But you have not finished your course, she heard God whisper in her ear.

Your work is not done. There are others to be punished.

She dropped to her knees, her hands folded in prayer, her eyes filled with tears. “I am Yours to command. Lead me to the unholy blasphemers, and I will do Thy will, wise and just Jehovah.”

Cathy had tried to telephone Jack several times, but apparently whenever he noted that she was the caller, he wouldn’t answer. She understood that he was working, that the new Fire and Brimstone Killer case took precedence over everything else, but the least he could do was give her one minute of his time. They needed to talk as soon as possible. All she wanted was to set up a time and place for them to meet to discuss Seth.

How would she ever be able to explain to her son why she had lied to him his entire life? And that’s what she had done. She could make every excuse under the sun, but in the end, the truth was the truth. She had allowed him to believe that Mark Cantrell was his father, and even though Mark had been a good father to Seth, he had not been his biological father.

If she couldn’t get in touch with Jack, then she had two options-either go ahead and tell Seth the truth or wait and hope Jack didn’t talk to him first. She hated both options.

As she paced the floor in her living room, trying to decide on a course of action, two things happened simultaneously. Her phone rang, and Seth, using the key she had given him, opened the front door and walked in. She smiled at Seth as she picked up the portable phone from the charger. When she noted the strange expression on his face, she gripped the phone tightly. He stood there, only a few feet from her, his whole body tense and his eyes riveted to hers. She glanced away momentarily to check caller ID, hoping it was Jack, but when she saw it was her mother, she silently groaned.

“It’s probably Grandmother,” Seth told her.

“Yes, it is. How did you-?”

“She’s calling to warn you that she told me Mark Cantrell wasn’t really my father.”

Cathy dropped the phone. It hit the floor with a loud thump.

“What did you say?”

You heard him. You know what he said.

What had possessed her mother to take it upon herself to reveal Cathy’s deepest, darkest secret?

“Granddad got upset when I told him that I definitely planned to come and live with you. He called Grandmother to come over and try to talk me out of it. She became really frustrated when I told her that I liked Jack Perdue and hoped you married him. That’s when she spit it out-the truth that you were pregnant when you got married.”

“Seth, please, let me explain.”

“Explain what? That you and Jack Perdue had sex and you got pregnant and you suckered my dad-scratch that-you suckered poor old Mark Cantrell into marrying you when you couldn’t get Jack?”

“You’ve got it all wrong.”

“What part have I got wrong?”

“Mark knew I was pregnant, and he knew who my baby’s father was,” Cathy said. “We were not in love, but eventually we grew to love each other. And your father…Mark loved you as if you were his own.”

“But I wasn’t his, was I? I was-I am Jackson Perdue’s bastard!”

Dear God, her worst nightmare was coming true right before her very eyes and there wasn’t anything she could do to stop it from happening. The best she could hope for was that Seth would give her a chance to explain everything. But even then, was he mature enough to understand and to forgive her?

“I loved Jack. And he loved me.” Cathy tried to keep her voice calm, despite the fact that her emotions were screaming. “You were conceived in that love.”

“Why the hell didn’t you just get an abortion instead of-?”

“Never suggest such a thing. Not once did the thought ever cross my mind. I loved and wanted you from the moment I knew I was pregnant. You were my baby. A part of Jack and me.”

“Does he know?”

Cathy took a moment to steady her nerves before replying. “Yes, Jack knows.”

“How long has he known? Did he know back then, before you married someone else?”

“No, he didn’t know back then. I didn’t tell him.” How could I have told him when he was missing in action half a world away and presumed dead? “I-I told him last night. I realized that it was way past time for me to be honest with him…and with you. I intended to tell you, too, as soon as-”

“How’d he take the news that he has an almost-sixteen-year-old kid?”

Cathy froze. What was the best way to respond to his question?

Seth laughed, the sound a harsh, sarcastic chuckle. “Don’t bother answering. The look on your face says it all.”

“No, Seth, you don’t understand.”

“I hate you. You don’t know how much I hate you. I hate you, and I hate Jack. Damn you both!”

He turned and stomped toward the door. When she followed him and grabbed his arm, he shook her off, opened the door and rushed out onto the porch. She tried to catch up with him, but he ran off down the street, his long legs flying at a speed she couldn’t equal. She called his name several times, then stood there in the middle of the road and watched him disappear.

Cathy wrapped her arms around her waist. She couldn’t move, could barely breathe. She had to find Seth and talk to him. She had to make him understand.

But would he listen to her? Probably not.

First she needed to tell Jack what happened, even if it meant barging in on him at work. She had no choice.

Of all the public-service assignments she was forced to do to repay her debt to society, Felicity found only one of any real interest to her. Her position at the animal shelter would last two weeks, and today had been the first day of her second week. She had become fond of several dogs, one in particular, a mutt she had nicknamed Freckles because the pup had small black spots all over his white face and neck. Because her grandmother disliked animals in general and dogs in particular, she and Charity had never been allowed to own a pet. But now that she was older and could care for a dog all by herself, surely she could talk her dad into letting her adopt Freckles.

She had called her mom and told her not to pick her up at noon when her morning shift at the shelter ended.

“I want to have lunch with Dad,” Felicity had said. “It’s only five blocks from here to the church. I can walk there in no time.”

Preoccupied with Missy, her mother had easily agreed to her request. Mom had her hands full with Missy’s problems, the latest of which was her being questioned in yet another murder case. To say that her mom had been neglecting the rest of them ever since Missy had become a member of their family was an understatement. Missy had been a nuisance for quite some time, ever since Felicity realized that Seth Cantrell had a thing for her. Seth was blinded by Missy’s blond beauty and her damsel-in-distress persona. Now the whole world felt sorry for Missy. Yeah, okay, even she did, at least to a certain extent. Imagine being repeatedly raped by your own father. Yuck!

Felicity arrived at the church at twelve-fifteen, quickly made her way downstairs and hurried toward her father’s office in the basement. Her footsteps were muffled by the cushioned layer of industrial-strength carpet that covered the basement floor. The outer door to the minister’s office stood wide open, so Felicity walked in, expecting to see Erin McKinley at her desk. But the outer office was empty.

As she opened the door to her father’s private office, she started to knock but stopped dead still when she saw Erin and her father kissing. Erin had her arms around Felicity’s father’s neck, and he was gripping her on either side of her waist.

Shocked beyond belief, Felicity backed up slowly, quietly turned around and ran into the hallway. She was halfway up the stairs when she heard her father calling her name.