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Jacques brought a hand to his mouth. “Oh, Lord. I didn’t think of that either, Cin.”
“There you go,” Officer Brooks nodded grimly. “It appears that Mr. Lombardo wasted no time tracking your address and getting a couple of his—um, friends—to visit your home. It sounds like Annette must have seen them arrive and instantly took off in her car.” He paused. “Or she may have even left while your husband was being attacked.”
What he said left me physically ill. I didn’t want to believe such a thing was true. Would Annette really have taken off to save her own skin while her brother was being brutally beaten because of her? She didn’t even call the police about the crime taking place because she was worried that they knew about her indiscretions.
As I’d suspected from the beginning, Annette had her own agenda. No one mattered except for herself. Greg had been wrong about his sister while I’d been right, but the knowledge gave me no pleasure.
“We’ll keep looking for her right away,” Officer Brooks offered.
“She could be on her way to Canada by now,” I remarked. “What if you don’t find her?”
“Try to think positive, Mrs. York.” Officer Brooks said. “I’ll check in with you tomorrow to see how your husband’s doing. By the way, the investigation is finished at your house. If you want to go home and clean up now, that’s fine. If photos are needed for your insurance company claim, I can get those to you.”
He said goodbye to Jacques and then left the hospital. Weakly, I sat down in a chair. “I don’t believe this. What am I supposed to do, Jacques? My kids can’t stay there!”
“And neither can you.” Jacques sat down next to me. “That’s why you’ll all be staying at my house.”
I stared at him in amazement. “No, that’s too much trouble. We can’t put you out like that. I have no idea how long this will go on for and—”
Jacques raised a hand in the air to silence me. “I’ve been thinking about it while you and Brooks were visiting Greg. Given the circumstances, there’s no way that I’d ever let you stay alone with the kids in case those guys come back. Ed agrees with me, so the matter is settled.”
“I don’t know what to say.” A sob escaped from my lips as I reached out to hug my friend. “Except for thank you.”
Jacques offered me a handkerchief which I accepted gratefully. “You don’t have to say anything. I know you’d do the same thing for me.”
“But there’s so many of us. It seems like such an imposition.”
“No imposition at all,” Jacques said cheerfully. “We’ll go back to your house, and I’ll help you clean up. Ed would come too, but he’s keeping an eye on Bolin. He’s got a cold and Ed doesn’t want to leave him, but I am at your disposal. If we can get everything done tonight, the kids won’t have to know what really happened to Greg. Maybe you could say the house was robbed.”
I rose to my feet and hugged him again. “It will be nice to have company tonight. But I can’t stay at your house. The kids can, but I need to stay here and take care of the animals.”
Jacques let out an exaggerated sigh. “Well, if you feel that way, then I have no choice but to stay there with you.”
His offer touched me deeply. “Thank you, but that isn’t necessary.”
“It is necessary,” he said. “And I don’t want to hear any further arguments about it.”
“You’re amazing.”
Jacques looked pleased with himself. “Yes, I have been told that before. Now, come on, darling. Text Darcy and tell her to take Miss Grace to my house. Ed’s expecting them there for dinner. This way, they don’t have to see the mess. After we finish cleaning up, you can pack an overnight bag for the kids and I can drop it off.”
“You’re the boss.” I typed out a quick message to Darcy, letting her know Greg was okay and that she and Grace were to go to Ed’s. After the shopping expedition, she had taken Grace with her to visit a friend, waiting to hear from me when they could go home.
Jacques leaned over my shoulder as I typed. “How did Darcy take the news when you told her?”
I pressed Send and looked up. “Not well. I’m afraid it’s made her hate Annette all the more. She blames her for everything that’s happened. I’ve got to admit that I’m not crazy about Annette right now, either.”
“Try to look on the bright side,” Jacques suggested. “At least you got rid of her. Not in the way you would have preferred, but I think it’s safe to say you won’t be seeing her again for a while.”
The doors to the waiting room flew open, and Helen rushed in. She glanced around the area, her blue eyes frantic and wild. A look of genuine relief flooded her face when she spotted me. “Cindy! How is my son?”
“He’s going to be okay, Helen.” This was the first time I had ever seen the woman looking out of sorts. Helen’s appearance was always polished, but today was an exception. Her short hair was a mess, the silk blouse she wore wrinkled, and her eyes swollen and red, as if she’d been crying. Pity tugged at my heart, and I reached out to touch her arm. She didn’t move away. “They gave him something for the pain, and he’s sleeping now.”
“I want to see him,” she insisted.
“Of course. I’ll take you back, but then Jacques and I are going to leave. The doctor said they’re moving him upstairs to a regular room soon. He prefers that Greg doesn’t have any overnight visitors, so I’m going home to clean up the mess before the kids see it.”
She bit into her lower lip. “This is Annette’s fault, isn’t it? The men who did this—do they have her? Was she kidnapped?”
I shook my head. “We think she’s okay. It sounds like she took off before the men could get to her.”
Helen exhaled a long, shaky breath and sat down in my vacated chair. She gripped the sides of it with her hands and stared straight ahead. “I don’t know where Doug and I went wrong with that girl. All she ever gave us was heartbreak.”
There wasn’t much I could say to that.
My mother-in-law reached into her purse for a tissue and looked up at me. “All I ever wanted for her was to marry a nice man and hopefully give me grandchildren one day. But she never wanted children. She said that they would take up too much of her time. So instead, she made men her obsession, even as a teenager. It was—deplorable.”
She paused for several seconds before continuing. “Over the years, Greg told me to forget about the past and give her another chance. We were even starting to have somewhat normal phone conversations a couple of times a year. Then, this had to happen.” A vein bulged in her forehead. “If the police find her, she is no longer welcome in my house. I want nothing to do with her again.”
Whoa. I sucked in some air. “You don’t mean that.”
“Yes, I do.” She rose to her feet and gazed into my eyes with an expression I hadn’t seen before. “I never thought I’d say this, Cindy, but—” Helen paused and stared down at the floor. “I wish my daughter had been more like you.”
The words rendered me speechless, and for a second I was afraid that I might pass out from shock. After years of insulting my cooking, clothes, and career, I was ill prepared for a compliment from my mother-in-law.
“How long will Greg be here?” Helen wanted to know.
“Only a day or two,” I said. “The kids and I will be staying with Jacques and Ed until it’s safe to go back home.”
Jacques spoke up. “Greg too, as soon as he’s well enough to leave the hospital.”
Helen forced a smile to her lips. “It’s very generous of you to open your house to my family. Thank you.”
It was a day for miracles. Helen never even bothered to address Jacques before.
He merely shrugged in response. “Cindy is my dearest friend. To me she is family. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her.”
“Yes, of course.” Helen’s eyes lit up. “Wait, I have an idea! What about letting the kids stay with me for a while?”
“All four of them?” I couldn’t believe that she was offering. Yes, Helen adored her grandchildren, but she could barely manage the twins on her best day.
“Well, Darcy is an adult. She could help me.” Helen was clearly pleased with her idea. “I’d love to have them, and it would make me feel that I was doing something to help Greg during this awful time—and you, too.”
I was touched by her offer, but Helen’s place was half the size of Jacques, and I secretly suspected that the kids would quickly drive her insane. A compromise might work, though. “What if I send Grace and Darcy to stay with you for the night? They’ve gone to Ed’s for dinner, but I could send them over afterwards.”
Helen’s face beamed. “That would be wonderful. I’d love some alone time with my granddaughters.” She glanced at her watch. “I plan to stay here with Greg for a little while then I’ll stop over at your house to pick up their things. This way, I’ll be waiting for them when they arrive.”
“It’s very nice of you to offer, Helen.” For the first time ever, I felt sorry for my mother-in-law. Helen was disappointed in her daughter and the life that Annette had chosen for herself. I had no idea of everything she might have put her parents through over the years, but it was clear she had given them a great deal of heartache. Greg had never talked much about Annette in the past, and this was probably why. He had wanted to give her another chance to work things out with her family, while Helen had been skeptical. How sad that everything had managed to go so wrong.
“I’m delighted to do it,” Helen said. “Now, will you take me to see my son?”
Helen reached out a hand, willing me to take it. The gesture was small, but it represented so much in our relationship. As I stared back at Helen, there was something in her eyes I had never seen before. Acceptance. By no means did this suggest that our relationship was going to be free of thorns in the future, but after twenty-three years, we might finally be making some sort of progress.
With a smile, I took her hand in mine and squeezed it. “I’d be happy to.”
***
“This has been a first for me,” Jacques declared. “I never thought I’d see the day when you and Helen from Hell would make peace.”
I watched as Helen backed her car down the driveway and drove away. She’d come to get an overnight bag for Grace and Darcy and seemed excited about spending the night with them.
With a sigh, I rubbed my eyes wearily and walked over to the mop pail that I’d abandoned when she’d arrived. “Yeah, well, miracles can happen. But I’m not getting my hopes up. I don’t think we’ll ever have a cozy mother and daughter type of relationship. We’re learning to tolerate each other though.”
Jacques tied up a garbage bag which he’d filled with broken dishes and glasses. “Hey, it’s a step in the right direction.”
“Definitely.” I tried to hold back a yawn as I scrubbed at the marks on the kitchen wall. I wasn’t sure how much longer I’d last before passing out for the night.
“Any idea how much the damage might be?” Jacques wanted to know. “Can you put it on your homeowner’s insurance?”
I squeezed out a sponge into the pail “No idea. I hate to file a claim because we had one last year for our well pump. And you know what that means. Once you have multiple claims, they start thinking about canceling your insurance.”
“You’ve got a point there,” Jacques agreed.
“The only thing I’m concerned about right now is Greg’s health, and my kids’ safety. While you were on the phone with Ed, Helen told me that she saw the doctor after we left. She asked him how long Greg might be out of work, and he said Greg should stay out for at least a couple of weeks. He’s got a short-term disability policy through his employer, which helps, but things are going to be tight financially for a while.”
“Don’t worry, love.” Jacques put an arm around my shoulders. “If you need anything, just say the word. I’m happy to help. And Ed is too.”
A lump the size of a mountain formed in my throat. “I’m so lucky to have you both.”
“Likewise, my dear.”
I turned back to the wall. Spots of blood decorated the wood trim along the bottom, which nearly brought me to tears again. No. I had to pull myself together. Greg was going to be fine, and the kids were all safe. With a deep breath, I scrubbed furiously at the spots until they faded. If only the rest of my problems disappeared so easily. “We’ll have to postpone the birthday party for at least a month.”
“You can still have it,” Jacques said. “Maybe it would help to lift his spirits.”
“No way. Greg’s too proud. He won’t want anyone to see his injuries. It’s bad enough that some of his coworkers will ask questions. I’ll have to call his boss tomorrow and tell him what happened. Hopefully he’ll keep it under wraps.”
Jacques nodded in understanding. “It’s the male ego at work, my dear. I can relate. Remember the time we were held hostage in the house you had for sale? That maniac almost beat me to death before you arrived. I didn’t want anyone to know about it, either.”
“Yes, I remember very well.” Too well, in fact. “You kept sending other agents in your place for showings and closing until the swelling had gone down.” Hey, I didn’t blame him. I’d probably have done the same thing in his position.
The doorbell rang, startling us both. Rusty and Dobby, who had been sleeping on the sofa in the living room, began to bark and rushed for the door. My heart leapt into my throat. I dropped the sponge back into the water and slowly stole into the living room.
Jacques held up a hand, motioning me to wait. He withdrew his revolver from his briefcase. “Let me have a look first and see who it is, Cin.”
With bated breath, I waited as Jacques crept towards the front door. He moved the curtain slightly to one side and then lowered the gun to his waist. “It’s two women. Oh, wait. The younger one is Libby, Ed’s new waitress.”
Relief swept over me. “I didn’t know he hired her. That’s great.”
“Yes, she started last night. Bolin and I popped in for dinner and Ed introduced us.”
“It must be Gretchen who’s with her.” I gestured at his gun and went to open the door. “Put that away. They’ll freak if they see it.”
Jacques retreated to the kitchen to put the gun back in his briefcase while I opened the door. Both women smiled when they saw me. Libby was carrying a white bakery box in her hands. She was still in her new restaurant uniform and had an apron draped over her arm.
“Hi, Mrs. York.” Her face lit up like the sun when she saw Jacques. “Hi, Mr. Forte. I just wanted to say thank you for helping me get the job at The Silver Platter. It’s such an awesome place to work! I made over two hundred dollars in tips!”
“Wow, Libby, that’s great. I’m so glad I could help,” I said.
She held out the box to me. “I brought a German chocolate cake for everyone. I don’t know if you’d had dessert yet, but it will keep till tomorrow.”
“How sweet of you.” I hesitated about letting them inside, given the condition of the place, but it was clear they were expecting me to do so. “Come on in. Please excuse the mess.”
Gretchen shut the door behind her, and they followed me in. Libby gasped when she saw the broken coffee table. “Did someone have an accident?”
“Cindy, is everything all right?” Gretchen wanted to know.
Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t reveal what had happened, but there was a chance Todd might have been involved. What if Gio hadn’t seen my name on the credit card slip after all? What if Gio had found Todd first and he told him where Annette had gone? He was still bitter about her cheating on him.
“Libby, would you excuse your mother and me for a second?” I asked.
She drew her eyebrows together. “What’s going on?”
I went into the kitchen, and they followed me. Libby set the apron and bakery box down on the kitchen table. “Is this about my father, Mrs. York? Did he come here drunk and trash your house?”
Gretchen laid a hand on her daughter’s arm. “Cindy, it’s all right. Libby knows all about her father’s drinking problem. The man can’t go an hour without having a beer. I only hope he didn’t come here in some kind of drunken rage and frighten you half to death.”
Libby’s lower lip trembled. “Maybe if you’d take him back, he’d stop drinking, Mom. Dad needs someone to care about him. And I know that deep down you still love him.”
Gretchen averted her eyes. “It’s not the time nor place to discuss this. Cindy has enough problems of her own. You need to realize that your father and I are never getting back together.”
“He needs your help, not your judgement!” Libby said angrily. “He’s sorry for everything that happened. People make mistakes.”
“Honey, it’s not that simple,” Gretchen sighed. “We’ve been apart far too long.”
Libby’s nostrils flared. “If it wasn’t for that awful woman, you’d still be together.”
Gretchen’s jaw dropped. “Libby! No matter what you might think of Annette, she’s part of Cindy’s family. Apologize, please.”
Libby glanced over at me sheepishly. “I’m sorry, Mrs. York.”
“Cindy, what is it that you wanted to say?” Gretchen asked. “Again, don’t feel like you need to protect Libby from the truth. She’s an adult.”
Jacques came to stand at my side. “Do you want me to tell them, dear?”
“No, it’s all right.” I decided to hurry up and get it over with. “Gretchen, Libby, Greg’s in the hospital. He was attacked, and—” My voice started to shake. “We have reason to believe it was done by the same person who tried to kill Annette.”
“Oh my God.” Gretchen brought a hand to her mouth. “Is he all right?’
“He will be. He was beaten severely in the face, and he’s got a couple of broken ribs.”
Gretchen put her arms around me. “Oh, Cindy. I’m so sorry that this happened. I only hope that—” She didn’t finish the sentence.
I dabbed at my eyes with a tissue. “You hope what?”
“It’s—nothing. Nothing at all.” Gretchen’s gaze shifted over to Libby and then back to me. I got the message. She was afraid that Todd might have been responsible for Greg’s attack.
Libby caught the look and understood as well. “You—you don’t think that Dad did this? There’s no way!”
Gretchen didn’t answer her.
“Mother!” Libby shrieked. “Please tell me that you don’t think Dad had anything to do with this. He would never hurt Mr. York.”
Gretchen bit into her lower lip. “There’s a lot that you don’t know about your father, and I never wanted you to find out. Shortly after you were born, he started drinking, and then he became abusive towards me.”
“You’re lying.” Libby shook her head vehemently. “That’s not true. He’s never laid a hand on me or Scott.”
“No, he’s never hurt you or your brother,” Gretchen agreed. “I would have left him if he had. But I have no excuses. I should have left him anyway.”
I was horrified by the revelation. “Gretchen, why didn’t you ever say something?”
She lowered her eyes to the floor. “I don’t know. Maybe I was in denial. Or afraid that our friends would find out and talk about us behind our backs. It was so stupid of me.”
“For God’s sake, Mom,” Libby spat. “Why don’t you tell Mrs. York the truth?”