Sense of Rumor (Mount Faith Series: Book 6) (10 page)

When they reached his office, she saw Kylie sitting in his chair. She looked concerned when she saw Arnella.

"What's wrong, cuz?" Kylie asked, looking from Arnella to Gareth.

Gareth shrugged. "She was in the back of the computer lab whimpering."

Kylie got up, closed the office door, came over to Arnella, and hugged her. "It's okay, whatever it is."

Arnella shook her head. "I got an email." Her lips were trembling.

"From who?" Kylie asked, brushing away stray tendrils of hair from her face.

"I don't know," Arnella said. "It said 'bad bad girl. I know what you did at the party.'" She swallowed. "I was drugged a couple of weeks ago and three guys had sex with me. Apparently, they videotaped it. Now it seems as if somebody is toying with me."

Kylie gasped. "What!"

Gareth, who had just sat down in his chair, looked at Arnella with surprise. He and Kylie exchanged shocked looks.

"We have to tell the police," Kylie said without preamble. She took out her cell phone.

"No!" Arnella said, slumping into the chair nearest to her. "Please no. I just need to know who is sending the email."

"Who are the guys who did this to you?" Kylie asked urgently. "You have to tell us."

"They went to my high school and now they are up here," Arnella said, "I thought about telling the police too but the thing is, it's my word against their's."

She exhaled tremulously. "I can't believe this is happening to me. Well, maybe I can, I knew something bad was going to happen to me after I moved into Deidra's place. Good things just don't happen to me without bad things following on its heels to make me unhappy. I can never catch a break. Never!"

She bit her lip and then stood up shakily. "I have to go."

"Ah, honey don't go," Kylie said gently. "We need to talk about this."

"Is it possible these guys are the ones sending you the video?" Gareth asked, "Because that could be evidence. I mean, I could ask Jackie..."

"No Jackie," Kylie said fiercely. "We have our own family detective. Natasha and Taj are engaged; she's practically family. She's a police detective; we could talk to her about this. Don't you dare think you are alone in this, Nella."

Kylie hugged her tightly. "There has to be some justice in this for you."

Arnella got up. "Thanks guys for caring, but I am just going to go now."

Kylie nodded. "Want to come to church with me and Gareth tomorrow?"

"No." Arnella shook her head. "Vanley and Aunt Celeste already invited me. I am going to just chill tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay." Kylie watched her leave and then shook her head at Gareth. "Whoever is messing with Nella doesn't know that they're messing with the Bancroft family. When my Dad hears this he is going to flip."

*****

Alric sat around the church organ in the University Church for Sabbath worship. From his vantage point, he could see the whole church. The Bancrofts were sitting en masse to his right. He kept glancing over there to see if he could see Arnella. She had not come in with the rest of her family. He had been expecting her to be here today because her brother Vanley was doing his debut sermon. It was his first time speaking as an assistant pastor of the University Church. All the other Bancrofts were there to offer their support.

He wondered why Arnella was not there. Was she so totally against church that she didn't want to even attend once to give familial encouragement?

He looked across at Vanley, who was sitting in the preacher's chair. He didn't look nervous, or like he needed support. He looked like a man who had a message and was chomping at the bit to deliver it.

Alric's mind wandered back to Arnella. He almost missed the cue to start the music for the opening song "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God".

After the song, he wondered if Arnella was sick or something. That could be her reason for not attending. In class on Wednesday, she had been majorly subdued and she had hightailed it out of the class before he could say anything to her. She hadn't even looked at him. It had bothered him for the entire day.

He forcibly dragged his mind from Arnella and focused on the proceedings. It wasn't until the service was finished that he acknowledged to himself that he had not succeeded in keeping Arnella out of his mind.

Vanley had delivered a powerful sermon on prophecy and the signs of the times, but he had been staring at him and wondering how he could have a sibling that was so radically different from him—so troubled and unhappy. Vanley didn't seem as if he had any hang ups like that. He was a well-respected young pastor at the university. He was so upright and straitlaced that even his own father, a minister of religion for over thirty years, spoke fondly of him and respected him implicitly.

He almost bumped into Tracy when he left the platform where the organ was. She had been standing at the base of the steps and was smiling at him.

"Oh sorry, Tracy, didn't see you there." Alric smiled at her. "You look lovely today." He admired her in her blue suit and matching hat.

"Thank you," Tracy smiled. "How are you? I can't believe we live in the same apartment complex and I don't ever see you."

Alric smiled. "That's because I am a working student. Final year med school with one lab to teach affords me hardly time to sleep."

He headed toward the door where the platform party was lined up shaking the hands of the membership. Tracy shuffled behind him, trying to keep up in her high heels. He slowed down so that she could catch up.

"So where are you having lunch today?" She asked when she caught up with him.

Alric shrugged; he was thinking of having lunch with his parents, but a little part of him wanted to see if Arnella was all right.

"My parents, probably." Then the thought hit him. Arnella and Tracy were friends; maybe Tracy would know where Arnella was.

"By the way, have you seen Arnella today? I thought that with her brother preaching today she would have shown up for church."

Tracy stopped abruptly. The guy behind her almost walked into her. "What?" she asked, open-mouthed. "Vanley Bancroft is related to Arnella?"

Alric raised one eyebrow. "Yes. Are you sure you guys are friends? How come you didn't know this?"

"Well, I..." Tracy frowned, "but President Bancroft is Vanley's uncle."

Alric chuckled. "Yes."

"So Arnella is that closely related to them?"

Alric nodded.

Tracy covered her mouth. "I feel so foolish. I thought she was distantly related you know, like a third cousin or something. Arnella doesn't act as if they are closely related.

"Do you know where she's living?" Alric asked.

Tracy shrugged, "I am not sure, she said something about Buena Vista."

Alric opened his eyes wide. "That's a nice place. I know where it is."

"It is?" Tracy asked faintly. Then she cleared her throat. "Why do you want to know where she lives?"

"I am a bit concerned about her," Alric said. "She didn't seem like herself in class on Wednesday, and she wasn't here for her brother's sermon. It was his first presentation."

"But you hate her," Tracy said, dismayed. She could care less about it being Vanley's first sermon. "You hate her, remember?" she said frantically.

"Keep your voice down," Alric whispered. They were standing near the door outside of foot traffic. The line toward the door was getting shorter as more people filed out. Some persons had looked around as Tracy blurted out the word ‘hate’.

"I don't hate her," Alric said uncomfortably, "I think she's unhappy, and I am concerned."

"Unhappy?" Tracy's eyes widened. "Arnella is always happy and carefree. Where'd you get that from?"

Alric frowned. Obviously, Tracy didn't know Arnella as well as she thought. He shrugged. "I am just concerned…basic concern. I am going to check up on her at Buena Vista."

"I am coming with you." Tracy declared staunchly. "She's my friend. I didn't know she was unhappy." The last bit was said in almost a pleased tone.

*****

Arnella had been in the basement painting when she heard the door buzzer going off. She wanted to ignore it but it could be somebody stopping by for Charlene. She looked down at her paint-spattered jeans shorts and her once white t-shirt and shrugged. She would just send whoever it was on their way when they found out that Charlene had gone to church.

She got up from her chair, stretched, and headed upstairs. She spoke into the intercom, "Charlene is not here."

"I came to see you, actually." Alric retorted.

Arnella closed her eyes and swallowed. "Arnella is not here either," she said gruffly. "She will be back on Monday."

"Ah, come on," Alric said, "I drove all the way up here to see you. By the way, Tracy is here with me. We were both concerned about you."

Arnella straightened up when she heard that Tracy was there. For a nanosecond, when her brain had skipped a process, she had liked the thought of Alric coming to see her. Thank God her brain was functioning again because she didn't want her mind thinking that she likes Alric.

"Okay," she said grumpily and opened the gate.

She defiantly looked at herself in the mirror. She was not going to change. They were the ones who were visiting her. She didn't ask them to.

Her hair had green paint on the tips and was a shaggy mess. She opened the front door and stood in the opening as Alric got out the car, waving to her as he went to open Tracy's door.

Who said chivalry was dead?
Arnella thought snarkily, but a piece of her, the part that she thought hadn't gone all bad, admired Alric's old-fashioned manners. If she were to be honest, she admired him. He looked handsome in his dark-gray suit. He was clean-shaven, and his hair was growing back from the completely bald look. Tracy stood beside him when she came out of the car, deliberately pressing closer to him than was necessary Arnella thought.

Alric eased back from her quickly. Arnella grinned; in a flash she summed up his feelings toward Tracy. It was not encouraging.
Poor rich Tracy
.

"I told him nothing was wrong with you," Tracy said, looking over at her. "See, you look happy."

Arnella laughed a forced sound that sounded fake, even to her own ears. "Why would you think something was wrong with me, Alric? I am fine."

"Your brother preached at church today, his first time in the pulpit for the semester. I thought you would have come for that."

Arnella shrugged. Vanley had begged her to come, and she would have, if she had not been so rattled by the video in her email. She hadn't slept since she watched it. She had been in the basement all night painting. She wouldn't tell Alric that though, especially since Tracy was there.

She looked up at Alric; he had walked up to and stood close in front of her. He towered over her, his tall muscular frame almost daunting. He smelled good too. Her eyes connected with his, and for the life of her, she couldn't shift her eyes from the stare. He was reading her; his eyes were burrowing into hers, trying to ferret out her secrets. She tried to break the contact but it held her there. It was magnetic, almost other-worldy.

"Nice place," Tracy said brightly, looking between the two of them with a puzzled expression.

Alric dragged his eyes from Arnella's first, and she blinked.

"Yes, er thanks. It's Deidra's place."

"Deidra Durkheim!" Tracy squealed. "You know her?"

"Yeah," Arnella said. "She is married to Marcus. So technically she is a Bancroft now."

"You dark horse you," Tracy said, shreds of envy in her tone. "You never told me you were so closely related to the Bancrofts."

Arnella shrugged, "I am. Come on in, since you are already here." She looked back at Alric, who was looking at her with his eyebrows raised mockingly.

She indicated to the living room and Tracy followed her, gasping in awe. "This place looks amazing."

"Yes, it is," Arnella said." Would you guys like lunch? Charlene has the fridge stocked with food."

"Who is Charlene?" Tracy asked the question she had been dying to ask.

"Deidra's sister," Arnella replied abruptly. She was beginning to regret their intrusion into her day.

"Yes, I would like some food," Alric said. "I was planning to eat at my parents but having lunch with you would be as good."

Arnella opened her mouth to tell him that he wasn't having lunch with her, but then closed it. She needed to be gracious Alric had really saved her life the other day when he invited her to his mother's birthday lunch. He had also possibly saved her from jail when she attacked David.

So, she put on her best hostess smile and took out Charlene's cooked food. She even made vegetables and a fruit salad. All the while Tracy was talking a mile a minute, asking her questions about her family.

"I can't believe that you personally know Marcus Bancroft," Tracy said enviously.

Arnella shrugged, "Marcus and I were adversaries when we were younger. We used to fight a lot when I came to stay for the holidays. He had this thing about girls playing with each other and boys doing their own thing. I begged to differ. I loved playing with the boys."