Page 604 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

“We still don’t know for sure whether or not Avery’s death was an accident. We can’t be too quick to rush to conclusions.”

“Well, Judith obviously thought I was in danger.” She threw her hands up in the air. “And the whole thing—Dad’s letter, two explosions on the same day—it’s all just a little too coincidental, don’t you think?”

Stella looked Sydney in the eye. “Yes, you’re right. Deep down, I’ve always questioned whether or not Avery’s death was an accident. That’s another reason I never fought Judith to get you back.” She paused. “I guess I’m just afraid. You know what the good book says: ‘It rains on the just and the unjust all the same.’” She looked up at the ceiling and then down at her hands. “I can’t lose you again.”

Sydney hugged her grandmother. Tears ran down both of their cheeks. Finally, Sydney pulled away and laughed humorlessly. “I always wondered why Judith made me change my name. She came in one day at the hospital and told me that it was time to start fresh. ‘We’re going to start our lives right now,’ she told me. ‘You need a new name.’ She looked me up and down. ‘What do you think about Sydney?’ I liked the name but would’ve never told Judith otherwise.”

Stella chuckled. “You were wise not to cross Judith.” She reached for her cup. “How did she die?”

“Breast cancer, just like Mom. Judith didn’t tell me at first. She suggested that I go to Europe for the summer. Now I realize that it was her way of getting me out of the way so she could go through treatments. When I came home and saw how skinny and frail she was, I knew something was wrong. She passed away a few months later.”

Stella shook her head. “Judith was a piece of work. I remember the first time I saw her. Avery brought her by to introduce her. I took one look at her flaxen hair and stubborn chin and knew that Avery was flirting with trouble.”

Sydney’s eyes grew round. “What?”

“Didn’t you know that Avery dated Judith first?”

Sydney shook her head.

“Avery was finishing up his last year at the University of Alabama when he met Judith at a fraternity party. He took one look at her and was smitten. I think he would’ve married her right on the spot if she would’ve agreed. But Judith wanted everything on her terms. It was all a game to her. She thought she had Avery wrapped around her little finger. What she didn’t count on, however, was what happened when she took Avery home to meet her family. That’s when he met your mother. Avery’s infatuation with Judith paled like fool’s gold beside the real thing.

“Susan was everything Judith wasn’t. Her wholesome features had always taken backstage to Judith’s beauty, but Susan didn’t mind. She was happy letting her older sister take center stage. Avery felt as though he’d discovered some rare flower that belonged only to him. He and Susan were inseparable from that moment on. I don’t reckon Judith ever did get over Avery choosing Susan over her.”

Sydney was speechless for a moment. She shook her head. “I had no idea. No one ever mentioned any of this to me.” Sydney looked at Stella. “Before my surgery I used to look just like my mom.”

“I remember.”

A trace of bitterness returned when Sydney thought back to the day her new face was unveiled. “They made me look just like Judith. So much that even you recognized me after all these years.”

Stella’s laugh echoed through the room. “No, you’re wrong. It wasn’t Judith that I saw when I first opened that door.” The conviction of Stella’s words rang true. Her eyes met Sydney’s. “I saw Avery when I opened that door. You may resemble Judith, but you’re Avery through and through.”

Sydney hugged herself. She stared into the distance, her blue eyes glazed. “Oh, how I wish that were true.” She voiced the question she’d asked herself over and over. “Why do you think Judith made me look so much like her?”

“Did you ask her?”

“Right after the accident, I tried a couple of times, but she never would give me a straight answer. She told me that all of my bones were broken and that the doctors did the best they could.”

“Hah!” Stella clamped her lips shut. “Sorry.”

Sydney shook her head, barely acknowledging Stella’s comment. “As time went on, it became harder to ask her about it. She didn’t like talking about anything that was unpleasant.”

Stella chuckled. “Sounds about right.”

“But why? Why do you think she made me look like her?”

“Well, I think Judith in her own way was trying to protect you. Has anyone besides me recognized you?”

This caught Sydney off guard. “Well … no. But that still doesn’t explain why she made me look like her. She could’ve had them alter my face without doing that.”

“Who knows what Judith was thinking? Maybe she was trying to make you into the daughter she never had.”

They sat in silence, each lost in thought.

Sydney spoke the next words softly, afraid of speaking them at all. “Dad and I had an argument that last day on the boat. He wanted me to go and live with Judith. He tried to talk to me, but I wouldn’t listen.” Her voice faltered. “I’d give anything to live that moment over again. If only I’d listened, given him a chance to explain.” She shook her head.“

If onlyis a very dangerous phrase. It’ll drive you crazy if you let it. Avery knew how much you loved him.”

“Sometimes I just get so afraid.”

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