No Fault of Mine

Chapter Seven

Martin was capable and tireless as an employee. At least, that's what I had thought.

I was in college when Dad moved to Idaho to run a contracting business owned by a long-time friend, Garner Sanders. Dad didn't know at the time that his friend was dying from cancer. When the estate was settled, Dad was able to buy the company from the Garner family on a ten-year contract for a portion of the gross each year. The deal had been struck by the time I joined the company after I graduated from college. I was to run the office. Thad was already the lead on bids and contracts.

Dad hired Martin to run some of the construction projects. I didn't know until later that Martin had interviewed for the position while still living in Riverview. He moved to Compton Hills after he got the job.

I was immediately drawn to the adult version of Martin. His facial features were stunning—a strong jaw, an oval face, large eyes, and blue irises with prominent brown limbal rings. After flirting for a time, he asked me on a date. I was excited to experience him by that time, and our first date included a day trip to a resort in Canada. We explored a popular hiking trail that switchbacked its way to alpine lakes fed by snowfields between two mountains. We then had dinner in the lodge. It was late by the time we had finished, and both of us had had too much to drink to drive. I don't know if we planned it that way, but I awoke the next morning with him sleeping at my side. I was both disappointed and pleased to see that he had been a gentleman.

Martin was the first of three siblings. He and his younger brother, Saul, were close through school, as I remember, and as adults, were hunting buddies. Saul's house was also the gathering place for his family's celebrations and holidays.

I've given this bit of history because I decided that my next step was to see Saul before returning to my sister's apartment.

I hadn't seen or heard from Saul or his wife, Melania, since the funeral. From what I remember, he and his wife were stoic through the service and didn't stay for the burial.

It was well into the afternoon by the time Terri and I finished our conversation, and I turned in the direction of Saul's house. He lived on the side of a hill that provided a panoramic view of the Columbia River. Martin and I had spent many hours over the years sitting on the porch with Saul and Melanie, watching ships navigate upriver to the ports at Vancouver or Portland or back down the river to the sea.

I was pleased to see Saul's pickup parked in the driveway as I drove up. He was out mowing his lawn. When he saw me, he waved and shut the mower down. As he neared my car, he paused to look at the damage.

"What happened?" he asked as he gave me a brotherly hug. He was a big man and had at least six inches and 100 pounds on his younger brother.

"I think someone was trying to push me off the road," I said.

"What...why?" he asked with an incredulous look on his face.

"It happened within a half-hour after I left Compton Hills Wednesday night." He hadn't asked where and when, so I thought I would preempt those questions.

"I don't understand," he said.

"It's a bit of a story," I said. "Perhaps I could use your bathroom and get a glass of something to drink."

A wave of recognition passed over his face, perhaps that he'd neglected to offer hospitality. He and Melanie had a reputation as good hosts, and this was a surprising departure from his usual behavior. I chalked it up to how strange it must have been to see his sister-in-law driving a wrecked vehicle.