Unforgettable (38 page)

“I have no clue. Sarah said that, when her mom told her to go outside and play, she walked back down to Susan’s to stay with you two because there was no one around to play with. When she got to the sidewalk, she saw the ball rolling across the street all by itself and it stopped in the gutter at the end of Susan’s sidewalk. She told me she bent down to pick it up and heard Breezy scream, ‘Run, Susan!’ It scared her so bad, she ran all the way down to the corner in front of Breezy’s… uh…old house, which is where I found her and walked her home. I knew Breezy wouldn’t tell Susan to run for no good reason so I told Sarah’s mom to call the police and send them to Susan’s house before hightailing it back down there. I heard Breezy scream Frank’s name and broke down the front door just in time to see her send Frank back to Hell, where he belongs,” Paul told them.

“But where did the ball come from? How did it roll across the street by itself and how did it get from my end of the street up to Susan’s end of the street and why didn’t we find it before now? The house burned down more than six weeks ago and we combed through the ruins several times,” Breezy asked, posing the questions they all wanted to know.

“It seems to me that my earth angel has her own little guardian angel watching over her and her friends, even the small ones,” Patrick said, rolling the baseball in his long fingers and pulling Breezy close as tears filled her eyes.

He handed the ball back to her knowing how much more it would mean to her now. Breezy wrapped her small hand around the ball and curled it towards her chest, hugging it while he hugged her. Andy! He’d used his baseball to protect Sarah from Frank and to let Breezy know he’d always be with her. Could he have been the one keeping Adele’s song playing in her mind during the fight, too…her very own little angel giving her the strength and courage to carry on? The warmth blossoming around her heart told her “yes!” A single tear rolled down her cheek even as a small smile lifted the corners of her mouth.

“What I’d like to know is what kept Frank standing? Patrick, he should have gone down the second time you punched him. I don’t know anyone who could take that kind of damage and still be standing, not to mention what Breezy did to him,” Susan asked, still stunned by the tenacity with which Frank had held on.

“I’m thinkin’ I might ha’ tha answer fer tha’ one, lassie,” Liam said, smiling at Susan.

He liked her and her husband a great deal. They’d been incredibly kind to Patrick and he held them partially responsible for the change in Patrick. He remembered Tom from his college days with Patrick and was very glad to see the young man had made a wonderful life for himself, full of love, family and friends. It was all he and Patrick’s father had ever wanted for Patrick and it appeared Patrick was going to have that life, at long last.

“When Tom phoned ta tell me wha’ ha’ happened ta tha two o’ ya, I made arrangements ta get access ta tha’ Frank fella’s files. Tha’ be why they called me wi’ tha autopsy report, lad. It seems tha’ Frank was loaded up wi’ cocaine. Tha’ be why he wouldna go down when ya were beatin’ the light o’ day out o’ him. The local constable, Carl was it? He told me tha’ when ya ha’ tha’ large a dose o’ narcotic in yer system, ya could go through a car windscreen an’ get up an’ walk away. Ya wouldna notice yer injuries fer hours,” Liam told them.

“Well, that explains a lot!” Patrick exclaimed. “Like how he was able to hold Breezy half a foot off the ground with one hand. Frank was little more than a bag of bones…he should have crumpled easily. But the adrenaline was just feeding the effects of the cocaine.”

“Yeah, like how he kept coming at Breezy after you beat the crap…sorry ladies, tar out of him and she’d put three bullets in him. He didn’t go down till she put the fifth one right between his eyes,” Paul said.

“But where’d he get the drugs? I mean, what the hell…er, heck did he do, break out of jail and rob a bank for the cash to make a buy?” Tom wanted to know.

“That’s the other part I can explain and none of you are going to like it,” Paul said. “You all know Carl is my brother, right? Well, this is confidential so keep it on the down low, okay? I don’t think reading it in the papers is any way for any of you to find out.

“Anyway, Breezy kept saying over and over again that she felt like she was being watched. She told Carl that Frank knew Susan was pregnant and, between your two stories, neither of you mentioned telling Frank about the babies while he held you hostage…he just knew. Since she isn’t really showing yet, no one could tell by looking at her. So, how had Frank known Susan was pregnant? That really bugged Carl. When the autopsy came in and showed signs of high levels of cocaine in Frank’s system, Carl asked the same question you just did, Tom. Where’d he get it? And, of course, you all know how bad Frank smelled, right? Well, all that led Carl to believe that Breezy was right…Frank had been watching her. Once Carl had all these clues, he started checking things out.

“He had a test run on Frank’s clothes at the same time as the autopsy to find out what was all over them. He had his suspicions and they were confirmed. They were covered in raw sewage. Carl did some checking and the sewage drains lead from the jail to your neighborhood, among other places. So, he figured Frank had to be living within sight of Breezy’s house and he was right. He rounded up a couple cops and they went door-to-door in your neighborhood asking questions and requesting permission to search. Most of the people were so terrified at the thought of Frank hanging around their houses they gladly let Carl search. But they didn’t find anything until they hit the last house they tried….Mrs. Princeton’s,” he told them.

“No way!” Breezy gasped.

“Yes, way! Oh, she had no clue he was there. She never heard a thing. Her eyesight may be perfect but, apparently, her other senses aren’t worth a shi…single penny. Frank broke into her attic the night you came home from the hospital and she brought you soup. He’d been living there ever since. They found a digital camera, recording devices for bugging Breezy and Susan’s homes, a pair of binoculars and several empty bottles of whiskey. He had drugs up there…more than enough to last a good long while. He didn’t even bother to come down to use the toilet; he just went in the corner like an animal. There were hundreds of photos of you on the walls, Breezy, from the day you met Patrick to the night of the fire where you and Patrick sat on the porch swing,” Paul explained. He wasn’t about to tell them Frank had also urinated on Breezy’s pictures. That was sick and Breezy didn’t need to know.

“So, basically, he escaped from jail, made his way through the sewers back to Breezy’s neighborhood, snuck into Mrs. Princeton’s attic, loaded up on cocaine, and then broke into Susan’s house with the intent to kill them?” Patrick wondered.

Breezy and Susan cringed and snuggled deeper into the arms of the men they loved.

“Pretty much, yeah,” Paul said. “The man was demented. From what Carl told me, and based on Frank’s past, Breezy was the only one who ever stood up to him. She was the only one to do anything as brave as throwing him out and that really pissed him off. So, when he came back looking for revenge, what does she do? She busts his head open with the telephone and gets away again! His ego was bruised. He left and started bolstering his ego back up by hurting other people and committing felonies left and right. Still, he kept plotting his revenge against her the whole time. The women he’d hurt, raped and killed all resembled Breezy. Same build, same hair and eye color. He took his anger and frustrations out on those other women because he couldn’t get to her.”

“I can’t imagine going through what you girls went through. It’s just too horrific. I’m so glad you all are okay,” Marie said, her voice quivering in horror.

Liam put his arm around her shoulders and hugged her close. “Aye, lass. I am, too.”

“Liam?” Patrick asked, raising a dark eyebrow knowingly. “Is there something you’d like to share with us?”

He’d suspected a romantic connection between the two of them when he’d been in New York just before Christmas. Then, during their New Year’s Eve celebration, when Liam and Marie had come to Indiana to meet Breezy, he’d seen more of it. When he’d hinted at his suspicion to Liam in private as they were leaving to go back to New York, Liam had simply winked at him as he boarded their private jet.

“Well, if yer goin’ ta be tha best man at our weddin’, I guess I should be tellin’ ya tha lass an’ I ha’ fallen in love. We’re ta be married in June an’ yer all invited,” Liam told them.

The room erupted in squeals of happiness, hugs, handshakes and laughter!

“By the way, old man,” Patrick suddenly growled loud enough to kill the laughter. “While I have all these witnesses here, I think you should know that I know you lied about Da’s will. I had it, and you, investigated and there’s no such clause anywhere that gives you the power to take the company away from me. And, for the record...”

Breezy, Susan, Tom, Paul and Marie all gasped in shock and cringed at Patrick’s hostile attack on Liam. They had no idea what was going on, but it didn’t sound good.

Liam stiffened and sputtered, “How…when…wha…?”

“…and for the record,
OLD MAN
…” Patrick interrupted, his lips curling up in a big smile as he pulled Breezy closer to kiss the top of her head, “Thank you! Thank you for loving me enough to give this monster a second chance.”

Liam let out the breath he’d been holding in a whoosh when Tom clapped him on the back. Laughter exploded and bounced off the walls of Breezy and Patrick’s room once again.

“Ow! I really shouldn’t have done that,” Patrick groaned. “It hurts when I laugh!”

“Serves ya right, lad! Ya scared tha bejesus outta me, I’ll ha’ ya know!” Liam laughed.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” Breezy whispered close to his ear. She dipped her head to kiss his shoulder. “I’ll make it go away once they all leave.”

Patrick looked down at her upturned face with raised eyebrows. She grinned back at him and put the back of her fist against her mouth in a mock yawn. He caught on quickly and groaned loudly before smothering a fake yawn of his own.

“Well, I think it’s time we all leave so Patrick and Breezy can get some rest,” Marie told the others, innocently.

It took a while for everyone to say goodbye and get well but, finally, the room cleared one-by-one, with promises of visiting again the next day. Susan was the last to leave. She pointed two fingers at her own eyes then pointed them back at Breezy…she was on to them. Breezy giggled and blushed furiously as Susan grinned and winked at her before closing the door.

“Now, about that promise you just made,” Patrick growled as he pulled the covers up over both their heads.

Chapter 20 “Because You Loved Me”

Breezy stepped behind the changing screen with her wedding gown, reflecting on how quickly time had flown. Today was St. Patrick’s Day…her wedding day! Within hours, she would become Mrs. Patrick Day and nothing in the world could have made her happier.

Tom being the closest thing she had to a living male relative, she couldn’t see anyone else “giving her away.” When she asked if he’d walk her down the aisle, he’d nearly stopped breathing for a moment.

“Breezy!” he exclaimed. “I’d consider it an honor and a privilege!”

Then he yanked her up into a hug so tight it made her squeal with laughter.

Something significant must have transpired between Patrick and Paul the day they went through the blackened ruins of her home. She didn’t know what that was, but the two of them had become thick as thieves ever since. She was standing by Patrick’s side the day he’d asked Paul to be his best man.

“You’re supposed to choose your best friend for something like that,” Paul had said, his eyebrows pulled together in puzzlement.

“I just did,” Patrick laughed and slapped him on the back.

Breezy giggled softly remembering the shocked look on Paul’s face, his mouth opening and closing several times.

“Duuude!” he’d finally replied, bumping fists with Patrick and grinning like an idiot, which was just Paul’s way of proudly accepting the task .

Liam, that sweet, stubborn Irishman, had outdone himself when he hired one of the best wedding planners in the business to take care of the wedding.

“Nuthin’s too good fer our Patrick an’ tha woman who ha’ slain tha Heartless Lion,” Liam insisted when she tried to get him to stop spending so much money.

Susan, however, never bothered to ask the price of anything. She simply approved or rejected based on whether or not it suited her idea of what was good enough for her friends. This was especially true when it came to the reception, where both Patrick and Liam had emphasized money was no object. Needless to say, Susan was having the time of her life spending as she pleased.

Since the location of the reception was meant to be a surprise for Breezy, all final decisions regarding it were left up to Susan. Despite all Breezy’s attempts to trick it out of her, she refused to give up even so much as a hint.

“Breezy,” Susan had said. “Everyone knows, including the limo driver. But, I promise you, no one is going to tell you because, if they do, Patrick’ll skin ‘em alive and nail their hides to the wall!”

Ignoring Susan’s warning, she tried repeatedly to worm the information out of everyone she came in contact with but, as promised, no one was talking. Breezy growled in frustration, accusing them all of being just downright mean.

Unlike Susan, Breezy constantly questioned the price of everything. After she’d turned down hundreds of beautiful dress designs and materials, the wedding planner complained to Liam that the future Mrs. Day was rejecting all her ideas based on the price. Patrick just laughed when Liam looked at him as if Breezy had lost her mind. To Breezy, it was an obscene amount of money to spend on a dress. To Liam and Patrick, it was the equivalent of a night out on the town. Even though they tried to tell her it was fine, that nothing was too much, she balked at anything that was out of her price range. Patrick wondered if it was a matter of pride, or if she truly had no concept of how much money he made in a day. He suspected the latter.