Ферн Майклз - Truth and Justice

“What? No! Andy never alluded to that. He just referred to Sara as his sister. He loved her like a sister from what I could tell. He constantly said how great she was, how he trusted her. He told me he didn’t think he could have gotten to where he was in his life without her and how grateful he was to her. The only thing that bothered him was she couldn’t seem to make a relationship last. Other than that, in his eyes, she was perfect. He said she was on to the next man and then another one, looking for Mr. Perfect. Like she was searching for the perfect man and couldn’t find him. He said he really couldn’t fault her for that because everyone was looking for the perfect life partner. Andy simply was not judgmental the way most of us are. This is just blowing my mind.

“If all you say is true, and I’m not really doubting you, I don’t understand how Andy could believe and love her the way he did and not see what she was all about. She would have to be damn near perfect to pull that off, and let me tell you, Andy Nolan was no fool. He was smart as a whip, top of every class we took, and we were together from the get-go. Even though I was older, it didn’t make a difference.”

Myra scoffed. “Some men are not particularly wise when it comes to women. They never look for some reason beyond the surface. What they see and hear is all they need to know for some reason. I don’t doubt for a moment that Andy was smart, but Sara Windsor was, I don’t want to say smarter, but she was calculating, manipulative, and downright sneaky. She wanted Andy for herself, but she was smart enough to know while Andy was what she wanted, she was not what Andy wanted. She had a plan and she made it work for her. The one thing she didn’t count on was Andy’s dying.”

“And she didn’t count on Andy’s finding Bella and falling in love,” Alexis added. “The tricks that had probably worked with other relationships Andy had had didn’t work in regard to Bella. From what we understand, Andy more or less stopped confiding in Sara, so Sara knew almost next to nothing about her. Sara had to hire private detectives to search her out. One of our people discovered that. Most of this is conjecture on our part, but conjecture or not, when you piece it together, it makes sense. Andy Nolan was Sara’s life. Period. End of story.”

Paul Montrose slapped at his head, his eyes on Bella. “I just . . . It’s just so hard to believe. Andy was so . . . so . . . enamored of his sister. He really did love her. But, as a sister. I believe what you’re telling me, I really do. I’m just having a hard time accepting it for what it is. It’s killing me, but I do believe you. Now, tell me what I can do. Whatever it is you need me to do, I can do. No ifs, ands, or buts.”

“We need you to go back to California and send us that packet of papers Andy gave you to send to Sara. Nikki and Alexis, because they’re our attorneys, will visit the army and the probate lawyers and take it from there. We have to be extra careful right now because we don’t want to spook Sara. She has no clue, at least we don’t think so, that we’re onto her. She thinks she’s safe. We do have two-man shifts surveilling her twenty-four/seven to make sure she doesn’t skip out. It’s uncanny how they tell us she can disappear, then appear across the country with a totally new identity,” Annie said. “Our people are telling us she has dozens of aliases that she uses.”

Montrose just sat there and shook his head back and forth, his eyes glassy. “I don’t have to go back to California. I have a town house here in Alexandria. I bought it before my last deployment, when Andy said that when he got out he was going to buy a house in Kalorama. Neither one of us wanted our friendship to wither on the vine, so to speak. You know, a card at Christmas with the year’s happenings penciled in at the end with a postscript. We talked a lot about going to Redskins games, taking our kids to football games, and enrolling them in Little League.

“I stored all my gear and everything I owned in the town house, which wasn’t all that much when I deployed the last time. I liked the idea of having a place here on the East Coast. I thought about selling it when I found out about Andy, but somehow I just never got around to doing it because I was too busy making a new home for myself in California. My two brothers took me in as a full partner in a firm they started when I was in the army. I kind of like living there, but I’m partial to the East Coast for some reason.

“Andy must have told his sister that’s where he was going to buy a house if you say that’s where she’s living now. Again, if true, it shows how much he thought of her and how he discussed everything with her. Like I said, she was everything to him. She was family, and family was important to Andy. Even though, as you say, she wasn’t a blood relative. Obviously, he didn’t care about that, and they were raised together.

“This is eating me alive. All this time . . . I wish I had known . . . I don’t know what I could have done, but something. I would have . . .”

Maggie set a plate in front of him with a dozen pancakes piled high. Montrose took one look at it and shook his head. “I really and truly appreciate your taking the time to make those for me, but I don’t think I could eat a bite of them. Suddenly, I just want to go running and breathe cold air. Would you all mind if I do that?”

The Sisters all looked at one another, shock and surprise on their faces. Maggie, on the other hand, just eyed the plate of pancakes.

“I think that’s a really good idea. I feel the same way. Do you mind if I run with you, Colonel?” Bella asked.

Paul Montrose was clearly flustered. He nodded his head and headed toward the door, Bella right behind him.

“Just follow the path to the barn, and then you’ll see our bike trail. Follow it. It’s a three-mile run from start to finish. More than enough time to clear your heads. Perhaps when you return, you’ll feel more like eating,” Myra said gently.

When the door closed behind the stressed-out couple, Kathryn looked around and asked what they all thought.

“He’s what he is—a good, kind, loyal friend. I saw him look at Bella every chance he could. I would say she’s a subject of interest, and I do not think any of us need to worry about fixing them up. I think they’ll do it on their own. And I say good for them,” Isabelle added.

Annie’s fist pumped the air. “We got her! Now we need to start thinking about how we’re going to bring this to a conclusion and not spook Sara whatever the hell her name is in the process,” Alexis said.

“Let’s finish these pancakes. And then we can get down to work,” Maggie said, as she dug into the stack of pancakes Paul Montrose had left behind.

Chapter 17

Sara Nolan. The name rolled off Sara’s tongue like pure liquid silk. She was, according to the paper in her hand, officially as well as legally now Sara Nolan. Soon to be the mother of Andy Nolan’s child. The gold seal on the certificate said it was so. That meant she was legally Sara Nolan, and no one walking the earth could do a damn thing about it. Her fist shot high in the air to signal her victory.

Sara took a moment to look upward, wondering if Andy was peering down from some fluffy cloud and seeing what she was holding in her hand. She realized how silly and stupid that thought was and laughed out loud. She knew, and that was all that was important. One of these days, she would go to the cemetery and sit down and have a long talk with Andy. One of these days.

Maybe she would wait till the baby was born to do that so she could take him or her with her. Yes, yes, yes, that was a better idea. That way, if there really was an afterlife and a spirit could look down, Andy would do so and see his firstborn. Sara grimaced, not sure if that idea was just as silly and stupid as her original thought or not.