Page 45 of A Treasure Worth Seeking

She put on the old jeans she had worn her first night in the house and a comfortable sweater. She brushed her hair and repaired her face, which had been marred by streaking makeup. Feeling somewhat better, she decided that, even though she wasn’t hungry, she should eat some of the food that friends and neighbors had brought to the house. She was still having some residual weakness from her illness and hadn’t eaten properly in the last three days.

At the bottom of the stairs she stood awestruck as she saw Melanie coming down the steps carrying two suitcases.

“Melanie, what—”

“Erin, this is probably the rudest thing I’ve ever done in my life, but I’ve got to leave you here.”

Erin was stunned by her calm announcement. “Bu—but where are you going? Why?”

“Did you hear my parents?”

It would have been hard not to, Erin wanted to say. The Winslows had accompanied their daughter home from the funeral and immediately upon entering the house had started railing at her to come home with them. They had caused quite a scene, embarrassing the young widow.

“I told them that I wanted to spend the night in my own house, especially since you would still be here. But I promised that tomorrow I would move back home.” Melanie’s lips formed a resolute straight line. “That’s a promise I have no

intention of keeping. They’ve ruined my life, not to mention Ken’s. I’m not giving them the opportunity to go on controlling me.”

Erin glanced around in desperation and saw Lance standing behind her. He was listening to Melanie’s declaration. “But where will you go tonight?” Erin asked, grasping at straws.

“I don’t know,” Melanie shrugged with disinterest. “I really don’t care. Just away from here. From them.” She sighed sadly. “I really don’t want to sell the house just now, but I can’t stay here and be subjected to their constant badgering. Do you understand?”

It was a plea for assurance. In spite of her misgivings about the advisability of Melanie’s plans, Erin said, “Of course I understand.”

“Thank you, Erin. I knew you would. I’m leaving a letter for my parents on the entrance hall table. Please give it to them when they come for me tomorrow.”

“Is there anything else?”

“No. I’ll contact you soon. I wrote down your address and telephone number in Houston. I hate to run out on a guest like this, but it’s something I have to do.”

Erin smiled. “I’m not a guest. I’m family.”

“Is there anything you need, Mrs. Lyman? Do you have any money?” Lance asked quietly from behind Erin. He endorsed Melanie’s leaving.

“Yes. I have a personal account. I hate to give you any more responsibility, Mr. Barrett, but when you have cleared out all your equipment, would you leave the key to the house with the next door neighbor? She’s expecting it. She agreed to look after things for me until I come back.”

“It’s done,” he stated firmly.

Impulsively, Melanie walked toward him. The next instant she was enclosed in his arms. “Thank you for being so nice about everything,” Erin heard her mumble into his shirt front. “I know you did everything you possibly could to find Ken and bring him back. You would have dealt with him justly.”

Lance squeezed his eyes shut tightly. “I wouldn’t have had it happen like this for anything in the world, Mrs. Lyman.” Melanie withdrew to the door, then turned to face them.

“In a way I’m glad that Ken didn’t have to go to prison or suffer any more indignities. He had been unhappy for a long time. In his letter to me,” she touched her breast where Erin guessed the unmailed missive was secreted, “he says he was looking for acceptance. I think he took the money to get the world’s attention as though saying, ‘I’m alive. Here I am, Kenneth Lyman.’ I’m no philosopher or psychologist, but I see his motives so clearly now. And I know he loved me, despite everything.”

Out of the mouths of babes, Erin thought, and tears rolled unchecked down her cheeks as she clasped this dear sister-in-law to her one more time. She and Lance stood by the front door as Melanie backed her car out of the garage and, with a poignant wave, drove off into the night.

“Do you think she’ll be all right, Lance?” Erin asked anxiously.

“Far better than she’s been,” he murmured, and Erin found comfort in his simple words. “Here,” he said, looking at her with an amused grin. “Let me wipe your face.” He extracted a white handkerchief from his hip pocket and blotted her tears. “How long has it been since you had a decent meal?”

“I can’t remember,” she laughed.

“That’s what I thought,” he said grimly. “You’re getting skinny.” As if to show her, he placed his hands on her ribs and steered her in the direction of the kitchen. “There’s enough food in here for an army, and we’ll have to throw it away in the morning. So let’s dig in.”

While she was filling her plate in the kitchen, he went into the living room and picked up the red telephone. “Mike, tell the boys to take a break and come eat some of this food.”

He was tieless and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows when he walked back into the kitchen. “You haven’t got enough,” he said, inspecting her plate like a schoolmaster. Over her protests, he added another piece of cold fried chicken and a scoop of potato salad.

“I’ll get fat,” she wailed as he continued to pile food onto her plate.

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