Relentless Pursuit: A Novel (Secrets of Roux River Bayou) (33 page)

Chapter 39

Emily sat at an oblong table in the interview room where she had just given Aimee Rivette her statement and where she had spoken with Aimee and Sheriff Prejean earlier in the day. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she didn’t even try to stop them. How could her life have changed so dramatically in just a few hours?

The thought that Chance had killed himself was all-consuming. She had grown more fond of him than she dared to admit. Regardless of what he had done, his soul was worth saving. He mattered to God.

Aimee came through the door, a box of tissues in hand, and sat opposite Emily at the table.

“There you go.” Aimee put the box on the table.

“Thanks.” Emily plucked a tissue and blew her nose. “I’m sorry I’m such a mess.”

Aimee pointed to what appeared to be coffee stains on her uniform shirt. “As you can see, I’m not so perfect either at the moment. Emily”—Aimee’s eyes grew wide—“I have good news. Chance didn’t kill himself.”

Emily’s heart raced. “What? Are you sure? How do you know that?”

“I just spoke with Sheriff Prejean. He’s bringing him in now.”

Emily laughed and cried at the same time. “That’s the last thing I expected you to tell me. I just can’t believe this! He’s alive?”

“The sheriff wanted me to give you a message. Chance said to tell you he agreed with you that eternity was a long time to get it wrong. That you would know what he meant.”

Emily put her hand over her mouth and muffled her sobs.
Thank You, Lord. You got through to him.

“Whatever you told him,” Aimee said, “it must have made an impression. However, the bad news for Chance is that he will likely get the death penalty—or at best, spend the rest of his life in prison.”

“You probably think I’m crazy, but even that’s good news. There’s hope that he’ll get right with God—that’s the only way he’ll find peace in this life or the next.” Emily wiped the tears off her cheeks. “I still can’t believe he killed all those people with cyanide. I never suspected him. How could I have been so blind?”

“Don’t feel bad. We hadn’t gotten to the place where we suspected him either. We were taking a hard look at his mother and Alan Arceneau, but we hadn’t made the connection.”

“Everything backfired when his mother drank the water.” Emily dabbed her eyes. “Chance really is devastated about her dying.”

Aimee pursed her lips. “Actually, I think it was his genuine grief over his mother’s death that threw us off. He behaved totally in character for someone whose parents were murdered. And since the poisonings didn’t seem to target anyone in particular, we had no reason to suspect Chance.”

“I sure didn’t,” Emily said.

“His mother’s death may have been an accident, but the other eight were murder.”

Emily twisted the pinkie ring on her little finger, Aimee’s words bringing her back to the harsh reality she had to accept. There was a side to Chance she didn’t know or understand.

“You did great,” Aimee said. “I don’t know how you got Chance to confess. But we all owe you a debt of gratitude.”

“Thanks. But I really can’t take credit. It was a God thing.”

“You were the one who talked him down. You’re the one who’ll get a commendation from the mayor.”

Aimee made some notes and avoided pursuing any further discussion about God. It seemed obvious Aimee wasn’t comfortable with the truth. But Chance was. That was all that mattered.

Zoe walked down the stone pathway toward the flower garden at Langley Manor, assuming Michael was already there waiting. When she called and asked him to meet there, he had sounded surprised to hear from her again so soon.

It seemed odd, starting over after all this time. He was a very different man at forty-five than he had been at seventeen. Would she still feel like his little sister? Her mind flashed back to a conversation she’d had with Michael while he walked her to school, the day she started the first grade.…

Shelby kept stride with Michael on the sidewalk, both of them toting backpacks.

“First grade is a big deal,” Michael said. “You’ll hear some kids say words as bad as Daddy’s. And a few of the bigger kids will try to scare you. But as long as we’re in the same school, no one is going to bully you. If they do”—Michael pointed to himself with his thumb—“they’ll answer to me.”

“I hope my teacher won’t get mad at me like Daddy does.”

“You don’t have to be scared, Shelby. The principal is the boss of him, and she won’t let him.”

“Is he allowed to give us a whipping?”

“Unh-unh. He’s not allowed to hit you
or
yell at you. You’re safe here.” Michael stopped and turned to her, his hands on her shoulders. “I will always be your big brother, and I promise to stick up for you. Someday I’ll even be big enough to stop Daddy from hurting us.”

Shelby put her arms around him and squeezed. “You’re my bestest friend and brother. I love you most of all.…”

Zoe blinked the stinging from her eyes and kept walking.

Lord, I really do forgive Michael. Don’t let me dwell on what he didn’t do but on the good things I remember. He’s here now. And we have a chance to start over. Help us do that.

As she neared the arched trellis that formed the entrance to the flower garden, she saw Michael standing next to the bench, his hands in the pockets of his cargo pants. He turned when he saw her, his demeanor nervous, like that of a kid on his first date.

“Thanks for coming,” she said.

“Same here. Would you mind if I sat? My knees feel like jelly.”

“So do mine.” Zoe sat on the bench next to Michael.

A long moment of silence passed, and she felt no compulsion to fill it with words.

Finally she said, “I know you’ve waited a long time for this, Michael. And frankly, I never dreamed I would ever see you again. I wasn’t sure I even wanted to. I’m surprised and overwhelmed. You’re nothing like the long-haired, bearded guitar player that left home at seventeen. Actually, you’re pretty cool looking with the moussed hair and five o’clock shadow. The George Clooney look suits you.”

“Thanks.” The corners of Michael’s mouth turned up. “When I first learned who you were, I was instantly reminded of that wedding picture of Grandma Adams when she was young. She was radiant. You have the same features. Her hair was even cropped like yours.”

Zoe smiled. “I remember that picture.”

“I saved it when Mom and Dad’s house sold. I also have the photo albums of us when we were kids.”

“Did we ever smile?”

Michael nodded. “I was surprised at the good memories that came rushing back when I looked through them. Our childhood wasn’t all bad.”

Zoe sighed. “I have one picture of you with long hair and a beard and one of Mom and Dad, when they got married. I kept them in the bottom of a shoe box. I didn’t want anyone to know anything about my family. I was ashamed.”

“Is that why you changed your name?”

“Partly. But I did something awful, too, that I had to cover up.” Zoe fiddled with the pocket on her sundress. “When I worked for Adele, I took advantage of her trust and stole a valuable ring from her that had great sentimental value. She didn’t know I was the thief until I went back ten years later and confessed everything. It’s a long story about why I went back, and I don’t have time here to get into it. Suffice it to say, I spent a lot of years deceiving people and trying to be someone I wasn’t. My point is that you’re not the only one who’s let people down. I have no right to throw stones.”

“Adele seems crazy about you,” Michael said. “How is that possible?”

“That’s another long story I’ll whittle down for now. I had agreed to repay the value of the ring to the tune of thirty thousand dollars—a thousand a month for thirty months. Adele’s attorney drew up the papers. But when Adele came to Pierce and me to get our signatures, she informed us that she had changed her mind. About the time my heart sank, she told us that she had forgiven me for stealing the ring and had canceled the entire debt—
and
paid off the mortgage on our building. I couldn’t believe it. I had stolen her most prized possession. I had lied to her. Betrayed her trust. Her gracious generosity was beyond anything I could have hoped for. I certainly didn’t deserve it. Adele said she didn’t expect me to deserve it. It was a gift. It was grace. And giving it to me would help her move forward too.”

“Amazing,” Michael said. “But there must have been more to it than that.”

“I thought so too, so I asked her about it. She told me she hadn’t always been the person I knew. That she used to be verbally abusive and had hurt a lot of people.”

Michael nodded. “She mentioned that. Hard to believe.”

“I asked if
she
had received grace from someone. She said yes, a King. But that was a story for another day.”

Michael’s eyebrows came together. “A king?”

“It took me a while to figure it out. Adele was referring to the King of Kings—to God Himself.”

Michael’s face turned pink. “Please tell me this conversation isn’t going to turn to religion. You know I don’t see God the way you do.”

“You came here to find peace, and I already told you that you’ll never find true peace while you are at odds with God.” Zoe took his hand. “Michael, I’m more than willing to put the past behind us. But in order to find true peace in your heart, you’ll need more than just
my
forgiveness.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. But it’s a good start.”

“Definitely. I just hope someday you’ll want to know more about what Jesus has done for Adele and Pierce and me. He’s our peace and the central figure in our family, of which you’re now a part. I’m looking forward to getting to know my brother
Sax.
Pierce is excited to have a new brother-in-law who appreciates his cuisine. Grace is going to flip when I tell her she’s got another uncle, and Tucker won’t remember you any other way. You will always be their uncle Sax.”

“I love the sound of that.”

Zoe cupped his cheeks in her hands, the way she’d often done when she was little, and gazed into his topaz eyes that looked so much like Grace’s. “But what I came here to say, and I want to make sure you hear from my lips, is that I forgive you for everything. And I love you for all the reasons I always did. I want you in my life.”

Tears filled her brother’s eyes, and he struggled to find his voice. “I … I don’t know what to say. I thought you’d be angry and bitter and throw it in my face for a long, long time.”

“So did I. But this is so much better.” Zoe felt the heaviness push off from her heart like a bird taking flight. “Sax, I’ll tell you what Adele told me when she gave me this same gift: a day will come when someone you know is in desperate need of grace. Remember how this moment feels, and pass it on.”

Chapter 40

Three weeks later, Emily sat nervously on the visitor side of the glass at the Saint Catherine Parish Jail and watched as a burly deputy escorted Chance to a seat on the prisoner’s side. It was all Emily could do not to cry at the drastically different look of this handsome, Ivy League scholar, now dressed in an orange jumpsuit, his hair in a buzz cut.

Chance put the phone to his ear, and Emily did the same, not knowing if she could remember any of what she had planned to say.

“I’m surprised you’re here,” Chance said flatly.

“Why? Regardless of what you’ve done, I care about you.”

“Does anyone know you’re here?”

Emily nodded. “Vanessa and Ethan. But I’m not trying to hide it.”

“You should be. I’m about the least-liked man in town.”

“I didn’t come here to judge you.”

Chance held her gaze and seemed to study her. “So why
are
you here—to tell me I need to get saved?”

“Your heart already knows that, or you would have drunk the cyanide.”

“It’s not that clear-cut, Emily. You’re right: eternity
is
a long time to get it wrong. But the reason I didn’t kill myself is because I have doubts, not because I have answers. I’m not even sure what questions to ask. So if you came here to preach, don’t. I’m in a very dark place, but I’ve never seen things more clearly.”

“What things?”

Chance sighed. “How wrong it was for me to kill my dad and Joanna—and all the other people I treated as if they were nothing more than collateral damage. In the end it cost me the most precious thing in my life—my mother. But it also cost me my dignity, my freedom, my peace of mind, my future as a surgeon, and any chance of a relationship with you. I let my anger rob me of everything. I’m sorry. I really am.…” Chance’s voice trailed off, and he paused, seemingly to gather his composure. “The truth is, after I ran you off and started to drink the cyanide, I got scared. Really scared. My life flashed in front of me, and I realize that I’ve been totally self-absorbed. It was always about what I could get, not what I could give. I thought everyone owed me because I’m a genius. In my arrogance, I thought I was smarter than the cops. I even thought I was smarter than God.” Chance twisted the phone cord around his finger. “I’ve had a lot of time to think. Telling myself the truth really hurts, but it’s a good hurt. I don’t know what this dark place is, but I’m more honest with myself than I’ve ever been in my life. And I don’t want you or anyone else messing it up with religion.”

Emily forced herself not to smile. “Okay.”

“Just okay?” Chance’s eyebrows came together, a row of lines forming on his forehead. “You’re not going to try and pull me out of it?”

“Chance, if you were really in the dark, you’d be blinded to the truth. It sounds to me like the Lord is so close, you’re standing in His shadow. You’re right where you need to be.”

Chance’s face went blank. He stared at her for a moment and then blinked. “Whatever.”

“Listen, my brother-in-law, Ethan, belongs to a group of guys that make prison visits. He’d like to come by and see you and keep up with you after you’re sentenced.”

“Why?”

“Because we care about you. And when you figure out what questions to ask, he can make sure you get answers.”

“I ask hard questions.”

“Then you two should hit it off.”

Chance was quiet for a moment and seemed far away. “So … it won’t be long before you’re back at LSU.”

“Just a few weeks.”

“I know you’re going to make a wonderful ob-gyn, Emily.” Chance hung his head, but he sounded sincere. “I’m happy for you. I really am. It’s your dream, and you deserve it.”

“It’ll take years of hard work. But it’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

“I’ll miss you,” Chance said. “You’re really the only person I know who cares about me now.”

“That’s not true. There
is
someone else.”

Chance lifted his gaze. “Who?”

“Aunt Reba. She’s … waiting outside.”

“I don’t know why. She must hate me too.”

Emily shook her head. “She doesn’t. She’s heartbroken for you. I think if you’d let her love you, you’d find a little part of your mother. She wants to support you through this. I hope you let her.”

Chance’s eyes glistened. He took off his glasses, and a runaway tear trickled down his cheek. “You’ve helped me to see her differently. I’m grateful for that—and much more than you’ll ever know.”

In the long moment of silence that followed, Emily could almost feel an emotional wall go up between them.

Chance wiped his face with his sleeve and put his glasses back on. “I’m glad you came, Emily. But it’s time to say good-bye. You need to forget about me now and go live out your dream.”

“I’ll write to you.”

“No. Please don’t. It’ll just make things harder for both of us. I’ll keep up with you through Ethan—when he comes to visit.”

“Then you’re open to his coming?”

“I’m open. Just don’t expect miracles.”

Emily’s gaze collided with his, and for a split second, she saw his heart. “I always expect miracles, Chance. Always.”