Miss Serena looked up from her laptop and motioned me inside. “I hoped you’d gone up to rest some, Meg.”
“I could say the same about you.” I sat in front of her desk and stretched my legs out before me. As I did, Apollo laid down next to my chair. “Will you tell me why you were so angry when you learned who raped my mother?”
She sat back and closed her eyes. When she finally opened them and looked at me, I wished I hadn’t asked. Pain filled her expression. She lifted a hand and rubbed her face. Then she nodded as she stood.
“Let’s go for a walk. I need to be outside for this.”
A few minutes later, the dogs ran ahead of us as we stepped off the back porch. I linked arms with Miss Serena as we paced across the lawn. Overhead, the first birds of the morning sang and the faintest scent of rain somewhere in the distance filled the air. I doubted Miss Serena saw or heard any of it. From her expression, I guessed she was seeing something that happened a long time ago.
“Wesley Reed was a year ahead of your mother in school. They dated several times, but she quickly realized he wasn’t really interested in her. He was best friends with one of her brothers. She broke it off.” We paused at the three-bar fence and watched the cows heading out to pasture.
“I never trusted him. I tried not to interfere when your mother went out with him. I knew nothing good would come from it. All I could do was be there when your mother realized it as well.”
“I’m sure you did all you could. Mom was stubborn.”
And then some.
“After she broke it off, he didn’t take it well. He called and when she quit accepting her calls, he started showing up here or at her afterschool job. Today, we’d call it stalking. Back then, all I could do was warn him off. Fortunately, he and his family were as prejudiced against Others as were your mother’s family. They won’t take direct action against me because I scare them. He left your mother alone and I thought that was the last of it.”
I smiled at the thought of anyone being scared of Miss Serena. She was one of the kindest women I’d ever met. Then I remembered her anger when we learned the identity of Mom’s rapist. In that moment, she’d been ready to kill, not that I blamed her.
“What happened to him?”
“He and his family are still here. He owns an accounting office. His parents retired about ten years ago. I don’t see any of them often because, like the Luíseachs, they want to have nothing to do with the Others.”
“Family?”
“He’s been married and divorced three times that I know of. No children, at least none he claims.” She stared across the field for a long while before saying anything else. “And he is still friends with your uncle.”
I shook my head. “He’s not my uncle. None of them are my family, especially not Wesley Reed.” I waited until she looked at me. “Miss Serena, we’ve talked a little about this already. I know, and I think you do too, that Mom wanted me to come here to meet her real family – you. She knew I needed this, needed all of you. Hell, for all I know, she even had a bit of matchmaking in mind when she did it.”
Miss Serena smiled at that and nodded.
“Mom took your name as her middle name when she legally changed her last name. You are letting me rebury her here, in your family cemetery. You’ve been there for me every step of the way since my arrival here.”
“You are family, Meg.”
“As are you.” I blew out a breath. I needed to say this. “I want you to know something. I left a message for Annie this morning after my shower. If anything happens to me, I’ve made you trustee for Faith Nelson’s estate. The money is to be put to use to help Mossy Creek, especially when it comes to education. I’ve also named you executor. There are bequests for the others, but I want to make sure there is no way my mother’s birth family can get their hands on the money if that’s what this has all been about.”
“Meg,” she protested.
“Please, I want to make sure the money is protected.”
“All right. Have Annie send a copy of the paperwork over once it’s drawn up.”
“I will.” One down and how many more to go? “There is something else.”
“You’re as full of surprises as your mother,” she chuckled. “What’s on your mind?”
“I don’t think it’s a secret that I’ve decided to stay in town.”
“Not since you agreed to join Annie as partner.”
“I’m going to have to return to Wichita to close out my apartment, go through the rest of my things and Mom’s, and ship what I want to keep down here. I was wondering if you’d go with me when I head up there.”
“Of course, I will.” She slipped her arm around my waist and gave me a hug. “I do owe you an apology, however, child.”
I looked at her, my brow furrowed in question.
“I never put two and two together about your great-great-grandmother’s estate. I knew she hadn’t left it to her children or grandchildren. Everyone in town did. But I don’t think I ever heard what the actual terms of the will was. I certainly never realized she’d left everything to your mother. I assure you, Annie’s grandfather didn’t either. Otherwise, he would have made sure the estate was transferred to her as soon as she was old enough. But back then records weren’t computerized.”
“Miss Serena, it’s all right.” Now it was my turn to hug her. “Faith tried to protect Mom and her inheritance and, in a way, she did. Now it’s up to me to protect it for the two of them.”
She nodded and then laughed as Athena nuzzled her hand. “Pretty girl, I’m not your mistress.”
“I think she has other ideas about that,” I said as Apollo ran to me. “I don’t need two dogs and Athena’s obviously bonded with you. Consider her one way of me saying thank you for all you’ve done for me.”
“Meg.”
“Please. It would mean a great deal to me to know she’s with you.”
She started to protest and then she nodded. “Let’s go have breakfast. Then you can check with Annie to see when she’ll be coming out.”
Chapter 28
“Have you lost your fucking mind?”
Lucas stared at me from across Annie’s office. He jammed his hands into his pockets but not before I saw him fist them in anger. Annie stood and I waved her back. This was my fight and I was tired of being two steps behind the bad guys. If he didn’t like it, too bad.
“You couldn’t give me another couple of days to get to the bottom of this?”
He tossed the afternoon paper at me. It fell to the floor at the tips of my boots. I didn’t need to look down to know why he looked ready to stroke out. I hadn’t expected the story to hit quite so soon, but it served my purposes, even if Lucas might throttle me out of sheer pique.
“Lucas, back off.” I didn’t raise my voice. I didn’t let me own anger show. Instead, I stood there, feet slightly apart, arms crossed under my breasts, ready to defend my decision to go public.
“Back off?” he repeated. “You couldn’t have painted a bigger target on her back if you’d tried.”
He took a step toward me. The moment he did, Apollo bristled at my side. A low growl sounded as he warned Lucas off. Instead of saying anything, I rested a hand on the dog’s head. I wouldn’t punish him for doing what he’d been trained to do. Fortunately for all of us, Lucas had been around Quinn’s Mals enough to know not to take another step in our direction. Instead, he blew out a breath and glared at me.
“Lucas, this is a calculated risk, one I’m willing to take. But I didn’t go into it without first giving it a great deal of thought.” More than any of them knew. “Annie was with me throughout the interview and we made sure I didn’t say anything that could negatively impact the case against Slocum.” I reached down and picked up the paper. “In fact, unless someone has a very guilty conscience, all they will see is a story welcoming home the daughter of one of Mossy Creek’s prodigals.”
“Except you called out your mother’s family for how they tr
eated her.” He frowned and shook his head, his disapproval clear. At least it was better than the lecture I knew he’d prefer delivering. “You embarrassed them and they won’t take kindly to it.”
I lifted a shoulder in a half-shrug, a smile playing at my lips. “Good.”
As if that was the cue, the phone on the corner of Annie’s desk rang. She motioned for us to be quiet as she answered it. She listened closely as either Beth or her mother said something. Then, with a predatory grin, she said to put the call through.
“You two don’t say a word and don’t make a sound,” she said before putting the call on speaker. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Luíseach. What may I do for you?”
“You can tell that harlot you’ve taken into your office to retract the lies she told that reporter,” my grandmother said. “I want to see a retraction and apology in tomorrow morning’s paper or I will sue both of you.”
Annie narrowed her eyes and shook a finger at me when I opened my mouth. Then she leaned back, relaxed and looking like she wanted to play – like a cat plays with a mouse. “Mrs. Luíseach, that’s not going to happen. Everything my partner said in that interview is true and we have the documentation to prove it. So, I recommend you back off and prepare to explain to your friends the way you treated your daughter.”
“You bitch!” she rasped.
“Now, now,” Annie chuckled. “Is that any way for a God-fearing woman to talk?”
“You would have no idea how a God-fearing woman talks or acts. You and your family are no better than the thrice-damned Others in this town.”
“If they are so horrible, I’m amazed you’d want to have anything to do with them or anything they might have possessed. So why did you file a motion to claim Faith Nelson’s estate after all these years?”
“Because it is rightly ours!”
“Actually, it’s not.” She sat up, all business. “I suggest you discuss the matter with your attorney, Mrs. Luíseach. Remind him what the penalty is for filing frivolous law suits. Remind him as well that the estate has been managed by one of the best probate law firms in the state. If you persist in pursuing this ill-advised lawsuit, I promise you will not only lose but will be held liable for all legal fees Ms. Sheridan accrues.”
“This isn’t over!” she hissed.
“But it is. If you wish to say anything else, have your attorney contact me.” Annie grinned. I couldn’t believe it. She was enjoying herself. “Be sure to tell him I have incontrovertible proof of everything Meg said in her interview and then some. I assure you, I will not hesitate to release it to the public or point the media in the direction of the public records, if you persist in your attempts to prevent my client from claiming her rightful inheritance.”
With that, Annie placed the receiver in its cradle, ending the call. “That ought to rattle her cage a bit.” She grinned and laced her fingers across her belly.
“You’re both crazy.” Lucas didn’t – quite – throw his hands up in the air. “I’m putting deputies on both of you and I don’t want to hear a word of complaint.”
“I wouldn’t argue if you assigned Drew as my full-time bodyguard.” I laughed as Lucas stared at me for a moment before scowling. “Lucas, relax. Nothing’s going to happen.”
Before he could say anything else, a knock sounded at the office door. It opened and Beth slipped inside. Before anyone could say anything, she held a finger to her lips, motioning for us to be quiet. She listened, her ear to the door for a moment, before nodding.
“Beth?” Annie’s brows knit in concern and Lucas’ hand had moved to the gun at his waist.
“Sorry. I wasn’t sure he’d stay in the waiting room.”
“Who?” I asked.
“Three guesses and the first two don’t count.”
I could think of only two possibilities since Annie had already spoken with Eileen – one of my mother’s brothers or that bastard who raped her. Either way, I looked forward to the chance to face them. But not with Lucas standing there, looking ready to do battle.
“Lucas, why don’t you wait in Meg’s office?” Annie suggested. “I promise we’ll leave a phone open so you can listen in. Assuming Meg waves privilege.” She looked at me in question and I nodded.
Then, to reassure Lucas, I pulled my phone and called him. The moment he answered, I put my phone on speaker. “Mute your end. Let’s see what he has to say.”
He didn’t like it and, to be honest, I couldn’t blame him. But he nodded and slipped out of the office. Beth waited at the door, watching. As she turned to tell us he’d made it to my office, his voice came softly over my phone to tell us himself. Then he said he was muting his end of the call. That was all Beth needed. She gave us a nod and left Annie’s office.
“Stand over here, Meg. I want him to think we’re going over something when Beth shows him in,” Annie said, motioning me next to her chair. “You are also to follow my lead on this. Understand?”
I nodded. I’d do as she said, at least to start.
Not long after that, Beth knocked on the door. At Annie’s call, she opened it. A moment later, she stepped aside, letting two men move past her. The first stood just under six feet tall. He might have been muscular once but age and what I guessed was too much booze and hard living had turned muscles to flab. He wasn’t exactly fat, but he was soft. His pallor betrayed much as well. Not only was his health not the best but he was worried. About me or about what the newspaper article had to say? He wasn’t the man I’d seen with my mother’s birth family, so I guessed this was Winston Reed.
The second man I recognized from the encounter with the Luíseachs. Unlike Reed, who wore a business suit meant to reassure clients by being both understated and expensive, he wore an inexpensive black suit and white shirt. For all I knew, it could have been the same suit he wore the other day. Also, unlike Reed, his expression left no doubt he would happily slit my throat and Annie’s as well. Fortunately for all involved, I had no intention of letting him have the chance.
“Gentlemen, have a seat.” Annie indicated the two client chairs in front of her desk. “My partner, Meg Sheridan. Meg, this is Winston Reed and Mathew Luíseach.”
I inclined my head. I’d already decided to let Annie to all the talking, for the moment at least.
“Now, what may we do for you?” She made a show of glancing at her watch. “We have ten minutes before our next appointment.”
“We won’t need that long,” Luíseach said. “In fact, it won’t take long at all.” He stabbed a finger in my direction. “You will call the paper and tell them you lied. You will retract everything you said about my family. I will not have you ruin our good name in the community with your lies. You’re no more a member of my family than that bitch of whore who bore you was.”
Annie laid a hand on my arm to prevent me from responding.
“Mr. Luíseach, I have more than enough to prove the truth of what my client told the paper. I assure you, there will be no retraction and no apology. In fact, if you continue to try to force the issue, I will make sure you and your family lose whatever goodwill you might have in town.” She pulled a thick file from a drawer and placed on the desktop. “You and your parents abused and mistreated Faith Luíseach most of her life. It became worse when her talents began manifesting.” She opened the folder and began to lay out document after document.
“I have doctor’s reports, statements from her teachers and the administrators at school, not to mention statements from the social worker assigned to her case.” She glanced across the desk to where he stood. Her expression hard, she continued. “There’s much more and it is all public record.”
“You bitch—”
“Mathew, sit down,” Reed said. Then he looked at us. When he did, I realized my initial impression had been wrong. He might be worried about what we could say, but he felt he held the upper hand. Interesting. “You’ll have to forgive Mathew. He’s worried about his parents. I’m sure you understand how upset they’ve been since learning o
f Ms. Sheridan’s arrival. I’m afraid the newspaper article has had serious negative impact on them. We’re hoping to convince your partner and, I assume, your client to do the right thing and make things right with the Luíseachs. I’m sure she doesn’t want to be responsible for anything happening to them.”
Oh, he was smooth. I could see why Mom might have been drawn to a younger, more athletic version of him.
“And what would that be?” Annie asked as if she really might consider it.
“It is really very simple, and I must say how relieved I am that you’re willing to see reason.”
Oh, I was seeing something, but it wasn’t “reason”.
“First, a full and complete retraction of the article in the paper. Then a payment to not only the Luíseach family but to their church to help ease their mental anguish. You not only embarrassed them but your embellishments on sad events that happened long before your birth has threatened their standing within their church community. I think a settlement of two hundred fifty thousand each would go a long way toward healing the hurts Ms. Sheridan caused.”
I stopped Annie before she could respond. It was time for me to let these two SOBs know what I was made of.
“Before you say anything else, let me make something perfectly clear.” I leaned a hip against Annie’s desk. As I did, I schooled my features to show none of the anger or disgust I felt by simply being in the same room with them. “As Ms. Grissom said, there will be no retraction and no apology. Everything in the article is factual and we have the documentation to back it up.”
I raised a hand to stop my uncle from interrupting. “Next, there will be no apology and most definitely no monetary compensation paid to the Luíseach family. We might share blood, but you are not and never have been family. You drove my mother away after you couldn’t cure her of being an Other. You abused her mentally, emotionally and physically. Your parents couldn’t wash their hands of her quickly enough when she ran away until they remembered one thing – she was the sole heir to Faith Nelson’s estate. Not that they told her. Instead, they tried to fight her petition for emancipation and it was only when they faced the possibility of being brought up on charges because of all they’d done to my mother that they backed off. Even then, they kept the knowledge of the inheritance from her. Your family claims to be children of God, but none of you understand His teachings.”
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