But—no. Robin closed the link and put the phone down on the night table. She’d committed research fraud, an ethical violation sure to dog her for the rest of her professional life, assuming she had one. She’d already been forced to resign from one nursing position, and now she’d lost this one. Reporting Gloria wouldn’t change that. She wondered whether Johns Hopkins would even allow Will to hire her.
A tear ran down her cheek. She’d been so stupid about everything, her work, Ben, all the effort spent rebuilding her life after the divorce, and now she had nothing. Not even hope.
The doorbell rang. It seemed too soon for Ben to have already seen Gloria. Grabbing more tissues to dry her eyes, Robin walked to the door. She took a deep breath, opened it, and gaped at Sean standing before her.
“What are you doing here?”
“I got worried about you. I took the train down.”
“You still have exams!” Robin shook her head. “You have to go back.”
Taking her by the arm, Sean guided her out of the doorway. “Not until you tell me what’s really going on.” He stepped past her into the house and faced her.
“Sean, nothing is going on.” A moment ago, Robin would have sworn she’d hit rock bottom. Now the possibility of her son blowing his first semester of college on her account posed new depths of self-recrimination.
He drew closer and peered at her puffy red eyes and the wet tissues in her hand. “Then why are you crying?”
“I’m not...”
“And what are you doing home from work? I walked over to Mountainview from the train station, and they told me you left. I got a cab straight here. Mom, tell me what’s wrong.”
Robin knew—her son had become a man, right when she needed him.
Robin flung her arms around Sean and sobbed against his shoulder. She’d worried about how she would take care of him, and he’d arrived to take care of her. Whether that counted as a success or another failure didn’t matter. Robin only knew how grateful she felt.
Sean steered her toward the living room couch. “Sit. I’ll get you some water.”
Robin sat. When Sean returned, she took the glass from him and drank deeply. The cold water helped, or maybe it was that her son had brought it to her. He sat beside her on the couch, and Robin covered his hand with hers.
“Thanks, sweetheart.”
“So, tell me,” he said.
And she did. The whole bizarre story—meeting Gloria at the party, sitting next to her on the flight to DC the next day, the heartbreaking account of her terminally ill child and how Robin had become more and more entangled in Gloria’s web, the incidents with Ben’s kids, the ugly truth she’d learned about his connection to Gloria and Alex. Robin unloaded it all, right up through the day’s disastrous events.
Sean listened with an occasional question and a grunt of recognition at the news that Gloria had sent him the anonymous letter. As each detail emerged, his expression darkened. Caught up in her account, Robin failed to see the explosion coming.
“That shit!” Sean pounded the sofa.
She wondered which one. Gloria? Ben? Dr. Richman?
“It’s bad enough that you had to deal with his spoiled, bratty kids.”
Ben, then.
“But to bring a crazy ex-girlfriend and a bastard son into your life...” Sean broke off, his wrathful expression something Robin had never seen before.
“Sean...” She feared she’d laid too heavy a load on his young shoulders.
The doorbell rang.
FIFTY-ONE
AMBER
I WAKE UP WITH a headache, in a bathtub, with my clothes on.
I hear Gloria’s voice from down the hall. “Get dressed now... leaving in a few minutes.”
But I’m already dressed. Then I hear shouting. “Not going!” Alex.
It comes back to me. Gloria put a pill in my soda and put me in the bathtub. I know my father was here too. He must have left. I don’t understand why he didn’t take me with him. Maybe I only imagined he came here. I don’t know what’s going on, but I do know it’s bad. I have to get help, or she’ll take Alex away.
I grab the rim of the tub and pull myself into a sitting position. I’m a little dizzy but better than before. I can do this.
I hear Alex again. “Don’t want to leave Amber... my friend.”
“Not your friend,” Gloria says.
That makes me mad. I am too. I stand up, though my knees are wobbly. Alex needs me. I lift one leg over the edge of the tub. The room spins a bit, but I hold tight to the rim and haul my other leg over.
I’m coming.
As quietly as I can, I open the bathroom door. I poke my head out and look around. Gloria is standing across the hall at Alex’s bedroom door, her back to me. She’s facing Alex. I know he can see me, so I raise a finger to my lips to shush him. Don’t tell her I’m here.
Too late. Alex can’t keep the surprise off his face. It’s more than surprise. He lights up when he catches sight of me, his friend. I don’t blame him. I would have done the same.
Gloria turns and spots me.
I take off in the other direction, toward the front door. I try to run, but like a bad dream, my feet won’t move. My ankle twists, and I fall.
“Well, look who’s awake.” Gloria pulls me up from the floor.
“Oww!” My ankle hurts when I stand.
“Come with me, young lady.” Gloria drags me to Alex’s bedroom.
I start to cry. I’m not a baby, but I can’t help it. I’m scared for me and for Alex. I can tell he’s scared, too, when Gloria brings me into his room.
“Mom, please!” he says. “Don’t hurt my friend.”
Gloria pushes me onto the bed then sits on me to keep me down. “I told you, Alex, Amber is not your friend.”
I am, too, and he’s my friend. I squirm to get her off me, but she’s bigger and stronger.
Gloria grins at me, then at Alex. “Meet your sister.”
Sister?
Alex’s eyes open wide and stare back at me.
Gloria looks from me to him and claps her hands, in excitement. “I have a wonderful idea. Let’s bring her with us.”
I glare at her. “You’re not my mother.”
She pats my head. “From now on, I am. And I say it’s time you take your medicine, Amber.”
I scream, but she covers my mouth. Alex calls out my name.
FIFTY-TWO
ROBIN
THE DOORBELL. BEN. ROBIN sprang from the couch ahead of Sean, fearing she might need to separate the two men. As she opened the door, Sean slowly approached behind her.
“Hello, Sean.” Ben raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Sean nodded, offering no other acknowledgement. He’d never been a big fan of Ben, knowing his children to be a source of exasperation for Robin.
“Did you confront her?” Robin asked.
“I just left her house,” Ben said. “It’s all settled. I worked everything out.”
“You did?” Robin frowned. Nothing involving Gloria ever unfolded smoothly.
Behind her, Sean folded his arms.
“It’s fine, Bird,” Ben assured her. “No need to call child protection. I laid everything we know out for her, the negative biopsy, her history with the pediatric oncology unit, the whole thing.” He straightened to his full height. “I told her I’d report her to child protection unless she lets Alex stay with me while she gets therapy.”
Robin shook her head. She didn’t trust Gloria to be on board with this plan.
Ben continued, oblivious. “She promised to admit herself to a psych hospital. Alex will live with me while she gets treatment.”
“Ben...”
He eyed her warily. “What?”
“It’s just...” Robin hesitated, sensing Sean’s tension building behind her. The last thing she wanted was a confrontation.
Ben stared at her like a child whose birthday present had been confiscated. “Why can’t you trust me for once?”
; Sean drew a sharp breath.
“She’s packing Alex’s things now. I’ll pick him up in a couple of hours.” Ben’s eyes implored Robin. “Didn’t I tell you I’d work it out? It’s better all around to keep the bureaucrats out of the picture, right?” He squeezed her shoulder. “We can always bring in child protection down the road if we need them.”
Robin pulled away. “Are you crazy, Ben? How can you possibly trust that woman after all she’s done?”
Ben bristled. “Now wait a minute.”
Sean stood at his mother’s side. “Back off, Ben.”
Robin held up a hand to silence her son. With effort, she softened her tone to keep the growing alarm from her voice. “Ben, don’t you see? Gloria is probably running off with Alex right this minute.”
Ben rolled his eyes.
Too late for reason. And too much at stake. Robin sighed. “I’m calling child protection—now.” She headed to the bedroom for her phone.
Ben grabbed her arm. “Hey, give me credit for a little common sense.”
Sean snarled. “Get your hands off my mother.”
Ben kept his hold. “Sean, this doesn’t concern you.”
Robin tugged her arm to escape Ben’s grasp, and he tightened his grip. “Listen to me.”
Sean lunged forward.
“Sean, don’t,” Robin warned.
“Get the hell away from her, Ben.” Sean closed in on them.
“No!” Robin watched in horror as he punched Ben square in the jaw. “Sean, no.”
She pushed past her son, hurrying to Ben. He lay sprawled on the floor, an angry red mark on his jaw. Robin knelt, probing his face with gentle fingers. “Are you all right?”
“Oww.” Ben sat up, wincing. He glared at Sean. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Ben. Sean. Please...” Robin looked from one to the other. Things were bad enough without a slugfest.
Sean took a step toward Ben. “I want you out of our house. You’ve ruined my mother’s life.”
Ben started to his feet. “You don’t give me orders.”
Robin leapt up and grabbed her son by the shoulders. “Sean, stop! We don’t have time for this.” She shook him until he took his eyes off Ben, meeting her urgent gaze. “Alex needs our help.”
For a moment, Sean stared at her, his face tight with anger. Then he drew a breath and stepped back.
Robin exhaled the breath she’d been holding. She told Ben, now on his feet, “I’m calling child protection, and I think we should go to Gloria’s right away. It might not be too late to catch her.”
“I told you.” Ben rubbed his jaw and grimaced. “I’m going for Alex in a little while. Gloria said—” His phone rang. “See? That’s probably her calling to say he’s ready.” He took the phone from his pocket and frowned. “Vanessa? What’s...?” His eyes grew wide as he listened. Ben clutched the phone. “Call 911. I’m on my way.”
“What happened?” Robin demanded.
“Amber’s missing.”
Robin gasped. Oh no.
Ben pocketed his phone. “Jaden told Vanessa that Amber took a bike ride, but she’s been gone over an hour. Jaden knows where she is, but Vanessa can’t get him to tell her. I’m going over there.”
“I’m coming too.” Robin anticipated the crisis would set Ben and Vanessa at each other’s throats. They might need a referee or someone to keep Jaden out of the crossfire.
“So am I,” Sean announced.
Robin sighed. Even more refereeing in the offing.
Ben glanced warily at Sean. “Let’s get going.”
FIFTY-THREE
AMBER
I WAS BETTER OFF asleep. Now that I’m awake, I’m really sick to my stomach. And I’m moving. I open my eyes just enough to see I’m lying on the back seat of a car. Outside, it’s almost sunset. I must have slept a long time. I close my eyes again and swallow hard so I won’t throw up.
I wonder where we’re going. I open my eyes, wider this time, for another look. I see two heads in front, Alex with his head resting against the window and Gloria, driving.
I remember she forced me to swallow a pill, and I must have fallen asleep again. Time for your medicine, she said. And she’s my mother now. But she’s not. Getting mad helps. I stop being so dizzy, and I remember more. Gloria told Alex I’m his sister. She lied about that, too, like when she said Alex’s father would come over then I heard my dad’s voice from the bathroom.
But he’s gone. My dad. Or Alex’s dad. I’m confused.
The pit of my stomach feels icy. Gloria said she would take us away, and now I’m in her car. I’m so scared that I make a little sound, like Nina when she wants me to take her out and I don’t. Nina! Please, God, let me see her again, and I promise to walk her whenever she wants.
Gloria nudges Alex. “I think your sister’s awake. Check and see how she’s doing.”
I wish she would stop calling me that.
Alex twists his head as far as he can with his seat belt fastened. His face is sad. “You okay?”
“Help me,” I whisper.
“What’s that, Amber?” Gloria’s eyes are on me in the rearview mirror. “Speak up.”
“I feel sick.” This time I talk louder. “If you don’t stop the car, I’ll throw up.”
“Don’t worry, Amber. We’re on our way to the doctor. He’ll take care of you.”
Alex keeps staring over his shoulder at me. A tear trickles down his face. Now I understand what having Gloria for a mother has been like for him. He’s her prisoner.
She won’t get away with it. I won’t let her. I take a deep breath and lower my feet to the floor so I can sit up. Everything spins. A sharp pain in my ankle makes me cry out. I remember falling and twisting it while running away from Gloria.
“What’s the matter, dear?” Gloria clucks her tongue. “Are you in pain? It must be time for your next pill.” She gives me her evil smile in the mirror. “There’s a rest area in a couple of miles. We’ll pull in, and I’ll give you your medicine.”
I want to scream, cry. Instead I bite down hard on the inside of my cheek. I taste blood. I won’t take another pill no matter what.
Out the window, I see a sign for the rest area where Gloria said we would stop. It’s in two miles. The sign says it’s the Walt Whitman Service Area. We must be on the New Jersey Turnpike because I know they name the rest stops after famous people, but I don’t recognize this one. My dad takes the turnpike when he drives us into the city, but that only has the one rest stop named after a football guy. When we go to the shore, we take the parkway. So, I guess we’re going south and we’re someplace past where the Garden State and the turnpike meet. I think that’s Exit 11.
I wonder if Gloria’s taking us out of New Jersey. I’ll try to watch the signs, if I can stay awake. She said she would make me take another pill when we stop. Maybe she’s doing that so I won’t know where we’re going. It’s a scary thought, and my stomach makes a noise. At least there’ll be a bathroom at the rest area. I hope she’ll let me go.
I spot another sign saying One Mile.
I need to do something. If she gives me another pill, I won’t be able to stay awake. In the front seat, Alex leans against the passenger window. Gloria probably gave him a pill too. It’s hopeless. We’ll never escape. My eyes tear up.
Rest Area Next Right, the sign says. Gloria puts on her turn signal. I swallow to keep down whatever’s in my stomach. She pulls in and parks near the building. I look out the window but don’t see a lot of people around. Maybe someone will help us if I can get their attention.
“All right, then.” Gloria picks up her handbag, opens it, and feels around inside. She takes out the pill container.
Oh no.
“Time for your medicine, children.”
In the front seat, Alex stirs and lifts his head. Gloria forces his mouth open and pops in a pill. She uncaps a bottle of water and puts it against his lips.
“Swallow,” she orders him.
He doe
s.
“No,” I moan. She’s lost her mind. She’s giving him too many pills. Robin said they could kill him.
Gloria says to me, “Now it’s your turn.”
I shake my head. “I’m too nauseous. I’ll throw up if I try to swallow anything.” It’s true.
She huffs then gets out of the car. She comes over and opens my door. She’s still holding the bottle of medicine. “Go ahead, then.” She points at the ground next to the car. “Throw up.”
I probably could. I feel that sick. But then she’ll make me take the pill and drive again. I have to get out of the car.
“Please, I need to go to the bathroom. I have to do number two real bad.”
Alex turns his head toward me. He can hardly keep his eyes open.
“Please, can we hurry? I’m afraid I’ll go in my pants.” I really lay it on, betting Gloria won’t like the idea of me stinking up her car.
She purses her lips, like she can smell my poop already. “All right. You’d better behave yourself.”
“I will.” I look at Alex. His face is pale.
Gloria gives me her stern witch expression. “If you don’t, not only will you get a pill, but I’ll give Alex another one.”
“I promise.” She’s crazy. I need to get help, but I can’t let her kill him. I make a face and grab my stomach.
“Let’s get this over with.” Gloria leans in and asks Alex, “Do you need to use the bathroom too?”
He doesn’t answer. I hold my breath. If he comes, too, maybe we can do something. One of us might manage to get away. But Alex shakes his head and leans back against the window.
He can’t. I know it’s not his fault, but that means it’s up to me.
“Come on, Amber.” Gloria holds out her arm. “If you so much as let go of my hand, I will give you two pills, young lady.” She points her chin at Alex. “And him too.”
I have to do something, but I don’t know what.
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