Page 92 of Lost Cause
“My mother!” Vidal breathed in and out like a huffing furnace. “Did you think my father killed her?”
Burke wouldn’t pull any punches. “With the body potentially on his property, he’s a suspect.”
Vidal’s glare deepened. “Did he know you thought she was buried there?”
Abby nodded. “He said if her body was located, he didn’t kill her.”
“Of course he didn’t.” Vidal firmed his shoulders. “He still believes she’s alive.”
“And what about you? Do you believe the same thing?”
Vidal looked past them, staring into the distance. “I don’t know. I was only fifteen when she went missing. Dad made sure to keep the details from me and especially from Viviane. She was three years younger. But of course we both heard rumors.”
Burke couldn’t even begin to imagine how difficult life was for them when they were younger. “Did you look into it when you got older?”
“Sure, I located Detective Orman even though he’d resigned from the job. He wouldn’t tell me anything, and Dad still won’t talk about it.” He scrubbed a hand across his face. All the bravado had drained from him, and he seemed tired. “What can you tell me?”
“I wish I could give you information about the investigation,” Burke said, “but I can’t.”
Abby flashed him a frustrated look, then turned back to Vidal. “After our investigation is concluded, if we don’t find yourmother, I hope we can provide you with the information you’re seeking. Or at least persuade your father to talk to you about her.”
Vidal’s expression softened. “Do you think you’ll find her?”
“It’s unclear at this point,” Burke answered. He wasn’t about to speculate on how his investigation would go when he didn’t have a clue. And he wouldn’t disappoint this man again. He’d already gone through the loss of his mother and years of torment wondering where she could be.
Burke had seen too many times what happened to families when missing loved ones were never found. He wouldn’t wish such a fate on anyone.
23
The drive to Seaside Harbor passed in silence. Abby hadn’t expected to have such a strong reaction to Victor’s stroke. And it grew after seeing Vidal and catching a glimpse of who he’d been as a teenager when his mother vanished. It stirred up everything she’d been suppressing about her own mother’s death and the reconciliation that hadn’t happened in time.
If she didn’t get herself centered, she wouldn’t be any help to Burke or the investigation. The only place she knew to find peace was at her church.
She looked at Burke. “I know we need to get to the antique shop, but Victor’s stroke has put me in a terrible place. Everything that just happened brought up my mom’s death. Would you mind if I stopped at my church for a few minutes?”
“I don’t mind.” His agreement came easier than expected. She thought he’d protest—especially with his current distance from God.
She gave him directions to the church she attended, and they drove through the quaint seaside town in silence. Normally she’d take in the oceanfront and the weather, but today, the world outside the windshield barely registered.
They pulled up to the church. It didn’t look like much—just a modern building tucked between shops—but Abby didn’t care. Church wasn’t the building. It was the people and sometimes the quiet, like she so desperately craved today. She led him inside, and they took a seat in the worship center’s front row.
“You know,” she said softly, “I think we’re both stuck in the same place with our faith. For me, I’m convinced I didn’t honor my parents like the Bible says I should do. I failed at that and can’t shake the guilt.”
“You just need to confess it, and God will forgive you,” Burke said. “I know, simple advice but not always easy.”
“Exactly. God might forgive me, but will I be able to forgive myself?” She turned to him. “But your situation’s different. You weren’t in the wrong. Tiffany hurtyou.”
“Yeah.” He gripped his knees. “But it still feels like punishment.”
“You know that’s not God, right? That it’s the enemy lying to you, and there’s something deeper.” She paused. “What’s the truth, Burke?”
He stared ahead. “I don’t know. Maybe I don’t believe I deserve happiness.”
She didn’t respond right away. He was being vulnerable, and she didn’t want to interrupt and risk shutting him down.
“It’s not just Tiffany,” he added. “I never told you about my brother, Kyle.”
He exhaled hard and ran a hand around the back of his neck. “We grew up in a strict Christian home—no TV, no internet, no music. When I turned eighteen I’d had enough and bolted. Kyle was younger, but I didn’t think about what I was leaving him to deal with. After I was gone, he spiraled. Drugs. Eventually overdosed. If I hadn’t been so focused on getting out, maybe I could’ve helped him. Maybe he’d still be alive.”
