Deadly Devotion (Soulscape #4)

Chapter 9

The old carpet from the upstairs hallway had been rolled up and stacked near the stop of the staircase. The wood floor beneath appeared to be in good condition. Frank hadn't been looking forward to replacing the entire floorboards as well as the carpet. Alec leaned against the upstairs railing as Frank looked at the stripped walls.

"What do you think?" Frank asked. "Maybe some white oak paneling with cream or beige carpeting to brighten the hallway?" He looked at Alec. "Or darker hues?"

"Whatever you want, Doc."

"No." Frank walked over to him and cupped his face. "This is our house, Alec. I want us to make these decisions together." He glanced at the wall again. "How about this...we don't make up our minds just yet. We go shopping and see what they have, then decide then—together. Sound good?"

Alec nodded and smiled. "Yes."

"We have a plan," Frank chuckled and kissed him.

"We're going back to town?"

Frank sighed; he didn't really like the idea, but as the Sheriff pointed out—they were a part of this community now. They couldn't hide away one hundred percent of the time. Trips into town were inevitable. Though it did ease Frank's mind that the Sheriff of their little burg had seemed to take a liking to them. If he had been of Deputy Dean's sort, Frank might have packed them up and moved elsewhere.

"I guess we'll have to," Frank said, then smiled. "It'll be okay. Logic tells us that if there's one good guy in this town, there will be more as well. Every town is going to have its nice folk and not so nice folk. That's just a fact of life. Sometimes, as the Good Book says, we just have to turn the other cheek when we encounter the unpleasant ones."

"The Good Book?" Alec frowned.

"The Bible," Frank explained. "The Word of God."

Alec looked perplexed. "God wrote a book?"

Laughing softly, Frank said, "In a manner of speaking. But even those who don't believe it's actually the word of God still find plenty of good wisdom to live by."

"Do you believe it's really the Word of God, Doc?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Do you have one?" Alec asked.

"One what?"

"A Bible."

"Oh. I did, but I left it back at my apartment." He gazed at the boy. "Why?"

Alec shrugged. "I wanted to look at it."

"Well, it isn't usually hard to find one," Frank said. "If nothing else, I'm sure the Sheriff could get us one. I think he attends Pastor Jim's church."

At the mention of the pastor, Alec's expression darkened.

"You heard what Sheriff Hawkins said," Frank told him. "The pastor is a good man at heart. I'm inclined to believe that the Sheriff is a good judge of character. After all," he smiled. "He likes us." He stroked Alec's cheek with his thumb. "Sometimes, the good in people isn't always immediately evident. It has to work itself to the surface. But it's still there, and it's worth waiting for." He gazed at the young man, his words hitting home in Frank's heart. Didn't he believe the same concerning Alec? Beneath the darkness permeating the boy's soul...there was some good. Alec had shown care for not only Frank but Alex as well. And he believed Zeke also.

And Marlene and Benny Scott. Why would he even consider their family situation—whether or not they were being abused—if he felt no care for them at all?