Deadly Row, A - By Casey Mayes Page 0,82
the thief, when you were growing up?”
“What are you talking about?”
“That ten thousand dollars I sent your mother was atonement for something I did many years ago. I left when I was eighteen, but I didn’t go empty-handed. Your grandfather didn’t believe in banks, and he didn’t believe in me when I asked him for a loan so I could make my way into the world. He refused me, so I took it anyway.” Barton’s face seemed to melt as he told his story, and I could swear I saw the man shrink before my eyes.
“I was so ashamed of myself. I tried to pay him back five years later, but he tore up the check and returned it to me. He said as far as he and the rest of the family were concerned, I had died the day I left them. It took forever for me to get the courage to write your mother, and when I never heard back from her, I assumed that no one had forgiven me.”
“So you sought me out?” I asked, incredulous about the news.
“Quite the opposite. I’ve stayed away from you, per your mother’s wishes. When I discovered you and your husband were coming to town to investigate my assistant’s murder, I couldn’t help myself. I offered you my finest suite in the hopes I could get to know you without the stigma of what I’d done to taint your impression of me.”
“Like I said before, I never knew you took any money from my grandparents.”
“Are you honestly saying that neither Thomas nor your mother told you?”
“No. I’ve got a feeling if you tried again with Uncle Thomas, you just might be surprised. He’s softened quite a bit over the years.” I looked at Zach, who nodded his head. In some ways, he knew my uncle better than I did, and if there was a chance for forgiveness, he would most likely be the one to know it.
“I hope with all my heart that it’s true, but being here with you right now is enough for me.”
“Whatever sin you committed was never against me, so I’d have a hard time holding a grudge for it, wouldn’t I? We can try to get acquainted, but there’s something you have to do first, or I’m not interested in pursuing this.”
“I can pay you any amount you name.” He reached into his jacket and pulled out an envelope. “In fact, I’ve calculated the amount I took, compounded the interest, and I’ve written you a check for the full amount. I did it just before I came upstairs.”
“It’s about money, but that’s not what I want.”
The envelope dipped slightly in his hand. “Then name your price, and I’ll gladly pay it.”
I reached into my purse and got the receipt Garrett had given me when I’d deposited the money from my mother in the safe.
“You can take this back. After all, it’s yours.”
He looked at the receipt, and then his expression changed into pain. “Then you don’t forgive me?”
“You don’t understand. It’s not my money. Even if it belonged to my grandparents, that doesn’t make it mine. Give it to Uncle Thomas, if you have to, but I don’t need it. We’re doing just fine.”
Zach nodded his approval, and I felt even prouder that I’d chosen him.
“I don’t know what to say,” he said.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll think of something.”
Barton’s face brightened, and I knew I’d have a difficult time ever calling him Jeffrey, or even J.B. “May I keep calling you Barton?”
“Savannah, you may call me whatever you wish,” he said with a smile. “Just as long as you call me.”
“That’s a promise,” I said.
Zach coughed, and then said, “You two have a lot to talk about, and none of it concerns me. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll go into the bedroom so I can get back to work.”
I remembered the codes I was supposed to be working on, too. “Barton, would it be all right if we postponed this reunion for a few days? We’re really pushed for time here.”
“Of course you are,” he said. “We can get acquainted anytime.”
He moved toward me, and after a moment’s hesitation, Barton hugged me.
“Good night,” he said after quickly breaking it. “And thank you for giving me my life back.”
“It looks like you’re doing okay without us,” I said.
“That’s where you’re wrong. Without my family around me, all of this means nothing.”
After he was gone, Zach looked at me and whistled. “Wow, and people think I’m the