High Plains Hearts (40 page)

“It sounds to me like the scoundrel was counting on Lily to take the road of least resistance,” Pastor Mike mused. “As long as she didn’t say anything, his game was still alive. He could do anything. And once she left, he was free to do whatever he wanted with the records.”

“And that’s going to be his undoing,” Ric said. “You know the Bible says in Proverbs 16: ‘Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.’ The more Douglas Newton felt that he was unbreakable, the more he laid his own trap.”

“It is one of the greatest learning lines in the Bible, isn’t it?” Pastor Mike leaned forward and made a note on the pad on his desk. “I think I’ll do a sermon about it. We often collapse the verse into the more modern interpretation of ‘pride goeth before a fall,’ and it certainly does, but there’s more to this verse than that.”

Ric tilted his head. This was one of his favorite parts of this job, talking about the Bible with such a wise man.

The senior pastor continued. “The verse says that pride takes us to destruction, not to just a fall. It’s ruin. Now, sheer snootiness, that’s a different story. You’re snooty? You’ll fall. Will you end up destroyed? Maybe. But the two are definitely separated in the Bible.”

Ric’s thoughts flew right to Victoria Campbell. She had definitely qualified as what Pastor Mike called “snooty,” and she had fallen. Yet she wasn’t defeated, and now she was back with a clean spirit and better intentions.

God was pleased. Ric knew that.

He was about to share his deep thoughts with his fellow minister, but the door flew open as Todd barreled in, a Styrofoam cup in his hand.

“This is for you, Pastor Mike,” Todd said, leaning on tiptoe and sliding the cup across the polished wooden desk as little bits of soil escaped onto the sleek surface. “It’s a plant. See? It’s just a little guy. We grew it from a teeny-tiny seed. It’s from us at the day care, all of us, although Miss Eileen planted it, but she let each of us poke our fingers in the dirt once. It’s a Marry Gold. Are you married?”

“Well Todd, thank you, and it’s wonderful, and yes, I’m married.” Pastor Mike’s eyes crinkled with laughter.

“Good. Otherwise I don’t think it’d be a good idea for you to have a Marry Gold. You,” Todd said, turning toward Ric, “don’t get one, and I’m sorry because I kind of knocked it off the ledge where the books are. We have another one planted for you, but it hasn’t popped out yet, so there’s nothing to see, but you can come see it if you want to. Even though there isn’t anything to see. It just looks like dirt, but you know what? There’s a Marry Gold growing under it, and one day it’ll pop out, and then you can see it.”

Eileen’s voice called from the hall. “Todd? Todd? You were supposed to wait….”

“Bye,” the little boy said, and as quickly as he’d appeared, he vanished.

“It just looks like dirt, but under it all, there’s a seed growing,” Ric said thoughtfully. “Sorry, Mike, but I’m taking that one for the children’s sermon!”

Lily had just arrived the next morning when Marnie hailed her from the office. “You have a call on line two. I think it’s that Mr. Palmer. I’ll transfer it to you.”

Lily dashed down the hall and unlocked the door to her office with trembling fingers. What would he have to say to her?

“Ms. Chamberlain, this is Carl Palmer. I wanted to update you on your case.”

Her voice sounded remarkably calm as she answered, “I appreciate it.”

“We’re examining the bank accounts in your name as well as those of the Nanny Group, and we’re looking into the statement you made in my office. Now between you and me, those aspects of the current situation that you brought to my attention are serious, but I didn’t hear you make any allegations or claims, and I will say so in a court of law if necessary.”

“What does that mean?” Lily asked. He might as well have been speaking another language. She didn’t understand a word he said.

There was a pause, and then he said, “In case Newton attempts to discredit you.”

“He’s already done that,” Lily responded.

“Perhaps ‘discredit’ is too weak of a word. Maybe I should say in case he would try to charge you with defamation.”

Defamation?
He might charge her with defamation? Lily was almost surprised that she didn’t react in anger. Instead, she closed her eyes and shook her head. “I wouldn’t put it above him,” she said to Mr. Palmer.

“It is a defense that is occasionally used, although it doesn’t often go to court. Usually it’s merely a way of trying to get the other person to back down.” His voice was noncommittal, but she could sense an undercurrent in his words:
Be careful
.

“At any rate, you can expect a visit from two officers of the law who will take your statement formally, and there may be others as well from both state and federal agencies as this thing expands. I’m not sure at this stage who all will be involved.”

“I understand.”

“Ms. Chamberlain,” he said, his voice lowering a bit, “ask for identification. Keep track of who you talk to, their names, agencies, everything you can. Don’t get in a car with anyone to ride to an interview. Meet them there or offer to make your statement in your office. And if you know someone reliable, perhaps that young man who accompanied you to see me, have that person with you during the statement. And remember, you do have the right to legal counsel if things get too dicey. If you ask for it, they must stop interrogating you at that point. Actually, you might want to think about retaining counsel now.”

The conversation ended with a few pleasantries that floated over and around her head, and at some point she hung up the phone.

She stood up and, on shaky feet, walked down the hall to Marnie’s office, where she was talking to Victoria Campbell. Ric looked up through the open door of his office, and suddenly all was quiet.

“I need a lawyer.”

Her words fell into the silence with the strength of a megaton blast.

Ric was at her side in a second, and soon all three were asking her questions at once.

She related the conversation, pausing occasionally to fill Victoria in on the gaps, and at the end Ric leaned back thoughtfully.

“I think it’s a good sign,” he said at last.

“Are you out of your mind?” Lily couldn’t believe what he was saying.

“I think it means that he is convinced you’re not guilty. Otherwise, I don’t think the conversation would have gone the way you’ve relayed it to us. It would have been much more matter-of-fact, and I doubt he would have advised you to get a lawyer. He probably would have asked if you had a lawyer.”

“But why do I need a lawyer if I’m not going to jail?” she wailed.

“You need a lawyer so you
don’t
go to jail,” Marnie said.

“My ex is a lawyer,” Victoria said. “We had our problems when we were married, but as lousy as he was as a husband, he was a superb lawyer. And one thing I learned from him was that lawyers, among other things, protect the process of law, even though it may not seem that way to us. So you need a lawyer to make sure your rights aren’t trampled on in the search for justice.”

“What does that mean?” Marnie asked.

“I’ll try to clarify,” Victoria responded. “Heaven knows I heard the spiel enough times from him. The government is set up as a system of checks and balances, and one of the balances comes from lawyers, who make sure that when their clients enter the court system, all the rules are followed. That’s why you hear about these awful people getting out on technicalities.”

She motioned for them all to sit down. “Sorry. This takes awhile to go through. We’re—all of us—given legal rights regarding searches and evidence and admissibility and that kind of stuff. For every single case, a good lawyer will make sure that those rights are preserved.”

“Yeah, but that stinks when somebody gets out because something was wrong with the arrest!” Marnie said.

“I agree, but in the long run, it’s a protection, because if it’s ignored once, it can become precedent and become like a new regulation or law, and that’s wrong.” Victoria raised her eyebrows. “Wow. I usually don’t give speeches. Maybe I was paying closer attention than I thought when Mr. Wonderful was talking.”

“But how on earth am I going to get a lawyer?” Lily stood up and walked to the window. Outside the sky was blue, and she could hear a bird singing.

Victoria picked up the phone and dialed a number. “Max Campbell, please.” She covered the mouthpiece with her hand. “Watch this. Max? This is Victoria. A friend of mine needs some legal backup, someone to be with her when she’s questioned by the feds, and really, to make sure that whoever’s doing the interrogation is legit.”

She paused and smiled. “No, she’s innocent. She really is. She’s too good to do something like—yeah, it’s her. Yes. You will? Great! I’ll send her down, and smooches to you and the missus. Bye!”

She hung up the phone with a big grin. “You got a lawyer!”

“But I thought you and your ex weren’t on good terms,” Lily said slowly. “How did you …?”

Victoria smiled. “After our talk, I called him, and he and I and his new wife sat down, and we talked the whole thing out, and while I still think she’s a money-grubbing husband stealer, well, to put it nicely, it’s a perfect match. We’ve come to a new understanding, and we’re all happier, especially Edgar. So Max is willing to give you a helping hand, no problem, in gratitude for all you’ve done for us.”

“Wow.” That was all Lily could say. That and, “Thank you!”

Max Campbell was quiet and as steady as a rock. He sat beside her through all the interrogations, occasionally interrupting to ask for clarification but generally listening and watching like a hawk.

She was relieved when, after the final interrogation, he took her into his office and gave her his opinion of what was occurring.

“It looks to me as if you’re not under suspicion anymore. It appears that the interest seems to have shifted to Douglas Newton and away from you except as a witness. I have to explain, though, that it looks as if we’re moving into federal territory with the bank question. Banks, you know, are controlled by federal law, and violations of banking regulations generally result in the FBI being called in.”

“The FBI?” Lily breathed. “I can’t believe it!”

“Believe it.” He smiled at her, the first time he’d done so since meeting her. “You’ll be able to say you have an FBI file.”

“Swell. My claim to fame.”

“Could be worse.”

It didn’t take a Ph.D. to figure out what he was referring to, and she nodded.

“So, I think you’re okay at this point,” Max finished. “But don’t hesitate to give me a call if you have a question or if someone else shows up wanting to chat with you. Don’t talk about this on the phone or on e-mail, and don’t write or sign anything without letting me take a gander at it first. Deal?”

“Deal.” She stood up and shook his hand. “I can’t tell you how much this has taken a load off my mind, Max. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”

“And I appreciate what you’ve done for Victoria and my family. I don’t know what you said to her, but it sure changed her around. She says she’s back at Resurrection, too.”

“Yes, and we’re glad to have her. She’s a grand addition to everything we do.”

“I’ve been thinking about Resurrection. I used to go there, you know, before Victoria and I split up. I kind of miss the place,” he mused.

“You’re always welcome back, you know.”

“It might be awkward for Victoria and my wife, so I think we’ll pass.” But his voice sounded wistful, and Lily recognized the undercurrent of need.

“Do you have another church home?” she asked him gently.

“Another? No, no, I don’t. I haven’t been in a church since I left Resurrection except for funerals and weddings. Tiffani and I got married at the courthouse here.” There was a note of regret in his words.

“I can understand your reluctance to come back to Resurrection,” Lily said. “But God lives in many houses. I’m sure there are others that will suit your needs here in Wildwood or one of the other surrounding communities. You could ask Ric. He’d know what would be compatible with our beliefs at Resurrection.”

“I may do that.”

He walked her to the door. “Do you realize what you’ve just done?” he asked her. “Not only did you bring Victoria back to the church, now you’ve got me thinking that Tiff and I might search for one to attend. Did you ever think about going into sales?”