in the
mirror. Time to face the music.
Squaring her shoulders,
Jill washed her hands and went to find that administrative woman.
Jill clutched her chest when she heard that Jacob had settled
everything and taken full responsibility for Katy. The woman looked
Jill up and down. With a raised eyebrow to speak her opinion, the
woman asked Jill exactly what was her financial arrangement with
Mr. Marlowe. Flushing at the woman’s implication that she was a
prostitute, Jill backed into Dr. Drayson.
“ Katy would like to see
you,” he said.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Who are these people?
They were halfway through
a pitcher of Fat Tire before Jacob realized Steve wasn’t just
killing time. Steve wanted to check out his sister’s new potential
boyfriend. After chatting with their waiter, Dustin Kidder, about
Katy, Steve ordered a couple of Pasquini’s calzones and another
pitcher of beer. And Jacob waited for Steve to get around to what
he wanted to say.
After Dustin brought the
calzones and beer, Steve’s demeanor shifted. Steve was ready to
talk. Jacob shifted back in his seat to give Steve space to unfold
his story, the story of his parents’ death.
The entire family was on
vacation in Costa Rica when his parents and Jill went out for
groceries. At nine years old, Jill went everywhere with her mother.
As usual, they left Megan and Mike in charge.
But there wasn’t anything
to take charge of.
The family had a cottage
right on the beach of a small, private cove. Steve and Candy were
in the ocean when their parents left. Mike made a complicated sand
castle complex and Megan read a romance novel in the sun. The
afternoon slipped away.
No one noticed that their
parents hadn’t returned until it was getting dark.
Terrified, the siblings
went to the police. Nothing. They called the consulate. Nothing.
When news came, it was bad. The Costa Rican national police arrived
near dawn. Their parents’ car had been hit by a tractor-trailer.
The truck driver was swatting at a mosquito and swerved into their
lane. Their parents’ rental car was destroyed. His parents were
dead and Jill was missing.
Desperate for help, they
called the father of a school friend, Senator Patrick Hargreaves.
After the senator’s intervention, the police reluctantly agreed to
show Mike the wreckage and let him identify the bodies. To this
day, Mike refused talk about what he saw.
Jill was just gone.
Kidnapped? Killed? No one seemed to know.
Senator Hargreaves told
them to return to Denver. He would continue to put pressure on the
consulate to find Jill. Grief-stricken, they returned to their
empty house in Denver.
Mike and Megan were in
charge of the family. Their parents’ life insurance paid off the
house, but not much more. Megan had just graduated from high
school. She turned down her full scholarship to Regis University
and went to work. Mike quit high school, took his GED, enlisted in
the army, and sent every paycheck home. Steve and Candy continued
at Machebeuf on a family tragedy scholarship.
“ All the luxuries of a
Catholic education,” Steve smirked.
“ What about Jill?” Jacob
asked.
“ We were just getting our
feet under us when Senator Hargreaves called,” Steve said. “Some
friar found Jill among the congregation of a church in Costa
Rica.”
“ What?”
“ Yeah, he called it
‘angelic intervention,’” Steve said. “This guy remembered meeting
the whole family at an ordination in Denver. Through Catholic
Charities, he was able to get Jill home in two days.”
“ Wow,” Jacob said. He set
cash in the bill folder and handed it to Dustin. He said to Dustin,
“I don’t need change.”
“ I’ll bring the rest of
your food when it’s ready,” Dustin said.
“ Thanks,” Jacob replied.
Looking over to Steve, he asked, “Where was she?”
“ Honestly? We don’t know,”
Steve said. “She was healthy . . . seemed fine. The
friar said that a farmer found her in his field. The farmer and his
wife had other
mirror. Time to face the music.
Squaring her shoulders,
Jill washed her hands and went to find that administrative woman.
Jill clutched her chest when she heard that Jacob had settled
everything and taken full responsibility for Katy. The woman looked
Jill up and down. With a raised eyebrow to speak her opinion, the
woman asked Jill exactly what was her financial arrangement with
Mr. Marlowe. Flushing at the woman’s implication that she was a
prostitute, Jill backed into Dr. Drayson.
“ Katy would like to see
you,” he said.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Who are these people?
They were halfway through
a pitcher of Fat Tire before Jacob realized Steve wasn’t just
killing time. Steve wanted to check out his sister’s new potential
boyfriend. After chatting with their waiter, Dustin Kidder, about
Katy, Steve ordered a couple of Pasquini’s calzones and another
pitcher of beer. And Jacob waited for Steve to get around to what
he wanted to say.
After Dustin brought the
calzones and beer, Steve’s demeanor shifted. Steve was ready to
talk. Jacob shifted back in his seat to give Steve space to unfold
his story, the story of his parents’ death.
The entire family was on
vacation in Costa Rica when his parents and Jill went out for
groceries. At nine years old, Jill went everywhere with her mother.
As usual, they left Megan and Mike in charge.
But there wasn’t anything
to take charge of.
The family had a cottage
right on the beach of a small, private cove. Steve and Candy were
in the ocean when their parents left. Mike made a complicated sand
castle complex and Megan read a romance novel in the sun. The
afternoon slipped away.
No one noticed that their
parents hadn’t returned until it was getting dark.
Terrified, the siblings
went to the police. Nothing. They called the consulate. Nothing.
When news came, it was bad. The Costa Rican national police arrived
near dawn. Their parents’ car had been hit by a tractor-trailer.
The truck driver was swatting at a mosquito and swerved into their
lane. Their parents’ rental car was destroyed. His parents were
dead and Jill was missing.
Desperate for help, they
called the father of a school friend, Senator Patrick Hargreaves.
After the senator’s intervention, the police reluctantly agreed to
show Mike the wreckage and let him identify the bodies. To this
day, Mike refused talk about what he saw.
Jill was just gone.
Kidnapped? Killed? No one seemed to know.
Senator Hargreaves told
them to return to Denver. He would continue to put pressure on the
consulate to find Jill. Grief-stricken, they returned to their
empty house in Denver.
Mike and Megan were in
charge of the family. Their parents’ life insurance paid off the
house, but not much more. Megan had just graduated from high
school. She turned down her full scholarship to Regis University
and went to work. Mike quit high school, took his GED, enlisted in
the army, and sent every paycheck home. Steve and Candy continued
at Machebeuf on a family tragedy scholarship.
“ All the luxuries of a
Catholic education,” Steve smirked.
“ What about Jill?” Jacob
asked.
“ We were just getting our
feet under us when Senator Hargreaves called,” Steve said. “Some
friar found Jill among the congregation of a church in Costa
Rica.”
“ What?”
“ Yeah, he called it
‘angelic intervention,’” Steve said. “This guy remembered meeting
the whole family at an ordination in Denver. Through Catholic
Charities, he was able to get Jill home in two days.”
“ Wow,” Jacob said. He set
cash in the bill folder and handed it to Dustin. He said to Dustin,
“I don’t need change.”
“ I’ll bring the rest of
your food when it’s ready,” Dustin said.
“ Thanks,” Jacob replied.
Looking over to Steve, he asked, “Where was she?”
“ Honestly? We don’t know,”
Steve said. “She was healthy . . . seemed fine. The
friar said that a farmer found her in his field. The farmer and his
wife had other
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