Chapter Fifteen
A couple of hours later, I returned home alone, paperwork in hand. Emma had some stuff to take care of in town and Dad was due to return that afternoon. I planned to go to him with the evidence and hopefully get him to do the right thing without having to involve the law.
Emma wasn’t so keen on the idea; she didn’t trust him at all, but I had to give him a chance at least. He was still my stepfather. For all his scheming and devious ways, he was the only father figure I had ever known. Involving the law would put him behind bars for sure and I wasn’t ready for that.
No, I would simply show him all that James had given me, make him realize that I knew what I was entitled to and what my mother’s wishes had been.
He wouldn’t be able to deny any of it and would have no choice but to hand it over, all of it.
Then I could leave him in peace and hope that he would afford me the same.
I should have realized the futility of my plan there and then, not three hours later, when I was stood across from the man himself with nowhere to run...
“Is this all?” my stepfather asked, looking up from the paperwork now strewn across his desk with an almost bored look about his face.
I stared at him in utter disbelief.
I had expected outrage at going behind his back, threats of punishment or similar, even denial, all of which I was prepared to stand off until he was forced to accept that he had no choice but to hand it over.
But his reaction, well, it was no reaction!
He hadn’t shown a flicker of emotion as he’d scanned the documents, all stating quite clearly what I was entitled to. He might as well have been scanning the daily news reports or reading up on the weather.
And I couldn’t believe the figure in question was too insignificant to warrant his concern, he wasn’t so rich that he wouldn’t feel the loss of such a sum.
Which meant only one thing ... he was about to outplay me...
“So is this what you and my devoted fiancée have been doing all this time?” he said, a disconcerting smile playing about his lips. “Working out a way to finance some sort of scheme to run off together.” He chuckled as I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, my fingers twisting in my lap.
Had he had someone watching us the whole time? Did he know of our visit to James? Had someone eavesdropped on our private times together?
He considered me intently as my brain tossed around the possibilities, getting more and more worried by the second.
“You know, I never fixed you for a dyke, Abi.”
What! I flinched as though slapped, my head emptying of all coherent thought as my mouth parted instinctively to protest but nothing came out.
“She doesn’t love you, you know,” he continued, his eyes dancing with his twisted humor.
“Whatever she told you, it doesn’t mean a thing.
She’ll chew you up and spit you out. It’ll happen even sooner when she realizes that all of this” — he gathered up the papers and tapped them into a neat pile — “it means nothing.”
Nothing? How could he say that? How can it possibly mean nothing?
“That’s right, Abi,” he said, picking up on the fear that must have been written all over my face. “You don’t think I kept this from you for my own financial gain do you?”
I shook my head to clear the sudden fog that had descended.
“Oh no, dear, you know me better than that, surely?” His voice positively dripped with affection, his overly compassionate tone sending my blood to ice.
“Why, then?” I asked, my voice a whisper, my head racing to piece it all together.
“Isn’t it obvious?” he said, his eyes widening in mock surprise. “I did it to protect you darling ... and your estate of course.”
“Protect?”
“Of course, Abi,” he said, looking away briefly as he opened a drawer to his desk and slipped the stack of papers inside, closing it behind. “I mean, after all, you’re simply not fit to inherit.”
He looked back at me on the last, positioning his hands on the desk and interlinking them, his brow knitted together in avid concern.
I had to look away, his endearing gaze too sickening to withstand as I repeated his words back. “Not fit?”
“That’s right. Dr Tate has been unequivocal in his continued assessment of your mental health.”
A tremor ran through me. “I don’t understand...” But I did, it all began to make sense now, the pieces falling together with horrifying clarity.
“You mean James didn’t tell you when you paid him a visit?” I glanced at him sharply, he did know! “Yes, James kindly called and informed me of your little trip to obtain all of this, but I assure you, it’s completely above board.”
“How can it be?” I erupted, shooting to my feet. “There is nothing wrong with me!”
“Not according to Dr Tate, dear,” he returned calmly, his gaze holding mine as he remained seated and relaxed. “In his professional opinion, you’re legally incompetent, you poor thing, and it’s for that reason I continue to control your assets.”
“How could—”
“Now be a good girl and go to your room,” he spoke over me, his tone dismissive as he fished out some new documents, “I have some important calls to make.”
“You can’t do this.”
He shot me a warning glare. “You’re very much mistaken, Abi, I can do what I like.”
“How could you?”
“Because I love you, of course.”
“Love!” I spat out, rage and outright horror making my body shake from head to toe.
“Yes, darling.” He gave me a chilling smile. “And, rest assured, I will take care of Emma, how dare she lead you astray like that.”
“You leave Em—”
“Goodbye, Abi.”
A large hand closed around my arm and I jumped in surprise, my eyes shooting to see who it was and finding Tom directly behind me. When in the hell had he come in?
I tried to prise my arm free, panic well and truly setting in as my thoughts turned to Emma and what he was going to do with her.
“Dr Tate will be arriving shortly, Tom. He will sedate her, but until then, don’t let her out of your sight. I’m concerned for her safety.”
“Sure thing, boss.”
“And take her cell off her, I don’t want her thinking she can coax a friend into helping.”
I gaped at him in disbelief. This couldn’t be happening. He was going to hold me hostage. No way!
“You can’t do this!” I shrieked, trying to shake Tom off but it was futile, he held me still with one hand while the other frisked me for my phone. Having located it in my back pocket, he pulled it out and tossed the device to my father before dragging me, kicking and screaming, out of the room.
“You can’t let him do this to me!” I wailed, writhing in his hold.
I tried to turn my head into him, to use my teeth and cause him pain, anything to weaken him enough to get free.
But he was a pro. He knew what I was about before I even did and held me fast. He had me in the bedroom in no time and, with a grunt, tossed me onto the bed.
I watched with tear streaked vision as he moved to close the door and pinned himself to it from the inside. His crossed arm stance and faraway stare enough to tell me he wasn’t going anywhere. I was trapped.
Incapable of simply lying there and awaiting my fate, I threw myself off the bed and started to pace the room. I had to think of a plan and fast.
My sessions with Dr Tate all made sense now. He was the key. If I could get to him, then I could get a clean bill of health and thus my inheritance.
The question was how...
A confession was hardly likely. I wasn’t so naive as to think he would tell me anything.
Could I lean on his moral stance? I almost snorted aloud at the ridiculous notion, the man had already demonstrated he had nothing of the sort.
And then the obvious came to me.
If I had learned anything about my father’s associates these last few days, it was that they liked sex.
A lot. Especially when there was something untoward about it.
All I needed to do was be the “perfect” patient, flick the iPod to record, and wait for him to come to me. It had worked with James after all...
Tom thought nothing of me toying with the music device and true to my father’s word, Dr Tate arrived quickly, it just felt like an eternity when under house arrest. When he knocked at the door to announce his presence, Tom sent me a brief look of warning, like I’d attempt to run past him or some other such nonsense, and I scooted to the window to look out at the courtyard below.
I didn’t acknowledge Dr Tate as he entered the room, I let the two of them exchange words that I couldn’t decipher from my distance and kept my eyes fixed on the world outside.
Eventually the door closed and Dr Tate spoke. “Hello, Abi.”
His voice sent the hairs prickling at the back of my neck. I had once found great solace in that deep resonating voice, now it just instilled the bitter taste of betrayal within me.
“Dr Tate,” I said, not bothering to turn around.
“I’m sorry to hear of your episode,” he said tentatively. “Your father—”
“Stepfather,” I corrected at the window, unable to let that go, not anymore.
“Okay,” he acquiesced, “your stepfather ... he’s very concerned about you and insisted I come as soon as possible.”
I didn’t acknowledge his words, instead I hugged my arms around my body and continued to gaze unseeingly out of the window.
“Come, Abi, please lie down,” he coaxed, his hand patting at the bed. “We can talk things through, I have brought you some medication to help calm your troubles. Whatever they are, I’m sure we can make it better together.”
I laughed inwardly at that. Had Dad not told him the truth behind my “episode”? Could he really be in the dark? Or was it simply pretense on his part? After all, the doctor had done a perfect job of concealing his involvement with my stepfather’s scheming up until now.
Either way, it didn’t really matter; I would simply play the ideal patient and be the na?ve, confused girl he was accustomed to.
“Please Abi...” he tried again.
This time I turned, the move slow and deliberate as I scanned the room for Tom.