Beyond the Consequences (Book 5 of the Consequences Series)(35)

“Goodnight Moon…” Tony began his voice low and strong. “In the great green room…”

Closing her eyes, Claire absorbed her daughter’s radiating warmth as the baritone words filled the lavender suite. With each page, Nichol’s breathing steadied until the rhythmic cadence told them that she was once again sound asleep. Undaunted, Tony continued.

Claire imagined having two children vying for their attention, and with all her heart, she knew that as full of love as she felt at that moment, there would always be room for more. Just like John and Emily accepted Nichol into their family and how they were not so patiently awaiting the arrival of their daughter. Just as she and Tony adored Nichol, they would have another child and that child too would know this sense of love. Unknowingly, the smile returned to her lips. There was no other cause than the truth: she was truly happy.





If you have to do it, then you’re doing the right thing.

—Kathy Valentine




MANY OF THE small towns and counties in Minnesota suffered the same nationwide crisis. Promising young minds weren’t content to stay; they wanted the glamor of the bigger cities. In Minnesota, that would be Minneapolis or St. Paul. The small town of Olivia, Minnesota, was no different. Located at the junction of Highway 71 and Highway 212, Olivia’s claim to fame was its title: Corn Capital of the World. In reality the friendly people of Olivia were determined to survive despite the odds, and in doing so, they openly welcomed new residents. With a strong sense of camaraderie and a median household income of a little over thirty-five thousand, Olivia was not only a good place to live, but it was also a great place for a person with a large severance package to disappear.

Taylor had never met Patricia, but she’d done her research. She knew all that Phil had told her, and because going above and beyond was the way she worked, she knew a little bit more. The Rawlings security team had questions, wanted answers, and wasn’t willing to wait on the FBI to provide them. Was Patricia merely a jaded employee who’d had higher expectations for her relationship with her boss, or was her motive more sinister? Taylor’s goal was to learn more about the motivation behind Patricia’s mailings by integrating herself into Olivia and essentially Patricia’s new life.

Looking for the perfect opportunity, it was decided that Taylor would play the role of the granddaughter of an older couple who resided just outside Olivia. They were relatively new to the area and spent their winters in the warmth of Arizona. Currently, they were still living south of Phoenix. Mr. Townsend, the gentleman whom Taylor claimed was her grandfather, had been dealing with various health issues while away. Since most of the people in town knew the Townsends’ background, when Taylor entered the local law firm to discuss the deed to her grandparents’ home, no one was suspicious.

Wearing her long brown hair down and wavy with her normal suit replaced by jeans and a t-shirt, Taylor looked at least five years younger, and actually resembled the Townsends’ granddaughter. There was a time in small-town America when such a deception wouldn’t be feasible. However, even with the sense of community, in today’s self-absorbed world, people were willing to accept things at face value. Besides, between Taylor’s research and Phil’s resources, she was well versed on everything the Townsends’ granddaughter should know and had the credentials to prove it.

Since moving to Olivia, Patricia had assumed the alias of Melissa Garrison. Melissa worked in the small law practice of Jefferson Diamond, located in a nondescript storefront on Main Street. Most of Olivia was on Main Street or within a block or two in each direction. Upon entering Diamond’s storefront, Taylor deduced that Mr. Diamond’s office consisted of a reception area with a large wraparound desk and individual office spaces all accessible through doors off the center room. The paneled walls and vinyl chairs were a flashback to the 1970s and a far cry from Patricia’s office at Rawlings corporate headquarters in Iowa City.

After only a few minutes of speaking with the office manager, who’d introduced herself as Ami, Taylor caught her first glance of Patricia. Their suspect barely noticed Taylor as she carried a box of files from one room to the other. Though Patricia didn’t look exactly like her photographs, Taylor recognized her immediately. Her body shape and features were the same, but she’d changed her hair. No longer was it long and brown. Now she sported a short, spikey deep-red style.

Not long into her conversation with Ami, the two struck up a kind of friendship. It wasn’t until Taylor was about to leave and she mentioned staying alone at her grandparents’ home that Ami said, “Oh, you can’t be all by yourself way out there all night. Why don’t you stay in town and have dinner with us?”

Taylor hid her excitement. It was the perfect opportunity to learn more about Patricia. “Well, I’m not sure…”

“Nonsense, we all hang out on Friday nights at the pub on Main. It has pool tables and darts. There’s a dance floor…” Ami scrunched her nose and forehead. “…but no one around here dances. If you want clubs like that you need to drive to Minneapolis.”

“Are you sure I won’t be intruding?” Taylor asked. “I don’t want to get in the way of office talk.”

“Mel?” Ami called toward the back room. “Do we talk shop at the bar?”

Patricia shook her head as she emerged from the doorway, wiping her hands on her black slacks. “Nope. It’s our time to unwind.”