Water's Edge (29 page)

Another verse on the wall read:

My times are in your hands. —Psalm 31:15

Tom suspected Elias didn’t stay in the room for a set amount of time but left when he knew he was finished. Tom bowed his head again. As he prayed about some of the thorny challenges in his path, he realized that what happened in the world outside the study didn’t trump what took place within it. When he finally stood up, he didn’t know all the future held, but he knew his next step.

______

The following morning he phoned Rose Addington as soon as he got to the office. Her mother answered the phone.

“What do you want?” Esther asked curtly.

“To speak to Rose. There’s something I need to clear up with her.”

“Just a minute. I’ll see if she’s available.”

While he waited Tom had a change in strategy. He’d intended to talk to Rose on the phone.

“Hello?” Rose said in a questioning voice.

“I guess you didn’t expect to hear from me again.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Well, I’ve continued to pray about the situation we discussed, and I’d like to get together if you’re willing to.”

“If it’s about the money, that’s not necessary. I signed the affidavit and won’t be changing my mind.”

“I’m not trying to change your mind; I’d like to talk to you about the changes in mine.”

“Hold on a bit.”

The phone was silent for a moment. Tom could hear a muffled discussion.

“All right. I’ve got to book a flight back to Europe and make a few international calls this morning related to the adoption agency. I can be at your office around noon.”

“Let’s meet at the Chickamauga Diner.” Tom paused. “And please don’t schedule a flight until after we talk.”

“Why not?”

“That’s part of the discussion.”

“Uh, okay.”

When Tom came out of the office, Bernice had arrived.

“You look better today,” she said after inspecting him for a moment.

“I should. I’m going to have lunch with Rose Addington.”

Bernice’s face fell. “Boy, that woman has bewitched you. I’ll be glad when she’s on a plane back to wherever she came from, with a big ocean separating the two of you.”

“And I asked her not to book a flight until after we talked,” Tom said with a mischievous grin. “Did you know she likes collard greens with vinegar?”

Bernice huffed and didn’t respond.

Tom arrived at the diner before Rose. In his hand was the folder containing the information from the tackle box. The table where he and Rose had eaten their meal together was available, and he sat down to wait for her. Noon came and went. Five minutes passed. Tom finished a glass of tea and asked for a refill. Ten minutes passed. At that point Tom realized Rose might have changed her mind. He couldn’t blame her. At 12:15 Tom called the waitress over and asked for the check so he could pay for his drink. He left a generous tip for taking up a table during prime time and walked up to the cash register. After paying, he turned toward the door. Rose Addington was hurriedly coming inside.

“Sorry I’m late,” she said, flustered. “I had to finish a long telephone call and didn’t get away when I planned to. But I see you’re running a bit behind as well.”

Tom motioned to Alex Giles, who gave him a puzzled look and pointed toward the table Tom had just left. Tom led Rose to the rear of the restaurant.

“I must say your call caught my mum and me off guard,” she said.

“That’s understandable. As I told you on the phone, I’ve continued to pray and realized last night I’ve approached this situation with assumptions instead of an open mind seeking the truth. Every lawyer knows that’s a mistake. I tried to make everything else fit what I thought.”

“What does that mean at this point?” Rose asked. “I thought this was over.”

The waitress came to take their orders. Once again, Rose included collard greens as one of her vegetables.

“Before I answer, I need to show you something I found in one of my father’s tackle boxes in Elias’s garage. I had this information the other day when you brought the affidavit to the office but didn’t mention it. That was wrong, and you have a right to see it.”

Tom handed her the sheets and watched her face as she read them. Her eyes widened.

“I knew Papa didn’t embezzle any money,” she said when he finished. “Why did you hide this from me?”

“For the reasons I gave you a minute ago, and because these are just notes of a conversation, not evidence that proves anything. I still think it’s likely the money in the designated trust account belongs to Pelham Financial, but it’s also possible your father didn’t intend to keep it for himself. He may have been trying to prevent someone else from getting it. If he and my father had some sort of plan in place to do that, we need to figure out what it was and whether there’s anything we can do to finish it.”

“We?”

“Yes, that’s why I asked you not to buy an airplane ticket.”

Tom told her about his conversation with Lane Conner. “That was the wake-up call that made me realize I may have misjudged your father.”

“I didn’t misjudge your father.”

Tom winced. He didn’t know how Rose would react if she knew the details about the cause of her father’s death. The waitress arrived with their food.

“I’ll ask the blessing this time,” Tom said.

Rose bowed her head and closed her eyes. Tom kept his open and leaned forward. He said a short prayer of thanks for the food.

“And help us do what’s right about all this confusing information,” Rose continued. “May you expose the deeds of darkness. Amen.”

Tom raised his eyebrows. “I read that verse in the Bible the other day when I was wondering what to do.”

“Ephesians chapter 5.”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

“Good. We already agree about one thing.”

While they ate, Tom explained the different theories he’d come up with about where the money came from and why it had ended up in the designated trust account. He quickly dismissed the idea that Harold Addington and Owen Harrelson were working together to embezzle funds. Rose ate and listened.

“You need to eat,” she said when Tom paused. “Your fried chicken is going to get cold. Let me think about what you’ve said while we finish.”

Tom bit into a crunchy piece of chicken. They ate in silence for several minutes. Rose Addington was very deliberate in all her actions, even the way she approached a plate of food. She ate a final bite and placed her fork and knife in the middle of the plate.

“Who do you trust at Pelham Financial?” she asked. “And I mean trust without question.”

Tom knew acquaintances from the past and recent contacts like Hal Millsap, but only one person had been around Tom since he was a little boy.

“Arthur Pelham,” he answered.

“Are you sure?” Rose asked doubtfully. “Didn’t he believe my father embezzled money?”

“During our conversation at the Parker-Baldwin house, we didn’t talk specifics. I believe Arthur formed a wrong opinion based on bad information given to him by Owen Harrelson.” Tom remembered a detail he’d left out earlier. “Mr. Pelham’s cell phone number was written beside my phone number at the bottom of the page of notes I found. That would indicate my father intended at some point to talk to him. That would make sense because Arthur has the authority to deal with any wrong that occurred.”

“Maybe.” Rose nodded. “There’s a simple way to find out how he’ll react.”

Tom thought for a moment. “Tell him now. Show him what we’ve found and ask him what he’s going to do about it.”

“Exactly. If he gets defensive like Harrelson did when you asked for more information, then the rottenness may go to the core.”

In his heart Tom didn’t believe that was likely. Arthur Pelham was a brilliant man. He didn’t need to do anything illegal to be fabulously wealthy and successful.

“I need to talk to Arthur before the hearing next week in front of Judge Caldwell, but I don’t know where he is. He could be out of the country.”

“All you can do is try.”

After Tom paid for the meal, they stood on the sidewalk outside the restaurant.

“I want you to be in the room when I talk on the phone to Arthur,” he said.

“Why?”

“Because even though I trust Arthur, I don’t trust myself. I’m so close to him and his family that it might affect how I interpret what he says.”

“Would you tell him I was listening?”

“No, because he might not be willing to open up. He hasn’t had a chance to get to know you like I have.”

Rose gave Tom a puzzled look. “Is that a compliment?”

“Yes.”

“All right. Just let me know when.”

“Tom!” a female voice called out.

Tom turned and saw Tiffany on the other side of the street. She was alone with a shopping bag in her hand.

“That’s Tiffany Pelham,” Tom said to Rose. “Rick Pelham’s wife.”

Tiffany crossed the street. She was wearing casual slacks and a light-blue top. She came up to Tom and gave him a quick kiss on the right check that came within a fraction of an inch of his lips.

“What are you up to?” she asked.

“Uh, finishing lunch,” Tom answered. “Tiffany, this is Rose Addington. Harold Addington was her father.”

Tiffany turned to Rose. “Oh, I’m sorry about your dad. How is your mother doing?”

“Getting by.”

Tiffany redirected her attention to Tom. “You’re going to have to come out for dinner again.”

Tom licked his lips, and his tongue touched the place where Tiffany kissed him. “I’d like that.”

“Are you available Friday night?”

“Uh, who would be there?”

“You, me, and Rick, of course. Unless you’d like to bring someone else.”

“Would you join us?” Tom asked Rose. “They have a beautiful home, and Tiffany raises horses that she’ll be glad to show off for you.”

“I’d love to have you come,” Tiffany chimed in. “Rick has his guy friends over all the time. I need a woman to keep me company.”

Rose hesitated.

“Do you have other plans?” Tom asked.

“No,” she said.

“Then I’ll pick you up.”

“Okay.”

“Come around 6:00 p.m.,” Tiffany said. “You know the filly I showed you the other day? She’s starting to trot around in the field and has the most beautiful natural gait. I’ll have to show you what she can do.”

“I’d like that.” Tom paused. “Oh, do you have any idea where Arthur is this week?”

“He and Larina have been in Barbados for a few days, but I think they’re coming back to New York today. Why?”

“I need to talk to him.”

“Business?” Tiffany asked, raising her eyebrows.

“Yeah. We need to finish a conversation we started when he was in Bethel.”

Tom could tell Tiffany wanted to say something else, but she glanced at Rose and kept quiet.

“See you two tomorrow,” she said lightly.

Tiffany turned away and crossed the street. Tom watched her leave. When Tiffany kissed him, he felt like a twelve-year-old boy who’d just received his first meaningful peck on the cheek. Even contact with her on a street corner was charged with energy.

“Where are you parked?” he asked Rose.

“Over there,” she said, pointing down the street. “Are you going to follow up with Mr. Pelham?”

“Yes, but I won’t call his cell phone. I’ll do it through his office so I can set a specific time for our conversation. That way you can be part of it.”

“Will it be before or after the dinner party?”

“Does it make a difference?”

“I’m not sure, but Mr. Pelham’s response could have a huge impact on your relationship, not only with him, but also with his son and daughter-in-law. You seem very close to them.”

“We’ve been friends for many years.”

They waited for a car to pass by before crossing the street together.

“Are you going to send Mr. Pelham copies of the memo from my dad and the notes made by your father before we talk to him?” Rose asked.

“Do you think I should?”

“I believe he should see them before we talk. Otherwise, he’ll want to take time to look everything over before letting you know what he thinks. Of course, if he trots down the hall to Owen Harrelson’s office, then it might be a very brief conversation. Are you ready for that?”

“No,” Tom replied honestly, “but if I wanted to avoid that possibility, I wouldn’t have called you. I know this is what I’m supposed to do regardless of the consequences. I just hope Arthur will be glad I contacted him.”

“You’ve counted the cost,” Rose said. “Let me know if you set up a call with Mr. Pelham for tomorrow. I’m spending most of the day with my mum, so I’m available.”

“Okay, thanks again for agreeing to meet with me.”

“As you said, it’s the right thing to do.”

chapter
TWENTY-FIVE

R
ose and I had a good time at lunch,” Tom said to Bernice when he returned to the office.

“You’re getting mean,“ Bernice replied. “You may laugh at my concern, but your hanging around that woman is making me so tense it’s causing my back to hurt again.”

“It is?”

“No, but you deserve to think so.”

Tom leaned against the corner of Bernice’s desk. “Don’t worry. This is something I’ve prayed about and believe is the right thing to do.”

“Since I don’t know what you’re talking about, I can’t offer an opinion. But I hope your prayers are on target. I’ve been praying you won’t get mixed up with the wrong woman.”

“There’s nothing like that between us. It takes more than long eyelashes and a cool accent to get my attention.”

“Humph,” Bernice snorted. “There’s more to her than that, and a hundred prayers don’t stop you from being a man.”

Tom let Bernice have the last word. He went into the office to decide the best way to approach Arthur Pelham. Rose had recommended full disclosure. He called Arthur’s office in New York and was transferred to his administrative assistant.

“This is Tom Crane,” he began. “I’m a lawyer from Bethel—”

“No need to introduce yourself, Mr. Crane,” an efficient-sounding woman responded. “Mr. Pelham told me you might be calling. How may I help you?”

“I want to send some information to Mr. Pelham for his review. It’s my understanding he’s returning to New York later today, but I didn’t know if he would be coming into the office or checking a secure e-mail account.”