A Silken Thread - Brenda Jackson [109]
“What do you mean?”
“I know for a fact that her sister Blair is alive, although Karen fabricated the funeral years ago to make us think other wise.”
Rita nearly dropped the phone out of her hands. “What?”
“Yes, I only found out because I came across the checks Karen has been writing for her care in a private exclusive nursing home. She makes sure Blair is getting the best of care, but just to think Karen went so far as to fabricate her sister’s death and funeral lets me know she is capable of doing just about anything.”
“Yet you stayed with her?”
“Yes, only because I figured, with the way Karen thinks, if people knew Blair had finally come out of her coma it would be embarrassing for Karen. Blair was her younger sister, beautiful and vibrant. The car accident took place a week before she was to get married.”
“How awful.”
“Yes, it was. But if Karen has managed to keep Blair a secret all these years then it wouldn’t surprise me what else she can manage to do.”
The thought of that sent chills down Rita’s spine. “Brian has hired a private detective, his best friend, and Matt is good and feels he has a personal stake in this. Someone is out to ruin Brian’s happiness and Matt’s not going to be satisfied until he finds out who it is.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Over the next couple of weeks Brian tried to continue to hold his life together, going to work and coming home while hoping Matt would have something for him that would explain the madness he was going through.
Erica still refused his calls and he’d even thought about flying to Hattersville to confront her again but followed Matt’s advice not to do so. They both needed time to think and Brian was hoping, praying, that eventually she would realize what a mistake she’d made in not believing in him, in not trusting him completely. More than anything that is what hurt him the most.
He might be wrong but it seemed Donna was deliberately keeping her distance. Matt had decided he would check her out first, verify she was not involved in any way.
Brian stood and walked over to the office window to glance out. Basically he was a man operating on autopilot. He went home every day, ate dinner and went to bed. He tried getting absorbed in his court cases and would admit they helped tremendously. But it was late at night, when he thought of Erica the most, that the pain tore through him.
He turned when the phone rang and moved to his desk to pick it up. “Yes, Jessie?”
“Matt Seacrest is on the line for you, Mr. Lawson.”
“Please put him through.” He hadn’t heard from Matt since last week and hoped he was calling because he’d found out something. “Matt?”
“I found out some things that might interest you, man. When can we meet?”
Erica was glad to be home but even within these walls she felt only bone-deep loneliness. She had returned to find her father had moved out and was living in one of those exclusive apartments near the lake. And now most everyone in town knew her parents were getting a divorce and the reason for it. This was a small town and news, good or bad, traveled fast. Her mother had had a lot of messages waiting for her when she returned. Erica was sure they were from her mother’s country club buddies, who were eager to give her a shoulder to cry on while getting their ears filled with what they thought would be some juicy gossip.
Erica hadn’t seen her father since she and her mother had returned a couple of weeks ago. He had wanted to meet with her but the pain of his betrayal was still raw and, now that he was actually going through with the divorce and had moved out, she was more torn than ever. A part of her wanted to understand what had driven him to such madness. Was this nothing but a middle-age crisis?
And she would have to admit that more than once over the past few weeks she had questioned herself, wondering if she’d jumped to conclusions, been too quick in accusing Brian. Her mother was worried about her and had tried getting Erica to stay a few days with her. But she had needed the privacy of her own place. She