Annie's Rainbow - Fern Michaels [94]
“If you like, we can have a traditional Hawaiian wedding later on. I like the idea of marrying you twice,” Parker said jubilantly.
Annie winced. She wasn’t sure she wanted to get married once, let alone twice.
“That’s exactly what we’ll do,” Parker said sprightly. “The family is big, Annie.”
“My family is very small. Speaking of family, how is your nephew doing?”
“Right now, Ben isn’t doing so good. It seems one of his law professors assigned each student a police case to solve. By that I mean a case that’s still on the books. I think he said it was over thirteen years old. The professor divided the youngsters into teams, and Ben and a fellow student named Andreas were assigned a case that took place in Boston back when you were just leaving for South Carolina. That’s if my memory is correct. You never said anything about a bank robbery to me, did you, Annie?”
“No, I don’t think so. If it’s the case I’m thinking of, it happened the day before graduation, then Jane and I left right after graduation the following day.”
“Well, Ben has himself in a tizzy over this. Wanted my advice as to how to go about it.”
Annie felt like she had a scoop of peanut butter in her mouth. She tried clearing her throat, but it felt so dry she gulped at the warm ice tea on the little table next to her chair. She finally managed to say, “What ... what’s he going to do?”
“That’s just it. He doesn’t know what to do. Andreas is a French student, and his English isn’t that good. He wants to do the paperwork and the files and have Ben do all the legwork. Ben says it’s fair. He just doesn’t know where to start. I told him to go to the police and get the report, then the library for all the articles that were written, and from there I would imagine he should go to the insurance company. What’s your opinion?”
Annie mumbled something, and a moment later couldn’t remember what it was she’d said. “I hear Daisy, Parker. I want to get to her before the dogs start to bark and wake Jane. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“I love you, and don’t you ever forget it.”
Annie broke the connection and replaced the phone. It took both her hands to hold on to the receiver. She felt so faint she had to put her head between her legs. Is this pure coincidence or something else? Now what am I supposed to do? Run? Hide? Call off my marriage to Parker? Should I tell Jane and Elmo? Maybe Jane, but not Elmo. Elmo has enough on his plate right now. God, what should I do? How can one person be so happy one minute and then so miserable the next?
Shaking from head to toe, Annie crept from her room and down the steps to the kitchen, the dogs trotting alongside her. Her whole body felt like it was on fire as she made her way to the garden. She needed to think, but her brain felt numb. Maybe what she was feeling was the first step in a nervous breakdown. God in heaven, what will happen to everything if I’m reduced to a blithering idiot? How will Tom cope? Jane is in a fragile state, as is Daisy, and Elmo is ... is ill. I can’t tell any of them. I can’t ask any of them for help. There isn’t one other person in the whole world I can talk to.
Perhaps I should consult a lawyer or a shrink. They are bound by confidentiality oaths. Going it alone is tough. Damn it, I gave half the money back plus interest. I’ll pack up the rest and drop it off on my way to New Jersey tomorrow. I’ve tried to lead a good life. So I made one mistake. I’ve paid for it dearly every day of my life.
Annie cried then because there was nothing else for her to do.
At four o’clock in the morning, Annie climbed the stairs to her room, her back ramrod stiff, her eyes dry and miserable. She was like a robot as she pulled out the chair nestled underneath the cherry wood secretary. From one of the drawers she withdrew letterhead stationery and a pen. She took a deep breath as she started to compose her letter.
Dear Parker,
I don’t know quite how to say this, Parker, other than to just come out and say it. I can’t marry you. I realized after talking to you this evening that I