Righteous Obsession (57 page)

“I can’t think of anything.”

“Okay.  I’ll see you when I get back.”  He gave her a
kiss and a playful swat on her sexy ass.

“Get out of here!”  Alethea laughed, giving him a
shove.

Colin went downstairs and into the other room.  He
grabbed one of the copies of their wedding DVD out of the cabinet.  He stopped
first at the Post Office, mailing the letter and the DVD in the same package by
Priority Mail and then picked up his blueprints.

Alethea was still in the bedroom, working on ideas for
redecorating it.  She’d gotten a glimmer of an idea from the style of their
bed.  It was a four-poster bed; its headboard and posts ornately carved,
suggestive of Victorian furniture.  She was working on expanding the idea.  She
heard the Jeep pull into the driveway then heard Colin’s key in the door,
“Alethea?”

“In the bedroom, Colin,” She called back.

He came into the bedroom with a long tube tucked under
his arm.  “You’ve got to see these!  They’re unreal!”  He took them out,
unrolled and straightened them so she could look.

“It doesn’t look any different – if I’m looking at
these correctly, that is.”

“You are.  No, there’s never been any major renovation
like knocking out walls or anything.”  He rolled them up again and slid them
back inside the tube.  “How are you’re redecorating plans coming?”

“I’ve got a few ideas I’m pursuing,” Alethea replied. 
“Do you think we could move the bedroom furniture in here?”

“I doubt it, but McGregor and I probably could.”

“Would you mind if we slept in the guest room until
I’m done redecorating this room?”

He shrugged.  “Like I said before.  I don’t care where
I sleep as long as it’s with you.”  Colin started towards the door then
stopped.  “I wrote that letter to Jeff and mailed it along with the DVD.  They
should be getting them within a couple of days.”

“I’m so proud of you for doing that!”  Alethea said,
kissing him.  “I know things are going to work out for the two of you.”

“We’ll see,” Colin replied.  “I’m going to play for a
while.  I’ll be out on the deck if you need me.”

“Okay.”

Colin took his guitar outside and settled himself in
the chaise.  He started to play, but his mind kept drifting back to Jeff.  It
would almost make things easier if Jeff didn’t forgive him.  The problem was he
had absolutely no idea what kind of a relationship he wanted to have with his
biological father.  For now, at least, he felt more comfortable keeping Jeff at
arm’s length until he could work out his feeling about his dad and Jeff.  He
knew his dad would always despise Jeff for running out on his mom. 
Complicating the relationship was the fact he suspected Jeff of still having
feelings for his mother. He’d have to keep that secret from his dad. 
Complicating things even further was Jeff’s apparent resentment that his mother
had rebuilt her life without him.  Why in God’s name did he even want to open
up this particular can of worms!

The next morning Alethea went to her appointment with
Doctor Hughes and Colin took the architect on a tour of the house.  He studied
the blueprints and then accompanied by Colin he examined the house from top to
bottom.  They went outside where he examined it from every angle.  “My opinion
is you should build the addition at either the living room or dining room end
of the house.  In either case, the double windows would need to be removed to
make an exit.”

“If I do add the pool house at one or the other end,
will I end up ruining the uniqueness of my home?”

“No.  Victorian houses were never perfectly
symmetrical.  Families in that era tended to be very large.  Whenever they had
another child they would add another room wherever it was convenient.  That’s
what gives Victorian architecture its uniqueness.”

They agreed to meet in two weeks so Colin could view
the preliminary sketches.  The architect left and the electrician arrived to
install the motion-sensor lights.  He showed him where he wanted to place them
and left him to do his job.  Colin called McGregor to tell him about the
addition to his security system.  McGregor said he’d call before he did his check
so Colin could turn them off before he came.

Alethea came home, carrying a white paper bag.  She
kissed Colin.  “Every thing okay here?”

“Fine.  The architect’s going to have preliminary
sketches ready for us in two weeks and the motion-sensor lights are
installed.”  He looked at the bag she was carrying.  “What’s in there?”

“I stopped at Boudin’s to buy us lunch and a loaf of
bread for supper.”

“Good!  I’m starved!”

“Be sure and eat everything because we’ve got a
strenuous afternoon ahead of us!”  Alethea teased with a mischievous smile.

Colin smiled as he bit into his tuna on sourdough. 
“Yeah?  What are we going to be doing?”

“House cleaning,” She announced, dashing his hopes. 
They spent the rest of the afternoon giving the house a thorough cleaning.

McGregor came by that evening to see the security
lights. He approved how they illuminated the dark areas of the property. Colin
was standing outside with Alethea. It was a rather chilly night so Colin
suggested she go back inside while he talked to Buck.

Alethea touched his arm and said, “Don’t be too long.
I may need some extra warmth tonight.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

“While you’re gone next week I’m going to do a test
run on these lights to see if there’s any way I can get onto the property
without the lights coming on.”

Colin nodded.  “I guess that would be a good thing to
know.”  He bade McGregor goodnight and went inside.  After checking the doors
and setting the alarm; he turned off the lights and went upstairs.

Alethea was already in bed.  Colin quickly got
undressed and slid into bed beside her.  He put his arm around her and pulled
her close.  “Warm enough?”

“I’m still feeling cold,” she complained.

“You do, do you?”  He inquired, rolling on top of her
and kissing her

“Hmm!”  Alethea murmured, putting her arms around his
neck and pulling him closer to her.  “I think I’m feeling warmer already!”

Caitlin was ready to leave for class when the doorbell
rang.  “Damn!”  She muttered, glancing at her watch.  She considered ignoring
it, but decided she’d better answer it.  She glanced out the front window, but
saw nobody so she opened the door.  A package, reading
Priority Mail
on
the outside of it, was lying on the porch.  She scooped it up and looked at
it.  The handwriting on it was Colin’s.  She was curious about its contents,
but she was going to be late for class unless she left immediately.  She laid
it on top of the television, grabbed her backpack and car keys and then left.

Her last class of the day ended at five and she hated
going to it because it would be five-thirty by the time she got home.  To make
matters worse, she got stuck in rush hour traffic.  “Damn!”  She yelled,
hitting the steering wheel with her fist.  She and her father had taken turns
preparing their meals since her mother’s incarceration.  Normally, she would
have made something before going to class, but she’d stayed up late, studying
and had risen later than normal.  “Damn it!”  Caitlin muttered.  “Why didn’t I
make something this morning?”  She tried to think of something that was easy to
make.  She suddenly remembered the last time she’d made spaghetti sauce; she’d
made extra and put it in the freezer for just such an emergency.  She relaxed. 
Supper should be ready by the time her father got home since he was rarely home
before six-thirty anymore.  When she pulled into the garage she saw her
father’s car was already there.  “Daddy?”  She called as she came into the
family room from the garage.  She dropped her backpack into a chair.

“In the kitchen, Cait,” Jeff called back.  He was
standing in front of the stove and the spicy aroma of spaghetti sauce filled
the house.

“Daddy, you should have left that for me,” Caitlin
admonished him.  “You made supper last night.”

“I don’t mind.  My last client canceled so I decided
to come home early for a change.”

“Well, I’m glad you did!”  Caitlin gave him a hug. 
She hung up her coat and took her backpack upstairs.  She came back downstairs
and spotted the package from Colin still lying on top of the television where
she’d placed it earlier.  She grabbed it up and carried it out to the kitchen. 
“Daddy, this package came for you just before I left for class this afternoon.”

“Does it say who or where it’s from, Cait?”  Jeff
asked in alarm.  “If it doesn’t, we won’t open it and I’ll let Detective
Madison handle it.”  With all the threatening letters and phone calls they’d
been getting lately, it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility that some nut
might take it into their head to do something worse.

“It’s from Colin, Daddy.”  She handed it to him.  “I
wonder what it is.”

“Let’s see.”  Jeff opened it and pulled out DVD.  A
sealed envelope slid out and fell to the floor.  Caitlin picked it up quickly.

“This is the DVD of Colin and Alethea’s wedding,” Jeff
said, reading the label.  “Frankly, I’m surprised he sent it.”

“This was with it, Daddy,” Caitlin handed him the
envelope.

Jeff ripped it open and quickly read the letter.  He
sat down suddenly.  “Well, I’ll be damned!”

“What does he say?”  She asked anxiously, hoping it
was good news.

“He’s apologizing for getting angry at me.  He says he
realizes he has no right to be angry with me for trying to help Dave because
Peter would have done the same thing for him or Liam.  He says his anger was
due to his resentment that I left him because Dave needed me.  He admits he was
jealous of Dave.  He’s asking for my forgiveness for his childish behavior, but
says if I choose not to forgive him, he’ll understand and won’t hold it against
me.”

“You are going to forgive him, aren’t you, Daddy?”

“Of course I am, Cait.  I owe him an apology too for
the nasty remarks I made about Amanda.”

“Let’s eat supper and then we can watch the DVD.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing it.”

They finished eating and then sat down to watch the
DVD.  Caitlin noticed her father held Colin’s letter while he watched it.  It
started with Alethea being attired her gown by her mother, Vanessa and another
woman.  Caitlin jogged her father’s arm and said excitedly, “Daddy, that’s
Vanessa Morrison!”

“Who is she?”

“Oh, Daddy!  She’s only one of the top, if not the
top, fashion models around today!  I wonder how Alethea knows her.”

“Now that you’ve explained who she is, I recall
Alethea telling me she modeled for a couple of years.  That’s probably how they
know each other.”

The DVD switched to Colin having his boutonniere
pinned on by Peter.  It followed them outside.  Colin and Liam took their
places by a rose-covered trellis while their parents seated themselves. 
Caitlin saw immediately the surveillance photographs hadn’t begun to do Amanda
justice.  She was much more beautiful than the photographs revealed.

 “Is that Colin’s adoptive father?”

“Yes, that’s Peter Matthews.”

The DVD switched back to the inside of the house
showing Vanessa then Alethea, on her father’s arm, coming down the stairs.  The
video paused just inside the patio door where they stopped while Vanessa
straightened Alethea’s train and veil.  It followed them outside as the wedding
march started and up the aisle.

“Look at all those gorgeous roses, Daddy!  Grandpa
would go nuts!”

“They were married in Mrs. Ford’s rose garden.

“That’s so romantic!”  Caitlin sighed.  She giggled
suddenly.  “Look at Jake’s face when he sees Vanessa!  He’s staring so hard it
looks like his eyeballs are going to fall out!”

Jeff smiled faintly.  “He does look rather awestruck,
doesn’t he?”

 “Ooh, Daddy!”  Caitlin appeared awe-struck.  “Doesn’t
Alethea look beautiful?  Her gown is so gorgeous!”

“It looks very old,” Jeff remarked.

“Look at the expression on Colin’s face – it’s plain
to see how much he loves her!”

“Yes, it’s very obvious,” he agreed softly.

The DVD showed Colin and Alethea exchanging rings and
vows, being pronounced husband and wife, kissing and being introduced as Mr.
and Mrs. Colin Matthews.  It followed them through the reception and
cake-cutting ceremony.

“Do you see the heavyset woman standing next to tall,
thin man with the silver hair?”  Jeff asked Caitlin.

“Yes.  Who are they?”

“They’re the Scott’s – Amanda’s parents.

“I guess this DVD kind of brings back a lot of
memories, huh, Daddy?”

“Some,” Jeff agreed.

The DVD recorded Alethea throwing her bouquet and Jake
catching it.  Caitlin giggled again as they watched Jake toss the bouquet back
to Colin and scurry off as if the Grim Reaper was after him.  “I wonder what
Colin said to Jake?”

“I don’t know, but he looks as if he thinks he caught
a bomb!”  Jeff laughed.

They watched as Colin took the garter off Alethea’s
leg, amid some loud wolf whistles, and tossed it over his shoulder.  A tall man
with thinning hair caught it.

“I wonder who he is,” Jeff remarked.

“He’s Steve Crowley, Unforgiven’s manager.”

The DVD ended with Colin and Alethea leaving the
reception in a shower of bird seed.

“That was fantastic, Daddy!  I felt like I was right
there!”

“I did too, Cait.  I’m glad Colin sent us this.”

“Are you going to call him?”

“I’ll call him right now,” Jeff decided.  He picked up
the phone and punched in Colin’s number and waited.  “Damn!”  He exclaimed.  “I
got his voicemail and I hate talking to that.”

“They’re probably out for supper, maybe.  We can try
them later.”

“Yes, but right now I’m calling mom and dad to give
them the good news.  I know how upset they’ve been about this situation so I
know they’ll be happy to hear Colin and I are going to reconcile.”

Nora answered the phone.  “Hello?”

“Hi, Mom, how are you?”  Jeff put his parents on the
speakerphone.

“Luke, its Jeff and Caitlin calling,” Nora called to
her husband.

“Hello, Jeff!  How are you and Cait?”

“We’re fine, Dad.  How are you and Mom?”

“We’re fit as fiddles, Son!”

“How is Kathleen doing, dear?”

“Things haven’t changed, Mom.  She still refuses to
see Cait or I – considers us traitors.”

“Dad and I are sorry to hear that, Jeff.  How are you
doing, Caitlin?”

“Hi, Grandma!  Hi, Grandpa.  I’m fine.  I just keep
hoping mom will change her mind and realize Daddy and I did the right thing.”

“How’s school going, honey?”

“It’s a lot tougher than last year, but it’s nothing I
can’t handle, Grandpa.”

“I’m calling to tell you that I got a letter from
Colin.  He apologized for getting angry at me and asked for my forgiveness.”

“Maybe Caitlin’s letters helped him see things from
another perspective,” Nora said.

“I’m glad I took Grandpa’s advice and wrote Colin.”

“We’re so happy you and Colin are putting your differences
aside and working things out.”  Luke said.

“Did you see Colin’s and Alethea’s wedding DVD?” 
Caitlin asked.

“Yes, they mailed us our copy.  Grandma and I watched
it as soon as we got home.”

“Wasn’t Alethea’s gown breathtaking?”  Caitlin sighed.

“Yes, it certainly was beautiful,” Nora agreed.  “The
style seemed to be from around 1900.”

“We tried to call Colin, but they weren’t home,” Jeff
remarked.

“They might have gone out of town,” Nora surmised.

“Has Kathleen received any more letters from Dave,
Jeff?” Luke asked.

“No, Dad, I think he just sent that one letter to let
her know he’d gotten away with it.”

“Or he just wanted to gloat!”  Caitlin muttered.

“We pray every day that he’ll realize what he did was
wrong and turn himself into the police,” Nora said.  “We know he isn’t an evil
person and we’re sure somewhere inside himself he must know what he did was
horribly wrong.”

“I know, Mom.  Caitlin and I are praying just as hard
for him.”

“Have you had any more problems from people claiming
to be fans of Colin’s?”  Luke asked.

“We still get an occasional nasty phone call or
letter, but nothing like we were getting those first weeks after it happened.”

“I’ve had a couple of kids at college accuse me of
being a religious fanatic, too, because of what Dave did.  I challenged them to
prove it and they backed down real fast!”

“I’m so proud of Cait for standing up for herself!” 
Jeff declared.  “Well, Cait and I had better let you go since you were probably
about to eat.”

“We got home from a flower show about a half-hour ago
and were going to start supper when the phone rang.  We’re so happy you called
and told us about Colin’s letter.”  Luke said.

“I’m really happy he made this gesture.”

“Please let us know how things work out with Colin.”

“I will, Mom.”

Jeff hung up and turned to Caitlin.  “I didn’t know
you’d been writing to Colin, Cait.”

“Don’t be upset, Daddy.  I thought maybe, I could help
patch things up between the two of you.”

“I’m not upset, Cait, not in the least.  I’m really
touched you did this.”

“I thought Colin might be more willing to listen to
what I had to say.  I wonder what did convince him to change his mind.”

“I don’t know, but I suspect Alethea had a lot to do
with it and I’m sure your letters helped him see things differently.”

“I can’t wait until Sunday night.”

Colin pulled up in front of the Red Victorian Bed and
Breakfast on Haight Street shortly before noon.

Alethea looked up at the three-story building in
surprise.  “It really is red!  I thought it was just a name.”

Colin got out of his Jeep and helped Alethea out.  He
went around and unlocked the tailgate and began unloaded their luggage.  They
checked in and the desk clerk escorted to their room on the second floor.  As
they were coming up the stairs, Colin could see someone sitting in a chair at
the top of the stairs.  When he got closer he saw it was actually a life-sized
doll.

“This is Gigi, our Innkeeper Emeritus since 1904.”

“Please to meet you, Gigi,” Colin said, nodding
politely.  He and Alethea followed the girl past a bathroom with a fish tank,
containing goldfish, and aptly entitled, the Aquarium Bath.  They passed two
other rooms, one called The Conservatory and the other called, The Japanese Tea
Garden.  They turned and went down another short corridor that led to their
suite.  After explaining a few things about the room and the time breakfast was
served, she left them alone.

The suite consisted of two large rooms plus a
bathroom.  Alethea wandered into the bedroom then called, “Colin, come see
this!”