“You sorry and devious bastard!” Rachel shrieked.
“Can you believe they would print such bull?” Becky asked.
“I thought vicious material and surreptitious methods belonged to tabloids, not to small-town magazines. I knew Todd was hopping mad when Quentin and I refused to be interviewed by him, but I never expected him to retaliate like this. How could the magazine print such trash? Dorothy and Richard will have a fit if they see this article; it’s an insult to all of us.”
“Do you think you should call and warn them?”
“No, that would give the matter too much importance. I’m going to ignore it. To say or do anything might make it look as if those implications are true.”
“What if Quentin sees it?” Becky asked.
“He’ll be mad, but he’s used to invasion of his privacy. I’m not. Of course, I’ll tell him about it when he phones later. Darnit, Becky, Todd shouldn’t have even mentioned me in an article about Quentin. To tell such lies or to imply them as facts is outrageous. I just hope Janet hasn’t seen it. If she has, she’ll be all over me today with cutting remarks. And Keith will be so embarrassed, he’ll wish he’d never met me.”
“It isn’t your fault, Rach. I’m sure Keith will understand; he has a good sense of humor so he’ll probably find the matter amusing. If not, he’s a lawyer.”
“He wasn’t maligned so there’s nothing he can do. I just hope it doesn’t cause him to think badly of me.”
“It won’t; he’s a smart man. Relax, Rach, nobody who knows you will believe this nonsense about you, and anybody who reads the magazine knows about his slanted style of journalism.”
“If Janet or others dare to harass me today, I won’t stay at the sale.”
“If anything bothers you, just come and get me and we’ll leave.”
“I’d better go finish dressing. I won’t take long. Thanks for warning me about this so I won’t be caught off guard, which is what Janet will hope.”
* * *
When Rachel returned home at six, she was simmering with anger. She paced the kitchen floor and sipped wine to calm herself while she reasoned on what to do about a startling and infuriating matter. Janet had pulled her aside after the sale ended and spoken of her deep concern over the malicious and misleading article. She went on to say how it could destroy her new relationship with Keith Haywood, “that is, if you’ve gotten over your foolish infatuation with that young football player.” But that wasn’t the main thing that vexed Rachel, and Janet had gone too far this time.
Fourteen
Rachel did not attend church on Sunday and Becky took over her duties with the shut-ins for the afternoon because she did not want to see anyone so soon after the magazine’s release on Friday. Nor was she ready to confront the Hollises following Janet’s stunning behavior and the exposure of Cliff’s treachery, at least not in a public place and certainly not at church. In her current state of mind, Rachel was unsure of what she might be provoked to do or say if Cliff or Janet—or both Hollises—approached her, particularly if the brazen woman dared to make further comments about Rachel’s private life. Never had she been so close to completely losing her temper.
After much soul-searching and prayer, Rachel decided she had done nothing wrong and would not go into hiding as if she had. If anyone asked questions at the woman’s club luncheon tomorrow, she would deflect them with a woe-is-me smile and an “it’s so ridiculous I don’t even want to discuss it.” But if the inquisitor was the daring Janet Raburn Hollis, she vowed, the woman was a total fool and was in for an astonishing surprise!
Yet, it was Rachel who received a stunning shock that afternoon.
On Monday morning, after she had taken time the previous night to calm down and plan a course of action, Rachel went to the bank to meet with Clifford Hollis who helped her manage her estate and make business decisions. She closed his office door, sat down before his desk, and stared at him.
Cliff noted her strange action and chilly expression. “Good morning, Rachel; I thought our meeting was set for this afternoon after the woman’s club luncheon. I’ll phone Dick Matheny and see if he’s available to come over. I—”
“There won’t be a meeting between us, Cliff, not after what you did. Of all the people I thought was trustworthy and was a friend, it was you.” She saw confusion and dismay fill his gaze as he straightened in his chair.
“What are you talking about, Rachel?”
“My business with you is supposed to be strictly confidential.” Rachel watched his gaze widen in surprise and heard his chair squeak as he leaned forward and propped his arms on the desk.
“It is; I would never discuss your affairs with anyone else without your permission. I haven’t shown your financial statement and my recommendations to Dick, not yet. Have you replaced your accountant?”
“No, but I am withdrawing my funds from your bank. Our business relationship is terminated as of today. As to our friendship, that remains to be seen if I can forgive your recent actions. Even if your behavior was unintentional, it is inexcusable and distressing to me.” Again, she saw confusion and anxiety flood his small hazel eyes.
“Why? I don’t understand. Have I offended you in some way? If so, I’m deeply sorry and I apologize. Please, explain everything to me.”
“Why did you reveal my private business matters to your wife?”
“Reveal them to Janet? What do you mean? I didn’t show or tell Janet anything about your financial affairs. I would never do anything like that to any of my clients.”
“Then how does she know my net worth, list of holdings, and my plan to sell some of them and turn the money over to my daughters?”
“What?” he murmured in astonishment.
“After the charity sale on Saturday, she mentioned things to me that she could know only if she read my records or was told about my affairs. You, my girls, my accountant, and the income tax office are the only ones with that knowledge; I’m sure none of them told her. That leaves only one source: her husband, you.”
“I can assure you I’m totally blameless. Why didn’t you phone me about this? There must be some kind of misunderstanding.”
“I waited until this morning to handle the situation because I was so taken by surprise that I’ve been too upset and furious to do so earlier. I can assure you, Cliff, there is no misunderstanding; Janet made herself totally clear. She knew I was planning to divest myself of the Gaines candy stock and my real estate holdings and give the girls the value of the shares they would have inherited upon my death. She said it was a smart idea, if I was foolishly planning to marry Quentin Rawls in the near future, better than a prenuptial agreement since some clever lawyers find ways to break those agreements, and I would probably die before him since he’s so much younger than I am. She said my idea would prevent him from getting his hands on my money and wasting it before I could leave it to the girls. She knew I have a large estate, and she knew the exact figure. Where did she get her facts, if not from you? Certainly not from the Gaineses, who don’t know the figures.”
“That’s impossible because Janet has no access to bank records.” As he pondered the troubling situation for a while, he suddenly paled and grimaced. “My God, she wouldn’t! Lord have mercy, she must have. I took your file home on Friday to make notes over the weekend for our meeting today. Janet must have looked in my briefcase and read it while I was out playing golf. I can’t believe she would do something like that,” he murmured.
“Well, if you didn’t breach my confidence, she obviously did snoop.”
“I’m sorry, Rachel; I would never do anything like this. I had no idea she would go through my confidential files. This is horrible. I can assure you I will deal with her and this won’t happen again, ever.”
Rachel was relieved that Cliff had not betrayed her; she was certain he hadn’t, because she saw how upset, furious, and embarrassed he was. “I can see that you’ve done nothing wrong, Cliff, and I apologize for my accusation. I�
�m sure you can understand how dismayed I was. Please reschedule our meeting with my accountant Mr. Matheny for next week. I’m still too unsettled to think clearly or to make any serious decisions on the sales. And please tell Janet not to sic our pastor on me again like she did yesterday.”
When Cliff looked bewildered, Rachel explained, “She told him I was confused and behaving immorally and needed him to come over and pray with me and give me advice. He said she was worried about me because she believed I was going to sell my holdings here so I could go to Texas to live with Quentin. I have no intention of moving in with Quentin unless I marry him. Next, if she hasn’t already done it, she’ll be phoning the Gaineses to expose my plans and make more nasty innuendos. I was so shocked after her disclosures that I just stared at her, then went home without giving her a piece of my mind and warning her to stay out of my business. I will soon.”
Cliff stood, as she had risen to depart. “Again, Rachel, let me apologize for this outrage and assure you this will never happen again.”
Rachel smiled and shook his hand. “I believe you, Cliff. Thanks for all you’ve done for me in the past, and I’m sorry I had to be the one to bring you such disturbing and painful news.”
“Goodbye, Rachel, and I’ll call Mr. Matheny promptly.”
As she left the bank, Rachel did not grasp how furious Cliff was or imagine what the man intended to do within the hour as his fury increased.
Before the women’s club luncheon meeting began and after most of the members were seated at tables and chatting with friends, Cliff arrived at the Pinnacle Club and located his wife in the President’s Room. He told Janet he needed to talk with her immediately. Cliff practically yanked his curious wife into a smaller dining room, as his seething anger would not allow the matter to go unchallenged until they were at home.
Rachel, Becky, and Jennifer were leaving the ladies’ room—when Cliff almost stalked past them to find Janet. Since Rachel had related the terrible situation to her friends earlier, they were unable to resist the temptation to eavesdrop and learn the truth. They sneaked to a concealed corner of the hallway and listened. They overheard Janet scold her husband for his “ridiculous behavior.”
“I’m being ridiculous? How dare you sneak into my briefcase and read confidential information about my clients and then reveal it! I’ll tell you now, Janet, it’s against the law to steal people’s banking records and divulge those facts; and what you did is theft, pure and simple,” he fabricated to scare her. “This is unforgivable and outrageous, woman. How could you do something wicked and criminal.”
“What on earth are you jabbering about? Stop insulting me and keep your voice down before everybody hears you making an idiot of yourself and humiliating both of us. This isn’t the time or place for such an absurd discussion. We’ll talk about it at home tonight.”
“No, we won’t; we’re finished. And you know exactly what I’m talking about: You could have gotten me fired, cost us our friends and social status, bankrupted us. You could have had us both facing criminal charges and multiple lawsuits. Talk about humiliation, that would be a huge and costly scandal, all because of your stupid antics. This was the last straw, Janet; I’m fed up with you and so is everybody else. You’re rude, spiteful, conniving, crude, and hateful. The only reason anybody tolerates you and endures your despicable behavior is because you’re my wife and the Raburns’ daughter. I hope they all dump you like I’m going to do this very day.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s over between us, Janet; I’m getting a divorce. In fact, I’m seeing a lawyer today at three. I’ll pack and leave this evening.”
“You can’t! You wouldn’t dare! What about the children, our families, our friends?”
“They’ll understand and agree; they know what you’re like. Why do you think our kids live so far away and rarely visit or phone or write? I’ll tell you why, because you make them as miserable as you are with your intrusions and cutting remarks. With you out of my life, I can be the kind of father and grandfather I should have been for years, the kind I want to be. You’re a cold, bitter, and destructive woman who shouldn’t be inflicted upon other people, especially your family. I should have left you long ago.”
“It’s that bitch’s fault, isn’t it? You’re taking her word over your own wife’s. She’s never been one of us, and this proves it.- She’s trash; she screwed around with that football jock and probably with Keith. She’s—”
“Be careful, Janet, or you’ll be facing slander charges. The fact you know the client’s identity tells me you’re guilty, because I never mentioned her name or sex. She’s a nice person and doesn’t deserve the garbage you’ve piled on her; nobody does. If you know what’s good for you, back off and leave her alone, or she’ll be provoked into ending the matter in a way I doubt you’ll like. I can assure you, woman, she’s reached her limit with you; so have I. You’ll hear from my lawyer. Good-bye, and good riddance.”
“Don’t you dare speak to me this way!”
“I’ll speak to you any way I damn well please and it feels great. Hell, it’s cleansing just to get this off my chest and get you out of my life. I’m no longer your doormat, Janet, and I doubt anybody else will continue to let you step on them.”
“Don’t you dare turn your back and walk out on me. You’ll be sorry. I’ll take you for every cent you have, you miserable worm. You’re lucky I even married you and stayed with you so many years.”
“No, Janet, you were lucky I suffered in silence for too many years, and damn lucky everybody else did the same. You’re coldhearted and mean, Janet, and you’re blind and stupid if you think people don’t realize you intentionally try to hurt and humiliate others. If you don’t wise up and change your ways, you’ll be ostracized, totally alone. Thank the Lord, I’ll soon be free of you. I’ll be out of the house before bedtime.”
“Don’t you leave me, Clifford Hollis, or you’ll be sorry.”
“It’s over, Janet, so accept it. See a shrink and solve your problems. Find out why you act this despicable and disgusting, way and stop it for everybody’s sake, including yours. Good-bye.”
Rachel, Becky, and Jen watched Cliff vanish around the corner, smiling and whistling as he waited for the elevator. They saw the double doors close to the room where Janet was; the woman was lingering there, they concluded, to collect her wits or to hide in embarrassment until the luncheon was over and she could retrieve her purse and escape.
“Can you believe it?” Becky whispered to her two friends. “Her comeuppance wasn’t from a stranger or provoked victim; it came from a fed-up husband who finally found his backbone. Lordy, it was difficult not to congratulate and praise him. Surely you don’t feel sorry for her?” she asked Rachel, whose expression implied she did.
“I suppose I’m too tenderhearted, but I do pity her. I know she brought it on herself, but she has to have deep-seated problems to act as she does. Maybe this episode will make her see the light and get help. Holding grudges takes too much energy and does emotional damage. Besides, it isn’t the Christian way to be unforgiving and cruel and spiteful. If she leaves me alone, I’ll just ignore her and avoid her as much as possible.”
“You’re right, Rach, and we’ll try to do the same.”
“You know Cliff was exaggerating about her sneaky deed being illegal,” Rachel remarked, “at least, I think he was. He probably wanted to scare her and punish her for hurting and humiliating him, and to stop her from repeating the confidential information she gathered. I’m sure he could get into plenty of trouble for taking records home and giving somebody the opportunity to read them, but I’m just as certain it was an innocent mistake on his part. Now let’s go eat, and pretend we heard nothing.”
During the luncheon, a waitress retrieved Janet’s purse for her, and she left the building, too ashamed to face the group again. Those near the door had overheard parts of the argument when the couple’s voices were raised, and they whispered about it frequently duri
ng the meal and subsequent meeting. Fortunately for Rachel, the words about her had not reached their ears, sparing her from speculative involvement.
“Well,” Quentin asked when he called that evening, “did you see Cliff today?”
Rachel related her conversation with Cliff and the man’s subsequent confrontation with Janet. “If his phony threats worked, she’ll be out of my hair for good.”
“If not, and don’t count too heavily on it with her, you won’t have to endure her offensive behavior much longer, January at the latest.”
“I know, but I hate to leave town with a cloud over my head, and I could if Janet and I come to verbal blows and a nasty scene. I also don’t want her calling the Gaineses and causing me more trouble with them; that’s exactly the type of thing she would do for spite and meanness, especially if she believes I’m to blame for her split with Cliff and that embarrassing scene at the Pinnacle Club. I’m certain she won’t hold herself responsible, so she might make me her scapegoat. Of course, Dorothy and Richard should be delighted when they get Daniel’s stock back. I’m definitely going to sell it to them, at fair market price. Those rental properties, too, if they want them. If not, to somebody else. After I leave Augusta, I don’t want any business dealings here. I’ll offer it to them. first as an overture of peace.”
“Maybe that will soften their feelings toward you.”
“I doubt it; they’ve disliked me since the beginning and it’s unlikely those ill feelings will ever change. But it might soothe matters between them and the girls; Dorothy and Richard are their grandparents and I hate for too many more years to pass in conflict because of me. It’s sad and destructive to have such a long family rift.”
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