What You Wish For (22 page)

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Authors: Fern Michaels

BOOK: What You Wish For
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“Can you undo that death certificate, Dr. Davis?”
“In time. Not right away.”
“My mother thinks I'm dead. How could you people do that to me and to her?”
Gerry took a deep breath. “It wasn't an easy choice, Helen. Isabel thought it was the only way to keep you safe. She cared deeply about you. The truth is, she was obsessed with your safety. We agreed to go along with it. It will take time, but we can make it right for you. For now, your biggest worry is your husband.”
“You think he wants to kill me so he can get his hands on the money Miss Tyger willed me. I don't want it. I told those two lawyers I don't want it. I refuse to accept it. Besides, how can a dead woman inherit an estate? The money is secondary with Daniel. He wants to get even with me. The only thing that will satisfy him now would be to kill me. I'm not stupid, Dr. Davis.”
“I never thought you were. What are you going to do, Helen?”
“I don't know. You had no right to play with my life like this. It was all for nothing. Daniel found me. He's stalking me. There's no reason for me to believe you can keep me safe. I'm better off on my own.”
Artie leaned across the table. “Helen, this is Arthur King. Please listen to us. We only want to help. I can have our corporate jet at Newark Airport in five hours. You can be on your way here an hour later. Give us another chance to help you. There are so many things you don't know, things you need to understand. Please.”
“Which one of you is going to tell my mother I'm alive?” Helen asked hoarsely.
“Both of us can tell her. If that's what you want.”
“It's what I want. I know she won't care, but I want her told. Just out of curiosity, how much insurance did I have?”
Gerry winced. “Twenty-five thousand dollars.”
“That must have made my mother very happy.”
“It did,” Gerry said. “Will you come here?”
“No. I have a life and a business. I had a man who loved me as much as I loved him. I
did
have a life, a business, and a man who loved me. I intend to get that life back. On my own with no more help from any of you. All I want from you is to get the paperwork started to get me back my identity. If you can't do that, tell me so right now.”
“We'll start on it in the morning,” Artie said, his voice resigned.
“Good. Now this is what I want. Are you listening, gentlemen?”
“We're listening, Helen.”
19
She was almost certain it was a dream because in real life she would never, ever, have anything to do with Daniel. She wouldn't give him the time of day if he was in a dark room. She wouldn't look at him or answer a question unless he was somehow able to use physical force to make her respond. No questions. Not a single one . . .
“So, Helen, what are we going to do with all that money? A trip around the world would be nice. On the other hand we could try out that yacht you inherited. Ah, I can see it now, both of us standing on the deck, the sea breeze whipping all about us as we drink champagne in crystal glasses toasting our new rich life.”
“Will that be before or after you beat me within an inch of my life? I hate you, Daniel.
We
aren't going to be doing anything together. You need to get that out of your head right now. I am not going anywhere with you. Not now. Not ever. If you don't leave, I'll call the police.”
She'd watched him approach, and for some strange reason she wasn't afraid. She eyed the noticeable limp with pride. She'd done that, but she'd had a weapon at the time. Now all she had were two bare hands and her feet.
The moment Daniel lunged, Helen brought up her knees and then kicked out with both her feet. A second later she was on the floor, the two dogs licking at her cheeks. “It's okay, it's okay. It was just one of my Daniel dreams. I haven't had one of those in a while. Everything's okay. Ohhh, it's cold. Let's get back into bed.”
Under the down comforter that did nothing to warm her, Helen realized she had a fever and chills at the same time.
I can't get sick now. I have to get out of here. I have to make sure Sam stays safe
. She tried to think back to the last time she'd had a good winter cold. Three years ago. She'd been run-down and listless, and the cold had lingered and lingered for weeks. It had taken her forever to bounce back because Daniel showed her no mercy. Just this past spring she'd had a cold, but it had only lasted a few days because Sam had babied her with hot toddies and chicken soup. He'd even taken a day off to make sure she took her aspirin and drank gallons of fluids. Sam cared about her. Sam loved her.
“Helen, are you all right? I heard a noise in here,” Julia said from the doorway.
Teeth chattering, Helen tried to explain. “I had this horrible nightmare that Daniel was here in the room. I was fighting with him and fell out of bed. I think I'm sick, Julia. I can't get warm.”
Julia switched on the night light and then put her hand on Helen's forehead. “You're burning up. I'll make you some hot buttered rum and get the aspirin. Would you like an electric blanket? I know we have one somewhere. I just have to find it. I'll turn up the heat, too. Stay under the covers and I'll be right back.”
Julia was back within minutes. She tossed off the down comforter and plugged in the electric blanket. “I'm putting it on high for now. Once it warms up, we'll turn it down. For some reason these things make me nervous. I'll make the toddy and get the aspirin. By the way, who won the fight?”
“I don't know because I fell out of bed. I think I had the edge, though. The strange thing about the dream or nightmare was I wasn't afraid.”
“Good for you. I'll be right back. You'll be warm in no time.”
Twenty minutes later, Julia heaved a heavy sigh. “The rum will make you sleep, and you're probably going to sweat. I'll sit here a while. We can talk if you like.”
Helen didn't think she would ever sleep again. “You talk, Julia. I'll listen. Tell me what it's like to be in charge of a shelter like this.”
“It has its good days and its bad days. I do my best not to get involved with the women who come through here. It doesn't work. For instance, it bothers me, Helen, that you are so down on Miss Tyger and her legacy. All she wanted to do was protect you the only way she knew how. Yes, it was extreme. I have to believe extreme measures were called for where you were concerned. I met her once, you know.”
“You did! Did she come here?”
“No, I went to California. She wanted all four managers to meet each other. We stayed at her ranch. She was warm and gracious, and she treated us like queens. I can't prove this, but I think she had an unhappy life. Some kind of tragedy went on at some point. I think she is . . . was the most compassionate woman I've ever met. We even met the other two board members: Arthur King and Gerald Davis. Mr. King owns some big computer company, and Dr. Davis is a veterinarian. Dr. Davis called Miss Tyger Izzie and Mr. King called her Izz. They were such good, close friends. You could see they loved each other. I even think Dr. Davis was in love with her. He obviously didn't care if she was short and fat and had a gimpy leg.”
Helen struggled to sit upright. “Did she have warm eyes? Lots of curls? Never said five words if two would do?”
“Yes, that sounds like a good description of her. Here, I have a picture of the three of them. I thought you said you never met her.”
“That's her! I didn't know I had. The night I was taken to Dr. Davis's clinic, he called a woman who came over to help. Billie. I guess they decided not to give me any way to know who she really was. She was really nice to me. And, she loved my dog. I thought she was a volunteer. The only time I saw her again was when she took me to the shelter. I know now that she was my on-line counselor, but I didn't know it when we were on-line each night. She knew how to cut right to the chase. We never wasted time. Boots was the closest I ever came to having a friend. It still doesn't explain why she chose me over all the women who came through these shelters.”
“Maybe Dr. Davis or Mr. King can tell you. Do you know yet what you're going to do?”
“For starters, I'm leaving. I don't want Daniel to go after Sam. He knows I left, and he probably knows about this house and that I'm in it. He thinks I'll go on the run and try to lose him. I have to figure out a way to outsmart him. Don't even think about the police. He hasn't done anything except spook me. I can't prove he beat me. I know he's covered all his tracks. I keep telling everyone he was and is a computer wizard and that he would find me. I don't know how he did it, but he did. He's here. I saw him with my own eyes. So, you see, those extreme measures didn't work. He waded right through them. In my dream he told me he erased all the medical records of my visits to emergency rooms and to the different doctors. He could do that, Julia. I have no doubt in my mind at all that he really did do that.”
“What about Sam?”
“I left so Sam wouldn't get involved or hurt. I didn't even tell him I was leaving. I stole his dog in the bargain. I wanted him to know Max was with me and that I was safe. I'm hoping he understands. I'm not the brightest person in the world, but it was all I could think of to do.”
“He must be worried sick, Helen.”
“He knows Max will look out for me. I care about Sam too much to put him in danger.”
“Shouldn't that have been his decision?”
“Probably, but Sam is no match for Daniel. Right or wrong, I can't change things. It's done. I'm not a martyr if that's what you're thinking. I'm a woman who loves someone too much to want to see him hurt because of her past. I have to handle this myself. If I don't, all the foundation's help meant nothing.”
“I'm going to get you another rum toddy. Have the chills let up?”
“As a matter of fact they have. This blanket is so toasty. You don't approve of any of this, do you?”
“I think in the end each of us has to find our own way. If you can make it work for you, then you do it. Speaking strictly for myself, I don't have the guts. I know what I have here. The unknown is a gamble I'm not prepared to take. Most of the women who come through here don't have the guts either. If I were you, I'd get back to California as fast as I could. I would hire armed guards twenty-four hours a day. I'd work night and day to get my identity back, and then I'd head off to some foreign country and live anonymously.”
“That's the easy way out. That wouldn't say much for me, now would it? Those two lawyers that were here are of the opinion that I somehow coerced Boots into leaving me her estate. Not that I care what they think. Money isn't my answer. I never had much, so right now it doesn't matter. I guess you find that hard to believe. If I had to choose between Sam and the inheritance, I would choose Sam and not look back. Money cannot buy happiness.”
“It could for me,” Julia said, getting up. “That's why I buy a lottery ticket every week. Who knows, maybe someday the jackpot will be mine. It could happen. The odds are that it won't, but it's fun to dream about it. Do you want me to let the dogs out for you?”
“They're fine. I think I'm going to pass on the second cup of rum, though. I think I'll sleep now. I appreciate you sitting here with me, Julia.”
“Sleep tight,” the older woman said as she bent down to turn off the night-light. “I'll leave the door ajar. If you need anything, call out.”
“I will.” Within minutes Helen was sound asleep.
“We're like criminals, Gerry. We keep returning to the scene of the crime. We could have done this just as easily from my office, your clinic, or my house. Hell, we could have gone to Kinko's and done it. Oh, no, we had to come here to Izz's house to do it. What is that young woman going to do, Gerry?”
“I wish I knew. My best guess would be she's going to try and outfox that son of a bitch. Did you call that five-hundred-dollar-an-hour lawyer of yours?”
“I did, and he's on it. It's going to take time. I told him to put everything else aside and work on it. He said he would. Don't look at me like that, Gerry, I hate lawyers as much as you do. He also said we were stupid to allow ourselves to be a party to such shenanigans. That's the word he used,
shenanigans
. Shit, he's as old as we are so he uses words like that.”
“Want to go for a walk, Artie?”
“If you mean down to the pet cemetery, no, I do not.”
“We have to stop coming here. It's playing hell with my mind and my heart. Let's just get to it, Artie.”
Arthur King followed the vet down the hall to Isabel's office. He turned on the computer and waited for it to boot up. “I think this is a good idea, Gerry, I really do. I kept thinking all night about Izz's nurse and Daniel. For all we know, Daniel could have wormed his way into Sam Tolliver's life and the guy wouldn't even know it now that Helen has left. I can just see that bastard trying to ingratiate himself with Tolliver the way he did with Maggie Eldridge. Even if he disguises himself, Tolliver should be able to pick up on the likeness. These pictures were taken professionally with the right kind of lighting for our catalog. It's going to scan perfectly. I have Tolliver's e-mail address at the college and his e-mail address at home. One way or another, he'll get it today. What that means is we have to stay here until he responds. You okay with that, Gerry?”
“I'm okay with it. I'm going to take a walk while you're doing that.”
“If you wait a minute, I'll go with you. I just have to type out a message and attach the picture.”
“I thought you said you didn't want to go down there.”
“Yeah, well, a man can change his mind in five minutes. Us old codgers are known for shit like this.”
“Yeah, I guess we are. Damn, this is the only place that ever felt like a real home to me,” Gerry said.
“I know. Okay, it's going through. Good, it's done.”
“When do you think he'll respond?” Gerry asked.
“Probably as soon as he gets it.”
“We're good at waiting. I don't have anything else to do. How about you, Artie, do you have anything else to do?”
“Before Izz died, I had so much on my plate there weren't enough hours in the day to handle it all. Then it all fell apart. I don't care about any of it anymore. I think we're depressed. What exactly is clinical depression? Do dogs get that?”
“Do you want the long version or the short version?”

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