Annie's Rainbow - Fern Michaels [133]
“Mercy, child, the boy was in one psychiatric facility after the other. There is a list of psychiatrists as long as your arm in the Rolodex. Andrew had every psychiatric test there was. He was so smart, he could anticipate the questions and give the right answers, then gloat about it. I guess he just wore Mr. Pearson down. It became easier to look the other way because he was afraid of the young man. This is all detailed in the report we drew up for you.”
“Why me? Why did Andrew single me out?”
“He convinced himself you had the money, and had you turned it in, he would have gotten a lesser sentence or he could have plea-bargained and gotten community service. It isn’t true, but he thinks it is. It is indicative of his mental state to blame everyone else. If you wait here, I’ll get the report.”
“He probably knows I’m here. I think he’s watching me and my friends. What will you say if he comes here after I leave?”
“We’ll say whatever you want us to say.”
“Tell him to call me at the Four Seasons. I’ll meet him wherever he wants. Of course, if he’s afraid of a face-to-face confrontation, tell him I understand the coward’s way out. I appreciate you talking to me. I’m very sorry, Mr. Pearson.”
Garbled sounds came from the man’s scrawny throat. Annie looked questioningly at the nurse. “I think he’s trying to tell you to be careful.” Annie nodded.
At a loss as to what to say or do, Annie paced the sickroom. She was not unaware of the priceless oriental rugs and the antiques that filled the room. Where would they all go when Mr. Pearson died? Would being cut out of his father’s will push Andrew over the edge? In her opinion, he was already over the edge.
The nurse returned with a legal-size manila envelope. It was so fat, a rubber band was needed to close it. Annie stuffed it into her carryall and zipped it closed.
As she descended the steps she realized how fearful she really was and what she was up against. Knowing it and doing something about it were two different things.
Annie looked at her watch. She’d been gone from the hotel for two and a half hours. Time to get back. Time to get Elmo dressed so she could take him to his old pharmacy. She hoped the old dear was up to the trip.
Back at the hotel, Annie turned the rental car over to the valet. She smiled wearily as the doorman held the door for her. She felt tired, sad, and vulnerable. All she wanted to do was lie down and go to sleep and pretend this particular time in her life was all a bad dream. She wished, the way she’d wished a thousand times over, that she could turn the clock back and be that eager young woman living in the cramped little apartment with Jane.
“Annie!”
“Parker! What are you doing here?” This wasn’t a bad dream—it was a damn nightmare. Surely she was going to wake up any minute now, in her own bed. She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them. Parker was still standing in front of her.
“I flew my nephew here, the one I told you about. Annie, Annie, why didn’t you tell me about that little episode in your life? I thought we agreed to be open and honest with each other. According to Ben, it’s a closed case and will probably never be solved. I couldn’t figure out what made you do such a turnaround. It finally dawned on me that it was when I mentioned Ben and his project that you called everything off. I think you owed me more than a Fed Ex letter, Annie. I thought we were in love. We mapped out our lives for years to come.”
“The middle of a hotel lobby is not the place to discuss this, Parker. It was more than that, and we both know it. Yes, Jane, Elmo, and I were under suspicion after the bank robbery. To this day we are under suspicion. It was a harrowing experience being hounded like that. It wasn’t something I felt comfortable talking about. It also wasn’t any of your business. Just like what you were and probably still are doing in that laboratory of yours.