16

Abrianna was still standing in the front room when Flora found her.

“Is he gone?” she asked, looking around the room.

“Yes.”

Flora came to stand in front of her. “Are you all right?”

Abrianna found the shock and horror she’d felt after Mr. Welby’s visit was now replaced by anger. Red-hot murderous anger.

Seeming to sense there would be trouble, Flora took hold of her arm. “Let’s go to our room, and you can tell me everything.”

Abrianna allowed Flora to lead her, but all the while her thoughts churned in rage. How dare he threaten them all in such a ruthless way? Life and death meant nothing to him unless it got him what he wanted.

By the time they reached the bedroom, Abrianna began to understand how a person could plot the death of another. She very much wished Priam Welby would fall off the face of the earth and with little prompting she could be the one to give him a push.

“Abrianna, you haven’t said a word since Mr. Welby left.” Flora closed the door to their room. Her gaze traveled Abrianna’s frame from head to toe. “And now you’re still as a statue. Goodness, what on earth is going on?”

Abrianna inhaled a deep breath and glanced at the bouquet in her hands. Without a word she began to rip the flowers apart. Petals and stems littered the floor. But it wasn’t enough. She stomped them into the floor, crushing every last piece with the heels of her boots.

“You’re scaring me.” Flora took a step back, shaking her head. “Abrianna, please. You can trust me. Please tell me what Mr. Welby did to make you so angry.”

The urgency in Flora’s voice and tears in her eyes broke the spell of fury over Abrianna. She sank to the floor. “I cannot.”

Flora wasn’t one to take no for an answer. She came and knelt beside Abrianna. “You must. Otherwise, it will destroy you as you have destroyed that bouquet. I promise you, I shan’t say a word to anyone else—no matter how much I might want to.”

For several long minutes, Abrianna considered what to do. Flora was right. She had to confide in someone. “Very well. But it is both shocking and ugly. You must make certain you can bear up under the promise that you will tell no one.”

“I can bear anything, if it will help you,” Flora said, wiping her eyes.

Abrianna nodded, and the story of her time with Mr. Welby gushed out. She left nothing out, even sharing in details the expression on his face. “And then he left. Just like that.”

Flora bore a look of disbelief. “What a cad. What a reprobate. He should be horsewhipped.” She shook her head and got to her feet. “No, that would be too good for him.”

“I quite agree, but that isn’t why I told you.” Abrianna got up and began to pace the room. “Again, you must promise me that you won’t tell a soul!”

“You can count on me.” Flora sat on the edge of her bed. “I promise.”

“Thank you. I knew you were a kindred spirit. As you know, I’m not generally given over to anger and wrath, but Mr. Welby just seems to bring that out in me. I must say, I am ashamed of my display and hope you will forgive me.”

“Of course. But how can I help? There must be a way.”

Abrianna considered this for a moment. “I have to figure out how to put him in his place without risking the lives of those I love. He would just as soon see my father and Wade hanged. And I must say that until hearing what Mr. Welby had to say or threaten, as is the case, I didn’t think that was even possible.”

Flora tucked her legs up under her in contemplation. Abrianna could see no easy answer in the matter. She knew that she only had tomorrow to figure out how to combat Mr. Welby and his intimidating threats.

“Perhaps we could go to the authorities. He can’t own everyone in town. There has to be a man of power somewhere who could stand up to him.”

“I don’t know who that would be,” Abrianna replied. Welby had long boasted of having all of Seattle’s elite and powerful obligated to him. Telling their story to the wrong person would just get back to Welby and prove Abrianna had talked. She couldn’t let that happen.

“I won’t be bullied by him,” she decided. “It’s terrible that he would take advantage of a tragic situation like this. No doubt he has just been waiting for Wade to make some sort of compromising move.”

“But God is bigger than this,” Flora murmured.

Abrianna stopped her pacing and looked at the younger woman. “God truly is bigger than this, Flora. I get myself so worked up that I tend to forget that. I suppose my faith is much weaker than I knew, and this is just one of those trials to help me grow stronger. But never have I encountered such evil. It was like talking to the Devil himself.”

She began to walk again, tapping her finger against her cheek. “This I know, I won’t sit by and do nothing.”

Flora fixed her with a stern look. “But you can hardly return evil for evil. That would never be right, and unfortunately, a man like that can only understand evil. I’ve heard others say that about people who live and act without morals.”

Abrianna plopped down on her bed. “I believe that evil is all that Mr. Welby understands.” A thought came to mind. “Perhaps that could be to our advantage.”

Flora perked up. “Go on.”

“Well, I’m just thinking that innocence and good are completely foreign to Mr. Welby. He believes he can master any situation by using evil, but remember, the Bible states quite clearly that God can use evil for His good. I can’t remember where that’s found just now, and it wouldn’t change the situation even if I did. Goodness, but my mind is in a whirl.” She pressed her hands to her temples. “Sometimes it’s best not to worry with the details. It’s enough that I know God can turn this around. However, I am quite confident He will need our help.”

Flora nodded with great enthusiasm. “He often calls those who are the weakest and smallest to prove His glory.”

“Indeed He does.” Abrianna jumped up from the bed. “Get some paper and a pencil. We have some plans to make.”

“How’s she holding up?” Wade asked Kolbein late Sunday afternoon.

“You know Abrianna. At first I thought we’d have to put her in a cell. She was ready to come down here and break the two of you out. Now, oddly enough, she’s not saying a whole lot.”

Wade knew that this was how Abrianna normally responded when she was gravely worried. That’s how she’d been since childhood. It also signaled that she was up to something. “That can spell disaster, Kolbein. She’s most likely plotting something. Keep an eye on her.”

“Lenore said the same thing, so we’re doing our best to watch out for any unreasonable action on her part.”

“I keep thinking about Joseph being wrongly accused and thrown into prison.” Wade looked down at the Bible Kolbein brought him. “Speaking of which, I don’t know how you talked them into this, but thank you.”

“I reminded them that practicing your religious beliefs was a constitutionally protected right. I threatened some legal complications, and the chief of police himself gave approval.”

“I’m sure glad you thought of it. I kept going over all the Scriptures I’ve ever memorized and realized with great frustration that it wasn’t nearly enough. I’m going to use this time to commit more to memory.”

“How are you feeling? Did the doctor say anything further about your head wound?”

“No. He stitched it shut and told me to rest. That was about it. They don’t trust me enough around here to take me out on any of the work details, so rest is about all I get done anyway.” He put the Bible on the cot beside him. “What about Jay? How’s his recovery?”

“Slow. They all but killed him. The doctor said he’ll recover, but it’ll take time. I took Jay a Bible and promised we’d figure a way out of this.”

Wade smiled. “I hope that’s a promise you can keep.”

“I intend to. The entire thing just seems to lack substance.” Kolbein shook his head and took out paper and a pencil. “Let’s go over all the details one more time. Maybe there’s something you’ve left out that can help us.”

“All right. I don’t know what it could be, but I’m willing to do whatever necessary. What doesn’t make any sense to me is that nobody knew I was going to stop at the real estate office. I mean, I didn’t say I was going to talk to Greene when I left the jail. At least I don’t think I did.” He put his hand to his head. “It’s hard to remember everything. Maybe I did mention that. I wanted to talk to Greene, but it was a last-minute decision to go there. No one could have planned for that.”

“I suppose you’re right, but even so, there are always crimes of opportunity. It’s possible they saw you go in and then decided to use it to their advantage. The butler couldn’t say for certain if anything was taken. Apparently Mr. Greene’s business affairs were kept private, and the butler was generally not even allowed to clean in the office until everything was locked away. Could be Greene had something going on that no one knew about. All of this is something to explore in greater detail.”

“I can’t imagine it helping.” Wade felt exhaustion creep over him. Ever since being hit in the head, he’d felt done in. His biggest concern, however, was Abrianna. He knew there was nothing he could do to help Jay while in jail, but he knew Abrianna would be doing her best to figure out something she could manage, and that was quite worrisome.

“Tell Abrianna that I’m prayerfully asking God to help her leave this all to you,” Wade said after several long minutes. “Make her promise that she won’t get involved. I know her only too well. She’ll think she needs to help, and she’ll only end up putting herself in danger.”

“I agree. I plan to impose upon her to come and help with Lenore. She’s home now, and Abrianna could be great company for her. I can’t imagine Abrianna would refuse. She loves Lenore dearly, and if I can persuade her that Lenore needs her, I know Abrianna will lend her assistance.”

Wade smiled and gave a nod. “That’s a perfect plan. Ought to keep her busy.”

The door to the small room opened. “Time’s up.”

Kolbein got to his feet, and Wade did likewise. “I’ll do everything I can, Wade. I’ll see you again tomorrow. Keep trying to remember anything you can. Even the smallest detail might be important.” He looked to the jailer. “Take me to Mr. Cunningham’s cell.”

Wade watched him go. The door closed with a thud. The sound of the key in the lock made Wade’s skin crawl. He was at the mercy of people who thought him a murderer. If the place caught fire, no one would worry about him.

He sat back down on the cot and put his head in his hands. It was all like a very bad dream that he couldn’t awaken from. He tried to ignore the headache that seemed to grow stronger by the minute. He picked up the Bible and eased back onto the cot, hoping the reclined position would help ease the throbbing in his head. He stared upward at the ceiling.

“Lord, I sure don’t know what this time of testing is all about. I can’t even figure how you can be glorified in this, but I want you to know that I’m putting my trust in you, as always.” He held the Bible to his chest and closed his eyes. “Sure hope you got a plan, Lord, ’cause I’m all out of them.”

Priam Welby waited with great impatience for Liang to retrieve Abrianna. He had thought to let the redhead stew about their meeting all day, but by noon on Monday Welby found he couldn’t wait. He knew she would have to yield to him. And if she didn’t at first do so, Welby had some ideas of what could change her mind. The entire matter was quite exhilarating.

After waiting for at least twenty minutes, Priam was finally rewarded with Abrianna’s presence. She walked to just inside the parlor and stopped. Her blue eyes seemed to darken at the sight of him. She held herself regally, like a queen about to deal with her subjects. He thought it rather amusing, but he wasn’t foolish enough to trust that she wasn’t up to something.

“Mr. Welby.”

“Abrianna.” He stepped forward. “Let us go for a walk in the garden. I don’t wish to be overheard or interrupted.”

She gave him a curt nod and headed across the room to the side door. He watched her as she opened the French doors and felt a strong desire to touch her, to hold her and feel her body crushed to his own. It was hard not to act on that need. He craved her, and his mind and soul demanded to possess her. He’d never wanted anything more, unless it was revenge on his father.

Abrianna stepped outside into the fall afternoon and turned to wait for him to join her. He smiled. Soon. Very soon he would have her. There would be no part of her that he didn’t own, and he would make certain she understood that early on in their marriage.

They walked away from the house. Abrianna kept her distance from him. She held on to her dark blue wool skirt and paid him little mind as she maneuvered the cobblestone walkway. Priam found it all rather amusing.

“You needn’t act so reserved with me.” He glanced overhead at the rainy gray sky. “I know you better than you probably think. I know you have a great deal you wish you could say to me, but you fear I might take offense. I assure you I won’t, so you might as well have your say before you agree to our marriage.”

She turned and shook her head. “But I have no intention of agreeing to marry you, Mr. Welby.”

He smiled. He had expected as much and was ready to make clear to her just how far he’d go to secure their union. “By all means, continue.”

“There’s nothing more to say.” Abrianna took a seat on one of the garden benches. She sat in the middle, making a clear statement that she would not welcome him joining her.

“I think there is.” He fixed her with a look that he’d known capable of crumbling the strongest man’s resolve. “You see, I don’t think you understand. I told you that I would wait until today for your reply, but not because I doubted your answer. I just wanted to give you time to come to terms with the matter. You will say yes, and you will marry me. That is, unless you want to see your beloved Wade and father go to their deaths.”

He could see her jaw clench and unclench as she listened to him speak. There was a fire in her eyes that intrigued him. Life with her would no doubt be quite a challenge, but he found himself looking forward to breaking her down.

“I’ve prayed about this, Mr. Welby. Say what you will, but I know that God will deliver them both. The truth will come out, and everything will be fine.”

He laughed out loud. Her eyes widened in shock, but she sat as prim and proper as any fine lady might. “Oh, my dear Abrianna. You are such a little girl in so many ways. Let me explain this to you so that you have no doubts about the outcome.”

Moving to the bench he imposed himself beside her. She didn’t want to yield the space but did when she realized he intended to sit there whether she liked it or not. She started to get up, but Welby pulled her back down. “You will sit here and listen to me.”

She fought against his hold. “It isn’t proper for us to sit so close, especially since I’m engaged to another.”

“Like you’ve ever cared about what was proper, and your fiancé is soon to be dead unless you do what I tell you.”

She stopped and turned to better see him. “Tell me what you must, but it won’t change anything.”

He smiled and patted her hand. “I think it will. Now to make myself quite clear, we will marry. In fact, I’ve already secured the church and the date. We will marry October nineteenth. It will be a lovely morning wedding with one of the largest wedding breakfasts to be given afterwards. All of Seattle’s finest will be there.”

She crossed her arms but remained silent. Welby stretched his legs out before him, as if he were there for nothing more than a moment of respite.

“You see, Abrianna, what you don’t understand is that your Mr. Ackerman and your father are in jail because I made it happen. I wasn’t going to share all of this with you, but I can see it will take exactly that in order to convince you of my determination.”

“What do you mean?” Her tone betrayed her irritation.

“I mean I’ve had you and the others watched very carefully. I needed an opportunity, and one presented itself. Your father’s temper got the best of him, and he attacked Mr. Greene. I arranged for the police—actually some very good men of mine who just happen to be on the force—to arrive at your house and take him into custody.”

“You?” She shook her head. “Why? Why would you care?”

“Because I saw it as the means to an end. The end being our marriage and the elimination of my competition.”

“That makes no sense.”

He smiled in a tolerant manner. “But of course it does. You see, by putting your father and Mr. Ackerman in danger of their lives, I can better impose my will upon you.”

“But you couldn’t possibly know that Wade was going to see Mr. Greene.”

“Ah, that one came by sheer luck. I had him under observation with an order to use whatever means to compromise him and see him arrested. When Mr. Ackerman went to see Mr. Greene, my men got word to me that he was there, and . . . well, the rest is history.”

“I don’t understand.” Her eyes narrowed as she appeared to try to reason it all out.

“I wasn’t that far away from Mr. Greene’s location. My house is just a short walk away. My man came and told me that Wade was at Greene’s house. I told him to return and see to it that Wade never left. The man barely got back in time to see Wade coming out the back door. He snuck up and hit him over the head. By the time I got there, he was quite unconscious.

“Of course Greene knew nothing about it. He was too busy with his books. I came into the office with my man Carl— you do remember Carl, don’t you?” He smiled at her surprise. “Yes, Carl, the same one who you supposed was responsible for those lovely Chinese girls in my basement.”

Her face turned ashen, causing her freckles to seem all the more prominent. “You? You were the one who put them there? You are the one who left them there to die?” Her voice rose causing him to put his hand on her arm.

“Not so loud, my dear. You wouldn’t want one of your aunts to interrupt us.”

“I would love for the entire world to interrupt us. You are a hideous man.” She glared at him. “And I would thank you to release me.”

“I don’t believe I will,” he said, daring her to challenge him. She tried to pull away, and he tightened his grip. “Sit still.”

“You’re hurting me.”

“I plan to do much more than this to cause you pain if you refuse to cooperate.”

She stilled, but her cheeks reddened, and her eyes narrowed. Welby knew he’d just about pushed her to the limit, and he didn’t care.

“What you need to understand is this. I have the power to see Mr. Ackerman and your father meet with an untimely death. I will do so if you try to refuse my proposal.”

“The court would never just kill them. There are processes you know.”

He shrugged. “The court isn’t the only one who can determine the end of their lives. Fatal accidents take place in prison all the time. Furthermore, I will systematically go down the line of your loved ones and arrange accidents for each of them until you have no one left to you in this world.”

“You would kill innocent people just to force me to marry you?”

He nodded without the slightest feeling of guilt. “I would.”

The truth of the matter seemed to hit her all at once. He could see it in her expression. There was a sort of hopelessness in her eyes that she quickly tried to hide.

“I see you finally understand.” He let go of her arm and waited for her to speak.

“You can’t possibly be that cruel. No one is so completely without conscience about life and death. You surely couldn’t kill an old lady.”

“I arranged the death of old men, homeless men. Like the men who ended up in the alleyway behind the Madison Building. Friends of yours, if I’m not mistaken—”

She turned on him like a wild cat. She pounded his chest with her fists and would have gone for his face, but he took hold of her wrists. Her face reddened, and tears formed in her eyes as she struggled against his hold. “You killed Charlie and Bill? You were the monster who did that?”

He gave a sneer. “Guilty as charged. I don’t say it because I’m necessarily proud of it, but rather to make it quite clear to you that I will stop at nothing to have what I want.”

Abrianna’s defeat was complete as she slumped against him. He almost felt sorry for her. The shock had to be quite great. Still, it was all a matter of business, and he wouldn’t back down now.

“So, you see, I am a man of my word. But you should also know that I plan to lavish you with everything you could ever want. I am, after all, a man of means, and my position in this city requires that I keep my wife in jewels and luxury. You will be the envy of all Seattle. You will have the finest gowns and the most beautiful estate. I will even build you a new mansion if that would please you. See, I’m not so very cruel.

“Of course there are things you will give me in return.” He let go of her left wrist and reached up to run his fingers along her cheek and down her jawline. His smile broadened, and he trailed his touch down her neck.

“If you go farther, I will scream and bring all of Seattle down on you,” she said, her voice barely audible.

He chuckled and released her. “See, I can be a very understanding and patient man. I also know ways to afford you a great deal of pleasure.”

She sat up, and he didn’t try to stop her as she moved away. “I seriously doubt that, not that it matters. I only want to keep you from killing the people I love.”

“And I promise you, nothing will happen to them if you agree to marry me on the nineteenth.”

Abrianna looked at him, as if trying to decide if he was telling the truth. He softened his expression and tried his best to look contrite. “I never wanted to do things this way, but I’m quite besot with you. You must know that.”

“All I know is that I am expected to marry a killer. How do I know you’ll keep your word? How do I know that once we are married, you won’t have everyone I love killed, anyway? Will you kill me, as well?”

“I suppose it’s asking too much that you take me at my word. Truly, I am a man of my word. When I promise a thing—it is something upon which you may depend.”

She sniffed back tears. “Then prove it. Set my father and Wade free, and I will marry you.”

“I can’t take that chance. If I set them free you might refuse me.”

She stood and looked down at him with narrowed eyes that held more hatred for him that he’d ever seen from another soul. “And if I did, you would simply have them murdered. So my requirement is that they be set free now, or I will never agree to this wedding.”

He smiled and gave a slight nod. Getting to his feet he felt a great sense of satisfaction. “On one provision.”

“And what would that be?”

“You will say nothing to anyone about this arrangement and the things we spoke of here today. And you will make everyone believe that you are happily doing this of your own accord. I want you to convince them all—those old ladies and even your dear father and beloved Wade—that you are madly in love with me.”

She fixed him with a calculated stare. “No one is that great of an actress, Mr. Welby.” She shook her head and squared her shoulders. “However, if you will do as I ask and get Wade and my father out of jail and all charges dropped, I will do my best.”

“Very well. It will take a few days, but I assure you, they will be cleared of any wrongdoing.” He once again tasted victory. Soon he would have everything he desired.