Ethics of a Thief (29 page)

“How do you know John Wayne was there?”

“I saw him in their elevator wearing a hospital gown. He must have had some tests or X-rays. He was a friendly cuss.”

“I liked John Wayne,” Danny said. “I have a picture of him.”

After smiling, Abigail said, “I saw it, it’s a good likeness.” Soon she turned to her father, “Have you gone golfing lately?”

“No. Not since your sister’s accident.”

“That’s too bad. Want to go tomorrow? The children can ride with us. It’ll be fun.”

Danny became animated and his voice rose, “Can we go? I’ll drive the golf cart.”

“No.” John said.

“But why not?”

“I just don’t feel up to it Danny.”

Abigail reached out to her father and held his hand. “It would be a good change of scenery. It would be good for you too. We can all go while Mother has her Bible study in the morning. I’ll call the hospital and ask them to call my cell number if there is a change.”

“I don’t know.”

“I’ll call and get a tee time, and if you decide not to go, I’ll take the children.”

“But, you’ll need two carts with two children,” John said.

“Yes, that’s why we need you.”

He let out a loud breath, “Okay. You win.”

After dinner, Abigail sat pretending to read a magazine but was thinking of how she might give grace to her mother for snooping. No matter where she went, Matt seemed to be the topic of conversation. She wondered if the woman was curious, worried, or knew she was in love.

While Abigail tried to sleep, she became restless
. So, she
got up to warm some milk. While sipping it she wondered how Matt was doing with his bargaining for immunity
, y
et
had
peace that everything was now in God’s hands.

When she returned to bed, she
quickly fell into a deep sleep
. Matt and
she had just married.
While at the doorpost of their honeymoon suite, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her across the threshold. After setting her down, he placed his hands on her face while look
ing
into her eyes, saying
, “Y
ou’re such a beautiful bride.
”
As he kissed her, his
lips were warm and tender
.

Without
a
warning
,
he walked away out of sight. When he returned he said
,
“I hope you like bubbles in your bathwater.” When she entered the prepared bathroom, she quickly undressed and slipped into the hot water while letting it cover her tall slender body. With her head resting and eyes closed, she moved to let the jets manipulate her feet and shoulders.

After her bath,
she
grabbed a towel. While drying she
noticed the glorious marble floor, pedestal sink, and ornate vanity. She could see Matt
behind her
in the mirror carrying a tray of strawberries dipped in chocolate. When he
approached,
she gladly accepted his pampering. Soon he
vanished
to turn back their wedding bed
. So she quickly
slipped into her transparent nightgown.

Suddenly the stupid phone rang.
She
wanted to toss
it
in
to
the trash. But instead, she got out of bed and answered.

“Hello Dear, it’s Mo
ther
. I want to give you some good news.”

“What?” Abigail said with a grumpy tone.

“Your sister moved her fingers
this morning
. It’s the first sign she might recover.”

“Well that’s amazing news, do the kids know?”

“Not yet. They’re at home with Dad.”

“Oh Mom, I’m so happy. Won’t the children be thrilled?
I bet Lisa will happily
danc
e
around
,
Danny
will have the
biggest smile
, while
Dad will probably cry from happiness.”

“I’m still at the hospital. I’ll
wanted to call you first.
”

“
Let’s go celebrate Mother.
I’ll come take you to breakfast, would you like that?”
Abigail said.

“Yes that would be delightful
.
Do you have any idea, how relieved I feel?”

“Sure do! So am I. It’s an answer to all of our prayers
.
”

*

While showering, Abigail was full of gratitude as she praised God for the news. Soon the warmth of the water brought back memor
ies
of her delightful dream.
But the
shower couldn’t compare to the amazing vision of a bath drawn by Matt.

Once she dressed and locked up, she was on her way to the hospital. Within twenty minutes she entered Alisa’s room, but to her surprise, Elizabeth was gone. Yet Abigail was pleased to spend time alone with her sister.

“I’m so proud of you Sis.
You’re such a fighter.
I knew you would make it. You had to. The children need you too much.”

After her visit, Abigail headed for the cafeteria. When she saw Elizabeth,
she quietly walked over and
slipped in
to the
bench seat
, and
kissed her cheek, “Hi Mom.”

“Oh hi Honey
.
I knew the minute I left you’d come.” They chatted about what joy they felt over Alisa
’s
milestone.

Later they returned to
Alisa’s
room hoping for more progress
,
but there was none.

“Ready to eat? I know a nice place nearby.”

Elizabeth
nodded, and turned to
kiss her daughter lying so still
,
“You’re a warrior. You’ll get better, I’m sure of it.”

While driving
slowly down the street to
La Jolla
cove
, they looked for a parking space. Luckily
they pulled into a spot without much
trouble. Soon they were climbing up the steps to the same restaurant Matt and she visited that overlooked
the cove.

After
they arrived, there was a slight morning breeze
that kicked up. So when their
host
arrived,
Abigail asked, “Is it okay to sit under
a
heat lamp? It’s a little chilly.”

The young man smiled and graciously led them to
a table. After
han
ding
them menus,
he
explained the daily specials.
Soon they
ordered Spinach Omelet
s
.

“This is lovely,” Elizabeth said while watching the kayakers. “Have you ever done that?”

“Yes once with Carry. We were having a grand time until a sea lion came too close. It freaked her out. So we quickly rowed into the nearest cave.”

“That sounds like fun.”

“Yes. It was a memorable day. The cave we visited was small
with
sun
shining
down through a tiny opening at the top of the rocks. Don’t you remember me telling you? I showed you my lump on my head?”

“How did that happen?”

“
Well, w
e decided to take a short cut back…so we thought. But it brought
us too
close to
the current causing the
kayak
to
turn over and hit my forehead. While
still in the
water, we laughed
so much it made it
hard
er to
get back into the kayak.”

“Yes, I do remember. You
acted as if you two went on some
fun adventure.”

Abigail grinned, “Actually it was.
But
enough about me, how are the children doing?”

“They’re still adjusting. I hear them talking
about their past outings with
their father
.
They
do
miss him.”

“Frankly, I can’t imagine losing Dad at that age. It must be tough on them. But at least they have good memories.”

“When they say their prayers, it is for their mother’s recovery. They will be so pleased to hear the good news about their mother,” said Elizabeth.

The waiter interrupted their conversation as he bent forward to sit the plates before them. Little talk transferred as they ate. While relaxing with a cup of coffee after their meal, Abigail touched her mother’s arm, “I’m sorry about my reaction the other day, I don’t know what got into me.”

“It’s my fault. I pried. If you want me to know something, you’ll tell me.”

“Well, I’m ready to talk now. The man you asked about,
is Matt. We met at the yacht club and were on the yacht together. And yes. As you may have guessed,
I’m in love with him. But I have certain reservations
, so
I told him to only call if he had information about the murder
investigation
.”

“You said you love him, so why
are you
brush
ing
him off like that?”

“Mom, we don’t share the same faith or values. And I don’t want my kids to be dropped off at church by their dad.”

Elizabeth nodded, “I understand. But why do you think
he’s such a
hopeless case? We always have hope when we include God. Look how your father changed once we found a new church?”

Abigail was shocked that her mother approved of a man she never met.

*

When Abigail returned home
she
fix
ed
ice
d
tea
and grabbed her book. As she
sat re
ading,
the phone rang. At first she was annoyed
,
but remembered the good news her mother brought.

When she answered it, she heard Matt’s voice.

“Oh, hi, Matt, did you hear from the FBI?”

“Yes.”

“So what’s the verdict?”

“Remember the Iraqi they found?
”

“Yes.”

“This morning an interpreter made a statement for him. Apparently the man admitted to the murders, but added, that they deserved to die, because they refused to return the smuggled item.”

“Wow. That’s amazing.”

“After our 911 tragedy, we went to war in Iraq. It was at that time that the historical Artifact was taken from their museum.”

“Well, now we know who killed them and why.” Abigail said.

“One of our American spokesman, also made a statement. He emphatically vowed to return the relic to Iraq the moment it is recovered.”

“So have you returned it yet?”

“Yes. I did this morning around the same time the story broke out.”

“How did it go?”

“The FBI worked out an agreement with the State Attorney’s Office. Once it was returned I would receive immunity for us. The deal is complete. As the song goes, it’s signed, sealed and delivered. It states, if any of us ever commits insurance fraud again, the agreement is null and void.”

“I’m glad they included that.”

“Frankly, so am I,”
he said
.

“Well good for you. They must have
seen you as
redeemable.”

“Yep, but I’m not good enough for you, am I?”

“Stop that,” she ordered. “I refuse to let you make me feel guilty.”

“It’s true. You
are
too good for me, but don’t feel bad
about it
. It took you years to become you.
But for me,
I’m just getting started.
However,
I’m determined to become the best edition of myself possible. That’s a commitment I made to myself.”

“That’s wonderful Matt. Things are looking up for you. I’m glad.” Abigail felt warm inside
.
Perhaps there is some hope for us after all.
“So what are you going to do?”

“For starters, I found a church near home
. I want to
meet the pastor and visit their Men’s Bible Study.
Tomorrow I’ll attend
Sunday
morning service. T
he
y’re
teaching
about the
book of John.”

Suddenly Abigail felt flush as her blood boiled.
At least as a thief, you told the truth,
she wanted to yell.
Why are you lying? No one changes that much over night. I’m not that dense,
but instead
of saying
anything, she silently bit her tongue.

While talking, he was unaware she had stopped listening.

“I’m actually looking forward to studying
about
John. It’s the book my aunt inscribed in my Bible as a kid.”

Abigail was now holding the phone away from her ear.
I don’t believe a word you’re saying. You’re only telling me what I want to hear,
she wanted to
yell
. Her head was reeling, she wanted desperately to hang up, but couldn’t.

Finally he said, “What’s going on? You seem preoccupied. Should I call back?”

“No. That won’t be necessary! I’m truly happy for you and hope you move forward as planned. But please, never call me again. It’s inappropriate now that the case is closed.”
Her face was red as she
slammed the phone into the cradle
.

*

After hanging up he
was in shock,
What just happened, why the coldness? Isn’t she happy for us?
He
repeatedly
shook his head in disbelief, not knowing what to think. When he glanced down, he saw a brochure
with the phone number of the church.
He dialed and spoke with the
p
astor. After making an appointment for later that evening, Matt tried to make sense of her reaction to
t
he best news he could possible give.

After parking his car, Matt walked to the front door, but it was locked. So he followed the sidewalk around to the parking lot. When he saw a door marked
Administration
, he entered the building. While waiting
,
he noticed
that the furniture was old as if
donated
.
He thought,
Someday, I’ll do something about that.
After hearing footsteps, he turned and watched a
s a
grey-haired man c
ame
toward him.