A Steadfast Companion, page 15
Doubling over, Maddie covered her mouth. It couldn’t be. Witt couldn’t have been a party to the fraud that wiped out her grandparents’ life savings. Despite the court-ordered settlement, recovery of even a portion of their losses had taken years. Before she died, Nana had resigned herself to the fact that she’d likely never see the rest.
Maddie slid her thumb across the disconnect button and dropped the phone onto the desk. Had he known? Known all along who her grandparents were? Was this whole thing a setup from the start? Sure, the reclusive dog rescuer was probably as gullible as her countrified grandparents. He’d worm his way into her life, gain her trust, get her to care for him, all the while “helping” her raise funds for the sanctuary, which he’d then find a way to abscond with. Once a scammer, always a scammer.
And she’d fallen for it. Fallen hard and fast, eyes wide shut.
Well, no more. If Angus Wittenbauer thought he was pulling one over on her, his plan had backfired, because by coaxing her out of her comfort zone and encouraging her drawing talents, he’d unwittingly empowered her to get along just fine on her own.
She made up her mind. When he got home from work this evening, she’d confront him with the truth and tell him he had to leave. She would never, ever, ever be taken in by another man’s lies.
Anger feeding her nervous energy, she needed to do something besides sit there and fume. Being with the dogs never failed to soothe her, so she marched to the kennel, intending to let the dogs out for some playtime.
But when she entered the building, the first thing she saw was Ranger in the run with Joey.
“What are you doing here, boy?” And why? Witt never went anywhere without his dog.
She glanced around in search of an explanation and spied a note taped to the kitchen door. Recognizing Witt’s handwriting, she read the cryptic message:
It’s time for me to move on, but I need to leave Ranger with you until I find a place that allows pets. I left an envelope with money for his food and care. I’ll come for him as soon as I can. I’m sorry, Maddie. This is better for both of us.
Ranger whined and scratched on the gate, his soft brown eyes mirroring Maddie’s bewilderment. Letting the note flutter to the floor, she dug her fingers into the hair at her temples. A scammer didn’t leave money to cover pet care, much less leave his beloved dog behind.
What am I missing here? Dear God, show me what’s true and what isn’t.
Chapter Thirteen
Witt paged through apartment listings in the booklet he’d picked up at a convenience store. Not much help so far. Either the rent was out of reach, or they didn’t allow pets, or if they did, a huge deposit was required.
“Nothing yet?” Carl Anderson, his former counselor at the transitional home, sat down across the table from him. The man had been kind enough to let Witt stay over for a couple of nights in one of the empty bunks.
“There’s a few I can check out.” The complexes weren’t in the safest part of town, and again, no pets, but to stay off the streets he’d have to take what he could get. If it meant leaving Ranger with Maddie indefinitely, he’d send more money as soon as he could.
“Wish I could let you stay longer,” Carl said with a frown, “but I have to abide by regulations or our funding gets cut.”
“No worries. I’ll figure out something and be out of here this afternoon.”
“You never said exactly why things didn’t work out at the dog sanctuary. When we talked a few weeks ago, you sounded really happy.”
Witt released a humorless laugh. “Can we leave it at ‘things got complicated’?”
“As in...romantically?” Carl shook his head. “If this is about you feeling unworthy—”
“That part’s still a work in progress. Bottom line is I don’t want to risk hurting anyone else. And Maddie’s been hurt enough already.”
“So packing up and leaving doesn’t count as hurtful?”
Guess he wasn’t going to get away with sidestepping the truth. Carl knew most of it anyway. Elbows on the table, he lowered his head into his hands. “Maddie’s grandparents were victims of investment fraud.”
“Not the company you worked for?”
“Yep. The very same.” He described what he’d learned from Pastor Peters. “How could I face her, knowing I’m partly responsible? And not just for the money her grandparents lost but the stress and worry that eventually took both their lives.”
“Haven’t we been over this too many times to count? You can’t keep shouldering the blame for something that was outside your control. You need to accept credit for saving who knows how many people from even greater losses. In fact,” Carl continued, rising to brace his hands on the table, “it’s long past time you took care of a couple of overlooked items in your twelve-step program. You need to tell your ex-wife and children the truth and make amends to them.”
“You know why I’ve never told them. My former bosses may be in prison, but they’ve got long reaches. If they ever found out I was the whistleblower, they could still target not just me but the people I care about.”
“Witt, your kids deserve to know their father isn’t one of the bad guys. And you deserve a relationship with them. Can’t you find a way to be honest with your family while still keeping your secret?”
“I don’t know... I don’t know.” His stomach roiled. He wished he could accept what Carl was saying, but how could dredging up the past be good for any of them? “Even if I wanted to—even if they’d listen to me after all these years—I can’t disrupt their lives again. They’re better off with me out of the picture.”
Scoffing, Carl paced to the other side of the kitchen. “I can’t force you to stop punishing yourself. I can’t force you to believe you might actually be entitled to a little happiness. It’s your life, Witt,” he said, facing him. “You’re the only one who can decide what to do with it. I only hope you have the good sense to give God a chance to weigh in on any decisions you make.”
He’d been trying to, hadn’t he? The Bible said to put the concerns of others first, and that was what he’d vowed to do. What did his own life matter as long as he could keep from bringing others down with him? Most of all, Maddie, who’d cracked open places in his heart that he’d thought were sealed away forever.
Quietly, he rose and tucked the apartment guide into his back pocket. “I should get going if I want to find a place before tonight.”
“Hang on, Witt. Let me give you some names and numbers. There are a couple of shelters downtown—”
“Had enough of homeless shelters. I won’t go that route again.” He thrust out his hand. “Thank you, Carl, for everything. And I don’t want you worrying about me. I fully intend to land on my feet.”
“I know you will.” Carl shook his hand firmly. “I’ll be praying.”
A few minutes later, he headed across town to see some apartments. The affordable vacancies he looked at weren’t in the best condition, but he’d survived worse. Problem was they also came unfurnished, which meant he’d need to check out some thrift stores for cheap furniture and household goods. He didn’t need much to get by, but still, it was an expense he had to consider.
Next came filling out a rental application. Witt’s credit had improved a bit in the past several months, but apparently not enough to satisfy a leasing agent.
“I’ll have to send this to our main office for approval,” the agent told him.
“How long will that take?”
“About two weeks.”
Stomach sinking, Witt nodded. “I understand. You’ll call me?”
“Of course. But...” The man cast him a pointed look. “You might want to keep looking, just in case.”
Back in his truck, he drove around aimlessly. He could never cross the Reserve Street bridge over the Clark Fork River without recalling the frigid winters and hot summers when he’d camped out under that bridge. The city now had a secure homeless camp behind the nearby Walmart. But even if Witt’s tattered tarp and sleeping bag hadn’t been lost nearly three years ago the day he went into the hospital, he couldn’t bear the thought of returning to street life.
Maybe he should leave Missoula, maybe try Denver or Boise or even head down to Texas. New surroundings might help him get his head on straight and his act together.
And put enough distance between him and Maddie that maybe he’d eventually be able to forget her and everything they might have had.
The thought had no sooner passed through his mind than his phone chimed with an incoming text. Best-case scenario would be the Happy’s Helpers dispatcher with an emergency repair call. A little weekend overtime pay would really help right now. He pulled into the nearest parking lot to check his phone.
It wasn’t Happy’s Helpers. It was Maddie. Where are you, Witt? We need to talk.
Heart thudding, he stared at the message. He missed her so much, but what good would talking do? Maybe he owed her the chance to unleash her outrage on him, but what could he say in reply that would ever make things right?
For a split second he thought about blocking her number—making a clean break might be best for both of them. But then he remembered Ranger. These past few days without his dog had almost been harder than when he’d first woken up in the hospital and realized Ranger was gone.
He thought long and hard about how to answer Maddie’s text. Then with a tear trickling down his cheek, he typed There’s nothing more to say, except thank you for looking after Ranger. Tell him I love and miss him and will come for him as soon as I can.
His thumb hovered over the Send button. I love and miss you, too, Maddie. I’m sorry. So, so sorry.
He hit Send, then shut off his phone. It was probably too late to count on any last-minute handyman jobs anyway. Time to pick up something for tonight’s supper and tomorrow’s breakfast, then find somewhere to pull over in his truck for the night. Riverfront Park downtown might work, if he could find an out-of-the-way spot where he hoped any cops on patrol would leave him alone.
Surely tomorrow he’d fare better in his apartment search. Either that or he might need to consider one of the homeless shelters after all. He just needed to stay in town and keep working until he saved enough to collect Ranger and start over somewhere else.
* * *
Answer, Witt. Please answer.
Willing a reply text to appear, Maddie sat at her desk with her phone in her hand for a good ten minutes. But even though the display indicated he’d received and read her message, those longed-for three little dots signaling he was composing a response never appeared.
He’d left barely three days ago, but it felt like an eternity. It hadn’t taken long for her to decide there had to be more to the story, because either she was more gullible than she ever imagined or Witt was every bit as upright and honorable as she’d sensed from the start.
She prayed with all her heart it was the latter.
Well, she couldn’t stall any longer. She had less than a week to prepare for the Labor Day craft fair in downtown Missoula. And now, without Witt to cover kennel and barn chores that weekend, she didn’t know what she’d do. She certainly couldn’t leave the dogs unattended for the three long days she’d be hosting her pet portrait booth.
Hoping Julia might be able to help, she started to call, then at the last second realized she’d have to give an explanation for Witt’s departure. She could already hear her friend’s I told you so, which was why she’d been keeping her discovery to herself.
Unfortunately, her immediate needs didn’t leave much choice. She placed the call. “Hi, Julia. I’ve got a...a situation.”
“Uh-oh. Is one of the dogs sick?”
“No, they’re all fine. But I—I—” Her voice broke. “Witt moved out.”
“Oh, no. Why? Did he get another job somewhere?”
“It’s worse. It looks like you were right about him.”
Julia’s tone softened with compassion. “I’m so sorry, Maddie. This is one time I really, really didn’t want to be right. Can you tell me what happened?”
Holding back tears, she described her conversation with Witt’s daughter and the revelation that he’d been an investment manager with the firm that had defrauded her grandparents. “I was furious when I found out, so certain he’d been stringing me along all this time while figuring out how he could embezzle money from the sanctuary. But the day I was ready to confront him and throw him out, he’d already left.” Her voice strengthening, she added, “And he left money for me so I could take care of Ranger until he finds a new place to live.”
Julia’s thoughtful silence lasted for several seconds. “Do you think he discovered you found out about him?”
“I don’t see how he could have known.” She thought back to the days before Witt had left. “He’d definitely been troubled about something, but it seemed deeply personal, not at all like he was scheming or putting on an act.”
“How can you be so sure it wasn’t an act? That’s what con men do—as you should know all too well.”
She bristled with defensiveness—for herself or for Witt, she wasn’t sure. “Don’t you dare compare Witt with Garrett. They are nothing alike.”
“Is that your head talking, or your heart?”
“Can’t it be both?” Sliding open the drawer where she’d tucked away that first sketch she’d made of Witt, she found herself captivated once more by those entrancing eyes. “Oh, Julia, what if I’ve misjudged him? Not before, but now. There has to be some misunderstanding, something we’re missing. The man I’ve come to know could never be responsible for anything as cold and calculating as what that company did to my grandparents.”
“Wow,” Julia murmured. “I knew you were developing feelings for him, but...you really have fallen in love, haven’t you?”
“Yeah, I think I have.” Gazing at the sketch, she pressed a hand to her heart and whispered, “What am I going to do?”
“I can still ask my dad to reach out to his law enforcement friend. Knowing now what Witt was involved with, we have a place to start.”
Maddie heaved a resigned sigh. “Okay, do it. I’ll never be able to rest until I learn the truth, wherever it leads.”
“Just...be prepared.”
“That goes for you, too, in case I get to be the one who says I told you so.”
“Nothing would make me happier.”
Remembering what had prompted her to phone Julia in the first place, she shifted the conversation to her need for help during the Labor Day fair. Julia felt certain one of the part-time vet techs from the clinic would be happy to stay at the sanctuary over the weekend to tend the dogs and horses. She promised to get back to Maddie by Monday at the latest.
Checking one item off her worry list, she turned her attention to the Saturday-afternoon group tutoring session she’d arranged for three students needing remedial reading help. It kept her mind off Witt—temporarily, at least. But now that she’d let in the tiniest glimmer of hope, she could only pray that Witt would give her—give them—another chance.
* * *
Several days later, Witt awoke from a fitful sleep to the glare of a flashlight shining in his eyes and a uniformed cop rapping on his pickup window. He sat up with a start, both hands instinctively raised.
“Step out of the vehicle, please,” the officer said. “Slowly.”
Trying to clear his head, he eased open the door and set his feet on the pavement. “Sorry, Officer. I, uh, got sleepy and, uh...”
“Sure you haven’t been drinking?” The cop swept his light across the floorboards.
“I have not, sir.” At that question, his grogginess quickly dissipated. “Really, I just needed a safe place to pull over.”
After another stern look at Witt, the officer seemed satisfied concerning his sobriety. “Driver’s license, please.”
He gingerly pulled out his wallet and handed over his license.
“Angus Nathaniel Wittenbauer, eh? That’s a mouthful.” The officer compared Witt’s face to the license photo, then had him wait next to the patrol car while he ran the info through the system. “Everything checks out. Your place of residence says Elk Valley. So what are you doing in downtown Missoula sleeping in your truck?”
“I had to move out last week. It was kind of sudden, and I’m waiting for my new apartment to become available.” It wasn’t a lie, exactly. Any day now, he hoped to learn one of the three lease applications he’d submitted had been approved.
“In that case, I suggest you check into a motel. We’ve got a homeless problem in this area, and you wouldn’t want a run-in with those bad actors.”
Witt bit the inside of his cheek to keep from saying something he’d regret—whether it was revealing his current state of homelessness or accusing the officer of passing judgment on people he knew nothing about. He tucked his driver’s license back into his wallet. “Yes, sir, I’ll be on my way, then. Sorry to have troubled you.”
Dawn was only a couple of hours away. Not much chance of finding an out-of-the-way place in time to catch a bit more shut-eye, so he drove to a convenience store. After buying himself a large coffee and a sausage biscuit, he sat in his pickup to have breakfast. He’d wrapped up a fencing repair job yesterday and hadn’t gotten any work assignments yet for today, so he’d need to find something to do with the next few hours that wouldn’t draw the wrong kind of attention.
He decided to hang out at the library for a while and start researching job listings and apartments in other cities. Might as well keep his options open. After lunch, he went by one of the leasing offices again hoping a little friendly persuasion would hurry along his application. A different rep was on duty, but she acted even less interested in his plight than her predecessor.
