There was something fragile about Angel Roberts, and it tugged at his heart. He looked over at the photo of Elisa on the wall. Wes realized that getting close to Angel would be impossible if her past continued to cling to her.
What happened to you, Elisa Roberts? Your daughter deserves the truth. Pops needs to be set free of his guilt.
Chapter Fifteen
Angel was in a funky mood most of Wednesday and decided not to go to Bible study, then changed her mind. She was still a bit shook up after talking to Wes yesterday. The sad part was she had been enjoying their conversation right up until Wes mentioned her father being in Charlotte. It had weighed heavily on her the rest of day and last night. Wes was a reporter, and he had obviously been digging into her past, even before she showed up at the Cades' home on Sunday. No wonder he was okay with inviting her inside. Maybe Detective Cade had shared something with Wes and he'd been investigating ever since. What bothered her was that if he was trying to help her, he could share what he knew. She wasn't some story.
Angel tuned back into the group and noticed everyone was paying attention to Candace, who was speaking. “This week's lesson was a hard one for me, as I'm sure it was for you too. How many of you have ever felt betrayed?”
Angel raised her hand and noticed most of the group members did too. As Candace asked more questions, Angel observed the number of hands that went up each time. She felt better that she'd come tonight. By no means was she alone in her feelings.
Candace continued, “Well, amen. I hope all of you will walk away tonight with a new mind-set about how to handle people when they have done something to lose your trust or have abandoned or even rejected you. Turn with me to the Gospel of John and then to chapter twenty-one.”
The classroom was filled with the sound of flipping pages. Angel was still getting used to finding things in the Bible, but tonight she turned right to John. The four Gospels were where she had started reading and learning about Jesus.
Candace waited until everyone was in the proper place and then said, “A few weeks ago, we celebrated Easter. Let's go back a bit to the night before Jesus was crucified. What happened to Jesus's disciples?”
A woman named Lily Owens answered, “They left him. Just scattered.”
Another woman, Clara Miles, said, “Yes, Peter, who was supposed to be the rock, denied him three times.”
Angel spoke up. “Judas sold him out too. He led the soldiers right to Jesus with a kiss.”
Candace shook her head. “You are all right. Jesus was betrayed by those he had gathered and prepared for ministry for three years. How do you think he felt? Especially after he was beaten, the crown of thorns was placed on his head, and then having to walk up to Golgotha. The nails in his hands and feet.”
The room was quiet as Candace described the scene of Jesus's death. Angel found herself imagining it, but also thinking about people in her life. Kenneth. Denise. Her father.
Candace asked the group, “Does anyone want to share a time when you felt betrayed? How did you react? What has changed, if anything, for you today?”
Several hands went up, but Angel chose not to share. As she listened to the other women share, she couldn't help but think back to the day she saw Kenneth and Denise together. She had been so excited about getting her first film project and had wanted to get Kenneth involved. She'd figured they could enjoy the day together.
His car was outside. She had a key to his apartment and didn't think to knock or ring the bell. It seemed weird that the blinds were closed and the lights were off, but Kenneth wasn't the cleanest person in the world. It was best that his messy apartment stayed in the dark. She heard noises but didn't even stop to consider what she might walk into as she opened the bedroom door.
Angel placed her head in her hand and rubbed her forehead. This wasn't the place to have that memory. She fought to find memories of the mother and father she'd lived most of her life without knowing, and then she had an awful realization: For a while, Kenneth and Denise had been her world, and then they were gone. Maybe that was why their betrayal hurt even more.
Angel looked up and saw that Candace was observing her. She tried to smile, but she knew Candace had seen her go off to another place. Right there in the middle of Bible study.
Lord, help me.
Candace said to the group, “As I sat during the trial of the person who murdered my loved ones, I needed to find a way to get past my feelings of betrayal and pain. If I hadn't, the door that needed to be open for me to share my story and for us to come together each Wednesday to share our stories of overcoming might have stayed shut. That hurt really does not stay with you forever as long as you are willing to forgive and let it go. Once you do forgive that person or persons, you can truly move forward into a place where you can tell others about the goodness of the Lord. He knows about pain and betrayal. And He rose in victory over all of it.”
Angel sat and listened thoughtfully to Candace. She understood where Candace was coming from, but wasn't fully sure if it was something she could do.
“Let's pray.” Candace's voice rolled out smooth and sweet. “Father God, we thank you for watching over us and our families, keeping us all from harm and danger. We want you to take care of those who have family members who have fallen ill. By your stripes they are healed. Please free our minds of troubles, worry, and most of all, allow us to be able to forgive others as you have forgiven us. In Jesus's name.”
After they prayed, the women in the group started talking and hugging each other. Angel made her way over to Candace in between the hugs and good-byes to ask, “You mind if I walk out with you?”
“Of course not. How are you holding up? Fredricka doing okay?”
“Yes. She should be moving to the rehabilitation place tomorrow. She is still having trouble speaking, and her right side isn't cooperating, but they say she is improving.”
Candace swung her bag over her shoulder. “It's going to be a process. Your grandmother was relatively healthy for her age, though. She could recover fully.”
“I hope so. The doctor said that it's different for everyone with a stroke. They don't really understand how the brain works and rebuilds.”
The two women walked out into the hallway. Angel grew quiet.
Candace asked, “You have something else on your mind, don't you? I noticed you were a little preoccupied.”
“Yes, but my mind was on this lesson.” Angel smiled, but then she stopped walking and looked at Candace. “Yesterday I met the little boy that Kenneth and Denise had together.”
“Oh! How did you feel?”
“He was so cute. A ball of energy. And he looks so much like Kenneth. I remembered how I couldn't get over the fact that the two people that were closest to me not only betrayed me, but also brought this child into the world as a reminder. How can I forget that, Candace?”
Candace hooked her arm through Angel's arm so they could keep walking. “Forgiveness is not about forgetting. It's about helping you to move forward. Have you ever thought this through? You told me often how you always felt like you couldn't be yourself around Kenneth. What if God saved you from a relationship destined for heartache? You are young and doing your thing and running your own business at your age. At twenty-five, I had two babies, a cop for a husband, and was struggling to find something that I could do outside of the home.”
Angel grinned. “I guess. Who knows who God has for me?”
“Well, I'm glad that you recognize my wisdom, missy.”
They laughed as they walked out the door into the parking lot.
“You know, we can so easily get wrapped up in our past and our pain that we miss out on what God has for our future,” Candace added. “Believe me, I never imagined meeting anyone else after losing my Frank.”
“And look at you now, with Detective Darnell Jackson by your side. He's pretty hot for an old guy.”
Candace stepped back and looked at her. “Old? Girl, who are you calling old? He is seasoned. We are both seasoned. Now I just need to get my last child out of the house.”
Angel said, “Oh, watch out, Daniel.” Candace's oldest daughter, Rachel, was a freshman at UNC Chapel Hill. Daniel was a junior in high school.
After she hugged Candace, Angel climbed in her car. She felt hopeful. Maybe she would get to a place where she could shake the past. One step at a time.
Chapter Sixteen
This was the hard part of the interview. Wes watched Lisa Sloan choke out her words. “I should have gone with her. I can't believe I let her leave alone.”
He looked over at Rick, who gave him a sympathetic nod from behind the camera. Wes wanted to give Melanie's best friend time to compose herself. “I'm so sorry. I know this must be really hard.”
“She didn't even want to go.” Lisa sniffled and wiped her eyes with the crushed tissue in her hand. “I wanted to get out of the house so bad. The kids had been driving me crazy.” Lisa took a deep breath and looked straight at Wes. “It's been over a week.”
“I know. She could be out there somewhere.”
“Where?” Lisa's face crumpled again. “When I saw her car was still in the parking lot, I just freaked out. If she had come back into the club, she would have come over to me. I can't believe someone would harm her. But after
American Voices
she had become pretty popular. We joked that she was more popular now than we had ever been in school.”
Wes asked, “Was there anyone you can recall who harassed her?”
“Melanie has always been pretty. She would get crazy e-mails and posts on her Facebook profile from guys.”
Wes made a note to check Melanie's profile page. “Was she still with Jay Strong? I imagine he probably wouldn't have been happy with that type of attention.”
Lisa rolled her eyes. “Yeah. I never understood what she saw in him. He's a complete loser. No, Melanie was through with Jay long before she auditioned for the show. He started to remind her too much of her dad.”
“Abuse?”
Lisa shook her head. “Her dad drank a lot and ended up in jail. Jay drank too much, and his friends were not exactly role models. He could also be real mean. If Jay ever hit her, Melanie would have told me.”
“Okay. By the way, where is Melanie's dad? I've only seen her stepmom.”
“I don't know. He's been out of prison. He was always trying to be young.”
“What does that mean?” Wes asked.
“You know, he was one of those cool dads when we were all younger. He threw parties, and all the kids loved to go to Melanie's house. Then her mom died, and he remarried. He still tried to be cool, but no one wants to hang around their parents.”
“Didn't he try to come back into Melanie's life while she was on
American Voices?
”
“Oh yeah! It was the second-to-last show Melanie was on. She did so well the week before. I begged my boss to let me take the time off from work. My mom was so mad, but as soon as she said she would watch the kids, I was on a plane to Los Angeles.” Lisa sighed. “Melanie and I had a blast. Anyway, that night after the show Melanie seemed really upset for some reason. I couldn't figure out why, because my girl
sang
that Christina Aguilera song.” Lisa bobbed her head and snapped her fingers in the air. “I was finally able to get her to tell me her dad had tried to contact her. She didn't want to talk to him. Who could blame her?”
“So he did show up? Did you see him?”
“Oh no, no. I never saw him. I guess he called her or sent her something. I can't recall, but I do remember her saying over and over again, âHe's going to ruin everything.' I told her, âGirl, you just go out there and sing. Don't worry about your dad.' The following week I thought she did good, but something was off in her voice.” Lisa waved her hands to fan away the tears that had sprung in her eyes. “She just didn't get the votes she needed. I felt so bad for her.”
“I know that was probably devastating. Have you seen Mr. Stowe since Melanie's been missing?”
Lisa shook her head. “No. Why do you ask?”
“I mainly want to get a better picture of Melanie's life. I just realized I have never seen him.”
Two small children burst into the room, with an older woman behind them, carrying a baby. Lisa called out, “Hey, Mom, you were supposed to keep the kids outside for a while.”
The older woman looked at Wes and then at Rick. “I'm tired. You can take your children back.” She walked over and handed the baby to Lisa.
“Thanks a lot,” Lisa yelled. “Chris, Maurice, stop running around here like you lost your mind.” She turned back to Wes. “I'm sorry. I hope I was able to help you.”
Wes stood. “Yes, you did.” He waved to Rick to stop rolling the tape. Then he turned around. “Lisa, I do have one more question for you.”
The baby in Lisa's arms started squalling. Lisa rocked back and forth. “What else?”
“Was Melanie happy after the show? Did any offers come in for her?”
Lisa stood and held the baby close. “She waited a lot to hear back from people. There was an offer that came in a few days before she disappeared, but she wasn't really hopeful about it.”
“Why is that?”
The baby's cries quieted as Lisa began pacing. “She wouldn't admit it, but I knew Melanie. I think she was embarrassed by the attention during and after the show. A lot of people were asking her when she would have an album out. She kept saying soon, so this time I think she wanted it to be a sure deal.”
A crash was heard in the other room. Lisa looked at him with panic in her eyes. “I really have to go.” She headed toward the back. “Boys, what are you doing in there?”
“Thank you for your time.” Wes didn't know if she heard him.
He helped Rick with his equipment, and they left the house. Behind him he could hear Lisa yelling. As Rick packed the station car, Wes pulled out his phone. He'd sent a few messages to Angel, but she hadn't responded yet. Wes hoped he hadn't alienated her. He really wanted to talk to her again.
Rick interrupted his thoughts. “You ready to go?”
“Yeah, let's head back to the newsroom.”
After Rick started the car, he asked, “You got big plans for the weekend?”
Wes let out a sigh. “I don't know if I call being in a wedding party big plans, but it's a favor to a childhood friend.”
“Well, is he having a bachelor party?”
“Of course! It's tonight.”
Rick grinned. “Then have fun tonight. It will make tomorrow bearable. Be glad you aren't the one getting tied down.”
Wes looked forward to the day when he would be waiting for his bride to walk down the aisle. One day it would be his turn.