He ran his tongue across dry, chapped lips that were cracked and bleeding. He felt the stubble of days of beard across his upper lip. Again he was surprised that he was not bound or gagged. Perhaps his captors understood his injuries to be so severe that he was immobile, which certainly seemed to be the case.
There was always the possibility that he was dead and simply hovering above his physical being prior to departing for eternal peace. He had so much unfinished business, though, with Amanda that he was skeptical of the notion. Plus, the sheer pain was an indication that he was still residing in the confines of his mortal tabernacle.
His focus shifted and he became alert as he heard voices. Hanging onto the prayer that all of this was worth something, he shuddered as he saw men with weapons come into the room.
CHAPTER 55
Nina’s wrinkled hand separated the miniblinds so that she could see Amanda sitting in the garden crying.
She watched Amanda open a box and extract something from it, though she couldn’t determine what the object might be. Her narrow eyes tried to squint in an effort to see better, but were unsuccessful because the Botox had frozen her face muscles in place.
Amanda's plight plucked no particular string in her heart other than to cause her to worry about the pending $500,000 in insurance money and whether the child might waffle on her commitment. Nina knew that she and Melanie could not close the deal on the mansion without the half million dollars. A child mourning her father was no big deal. A new house on the lake would soothe that wound, and soon there would be no memory, no pain.
And so as she watched Amanda in the garden, she felt no emotion whatsoever. Amanda’s father might have been a decent guy. It didn’t matter. With a soul as dry and dusty as a Kansas prairie, Nina Hastings had no sympathy.
The blinds flapped closed with a shattering sound as she turned and walked into her daughter’s bedroom. “Melanie, I think you’ve got problems.”
Melanie was staring in the mirror, applying the last touches of lipstick. She smacked her lips and looked at her mother. “Nope, mama, we’ve got the Army coming over right now, and then the real estate agent is bringing the paperwork. Amanda told me she wanted to knock it all out today.”
Though it didn’t square with what she had just seen, Nina accepted it.
“You sure?” she replied curiously.
“What’s not to be sure about? Her father’s dead, his house burned down, her boyfriend’s under house arrest, and her shrink’s comatose in the hospital. What else could this be but the capitulation? She’s got nowhere else to go.”
“Well, something doesn’t feel right.”
Ever the skeptic, Nina walked from the room and answered the front door as the chimes rang.
The Army major and the chaplain entered. They produced the paperwork as pleasantries were exchanged.
“Amanda has to be the signatory on all of these documents,” Major Blair said to the two women staring at him. “I hope you understand.”
“They understand,” Amanda called from behind the group. “Let’s go into the dining room.”
As the group began to move from the foyer into the dining room Amanda said, “Mom, Nina, I’ve got this.”
The two women stopped briefly and then continued on.
“Amanda, you’re not even eighteen. As your guardian, I need to ensure what you are doing is legal and proper,” her mother said.
Amanda was unrelenting. “Major, is there somewhere else we can go?”
Major Blair stopped and replied, “Certainly.”
“What are you doing, Amanda?” Nina inquired.
The five of them stood in a circle like a football huddle. Amanda was in the unfamiliar position of calling the plays. She was looking at the line of scrimmage, reading the defense, and calling an audible.
“Do we need the money or not?” Amanda asked. Neither her mother nor Nina responded. “If you can’t trust me to do the right thing, then what good is any of this?” This play was a calculated risk, but in a sense she needed to be hiding in plain sight. “Besides, I’ve always trusted both of you.”
After a long pause, Melanie said, “Okay, we’ll be in the kitchen.” Amanda saw Nina snap her head toward her mother, uncharacteristically showing a hole card.
“Thank you.”
Amanda sat at the dining room table facing the door opening to the kitchen. She motioned to the two Army officers, indicating for the tall and broad-shouldered Major Blair to sit across from her with his back to the door, to block their view. Major Blair reached into his briefcase as he was sitting.
“Just sign right here, Amanda,” he said, pointing at the two documents he spread on the table. He only made his comment once, though. He looked at her as he did so.
She nodded in recognition. Harlan had mentioned the other document would be presented to her. She quickly signed her name to both documents. The chaplain leaned over from the head of the table with a notary stamp and pressed the seal into each signed document. Then the major and chaplain signed as witnesses.
The major smiled at her and nodded, then grabbed her hand with both of his. “It’s going to be fine.”
“I pray that it is.”
He started collecting all of the paperwork, saying, in a voice calculated to carry, “I know it’s getting close to supper time, so let me get these copies to you in a couple of days.”
Standing, Amanda said, “That’s fine.” She noticed her mother and grandmother returning from the kitchen.
Amanda walked the two officers to the door and bid them farewell.
“You didn’t even get to keep a copy?” Nina squawked.
“They’ll get it to us,” Amanda said. “I’m just so glad it’s over, you know?”
She continued to stare through the open front door as the men drove away.
As Amanda closed the door, she noticed a Lexus SUV pull into the driveway. Not recognizing the vehicle, she turned to her mother, who was standing behind her and announced, “I think you have company.”
Her mother stepped onto the porch and waved hello to Tad Johnson, her real estate agent. Tad climbed the steps with an accordion folder tucked under his arm. Melanie introduced him to Amanda and Nina.
“Let’s have a seat,” she said.
They discussed the asking price of the mansion. One point four million dollars.
“I thought it was one point two million,” Melanie said.
“There’s another offer coming,” Tad replied. “It’s for one point three. The owners said they’ll sell it to you for one point four if you decide today and close by Wednesday.”
Melanie leaned back in her chair, despondent.
“It’s okay, Mama,” Amanda said, reaching out to her mother. “I just signed away the entire five hundred thousand, and I think with this house sold you’ve still got the money.” Amanda chose her words carefully as she spoke.
“Well, we’ve only got two hundred thousand in equity in this house. I think Mama’s talking about providing two hundred thousand.”
“All I’ve got,” Nina Hastings muttered.
“Yes, but it’s still a four hundred and seventy thousand dollar mortgage. At these rates it’s going to be about three thousand a month in mortgage payments.”
“Well, maybe I can get a job, you know, instead of going to college right away. That would help, wouldn’t it?” After making them go into the kitchen while she signed the insurance paperwork, she needed to reel them back in quickly. Forgoing her college career for her mother and grandmother was an indicator she was willing to sacrifice for them.