Silent Killer

Chapter Thirty-two

She sat alone in the gazebo. Alone with her thoughts. Alone with God.

Had she made a terrible mistake last night? Surely God would not have allowed the wrong man to die. No, she had to believe that the man she had mistakenly thought to be Dewan Phillips had been God’s chosen sacrifice. She might make a mistake, but the Lord Almighty did not. Reverend Phillips was not innocent. It had simply not been his time. But his time would come.

God will show me the day of his punishment.

For now she would wait and pray and be thankful that no one suspected her of being the angel of death.

Perry Fuqua’s wife had seen a woman running away from the Phillipses’ home last night. Too bad for Missy. If the Lord hadn’t instructed her to leave Missy’s locket where the police could find it, she never would have done such a thing. But her work was far too important to God to risk being stopped before she completed her holy mission.

I’m sorry, Missy. I know you have endured so much misery, but I’m sure you will be all right. The Lord has told me that no real harm will come to you. By casting doubt on you, the police will have someone to focus on-leaving me free to continue doing God’s work.

She needed time to reflect on last night’s events. It was the first time that she had misunderstood God’s instructions. She had been so sure that He had wanted her to punish Dewan Phillips. But instead His wrath had destroyed Perry Fuqua.

Forgive me, Lord, for not listening more carefully.

You must know that as the Apostle Paul believed, so I believe.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day.” II Timothy 14:7-8.

But you have not finished your course, she heard God whisper in her ear.

Your work is not done. There are others to be punished.

She dropped to her knees, her hands folded in prayer, her eyes filled with tears. “I am Yours to command. Lead me to the unholy blasphemers, and I will do Thy will, wise and just Jehovah.”

Cathy had tried to telephone Jack several times, but apparently whenever he noted that she was the caller, he wouldn’t answer. She understood that he was working, that the new Fire and Brimstone Killer case took precedence over everything else, but the least he could do was give her one minute of his time. They needed to talk as soon as possible. All she wanted was to set up a time and place for them to meet to discuss Seth.

How would she ever be able to explain to her son why she had lied to him his entire life? And that’s what she had done. She could make every excuse under the sun, but in the end, the truth was the truth. She had allowed him to believe that Mark Cantrell was his father, and even though Mark had been a good father to Seth, he had not been his biological father.

If she couldn’t get in touch with Jack, then she had two options-either go ahead and tell Seth the truth or wait and hope Jack didn’t talk to him first. She hated both options.

As she paced the floor in her living room, trying to decide on a course of action, two things happened simultaneously. Her phone rang, and Seth, using the key she had given him, opened the front door and walked in. She smiled at Seth as she picked up the portable phone from the charger. When she noted the strange expression on his face, she gripped the phone tightly. He stood there, only a few feet from her, his whole body tense and his eyes riveted to hers. She glanced away momentarily to check caller ID, hoping it was Jack, but when she saw it was her mother, she silently groaned.

“It’s probably Grandmother,” Seth told her.

“Yes, it is. How did you-?”

“She’s calling to warn you that she told me Mark Cantrell wasn’t really my father.”

Cathy dropped the phone. It hit the floor with a loud thump.

“What did you say?”

You heard him. You know what he said.

What had possessed her mother to take it upon herself to reveal Cathy’s deepest, darkest secret?

“Granddad got upset when I told him that I definitely planned to come and live with you. He called Grandmother to come over and try to talk me out of it. She became really frustrated when I told her that I liked Jack Perdue and hoped you married him. That’s when she spit it out-the truth that you were pregnant when you got married.”

“Seth, please, let me explain.”

“Explain what? That you and Jack Perdue had sex and you got pregnant and you suckered my dad-scratch that-you suckered poor old Mark Cantrell into marrying you when you couldn’t get Jack?”

“You’ve got it all wrong.”

“What part have I got wrong?”

“Mark knew I was pregnant, and he knew who my baby’s father was,” Cathy said. “We were not in love, but eventually we grew to love each other. And your father…Mark loved you as if you were his own.”

“But I wasn’t his, was I? I was-I am Jackson Perdue’s bastard!”

Dear God, her worst nightmare was coming true right before her very eyes and there wasn’t anything she could do to stop it from happening. The best she could hope for was that Seth would give her a chance to explain everything. But even then, was he mature enough to understand and to forgive her?

“I loved Jack. And he loved me.” Cathy tried to keep her voice calm, despite the fact that her emotions were screaming. “You were conceived in that love.”

“Why the hell didn’t you just get an abortion instead of-?”

“Never suggest such a thing. Not once did the thought ever cross my mind. I loved and wanted you from the moment I knew I was pregnant. You were my baby. A part of Jack and me.”

“Does he know?”

Cathy took a moment to steady her nerves before replying. “Yes, Jack knows.”

“How long has he known? Did he know back then, before you married someone else?”

“No, he didn’t know back then. I didn’t tell him.” How could I have told him when he was missing in action half a world away and presumed dead? “I-I told him last night. I realized that it was way past time for me to be honest with him…and with you. I intended to tell you, too, as soon as-”

“How’d he take the news that he has an almost-sixteen-year-old kid?”

Cathy froze. What was the best way to respond to his question?

Seth laughed, the sound a harsh, sarcastic chuckle. “Don’t bother answering. The look on your face says it all.”

“No, Seth, you don’t understand.”

“I hate you. You don’t know how much I hate you. I hate you, and I hate Jack. Damn you both!”

He turned and stomped toward the door. When she followed him and grabbed his arm, he shook her off, opened the door and rushed out onto the porch. She tried to catch up with him, but he ran off down the street, his long legs flying at a speed she couldn’t equal. She called his name several times, then stood there in the middle of the road and watched him disappear.

Cathy wrapped her arms around her waist. She couldn’t move, could barely breathe. She had to find Seth and talk to him. She had to make him understand.

But would he listen to her? Probably not.

First she needed to tell Jack what happened, even if it meant barging in on him at work. She had no choice.

Of all the public-service assignments she was forced to do to repay her debt to society, Felicity found only one of any real interest to her. Her position at the animal shelter would last two weeks, and today had been the first day of her second week. She had become fond of several dogs, one in particular, a mutt she had nicknamed Freckles because the pup had small black spots all over his white face and neck. Because her grandmother disliked animals in general and dogs in particular, she and Charity had never been allowed to own a pet. But now that she was older and could care for a dog all by herself, surely she could talk her dad into letting her adopt Freckles.

She had called her mom and told her not to pick her up at noon when her morning shift at the shelter ended.

“I want to have lunch with Dad,” Felicity had said. “It’s only five blocks from here to the church. I can walk there in no time.”

Preoccupied with Missy, her mother had easily agreed to her request. Mom had her hands full with Missy’s problems, the latest of which was her being questioned in yet another murder case. To say that her mom had been neglecting the rest of them ever since Missy had become a member of their family was an understatement. Missy had been a nuisance for quite some time, ever since Felicity realized that Seth Cantrell had a thing for her. Seth was blinded by Missy’s blond beauty and her damsel-in-distress persona. Now the whole world felt sorry for Missy. Yeah, okay, even she did, at least to a certain extent. Imagine being repeatedly raped by your own father. Yuck!

Felicity arrived at the church at twelve-fifteen, quickly made her way downstairs and hurried toward her father’s office in the basement. Her footsteps were muffled by the cushioned layer of industrial-strength carpet that covered the basement floor. The outer door to the minister’s office stood wide open, so Felicity walked in, expecting to see Erin McKinley at her desk. But the outer office was empty.

As she opened the door to her father’s private office, she started to knock but stopped dead still when she saw Erin and her father kissing. Erin had her arms around Felicity’s father’s neck, and he was gripping her on either side of her waist.

Shocked beyond belief, Felicity backed up slowly, quietly turned around and ran into the hallway. She was halfway up the stairs when she heard her father calling her name.

He had nothing to say that she wanted to hear.

Her father was an adulterous blasphemer.

Just how long had he been having an affair with his secretary?

Oh, mercy! Her poor, sweet mother!

“Let her go, John Earl.” Erin came up and grasped his arm. “Maybe it was for the best. Better that she know now, that everyone knows.”

John Earl glared at his secretary, a woman he had thought of as a loyal employee and a good friend. He’d never thought of her as anything more and had had no idea she harbored any romantic feelings for him. Not until today. Not until a few minutes ago, when she had kissed him.

They had been talking, just talking. He’d been using her as a sounding board for his concerns about the situation with Missy. Erin had been consoling him, agreeing with him that perhaps Ruth Ann’s kind heart had led her to take on Missy as a charity case while neglecting her own two daughters, at least temporarily.

“Ruth Ann is a good woman, but she isn’t perfect. And she doesn’t love you the way I do. I’d never put anyone else’s needs before yours,” Erin had told him. “You would always come first with me.”

That’s when she had thrown her arms around his neck, told him again that she loved him madly and then kissed him. Thrown off guard by her actions, it had taken him a few seconds to respond by grabbing her waist and pushing her away. Unfortunately, Felicity had walked in and seen Erin kissing him and had jumped to the wrong conclusion.

John Earl grasped Erin’s shoulders and looked directly at her. “Erin, I’m sorry if I’ve ever done anything to lead you on, to make you believe that I reciprocated your feelings.”

She stared at him, her eyes wide and filled with disbelief. “But I love you. I’ve loved you forever. I know that if you’ll only admit it to yourself, you love me, too.”

He gave her shoulders a sound squeeze, then released her. “I believe it best if you go home for the rest of the day. Tomorrow, we’ll discuss how best to handle your resignation.”

“You’re firing me?”

“No, no,” John Earl assured her. “But under the circumstances…I’ll give you an excellent reference and help you find other employment. Now, please, Erin, go home. I need to call Ruth Ann and tell her what happened, and then I need to find my daughter and explain to her that what she thought she saw-”

Erin slapped him, then spun around and marched back into the office. He had to admit that he hadn’t seen that slap coming any more than he had the kiss.

Half a minute later, with her leather bag hung over her shoulder, Erin swept past him without a glance. He returned to his office, picked up the phone and called his wife. He had to put a lid on this before it exploded in his face and his entire family got hurt.

“Jack?” Officer Grimes stuck his head in the door of Mike’s office, where the task force was sharing a working lunch, barbeque from Big Ed’s Barbeque amp; Ribs. “That Cantrell kid is back. He wants to talk to you.”

“Seth Cantrell?”

“Yep. And from the way he’s acting, I’d say if you don’t come out and talk to him, I’ll have to handcuff him to stop him from coming in here.”

Jack glanced around the room. “Will you folks excuse me?” He looked at Mike and nodded toward the door. When he headed out, Mike followed him. They paused just beyond the open door.

“I need to take half an hour,” Jack said. “It’s personal.”

“Problems with Cathy’s son?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

“Can’t it wait?”

“I don’t think so,” Jack told him. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t ask for the time.”

“Okay. Go do whatever you need to do.”

Jack thanked his old buddy and then scanned the outer office for Seth. He saw him across the room, about ten feet away. The boy looked like hammered hell.

When he approached, Seth squared his shoulders and looked Jack right in the eye. In that instant, Jack realized that Seth knew the truth.

“Let’s get out of here,” Jack said. “I’ve got a thirty-minute lunch break. We can take a walk and talk.”

Seth nodded.

They walked in silence as they exited the sheriff’s department and crossed the street. When they reached the small park in the center of town, a block away, Jack pointed to a wooden park bench. “Let’s sit.”

They sat, one on each end of the bench.

“Let’s hear it,” Jack said.

“I know.”

“Know what?”

“That you’re my father, my biological father.”

Jack sucked in a deep breath. “Yeah, it seems that I am.”

“She lied to me,” Seth said. “She lied to both of us. I hate her. I hate her so much. And I hate you.”

Seth hung his head and stared down at the ground.

Jack felt his son’s pain. So this was what it was like to have a child hurting and not be able to help him. More than anything, he wanted to erase the agony he saw on Seth’s face and heard in his voice.

“Exactly what did your mother say to you?”

“Nothing much. I didn’t give her the chance. I didn’t want to hear any of her lies.”

“My guess is that she told you the truth. It might have been sixteen years too late, but give her credit for finally telling both of us.”

“That’s just it-she didn’t tell me. Grandmother told me. She didn’t mean to, but she got so angry when I told her I liked you and I hoped my mom married you that she just blurted it out.”

“Elaine Nelson always was a real piece of work.”

Ignoring Jack’s assessment of his grandmother, Seth asked, “Was Mom telling me the truth when she said that she just told you last night?”

“Yes, she was telling you the truth.”

“How’d you feel when she told you? I bet you hate her, too, don’t you?”

Did he hate Cathy? She had kept the truth about his son from him for sixteen years, and if he hadn’t come back to Dunmore, he might never have found out he was a father. It had been less than twenty-four hours since he had learned the truth about his relationship with Seth, not nearly enough time to figure out how he felt or what he should do. But time enough to realize that when Cathy had married Mark Cantrell, she had done it because she believed she was doing the right thing, the best thing for her child.

For his child.

“No, I don’t hate her,” Jack said, in an honest gut response.

“How can you not?” Seth asked, all his youthful agony quivering in his voice.

“Because I’ve had some time to think about it, and I realize that, under the circumstances, your mother did what she thought she had to do to protect you.”

“Protect me how? I don’t understand.”

“Cathy and I were a couple of kids. She was seventeen, fresh out of high school, and I was twenty, home on leave from the army. We had two weeks together and fell head over heels for each other the way only kids that age can. I was careless. I got her pregnant.

“I had no idea she was pregnant, and she didn’t have any way of letting me know. I was sent to the Middle East during the Gulf War and wound up a POW. The army told my family that I was MIA and presumed dead. By the time I could let Cathy know I was alive, she had already married Mark Cantrell.”

“Mom thought you were dead?” Seth’s eyes, a duplicate of his own, stared at him, and Jack knew his son had desperately needed complete honesty.

“Yes, so you see, she did what she did because she felt she had no choice if she wanted to protect you. She married Mark Cantrell to give you a father. And from what I’ve learned, he was a good dad to you, wasn’t he?”

“Yeah, he was a good dad, but…”

“But what?”

“But when Mom found out you were alive, she should have told you. She should have told me.”

“You’re right. She should have, but she didn’t. And we’re both going to have to find a way to forgive her, because we both love her and we know she did what she believed was best for you.”

Seth stared at him in disbelief. “You still love her?”

Jack clamped his hand down gently on his son’s shoulder. “Yeah, I still love her. I’m mad as hell at her right now, and a part of me would like to wring her pretty little neck, but somehow, someway, she and I are going to work our way through this.” He squeezed Seth’s shoulder. “What about you and me? Do you think you could give me a chance to be a father to you?”

“Do you want that, to be my father?”

“I do. More than you’ll ever know.”

“Maybe. Yeah. Okay. I guess.”

“We won’t rush it,” Jack told him. “We’ll take it slow and easy. It’ll be a new experience for me, having a son.”

“I don’t really hate you,” Seth said.

Jack grinned. “I know, Son, I know. What about your mom?”

“I’m not sure.”

“You love your mother.”

“Yeah, I love her,” Seth said. “But she lied to me, and it was a big lie.”

“She made a mistake. She’s only human. We all make mistakes.”

“Dad would want me to…I mean, Mark would want me to forgive her. He taught forgiveness.”

“Look, Seth. Mark Cantrell was your father in every way that mattered, and I’d be a fool not to appreciate the fact that he was there for you when I wasn’t. Don’t ever feel guilty about loving him or thinking of him as your dad.”

“You mean that?”

“Yes, Son, I do.”

“I guess I feel the way you do.” Seth tried to smile, but the effort failed. “I love Mom, but I’m mad as hell at her.”

“I’m sure she’ll give you all the time you need to work through your feelings, but you should tell her that you don’t hate her and you’re working on forgiving her.”

“I can’t talk to her. Not yet.” Seth looked at Jack pleadingly. “Would you talk to her. Tell her how we feel. I mean, how I feel?”

Damn! He needed more time himself, so he understood how Seth felt. But at least he could call Cathy and let her know that he and Seth both still loved her. “Sure thing. I’ll call her. In the meantime, if you want to talk to me again, I’m here for you.”

When Seth stood, Jack did, too. Father and son faced each other.

“I wish Granddad and Nana didn’t have to find out,” Seth said. “This will break their hearts.”

“It’s not your place to have to tell them. Your mother should be the one to explain things to them.”

“When you talk to her, will you tell her that?”

“Yes, I will.”

“Thanks, uh, Jack. It’s okay if I call you Jack, isn’t it? I know you’re my father, but-”

“Jack’s fine.”

Seth wasn’t sure exactly how he’d wound up stopping by the Harper house, but after leaving Jack in the park, he had walked around for a while, feeling as if he had no place to go. He wasn’t ready to talk to his mother, and he couldn’t face his grandparents. He didn’t think Grandmother would tell them what she’d done. No, that wasn’t her style. She’d wait and let someone else give them the bad news. She wouldn’t take the blame for anything.

As he walked by the Harper’s, he wondered how Missy was doing and if she’d been able to hold it together during her second interrogation by the task force. He supposed he could have asked Jack about it, but he’d had other things on his mind at the time. Besides, it wasn’t likely that Jack would have told him anything.

Should he just go up to the front door, ring the doorbell and ask to speak to Missy? Would Mrs. Harper tell him to go away? Or would Missy refuse to see him? While he stood on the sidewalk thinking about what his next move should be, Felicity came dragging up the street, barely keeping out of the slow flow of midday traffic. What was wrong with her? She looked like she was sick or something. Maybe he should go help her.

He called out to her. “Hey, Felicity. What’s wrong?”

She looked up from where she’d been staring sightlessly down at the pavement. When she saw him, she broke into a run and came barreling into him.

“Oh, Seth, I’m so glad to see you.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder. “I need somebody to talk to.”

“What’s going on?” He tried to prize her away from him, but she held on tight and started crying. “Hey, what’s going on?”

“You won’t believe me when I tell you,” she sobbed.

Before he could reply, a car slowed as it passed them, and Seth recognized the driver as Charity Harper. She pulled into the driveway, killed the engine and got out.

“Maybe you should talk to your sister about whatever’s bothering you,” Seth suggested.

She lifted her head from his shoulder, nodded and then grabbed his hand. “Charity needs to know. But I want you to come with me when I tell her. Please.”

“Yeah, okay. I guess.” He had enough problems of his own without getting involved in whatever was going on with Felicity, but he could hardly tell her that, could he?

Charity waited on the sidewalk as he and Felicity walked toward her. “Hello, Seth.” When he responded with a nod, she turned her attention to her sister. “What on earth is the matter with you?”

“Let’s go to the backyard,” Felicity said. “I don’t want Mom to see us talking. She’ll ask me all sorts of questions, because I’m supposed to be with Daddy right now.”

“Don’t be so melodramatic,” Charity said. “The way you’re acting, you’d think somebody died.”

“Right now, I could kill Daddy,” Felicity admitted.

“Felicity Ann Harper! What a thing to say about Daddy.”

“When I tell you what he did…” Keeping a tight hold on Seth’s hand, she motioned for her sister to follow her the long way around to the backyard.

Grumbling under her breath, Charity went with Felicity as she all but dragged Seth around the house and straight toward the gazebo. When they neared the small enclosure, Seth noticed that someone was sitting inside. Missy! The girl he’d come to see. When they approached, she laid aside the book she’d been reading and rose to her feet.

“What’s she doing here?” Felicity complained loud enough for Missy to hear her.

“I’m sorry,” Missy said. “If you don’t want me here, I’ll go back inside.”

“You don’t have to leave,” Charity said. “This is your home and your yard, and you have as much right to use the gazebo as Felicity and I do. Isn’t that right, Felicity?” Charity nudged her sister in the ribs.

“Yes, that’s right,” Felicity said begrudgingly.

“There’s plenty of room in the gazebo for all of us,” Charity said. “Come on, let’s sit down and you can tell us why you want to kill Daddy.”

“What!” Missy’s eyes widened as she glared at Felicity.

“Oh, I don’t suppose I really want to kill him,” Felicity said, “but Mom will when she finds out what he’s been doing.”

“What are you talking about?” Charity frowned at her sister.

“I caught Daddy red-handed with his secretary. They were kissing!”

“I don’t believe you.” Charity’s face went chalk white.

“Don’t believe me then, but I’m telling you that I saw it with my own two eyes. I walked in on them in a lip-lock.”

“I thought your parents were different,” Missy said, her voice little more than a whisper. “I believed they loved each other and had a perfect marriage and were perfect parents. Oh, Felicity, I’m so sorry.”

“Uh, yeah, thanks.” Felicity hung her head and then sighed heavily. “Gee, Missy, I’m the one who’s sorry. Having a father who’s cheating on his wife isn’t anywhere near as bad as having a father who…well, who did what your father did to you.”

“Raped me, you mean.”

“Yeah.” Felicity looked to Seth as if begging him to help pull her out of the hole she had dug herself into. “I’ve about decided that there are no good parents. Except maybe your mom, Seth.”

“My mom’s a liar.” The words came out of his mouth before he knew what was happening. Damn, why had he said that?

“Huh?” Felicity said.

“What?” Charity asked.

“What did she lie about?” Missy reached out and caressed Seth’s arm.

“I found out just this morning that Mark Cantrell wasn’t my biological father. My mother was pregnant when she married him. My dad wasn’t my dad. My mom has lied to me all these years.”

“Well, looks like we’ve all got something in common,” Felicity said. “We’ve all got at least one rotten parent.” She glanced from person to person as she said, “Missy’s father raped her. Our father is cheating on our mother. And Seth’s mother lied to him about who his real father is. I say parents can’t be trusted. Maybe my dad and your mom deserve something bad happening to them just like something bad happened to Missy’s father.”

“Felicity!” Charity scolded her.

“I don’t want anything bad to happen to my mom,” Seth said. “She made a mistake. People make mistakes. You shouldn’t wish for something bad to happen to your father.”

“Well, I do,” Felicity said. “I want him punished for what he did. Him and that awful Erin McKinney, too.”