?”

“Better,” Colin admitted.  Alethea continued to lie
beside him until he’d fallen asleep then quietly got up and went downstairs. 
She found her mother in the kitchen, starting supper.  Liam was helping her and
was busy chopping vegetables.  He looked up and asked, “How’s Colin?”

“He’s sleeping, but he said he was feeling better.”

“That herbal tea does the trick every time,” Louisa
replied cheerfully.

“I was going to help you with supper, but I see you
already have a helper.”

“Yes, Liam and I have things well in hand, but you could
take some iced tea to your father for me.”

Beau was sitting on the chaise outside in the garden. 
He looked up from the book he was reading as he heard footsteps coming towards
him.  He smiled as he saw his daughter.

“Mom, thought you might enjoy some iced tea, Dad.”

“I would indeed and I’d also enjoy your company.”  He
closed his book, put it aside and took the glass from Alethea.  “It seems like
we’ve hardly had a chance to talk since you came.”

“I know.”  She sat down beside him and picked up the
glass of tea she’d brought out for herself and took a sip.  “Things have been
so hectic!”

“Since that priest’s been arrested things should
settle down again.”

“Yes.”  She said in relief.  “When I went into that
line-up I wasn’t sure I could identify Father Michaels, but when I saw those
men in the line-up, he stood out immediately.”

“I hope he’s going to be locked away for the rest of
his life,” Beau said vehemently.

“Detective Wickersham said she’d make sure of it and I
trust her completely.”

“Good!”

Alethea gave him a hug.  “I know you’ve been worried,
Dad, but I’m as safe as I could possibly be anywhere.  Colin’s made sure of
that.”

 “I have been worried,” He admitted then cleared his
throat.  “You know, Alethea, when I first met Colin I thought he was shallow
and irresponsible.  I was sure he’d end up hurting you terribly.”

“You’ve changed your mind since?”

“I can see for myself how happy you are and I know
Colin’s first concern will always be you.”  He sighed.  “Now, if we could just
get him to cut his hair and get rid of that damn earring!”

Alethea giggled and hugged her father.  “Dad, you’re
incorrigible!”  They walked into the house together and found McGregor in the
kitchen, exchanging recipe hints with Louisa.

Alethea and her father set the table and then she went
upstairs to wake Colin.  As they walked into the dining room, Louisa asked,
“How are you feeling, Colin?”

“Much better.  Thanks, Louisa.”

“I’m going to give Alethea some herbs to take with her
when you go home.”  She insisted everybody eat while their food was warm so
Colin waited until coffee and dessert to tell them about his meeting with
Father Michaels.

“I can’t believe he didn’t know who you were, Colin!” 
Liam said in amazement.

“Well, he didn’t bat an eyelash when he saw me and he
wasn’t faking it.”

“I’m surprised it didn’t jog him memory any when you
mentioned the scar where I shot him,” McGregor remarked dryly.

“I don’t care whether he remembers or not – better if
he doesn’t!”  Beau said vociferously.  “I’m just relieved he’ll be locked away
for the rest of his life.”

“Amen to that!”  Louisa added.

Colin slept soundly that night and woke up early.  He
quietly got up and got dressed.  He picked up his athletic shoes, intending to
put them on when he got downstairs.

“Colin?”  Alethea, propped up on one elbow, was
looking seductively mussed and sleepy.  “Where are you going so early?”

Caught red-handed, Colin had no immediate answer, but
he recovered quickly and replied, “I’ve got something I need to do.  Go back to
sleep and I’ll be back by the time you wake up again.”

Alethea stared at him and her expression told him she
knew he was giving her a line.

“You’re going to that warehouse, aren’t you?”

Colin sighed and admitted it, “Yes.”

She threw back the covers and got out of bed.  Colin
opened his mouth to protest, but she waved her hand at him.  “Don’t bother
telling me I can’t go because I’m going and that’s that!”

“You are one stubborn woman!”  Colin said in
exasperation.

“I’m only stubborn where my husband is concerned,”
Alethea replied as she got dressed.  She combed her hair and pulled it back
into a loose ponytail.  “Let’s go.”

When they drove up to the warehouse, Colin parked in
almost the same place as on that night two months ago.  He got out of the car
and when the grungy smell of the river hit him; he suddenly experienced a
flashback so vivid it nearly doubled him over.

“Colin, what is it?”  Alethea asked, rushing over to
him.

He shook his head.  “Sorry. Had a flashback …of that
night”

“You don’t have to do this, you know?”

“I do need to do it or else I’m never going to be
completely comfortable here again,” Colin replied quietly.  He put his arm
around Alethea as they stopped in front of the door.  The yellow tape the
police had used to cordon off the crime scene remained strung across it. 
Several bouquets of dead flowers were lying in front of the door, left by fans
after the news of his stabbing.  Colin tried the door and to his surprise found
it unlocked.  They ducked under the tape and went inside.  The interior no
longer seemed sinister just dirty, dusty and dilapidated.  It smelled musty and
there was a strong odor of mildew.  Weak sunlight filtered through a large,
grimy skylight in the center of the ceiling.

 “Jesus!”  Colin suddenly exclaimed as his eyes fell
on the bloodstained floor for the first time.   Medical debris, left behind by
the paramedics, surrounded it.  “I had no idea!”  Colin said.  He appeared
mesmerized by the bloodstain.

Alethea tugged on his arm.  “Let’s go.  There’s
nothing more to see here.”

Colin had a blank look on his face.  He shook his head
as if coming out of a trance and nodded. “Sure.  I’ve faced what I came here to
face.”  They walked out of the building and Colin stopped to take a final look
at it before continuing on to their car.  They arrived back in time to eat a
quick breakfast then take Liam to the airport so he could catch his flight to
Atlanta.

“I called mom and dad to let them know Alison’s folks
are meeting me at the airport and I’ll be staying at their home.”

“Try to call them at least once during your stay –
just to reassure them,” Colin suggested.

“Have a good time, Liam!” Alethea gave him a hug. 
“Tell Alison we can’t wait to meet her.”

“Take care,” Colin added, giving him a hug, too.

“Okay!”  Liam waved then disappeared down the walkway
to his plane.  They watched until the plane had taken before they left the
airport.  Later, Colin with help from Louisa wrote a letter to the judge
presiding over Father Michaels’ sanity hearing.  In it he urged that for his
own safety and that of his family’s, Father Michaels be locked up in a secure
facility.  He gave it to Wickersham who promised to give it to the judge.

Colin, Alethea and McGregor flew home the next
morning.  Before they’d left, Colin had called Page to see if there were
reporters hanging around the house.  She told him there had been press, but
she’d gotten tired of wading through them and having questions shouted at her
so she’d called the police and they evicted them.

“Good for her!”  McGregor said.  He and Page had
become quite friendly since he’d started working full-time for Colin.

Alethea sighed when they pulled into their driveway,
after dropping McGregor off, and said, “It’s good to be home!”  They walked
arm-in-arm to the front door where Colin unlocked the door and quickly coded
the alarm then scooped Alethea up and carried her over the threshold.

“This is quite romantic of you!”  She teased as he set
her down on the couch.  “Are we heading somewhere with this?”

“I’m certainly hoping so!”  Colin replied.  He brought
in their luggage then went out to check on the progress of the pool.  Alethea
followed him outside.  “Wow!  They’ve done a lot in just a few days.”

“Yeah.  Another couple of weeks and it’ll be
finished.”

She wrapped her arms around his waist.  “I can’t wait
until it’s completely done and I can start swimming again.”

“In the meantime I can think of a few ways we can stay
in shape.”

“Well, why don’t we go upstairs and you can tell me
all about it.”

“I’d rather show you,” Colin teased.

“Lead the way!”

They drove to Hillsborough later in the afternoon. 
Over supper Colin related everything that had occurred between him and Father
Michaels.  He turned to Debbie.  “Detective Madison asked me to say hi to you
for him.”

“Does he know where I am?”  Debbie asked in alarm.

“No, but he knows I know where you’re living now.”

“You said Father Michaels could only speak Italian and
didn’t understand English?”  Amanda asked.

“Yes.  I had to talk to him through a translator.  He
seems to have taken complete refuge in this other personality or whatever.  He
doesn’t remember anything.  I mean I was right in his face practically the
whole time and he never batted an eyelash!  Even mentioning the scar from where
McGregor shot him didn’t jog his memory.”

“What happens now?”  Debbie asked quietly.

“It will be up to the judge to decide if he mentally
competent enough to stand trial,” Peter explained.

“What if he decides Father Michaels is unfit to stand
trial?”  Debbie gave a shiver as she spoke.

Amanda put an arm around her in a gesture of comfort. 
“The judge will order him committed to a secure facility.”

“If he’s declared sane sometime in the future, will he
be let go?”  She asked.

“From what Colin said, I think we can forget about him
period!”  Alethea stated firmly.

“Alethea’s right!  Forget about him, go to the dance
and have a great time!”  Colin urged her.

They finished eating.  Amanda and Alethea went upstairs
with Debbie to help her get ready.  Colin and Peter cleared the table and
cleaned up the kitchen.  “I hope this doesn’t cause Deb any additional
problems,” Colin remarked to his father.

 “We haven’t noticed any, but we’ve both been sleeping
with one eye open.  What about you and Alethea?”

 “We’re fine, but Doctor Hughes did give us more time
at our appointments this week.  Were you and mom worried about Liam’s spur-of-
the-moment decision to go to Atlanta?”

“We were concerned,” Peter admitted.  “He called us
this morning and he sounded fine.  We’ve come to realize no matter how much we
might want to; we can’t protect you guys completely.”

Colin smiled and gave his dad a hug.  “Nope, but
you’re always there when we need you and that’s what’s important!”  They
finished up and went into the living room.  “So, did you meet Cody?”

“Yes.  He made a very good first impression.  He’s
very nice and seems mature and responsible for his age.”  Peter suddenly
laughed then said ruefully, “Well, it’s finally happened!  I sound just like my
father!”

“No.  You sound like a father who’s concerned about
his daughter’s safety.”

 “We’ve come to think of Deb as our daughter,” Peter
agreed.  He was silent for a moment then asked, “Have you heard from Jeff?”

Colin shook his head.  “No.”

“You probably won’t hear from him until after Father
Michaels’ sanity hearing,” Peter observed.

“You’re probably right.  He hired some hotshot lawyer
to defend Father Michaels.  Detective Wickersham says he’s considered the best
defense attorney in the state.  He’s expensive, too – bills at two-fifty an
hour!  I hope Jeff hasn’t over-extended himself.”

“You’re not thinking about helping him out financially
if he has, are you?”

“Not with anything involving Father Michaels, but I
would help out with Caitlin’s educational expenses.”

“That’s very considerate of you, Colin.”

“Well, she shouldn’t have to suffer for what her
brother did.”  The sounds of giggling and laughter coming from upstairs
interrupted them.  Colin smiled.  “Sounds like they’re having a good time.”

“How are Beau and Louisa?”

“They’re fine.  They’ve been really great through this
whole ordeal.”

“They were so kind to us while you were hospitalized,
letting us stay in their home instead of the hotel.  How are you and Beau
getting along?”

“We still have our differences.”  Colin shrugged and
chuckled.  “He’s never going to like my hair or the earring and he still thinks
I swing too far to the left politically, but he respects me now.”

 “You can’t beat that!”

Amanda came into the room with a definite twinkle in
her eyes.  Peter looked at her, smiled and asked, “Is Deb ready?”

 “Yes.  I liked to present our other star!”  She
stepped out of the way and Debbie came into the room.  She wore a strapless
dress of emerald green with a full skirt and matching heels.  She wore her hair
curled and piled on top of her head.  Over her arm she carried Alethea’s silk
shawl.

Both Peter and Colin clapped and whistled.  Debbie
smiled shyly and said, “I hope Cody has the same reaction.”

“He will,” Alethea assured her, coming into the room
behind her.

Colin got up and motioned to Alethea.  He turned back
to his parents.  “We’ve got to be going, but we’ll let you know as soon as we
hear anything from Detective Wickersham.”

“Do you want to stay and meet Cody?”  Debbie asked.

“We’ll meet him the next time he comes over.  It’s
your night and you should be in the spotlight,” Colin replied.  He gave his
parents and Debbie a hug.  “Have a great time tonight!”

Alethea gave Peter and Amanda a hug too.  She also
gave Debbie a hug and said, “Enjoy the dance!”

Colin stopped at the front door and called to his
parents, “When Liam gets home; will you please tell him to call me?”

“We will,” Peter promised.

They got home and Colin yawned as he locked the door
and reset the alarm.  “I hope Father Michaels’ condition won’t be too much of a
shock for Jeff and Caitlin.”

“I’m sure Detective Madison has prepared them,”
Alethea assured him.  “I’m going upstairs.  Are you coming?”

“I’ll be up in a few minutes.  I just want to check
CNN.”

“Okay.  Don’t be too long.”  Alethea replied with a
seductive smile.

Colin raised his eyebrows.  “Don’t worry – I won’t!”

Father Michaels arrest was still one of the top
stories.  There was a brief clip of the press conference given by Wickersham,
Madison and Assistant District Attorney Morgan.  Wickersham confirmed Father
Michaels was in custody and Morgan related the charges pending against him. 
Madison confirmed that his department was waiving the charges against Father
Michaels for the attempted murder of a seventeen-year-old female.  There was
also a brief clip of Heath saying, “I have no comment on any of the proceedings
at this time.”

The commentator further reported they didn’t know what
Colin’s reaction was to Father Michaels’ arrest.  There had also been no
comment from his family either. Colin wondered if it was even possible for him
and Jeff to have a close relationship with Father Michaels always standing
between them.

They rose late the next day.  Alethea spent most of
it, closed in the master bedroom, busy with her redecorating.  Colin was
working upstairs, putting the finishing touches on two songs for the new CD. 
He didn’t know which of them the band might choose to record, but decided he’d
throw both of them into the pot.  When he finished with that, he went on the
Internet for a while to see what the fans were saying about a new Unforgiven’s
CD.  Colin’s cell rang just as they were finishing supper.  “Hello?”

“Colin, its Luke.”

“Hang on a second and let me put my cell on speaker so
Alethea can listen.”

Luke said.  “We got into Minneapolis late last night.
We flew here after Jeff called us about Dave’s arrest.”

“Did Jeff leave for New Orleans?”  Colin asked.

“Yes, he left this afternoon.  He’s going to call us
as soon as he sees Dave,” Nora replied.

Colin paused briefly wondering if they knew about
Father Michaels’ emotional breakdown.  He decided to play it by ear.  “How are
you taking this?”

“We were shocked when we first heard the news, but
we’re relieved Dave was taken into custody without any harm to himself or
anybody else.”  Luke replied.

“How are Jeff and Caitlin dealing with Father
Michaels’ arrest?”  Alethea asked.

“They’re both worried and concerned about what’s going
to happen to Dave.  Neither of them got much sleep last night, I’m afraid.” 
Nora answered.

“Will you tell Caitlin that we’re thinking about her
and she can call us anytime she wants to talk,” Colin asked.

“We will, Colin” Luke promised.  “I’m sure it’ll cheer
her up to know that, too.”

“Does Mrs. Michaels know about Father Michaels’
arrest?”  Alethea asked.

“Caitlin told us Jeff went to see Kathleen as soon as
he heard the news from Detective Madison, but she refused to see him.  The
prison matron did promise him she’d tell Kathleen about it herself.”  Luke
explained.

“Did Jeff say anything to you about Father Michaels’ condition
before he left?”  Colin asked carefully.

“Yes, he did.  We are aware Dave’s had some kind of an
emotional breakdown,” Nora confirmed.

“I figured you probably knew, but I still didn’t want
to blurt it out on the off chance you might not.”

“How bad is Dave?”  Luke asked.  “Jeff mentioned it,
but didn’t go into detail.”

“He thinks he’s somebody else. He didn’t remember me
or what he did to me,” Colin replied.  “It’s probably treatable though,” he
finished, trying to put a positive spin on the situation.

“Yes, most mental illness is these days.  Luke and I
are hoping for the best,” Nora acknowledged.  “How did you and Alethea feel
when you were told Dave had been arrested?”

 “We were shocked,” Colin admitted.  “We couldn’t let
ourselves actually believe it was true until we saw him in the line-up.”

“We were relieved, too,” Alethea added, “Because now
we can get on with our lives.”

“We’re glad to hear this hasn’t caused any additional
problems for you,” Nora said.

“I’m glad we were able to talk to you, but I had
better hang up in case Jeff might be trying to call,” Luke said.

“Okay.  We appreciate your calling us.  Will you
please tell Jeff and Caitlin that Alethea and I are here if they need us?”

“We’ll do that, Colin,” Luke assured him.

Colin hung up.  “Well, it sounds as if they’re coping
okay so far.”

“They’re strong and so are Jeff and Caitlin. They’ll
all be fine.”

“I hope so.”  Colin went outside on the deck.  There
was a full moon and his view was as clear as crystal.  Alethea followed him
out.  “It looks as if it’s going to be another beautiful day tomorrow.”  She
caressed his ass as she spoke.  “Why don’t we go skating tomorrow?”

Colin lifted his eyebrows and teased, “Whenever we go
skating we seem to end up in bed for the rest of the day!”

“Well, I got a news flash for you – it isn’t the
skating that does it!”  She pinched his ass playfully.  “I’m going upstairs. 
Coming?”

“Sure!  Why wait to do tomorrow what you can do
tonight!”