Forbidden Falls (Virgin River #9)(95)

He shook his head. “No. I’m good with the idea. It’s all up to you.”

“Well, I had a lot of things to consider. But I thought about it just a little too long. Hannah calls me Mama. And she is not going to lose another mama. Not this precious girl. We need to get on the road first thing in the morning.”

He swallowed down his emotion. “Sure. Of course.” Filled with relief, his heart bursting with pride in his wife, with respect for her generosity and compassion, all he could do was get up from his chair and put a soft kiss on her brow. “Want me to do baths while you cook lasagna?”

“That would be good,” she said. “And please, don’t forget the hard-to-get places—neck wrinkles, backs of ears, between toes. Your mother checks those things.”

He laughed a little emotionally. “She does, huh?” And he thought how lucky he was to have a mom like that. And now both Hannah and Matt would have one like that, too. Fussy. Committed.

Noah was researching Arnold Gunterson again. Besides his age and current address the only thing Ellie could tell him was that Arnie said he grew up in Southern California. Noah found nothing to match. Nothing anywhere. In fact, his house was owned by a woman—he must be renting it. Noah even bit the bullet and plunked down a credit-card number to a couple of online-search companies and there was still nothing. Funny enough, he could look himself and George up on Google and get way too much information on a couple of relatively dull Presbyterian ministers.

Yet the only thing he could find on Arnold Gunterson was his marriage to and divorce from Ellie Baldwin, which was less than two years old. He wasn’t even pulling up Arnie’s current address or place of employment. And the Brightway Private Elementary School gave the bios for the board of directors, but only the names of the teaching staff and director.

There was something so eerie and sinister about those locks on the outside of the door, about the way he’d followed them, about his threats. Noah had a gut feeling there was a lot more to Arnie than met the eye. Upon researching, there was in fact less information than he expected.

But—as the principal of a private elementary school, there would have to be information available to the parents of prospective students, not to mention fingerprinting, which was required in almost all states. He would have a résumé; he would list his credentials and the universities from which he received them. There would probably be framed degrees on the walls and a packet of information for prospective students and their parents that outlined policies. Clearly, Arnold would not happily give any information to someone like Noah or Brie. Nor could Mel or Jack, Jo or Nick, or anyone who Arnold might have seen before visit the school and inquire.

Noah knew he needed more information.

He decided to get a few chores done to keep his hands busy while he was thinking. That old faded blue pickup he drove had been misfiring and sputtering a bit lately, so he went outside and got under the hood. Before long he found himself changing the points and plugs, cleaning off the battery, adding water to the radiator.

Jack wandered out of the bar and, as men will do, got his head under the hood, as well, lending a hand. While this was going on, Noah was thinking out loud, complaining about the lack of information he had on Arnold Gunterson and his inability to think of a way to get more.

“Wait a minute,” Jack finally said. “I know someone Arnold hasn’t seen before, and they happen to have an elementary-school-aged son.”

Before the afternoon was over Jack and Noah were talking to John and Paige Middleton about visiting a private school in Redway to discuss enrolling their son, Christopher. And to see what they could learn about the school and its director.

Sixteen

It seemed to Ellie that people were just a bit uncomfortable around her, as if they’d love to ask for the details about all that trash Arnie had spewed. Of course, she had explained to Vanessa and Jo Ellen immediately what parts were true, and what were just malicious attempts to make her look horrible. It was the vast number of people she didn’t know well that she imagined were looking at her strangely. Perhaps judgmentally. Perhaps thinking less of Noah because of her. There wasn’t much she could do about it, but it bothered her.

If it weren’t for that nagging worry, Ellie wouldn’t have a care in the world. She went home from her work at the church, showered off the paint and grime, and went to Jo’s to be with her kids. They were sitting at the kitchen table while Jo prepared dinner. Jo was asking Danielle spelling words for her upcoming test and Trevor was coloring.

“Can I help, Jo?” Ellie asked.

“After we finish our spelling, you can set the table. Danielle will help. Danielle, tell Mommy about your school.”

“It’s nice, Mama,” she said. “And I wish I could ride the bus, but Jo said not till we get more comfortable.”

“I would have to agree with that,” Ellie said. “Did you like the teacher?”

“Her name’s Mrs. Spencer, and she’s not even as old as you, Mama. And guess what? She says I’m a little bit ahead in the class. I took a couple of tests for her and she was very happy with me.”

“Wonderful. Did you make any friends?”

“Just the hello-goodbye friends. You know—the kind who are nice to you, but they have other, better friends. I kind of had to eat my lunch alone.”

Ellie’s heart ached. “Kind of?” she asked. She noticed that Jo smiled over her shoulder at Ellie.