Magnificent Folly - Iris Johansen [29]
“Don’t get so upset. It’s not good for you.” Andrew frowned with concern. “Quenby has training as a nurse and says she doesn’t think it’s more than a mild concussion, but you should take it easy and—”
“Don’t get upset?” Lily sat bolt upright in bed, ignoring the jolt of pain in her temple the movement caused her. “My daughter has been kidnapped by …” She trailed off as she lifted her hand wearily to her head. “I don’t know who they were. I don’t even know why they took her. I thought they were burglars, but one of them said … For some reason they wanted Cassie. Ransom? For God’s sake, do they think I’d live in a cheap bungalow like that if I had any money? And what if it wasn’t ransom?” Panic iced through her. “What if they hurt her, Andrew? What if—”
“They won’t hurt her, love. I promise you.”
“How can you promise anything?” Lily swung her feet to the floor. “I have to call the sheriff. I saw one of the men. I can give them a description. That should help them to find him. Maybe I can look at some mug shots and identify—”
“These men wouldn’t be in the mug books, Lily.”
“They could be. You don’t know if—” She broke off as she caught sight of his expression. “Dear God,” she whispered. “You do know.” She couldn’t comprehend it. Andrew knew these men. He knew something about Cassie’s disappearance. It was all a part of this nightmare from which there was no awakening. She gazed at him in horror. “You did this?”
“No.” Andrew’s voice was sharp. “Do you think I’m a monster? I wanted to kill when I saw you standing on the doorstep last night.”
“Then you know who did it,” Lily said flatly. “You know who took Cassie.”
“Yes.” Andrew’s lips twisted. “So perhaps I am to blame. I wasn’t absolutely sure they were tracking you and Cassie, so I took a chance on waiting to see if I could persuade you to come with me willingly.”
“A con instead of a blackjack?” Lily asked coldly. “You might have succeeded. You certainly showed a talent for the game.” She shook her head incredulously. “I was actually beginning to believe in you.”
“Lily, everything I told you was the truth.”
“Your confederates are going to be disappointed when they find out I’m not a pigeon worth plucking.” She laughed harshly. “You should have kept in closer touch with them, and they wouldn’t have expended such needless effort. I can see how the newspaper publicity might have made it appear Cassie was the goose who laid a stockpile of golden eggs, but—”
“This isn’t about money, Lily.”
“What do you mean? Of course it’s about money. What else could it be?”
Andrew leaned wearily back in his chair. “It’s about Cassie. And about me.”
“What are you saying?”
“There won’t be a ransom note.”
She gazed at him in silence. “You said you wouldn’t try to take her away from me, you bastard.”
“I won’t. I didn’t. These are not my confederates, dammit. They don’t want Cassie because they think they might get money from you. They want her because they know she’s my child.”
“That’s absurd. They couldn’t know. Henry wouldn’t talk to a stranger.”
“Henry didn’t have to tell them. A month ago his office was broken into and his files were stolen. They were in code, but we knew a cryptologist could probably break it, given enough time. Henry notified us at once, but it was too late to detect any traces by the time our team reached the university.”
“Wait a minute.” Lily held up her hand. “Why were his records in code?”
“They are … were confidential.”
“Of course, but that seems a little extreme.”
Andrew was silent.
“And why were they particularly interested in your daughter? Are you a Wall Street tycoon or something? Maybe a member of the millionaire boys club?”
Andrew flinched. “Lily, I know this is difficult for you, but—”
“Well, are you?”
“I have enough money to be comfortable. Money is easy to come by in the Clanad. We don’t need much in Sedikhan.” He paused. “But I told you this isn’t about money. I won’t receive a ransom note either.”
“Then, by all that’s holy, what is it about?”
Andrew shook his head.