Almost Innocent, page 19
It had taken a few days to get the entire Town Council, except Tanner, arrested and booked. More arrests would be forthcoming. Builders and contractors who had been on Marshall’s payroll topped the list.
Given all that had happened, very few details had been leaked. It was going to be a public mess, and everyone had agreed to keep it quiet as long as possible until they had ironed out solutions on how to run the town.
Booker gazed around the room, taking in his friends’ concerned faces. This wasn’t just about damage control. It was about rebuilding trust. The people in Judith’s living room weren’t just spectators. They were integral to the path forward for Spring Falls. Spring Falls would need them more than ever.
So now, on a cold and dark Friday night, they were all gathered together to get answers. They needed to know enough so they could plan the town’s rebuilding.
Barely breathing, the entire room waited for Booker’s answer to April’s question.
So even though Booker said it quietly, everyone heard.
“His son.”
There was an audible gasp, and then everyone started talking at once. But it was Marsha who spoke the loudest and asked the obvious question.
“His son? Since when did Marshall have a son? And who is it?”
Marsha sat next to Cindy on the couch, with Daniel beside Cindy on her other side. His arm was draped behind Cindy, pulling her close. Eager to catch every word from Booker, Marsha leaned towards him as much as she could.
Before speaking, Booker paused, his gaze methodically sweeping across the crowded room, making eye contact with each individual in Judith’s packed living room. He didn’t want to leave anyone out of this discussion.
Tanner, Veronica, and Emma sat on the other couch, the three of them looking like a family. Booker had the happy thought that it hadn’t taken long for them to bond. That was good. Tanner was going to need a lot of support. As the only remaining member of the Town Council, everything was going to get thrown at him. It was going to be a heavy responsibility.
Booker looked over at Bree, sitting beside him on the love seat, with Addie curled over her feet. He was beginning to think that his dog, Addie, loved Bree more than him, but that thought didn’t make him unhappy. Addie had good taste, and since Bree loved Addie, then all was well with him.
Judith watched Booker take in the room before answering. Once again, Judith thought that the Ruby Sister’s circle might have grown too big to meet in her living room. But right now, it was familiar, and that’s what they all wanted.
Besides, today, with another cold winter wind blowing outside, it was the best place to be. If they all had to stay over again, it would just be the biggest slumber party they ever had. And after all that had happened, no one would mind. Besides, she also knew that the people in this room would need to be the ones who would step up and help Spring Falls recover.
Judith sighed to herself and held Bruce’s hand tighter, trying not to get distracted by her worries about what Booker had asked her to do, and Bruce had already encouraged her to do. They both wanted her to run for mayor in the special election that was to be held within the next month.
It was the last thing she had ever wanted for herself, but she loved Spring Falls, and she knew she’d have to eventually say yes. But please God, she said to herself, not tonight. Don’t make me choose tonight. Let me have a few more days alone with my friends.
Everyone was in Judith’s living room thanks to Nancy, who had once again made all the phone calls to get them there. Booker and Judith understood the importance of sharing all that they knew about what had happened with this group all at once. With Spring Falls buzzing with speculation, they wanted to prevent distorted tales from spreading. This group had the influence to quell the rumors and restore the trust that Spring Falls would recover.
Everyone was present, including Mimi and Janet. The only people who had not come were Mary, Seth, and baby Rho. Mary had thought it was best to stay home in case the storm got worse. They knew Bree would fill them in later.
Now, as was their custom, after eating their fill of pizza, the Ruby Sisters and friends had all gathered to learn all that they could about what had happened, and what they could do to put things right again.
But in order to do that, they needed answers to big questions, like who had killed Marshall. After all, wasn’t that how all of this had started? Marshall had retired and then was killed before he could escape to the life in paradise he had been planning for years.
It was Bruce, instead of Booker, who finally answered Marsha’s question, because he was the one who had figured it out.
“His son was Leon Price.”
The room erupted. Bruce waited until the room was quiet, and Marsha asked the next question.
“The guy who has the company who cleans up half the town’s businesses and after every event?”
Bruce nodded, and then everyone started asking questions at the same time. “Did Marshall know it had been his son who had pushed him down the stairs? Had he even known that Leon Price was his son?”
His son, Judith thought, who is so much like Marshall. Maybe on a smaller scale, but perhaps, given the chance, he could have become as powerful as his father.
Booker raised his hand, and when that didn’t work to quiet the room, Addie barked once, and everyone laughed, quieted down, and turned to Booker.
“Here’s what we know. Yes, Leon pushed Marshall down the stairs. It’s not clear that it was on purpose. He says that it wasn’t. He was there to collect his last check and found Marshall packed and heading out of town. When he saw how empty the house was, he figured Marshall was not coming back.
“They argued. Marshall fell down the stairs. Leon panicked and left.”
“Taking Marshall’s computer?” Cindy asked.
“No. That was Margaret. She had gone over to say goodbye, found Marshall at the bottom of the stairs, and realized the same thing that Leon had, Marshall was not planning on coming back. So, knowing what Marshall had on his computer, she took it so no one else would find it.
“And no. It’s doubtful that Marshall knew Leon was his son, because even Leon didn’t know. When we told him, he said we were liars, but the DNA evidence proves it to be true. Maybe all this wouldn’t have happened if either one of them had known. As it is, it’s a tragedy for everyone concerned.”
“Except for Pedro and his family. They can stay in their homes,” Emma said. “Was it Leon who took me to the cabin?”
“It was. He didn’t know what else to do when he spotted you walking through the development. Not a well thought out plan.”
Judith listened with a growing awareness that in truth, she didn’t have a choice. Maybe years before, she could have stopped all this when she worked for Marshall, if she had understood what Marshall was doing.
But she was young, and inexperienced then, and maybe a little afraid of Marshall and his power. But now there was no excuse. She had to say yes to Booker, otherwise she wouldn’t be able to live with herself.
Letting go of Bruce’s hand, she stood. Everyone turned to look. Bruce smiled up at her, giving her strength. He knew what she was going to say.
“Booker asked me to run for mayor.”
“Of course he did,” Marsha said. “And of course you are.”
Everyone laughed, clapped and stood up to hug her. It was the beginning of the town’s rebuilding, and they would be right beside her, making sure she had what she needed to make it happen.
Epilogue
April had requested a quiet party with only the Ruby Sisters for her birthday. They could celebrate with everyone else another time. She loved having the huge crowd that gathered now for events, but this time, she just wanted her closest friends with her. It had been too long since it was just the five of them.
The next day, as a present to herself, she was going to Canada to see her daughter and grandchildren. Her son Robert, who had gone back to traveling the world, would meet her there, so the whole family would be together. That too had been too long, and her heart was so full of happiness at the thought that she felt as if she would explode with joy.
April had already decided that if—and it was a big if—her family brought up her husband Ron, she would ask them to remember only anything good about their time together. She would allow no one to talk about his life as a serial killer. She knew that the pain of that discovery would never leave them, and no one needed to reopen that wound.
If someone would have told them it was possible to live with a person with an evil heart and not know it, they wouldn’t have believed it. Then. Now her family knew that it was.
Before the party, April and Marsha had stood in the studio in the Ruby House, holding cups of coffee, and looked through the budding maple tree into town. They talked about all the changes that had happened to them in the past few years.
And it all started because Bree’s husband had written a letter to all of them before he died, asking them to help his wife. That last gift had changed all their lives more than anyone could have dreamed.
Because of that letter, Marsha had come back to Spring Falls. And met the father she thought had abandoned her. She now knew and accepted how much someone had loved her all along. Her closed heart had opened, and now she spread love to all her students as if they were her own. Despite living a few hours apart, her relationship with Nicky, who had courageously revealed Ron Page’s secret, had strengthened over the past year. Maybe someday they would live together, but for now, this was perfect for both of them.
“Ready?” Marsha asked April, thinking how much she would miss her while she was gone. They were holding the party at Bree’s house. And although sometimes the second of May was chilly in Pennsylvania, this year it was warm and sunny, so they had moved the party outside to Bree’s garden.
April and Marsha pulled up in front of Bree’s house at the same time as Cindy. Seeing April, Cindy bounced out of the car and, yelling “Happy Birthday,” ran over to hug her friend. Cindy’s life had changed too, and it showed.
Judith, watching the greetings from the window in Bree’s living room, thought Cindy looked radiant. With Daniel in her life, and her paintings now selling all over the world, Cindy’s dreams had come true.
Dreams that only Judith had known about. Dreams Cindy had reluctantly shared with Judith during their Monday morning coffees when they were the only two Ruby Sisters left in town. Bree had moved away, and no one knew where she had gone. April had moved with Ron and never came back. Their only contact was a phone call once in a while.
Marsha had moved to try her hand at being a star on Broadway, and when that didn’t work out, she hadn’t come back to Spring Falls. Instead, she had opened a dance studio in New York State and only reconnected once in a while.
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Bree said, coming to stand beside Judith at the window.
“And all because of Paul’s letter,” Judith answered, turning to her friend. “Your husband’s last gift to you, and us, changed all our lives. Without the letters he wrote, none of you would have returned. I would not have met Bruce. You and Booker wouldn’t have found each other again, and you wouldn’t have found the daughter you thought you had lost forever.”
Bree leaned against Judith, letting herself drift back to how it felt after Paul died. She had never felt such despair in her life. It was so deep that the only time she opened her door and stepped outside was to get her mail. She had stopped writing, stopped speaking, and stopped bathing. And then Cindy had rescued her and brought her home.
The two of them stood together as they watched their friends come up the walk, and then, brushing tears from their eyes, opened the front door to let them in, saying “Happy Birthday” as hugs were exchanged.
Later, after all the cake and ice cream had been devoured, songs sung, memories shared, and plans made for the future, Cindy joined Judith as she stood watching.
“You’re tired, aren’t you?”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Probably not to others, but after all, for years, it was just you and me. And now look. You’re the Mayor trying to put a town back together. But the truth is, Judith, you have been doing that for years for everyone. Your clients, your friends, and now you’ve just expanded your reach.”
Judith turned and sat down on a nearby bench, and Cindy sat with her, and Bree walked over to join them sitting on the other side of Judith.
Smiling at the two of them, she said, “It’s so much harder than I thought it would be. So many things were wrong underneath the surface. Marshall and Margaret had their fingers into almost everything. It’s like pulling out a weed that looks like it’s only on the surface, but its roots spread out everywhere.
“Then there’s the politics. And divisions. I don’t like it. Not at all. I have to fight every day for people to do the right thing and find a reason for them to choose it. What happened to knowing the right thing for yourself? Why do I have to show it to them? I’m tired because it’s only been a few months, yet it feels like years.”
Cindy reached over to hold Judith’s hand as Bree smiled and spread open her arms to encompass the garden.
“Remember this place? It looked good on the surface, but when I started working on it, I found the same thing. Weeds everywhere. It was a mess. I wanted to give up.
“But it had good things in it too. Like this tree. You have good things in this town. Like the Ruby Sisters and everyone that works with us. Good people outnumber the bad or confused people. This is something we all need to remember. Joy is stronger than sorrow. We’ve proved that together, haven’t we?”
Judith nodded and looked out at Bree’s garden filled with spring flowers and remembered what it looked like before. Pretty. But this was beautiful. Maybe Bree was right. Once the mess was cleaned up, Spring Falls would be even more lovely to live in.
Reaching out to hold Judith’s other hand, Bree added, “It won’t take forever, Judith. You and Tanner can rebuild the town, and when he’s ready, you can step down and he can take over. In the meantime, you always have the Ruby Sisters.”
Judith nodded, grateful to her friend who had been through the worst of times but still spread joy and love wherever she went.
“Ruby Sisters forever, right?”
“Yes,” said Judith, thinking how all her friends were like flowers in the garden of life.
Then the three of them reached up and touched their necklaces that held the single ruby. As they did, a beam of light streamed through the tree, and Bree could have sworn that all five rubies lit up on each of the sisters’ necklaces.
And given what they had all been through and learned, Bree didn’t think that was impossible. Standing and spreading out her arms to include the garden, her friends, and the town, Bree said, “Thank you, Paul.”
For a moment, all five of them paused at those words, and bowed their heads. Then a soft breeze carrying the smells of spring ruffled their hair, and they laughed and hugged each other. If all their years together had taught them anything, it was that life was hard. But it was worth it.
Author Note
Thank you for reading this book in the Ruby Sister’s series. This is the fifth series I’ve written, and it’s especially precious to me because it focuses on a community of women who endure and thrive together.
Sometimes I’ve named characters after women who have affected my life. Sometimes I have woven tiny stories that happened to me into the books. In this book, the Ruby Sisters wear a dance sweatshirt I designed for one of my beta readers, who shared it with her friends. However, all along, it’s been each member of the Ruby Sisters who has told these stories, and I have only listened and written them down.
To me, that’s the joy of writing. Letting the story unfold and doing my best to tell it truthfully.
I dedicated this last book to my mother, Celeste Cecilia Juneau Lewis. A few weeks before she passed away, I had taken the book before this one, As If It Was Real, to her. While cleaning her room, I found it by her bed, waiting to be read next. I wish I could deliver this one to her because she was my biggest vocal fan.
She kept promising me that someday I would be a best-selling author, and she was sure that at least this series would someday be a Hallmark movie. From her lips to God’s ears, and now that she is even closer to those ears, I hope that someday her dream about me will come true.
If you enjoyed this book, and any of the books in the Ruby Sister’s series, would you do me the biggest favor ever and leave an honest review at your favorite book site? And tell your friends? Perhaps tell them that my mother sent you, because maybe, just maybe, she did.
You can find all my books here: BecaLewis.com
Acknowledgements
I could never write a book without the help of my friends and my book community. When people ask me, where’s the next book, I feel a rush of excitement to get it done—just for them.
Thank you, Jet Tucker, Jamie Lewis, and Diana Cormier for taking the time to do the final reader proof. You are a loyal and much-loved reader team. You can’t imagine how much I appreciate it.
And as always, thank you to Laura Moliter for her fantastic book editing.
Thank you to every other member of my Book Community who helps me make so many decisions that help the book be the best book possible.
Thank you to all the people who tell me they love to read these stories. Those random comments from friends and strangers are more valuable than gold.
And as always, thank you to my beloved husband, Del, for being my daily sounding board, for putting up with all my questions, my constant need to want to make things better, and for being the love of my life, in more than just this one lifetime.
Connect with me online:
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