Change of Heart Read online

  Nolan showed none of this to Grace. Instead, he just worked and listened. It hadn’t been easy to get her to start talking. He accomplished it by asking her advice on how to deal with Scully. Did she know what the kids were up to?

  After that, they’d sat in her office, and while Nolan worked on her computer, Grace talked. There were several times when he was shocked at what she told him about Orin Peterson and the times she’d given him money.

  “I don’t know the truth,” Grace said, “but I think maybe the real story isn’t what Orin’s told me all these years.”

  Nolan wasn’t sure what she meant, but he was beginning to think that there was more to her late husband’s suicide than just despondency.

  “Maybe I didn’t . . .” Grace whispered. “Maybe Gil wasn’t . . .” She didn’t finish her sentences, but Nolan had an idea that maybe the burden of guilt that she carried was being lifted.

  Toward the end of the day, Nolan sent Eli one last text—FINISHED—and the computer continued to work. Nolan was packing up when Grace invited him to her house for pizza.

  “Yes,” he said. “I’d love to.” He was afraid to say any more for fear that she’d see what was in his heart. When she’d first moved to Edilean they’d dated for four glorious months. It had been wonderful!

  At first their two children had nothing to say to each other. Grace’s pretty daughter was concerned with clothes and makeup and boys, while his son was as nerdy as they come. But through repeated visits, Abby’s brain came to the fore and Scully learned some desperately needed social skills. By the end of that summer, Nolan thought they had become a family.

  But one day, Grace called it off. She said some things about guilt and her late husband’s suicide, but none of it made sense. All Nolan knew for sure was that one Saturday she went to meet with her husband’s former business partner, and when she returned, she told Nolan she couldn’t see him anymore.

  Nothing he said dissuaded her. For a few months he pursued her but she wouldn’t budge. In anger, he went out with a couple of other women, but he didn’t like them much.

  After the breakup, Abby and Scully stayed friends—and there were times when Nolan was downright jealous. When she came to pick up Abby, he’d see Grace in her car, but they never talked.

  Until today. Today she’d been different. It was as though something inside her had been released. She’d talked and even, a couple of times, laughed.

  When she’d invited him for pizza, he didn’t hesitate in saying yes.

  “I’m sorry about Abby going to the prom with a football player,” Grace said as she filled the wineglasses.

  He agreed, but he wasn’t going to betray his son by telling of Scully’s hurt. “It’s all right. Scully’s happiest when he’s in front of a computer.”

  “I know how much he cares about Abby. But the kid, Baze, is nice too.”

  “And he can dance,” Nolan said. “And he knows how to talk to people and all those things I should have taught my son. If I knew how to do them, that is.”

  Grace laughed. “I think you’re quite adept in social matters. Scully could be too if he had some training. It’s just that Abby needs to learn that there is value in a male besides a muscular body.”

  Nolan smiled. “I’ve been thinking of joining Mike’s Gym. Think that if I had some biceps I could win a girl’s heart?”

  Grace looked at him over her glass of wine. “I think you can win the heart of any woman just the way you are.”

  Nolan put his hand out to hers and she took it. In the next moment they were standing, their arms around each other, and kissing.

  “I’ve missed you so much,” Nolan whispered against her lips. “The time we spent together was some of the happiest of my life.”

  “And I’ve missed you. I’m so sorry I hurt you.”

  “Isn’t this nice?” came a voice from a few feet away.

  Turning, they saw Orin Peterson standing there holding a gun pointed at them. His shirt was misbuttoned; his trousers had no belt. There was a bloody scrape on his forehead. He looked as though he’d escaped from somewhere.

  “Where’s the rabbit?” he asked.

  Grace stepped out of Nolan’s arms. “Orin,” she said as calmly as she could manage, “you look like you could use some food. The pizza is hot. How about if I make you some coffee?”

  “Shut up! I’ve had enough of your whining. Where’s the rabbit?”

  “I think—” Nolan began.

  Orin fired the gun at him, and if Nolan hadn’t turned his head, he would have been hit. “The next one strikes,” Orin said. He looked back at Grace. “Where the hell is it?”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Nolan needs to go home, then you and I can sit down and talk this through. We’ll find whatever it is that you want, but I can assure you that I’ve never owned a rabbit.”

  “Don’t patronize me.”

  Grace’s body was shaking but she didn’t want him to see that. “I know your wife died recently but—”

  Orin laughed. “You really are the stupidest woman I’ve ever met. All I had to do was dump a load of guilt on you, take some money, and you’d crawl back into your shell. But now I’m sick of waiting. I’ve had four years in hell because of you. I was always worrying, always afraid you were going to find out.”

  Grace took a step farther away from Nolan. Maybe if she could get Orin to concentrate on her, Nolan could slip away and get help.

  “I didn’t mean to do anything bad to you, Orin,” Grace said. “I didn’t want you to be in misery. Your poverty—”

  “Oh, hell! Just shut the crap. Where is the little metal rabbit? And since you’re too dumb to figure it out, I’ll tell you that my wife is quite well. In fact, she was the one who planned everything. Paula has always been the smart one. That that husband of yours snooped into things wasn’t something we thought would happen. I offered him twenty percent of everything if he’d keep quiet but he said no. Twenty percent! He was even dumber than you.”

  Grace was beginning to understand what Orin was saying. “You . . . you and Paula killed my husband because he knew too much?”

  With a snort, Orin shook his head. “So now you finally stop crying and use your brain. Too bad it’s all for nothing. I want—”

  “It’s a flash drive, isn’t it?” Nolan said. “Shaped like a toy rabbit.”

  Grace drew in her breath. She knew what Orin wanted—and where it was.

  At her sound, Orin looked at her for a moment and saw the fear there. Terror. A smile came across his face. “I knew it! That smart-aleck kid of yours has it, doesn’t she?” On the kitchen island was Grace’s cell phone. Grabbing it, and hardly removing his eyes from them, he texted Abby to come home immediately and bring . . . He looked at Grace. “Is it on a key ring?” He could see by her eyes that he was right. He finished the text and sent it. “Won’t be long now and she’ll be here.”

  Orin tossed the phone down and turned to Nolan. “So you’re the town computer nerd. Years ago, I had to listen to Grace rave about you. Took me nearly two hours to get her to believe she wasn’t worth a second husband. After all, she was such a bad wife that the first one killed himself just to get away from her.” Orin was smirking. “Grace is such a coward! That kid of hers has more courage in her little finger than she has in her entire body.”

  “So what’s on the drive?” Nolan asked. He was inching toward the sideboard, his right hand held behind him.

  “None of your business. You know, all this is happening because of that nerd kid you have. I’ve always been afraid that he’d see that little rabbit and know what it was. Paula told me it would never happen, but I knew it was only a matter of time. Was that a car?” Orin listened. “No. I’ll be glad to get out of here. I’m going to cry so hard at your funeral, Grace. Murder-suicide. Such a romantic story about a woman the whole town knows is