Page 68 of Cold Vengeance

CHAPTER

THIRTY-SEVEN

He glared at Jeffrey over the tabletop. “I won’t put up with it,” he said in a low voice that almost sounded like a growl.

A feeling of panic rose inside Jeffrey. He knew how dangerous this man really was. “It wasn’t my fault,” he said. “It was that nurse. She was the one who—”

“No, it wasn’t her fault. It’s yours. I should never have let you talk me into this. I told you from the beginning that I wanted her gone.” He struck his fist on the table and several people turned to look at them. “First you send that stupid picture. Then you threaten the kid.”

“He told me he’d gone to see those PIs,” Jeffrey insisted. “I wanted to stop him.”

“It was stupid and amateurish. I had to clean up your mess by killing that guard. It’s only gotten worse. This thing is out of control.”

They’d decided to meet at a nearby coffee shop. Jeffrey looked around. The people who had glanced their way a few seconds ago appeared to have gone back to their own business. He hoped none of them were listening.

“She’s my daughter,” Jeffrey said, keeping his voice low. “I can’t ... I just can’t let you kill her.”

“You mean the way you killed her mother?”

“I didn’t do that. You did.”

He laughed quietly. It was ugly and full of venom. This was a truly evil man. Why had Jeffrey ever gotten involved with him? It was the stupidest thing he’d ever done.

“You wanted the money more than you wanted your wife. I gave you the perfect way out. You had an ironclad alibi because of me.”

Jeffrey sighed. “It was wrong.Iwas wrong, and I’m sorry about it.”

“Look here you little worm, I don’t care about your regrets. You got the money. After the cops stopped sniffing around, you paid me. Since then, you’ve been raiding your daughter’s—correction—your stepdaughter’s trust fund like a bandit. You’ve padded your pockets and now you can’t allow anyone to find out. If they do, you’ll go to prison. You may know my secret, but I know yours too. We have a partnership. You try to break it, and you’ll regret it, I promise you.”

“What happened to the nurse?” Jeffrey couldn’t help but ask, but he was afraid to hear the answer.

“You don’t need to worry about her. She’s not a problem anymore.”

“You ... you didn’t kill her, surely. Dr. Marnet wouldn’t put up with that.”

“Dr. Marnet will do whatever you tell him to. He doesn’t dare let anyone know what he’s been doing. Just keep paying him. He’ll keep his mouth shut.”

“That money isn’t going to last forever,” Jeffrey said. “What happens when it runs out?”

He laughed in a low voice. “You better make certain that doesn’t happen. If it does, you’re going to be in a lot of trouble,Jeff. You’re used to living well. Trust me, you definitely wouldn’t like prison.”

He took a sip of his coffee, but Jeffrey felt too sick to his stomach to eat or drink anything. He wanted to tell this terrible man that the same fate awaited him, but he was too afraid to do that. How had he gotten himself into this predicament? He’d lost control of his life, and he didn’t know how to get it back. He’d sent another warning to those PIs last night. He prayed the man sitting across from him would never find out. He was afraid for his life if that would happen. This man would kill anyone who stood in his way. If he decided to kill April. ... Well, he couldn’t think about that right now. He had to just take it day by day. But one thing he knew for certain. April couldn’t escape again. No matter what.

TONY LEFT AFTER BREAKFASTto run to a local department store to buy clothes. River spent the morning mentally reviewing the case. The note that was found in Terre Haute was intriguing, but right now, there wasn’t anything to prove it really came from April. The police were investigating and had told Arnie they’d stay in touch. She and Tony both felt the answer to April’s disappearance had something to do with one of her cases, but so far, River just couldn’t see it. When she heard the front door close, she glanced at the clock on her desk. It was almost noon. Where had the morning gone? Her father would be here in a few hours. Her stomach clenched. She thought she was prepared, but it seemed her body wasn’t in agreement with her mind. She got up from her chair and headed to the kitchen. Tony was standing in the doorway talking to Mrs. Weyland, who was getting something out of the refrigerator. River’s mother sat at the table eating a sandwich, and Watson was sitting on the floor next to her, obviously hoping Rose would drop something he could snatch up.

“There you are,” Mrs. Weyland said when she saw River. “Want some lunch?”

“Maybe a little something.” She looked at Tony. “How about you?” she asked. “Are you hungry?”

“No, thanks. Not now.” He turned abruptly and left the room, grabbing some bags on the floor next to him. Watson looked a little confused but ran after him. River was surprised. Was he upset about something? She started to follow him, but before she could, Mrs. Weyland stopped her.

“Honey, before you try talkin’ to him, let me say something.” Mrs. Weyland sat down at the table and motioned to River to do the same. River slipped into the chair next to her.

“Tony has lost his home and a lot of his possessions,” Mrs. Weyland said. “Right now, he’s probably a little angry about the whole thing. He likes feeling independent. Now he doesn’t know what he’s gonna do. He’s feelin’ a little lost. I realize we’re all supposed to be enlightened and everything, but a lot of men like to feel they’re in control. Feelin’ like they have to rely on someone else is hard for them, even if they know we care about them.”

“Surely it’s not because I’m a woman,” River said.

“Well, God set things up in a way that may not make some people comfortable nowadays, but God’s pretty okay with it. Men are supposed to see women as the weaker vessel. He wasn’t callin’ us weak, mind you. Most women I know are beyond strong. I think He meant that men are supposed to love and protect their wives. You two aren’t married, but I think Tony has a real desire to take care of you. Protect you. He got shot tryin’ to do just that. But now, he needs help himself.” She smiled at River. “Give him a little space. Tony’s a good man. A smart man. He’ll figure it out.”

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