Leann Sweeney - Pick Your Poison

“You don’t know the first thing about it.”

“Please try to understand,” she said. “I know we haven’t agreed on much, but I do love and care for you. I will always consider you my family.”

“If that’s true, which I doubt, I want the rest.” I sat down, every muscle tight with pain and rage.

“Okay. Where to start?” She hesitated, then said, “Charlie and Elizabeth desperately wanted a family, but she couldn’t have children, and because of her illness, because she wouldn’t last more than a few years at most, no agency would allow them to adopt.” “But surely some reputable lawyer rather than a criminal like Feldman could have arranged an adoption? Daddy was a better judge of people than to do business with him.”

“Desperation doesn’t make for clear vision, Abigail. Charlie knew Feldman was... an unsavory person, but he wanted to make Elizabeth’s dream of a family come true. He never anticipated that the woman would come looking for you years later.”

“That woman was my mother,” I said.

“Yes. I know. But Charlie didn’t kill her. He made mistakes, granted, errors in judgment, but he wasn’t a killer. Ask Willis. He’ll tell you. He was the one who found Feldman to begin with.”

Of course. Willis.

I pointed my finger at Aunt Caroline. “You can leave, but don’t you dare talk to Kate. She doesn’t know—and I’ll be the one to tell her.”

The rain had continued unabated for twenty-four hours and was threatening to send the bayous over their banks and flood the streets. But I had to see Willis before I told Kate the truth. She returned from school early—businesses and colleges were closing up shop because of possible flooding—so I borrowed her 4Runner to better maneuver through any high water, telling her I’d made an appointment for the much-needed tetanus shot. I didn’t feel too guilty about omitting the other part of my itinerary, because I really was going to the doctor.

The nurse at the clinic gave me the shot and samples of an anti-inflammatory medicine after the doctor pronounced me remarkably fit, considering my circumstances. I swallowed a couple of pills before leaving the office, and by the time I reached the CompuCan building, I was almost pain-free.

I paced nervously in Willis’s reception area while he finished with a client, and a few more pieces of the puzzle came together. Why hadn’t I seen through Willis’s attempts to stop me from investigating Ben’s murder, especially after he followed me all the way to Shade the day after it happened?

But before I could answer my own question, Willis opened his office door.

“Why, Abby,” he said, his client passing me on the way out. “I didn’t expect you. Say, what have you done to yourself?”

He made a move to touch my face, but I jerked my head away.

“You put on quite the dog and pony show, don’t you?” I brushed past him into his office and sat down in a client chair.

“What do you mean?” he asked, following at my heels and then perching on the desk.

“Tell me, Willis. How did you keep up this masquerade so long?” I crossed my legs, rotating my foot in agitated circles.

He straightened his tie. “Could you start again? Obviously you’re upset, but I’m not sure why.”

“I pegged Aunt Caroline as a liar and a cheat long ago. But you? No, you and Daddy had me buffaloed. Tell me... was he paying you to keep quiet, too, like he paid Aunt Caroline?”

I read sadness in his eyes and wondered if the emotion was for himself or for Kate and me.

His secretary poked her head in the door. “If you don’t mind, Mr. Hatch, I’ll head home. They say we’re in for heavy flooding, and my subdivision entrance fills when the weatherman even mentions rain. Can I get you anything before I go?”

“No, Dolores. Go on.”

I waited until she was gone, then said, “I want answers.”

When he finally spoke, he sounded resigned. “You couldn’t leave it alone, could you? I told you not to pursue this, Abby. Now you and Kate have been hurt.”

“What about the ones already hurt? The ultimate hurt. As in dead . Tell me, Willis, did you help Daddy... or did he help you?”

“What are you talking about?” Willis looked tired and confused.

“I’m talking about you and Daddy murdering my mother. He wasn’t around to help you with Ben, though. You handled that murder all by yourself, didn’t you? Ben must have been ready to tell Kate and me the truth and so you killed him. Killed him for a stupid thirty-year-old secret.”

He blinked several times. “That’s ridiculous. Where did you ever get the idea that I, or your father, for that matter—”

“You knew Ben’s real identity, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I’ll admit I did, but—”

“If you’re so innocent, if you didn’t kill him, why didn’t you share what you knew with the police?”

“Because I—”

“Oh, I know why.” I stood, leaned close to his face, and poked my finger in his chest. “You were covering up. You had a hand in an illegal adoption, and even if the statute of limitations had long passed, you’d be in serious trouble with the bar. Your reputation would be ruined.”

“You think I’m a killer?”

“You had motive, and you sure as hell had the opportunity to fix up that cyanide trap.”

“I certainly didn’t want you and Kate to find out about the adoption from Ben, but I didn’t kill him, and neither Charlie nor I murdered your mother.”

“I’ve been lied to my whole life. Why should I believe anything you say?”

“Charlie didn’t even know your mother’s name when he adopted you two. He didn’t want to know. I handled the deal with Feldman.”

“Because what you were doing was illegal, right?”

“That, and he feared that if you knew your mother was alive, you’d want to find her one day.” He reached out to touch me and I shrank from his outstretched hand. “You have every right to be angry, Abby, but—”

“Angry? Angry doesn’t begin to cover it.” I turned away, hugging my arms, trying to contain the pain his betrayal had caused.

“Charlie thought he had all the bases covered. Feldman assured us no one would know. Said the mother didn’t want you. So when she showed up...” He shook his head. “Charlie was devastated. But I swear he had nothing to do with murder.”

I turned back. “Quit lying, Willis.”

“That’s the God’s truth.”

“So how did you find out she was looking for us?”

“Feldman called. God, Charlie was furious. He blamed everything on me at first. Said I should have researched the mother. But I could tell he realized this was as much his fault as mine. And then he took off for Galveston to deal with Feldman himself.”

“And not long after Cloris Grayson died. You’re telling me that was all Feldman’s doing? You still insist you and Daddy had nothing to do with her murder?”

“We didn’t know the woman was dead until Ben showed up.”

“Why don’t you just tell the truth? Because I’m going to the police with what I know no matter what.”

“Go ahead. But before you do that, get all the facts,” he said. “I happen to know Ben and your father made some sort of agreement right before Charlie died.”

The room was quiet, in stark contrast to the scene outside, where wind was hurling rain at the windows. Beyond, the sky was as dark as night.

“What kind of agreement?”

“I’m not sure, but I don’t think Charlie would have contacted Feldman. He hated the man.” He shook his head, looking puzzled.

“Did you know Daddy made Judge Hayes resign? Were you sweating bullets that night at the country club while I blabbed on about her?”