Christmas at Timberwoods - Fern Michaels [32]
“But Angela Steinhart’s a mental case! You’d believe some kid who’s so screwed up she doesn’t know what day of the week it is? Fools! This mall stays open, and I don’t want to hear another word about it.”
“Over my dead body,” Eric shouted. “Don’t be stupid! Get your brains in gear and do something now, before it’s too late!”
“You’re going too far, Summers. Your chief won’t like it. And I don’t have to sit here and listen to this!” Richards shouted angrily.
“You don’t have to, but you’d better. All this is too much of a coincidence. The bomb threat, the Steinhart girl coming to talk to Heather . . .” Lex faced Richards’s fury.
“You’re a jackass, Lassiter. I’m warning you, stay out of this. No one is shutting down my mall. No one is going to tell me what to do, not even Homeland Security. I should have all of you thrown in jail.”
“Try it,” Summers said coldly.
Harold stood up, his short legs trembling. “I’m on your side, Summers, for whatever it’s worth. I vote to close and I’ll tell the police so. I am the chief of security.”
“Not any longer. You’re fired!” Richards shouted.
“My contract says you have to give me two weeks’ notice,” Harold laughed, enjoying his own private joke. “I really don’t care if you fire me or not. I’ll stay for my two weeks and you can’t do anything about it.”
“You’re too stupid to get a job anywhere else. I’ll hold you responsible, Baumgarten, if this insane prediction gets spread around.”
Harold continued to laugh. He walked around to the portable bar and poured himself a glass of brandy. He held the glass aloft and said, “To all the stupid fools the world over.” He took one gulp of the fiery liquid and poured the remainder over Richards’s desk.
Stunned, Richards watched the brandy seeping into his trousers before jumping to his feet. “You’re out of your minds, all of you! Get out before I throw you out!”
Outside Richards’s office, Lex turned to Heather and put his hands on her shoulders, gently squeezing them. “You need to get some rest. Go on home. I’ll be in touch.”
Heather leaned toward him, needing his strength. “But what are you going to do?” she asked, knowing there were purple shadows of fatigue under her eyes and not caring. Something was developing between Lex and herself, something that went deeper than smudged makeup and disheveled hair. This was something that came from the inside out.
“Lex is going to come home with me,” Summers explained. “I’ve got a connection through the police force with a man by the name of Noel Dayton. I’ve already called him and he’s going to meet me at home. I don’t want to make this official by talking to him in the office or downtown at the station.”
“Who’s Noel Dayton?” Heather asked.
“He’s a police psychiatrist from New York City. I’d like him to talk to Angela.”
Lex wrapped an arm around Heather’s waist and started walking. “You’ve had a long day. I’ll walk you down to your car.” Lex smiled down at her, his concern evident. “We’ll get a fresh start in the morning. And another thing—I don’t want you losing sleep over this,” he added sternly. “We’re going to do our best, and that’s all any of us can do.”
Heather nodded gratefully. “Will I see you later?” she asked, hoping he would catch her silent invitation.
“I’ll give you a call,” he said, smiling.
“Harold, you should be in on this, too.” Summers turned to address the chief. “You will come home with me, won’t you?”
“Of course. I’m chief of security. I’ll do everything I can.”
“Thanks for the backup in Richards’s office. If we stand together maybe we can get to the bottom of this.” Summers’s voice was weary. “I don’t know what to believe at this point. All I know is that the bomb threat seemed real and tangible. I could hold that letter in my hand and look at it. This Steinhart thing, well, I just don’t know. But I do know that we’ve got to follow every lead, look into every corner. If Angela knows something, we’ve got to make her tell us. That’s where my concerns lie. I had an old sergeant in