The next two weeks were a whirlwind of activity for Elizabeth and the girls. She was always with one of her family members, usually all three, and she had encouraged Nathan to go back to the station while they were in town. He had agreed readily, slightly overwhelmed by the vivacity and squeals that accompanied the Thatcher women. Arianna and Cecilia ate up the attention they received, delighting their aunts and grandmother with their coos and giggles and laughs.
They made their way to a different beach every day. Elizabeth loved showing her mom and sisters around the island. They found small boutiques in every little town they visited, gathering enough new knick-knacks and clothes and mementos to start a collection. Oftentimes they would eat out for dinner, with Nathan joining them after work. After dinner the three Thatcher women would return to their bed and breakfast or continue to explore the town, while Nathan and Elizabeth spent time together at home with their daughters.
One day midweek found Elizabeth sitting on her porch swing, a glass of lemonade in hand. Her sisters had shooed her from the house, insisting that they would put the twins down for their afternoon nap. Nathan was at work and Grace had run an errand. Elizabeth sipped her drink, closing her eyes to take in the rare silence.
After a while, the sound of a car pulling into the drive caught her attention. It was the car her family members had rented from the airport. Grace stepped out, pulling a large bag with her. It looked as though she had taken a trip to the local mall. Elizabeth smiled at her mother, raising a hand in greeting. "Did you have fun?" she asked as Grace climbed the porch steps.
Grace smiled, taking the seat next to Elizabeth on the swing and placing her bag to the side. "I did," she said, her smile wide and genuine. She looked more relaxed than Elizabeth had ever seen her. "I love the shopping here. In New York, everything is so hustle bustle and high end. Here things are slow and real. I like that." She patted Elizabeth's knee. "How are you feeling today? Is little Anthony letting you relax?"
Elizabeth grunted as her son kicked hard against her ribs. "I'm pretty sure he already knows his name," she said, looking down at her stomach. "He kicks every time we say it." She chuckled. "But yes, other than that, he is letting me relax today." Her hands rested on either side of her burgeoning belly. "I can't believe I'm six months along already. And with the twins only eight months old." She shook her head. "Nathan and I struggled for so long to conceive. Now we're going to have three children in the span of a year. God certainly has a sense of humor."
Grace laughed, a tinkling sound that Elizabeth remembered loving as a child. "That He does." She searched Elizabeth's eyes, a suddenly serious expression crossing her face. "You're happy, Elizabeth." It wasn't a question.
Elizabeth nodded, matching her mother's serious look. "I am. I'm happier than I ever imagined I could be."
Grace leaned back, studying her daughter. She was quiet for a long time. Finally, she broke the silence. "I have to admit, a part of me was relieved when Jack died all those years ago." She grimaced. "I feel horrible for saying that. Please don't misunderstand me. I'm not glad that he died. But I was hoping that you would come home, that your Hawaiian experiment would end and that you would take your place as a Thatcher in New York society. When you stayed despite the heartbreak, I started to understand just how strong and determined you were to make your own way." She smiled ruefully. "Your father and I should have accepted your relationship with Jack from the start. Just like we should have accepted your relationship with Nathan from the start." She sighed, pausing for a moment.
Elizabeth waited, surprised by her mother's words. She and Jack had never gained approval for their relationship. Not that they had needed it. But hearing Grace's words gave Elizabeth a small glimpse into where her mother was coming from.
Grace continued. "When we found out you were marrying Nathan, knowing he had a dangerous job, it took everything in me not to come racing here to persuade you to change your mind. I didn't want you to be hurt again if anything were to happen to Nathan. But your father forbade it, saying you were no longer a part of our lives." She sighed. "I am not a strong woman, Elizabeth. There have been times I wanted to stand up to your father, but I simply lacked the courage to do so. When you and Nathan came to New York with the babies…" Tears filled her eyes. "I wanted so badly to welcome you. When I saw my granddaughters, something softened inside. But I couldn't yet go against your father's will. It took those months of being in Europe, having everything money could buy, to realize how unhappy I was. I wanted to be here with you, to truly meet your Nathan and your girls and to restore our relationship." She placed a hand on Elizabeth's cheek. "Can you forgive me for being so cold and distant for so long?"
Matching tears filled Elizabeth's eyes. She drew her mother into a tight embrace. "Of course," she whispered brokenly, the tears sliding down her cheeks. "I love you, Mother. I'm so glad you decided to come with Julie and Viola."
Grace sniffed, holding Elizabeth close. "I love you too, sweetheart."
The two women held each other for a long time. When Grace eventually pulled back, she smiled again. "I think Nathan is a wonderful man, Elizabeth. I'm so glad you found each other."
Elizabeth had never felt that she needed her parents' approval for the man she fell in love with, but hearing Grace say those words made something melt inside. She blinked back more tears, a tremulous smile crossing her face. "Thank you, Mother. I know Nathan likes you."
Grace chuckled. "I like him too. I'm proud to call him my son-in-law." Her eyes sparkled. "Speaking of which, I have a gift for you. I think Nathan is going to like it as well."
That piqued Elizabeth's curiosity. Grace took the bag she'd put aside and handed it to Elizabeth. "This is for you. I saw it in one of the shops I entered today, and just knew it was perfect for you." A hint of uncertainty filled her eyes. "But if you don't like it, I'll return it."
Peeking into the bag, Elizabeth gasped. She reached in, pulling out a luxurious gown made of emerald green silk. The sleeves were capped and trimmed with lace. The empire waist would allow the dress to accommodate her growing stomach. Gold trim at the jewel neckline matched the trim at the waist. The skirt was full and flowy.
It was gorgeous.
"Mother, this is beautiful," Elizabeth breathed, staring at Grace with wide eyes. "Thank you!"
Grace smiled. "There are shoes too."
Elizabeth laughed. "Are they gold?" It would be just like her mother to find shoes that matched the trim on the dress.
"Of course," Grace said, lifting her chin with a laugh. "Every dress needs a pair of matching shoes. There's a matching clutch, too."
Pulling the gold, strappy heels from the bag, Elizabeth was relieved to see that they were only a couple inches high with wide heels. They were both beautiful and practical. She gave Grace another hug. "This is very generous of you. I appreciate it."
"Anything for you," Grace whispered, her eyes welling up once more. She cleared her throat. "Now, why don't we go see if that dress fits before your husband gets home? He can't see it until the night of the gala, you know."
Elizabeth grinned. How like her mother. "Of course not." They made their way inside. Elizabeth felt gratitude welling up in her heart as they headed for the master bedroom. She was happy to have this time with Grace, time to restore their relationship and regain the mother-daughter connection that had been lost for so many years.
She finally had a mother again.
Lee intercepted Nathan as soon as he walked into the police station on the day of the gala. "We got a call from some distraught hikers just now," he said. "They're in the state park a couple towns over. We're the closest police station."
Nathan turned and followed Lee to the squad car. "Why were they distraught?" he asked, buckling himself in while Lee turned on the lights, tearing out of the parking lot.
"They're teenagers," Lee said, shrugging. "The dispatcher couldn't get anything coherent out of them. All they could make out was 'police' and 'bones'."
"Bones?" Nathan repeated, frowning. "That can't be good."
"It could be an animal or they could have stumbled over some native burial grounds," Lee said. "There's a whole lot of things this could be. Hopefully it's nothing bad."
"Hopefully," Nathan agreed. He pushed Lee's shoulder playfully. "It would figure that we'd get a big case as soon as I came back to work."
Lee grinned. "Have I mentioned how good it is to have you back? We missed you, buddy."
Nathan smiled. "I missed you too. Though I have to say there are perks to working at home and being with Elizabeth and the girls all the time."
Lee glanced at him. "Are you planning on working from home again once Elizabeth's sisters and mother go back to New York?"
"I think so," Nathan said. "Elizabeth and I haven't really talked about it. Allie is going to be our mother's helper over the summer when Anthony arrives. I think we need to have another discussion about where things stand. I'm happy to work at home or at the station or split my time between the two."
Lee nodded. "Good plan. I'm sure whatever you decide will be the right choice." He smirked. "But I would prefer you to be at the station."
Nathan laughed. "I'm sure you would."
Twenty minutes later, they pulled into the trailhead parking lot. Lee punched in the GPS coordinates the dispatcher had given them, and he and Nathan set out. Two miles into the hike, off the path, they found the three teenagers. The boys were huddled around a tree, wearing identical expressions of terror. They were maybe fifteen. Mike Hickam was already there, talking to them in a low voice and trying to keep them calm.
"Glad Hickam got here first," Lee murmured. "He's good with kids." He shot Nathan a sidelong look. "You still planning on introducing him to Viola tonight?"
"Sure am," Nathan replied. "I think they will get along famously."
"'Get along famously'?" Lee said, shaking his head in disbelief. "No one says that anymore."
"Obviously some of us do," Nathan shot back, grinning. The two men approached the boys, quickly putting on their professional demeanor.
Hickam met them. "The boys claim they found some human remains under that banyan tree," he said, pointing to the ginormous tree. "I haven't had a chance to scout it yet. These kids are pretty shaken up."
"I can imagine," Nathan said, sympathy welling inside. These boys were about Allie's age. How would she feel if she stumbled across something like this? The three lawmen walked over to the boys. Hickam gently introduced Nathan and Lee. "Boys, these men are detectives. Detective Grant and Detective Coulter. Can you tell them what you told me?"
Two of the boys were barely able to raise their eyes to the men. Even though their faces were downcast, Nathan could see their eyes were red-rimmed and full of fear. No teenager would want to be seen like that. Nathan couldn't blame them for wanting to try to hide. The third boy swallowed hard and looked up, standing upright with squared shoulders. Though his eyes sported the same fear, he faced it with a strength that belied his tender age.
Nathan looked him in the eyes. "What's your name, son?"
"Tony," the boy said.
Finding a piece of common ground, Nathan gave him a smile. "Is that short for Anthony?"
Looking startled, as if he hadn't expected that line of questioning, the boy gave a jerky nod. Nathan kept his smile in place, showing the kid he wasn't a threat. "My son's name is Anthony," he said.
That earned him a look of interest from Tony. "Really?"
Nathan nodded. "It's a good name."
The kid shrugged, looking down, but not before Nathan caught the small smile on his face. Placing a hand on Tony's shoulder, Nathan gestured to a large boulder. "Why don't we sit and you can tell me what happened?"
Tony nodded, uncertainty crossing his face along with determination. He followed Nathan. Once they were settled, Nathan tilted his head. "Alright Tony. I want you to know that you're safe here, despite what you found. Detective Coulter, Officer Hickam, and I will make sure nothing happens to you."
The kid glanced at him, hugging his knees to his chest. "You promise?"
Nathan nodded, never breaking eye contact. "I promise."
Tony let out a long breath. He swallowed as if bearing up his courage, then lifted his head. "My friends and I like to hike off the beaten path," he began. "It's always something we've done, from the time we were little kids. Today we wanted to do a hike that wasn't well known, one we hadn't done before." He shuddered. "We'd only been off the path for ten minutes when we came across that tree." He pointed to the banyan tree. "We've been climbing in those trees since we could walk. When we saw it, we knew we had to explore. Jorge and Devon were climbing the roots while I was exploring the inside of the tree. Then...then…" He stopped talking, his teeth clenching together.
Nathan waited patiently, letting the boy regain his composure. Finally, Tony continued. "I stepped on something hard. It crunched, and I felt a horrible feeling. When I looked down, I saw a hand sticking up from the ground." Another shudder ran through him. "It looked like it was asking for help. It was a skeleton hand. It looked so real."
Nathan put a hand on Tony's shoulder. "It's alright," he said quietly. "Thank you for telling me your story." He stood. "Let's go back to Officer Hickam. He'll take care of you while Detective Coulter and I examine the area."
Tony nodded shakily. When they rejoined the group, Mike looked at Nathan and then at the boys. "Why don't I take them back to town?" he suggested lightly. "I'll make sure to get their contact information if we need anything else."
Nathan agreed. "Good idea. Thanks, Mike." He clasped Tony on the shoulder, giving him a reassuring squeeze. "Thank you for your bravery, son."
The kid nodded, then meekly followed Mike and his friends through the trees. Nathan knew it would be a bit of a hike, but at least they were getting home and could find comfort from their families. He turned to Lee. "Ready?"
Lee raised a brow. "Ready to potentially find a body?" He wrinkled his nose. "Not exactly."
Nathan snorted his agreement. The two men made their way to the tree. Tony had said the body was inside, so Nathan squeezed his frame through the roots and pulled out his flashlight. He swept it slowly from side to side, treading carefully. Within seconds, he saw the skeletal hand sticking up from the ground. The thumb had cracked, likely from Tony stepping on it. Nathan reached into his pocket, pulling gloves from it and putting them on before crouching beside the hand.
"That doesn't bode well," Lee muttered beside him.
Nathan nodded his agreement, focused on gently brushing away the loose leaves and dirt around the hand. Within a few minutes, he knew they had indeed found a human body. He uncovered the head and torso before standing and stepping back. "Call forensics," he said to Lee, his tone grave.
They were likely at the scene of a crime.
They squeezed back out of the roots. Lee got on the phone, alerting forensics and giving them the location. Nathan scouted the area with his eyes. It was still and quiet. Almost too quiet.
Pinpricks sliced through his neck, making him wince. The feeling was so real, so physical, even though nothing was touching him. He had the distinct impression that he was being watched. Looking around once more, he saw nothing to support the feeling. But still it remained.
Uneasy, Nathan placed a hand on his gun. The woods remained quiet. For all intents and purposes, it was a peaceful day. Besides the fact that a body was buried under the banyan tree. Besides the fact that Nathan felt his instincts screaming that something was wrong. A sinking feeling settled in his gut. He knew deep down that this case wasn't going to be a simple matter of figuring out who had died.
Something was very, very wrong.
