Fearless

by Fern Michaels

  Perplexed as to why he hadn’t called her immediately, she was unsure why he needed to tell her this in person now. “What happened? Was there an electrical problem? A gas explosion?” She didn’t know much about house fires, but she was sure he was about to give her the low-down.

  “They’re not sure yet. What’s left of the place is full of arson investigators. It’s a damned nightmare, and as I said, I’m at a loss, not sure what to do.”

  For an educated man, a professor, Anna thought, he sounded awfully naïve, almost childlike. “Have you contacted your insurance company? I’m sure they’ll instruct you on what steps to take.”

  “That’s just it. I let my homeowner’s insurance lapse, so there’s nothing.”

  Who lets their frigging insurance lapse?

  “You’re uninsured?” She was stunned to hear that any reasonable adult in this day and age would allow something as important as homeowner’s insurance to expire. It was practically unheard of. At least in her world.

  “Are you sure? Maybe there’s been a clerical error, a mistake?”

  Ryan took a sip of coffee. “I wish that were the case, but no, I didn’t make the payments the past three months. I’m screwed any way you look at it. As I said, I don’t know what to do. That’s why I called. You’re so . . . savvy, I thought maybe you’d help”—he coughed—“have an idea, something I can do, I don’t know. Maybe you’ve got a connection. A GoFundMe page maybe.”

  For three months he’d wined and dined her. The expensive restaurants, the hotels. What in the name of Pete was he thinking? Not paying his insurance premiums was beyond irresponsible. She took a sip of the coffee he’d bought her. It was lukewarm, but she needed to do something in order to stall him for a few minutes. She needed to think, wished she could run this by Mandy, but her best friend would croak if she knew she was here with Ryan, and worse, if her suspicions were correct, that he was about to hit her up for a loan.

  While Anna had plenty of money to lend him, she was hesitant to even say the words to him, as she knew this was where the conversation was heading. If he’d wanted to set up a GoFundMe page, surely his colleagues at Texas Tech would assist him, take charge. They’d treated him with the cruise on his birthday, which was quite a grand gift as far as she was concerned. If he’d lost everything he owned in a fire, surely they would step up to the plate for a tragedy of this magnitude? She didn’t know. He’d never introduced her to his colleagues, or friends, neighbors, nothing. For that matter, she’d never been invited to his home. The one time she’d said she was in his neighborhood, he’d asked her to wait, telling her Patrick and Renée would feel awkward seeing another woman in their mother’s home. It didn’t make sense then, and it didn’t now.

  “Look, I should go. I don’t know what I . . . I’m going to do,” Ryan said, sounding defeated. “I never should’ve called you. I’ll figure this out on my own,” he said, pushing his chair away from the table.

  “No! Wait,” she said. Maybe there was something she could do to help him. “Stay.” They were almost the exact words she’d said to him at dinner the night they met on the cruise ship, she recalled quite clearly now. “I need to think. I’m sure we can figure something out.” There, she’d once again put herself in a position she’d regret, but too late. It just wasn’t in her nature to not help her friends. Ryan had been much more than a friend, and though she’d wanted to tell him their relationship was over, now wasn’t the time. Obvious now, Renée had been telling the truth the first night she’d met them at The Shallows. Her dad didn’t have the finances for a private school, and apparently it was even a struggle to pay Patrick’s reduced tuition.

  “Thanks, Anna. You’re too good to me.” He pushed his chair back. “You’re not drinking your coffee.”

  She took a few sips of the lukewarm, bitter brew. “Sorry,” she said, and finished what was left in her cup. “I’ll take care of the hotel until you find something permanent.” The words flew out of her mouth fast, too fast to take them back. She could do this. At least until he figured out his future. Anna was fair to a fault. “Where are you staying?” she asked. “I’ll make sure they send the bill to me.”

  Lowering his eyes, he said, “The Crown Hotel.”

  Anna knew of it. Everyone in Lubbock knew The Crown Hotel, home to some of the biggest cocaine busts in Lubbock County. “You can’t stay there, Ryan. The kids.”

  “It’s all that was available at the last minute,” he said, defending his choice.

  “I’ll see what I can find,” she added. No one with kids should even consider staying at that dive. Drug runners and prostitutes called the place home. The place was in the news at least once a month. “You’re sure about the insurance?” she asked again.

  “Anna, if I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be here begging for your help,” he said, his expression clouding with anger. “Never mind,” he said, standing, pushing his chair aside, almost toppling it over. He threw a five-dollar bill on the table. “Have another cup of coffee on me.” Before she could react, he bolted out of the coffee shop, as several customers glanced at her.

  She hurried out, hoping to catch up with him. His tires squealing, she watched as he peeled out of the parking lot. “Jerk,” she said. She shouldn’t have agreed to meet him. She stood in front of the coffee shop, amazed and shaken. Ryan Robertson was trouble with a capital T.

  She returned to her car and headed back to the house. Feeling bad, knowing Patrick and Renée would be spending who knew how long in that dumpy hotel, she accepted Ryan’s choice. Apparently, offering to pay for their hotel wasn’t enough. She shouldn’t have asked him about the insurance that second time, but she had. Too bad he couldn’t control his temper for the sake of his kids. He—they—were not her problem. If he tried calling her again, she wouldn’t take the call. Better yet, she’d block his number; then she wouldn’t be bothered at all. Enough was enough. It was time to move forward. The holidays were coming up, and she would have her hands full; this was her busiest filming season. They stuck with the weekly one-hour segment, but Anna liked to film fifteen-minute surprise specials during the holidays, and her viewers liked it as well. No, she was way too busy to deal with Ryan’s screwed-up life. While she was slightly sad for Patrick and Renée, she was not their mother.

  As soon as she pulled into the garage, Mandy came bursting out the door. “Where have you been? Have you heard the news?”

  Anna rolled her eyes. She loved that Mandy cared so much, though sometimes it was suffocating. Now was one of those times. “News? No, and I was meeting . . . a friend.” She didn’t need to know about her meeting with Ryan. As far as Anna was concerned, that was the last time she’d ever see him. Fire or not. His irresponsibility wasn’t her problem. She locked the car and went inside.

  Mandy trailed her. “Your old boyfriend’s house went up in flames last night. It was just on the evening news. They suspect arson.”

  Anna went to the kitchen and took a Coke out of the refrigerator. “Arson? Are you sure?” She’d just left Ryan thirty minutes ago. He said the investigators were still at the house.

  “You don’t seem that surprised,” Mandy said. “You know something you’re not telling me?”

  She might as well spill the beans. “I just left Ryan, we met at The Daily Grind. He told me about the fire, said the investigators were there when he left, something to that effect. Apparently, they’ve finished.”

  “You actually met the guy, alone? After what his daughter. . . Never mind. I can’t believe you’d do something so stupid. He’s a con man, Anna. Surely, you’ve figured that out by now?” Mandy said. “For all we know, he could’ve burned his house down, hoping to collect the insurance money. He strikes me as the type that would do that, and again, I know, I don’t know him, but I don’t have to.”

  As usual, Mandy’s assumptions were pretty accurate. “Except he doesn’t have any homeowner’s insurance.”

  “What?” Mandy asked, raising her voice. “How do you know?”
<
br />   “That’s why he wanted to meet. He said he hadn’t kept up with the premiums, and there was nothing left.” When she thought about it, he hadn’t seemed all that upset. He’d been more concerned about money, which, sadly for him and his kids, was a bit too late.

  “He asked you for money?”

  Anna took a drink of Coke. “Not in so many words. Said he needed my help, a GoFundMe page. Did I know how he could get some kind of public assistance?”

  “And?”

  “He’s staying at The Crown, that drug haven that’s on the news all the time. I offered to arrange for another place to stay, foot the bill. When I asked him if he was sure about the insurance, it pissed him off, and he walked out. End of story. I’m done with him, and you’re right, he’s probably a con man, and I was just too dumb and desperate to see it. So we’re done. I’m not going to take his calls.” Anna took her cell phone from her pocket, scrolled through, and blocked his number. “There, he’s blocked.”

  “I’m not so sure this is the end, Anna. I just left Christina after hearing about the fire on the news. We had a nice talk, and she finally opened up to me. She told me exactly what happened on Labor Day weekend.”

  “She did?”

  Mandy nodded. “It’s just as I suspected. Renée shoved her down the stairs.”

  Chapter 18

  “You’re sure?” Anna asked, stunned by what she had just heard. “I need to talk to her now.” Hurrying to the den, where Christina lay in the hospital bed watching TV, Anna took the remote from the side table and turned off the set.

  “Mom! I’m watching that!” Christina whined.

  “You can finish it later. We need to talk, now.” Anna sat on the edge of the bed, scooting Mr. Waffles to the side. The contraptions to stabilize her leg had been removed since Ed had freed her to start using her wheelchair. “Tell me exactly what you told Mandy and how it happened. I’m serious. This isn’t the time to worry about what anyone thinks, other than me. Now, start talking.” She hated that she had to be so forceful, but this was serious. More serious than her thirteen-year-old daughter knew.

  “Mom, come on, I’m gonna be walking soon. All I want to do is forget that this ever happened. Aren’t we supposed to forgive people? Isn’t that what you’ve taught me all my life?”

  “Christina Michelle Campbell! Listen to me, and I am not joking. A crime was committed against you. Mandy said you told her that Renée pushed you. I suspected as much, but I don’t expect you to lie for her, or try to cover this up, pretend it never happened. Forgiving and allowing someone to harm you are two completely different issues. Now, tell me. I’m not leaving your side until you tell me the truth. No fairy tales, Christina.”

  Her daughter sighed like a woman ten times her age. “I’m not stupid, Mom.”

  “No one said you were. Stop stalling, and tell me what happened,” Anna said, her tone stern.

  “We were in my room, and I was showing her some of my stuff, my Harry Potter collection, the necklace that belonged to Grandma.” Anna felt her blood pressure soar. She’d given the necklace to Christina for Christmas last year, along with the responsibility of its care. It was the only expensive piece of jewelry her mother had ever had.

  “I’m listening,” Anna persisted.

  “She liked the necklace. Duh, who wouldn’t? Anyway, she asked if she could borrow it, for the first day of school. Said she’d give it back, but I told her no.”

  She saw how upset Christina was getting just remembering that day. This was just the beginning; who knew what kind of damage she’d suffer down the road?

  “Renée called me a couple of names, said I was nothing but a spoiled, rich bitch—sorry, but that’s what she said. I took the necklace to put it away. I was taking it to your room, thinking if I did, she’d just forget about it. I stepped out of my room, and she followed me. I didn’t say anything. I just thought she was kinda weird and all. Then it happened so fast, but I remember, I felt her hand on my back as I walked past the top of the stairs, and she shoved me.”

  Anna was sure her skull was going to explode. Anger, unlike anything she’d ever felt, possessed her. She sat on the edge of the bed, a million thoughts running through her mind.

  “Are you okay?” Christina asked.

  “No,” Anna said. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever be okay again. She’d brought this man and his children into their lives. Could she do what the law required? To stop Renée from harming, possibly killing, some other innocent person? Possibly get her the help she needed?

  “The necklace,” Christina said. “Did you find it?”

  Until that moment, Anna hadn’t known it was missing. Maybe this explained why Renée had lingered upstairs. “Mandy, did anyone locate a necklace after we left in the ambulance? You know, the ruby-and-diamond necklace my mom had.” Anna had told Mandy the story behind the necklace; it had belonged to her mother’s great-great-grandmother, and was the only piece of jewelry she’d ever cared about. Keeping it in the family was a tradition. Her mother always told her that if something were to happen to her, to take the necklace and pass it on to her daughter. It was like she’d known about Christina before Anna had even graduated from high school. To this day, she believed her mother had had a premonition about her death.

  “No one mentioned a necklace to me,” Mandy said. “I can ask Mona.”

  “Let’s forget the necklace for now; it’s not important,” Anna lied, knowing that if it were found in Renée’s possession, Christina’s story would hold more weight. Given the time that had passed, coming forward now could be seen as some kind of revenge against her. Law enforcement would question why they’d waited so long to report an attempted murder.

  “I don’t want either of you to discuss this until I speak with my attorney.”

  “Mom! What do you mean? I don’t want to get Renée in any more trouble. She’s a weirdo and all, but let’s forget this. Please? This will be all over the school, and I’ll never live it down. It’s bad enough that everyone talks about that stupid YouTube channel of yours!”

  “Both of you, calm down,” Mandy hissed. “Mona will hear you for sure.”

  Anna took a deep breath, her heart thundering against her chest, panic clouding her ability to reason. In and out, just like she’d learned in therapy. In and out. Dizzy, she grasped on to the bed.

  “Mom! What’s wrong,” Christina cried out.

  “Calm down, she’s okay. Anna, you’re having a panic attack. Relax, take deep breaths, in and out. Just like you’re doing,” Mandy coaxed in a calming voice.

  Anna nodded. “I’m fine, just give me a minute.” It took a few minutes for her to regain her composure. She’d never experienced a panic attack around her daughter, and as far as she knew, Christina didn’t even know she had them. She’d done her best to keep that part of her life a secret. Luckily, this hadn’t been a full-blown panic attack.

  “I’m fine,” she said again. “Mandy, could you get my purse? It’s in the kitchen.”

  She was going to take a Xanax, and she wasn’t going to sneak. She had issues that she knew she had to deal with, and now, this. It was all her fault; she’d been so . . . loose on the cruise that night. Now this was the end result. She hadn’t been herself since. Anna planned to make an appointment with her therapist. But only after she phoned her attorney.

  Mandy returned with her Louis Vuitton bag. She took out the amber bottle of pills, and in front of Mandy and Christina, she broke one of the tiny yellow pills in half, placed it under her tongue, waited for it to dissolve, a technique her therapist suggested when she was in full-blown panic mode as this allowed the anti-anxiety medication to enter her bloodstream faster.

  “Mom, I’m sorry what I said about your YouTube channel. All my friends think you’re the coolest mom ever; I guess I get a little jealous sometimes.”

  “Oh, baby, it’s okay. I know it’s hard for you sometimes, but it’s what pays our bills and keeps the house running. I started this after your dad died. It w
as my way of dealing with grief, opening up to others. When my grieving was tolerable, I branched out, cooking, decorating, and the channel took off. I can’t apologize for keeping a roof over our heads, but I do understand where you’re coming from.” Tears were running down her face. She wiped them away with the edge of the sheet. “I started having these attacks after I lost your father. I felt like I was a bad-luck charm—everyone I’d loved died. I’ve spent years trying to come to terms with this, and I know that I’m not to blame, but that’s the reason for these crazy panic attacks I have.”

  “You don’t have to carry the guilt around, Anna. It is what it is. We’re not always in control of what we do, nor can we always control what happens to the people we love. I’ve known about your panic attacks, you know that. And the medication. I have snooped in your purse a few times. Looking for a lipstick, keys, whatever. I saw the pills. Actually, while I’m in this confessing mode, I’ve plucked a couple of them myself.”

  Anna burst out laughing. “You sneaky bitch! Sorry, Christina,” she said, placing her hand on her daughter’s hand and the other on Mr. Waffles. “I’m just kidding, just so you know.”

  “I know—me and Tiffany say bad words to each other. But not all the time,” she added.

  “As long as it doesn’t become a habit. I’m no saint in that department myself, but it’s a trait I’ve never really cared for. Let’s not worry about using bad language. It’s the least of my concerns right now. Christina, we have to report what happened to you. This is serious. Renée needs help. And we have to protect others from what she could do if she is allowed to keep doing what she has done.”

  “Does she ever,” Mandy interjected. “She’s a little . . . rat.”

  “She is,” Anna agreed. She could have said much worse, but she’d already lost her cool in front of her daughter. She wouldn’t say what she really thought, not in front of her. Later, she and Mandy would talk. For now, she needed to get Christina to understand the importance of reporting her accident to the proper authorities.