The Friendship Star Quilt (30 page)

The high school auditorium filled quickly as students and parents found their seats. Brad and Jennie had seats in the center of the front row. They had arrived early in order to get a good spot to set up the video camera for the best shot of the piano. And to save seats for his parents and his aunt and uncle. He'd saved a seat on his right for Anne, too, but it remained empty as curtain time approached.

Where was Anne?

“Where is she, Daddy?” Jennie's question echoed his thoughts as she twisted in her seat to study the auditorium.

“I don't know, Princess.”

Brad felt nearly as anxious as his daughter sounded. He'd called Anne earlier in the day to confirm the time of the recital, but she'd been hesitant in her response. When he'd asked if she was okay, she'd dismissed his concern with a little laugh. However, she'd sounded odd, and his stomach had been churning ever since. Now, he asked himself why it mattered so much. He and Anne weren't a couple. He didn't have any hold on her or vice versa. Brad told himself he was simply upset on Jennie's behalf. Anne had made a promise to his daughter and had backed out on it. She'd said things she didn't mean.

It's a good thing you didn't invest your heart in her.

If only he could convince his heart that was true.

Jennie turned and stared at the doorway. “Daddy, she's going to miss the recital.”

“It's okay, honey. See, Grandma and Grandpa just came in, and so did Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Ted. We'll all be here cheering for you, and I've got my video camera all set up so we can show your piece to Miss Anne later.”

Jennie slouched in her seat and whispered, “It's not the same.”

His heart ached for Jennie. His little princess had suffered so many disappointments in her short life. Far too many. Still, she greeted their family warmly and returned their hugs even if it was a bit less enthusiastically than normal. They settled in the row with his aunt in the seat on one side of Jennie and his mother in the next one over.

“I saw you watching the door when we came in,” his aunt commented while his mother set up her own video camera. “Were you afraid we weren't going to make it on time to see you, sweetheart?”

“No. Daddy said you called to tell him you got stuck in traffic but were almost here,” Jennie answered. “I was looking for Miss Anne. She promised she'd come tonight, too.”

“Maybe she had to work late,” Aunt Bonnie suggested.

“I guess. She was in charge of the whole shop most of the winter because the owner lady went on vacation. Maybe she had to be in charge again.”

“Well, there you have it,” his mother said, joining the conversation while she focused the camera on the stage. “Running a store is a big responsibility, Jennie. I'm sure Miss Anne would be here if she could.”

His daughter nodded.

Against his better judgment, Brad glanced at the entrance one last time. His heart leapt excitedly at the sight of a familiar figure slipping into the auditorium to stand against the back wall. Anne had arrived. She'd kept her promise. Relieved, he nudged his daughter's hand. When she turned to him he tilted his head toward the doorway.

Jennie glanced over her shoulder then gave a shriek of delight. Before he could stop her, she slipped from her seat and dashed up the aisle. He watched Anne scoop the little girl into her arms and give her a long embrace. She whispered something in Jennie's ear then set her back down and kissed the top of her head. Jennie gave Anne a final hug then scooted back to her seat.

“Miss Anne said she's sorry she was late. She's going to stand in the back to watch me play then she has to leave.”

“I'm glad Anne could come tonight, Princess,” Brad replied, giving his daughter's hand a squeeze. “She probably has to go back to the shop for her quilt group.”

The little girl shook her head. “No, Daddy. She's going on a trip.”

“A trip? Where?”

“I don't know.” Jennie shrugged. “She just said she has to go far away for a while, and she is going to miss me a lot. So she wanted to hear me play before she went.”

Anne would miss her a lot? Brad didn't like the sound of that one bit. He suddenly had a bad feeling. Something was wrong, he was certain of it. He met his aunt's gaze over his daughter's head and saw the same concern in Aunt Bonnie's eyes.

“Daddy, I hope Miss Anne isn't in trouble,” Jennie whispered.

He leaned toward his daughter, curiously. “Why would you think she's in trouble, Princess?”

“Because she's afraid. She was shaking when she hugged me. And her voice sounded funny, like she was trying to sound happy, Daddy, but I could tell she was really sad.”

Brad gave his daughter a reassuring smile despite the alarm bells going off in his head. “Tell you what, Princess. You stay here with Grandma and Aunt Bonnie, and I'll go talk to her. Okay?”

“Okay, Daddy. And tell her we want her to stay.”

“I'll do my best,” he promised. But would that be good enough?

Late arrivals blocked the walkways, trying to find their families or available seats before the recital started, so Brad took the side aisle and made his way slowly toward the back of the auditorium. He was halfway there when he saw a slender, well-groomed man walk in one of the doors. The stranger glanced around then made a beeline for Anne. A glower darkened his features as he reached her side and grabbed hold of her upper arm. When Anne winced and turned to the newcomer, Brad saw her expression turn to shock.

Who was this guy, manhandling her like that?

Brad quickened his pace. As he pushed his way through the crowd, the glimpses he caught of Anne convinced him she was not happy to see the stranger. She was angrily shaking her head and trying to tug her arm free of the man's hold. As Brad got closer, he could hear her whispered but heated words.

“I'm not going with you, Jeffrey. I told you we're through.”

Jeffrey? Could this guy be Anne's ex-husband? Impossible. She'd said he was in prison. Had she lied to him? Brad recalled the confusing signals she'd been giving him lately. Sometimes, she'd seemed glad to see him; other times, she'd almost pushed him away. Had she been playing him like Sarah had played him? Brad hesitated, listening.

“We aren't through by any means,” the man told Anne, leaning into her face. “You owe me, woman.”

“I don't owe you a thing.”

“Oh, yes, you do. How do you think it made me look to my friends when my flippin' wife wouldn't stand by me while I was incarcerated?”

“I'm not your wife,” she bit out. “You divorced me, Jeffrey, and couldn't bother to even tell me. Instead, you beat the crap out of me and left me for dead by the side of the road. Why would anyone expect me to stick around after that?”

She jerked the arm he still held, trying to get free. “I wanted you to rot in jail, Jeffrey. You were supposed to be there for years and years. How did you get out? And how did you find me so quickly?”

“I've known your whereabouts for months. The private investigator my father retains has a colleague who happens to live near here. He saw you go into that shop where you work and recognized you. He's been watching you for me ever since.” He gave a sinister laugh that raised the hackles on Brad's neck. “In fact, Kyle helped me to send you roses for Valentine's Day and had lots of fun leaving little offerings on your doorstep.”

“But… how?”

“I told you my family has friends in high places. But you were always too stupid to listen. Well now, I'm here to take you back where you belong. And this time, I'll make sure you listen.”

Anne tugged her arm again. “Let go of me, Jeffrey,” she said in a near hiss. “I'm not going anywhere with you. You left me for someone else. Even if you hadn't, I still wouldn't want to be with you. You tried to kill me.”

“A pity I failed. If I'd done the job right, I wouldn't have had to come after you to rectify matters. So let's just head out the door and not disturb these nice people by making a scene, shall we?” He wrenched Anne's arm up behind her back forcing her to her tiptoes.

Brad saw the pain etching Anne's pale features and rushed toward her. “Anne. Are you all right?”

The stranger spun to confront him, jerking Anne's arm in the process. Her soft gasp brought a satisfied smirk to the man's lips. “This is none of your concern, buddy. So just back off.”

“I heard the lady tell you she didn't want to go with you.”

“You heard wrong. So just beat it!”

Brad felt someone step up beside him, and his anxiety lessened a bit to find Detective Moore standing beside him with his arms crossed on his chest. “I heard the lady say it, too. And when a man tries to force a woman to go somewhere she doesn't want to go, it
is
our problem.”

“We take such things seriously,” George Connors said, joining the other cop.

“Well, well, well. It seems my dear wife has found herself a bunch of admirers in this little hick town. Is that why you settled in this backwoods, sweetheart? Because these yokels wouldn't notice your lack of breeding?” Jeffrey sneered. He slipped his hand into his jacket pocket then jerked Anne against him with his other hand. “Enough fooling around. You don't want any of your new friends to get hurt now, do you? So why don't you just tell all your boyfriends to go take a flying leap so you and I can leave… or do I need to convince you?”

Anne paled as he pressed the hand in his pocket against her side. “Jeffrey! “ She gasped. “You didn't bring a gun in here around all these children, did you?”

“He better not have. It's against state law to bring a weapon into a school building,” Mario said, all trace of his jovial accent gone as he joined Brad and the others to form a loose half-circle around Anne and the stranger, effectively screening them from the rest of the audience.

“Not to mention a violation of your parole,” Brad added.

Jeffrey's eye's narrowed dangerously at Brad. “Since you obviously know who I am, you should know I don't need any flippin' gun to deal with my wife. This is between the two of us. So why don't you and your little posse just back off and let us leave?”

“I see you didn't learn much during your incarceration, Mr. Harper,” said a stern voice behind Brad.

“Aunt Bonnie?” Anne gasped.

“J-J-Judge Ames?” For the first time, Jeffrey's confidence seemed shaken. He stammered and removed his hand from his pocket. “What—what are you doing here?”

“The better question, Mr. Harper, is what are
you
doing
here
? And where is your electronic tether? It's a violation of your parole to remove it, you know.”

Detective Moore's gaze went from Aunt Bonnie to the man still holding Anne then back. “Ma'am—I mean, Your Honor, I'm Detective Moore and this is George Connors. We're both with the Grandville P.D. and Mario Falcone is a part-time deputy with the county. If you suspect this man is violating a parole, the three of us can run him in until you sort things out.”

“Do it,” Aunt Bonnie ordered. “But try not to make a fuss. My grand-niece's recital is about to start, and I fear the audience is already curious about what's happening back here.”

Moore nodded and took a step forward. “Okay, buddy, you heard the judge. Let go of the young lady then we're going to take a little walk out to the hallway.”

In a matter of moments, the lawmen hustled Jeffrey from the auditorium, cuffed his hands behind his back and began to do a pat down. A small crowd of onlookers had followed them into the hallway, so George scooted everyone back against the far wall. Brad's aunt stood with Anne at the opposite side of the corridor, watching the proceedings.

“No weapon. Just a roll of mints,” Mario announced, pulling the cylinder from Harper's jacket pocket and tossing it to the detective.

“I never said I had a weapon,” Jeffrey protested.

“It doesn't matter,” the restaurateur informed him. “Plenty of us heard you threaten this young woman. We'll testify you attempted to abduct her.”

There were several affirmative nods in the crowd. Brad glanced at Anne, alarmed at how white her face had gone. He hurried to her side and wrapped an arm reassuringly around her slumped shoulders.

Jeffrey sneered at Anne. “My, my, get a load of the little lovebirds. Your friend is sticking up for you now,
Sophia
. But will he still be so protective when he finds out who you really are?”

Anne grew even paler, but she raised her chin. “Maybe he won't. But if the citizens of Grandville don't want me here because of my family's past, I'll move somewhere else. But wherever I go, Jeffrey, it certainly won't be with you.”

“Don't be so hasty. You might need me to protect you once they hear you're connected to the Marrones.”

At the name of the infamous crime family, silence descended on the hallway, and heads turned to stare at Anne.

“Marrone? You're related to Gianni Marrone?” Brad could hardly believe his ears. It had been more than fifteen years, but almost everyone living in Michigan remembered the notorious mobster who'd run prostitutes, dealt drugs, and built a Ponzi scheme to swindle the life savings from thousands of people.

Tears filled her eyes, but Anne held her head high. “Gianni is my uncle.”

“Was it your parents who disappeared back in the 90s? Who Marrone tried to pin the blame on?” Detective Moore asked.

Brad felt the shudder run through Anne. She bit her lip then nodded. “I was ten. My mother took me to school that morning. I never saw her again. Mama's family took me in. Grams and Grandpa lived on a small farm near Fowlerville, so they were able to keep me out of the news.”

Brad sucked in a breath, feeling her pain as she relived the horror of losing her parents. They'd never been found. Jeffrey had apparently never told Anne the FBI suspected Gianni had killed the couple to keep them from testifying against him. Instead, her ex had tried to control her with his false implications about her family.