Yuletide Peril Page 15

  “I don’t know whether it makes any sense, but it’s beautiful. Let’s pray now, and ask God to show you without any doubt that you and Lance share a love that will last a lifetime.”

  As they joined hands, Janice said, “Let’s pray, too, that this vacation will give you the chance to see if you really love Linc, or if your feelings for him are only a crush.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  The short interlude with Maddie provided the impetus Janice needed to face a busy holiday season. She worked five days a week at SuperMart, practiced three evenings each week on the cantata and made plans for Christmas. After thinking about it for several days, Janice called Henrietta.

  “I want to have Christmas dinner at Mountjoy,” she said, “and invite the ones who’ve been so helpful to me this fall—you, Lance, his family and Cecil.”

  “I’ll help with the cooking.”

  “I want to do it all myself.”

  “You’d better check the Mallorys’ plans before you go further. Lance and Linda’s parents live in Florida, and sometimes they go there to visit their folks for Christmas.”

  The next day when Janice telephoned Linda about her plans, she said, “We’ll be home on Christmas day, but Taylor and I leave the next morning to visit my parents. I’m annoyed at Lance because he won’t go with us, and have half a notion to go as soon as school is out and leave him home alone on Christmas.”

  “If you decide to leave early, Lance can spend Christmas with us, so he wouldn’t be alone.”

  “That wouldn’t be the same as being with family,” Linda said tersely, and Janice felt like cold water had been thrown in her face.

  “Does that mean you’ll be available to eat with us at Mountjoy?”

  “I’ll talk to Lance about it and let you know.”

  Janice knew it wouldn’t be much of a celebration if Lance didn’t come, but she’d already committed herself to Henrietta. And she definitely wanted to invite Cecil, because he was a childless widower, and she intended to look after him because he’d been such a help to her.

  Besides, she wanted to have a memorable Christmas to make up for the many times they didn’t have anything when they were younger. By Christmas morning, her parents were usually in a drunken stupor and then slept all day. Many a Christmas, she and Brooke had nothing to eat except crackers and peanut butter.

  Depressed by Linda’s attitude, Janice was encouraged when Lance phoned the same evening she’d talked to Linda.

  “Set a plate for me on Christmas. Thanks for the invitation,” he said.

  “Great. Since it’s the first real home I’ve ever had, I wanted to try a celebration at Mountjoy this year. I may be a flop as a hostess, but I’ll never know until I try. I suppose Linda will let me know about Taylor and her.”

  “Oh, she’s coming,” Lance said. With a good-natured laugh, he said, “She’s been trying for weeks to get me to go to Florida. I told her from the outset that I wasn’t leaving Stanton this Christmas and insisted that she go on without bothering about me. For some reason, she thinks she has to mother me.”

  “Won’t you miss being with your parents?”

  “Mom and Dad live at their farm in this area from April through August, so it isn’t as if I don’t see them a lot. I’ve gone to Florida a couple of times for Christmas since they’ve been there, but I still prefer snowy weather on Christmas rather than lounging on the beach.”

  Janice consulted with Henrietta about the menu for Christmas dinner, and she heeded the older woman’s advice to “keep it simple.”

  When Henrietta shared her recipes with Janice, she insisted that she’d bring the hot rolls, which Janice accepted, because she didn’t think she could make bread. They agreed on ham, candied sweet potatoes, green beans, buttered baby carrots and cranberry salad.

  “That probably doesn’t sound like much of a feast to most people,” Janice said, “but I don’t think I can handle anything else. What should I make for dessert?”

  “Bake a cake.”

  “What’s a simple recipe for a woman who’s never before baked a cake?”

  Henrietta handed her a recipe for a pineapple cake, which did look easy. “You don’t even need icing for this cake—just put on a dollop of whipped cream. It’s delicious.”

  “We’re going to eat at noon since Linda and Taylor are driving to Morgantown to catch a plane for Florida the next morning.”

  Although she saw Lance often when she picked up Brooke at school, and at cantata rehearsal, days passed and she didn’t have a private word with him. One night after choir practice, Lance asked her to stay behind for a few minutes.

  “We haven’t been alone for weeks. Can you find time for dinner and maybe a movie?”

  “Brooke has been invited to another overnight party next week, but I think there’s cantata practice that night.”

  “Practice is over by seven o’clock. Let’s have dinner and catch a late movie. What do you say?”

  “I’ll look forward to it.”

  “There’s a good steak house at the county seat. Will that be all right?”

  “I love steak, and I’d even settle for hot dogs, as long as I don’t have to cook the food. I’ll eventually get the hang of cooking if Henrietta doesn’t lose patience with me.”

  Janice dressed in white slacks and a red sweater with green holly on it for their date. She enjoyed Lance’s compliments on her appearance. He always looked good to Janice, as he did tonight in a blue turtleneck sweater and brown trousers. The restaurant was busy and they had to wait several minutes to be seated.

  While they waited for their order, Janice said, “This may be a strange thing to ask, so don’t answer if you’d rather not. Is Linda jealous of you?”

  Astonishment lit his blue eyes. “Jealous of me! Why should she be?”

  “I’m serious. She’s obviously unhappy because you won’t go to Florida with her. Do you have any other reason for not going besides what you’ve already told me?”

  He colored a little. “I’d be miserable in Florida wondering if you’re having more trouble.”

  She reached her hand across the table and laid it on his. He gathered her fingers into his warm grasp. “Does Linda suspect that?”

  “Maybe. It’s obvious that I’m interested in you.” He was thoughtfully silent during most of their meal, and while they waited for dessert, he said, “I’ve been thinking—you may be right. Although I dated only a few girls when I was in high school, Linda found fault with all of them.”

  “When was she divorced?”

  “The year I built my house.”

  “Whose idea was it for her and Taylor to move in with you?”

  “I really don’t know. Frankly, I moved away from home to give my folks some time for themselves. And I also wanted some privacy. I hesitated about taking Linda and Taylor into the house, but I didn’t want them neglected.”

  “It seems as if Linda has gotten cooler toward me. She wasn’t very gracious when I asked the three of you over for Christmas. I wouldn’t have mentioned it, but I don’t want to be the cause of family trouble.”

  An unaccustomed look of anger lit his eyes. “Let’s get this straight. As long as you and I enjoy seeing each other, nobody can stop me from being with you. My sister doesn’t control my life, and I may have to tell her that. In fact, I’ve been a little disturbed lately about her tendency to control Taylor’s visits with Dale’s family. She suggests other things to interest Taylor on days she’s supposed to see her father.”

  “Maybe Taylor wasn’t too far off-base when she took it into her head that if you married, her mother would have to move.”

  His smile was unpleasant. “I’m beginning to understand a lot of things. As I told you, I’ve never known what caused Linda and Dale to divorce, but I’m going to talk with Dale. Linda was probably trying to control his life, and he got tired of it.”

  “I wouldn’t have brought this up, but I’ve noticed that Brooke isn’t invited to do things with Taylor the
way she was when we moved here. Brooke hasn’t said anything about it, but if dating you is going to break up a friendship that Brooke enjoys so much, then I won’t go out with you anymore. I suppose that indicates that I’m letting Brooke control my life, but I want her to be happy.”

  Lance lifted her hand and kissed her fingers individually. “Linda is five years older than I am, and even as children, she ‘mothered’ me. She can’t keep me from dating you. I like your company and Linda isn’t going to interfere with us. I’ll take care of the situation between Brooke and Taylor, too.”

  It was so late by the time they finished dinner that there wasn’t time to go a movie, so they drove slowly back to Stanton. When they entered Mountjoy’s driveway Lance said, “I guess I’m as controlling as my sister, but I’m afraid for you to stay alone tonight. You should have spent the night with Henrietta.”

  Laughing lightly to disguise the fact that this was also a personal concern, Janice said, “How much help do you think Brooke would be if I did have trouble?”

  “Not much. Perhaps I shouldn’t be concerned since nothing’s happened since you moved in.”

  “Now that my relatives couldn’t stop me from moving, maybe they’ll leave me alone.”

  Lance still believed that there was more to the threats than Albert Reid’s jealousy over her inheritance. He feared that Mountjoy was connected to a larger problem—something that involved drugs.

  He didn’t want to frighten Janice unduly, but when he got to the house, he went inside and checked all the doors and windows to be sure they were locked. He even unlocked the door to the upstairs and looked through the empty rooms, opening the wardrobe doors. He didn’t know what else he could do to assure her safety.

  Standing by the door, he felt as bashful as a teenager. Why didn’t he kiss her as he wanted to? He didn’t think Janice would mind, but he didn’t want to rush things. “Be sure you have your cell phone with you and call me if you have the least bit of trouble.”

  Knowing he couldn’t stay any longer, he hugged her and murmured, “Goodbye.” He waited until she’d locked the door behind him, glad that the dog was on the porch. While Hungry was on guard, no one was likely to break into the house.

  The house seemed strangely quiet and Janice quickly got ready for bed. She was ashamed of her fear, but she pushed the trunk in front of the bedroom door. If anyone tried to break in, there would be a noisy barrier that would wake her up.

  Thinking about the evening with Lance, she wondered if he was falling for her. His interest in her was obviously more than mere friendship, but why wouldn’t he tell her?

  Smiling to herself as she contemplated a future with Lance, she snuggled down in bed. Enjoying the warmth of the room, she soon went to sleep.

  Something woke her, and she sat up in bed, her heart pumping. She sniffed trying to identify the strange odor. Her head ached and she thought she was going to be sick. Discomfort overriding her fear of the empty house, she hurried to the bathroom.

  The nausea passed and she decided that nothing she’d eaten could have made her sick, Janice went back to the bedroom. She blockaded the door again, but she opened the window for fresh air.

  She had just gotten settled in bed again, but sat upright quickly when she heard stealthy footsteps overhead. How could anyone have gotten in? She’d followed Lance as he’d searched every possible hiding place on the second floor. Knowing she hadn’t imagined the footsteps, Janice hoped it was an animal walking on the roof, but she knew it wasn’t.

  After about fifteen minutes the noise ceased. Wrapped in a blanket, she leaned against the headboard and stayed awake the rest of the night. At daylight her head ached, her eyes stung from lack of sleep and she was exhausted.

  By the time the phone rang at seven o’clock, she had gotten enough energy to go to the kitchen where she was drinking coffee and munching on toast.

  “Hi,” Lance said. “Everything okay?”

  “I don’t know, Lance,” she said, weariness evident in her voice as she related the events of the night.

  “I checked the upstairs before I left,” he said. “No one could have been walking there unless they came in from the ground floor.”

  Grumpily, she said, “Then you think it’s my imagination.”

  “No, I don’t. I keep thinking about the sounds both of us have heard. There could be a hidden mike that’s controlled by a remote several miles away. Who could have known you’d be alone last night? Do you suppose the house is bugged and someone is listening to your conversations?”

  “Could be. How can I find out?”

  “I don’t know. Wasn’t the dog any help?”

  “Didn’t hear a sound out of him. He probably wouldn’t have heard the noise inside the house. I’m tempted to keep him in the house at night.”

  “I’m all for that. So you didn’t get any sleep?”

  “Not much. So I’ve got a headache and not one bit of energy.”

  “Why don’t you sleep in this morning?”

  “I’m already up and dressed. I’m picking Brooke up at nine. She’ll probably be sleepy, too, so we can both take a nap. We can’t sleep too late though—I’ve promised to take her up on the hillside today to look for a Christmas tree. We thought it would be fun to cut one on our own property. There should be some evergreens on the hill behind the house.”

  “What time do you want to start?”

  “Now, Lance, I wasn’t hinting.”

  “I know. Let’s say about two o’clock, and I’ll bring Taylor along. Linda prefers a commercial tree, but Taylor would like the fun of cutting a tree. I’m meeting Dale for breakfast this morning.”

  “I hope that turns out well for you.”

  “For us,” he added significantly.

  As they waited for their meal, Lance said, “Dale, I didn’t invite you out to be sociable. I want to ask you some questions. You know, I didn’t ask what went wrong between you and Linda, but I’m beginning to believe I should have. What caused the divorce?”

  Without hesitation, Dale said, “She didn’t want me to have a life of my own and I got tired of it. You remember I’d done a lot of bowling before we were married. She kept at me until I quit that. She wanted me under her thumb all the time. When she started doing the same thing to Taylor, we quarreled and she walked out on me. Your parents took my side and she wouldn’t go back home. She moved in with you instead. But maybe it’s a good thing we separated before I went to prison,” he said bitterly.

  “Dale, wasn’t there any way for you to prove your innocence?”

  “I was set up. Loren Santrock was my lawyer, and since he was also a member of the bank’s board of directors, he checked everything. But all the evidence pointed to me as the embezzler, and he couldn’t prove otherwise. Somebody got twenty thousand dollars of the bank’s money, and it wasn’t me.”

  “Linda won’t talk about you at all, but I’ve let Taylor know that I believe you’re innocent.”

  In a meditative mood, Dale said, “The funny thing is that as the bank’s auditor, I was the one who found and reported the shortage to the board. Then the books were altered to implicate me. I spent months in prison trying to figure out what happened.”

  “I suppose you know that Taylor is plotting to get me married, so Linda will have to go back to you.”

  “Yes, she told me, but I think I’ve convinced her that it doesn’t work that way. She’ll soon be old enough to choose where she wants to live. I haven’t pressured her, but I won’t be surprised if she chooses me, and I’ll take her if Linda doesn’t stop trying to keep us apart. I love Linda and I’d go back to her in a minute so Taylor can be raised in the family atmosphere she wants. But Linda will have to agree to some changes before I’ll do that.”

  Lance sat at the table after Dale left for work. How could he have been so blind all of these years not to recognize that Linda was a manipulator? He had never doubted Dale’s honesty and truthfulness, and he believed that the majority of their family problems
had been Linda’s fault—perhaps that was the reason she was so bitter about Dale. Her controlling attitude had ruined her own marriage, but Lance was determined that she wouldn’t destroy his chances with Janice.

  When he returned home, Linda and Taylor were just returning from the sleepover. Taylor wearily struggled out of the car, yawning as she pulled her backpack out of the back seat.

  Lance ruffled her already disheveled hair. “Take a quick nap,” he said. “I’m going with Janice and Brooke to cut a Christmas tree this afternoon. I want you to go with us.”

  “Yeah! I’d like that,” Taylor said, stifling another yawn.

  “Taylor, I expected you to help trim our tree this afternoon,” Linda said sternly.

  “Had you mentioned it to her before this?” Lance asked his sister.

  “Well, no,” Linda said with a quick look toward her brother.

  “Then she can come with us, since I asked first.”

  Taylor moped up the steps. “I’ll call you at noon,” Lance called after her, “so you can be ready to go with us.”

  “Don’t bring home a live tree and expect to use it here,” Linda warned her daughter.

  Lance followed Linda into the kitchen.

  “You were out late last night,” Linda said.

  “Yes.”

  She looked at him expectantly, and when he didn’t answer, she said, “And early this morning, too. Anything wrong at the school?”

  “No.” He straddled a kitchen chair. “Janice and I went out for dinner last night after cantata practice.” Watching her closely, Lance saw her hands clench at this news.