Battling Destiny (The Piper Anderson Series Book 6) (23 page)

“Michael, I’m sorry to be calling you but my friend at the DA’s office just phoned me. Normally I wouldn’t disclose anything as it could compromise the situation, but I feel obligated to tell you this since it could have some medical significance for your daughter.”

“What is it?” Michael asked, bracing himself against the wall and drawing Betty and Piper’s eyes to him.

“Sans stated on the record that he facilitated in the administration of drugs to make your daughter appear ill in an effort to keep you from leaving. Apparently the medications were put into her bottles and given orally. He also had the nanny put something in her ears to make it look as though her eardrums had burst. I’m having someone on my staff head to the hospital now to brief your daughter’s doctor on the types of medications and the doses so they can treat her properly. I’m so sorry to have to tell you this.”

“My daughter has been discharged, but please still send someone so the doctor can inform us if there is anything else we need to do.” Michael took in a deep breath and tried to keep telling his legs to support his weight.  “I can’t believe this. This was my mother? She was trying to make Frankie sick so I would stay here and keep her income intact? She poisoned my daughter?”

“I’m afraid so. There is much more to the story that I can’t share but know that the doctor is spilling his guts, and your mother will pay. This was the only part I felt I had a responsibility to share with you since there may still be some danger to your daughter’s health.”

“What about the medical examiner?”

“I can’t share anything else, Michael. The police will be there to make arrests soon. I suggest you clear out now. Let them do their job.”

“Like hell,” he said, more to himself than to Clara as he hung up the phone and launched it across the room with a roar. It smashed into pieces as Betty covered her mouth to silence her yelp.

“She didn’t,” Piper said, clearly praying what she’d just heard wasn’t the truth. “No one is that desperate for money.”

“She did. She paid the doctor to poison my daughter and now she’s going to answer to me.” Michael charged out of the room and down the hallway, calling out for his mother.

“What’s going on?” Josephine asked as she stepped out of one of the rooms into the hallway, stopping Michael in his tracks.

“Your mother hurt my child to protect her money. And now she’s going to see why that was such a bad idea.” Michael balled his hands into fists and tried to move past Josephine.

“How do you know she did that?” she asked, planting her hands on his chest and slowing him down just long enough for Piper and Betty to catch up.

“Because the informant at the DA’s office just gave her up.” Michael took her wrists and moved her aside.

“Who, who gave her up?” Josephine asked with a quiver in her voice.

“Michael, stop,” Piper yelled as she latched on to Michael’s bicep and tried to dig her heels in, but instead he just dragged her along.

“Should I assume you’ve changed your mind and are ready to do what I tell you?” His mother’s voice echoed down the long hallway as she stepped out of her own study.

“You can’t lay a finger on her. If you do you won’t be getting on a plane back to Edenville. We won’t be going back to our lives. Please don’t do this,” Piper begged as Michael inched closer to his mother, seething anger rolling across his face. “How long will you have to go before you can hold Frankie again if you do this? You’d be leaving them both again.”

With those words Michael’s feet froze. He looked down at Piper’s pleading face and realized she was right.

“Are you that southern and uncivilized now that you were resorting to violence?” Tabitha crossed her arms over her chest and looked down her nose at all of them.

“Mother,” Josephine started in a frantic voice but was brushed aside by Betty who charged forward angrily.

“Piper is right. We can’t lay a finger on her, so how ’bout a fist?” She cocked her arm back and with a loud thwacking noise made contact with Tabitha’s nose. The skin on the bridge of her cosmetically sculpted nose split open and began pouring blood. She stumbled backward to the ground and sat there in shock as she looked at the blood staining her pearly white satin shirt. “You best lay right there and not give me a reason to treat you like the greased pig you are.”

“Listen you low country ignorant piece of garbage, you will pay for hitting me. I’ll make sure of it. To think I was actually nice to you and your ridiculous circus of trash. Your daughter was so desperate to have better than you’ve ever given her that she’d listen to anything I said. That’s what a low IQ will do.”

“You think you’re a rich woman? You’re the poorest person I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting. You’re not a person at all, you’re a pile of DNA that doesn’t deserve to breathe the air my daughter does. It is my job to defend my child and make sure no one hurts her, but I am a woman of God who believes that it is not my place to judge or punish a person. However,” Betty said, cracking her knuckles and letting her eyes bare down on Tabitha, “the only thing I am more of than a woman of God, is a grandma. I will beat your sorry ass black and blue for what you did to my grandbaby.” Betty leaned down and grabbed a handful of Tabitha’s hair and the collar of her shirt and began dragging her toward the front door.

“Get off of me,” Tabitha shouted, but she couldn’t break free of Betty’s grip. “How do you know about Frankie?” she asked between yelps of pain.

“Let her go,” Josephine yelled as she trailed behind Betty and a bloody Tabitha on their way to the front door. One of Tabitha’s expensive shoes came off, followed by an earring that hit the floor with a jingling noise.

“I’m going to hand deliver her to the damn police.” Betty dragged her through the large foyer and let her go with a thump against the marble floor. “You better hope they lock you up and throw away the key because the only chance you got is if there are bars between you and me.”

Michael looked on with astonishment as the blood continued to trail down his mother’s face and Betty seemed ready to pounce again.

“I’m not getting arrested,” Tabitha said resolutely as she backed away from Betty but stayed on the floor.

“Yes you are,” Piper said, peering out the window as the police cars began pulling in. “They know everything you did, and everyone you paid to do it.”

“How could you do this? I’m your mother?” Tabitha asked through gritted teeth as she stared up at Michael.

“You’re not my mother. She is,” he replied, looking over at Betty and letting the anger slide off his face. Betty had been a mother to him in every sense of the word since the moment he first sat at her table to eat. She’d cared for him. Told him when he was being a fool. Praised his accomplishments. Bragged about him to anyone who would listen. She fed him. She taught him, and she loved him.

At the meeting of their eyes, Betty let her clenched fists relax and her face soften. Michael could tell she’d made her point. She’d done her damage, and she knew it was time for the police to do their job. As droves of people came through the door he watched as Betty stepped back, flattened the wrinkles out of her dress, and then shook the ache out of her hand.

He moved over to her and pulled her in for a tight hug. “You’ve been everything I’ve ever needed. Every time.”

“I just decked your mother, Michael, don’t make me sound like a saint,” Betty laughed, but it only made Michael squeeze her tighter.

“You might not be conventional, but you’re perfect. I wish everyone in the world had a Betty.”

“It would certainly make for lots more good food.”

“There would be lots more good everything.”

“Mr. Cooper?” one of the officers asked as he pulled a small notebook from his pocket. “We’re taking your mother, the nanny, and your sister into custody. I know you are a lawyer. Will you be representing any of them?”

“My sister? Why is Josephine being arrested? I’ll certainly do what I can for her. I think as the story unfolds it will become clear my mother was the source of the criminal activity.”

“She’s been implicated in the conspiracy regarding your father’s death. The medical examiner who was paid to falsify his report states that, upon Josephine’s request, he added there was a head injury. Your father died of a heart attack. There was no head injury. She’ll be facing charges of conspiracy and obstruction to say the least.”

“Josephine,” Michael gasped as he saw his sister being led from the house in handcuffs. “I don’t understand. Why did you say you threw something at him?”

“I needed you to think I was in trouble. You were always a sucker for bailing people out. I figured if you thought I’d go to jail for murder you’d do what mother wanted. But instead you ruined everything.” With a fiery resolve she fought against the handcuffs and it took a second officer to pull her from the house.

“She was in on it,” Michael said in disbelief. “Why would she do that?”

“Because you become the person who raises you,” Betty said, clutching his shoulder. “Unless you are smart enough to get the hell out like you did. Just remember that when you’re raising Frankie; she is what you help make her. So make her something good.” Betty stepped out the front of the house and Michael stared blankly for moment.

“I can’t believe this is what I was born into. How did I end up with these people as my family?” he asked as he followed her outside in a daze in search of fresh air.

“You didn’t,” Piper replied with a smile as she looked out across the long driveway and saw Betty joining Jules, Frankie, and Bobby who were leaning against a waiting car. “You ended up with those people as your family. And luckily so did I.”

“What are they doing here?”

“Bobby was trying to catch Jules before she got here but he couldn’t. Once they saw the commotion they weren’t going to leave you here. They wanted to be here for you.”

Michael put his arm around Piper and amidst all the chaos and police presence walked with his head held high toward the people who’d had his back since the day he’d met them and he was sure they’d be there with him until the end.

The End

Five Years Later

It had become a running joke that Clay and Betty would have the longest engagement in history. Every time they considered getting married something else would come up and, in true selfless fashion, they’d postpone. It had become kind of laughable.

They’d sit on the porch and tell everyone they were happy and didn’t need some fancy party to enjoy their lives together. But everyone felt they deserved the party, nonetheless. It had to be something special and unique. Something completely Betty and Clay. Something inclusive of the people and things they loved. Piper glanced around the room and knew they had nailed it.

“It’s kind of funny to see what you can accomplish when you’re really rich,” Piper said, nudging Jules in the ribs.

“We were plenty rich before the money,” Jules nudged back. “But yeah, this is pretty nice.”

“I’m glad everything is finally out of probate and the money and assets from Michael’s family can actually go to good use.” Piper took a glass of champagne off the tray as it passed by.

“The majority of the money has been donated. Michael wanted to make sure all the people and charities who should have benefited from it did. But I’m glad there was enough left over for a day like today.”

“I’ve never seen anything like this in my life,” Michael laughed as he looked around the room and joined them, Bobby right behind him.

“It’s like a hoedown crossed with a sophisticated culinary event. My brain doesn’t know what to make of this. Maybe it’s the jet lag.”

“Well we
are
in one of the most prestigious culinary schools in the world. Clay and Betty are going to get their own private class after the ceremony. Plus, there is no more romantic place in the world than Paris,” Jules argued.

“Yes,” Michael said, kissing his wife, “I just don’t think the L’acadamie de Cuisson would have agreed if they knew how many handkerchiefs and hay bales would be involved in the decorating of their great hall. I doubt they have any idea what half this stuff is.”

“Look over at Betty,” Piper said as she pointed to the front of the room where Betty, looking beautiful in a simple, white cotton dress, was hugging everyone in sight. “It’s perfect.”

“It was important that we did it far away from home for that reason right there,” Jules reminded them. “Betty wanted Chris, Sydney, and their kids to be with them on such a special day and here they are, getting their hugs. Plus, look at Willow and Josh. They never got a honeymoon either and now they’re here in Paris to celebrate. Rumor even has it that Jedda might propose to Crystal under the Eiffel Tower, but you didn’t hear that from me.” Jules had a look of sheer joy on her face and it made Piper want to hug her. This wedding was quirky and eccentric just like all of the guests in attendance, but Jules was right. It was so perfectly Clay and Betty.

“I think we might be in some trouble with all these kids.” Bobby laughed as a gaggle of children chased a runaway balloon across the room. Frankie was the ringleader, constantly reminding the others she was the oldest and the tallest. CJ, Chris’s boy, didn’t count, Frankie would remind them, because he was pretty much a grown-up now.