Truth and Justice

by Fern Michaels

  Annie’s fist pumped the air. “We got her! Now we need to start thinking about how we’re going to bring this to a conclusion and not spook Sara whatever the hell her name is in the process,” Alexis said.

  “Let’s finish these pancakes. And then we can get down to work,” Maggie said, as she dug into the stack of pancakes Paul Montrose had left behind.

  Chapter 17

  Sara Nolan. The name rolled off Sara’s tongue like pure liquid silk. She was, according to the paper in her hand, officially as well as legally now Sara Nolan. Soon to be the mother of Andy Nolan’s child. The gold seal on the certificate said it was so. That meant she was legally Sara Nolan, and no one walking the earth could do a damn thing about it. Her fist shot high in the air to signal her victory.

  Sara took a moment to look upward, wondering if Andy was peering down from some fluffy cloud and seeing what she was holding in her hand. She realized how silly and stupid that thought was and laughed out loud. She knew, and that was all that was important. One of these days, she would go to the cemetery and sit down and have a long talk with Andy. One of these days.

  Maybe she would wait till the baby was born to do that so she could take him or her with her. Yes, yes, yes, that was a better idea. That way, if there really was an afterlife and a spirit could look down, Andy would do so and see his firstborn. Sara grimaced, not sure if that idea was just as silly and stupid as her original thought or not.

  Sara sighed. She had months to go till that could happen. Her doctor had warned her of the possibility of a miscarriage. She refused to allow her mind to even contemplate the warning. She would do everything possible, including bed rest if it came to that. She’d simply hire round-the-clock nurses to take care of her. Months of pampering was something she could live with.

  Sara slid the paper she was holding into a glossy yellow folder and put it in a small cedar chest in the dining room. She’d purchased the chest to hold what she considered to be the most important documents pertaining to Andy Nolan. It was the only thing she ever took with her when she moved from place to place. It was hers and Andy’s. She giggled when she thought, never leave home without it. Like that would ever happen.

  The huge, six-thousand-square-foot house yawned around her. There were echoes everywhere because she hadn’t totally furnished it. The reason for that was that she wasn’t sure how many children she wanted. A house this big cried out for a large family. Andy always said he wanted enough kids to have his own baseball team. He’d laughed like a lunatic then and said that he would have the baseball team and she could have her kids be their cheerleaders. Though she’d laughed right along with him, she didn’t think it was at all funny. Then he put his arm around her shoulder the way a brother would do, and said, “We’ll always be side to side, Sara. Me and you against the world.” There was no mention of where the mother of the baseball team and father of the cheerleader squad would be. She liked the way it all sounded, so she just kept smiling.

  Sara looked around. She’d chosen well when she had picked this house. Andy had said he’d looked at it once when he was in town and said it was a perfect house to raise a family. He also said that the reason it wasn’t selling was because it was overpriced. Andy was always frugal and looked for bargains, a trait he had inherited from his mother. Sara, on the other hand, never bothered to ask the price of anything. If it was something that caught her eye or she wanted it, she simply bought it, no questions asked.

  Walking from room to room, she tried to imagine what the house would look like furnished from top to bottom. What would it be like with kids running around and sliding down the polished banister on the staircase? Add in a few barking dogs and a couple of cats, maybe a parrot and some hamsters to round out it all. In a word, a family. A family minus a dad. Sad but doable. Definitely doable. As she walked around the rooms, she crossed her fingers behind her back that the insemination would work. If not, she would keep trying until it did work. She didn’t come this far to give up over an initial setback.

  Sara walked into the kitchen and sat down at the counter. She longed for a glass of wine, but the doctor had said no drinking or smoking. A glass of ginger ale would have to do.

  She noticed that her hand was trembling when she opened the refrigerator. She was antsy, jittery for some reason. Why? Everything was just fine; everything had gone off just the way she’d planned it. She was sitting pretty right now, so why was she feeling like this? She tried to define the feeling to herself so she could get a handle on things. It was as if she were waiting for the other shoe to drop, which was downright silly because the first shoe hadn’t even dropped. So, then, what was it?

  There had been no glitches. Her finances, which were beyond robust, were safe and secure. All her assets, of which there were many, were being cared for and had finally been cataloged and filed away. Her money manager was top-notch and worth every penny she paid him. So if all that was in order, what was it that was bothering her? The little widow? Was she going to cause some trouble? Of course she was, that was a given.

  Sara eyed the ginger ale in her glass and decided it was flat. Apple juice would have been a better choice and, of course, healthier. If she wanted apple juice, she either had to go to the supermarket or call in an order, and that would mean she needed to make a grocery list.

  Sara’s acrylic nails drummed on the countertop. Her life, as she knew it now, was brand-new. No more chasing rich men to add to her assets. She bit down on her lower lip as she contemplated the changes she would have to undergo, along with the fear that Bella would somehow find her and rip everything away from her. All Bella had to do was find Andy’s friend, Paul Montrose, and it would all be over. Maybe. She had to believe everything was as airtight as her lawyer said it was. Of course, she had not bothered to tell him about Andy’s new will and the new POA paper Andy had had Montrose send her.

  Possession was nine tenths of the law, and she had possession of the will and the new POA. She hadn’t bothered to file anything. Why would she? She knew she would have to be extra careful going forward. She could not put herself out there for anyone to see. The name of the game now was hunker down and live the life of a recluse.

  No one knew she was now legally Sara Nolan except her and her lawyer. Not even her doctors knew, and she planned to keep it that way. At least for now. The name change had been strictly for her own satisfaction. She had taken on a whole new identity after she had left Steven Conover and sent him the phony divorce papers. The deed to this house, the title to the Mercedes in the garage, and her brand-new driver’s license plus three new credit cards were in the name of Nora Lewis. The little bronze plate on her mailbox also carried the name of Nora Lewis. All the utilities were in the name of Nora Lewis and paid ahead for a full year. All she had left to do was establish an account at the supermarket and drugstore, and she would have her new life all set up in a neat box with a big red ribbon on top.

  Tears rolled down Sara’s cheeks. All her plans were in place. There had been no glitches that amounted to anything. She was about to start living the life she planned.

  Yes, she could live that life, but she wasn’t happy. She wasn’t happy because Andy wasn’t here. Andy would never be here, and if he were, he would want to be with Bella, not her. There was just no way she could ever live with that. Some way, somehow, she needed to eliminate that woman. Now that she had her new life in order, she couldn’t let that little snot ruin it.

  Sara knew in her heart that Andy would never want her even if she was holding his baby in her arms. He’d snatch the child from her and give it to Bella. Maybe knowing all of that was the reason she was feeling so tense and jittery.

  Maybe it was time to make a new plan. A new plan that erased Bella from her life. Her mood lifted at the thought. She turned on the stereo with a remote that was on the kitchen counter and proceeded to dance around the kitchen to Bon Jovi, Andy’s favorite band.

  One new plan coming up!

  * * *

  Paul Montro
se held the door of his rental car until Bella was inside and buckled up. Once he was behind the wheel and the engine was running, he turned to Bella. “I don’t know about you, but this feels . . . awkward as hell.” He threw his hands in the air, and said, “And I have no clue why that is. I could talk nonstop for days about Andy Nolan and, suddenly, I can’t think of a thing to say.”

  Bella smiled. “I can relate. I have a million questions to ask you, and right now I can’t think of a single one. I think you probably knew Andy better than I did. That goes for Sara the sister who isn’t his sister, too. Andy and me . . . it was so quick, so fast, not enough time to learn about each other. It was about us and the moment we were in. I guess we both thought we had the rest of our lives to learn about each other. I’m ashamed and embarrassed to admit right now that there are times I barely remember him. Our time was so short. I think if I could condense the hours into days that we were actually together as in face-to-face, it would be ten days, and that’s probably stretching it.”

  “And yet you fell in love with each other,” Paul said gently, as he backed up the rental car and drove through the gates of Pinewood. Outside the gates, he stopped just long enough to program the address of his town house in Alexandria into the GPS.

  “I suppose. Right now, I’m not even sure what I feel or what I thought I felt. The truth is, this has been such a nightmare, I just want this all settled so I can get on with my life.”

  “How do you plan to do that?” Paul asked.

  “Well, for starters, I’m relocating to North Carolina, where I have a distant cousin. I have no other relatives. Starting over. I can’t do that until . . . until . . . the girls tell me it’s safe to do that.”

  “Those women back there in the farmhouse. . . do you trust them?”

  Paul’s voice sounded so anxious, Bella laughed out loud.

  “Oh yeah,” she drawled, still laughing.

  “What’s so funny?” Paul asked, taking his eyes off the road long enough to stare at Bella. “What did I say that was so funny?” he repeated.

  “You really don’t know who those women are, do you?”

  Paul shrugged. “Two are lawyers, two are older. One is a truck driver, one is an architect, and the Asian lady owns a plant nursery. And then there is the reporter for the Post. As a group, are they famous or something?”

  Bella laughed again. “Or something. Remember a few years ago, when the Vigilantes hit the scene and turned things upside down?”

  Paul took his eyes off the road again to stare at Bella, his jaw dropping. “Tell me you’re kidding.”

  “Nope, and they’re on my side.”

  “I’ll be damned. Now that’s something Andy would have gotten a kick out of. We used to talk about those women. All the guys in our company did. I mean those women kicked ass and took names later. We were all rooting for them. I know that’s hard to believe, but it’s true. We all respect a true warrior, and it doesn’t matter if they’re male or female. A warrior is a warrior. I don’t think Andy’s sister will be any match for them, do you?”

  “I’m hoping not. I’m sorry to be doing this. I would have liked nothing more than to be friends with Andy’s sister. Now, knowing what I know, I don’t want to be within a mile of her. I can’t believe she bamboozled Andy. Andy was so smart. How could he not see what she was?”

  “Well, I believed everything he told me about his sister, too, so what does that make me? Because . . . he believed what he was saying, so there was no reason to doubt him. He thought the world of her, and I can tell you right now, he never thought of her in any way other than as his sister. Whatever she thought she had going on was on her side only.

  “What’s your game plan, or don’t you have one? You know that I can stay on here as long as you all need me. My brothers told me to take as much time as I need. We’re a close bunch, so in a way I can identify with how close Andy was with Sara.

  “See that red brick complex up ahead? That’s where my town house is. It took us forty minutes to drive here from the farmhouse where you were staying. That’s not a bad ride, and we did hit traffic.”

  “Why did you pick this area to buy in?”

  “It was what I could afford because I wanted to pay cash and not have a mortgage. I just wanted someplace to stay when I came back East. I’m not a fancy kind of guy, in case you haven’t noticed. I’m not into possessions and putting on the dog. I’m just a guy who’s making his way. Like I said, my family is pretty tight-knit. We’re all alike, which means we share and share alike. Andy liked that. He met my family. Now, he did say his sister would never fit into our brood. I was okay with that.

  “Here’s the thing. I never met Sara. And yet I introduced him to my entire family. Everyone liked him, and he liked them. There were several times when Sara was in the area, and he could have introduced us. But he never did. Until now, I could never figure that out.

  “That’s my town house on the left. I bet there are six inches of dust on everything, so I apologize ahead of time.”

  “We could clean it. I don’t have anything to do, no plans except to go back to Pinewood and watch television. Do you have any cleaning supplies?”

  “Are you kidding?” Paul asked in awe.

  Bella giggled. “Do I sound like I’m kidding?”

  “You’re blowing my mind here.” Paul chuckled. “But to answer your question, I bought the place from a retired schoolteacher who was moving to Florida. She left the entire contents. She even left me a bottle of aspirin in the bathroom medicine cabinet. Everything was in excellent condition, no wear or tear, and she said she was going to buy new stuff to fit the condo in sunny Florida. It was win-win for both of us. I personally think I got the better of the bargain,” Paul said, chuckling.

  “Then I guess we’re good to go. After we check out the papers Andy gave you. That was pretty smart of you to make a copy.”

  “That was Andy’s idea. I doubt I would have thought of it on my own. It was kind of wild that day. I think I told you that Andy made his flight with no time to spare. Truth be told, he almost forgot to give me that packet. He was so busy talking about you and the two days you had together. I really miss him. He was a truly great friend, one in a million. Everyone should have a friend like Andy,” Paul said, his voice choking up.

  Bella stared out at the busy parking lot of the town house complex. “This is really hard to put into words, Paul. I don’t expect you will understand either because I don’t understand it myself . . . I don’t feel anything. I guess it was all those months of not hearing a word, hearing the other wives talk about the daily contact, the FaceTime. I made myself sick. At first I was crushed. I thought I was going to just lie down and die. I couldn’t function. I didn’t eat or sleep. All I did was cry.

  “Then it all stopped. I was me again. It was like Andy was someone I used to know but not very well. Almost like he had moved away and forgotten to say goodbye. It probably doesn’t make sense to you because I couldn’t even figure it out. My feelings right now are all mixed up, and I blame it on Sara. I think I was jealous of her, in the beginning. Not now, though. Now I am afraid of her. I mean that literally. I can’t tell you how relieved I was when Myra asked me to come out to the farm so I would be safe. They were on the same page as I was, so I knew I had to pay attention. Sara whatever her name is means me harm. I am certain of that.”

  All Paul could do was stare at Bella. He wished he had a magic wand to wipe the misery from her beautiful face. He had to find a way to help her. Andy would expect him to step in and protect her. “Now that I know all that, I am not leaving here until all of this is resolved. I’ll ask those ladies if I can pitch a tent out there near where you are staying. I won’t let you out of my sight. Remember,” he chuckled, “I’ve had combat training.”

  “Deal,” Bella said, stretching out her hand. She was aware instantly of how hard and calloused Paul’s hand was. What she wasn’t prepared for was the jolt of electricity that raced through her whole body. Who
a, Nellie.

  Paul Montrose felt his eyes glaze over when he clasped Bella’s hand. Something he had never in his life felt wrapped itself around him as he struggled to take a deep breath.

  Bella withdrew her hand and stared up into Paul Montrose’s glazed eyes. “I . . . ah . . . um . . .”

  Paul shook his head, and said, “Uh . . . ah . . .”

  “I need some exercise. I’ll race you to the door!”

  “Now that’s a hell of an idea,” Paul said, in a voice that was so strangled that he barely recognized it as his own.

  Chapter 18

  Paul unlocked the door of the town house and stood back for Bella to enter. He quickly disarmed the security system, then walked around to open all the windows and rid the house of the musty, closed-up smell. “I covered everything with dust sheets the way the previous owner told me to. I have only come back East once since I bought this place, and that was to pay the bills ahead for a year in case I forgot or something went awry. It’s comfortable, as you can see, perfect for a bachelor like me. What do you think needs to be done? Where should we start?” he asked, a hopeless expression on his face.

  Bella looked around, relieved that they were on a friendly footing again and not . . . Don’t go there, she warned herself. “I guess we should start by washing all these dust sheets. I can do that while you search out Andy’s paperwork. You do have a washer and dryer, don’t you?”

  “I do, it’s outside the guest bathroom on the second floor. Soap and stuff is in the closet where the unit is. It’s a stackable, one on top of the other to save space. Margaret, that was the owner’s name, said for one person like herself, and now me, it was perfect. I’m going to turn on the A/C even though it’s nippy with all the windows open. It might help to get rid of the musty smell more quickly.”