She looked at Mark, saw the trepidation on his face.
“I’ll ask my parents,” she told Craig finally. “Maybe you can stay for a day or two.”
FIFTEEN
MARK HUNG BACK AS DENI WENT TO THE FRONT DOOR and leaned in, calling her parents. He was amazed at the arrogance of this guy.
The line about sleeping in his car really got to Mark. He’d be happy to show Craig a nice bridge he could sleep under. And all the promises about restoring power — as if Craig had the pull to get the Brannings’ house restored first.
But it was Deni who’d have to convince Craig she wasn’t interested. Mark could see that she didn’t want to be rude to the man who’d once meant so much to her. And Craig was pushy. When she’d hesitated about putting him up, he’d laid guilt on her. He knew her too well.
As anger warmed Mark’s face, he fumbled in his pocket for the ring. What timing.
She turned back to both of them. “Let’s go on in and let Mom and Dad know you’re here.”
Mark didn’t want to. He wanted to take Craig to the lake, launch him in a canoe without a paddle, and let him swim back to shore. Mark knew Craig wanted him to leave, so he stayed.
As he passed Craig, he looked down at him, hoping his rival felt small. Craig didn’t look pleased, which pleased Mark immensely.
It was his only consolation.
KAY HEARD DENI CALLING FROM THE FRONT DOOR AND HER heart leapt. “He must have asked her!” she told Doug.
Doug laughed. “That boy doesn’t waste any time.” They raced each other to the door.
Deni didn’t look like a blushing bride-to-be. Instead, she had a bad-news look on her face. Her ring finger was still bare. “Guess who’s here,” she said.
“Who?” Kay asked.
Deni opened the door wider.
Kay almost choked at the sight of Craig Martin.
“What the devil are you doing here?” Doug blurted.
Craig’s smile twitched. Kay snapped a smile on her tight face. “Craig, it’s great to see you. Are you passing through?”
“No,” he said, giving them stiff hugs. “I’m staying.”
Kay’s eyes moved to Mark, stepping in behind Craig, looking as if he’d like to hurt him. Was the ring in his pocket?
How could this happen, tonight of all nights?
Kay swallowed hard. “Staying where?”
Deni cleared her throat. “He wondered if he could stay here for a couple of days.”
Craig told them about his job, and Kay’s heart sank deeper. This wasn’t a weekend thing. He was digging in. Staking his territory.
Kay heard Beth coming down the stairs. When she appeared in the foyer, she took one look at Craig and said, “Uh-oh.”
Kay shot her a scolding look and laughed nervously. “That’s not a very nice greeting, Beth.”
Beth looked at her mother. “But he lives in Washington!” Catching herself, she turned back to Craig and muttered, “It’s nice to see you.”
Mark caught her eye and winked.
Craig slid his hands into his pockets. “I’m here to get things up and running again.”
“What things?” Beth asked.
“Electricity, communication, transportation . . .”
Kay caught her breath. “Really?”
“Yes.” Craig seemed relieved that he’d gotten her interest. “I just need a place to stay for a few days until I can find a place to live.”
Kay froze, and she felt Doug doing the same. Mark sent signals with his eyes. Kay wanted to say no, that there wasn’t a place anywhere in Crockett where he could find an empty bed.
“Mom? Dad?” Deni asked, rattling them back to the moment.
Kay realized she was being rude. Her mind raced for an alternative. “Maybe you could rent one of the empty apartments at Sandwood Place.”
“No way,” Craig said. “I’ve been to that place. I’m not living there. I can afford something much nicer. I just need time to look.”
“But they’re nicer now. The residents are really keeping it cleaner now that they know what to do. And some of the people have moved out and gone to live with relatives, so there are vacancies.”
“Sorry. Not interested.”
Doug sighed. “Well, what about Eloise’s house across the street?”
He didn’t bite. “I’ll find something soon. I just need a couch to sleep on until I have time to look.”
Mark finally spoke. “My father’s house is vacant.”
Kay almost laughed. The house Mark inherited wasn’t exactly habitable.
Deni shot him a stern look. “Mark, it’s all burned out. No one can live there until it’s repaired.”
Kay fought her grin. Mark seemed to like the idea of Craig living in a burned-out house.
“Thanks a lot, Mark.” Craig’s tone was sarcastic. “But if I get this area’s power on first, I’d like to be able to use it.”
Hope sprang to Kay’s heart. “You mean we’ll have electricity before everyone else?”
“This region will,” he said. “Call us selfish, but we’ll need a communication center, office equipment. We’ll start with Crockett, of course. And this neighborhood will be on my priority list.”
Before Kay could respond, Beth said, “He can have my room for a couple of days. I like sleeping with Deni.”
“All right.” Kay’s voice sounded weak, hollow. She lifted her chin, hoping to sound more gracious — but what would this do to Mark and Deni? “You’ll sleep in Beth’s room, Craig.”
Mark looked at the floor. Kay hoped he’d forgive her.
“Great,” Craig said. “And Doug, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”
Doug’s face was still tight, guarded. “Yeah?”
“It’s about Christianity. I don’t know if Deni told you, but the events of the last year have done a lot to humble me. And it woke me up to a lot of things. Including the existence of God.” He paused, as if the words were thick in his throat. “I began to read the Bible, and its truth resonated with me. After a lot of soul-searching, I gave my life to Christ.”
Boy, he was shoveling it on thick. Kay didn’t believe him for a moment. But Deni seemed to. Her smile seemed victorious.
Doug’s smile was thin, fragile. “That’s wonderful, Craig,” he said. “Our prayers for you all those months ago were answered.”
They were still standing in the foyer. She should invite him in, Kay thought. Offer him some food. Where were her manners?
Craig went on. “I haven’t yet been baptized. And I was thinking that maybe you could baptize me tomorrow. You still do church, don’t you?”
Doug shot her a glance. “We sure do. We can baptize you in the lake during tomorrow’s service. I’d be honored.”
Kay tried not to look bitter, but she felt like a child fighting the urge to stick her finger down her throat. This guy was a piece of work! Using Christianity — one of the main things that had made Deni break up with him — to win her back.
Craig was no fool, but he clearly thought the Brannings were. And Deni seemed to be buying it. If only Mark had already put that ring on her finger.
SIXTEEN
MARK STAYED AT THE BRANNINGS’ WELL INTO THE EVENING, though he barely said a word. As Craig ate too much of the Brannings’ food, he talked about the reconstruction. The family crowded around him as if he were the conquering hero. As he talked to them about the Alabama Recovery Team, Mark slid his hand into his pocket. His index finger found the ring. He wished he could get alone with Deni.
But the magic he’d expected for the evening was gone. He wanted her undivided attention when he proposed. Tonight clearly wasn’t the night.
He sat on the couch next to her, channeling all of his angry energy into his shaking foot. Now and then, Deni would touch his knee to stop him. He’d quit for a while, but within minutes, his leg went at it again.
Finally, when it was pushing ten, he realized that he needed to go. He couldn’t very well stay all nig
ht, just to keep Craig away from Deni.
Deni walked him out onto the porch and closed the door behind them. “Mark, I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “But please don’t worry.”
Mark breathed a silent laugh and looked out into the darkness.
“Seriously,” she said, “this is no big deal. He’ll be here a couple of days and then move into his own place. That’ll be the end of it.”
“Deni, you can’t be serious. He’s here to sweep you off your feet. He won’t give up after a couple of days.”
“He’ll have to. I’m not in love with him.”
Mark’s heart softened, and he felt a little hope again.
She stepped toward him and slid her arms around his neck. “I’m in love with you.”
Mark’s fears melted as he kissed her, and his heart ached for the words to tell her what she meant to him. But there weren’t any — the ring said it all. Maybe now was the time to pull it out of his pocket, drop down on one knee, and ask her to marry him. But how would it be when she went inside and couldn’t celebrate with her parents out of sensitivity for Craig’s feelings? How would it be when Mark went home, leaving Craig there to tamp her joy and put doubts in her mind?
No, this wasn’t the time.
Their kiss broke, and she looked up at him. “I don’t want you getting all insecure over this. I didn’t ask him to come.”
“I know.”
“And it’s a good thing that he’s a Christian now, right?”
“Yeah, if he’s sincere.”
Her arms slid down to his chest. “You don’t think he is?”
Mark didn’t want to say that straight out. “I’m just saying it’s possible that he’s telling you what you want to hear. Removing the obstacles you had about marrying him.”
“Yes, it’s possible. But what if it’s true?”
“Then that’s great. The angels are celebrating.”
“Will you?”
Mark looked away from her into the night. Could he celebrate having this brother in the kingdom of God? Maybe, if Craig left Deni alone.
His thoughts disturbed him. “I hope so,” he said. “What kind of Christian would I be if I couldn’t?”
That seemed to satisfy her. “Are you coming to church in the morning?”
“Have I missed a Sunday yet?”
“No. I just thought . . .”
“I’ll be there.” His tone was a little too sharp, but he wasn’t sure what she wanted from him.
Her brown eyes were so pretty, so deep . . . Did Craig know her depths, or did he think of her simply as the potential trophy wife he’d wanted her to be before?
“I’m sorry we missed the boat ride,” she said. “Maybe we can do it soon.”
“Tomorrow night?”
She thought for a moment. “Maybe we should see how it goes.”
So that was how it was going to be. Craig’s presence would dictate when she could go out with him. He let her go and slid his hands back into his pockets. “I hate this,” he said. “I won’t lie to you.”
“I know,” she said. “But you’re going to have to trust me.”
SEVENTEEN
“CAN I STAY HOME FROM CHURCH TODAY?” BETH’S QUESTION stopped the breakfast conversation about Craig and his baptism.
Her parents exchanged a look.
“Why?” her dad asked.
She pushed the egg around on her plate. “I don’t feel good. It’s hot and I want to stay home.”
“Don’t you want to see me get baptized?” Craig asked.
Beth started to say no, but she’d be chastised for her rudeness. Instead, she shrugged, squelching the urge to tell him to stay out of it.
Her mother sighed. “Beth, I don’t know why you haven’t wanted to leave the house all week, but you can’t hole up in here refusing to face the world.”
Jeff finished his eggs and dropped his fork with a clank. “Yeah, it’s time you got back to delivering your own papers. I have enough to do. Come clean, Sis. Did somebody make fun of you? Are you embarrassed about something?”
Beth wished it was that simple. She picked at her food, wondering if admitting that would make them let her stay home. But no, she knew better. They would lecture her about having to face her fears, not letting words get her down. Sticks and stones, and all that. They would never dream that it was an angry killer she feared and not her friends.
Now it was Deni’s turn. “You have agoraphobia, you know. The fear of leaving your house. You’re turning into a recluse.”
“No, I’m not. You don’t know what you’re talking about.” She got up from the table and took her plate to the water bowl beside the sink. “Do I have to go, Dad?”
“Yes, we’re all going.”
Beth washed her plate and went upstairs, wishing Craig wasn’t staying in her room. She would love to close herself in there alone. As it stood, she only had Deni’s room.
She went into Deni’s bathroom and stood in front of the mirror, trying to see what the killer would remember about her. If he saw her out in public, sitting at the lake in her church congregation, would he know her? She’d been wet the day of the murders, but he still could have seen that she was a blonde, and that her hair was naturally wavy. He’d seen her blue eyes, and might remember that.
Terror seized her, and her chest grew tight. If he’d followed her far enough to see her neighborhood, he would come to church. He would find out who her family members were. And then he would follow through on his threat.
She couldn’t let that happen. If she left the house, she would have to disguise herself.
Going back into Deni’s room, she dug through her sister’s dresser for a pair of scissors. Finding them, she went back into the bathroom. She studied her reflection, touching her hair. It was her favorite thing about herself. Jimmy was always trying to touch it, as if he couldn’t get enough of its softness. He would tell her she had a bug in it, then pick at it, trying to free it. Or he’d help her cool off her neck by lifting it up. Once he’d swept it behind her ear.
But it didn’t matter. This hair could get her killed. She took a strand, lifted the scissors, and snipped. Six inches fell onto the sink.
But that wasn’t enough. It would have to be really short, like a boy’s. She took another strand and cut it shorter, this time above her ear. Her stomach began to burn, but she couldn’t stop now.
She snipped and snipped, rounding it over her ears, whacking it off in the back. She hated bangs, because her hair was too curly to hang smoothly over her forehead. In the days before the Pulses, she could straighten it with a flatiron, making it lie down silky and smooth. Now it was just curly. She cut the strands long enough to push behind her ears. The bangs kept falling into her eyes, so she almost cut them shorter. But hiding her eyes was a good thing.
When she’d finished, she had a pile of hair clippings on the floor and in the sink. She studied the finished product. It looked awful. The blunt edges stuck out too thickly — not smooth and feathered as if a professional had cut it. But it was the best she could do. She wished she had some hair dye, so she could color it brown.
Tears came to her eyes as she gathered up the discarded hair. She pulled a makeup travel bag out of the cabinet under the sink and stuffed some of it in. She would keep it to remember. She zipped up the bag and cleaned up her mess. Then she went to her own room and stuffed the bag into her top dresser drawer.
Tears filled her eyes, but she blinked them back. Biting her lip, she went to the closet. Craig’s suits and dress shirts hung there with her clothes. Since they had church outside by the lake, they didn’t dress up. Still, her parents wanted her to wear something other than her everyday work clothes to set the day apart. She chose an outfit that didn’t stand out — a brown pullover shirt and a pair of khakis. If anyone’s eye skimmed the crowd, she wouldn’t be the one who caught their attention. And if they did notice her, they’d think she was a boy.
She went back to Deni’s room and dressed, then put on an
old pair of sunglasses.
She gazed at herself in the mirror. She wouldn’t recognize herself. Neither would the killer.
Her breathing was still shallow. She tried to slow it down, taking deeper breaths. But fear trembled through her.
Finally, she forced herself to go downstairs and get this over with. Deni was on her way up. She froze, midstep. “Beth! What . . . have . . . you . . . done?”
Beth pushed past her.
“What is it?” her mother asked, coming to the stairs. She looked up and sucked in a breath.
Beth managed a weak smile. “Like it?”
“Beth!” Her mother took a step up and grabbed her shoulders. “Why did you do this?”
She held her eyes wide to fight the tears. “It’s hot. I wanted something different.”
“But Beth, why didn’t you ask me?”
“It’s my hair,” she said. “I didn’t think you’d care.”
Now the whole family was there, standing around the stairs, looking up at her like she was a freak.
Logan laughed. “Oh, man, that’s bad.”
Jeff chimed in. “You look like you got tangled in a lawn mower.”
It was true. She felt the corners of her mouth shaking. Tears rimmed her eyes.
Her mother’s face softened. “Honey, it just needs a little work. Let’s go see if we can fix it.”
“Come on, guys,” Doug said. “Let’s let the girls work.”
Beth returned to the bathroom, and Deni and her mother followed.
“Mom, she needs a professional,” Deni said under her breath.
Kay tried to smile, but she wasn’t pulling it off. “I’ve been cutting the boys’ hair. I can feather it a little. Make it a little thinner at the bottom.”
A tear rolled down Beth’s face. She wiped it with the heel of her hand, sniffed. “I’m sorry, Mom.”
“It’s okay, honey. The main thing is that you like it.”
It didn’t really matter if she liked it. That wasn’t the point. Her hair was a small price to pay to protect herself and her family.
EIGHTEEN