The Wedding Caper (25 page)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

I don’t think
Janetta
stopped shaking her head even for a moment as I
presented my theory of how, when, and why Richard Blevins had stolen her money.
She took it all in without uttering a word, though I did notice her eyes
moistening a time or two when I gave her my take on what I felt had driven him
to do such a thing.

“Oh,
Annie,” she whispered as I finished. “Do you really think so?”

With a
slight nod, I responded, “I don’t think so. I know so. And if Richard Blevins
is the man I think he is, you will see for yourself, very soon.”

I sensed
the minutes ticking by and asked
Janetta
if we could
pray together. She agreed, no questions asked. I took hold of her hands, right
there in the kitchen, and I prayed in earnest. Prayed for Richard. Prayed for
truth to prevail. Prayed for God to intervene. Prayed for safety.

The words
to my Bible verse
ribboned
around my heart:

Knock,
and the door shall be opened unto you… Together,
Janetta
and I knocked at heaven’s door, standing firm on the promise that God would,
indeed, open it for us.

Seek and
ye shall find… I’d been seeking the perpetrator of this crime long enough. I
knew beyond a reasonable doubt that I’d found the person I’d been looking for
all along.

Ask, and
you shall receive… With that on my mind, I asked God to do the unthinkable—to
bring the man who had committed this crime directly to us.

And
that’s exactly what He did.

Richard’s
car turned into the drive within minutes of our prayer, just as I’d expected.
We watched him through the kitchen window—me with a tightened jaw and
Janetta
in stunned silence.

Only
slightly complicating matters, Jake walked into the kitchen at that very
moment, dressed in his boxers and t-shirt and rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“W–What
do we do now?”
Janetta
asked, eyes wide.

“Do about
what?” Jake raked his fingers through his messy hair and looked at me kind of
funny. “Hey, Mrs. Peterson.” He opened the refrigerator door in an attempt to
hide his sleeping attire. “You’re here early. What’s up?”

“Mm-hmm.”
I continued to stare out of the window. Richard sat in his car, not moving. I
knew what I had to do. I turned to face
Janetta
.
“Would you two mind waiting in the house? Give me about five minutes alone with
Richard.”

“Oh,
Annie.” Concern filled
Janetta’s
eyes.

Jake
gazed out the window, his face lighting up. “Is that Richard Blevins? What’s he
doing here?”

Janetta
and I both just shook our heads and
said
“Don’t ask” in tandem.

Jake
responded with a curious stare.

With a
prayer on my lips, I left the house and boldly marched down the driveway toward
the car. Somehow, Sasha must’ve slipped though the door, because she came
bounding alongside me. I reached down to lift her into my arms and kept
walking.

Richard
never saw me coming. I found him with his head slumped over the steering wheel,
back heaving up and down as he wept.

I hated
to interrupt his privacy, but decided to go ahead and tap on the window while I
still had my courage intact. He looked up with tear-filled eyes, clearly
stunned to find me standing there. I continued to stand in silence until he
rolled down his window.

“A–Annie?
What are you doing here?” He swiped at his face, is if to brush away both the
pain and the guilt I’d found there.

“I think
you know, Richard.”

For a
moment, a blank look crossed his face, and then understanding apparently set
in. More silence passed before I asked if I could join him in the passenger
seat.

“Are you
sure you want to?” he asked. “You’re not scared of me?”

I shook
my head and offered up a hint of a smile. “No, Richard. I’m not scared of you.”
I walked around the car, opened the passenger door and slid into the seat,
placing Sasha in my lap. She gave Richard an inquisitive look, and then began
to sniff around the vehicle, overjoyed at the prospect of her new surroundings.

Richard
looked directly into my eyes, which surprised me a little. “How did you know?”

I
shrugged. “I wasn’t sure until last night.”

“Last
night?”

“Yes.” I
gave a slight nod. “I’ve been trying to solve this thing from the
beginning—for my own personal reasons. But last night I played back
through all of the evidence in my mind one last time.
All of
it.
And when I got to the part that involved you, the Lord triggered a
memory. It was something you said on the day you came to my house that jumped
out at me.”

His gaze
shifted down. “What was that?”

“Just a
simple comment,” I explained, “which is why I didn’t think anything of it at
the time. But last night, the Lord took me back to what you’d said—that
you would do anything for Judy. And I remembered the look of desperation in
your eyes as you said it.”

He
nodded, almost in slow motion. “Yes.”

I reached
out to grab his hand. “I believe you really would have done anything to save
Judy’s life.”

“I would
have. I–I tried to.” I could see his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down and
knew tears would soon come. “There is a place in Philadelphia,” he whispered.
“A cancer treatment center that specializes in a natural
approach—holistic. You know, Annie. Vitamins, herbs, diet… that kind of
thing.”

“Right.”

A look of
desperation laced his words, the same desperation I’d seen in his eyes that day
in my living room. “I researched for days. Weeks, even. And I really believe
they could have cured her. I read so many testimonies from patients. At this
center they take the hard-core cases—people the medical community has
given up on—and they offer them hope. We—” Here, he cratered. “We
needed hope. But she didn’t want to go. I found a way to get her in the door,
but she wouldn’t move from one place to the next. She was—”

“Ready.”
In my mind’s eye, I caught a glimpse of Judy, dancing with her Savior. “She was
ready to go home, Richard.”

“Yes.” A
gut-wrenching sob escaped from the back of his throat. “B–But I wasn’t
ready to let her go.”

I pushed
back the lump in my throat as I responded. “No one can fault you for trying to
keep Judy here,” I said, “only your methods.”

“She
never knew,” he whispered. “I didn’t tell her about taking the money. I would
have been so ashamed if she’d figured it out. I’m already ashamed enough.” He
gave me a pensive look. “That’s why I’m here.”

“I know.”

Sasha
bounded from my lap down onto the floorboard and stuck her head under the seat,
rooting around with a vengeance. “Sasha, don’t be a nosy-poke.” I reached down
to grab her, but my hand brushed against something under the edge of the seat.
I pulled up a large night deposit bag, zipped shut, with the Clark County
Savings and Loan logo on the front of it.

That’s
two treats for you, Sasha.

 “I
came to give that back to
Janetta
,” Richard
whispered. “I promise. I was going to tell her. I was.”

“You
don’t have to say any more.” I’d known it, probably even before Warren’s phone
call. “I believe you.”

“Thank
you.” His words were hushed, strained.

In spite
of the anxiety in his eyes, I worked up the courage to ask a question. “I’d
like to ask you something, if it’s okay.”

He
shrugged and leaned back against the seat. I could read the defeat in his eyes.

“I’ve
spent a lot of time thinking about this,” I explained. “And I just need to
know. The power outage—it was just a coincidence, right? Something you
took advantage of?”

Richard
rubbed at his temples. “It wasn’t like that. Not at first, anyway. I’d been
awake all night, tossing and turning, trying to figure out what to do. I got
out of bed to sign on the Internet around two-thirty in the morning. I’d only
been online about ten minutes when the power went down. I was frustrated,
Annie, and so scared. I wanted to fix things, to make everything better for
Judy.”

“I
understand.”

“I got
into my car and drove around, just trying to reason things out with God.
Remember, I told you once I have a lot of head knowledge, but my faith is…
lacking.”

My nod
must’ve given him the courage to continue. And if anyone understood reasoning
things out with God, I did.

“The
whole town was darker than I’d ever seen it, and that only made my mood
even—”

“Darker?”

“Yes. I
found myself in the back parking lot of the bank, just staring off into space.
Everything was black. And I knew the cameras would be down.”

“You also
knew
Janetta
Mullins had made a large cash deposit.”

Richard’s
brow wrinkled, and his gaze shifted to his hands, which now clutched the bag.
“Yes. I’d overheard one of the tellers talking to her on the phone just before
we closed on Monday afternoon. I could tell they were talking about a cash deposit,
because the teller tried to encourage her to wait till the morning and come in
person. But I knew in my gut she would drop it off that night to get it over
with.”

“How did
you know that?”

Richard
shook his head. “I’ve been in this business a long time. When
people—especially women—are carrying around a lot of cash like
that, they get nervous. They want to get it deposited quickly. Otherwise, they
worry that it might be—”

“Stolen?”

He sighed.
“Anyway, I sat there in my car, staring at the back of the bank, just looking
at that deposit box, and thinking about how the cameras were down.” He shook
his head. “And I kept thinking about that treatment center. I knew how much
money it would take to get Judy in the door. And I knew our insurance wouldn’t
cover it—at least not much of it. At some point along the way, I think I
just snapped. I jumped out of the car and went into the bank. I didn’t have a
flashlight. I didn’t have anything. I was just stumbling around in the dark.”

It’s
always darkest before the dawn. Sheila’s words rang out once again. Richard had
reached his lowest point as he faced the darkness alone that night. His faith
had cratered, and doubt had propelled him to do the unthinkable. In his case,
he had given up on the dawn altogether.

I tried
to think of something to say, but no words would come. I focused my attentions
on the puppy in my lap, scratching her behind the ears as I dissected
everything Richard had said. And done.

He turned
to face me, the level of his voice escalating in both speed and intensity.

“I took
the money, Annie. I left all of the other deposits there, but I took the cash,
bag and all. I left the bank, went back home, and tried to sleep. But I
couldn’t. I felt sick inside. Sick. As badly as I wanted to see Judy get the
help she needed, I couldn’t keep it. I couldn’t.” His eyes grew wild as he
continued. “This is the crazy part. I tried to return it.
First
thing in the morning.
Showed up at the bank before anyone else. I even
beat Nikki there, which was a first. I was going to put it right back where I
found it.”

“I think
I’d already figured out that part too.”

He
nodded. “I managed to get the money back inside the bank, but the electricity
came back on just as I arrived. That meant the cameras kicked on. I tried to
figure out what to do, but Warren showed up right after that and everyone went
to work, like nothing had happened. Of course, they didn’t know anything had.
But I was terrified all day. Crazy thing is, no one even realized we were short
the $25,000 until
Janetta
Mullins called that
afternoon to make sure the deposit had been credited to her account.”

“You
could have told them right then and there. They would have understood.”

He shook
his head, eyes closed. “No. I reached a point where there was no turning back,
especially after the police got involved.”

As the
word ‘police’ was spoken, I remembered what I’d asked Warren to do, and
wondered if he’d already contacted
O’Henry
.

Mere
seconds later, the piercing wail of a siren broke the stillness and I looked up
to discover flashing lights in the rearview mirror. Sasha awoke with a start,
and leapt into the backseat to see out the rear window. The barking began the
moment she laid eyes on the patrol car. I’m not sure what unnerved me
more—her incessant yapping, or the look of sheer terror in Richard’s
eyes.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

I looked
back—beyond Richard’s dazed expression—to the Clark County
Sheriff’s squad car in the driveway behind us.
O’Henry’s
voice rang out over the loudspeaker, instructing us to stay put, not to move a
muscle. I couldn’t quite figure out what to do about Sasha, who continued to
bark uncontrollably. I whistled for her to join me in the front seat, and she
bounded over into my lap, tail going to town.

Somehow,
in spite of the chaos, I managed to reach over and slip my hand into Richard’s
for a tight squeeze.

“What am
I going to do, Annie?” he whispered.

I spoke
the only words that came to mind. “The right thing.”

He nodded
and we sat in silence for what seemed like an
eternity.
. .though probably only a minute or two, in reality. During that time, two
other patrol cars arrived, lining the long driveway almost to the street. As
the officers approached from behind, I took advantage of the moment to give
Richard one last bit of encouragement. My words were rushed, but framed in
love.

“This
will be the hardest thing you’ve ever had to face, next to losing Judy,” I
spoke softly, “but you can do this. God will redeem this thing and turn it
around for His glory if you let Him.”

A silent
nod from Richard would have to suffice. The police swarmed the car like flies
on a slice of watermelon. Sasha never stopped barking for a second, which only
set my nerves on edge all the more. Seconds later, I found myself in the cold
morning air, leaning against a Clark County Sheriff’s Office patrol car, being
questioned by a one of the officers. Thankfully, I’d managed to calm my canine
crime-fighter down. She rested in my arms as I talked. Out of the corner of my
eye, I caught a glimpse of Richard as he visited quietly with
O’Henry
and I whispered a silent prayer for courage on his
part.

Just
then, Warren’s car pulled up. Directly behind him, came Sheila. The officer,
sensing my sudden loss of attention, said he’d get back with me later, if he
had additional questions.

Warren
bounded from the driver’s seat. “Annie! Are you okay?”

“I’m
fine.” Unless you count the part where my heart is broken for the man now seated
in the back seat of the patrol car in handcuffs. I pressed Sasha into my
husband’s arms, and he took her, no questions asked.

Off in
the distance, I could see an officer talking with
Janetta
and Jake. They stood with expressions of shock on their faces all the while.

Seconds
later, Sheila sprinted my way, panting as she arrived. I had to laugh as I saw
what she was wearing over her clothes—the plastic cape from our local
salon. Silver foil wraps lined the left side of her head. The right side,
apparently, would have to wait until another day.

Sasha
took one look at Sheila in that get-up and went bananas. Barked like a maniac.
Warren struggled to control her. He also struggled to control his laughter as
he looked at Sheila. And who could blame him? She looked, for
all the
world, like a Martian.
On the left
side, anyway.

Sheila
either didn’t notice, or didn’t care. She sputtered and spewed like my dad’s
old ‘59 Chevy. “I–I was at T–The Liberty Belle having my hair
done,” she exclaimed, and I saw all the commotion. First it was
O’Henry
with his lights on, then the other officers in
their patrol cars. Then it was Warren pulling out of the bank like a man
possessed. I figured something must’ve happened and came running.”

She
glanced at the patrol car then clamped her hand over her mouth as her gaze fell
on Richard Blevins in the back seat. “Oh, Annie.”

“I know.”

“Did you…
I mean
,
did you have anything to do with this?”

Warren
nodded as he finally got Sasha calmed down. “She had everything to do with
this. She’s a crime-fighting diva, this girl of mine.” He gave me a wink.

As I
looked over at Richard, who sat with tears in his eyes, I had to admit—I
didn’t feel like a crime-fighting diva. I felt a bit more like a traitor.

Then
Janetta
Mullins sprinted across the lawn and wrapped her
arms around me with a squeal of joy. “They told me about the money.” She
clasped her hands together like an excited
school girl
.
“Not a penny missing.”

“Yep, I
know.”

“But oh,
Annie… Richard Blevins.” She cast a wistful gaze at the patrol car. “It’s just
so… sad. Who would’ve guessed it?”

“Obviously
Annie would have.” Sheila grinned and patted me on the back.

Janetta
looked Sheila’s way with the most
curious look on her face. I could see her fighting to control the laughter,
which just got
Warren
tickled all over again.

“If you
ever get tired of editing, maybe you could go into crime-fighting full time.”
Sheila carried on, as if nothing were out of the ordinary.

“No thank
you. I’d be perfectly content if I never had to track down another suspect as
long as I live.”

Sheila
nudged me. “Speaking of suspects—”

I glanced
across the yard to see Jake approaching, now dressed in jeans in a t-shirt. I’d
never seen him so focused. He asked
O’Henry
if he
could speak to Richard and the officer agreed. The whole group of us held our
collective breath as the young man leaned into the backseat of the patrol car
to have his say.

Lord,
please…

Whatever
transpired between the two men happened quietly, without drama.

Jake
stood aright, turned on his heels and walked back toward the house, not a word
to anyone else.

“What do
you think he told him?” I asked
Janetta
.

“I
haven’t got a clue.”

That word
sent a little shiver down my spine. To be perfectly honest, I’d be one happy
woman if I never heard the word again. You could remove it from the dictionary,
in fact. And you could take my Internet courses and toss them right out the
window, too. My crime-fighting days were behind me.

Janetta
and Sheila moved on to talk with a
couple of the officers. At that moment, a reporter from the Clark County
Gazette arrived and, after an inquisitive stare at Sheila in her beauty shop
attire, inquired about an interview with yours truly.
O’Henry
gave the okay, with the understanding that I couldn’t divulge any information
pertinent to the case. With that in mind, I offered up a few carefully selected
lines for our local paper.
Just the facts, ma’am.

Just
about that time, the patrol car pulled away. Richard kept his head low, not
looking at any of us as they headed off toward town. I didn’t blame him. I
began to put together a plan for how the fine folks of
Clarksborough
Community Church could reach out to him. Surely Warren would go along, if only
I could find him.

I’d just turned
to look for him when my daughters arrived on the scene.

Brandi
sprinted from her car, face etched with concern. “Mom, what in the world
happened?” she asked. “Everyone in town is talking. Something about the bank
robbery?”

“Burglary,”
I corrected.

Candy
joined us, grabbing a hold of my hand. “We just need to know if you’re okay.
You are, aren’t you?”

I assured
them both that everything was fine, but neither looked convinced. Sheila’s
radar went off and she scurried over to join us, patting at the foil on her
hair, cheeks flaming.

“I forgot
about these crazy things,” she said sheepishly. “Do you think anyone noticed I
came from the beauty shop?”

My
laughter rang out across the lawn. Leave it to Sheila to come up with a
question like that. I could read the headline in the Gazette now: MARTIAN LANDS
ON CLARKSBOROUGH CATERING PROPERTY. Story on page four.

Oh, it
felt good to laugh.
Awfully good.

Once I
calmed down, I told my girls the truth—the whole truth, and nothing but
the truth. I started by telling them about my Internet courses, and about how
I’d suspected their father of stealing the money to pay for their weddings.

Brandi
clamped a hand over her mouth, clearly stunned. “Mom, you’re kidding. You
thought Dad took the money?”

“For us?”
Candy chimed in.

I
shrugged. “Hey, I’m on a learning curve. What can I say?” I went on to tell
them about the many ups and down of my journey, even the part where I’d tied
the dog to the flagpole—all in the hopes of catching the perpetrator.

Brandi
giggled, then sputtered, “This certainly sheds a lot of light on things. So
this is why you’ve been acting so strange.”

“Hey
now—” I started.

“Yeah, no
kidding,” Candy chimed in. “I thought for a while there you just weren’t
interested in our wedding plans, that you were deliberately avoiding us.”

“Are you
kidding me?” I looked at them both with excitement mounting. “Now that this
investigation is behind me, I can dive in head-first. Talk to me about flowers.
I’m your girl. Tell me about your bridal registry. I’m on board. Share your
concerns about reception halls. I can take it.”

As the
girls came alive with their latest wedding stories, I glanced across the yard
finally locating Warren. He stood next to Jake, deep in conversation. Sasha lay
curled up in his arms, sound asleep. As I called his name, Warren looked up and
our eyes met from a distance. Even from so far away, I could read the love
written there.