“No,” said Lisa. “She doesn’t even know I’m here—well, she knows I’m at the hospital, but she doesn’t know I’m talking to you right now. Josh’s mother is in the intensive care unit, and she’s not doing well at all. Josh and I were at prom, but his father brought us here to visit his mother in case she didn’t make it, and Josh told me to go home because he didn’t want me to be stuck here all night, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to—”
“No,” he said. “We have nothing to talk about.”
The irritation in his voice convinced her he still blamed her for revealing his secret to her mother, even though she hadn’t. She felt herself blushing with indignation. Crossing her arms, she stared belligerently into his face.
“I didn’t tell Mom what you did,” she said. “I promised not to say anything, and I kept my word.”
“Lisa, I’ve known it wasn’t you for a long time,” he said.
“Then why didn’t you say something?” said Lisa. The frustration she had ignored ever since his departure finally came to the surface. “I’ll never forget how I felt at the wedding when you told me I should have kept my mouth shut, and when you disappeared, I thought you were blaming me for something I didn’t do.”
“No, it wasn’t like that at all,” he said.
Lisa knew there was nothing he could say to reassure her, but she was desperate to no longer feel like she was on shaky ground with him.
“So you don’t hate me?” she said.
“What?” he said. “Don’t be ridiculous. Of course not.”
“Then why are you acting like you don’t care?” said Lisa. “I know Mom is angry with you, but you can’t just give up on the family because you don’t want to deal with her. She’s not the only person involved, and neither are you. What about me and Veronica?”
“I don’t know what you want me to say,” he said.
“Just say you won’t abandon us,” said Lisa. “If you sign those papers—”
“Lisa, the divorce is between me and your mother,” he said, sitting down at his desk as if remaining on his feet required too much energy. “It doesn’t involve you or Veronica.”
“Yes, it does,” said Lisa. “Why aren’t you fighting for us?”
He didn’t reply.
“I can’t believe it,” said Lisa. Her appeal had fallen on deaf ears, and the unavoidable conclusion was so devastating that she could barely put it into words. “You’re afraid Mom will get you into trouble with the law if you don’t give her what she wants, and you would rather lose your own daughters than face the consequences. How can you be so selfish? All you care about is your stupid reputation!”
“Lisa, that’s enough,” he said.
“No, you have to listen to me,” said Lisa. “If you decide to walk out of my life, you’ll never have the option of walking back in. I won’t let you. I’ve given you so many chances. I’m tired. I can’t hold onto you anymore. I need you to hold onto me for a change. Do you have any idea how often I’ve cried because of you? I’m sick of feeling worthless because you don’t love me.”
“Lisa, I do love you,” he said.
“Then your love has no value,” said Lisa. “What good has it done for me? You can say you love me as many times as you want, but I know better than to believe you. If it’s really true, why don’t you prove it? Just talk to Mom and tell her you’re sorry. That’s all I want. If it doesn’t work out, I won’t hold it against you.”
“There’s no point,” he said. “She’s not going to change her opinion of me, and I’m not going to humiliate myself by begging her to reconsider. This conversation is over. There’s nothing else to say. I’ve got a lot on my mind, and you should be at home where it’s safe.”
Lisa’s eyes stung with tears. How could he be so heartless? She had rarely felt more vulnerable. The events of the last few hours had pulled her in so many different directions that she didn’t know how to cope, and the futility of what she was trying to do became more obvious to her with each passing moment.
“If you’re taking me back to the house, will you at least talk to her for a few minutes when we get there?” she said.
“Forget it,” he said, taking out his cell phone. “It’s not my responsibility to drive you around. She can come and get you herself, since she’s so set on doing things her own way without my help. In fact, I’m going to tell her exactly what I think about her outstanding parenting skills—or lack thereof.”
“Please don’t yell at her,” said Lisa. How had everything gone so wrong? She sat down on the chair in front of his desk and began to sob. As she listened to her father’s side of the conversation, she heard her parents trading insults again, and she felt more responsible than ever for their alienation.
Her father eventually took her by the arm and led her down to the lobby. He pushed her into a chair beside the fountain near the chapel. A storm had rolled in, and thunder rumbled in the distance while torrents of rain swirled down, pattering against the windows. Lisa’s father turned to go back to his office.
“Is Mom coming?” said Lisa through her tears.
“I don’t know,” he said. “She was angry when she found out you were in my office, and of course she blamed me, which is exactly why I’ve been avoiding her. Then, she started making excuses about having to take care of Stephen and Yvonne—something about not having a car seat for the baby. I don’t know. She’ll probably show up eventually. Just stay here and wait for her, if you think you can manage to do that without getting yourself into trouble.”
He walked away. Lisa buried her face in her hands and abandoned herself to grief. Her mother didn’t come. Lisa called her mother’s cell phone, but she didn’t answer.
Lisa realized her parents were using her as a weapon. They would probably let her sit there all night and accuse each other of neglecting her when morning came. She thought about going upstairs to look for Josh, but he had problems of his own, and she didn’t want to be a burden to him.
As the tears began to roll down her cheeks again, she heard footsteps coming toward her. Flabby arms coiled around her. She raised her head and recognized Molly’s face. Molly’s eyes were so sympathetic that Lisa felt herself coming to pieces again.
“Lisa, don’t cry,” said Molly. “What are you doing here?”
Lisa didn’t know what to say. She was glad to see Molly, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to satisfy Molly’s curiosity without mentioning the impending divorce, so she remained silent.
“You poor thing,” said Molly. “Where are your parents?”
“I don’t know,” said Lisa. It was all she could manage to say because of the lump in her throat. She wondered if she would ever be able to stop crying. Molly wiped the tears off Lisa’s cheeks.
“Why are you all dressed up?” she said.
“Josh took me to prom,” said Lisa.
“He didn’t break your heart, did he?” said Molly.
“No,” said Lisa. She knew Molly wouldn’t stop questioning her until she received an explanation. “I’m not upset because of Josh. He’s perfect. Something else happened, but there’s nothing I can do about it. Basically, I got into an argument with my father, and now both of my parents are furious with me.”
“Don’t worry,” said Molly. “Everything will work out if you give it enough time. That’s what I always tell myself when I don’t know what to do, which has been pretty often lately. Graham has been so different since his friend got hurt. He doesn’t complain much, but he’s a shadow of the man he used to be. It’s been terrible for me, but at least I know it won’t last forever.”
“What do you mean?” said Lisa.
“I’m not sure if I should tell you,” said Molly. “Graham found out his friend’s wife was coming into town tonight to pull the plug. He wanted to say goodbye. I insisted on coming with him, but he asked me to wait here. He gets so embarrassed about his emotions. I hope he comes back soon.”
As she spoke, the elevator doors opened, and G
raham approached them. He looked preoccupied, but not particularly heartbroken. Molly leaped to her feet and waved at him. Graham raised his head. When he noticed Lisa, a peculiar expression appeared on his face, but she was too upset to wonder what it signified.
“Graham, look who I found,” said Molly. “Lisa just happened to be sitting here. What a strange coincidence, right? She was at prom with Josh, but she somehow got into trouble with her parents, and it looks like she’s stuck here. Why don’t we give her a ride? It would be easy to swing by her house on our way home.”
“That’s a very interesting idea,” said Graham.
Lisa thought he sounded dazed, but she wasn’t surprised, especially if he had just witnessed a death, as Molly’s information suggested. She had known Molly for as long as she could remember, and she trusted her. She stood up, not noticing as her cell phone slipped off her lap. Molly put an arm around her shoulders, and they walked out to the car, bowing their heads against the rain. Lisa climbed into the back seat, and Molly squeezed in beside her.
Graham drove them away from the hospital. Lisa closed her eyes. She wasn’t looking forward to explaining herself to her mother. When she finally started paying attention to the world around her, she didn’t recognize the buildings she saw outside the windows. They were in a part of town that didn’t make sense.
Lisa tried to see where they were going, but to her surprise, the bridge materialized through the mist, and she realized they were crossing the river. She told herself Graham was probably lost, but as soon as the thought entered her mind, she knew it wasn’t a reasonable explanation. She started to get scared.
“Graham, where are we going?” said Molly.
“You’ll see, my dear,” he said. “Don’t worry.”
“Another one of your little surprises,” said Molly with a chuckle.
Graham pulled onto the highway that led into the country. Lisa wanted to ask him what he was doing, but she was too afraid of what he might say. She reached into her purse for her cell phone, but it was gone. Fear smothered her. Molly leaned forward and tugged on Graham’s sleeve.
“Graham, this is silly,” she said. “I adore going on long drives with you, but not in the middle of a storm. The rain is so noisy that I can’t even hear myself think. Besides, Lisa has had a busy day, and I want to get her home.”
“Molly, please shut up,” said Graham. “We’re almost there.”
He turned onto a narrow gravel road and the car slowed to a crawl. Lisa couldn’t see where they were going, but she could hear the crunching of the tires on the uneven ground through the roar of the rain. The trees finally parted, and she saw a clearing with a trailer in the middle, perched on a slab of concrete. It had stained walls and a sagging roof. The windows were dark. Weeds grew around it, and clutter was scattered across the yard. A blue light glowed above the porch.
The rain stopped falling so heavily. Graham stopped the car in front of the trailer. He didn’t turn off the engine. The headlights blazed into the woods, but the underbrush was so thick that nothing could be seen.
“Graham, I know we’ve talked about buying a new house, but this isn’t exactly what I had in mind,” said Molly with a nervous laugh. “Don’t you think this joke has gone on for long enough?”
Graham got out of the car and climbed up the rotting wooden steps that led to the porch. He knocked on the door. It opened to reveal a woman silhouetted in the flickering light from a television somewhere behind her. Lisa couldn’t see her face, but she recognized her squat figure. It was the woman from the restaurant.
“What’s wrong?” said Molly.
Lisa couldn’t speak. Her mouth was too dry.
“You’re shivering,” said Molly. “I knew we shouldn’t have walked through the rain. Graham’s taking this a little too far, but I’ll talk some sense into him when he comes back. I don’t know why he thinks this sort of thing is funny.”
Graham and the woman approached the car. Graham yanked the door open and beckoned to Lisa.
“Get out,” he said.
“Graham, what’s going on?” squeaked Molly.
“Mind your own business, my dear,” said Graham. “Lisa, this will be much easier for you if you cooperate with me. It’s going to happen either way, so I suggest you make the best of it. Hurry up. I don’t want to have to—”
“Graham, this is a waste of time,” said the woman. “Let me take care of this my own way.” She grabbed Lisa’s arm and pulled her out of the car. Lisa stumbled, and the woman jerked her to her feet with a sudden flash of anger.
“Get up,” she snarled. “Listen to me, you piece of—”
“Sophie, this isn’t her fault,” interrupted Graham. “Be nice to her.”
“Someone has to take the blame,” said Sophie, shaking Lisa roughly. “It might as well be her. This isn’t what I signed up for, Graham. I’m not your personal servant. I work for the boss, not you. You can’t just show up at my house and expect me to drop everything I’m doing to babysit this stupid little—”
“I’m authorized to do whatever is necessary to ensure the success of this operation, and I’m not going to jeopardize it because of you,” said Graham, becoming venomous in his own right. “Besides, I didn’t know what else to do with her.”
“That’s what you get for going behind the boss’s back,” said Sophie. “I’d love to see what would happen to you if your unauthorized little kidnapping became common knowledge. Maybe I’ll tell.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” said Graham. “I’ve got enough dirt on you to sign your death warrant, so keep it under wraps. You’ve got nothing to worry about. Lisa won’t cause any trouble.”
“Oh, is that right?” said Sophie.
“Yes, and she’ll calm down once I explain everything to her,” said Graham. He turned his attention to Lisa, who was petrified with terror. “This isn’t about you. It’s about your father. I warned him, but he ignored me, so I had no choice. You shouldn’t be afraid. No one is going to hurt you.”
Lisa barely heard him. Sophie was holding her arms so tightly that she could feel the blood pounding in her hands. She saw genuine concern on Graham’s face. She wanted to appeal to him, but she felt like she was observing him from far away. Her vision was blurry around the edges, and her mind was racing and paralyzed at the same time. She nodded to show that she had understood.
“Sophie, why don’t you take her inside?” said Graham. “The rain’s picking up again. I’ve got to get Molly back home and convince her not to say anything. I’ll let you know what’s going on as soon as I know. I’m hoping this won’t go on for very long, but we’ll have to wait and see. I’m pretty sure Lisa’s father will cooperate once he realizes we’re not messing around.”
“What if he doesn’t?” said Sophie.
Graham hesitated.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Goodbye, Lisa. Just do what Sophie tells you, and you’ll be okay.”
He turned to leave, but Molly jumped out of the car, nearly knocking him over. He tried to stop her, but she rushed toward Sophie, who was pulling Lisa up the steps. She caught up with them as they arrived on the landing and seized Lisa’s arm.
“You can’t do this,” she said in a shrill voice.
“Molly, stop,” said Graham. “You’re getting upset about nothing.”
“Shut up, Graham!” screamed Molly. “Who do you think you are? You ought to be ashamed of yourself. Look at how upset Lisa is. I’m not leaving her here.”
She tried to pull Lisa away from Sophie, but Sophie shoved her, and she stumbled against the railing. For a moment, she teetered on the edge of the landing, and then she fell, tumbling onto the concrete slab with a shriek that only stopped when her head hit the ground. As the sound died away, she lay terribly still, her body contorted in a position that was incompatible with life.
“Molly!” exclaimed Graham. He knelt beside her, shaking her by the shoulders. “Can you hear me? Come on, my dear, say something.”
Lisa watch
ed in horror. She didn’t dare to move, even though Sophie wasn’t holding onto her anymore. Graham became more and more frantic as he tried to revive Molly with no success. As the rain poured down, he begged her to open her eyes, but she didn’t respond. At last, he looked up at Sophie.
“She’s dead,” he said.
Lisa screamed. The sound started at the bottom of her chest and rushed through her body, ripping her heart in half. It couldn’t be true. She stumbled down the steps and flung herself on top of Molly, sobbing hysterically and clinging to her until she was torn away by Sophie. The next thing she knew, she was inside the trailer, huddled against the wall while Sophie accosted her with a diatribe of abuse.
Lisa knew Sophie wanted her to stop crying, but she was too upset to control herself. She had become a helpless spectator, forced to witness the annihilation of her life, while her mind retreated to an empty place, leaving her body behind. The stupor that descended over her was absolute. In the distance, she heard Graham’s voice.
“Sophie, stop!” he said. “She’s not going to settle down if you don’t leave her alone. Just give her a break. Molly was her friend—and my wife. It doesn’t matter if it was just an excuse to hang around. We were happy together.” He ran his hands through his sparse hair, and his face wrinkled up. “Why did you have to push her?”
“She was getting in the way,” said Sophie. “I didn’t mean to kill her, so don’t look at me like that. You’re the one who brought her here in the first place. What did you think was going to happen? You couldn’t have kept her quiet anyway.”
“We can’t just leave her lying out there,” said Graham.
“She’s your problem, not mine,” said Sophie. “If you think I’m going to help you dig a grave during a thunderstorm, you can think again. You got yourself into this fix, and you can get yourself out of it. I’ll deal with the kid. You deal with the body.”
“Sophie, I don’t know how to conceal forensic evidence,” said Graham, a hint of desperation creeping into his voice. “That’s not my area of expertise. If I call it an accident, there will be too many incriminating questions. I could take her to Hamilton Estate, but Owen has a weak stomach, and he can’t be trusted to keep his mouth shut.”
The Patient from Silvertree: Book One in the Silvertree Series Page 24