Belly barked and dropped down on his haunches. Four wild tail hairs swept the porch floor in an arc.
"Hide in the other room,” Theo whispered. He gathered the papers and shoved them in the drawer. “Hurry, Sadie."
Paul strode up to the house, studying the dog. “What are you doing here, Belly?” He held out his hand letting the dog sniff his fingers before patting the dog's head. Paul walked to the corner of the porch and looked around the side of the house before scanning the driveway. He turned his ear toward the road. “You sure get around. The last time I saw you, you were at the nursing home."
Belly whined his appreciation and pawed at Paul's leg.
Paul sauntered casually around the dog, looked from side to side, and then turned the knob.
Theo tensed. His hand stopped mid-air when he heard the latch click.
Realizing the door wasn't locked, Paul removed his hand and looked from side to side again. He pressed the latch again. It gave way as easily as it had the first time. He eased the oak door open and listened before poking his head through the opening.
As Paul entered the front room, Sadie squeezed in between the pantry door and the shelving. She held her breath, listening to Paul walk across the floor toward the office.
Paul pulled at the desk chair and rolled it back toward the credenza. Dropping into the chair, he lifted a key off a stack of papers and kneaded it in his fingers. He paged through two piles of folders. After placing them on the corner of Richard's desk, he added more folders to the pile before rummaging through the desk drawer.
Theo stood near the desk watching Paul's fevered attempt at locating the incriminating evidence. The crosser gasped when Belly nosed through the front door and waddled over to where he was standing.
Belly danced his glad-to-see-you dance around Theo's feet before pawing at the man's knees.
"You stupid dog,” Paul said. He tugged on Belly's collar and pushed him toward the front door. “Get the hell out of here."
Belly veered toward the kitchen sniffing wildly. He circled the room trying to locate his buddy. Trotting into the pantry, his tail darted in double time as he nudged behind the door and butted his head against the Sadie's ankle.
Sadie pushed Belly back toward the door and tapped her finger to her lip to signal silence. She froze at the sound of Paul's loafers marching across the kitchen floor.
"You stupid dog. I told you to go outside.” Paul grabbed Belly's hind leg and pulled him from the pantry. He spun him around on the slippery floor and grabbed his collar. “Quit growling, you worthless mutt.” He unlatched the kitchen door and ushered Belly out with a shove from his left foot.
Paul locked the exterior door before striding back toward the pantry. He grabbed the doorknob. He stared into the darkness, muttered to himself, closed the door, and left the kitchen.
Sadie released her breath as the latch clicked and Paul retreated to the living room.
Paul made two trips to his vehicle to load his trunk with folders, bank statements, checkbooks, and ledgers.
Theo and Sadie watched their evidence disappear as Paul's taillights flashed red before he stepped on the gas and turned out of the driveway.
26
Theo waited until the nursing home administrator gathered her briefcase and made her way down the corridor before he entered her office. After making sure it was safe, he sat in the administrator's chair and moved the adjustment levers back and forth to find a comfortable position for his lanky frame. He drew a long, calming breath. He had finally found a location away from prying eyes where he could compose his final piece of correspondence.
Theo ran his hand across the finely crafted desk, searching for a pen. He didn't know how long she'd be away. It was crucial he make the most of his time before the woman returned.
During his years on the bench, Theo's business associates warned him about putting too much emphasis on his career and not enough on his personal life. They recommended he broaden his leisure horizons. Theo had disagreed. Why should he waste time on pleasure if the bane of his existence might accompany him? He'd done everything possible to avoid being with his wife.
Theo had given his life to the justice system. He was proud of what he achieved. He was also proud of several financial partnerships he had formed. If only he could feel the same about his personal life. His marriage had been a disaster and he had never forgiven himself for falling for the guiles of that horrid woman and her two children. How could he have been so naive? The feeling of remorse more than deflated him, it devastated him. He fought to regain clarity to help him compose the most important document of his life.
He pulled a desk drawer open and searched for a sheet of paper. He found several sheets of nursing home letterhead, but pushed them aside in pursuit of a clean, unmarked sheet. Settling for a lined legal pad, Theo placed it on the desk. His fingers brushed over several writing instruments until he found the perfect pen and tested it on the corner of a financial printout. After wiping the space clean with a swipe of his little finger, he situated the tablet at an angle and began to write.
As my time on earth has come to an end, I must admit to a grievous error I made.
First you must understand my shortcomings. Obsession with my vocation and an unfortunate marriage distorted my belief in the justice system and turned me into the type of man I loathe.
I realize I will never be able to make up for what’ I've done, but I hope with what I'm going to tell you, I can…
A burst of laughter rang from the hall, startling Theo from his concentration. He tore the sheet from the tablet and folded it in half before sliding it inside his suit coat.
The door opened as he rose from the chair. When the administrator entered her office and noticed the tablet in the center of her desk, Theo hurried out of the office.
Leaning against the wall to regain his presence of mind, Theo heard someone shout his name. He turned toward the plea. The urgency of his name being repeated made him rush toward the voice.
"Theo. Help me,” Aanders cried. “I can't get Tim to wake up."
Aanders crouched over Tim, who had collapsed on the cold tile floor. “I tried to get him back into the wheelchair, but he was too weak."
Theo lifted Tim off the floor and started down the hall toward the front door. “Call Sadie and tell her what happened. Tell her to bring the van."
27
Nan knocked softly on the cabin door, waiting for one of the sisters to acknowledge her arrival.
"You don't need to knock. You're always welcome here,” Jane said.
A weak smile crossed Nan 's lips. She greeted each sister with a hug. She patted Mr. Bakke's shoulder as she joined the elderly trio at the kitchen table.
"What do you think of my new hair color?” Sadie asked. “The magazines say it's all the rage."
"Wow,” Nan said, evaluating the new color as Sadie turned a complete circle. “Is it supposed to be mustard color?"
"Not really. Big Leon said I should wash it a couple times until the color fades.” Gazing in the mirror above the sideboard, Sadie said, “Actually, I kind of like it. It goes nice with these shorts.” She ran a hand over the leather fabric and looked up to see if Nan agreed.
"Big Leon told me to sprinkle this in my hair. It's supposed to give it that extra punch.” Sadie held up a bag of silver glitter. “I think it might be a bit too much. What do you think?"
Before Nan could answer, Jane said, “You already look like a damn fool. If you added glitter, people would mistake you for a Fourth-of-July sparkler and light your head on fire."
"Coming from someone whose life revolves around the vibrant color of beige, I'll take that as a compliment."
"I don't see anything wrong with looking respectable,” Jane said. “What's wrong with white and beige?” Seeking reinforcement, Jane said, “Mr. Bakke agrees with me.” Getting no response, she batted his hand and growled through clenched teeth, “Don't you."