Betrayal - Fern Michaels [117]
“How are things at the bank? Were they able to find all the money missing from your accounts? And your mortgage company? Have they told you your home is in foreclosure?”
All the years Kate spent sacrificing herself were worth it just for the look of shock on Debbie’s face. “How do you know about that?”
“Oh come on, Debbie. You aren’t that stupid! Then again, maybe you are. You never were the brightest star in the sky, if I remember correctly. I guess that hasn’t changed much either.”
Debbie remained silent. Kate saw fear in her eyes. She wondered if Debbie knew the fear Alex felt as he was being stabbed to death. The fear he’d felt when he’d been convicted for a crime that never happened.
“Tell me what it is you want.”
“We’re going to play give-and-take. I have something you want. You have something I want. Is that simple enough for you?”
“Just spit it out, Kate.”
“We’re playing this game on my terms, Mrs. Winter, not yours, so shut up!” Kate shoved the monitor off the desk, sending it crashing to the floor. Next, she hurled the ashtray into the air like a Frisbee. Ashes went everywhere.
“What—”
Kate held up her hand. “My terms. Remember that.”
Debbie leaned back in her chair as Kate came to her side of the desk.
“These are my terms. Listen, because I’m only going to say them once. Tomorrow at noon, that’s twelve o’clock, big hand on the twelve, little hand on the twelve. Are you getting this? I can speak slower if you’d like.”
Kate loved the looks racing across Debbie’s face. She’d give a million dollars if Alex could be there to witness them.
“Are you?” Kate shouted.
“I’m getting it, okay?” Debbie shouted back.
“You don’t have to raise your voice, I can hear you just fine. Now, I was saying. At noon tomorrow I want to see you, Don, Sara, and Emily at this location.” Kate tossed a slip of paper to her.
“Are you out of your mind? Emily hasn’t been home since she left for college. What makes you think you can convince her to come home?”
“Tell her Aunt Kate is waiting to see her. I promise she’ll come. I know her better than you might think.”
“And what do I get in return?” Debbie shot back.
“Oh, you’ll have to wait. I’m not telling you now. That wouldn’t be fun at all. Be at that address tomorrow. Twelve o’clock sharp, or all that cash that’s just hanging in cyberspace will mysteriously work its way into . . . the account of some more deserving person. Perhaps someone like Donald Trump or Warren Buffett.
“Now, I want you to have a nice day, Mrs. Winter. And by the way, if I find out that you’ve reprimanded Melanie in any way for her very, very small part in this, well, I think you know what I can do. You’d best get busy. Bye now.” Kate practically floated out of the office.
Kate watched Coleman watch her. They’d been up all night planning their strategy. It was eleven forty-five. Fifteen minutes to see if Kate’s plan would work.
“What will we do if Emily doesn’t show?” Coleman asked Kate.
“Oh, I think she will. Debbie can be very persuasive when she needs to be, especially if the almighty dollar is at stake. I’ve thought a lot about getting even with Debbie and Sara these past years. I wanted it more than anything. And now I just want it to be over. I want to move on.”
“I understand. I can’t wait to get to my cabin in the mountains.” Coleman was smiling.
“You really enjoy your place, don’t you?”
“More than anywhere I go.”
“You know, you’ve never told me where your cabin was. Is there a reason?” Kate hoped she wasn’t putting him on the spot. Maybe he liked having his privacy. Maybe he didn’t want her or anyone else to know the location of his cabin.
“No, there is no reason. I thought Alex might have told you. We’d talked about spending a few quiet days there when he came home. Black Mountain, North Carolina. I love it there, too. You’ll have to come and stay at the cabin, Kate. I have a state-of-the-art kitchen. Anything I want, I just hop into my plane and fly to Asheville, Charlotte. It’s the best