The Friendship Star Quilt (31 page)

“It's why she was so willing to fall into bed with me. My family has money, and we weren't repulsed by her past. My father just hired a PR firm to create a whole different background for her,” Jeffrey said with a sniff of disdain. “But you're still nothing but a trashy mafia princess, my dear. And now that these people are repulsed by who you are, you have no choice but to come with me again.”

“What are you talking about?” Brad declared. His fist itched to wipe the smug grin from the man's face. “You aren't going anywhere except back to jail. And who said anything about being repulsed? People can't pick their family. Besides, her parents weren't involved in Marrone's crimes.”

Jeffrey snickered. “So you say. But what would a bunch of hicks like you know any way?”

“We know the FBI classified her parents as kidnap victims not criminals,” Detective Moore said.

“Is that true?” Anne asked, turning to his aunt for confirmation. A soft smile lifted the corners of her lips when Aunt Bonnie nodded.

“It doesn't matter one way or the other. Anne is a respected member of this community,” Lila added, joining Brad at Anne's side. She and several members of the quilt group had filtered out to the hall to see what was happening. “Which is more than we can say for a hooligan like you.”

Others in the crowd murmured their agreement, and each comment by one of townspeople seemed to reinforce Anne's courage. Surrounded by many of her quilting friends, she stood taller and held her head up high.

“If Anne is so flawed, why were you trying to force her go with you?” Ellen asked from the crowd.

“I'd like to hear the answer to that, too,” Anne declared, crossing her arms over her chest. “What do you want with me, Jeffrey? You divorced me so you could marry that heiress. What happened to her?”

“Leticia Harris' parents didn't approve, that's what happened,” Aunt Bonnie answered for him. “When your ex-husband was arrested for embezzlement, the Harris family cut him dead. Not only did they convince Leticia to break off the engagement, they severed all ties with his family as well and withdrew their business from Harper Banks.”

She turned to Ellen to answer the earlier question. “I suspect Jeffrey wants to get Anne back under his control, so she can't accuse him of attempted murder.”

“M-murder!” Jeffrey sputtered. “I'm not a murderer!”

“I'm afraid the doctors at Loyola Medical Center don't see it that way. This young woman lost her child because you brutally beat her, pushed her from your moving vehicle and left her to die by the side of the road.”

A horrified gasp ran through the crowd, and several people reached out to give Anne a sympathetic touch. Brad hugged her even closer to his side as myriad emotions coursed through him. Rage toward the monster who'd hurt her so badly, shock that any person could commit such atrocities, and admiration for the petite woman at his side who had not only survived such abuse but had managed to retain her generous spirit. Brad wanted to throttle the monster, but that would mean letting go of Anne, and he was determined not to do that again.

“She was severely malnourished, too,” his aunt continued the litanies of horrors. “The police have an open case for attempted murder and for the murder of Anne's unborn child. The only reason you weren't charged with the crime in my court the last time, Mr. Harper, was because Anne refused to tell the authorities who it was who beat her so badly. She disappeared before the police could offer her protection.”

The judge gave Harper a stern frown. “I've known Anne's identity for months now. I recognized her when I met her at Thanksgiving. I'd hoped to talk to her eventually and convince her to press charges against you. I wanted you to pay for what you'd done, Jeffrey, but your parents pulled strings to get you paroled before I could talk to Anne.”

“Well, it's too late now,” Jeffrey sneered. “I've already served my time, so you're out of luck.”

Anne shook her head. “Oh no. Even ‘stupid, little Sophia' knows you were only tried for embezzlement and fraud, Jeffrey. Your assault on me and my baby's murder are totally different crimes, so they won't be considered double indemnity.”

“She's right, Mr. Harper,” the judge remarked. “And fortunately, there is no statute of limitation on murder.”

Jeffrey opened his mouth to argue, but Mario and Detective Moore took him by the arms, and led him toward the door.

“Let's go, Buddy. This ‘little hick town' has a nice, warm cell waiting for you.”

Anne sat on Brad's couch, savoring the mug of hot chocolate his mother had made for her. Jennie sat next to Anne, clinging to Anne's arm as if afraid she might disappear at any time.

The recital had proceeded after Jeffrey's arrest, although Mrs. McGuire had rearranged the program so Detective Moore's granddaughter played at the very end. It allowed him to escort his prisoner to the jail yet get back in time to hear her play. The children, other than Jennie, had thankfully been unaware of the drama at the back of the auditorium. Anne had worried how the evening's events might affect Jennie's performance. But once Brad's daughter had seen Anne sitting safely in the front row beside her father, she'd played her piece to perfection then made the cutest little bow when her family and Anne had jumped to their feet to give a standing ovation.

Afterwards, well-wishers crowded around Anne, wanting to give her hugs and show their support until Brad had whisked her away, insisting she come home with him and his family to unwind. Brad's mother had made everyone hot cocoa then they'd headed to the living room. When the doorbell rang, Brad went to answer it, and Judge Ames stepped into the hallway to place a call on her cell phone.

She still couldn't believe Brad's aunt had been the judge at Jeffrey's trial. Of course, Anne had been in the hospital during the preliminary hearings, and she'd fled long before his case had gone to trial. Still, she'd watched every news clip and read all the papers. But she'd never connected Brad's kind but firm godmother with the formidable Judge Ames. The judge even had a different last name. Brad had explained it on the way home. His aunt and uncle had married later in life after she'd already used her maiden name professionally for many years as an attorney then as a circuit court judge. She and Uncle Ted had seen no reason to change it.

From the snatches of conversation coming from the hallway, Anne suspected the judge would want to ask her more questions once Jennie had gone to bed.

“—saw it with my own eyes. He marched right up to her and tried to force her to leave with him.”

“Threatened her in front of the—”

“—said they had a score to settle.”

“—quite shocked to see me in—”

For a moment, Anne considered making some excuse to escape to her own apartment. She didn't want to dredge up the memories or remember her past pain. Surely, everyone would understand she was tired and wanted to climb in her bed and sleep. However, before she could ask one of the men to drive her home, Brad returned from the kitchen, carrying a large pizza box.

“Mario dropped this off for you, Anne. I invited him to join us, but he declined and told me to make sure you ate.” He put the box on the coffee table, along with a handful of napkins then settled in the recliner across from her and waved to the box.

Anne's stomach rumbled. She'd been so busy packing to leave she'd forgotten to eat all day. Still, she felt odd reaching for the pizza if everyone was going to just sit there and watch her.

“Mmmm. It sure smells good,” Brad's dad commented, breaking the uneasy silence.

“Mr. Mario makes the best pizza in the whole town,” Jennie declared. “He makes good s'ghetti, too, with
huge
meatballs.”

“Please,” Anne opened the lid and waved toward the large pizza inside the box. “Help yourself to some of this. Mario loads so many toppings on his pizzas that one is nearly enough to feed an army.”

“You don't have to tell me twice,” Uncle Ted said, rising from his chair to get a piece. “I'll take one for Bonnie, too.”

“Oh no, you don't, Theodore Thomas,” his wife said, returning to the living room in time to hear him. “I'll never see it if I let you get it for me.”

“You wound me, my dear,” he protested, putting a hand to his chest. But the wink he sent Anne's way said his wife was probably right.

When everyone settled in their seats with their pizza and hot chocolate, Anne held her breath, knowing the questions would soon start. She didn't have to wait long. Brad leaned forward in his chair, his warm brown gaze fixed on her.

“How long have you been hiding, Anne?”

“Quite a while. It's almost three years since I lost—” She paused and glanced at Jennie. “Since I left the hospital.”

“Is that why you had the school make out your check for the flags and the costumes to the shop? So there wasn't any record of your social security number?”

Anne shrugged. “The Harper family is in banking and politics and they have prominent connections. I needed to protect myself, so I didn't dare open any bank accounts. Myra knew my story and was willing to pay me cash, because social security numbers can be tracked. “

“No banking, no utilities—” He paused and grinned. “No phone.”

She grinned slightly but ducked her head. “I didn't use my legal name, but I always feared the Harpers would somehow figure out Anne Brown and Sophia Marrone Harper were the same person… and they did.”

“I wonder how he made that connection,” Mrs. Carmichael mused. The petite blonde sat on the floor, leaning against her husband's chair, his hand resting on her shoulder.

“My maiden name is Marrone. It's Italian for brown. Smart investigators check for similarities like that. And I guess it was just dumb luck that one of them happened to see me in town.”

“Didn't you have any family who could take you in when you left Harper?” Brad's father asked.

“My mom's parents raised me after my folks disappeared. They were both gone by the time I married Jeffrey. Dad's family, the Marrones, aren't the kind of people I'd turn to for help.” Anne shivered then glanced down at Jennie to see if the child had noticed. Luckily, the little girl was still busy with her slice of pizza. “Maybe we can discuss my family at another time.”

“Well, the Harpers shouldn't bother you anymore, Anne,” Judge Ames commented. “Even though Jeffrey only pretended to have a gun at the school, he still violated several of the conditions of his parole. The D.A. in Detroit was quite interested in what happened tonight. He was opposed to Jeffrey being paroled and can't wait to get your ex back. He's arranging a nice escort to return Jeffrey to prison. He also hopes you'll help them bring the other charges against your ex, so he'll never be able to bother you again.”

“That would be a relief. But how can I be sure he won't get out again and come after me again one day?”

“Leave that to Aunt Bonnie,” Brad said. “Just trust her. “

Anne didn't argue with him, but she doubted her ordeal could be over so easily. The Harpers were too powerful. Even when Jeffrey had embezzled from them, they'd circled the wagons to protect him. Brad and his family were warm and caring, but could they stop Jeffrey's vengeance? If he went back to jail, she knew he'd try to kill her. He'd hire someone if he couldn't do it himself. The only way to escape him was to run again and hope she could find a way to start over.

“You're not leaving.”

Anne startled and saw Brad's stern expression as he watched her.

“Whoa, look at the time,” Mr. Carmichael suddenly announced. “The news will be coming on any minute now, and your mother and I never miss it.”

He held out a hand to help his wife to her feet. “Come on, Babs. Let's go in the den so these youngsters can talk. You coming, Bonnie and Ted?”

“We're right behind you,” Aunt Bonnie answered then glanced pointedly at Anne. “And we're right behind you, too, my dear. Every step of the way.”

Anne acknowledged Aunt's Bonnie's assurance with a nod, but her thoughts were racing. How had Brad known what she was thinking? Had she spoken her thoughts aloud or had he read her mind?

He came over to sit beside her. “Your face, your body language, everything about you says you're planning to run again, Anne.” He took her hands in his and squeezed them gently. “You can't do that. You belong here. You've got your quilting friends who love you. You've got Detective Moore, George, and Mario all watching your back. You've got Myra and Ed, who love you like a daughter. And… you've got us. Jennie and me. We care about you, Anne. We care a lot.”

Jennie wrapped her hands around Anne's arm. “Daddy's right, Miss Anne. I was really mad at the recital when that mean man hurt you. If Mr. Mario and Detective Moore hadn't taken him to jail, I would have kicked him hard.”

The precious child's words brought a lump to Anne's throat. “I'm very glad you didn't have to kick him, sweetheart.”

“Me, too,” the youngster admitted. “I didn't want to mess up my new shoes. But I would've done it for you.”

Jennie's honesty made Anne chuckle. She pulled her hands free from Brad's and gave the little girl a hug.

“Princess, I know you want to stay and talk to Anne, but it's way past your bed time, and you have school tomorrow.”

Jennie turned to Anne. “Will you be here for breakfast when I get up?”

“No, Jennie. I'm going to go back to my apartment in a little while so I can sleep, too.”

“But can I see you tomorrow?”

“Did you need something special, honey?”

“No, I just want to—to make sure you're okay.” Jennie's eyes filled with tears. “I don't want that bad man to take you away, Miss Anne.”

“I promise he is not going to take me anywhere, Jennie. Your Aunt Bonnie made sure of that. The police have him locked up at the jail, and he's not going to get out for a very long time.”

“But can I come to the shop tomorrow to make sure?”

“If it's okay with your daddy,” Anne said then glanced at Brad for confirmation.

“Sweetheart, I have a faculty meeting after school tomorrow. Aunt Bonnie and Grandma were going to pick you up, remember?”

“But I want to see Miss Anne,” she protested. The late hour and all the excitement filled her eyes with tears again.

“I'll tell you what. Now, that Myra—Mrs. Hodges— is back from Florida, I have much more free time. If it's okay with your dad, I could meet you after school, and we could walk to the ice cream shop. Your aunt and grandma can join us there for a treat, too.”

The little girl's face immediately brightened. “We can meet out front by the flagpole. That's where other kids meet their moms and grandmas and stuff.”

“I'll be there,” Anne promised. She glanced at Brad. “Will that be okay with you?”

Brad gazed fondly at the two of them. “It sounds wonderful to me. Maybe I should skip my meeting and go for ice cream, too.”

“Daddy! It's a
girls'
ice cream party.”

“Well, now that we've got that straightened out,” he said, “you need to give Anne a goodnight hug and hop into bed.”

Jennie rose and turned to Anne with her arms outstretched. Anne wrapped the little girl in a hug, holding her close and inhaling her sweet scent.

“Will you come and say my prayers with me?” Jennie asked still in the circle of Anne's embrace.

“Would you mind, Anne?” Brad asked.

“Are you kidding? I'd love to.”

Jennie gave her dad a hug and kiss then took Anne's hand and led her down the hall to her room. Anne paused in the door and gasped softly at the frilly paradise in front of her. A white canopy bed held court in the center of the pink-and-white room, and thick rose-colored carpeting covered the floor. White eyelet lace curtains hung in the room's windows, matching the coverlet on the bed. A pair of exquisite porcelain dolls sat at a child-sized table and chairs. Stuffed animals and books crowded a bookshelf that had been painted to match the bedroom furniture. It was exactly the type of room she'd dreamed of decorating for her own little girl one day.

“Do you like my room, Miss Anne?”

“Oh yes. It's very beautiful.”

“Mommy decorated it. She bought my dolls, Miss Agatha and Miss Victoria, too, but I can't play with them. They have to just sit at the table and be pretty. Daddy said she spent too much money, but Mommy said we shouldn't live in a dump. She said that every time she bought something new for the house. I had to help her keep everything nice and clean so it would be the way she liked.”

“Well, it's very pretty,” Anne assured her. While Jennie changed into her nightgown, Anne sat on the bed and picked up a well-loved, soft-bodied doll she found half-buried among the bed pillows. “And who is this pretty dolly?”

The little girl's face lit up with pleasure. “That's Kelly. Grandma Barb sent her to me when I was little. Kelly sleeps in bed with me at night.”

“Well it's time for you and Kelly to get some sleep, sweetheart.”

“Prayers first,” Jennie declared.

“Of course.” Anne knelt with Jennie by the side of her bed and listened as the child offered prayers for her daddy, for her mommy in heaven, for her grandparents, friends, and relatives. Anne's heart caught when Jennie finished by saying, “And, God, please keep the bad man in jail so he can't hurt Miss Anne. Amen.”

Amen indeed!

Anne tucked the little girl under the covers, gave her a kiss on the forehead then turned down the light.

“Thank you for saying my prayers with me,” Jennie said, smothering a yawn. “I liked having you do it. I hope you'll do it with me again.”

“I liked it, too,” Anne replied. “Sweet dreams, Princess,” she added in a whisper.

“All tucked in?” Brad asked when Anne returned to the living room.

She nodded, fighting down the lump of emotions the experience had caused.

“Are you okay?”

“I'm fine, Brad. I just need to go home. It's been a very long day.”

“Of course. I'll get your coat and let Mom and Aunt Bonnie know I'm driving you back to your place. They'll listen for Jennie in case she needs anything.”

Once they were in his car, however, Brad made no move to start it. Instead, he took a deep breath. “Anne, I—”