Evil Deeds (Bob Danforth 1) (62 page)

A blinding flash of sunlight shot off the limousine window when the uniformed driver opened the back passenger door. Bob, standing on the bottom step in front of the church’s massive carved stone entrance, raised his hand to shield his eyes. Then he turned slightly to the side and looked down at the well-wishers gathered near the curb beside the long white vehicle. He picked out the newlyweds on the far edge of the crowd and smiled – their journey together at its beginning.

He took in a shuddering breath. What a ride his own journey had been! What a ride! The words sparked in his brain. He couldn’t have planned for, would never have conceived of the road he’d traveled. His heart seemed to hiccup for a moment. Would he have had it any other way? No! At least not the journey. But maybe some of the stops along the way.

Vanja stood off to the side, fifteen yards away from the wedding party and the other attendees. She mouthed the English word she’d come to love:
Serendipity
. She still couldn’t pronounce it quite right, but she liked the way it sounded. And she loved its many nuances: Luck, happenstance. Hadn’t her life been filled with all those things? She liked thinking about the good things in her life. If she thought about the sad things, she might go crazy.

She watched Michael sweep the long, white train of Miriana’s gown off the sidewalk and help her into the waiting limousine. The crowd moved closer to the car, tossing rose petals and rice at the young couple. She wished Attila could have seen this. Her breath came in stutters and her throat tightened. This day, this wedding was a miracle, a miracle that could have been short-circuited at many stops along a lifetime of tragic events. And the legacy of her husband’s perfidy had finally almost destroyed Miriana. Her feelings of guilt about what her father had done to Michael and his family were almost impossible for her to overcome.

An image of Stefan came to her, but she shook her head as though to purge her memory of the man.

She saw Liz Danforth standing at the top of the steps near the church’s massive carved wood doors. She wanted more than anything to tell the woman how sorry she was – for the part she’d played in almost ruining her life almost thirty years ago; about the role her husband played last year in bringing more nightmares to Liz’s life. But she sensed Michael’s mother wasn’t ready to accept her apology. Her emotional wounds and the anger they caused were still too close to the surface.

Vanja stared again at Miriana and saw the complete, unreserved happiness on her face and gave a silent prayer for the gift God had given her daughter in the form of Michael’s love. She waved at the limousine while it pulled away and continued waving until the car turned a corner and disappeared from view.

Bob sensed Liz beside him. He turned and hugged her, wiped away a tear at the corner of her eye with his free hand, and kissed her cheek. “I don’t know why,” he said, “but I was thinking about how I used to run around the yard in Greece with Michael in my arms, playing Superman.”

Liz smiled. “Soup Man! Remember how he said Soup Man?”

Bob chuckled. Then he turned solemn and looked over Liz’s shoulder at Vanja. “You know, for Michael’s sake, you should try to mend things with Miriana’s mother.”

A sharp, angry look came to Liz’s eyes and, for a moment, Bob thought she was going to blow up. But the look smoldered for a few seconds, and faded. “In time,” she said. “In good time.”

Bob met Liz’s gaze. He knew, more than any other person, the emotions swirling inside his wife mind. He could tell when an errant memory came to her, one that took her back to the first kidnapping. A sudden look of panic would quickly cross her face, and would just as quickly segue into a clenched-jaw show of anger. But he also knew Liz was a loving, compassionate woman who would eventually make peace with Miriana’s mother.

“Well, we’ve got a reception to attend,” Bob said.

Liz nodded. She gave his hand a squeeze and started to turn. But she stopped and whispered, “Miriana’s mother doesn’t have a car. Maybe you should offer her a ride to the hotel.”

THE END