Help Wanted (14 page)

“I don't like threats,” Robin said.

“No? Then you'd better be careful. Before you know it, Lillith will be coming for you, too.”

He started laughing.

He laughed and laughed, and as Robin stormed out into the hallway, the sound of Parker's voice echoed over and over again in her ears.

S
he could hardly keep her mind on her work.

Alone in the study, Robin kept drifting off, catching herself gazing into the fire, only to realize that lapses of time had passed and that she'd been sitting there holding her pencil uselessly in her hand.

She managed to get through only one more carton of books when old Mr. Swanson came shuffling in, carrying a tea tray.

“Ah, there you are!” he exclaimed, wagging his bushy head. “The girl of my dreams!”

It was even an effort for Robin to smile. Herk set the tray down on the desk and poured from a chipped china pot.

“Mint tea,” he announced, handing her a cup and saucer. “Good for what ails you. Which, by the look of you this afternoon, seems to be considerable.”

Robin looked guilty. “I didn't think it showed.”

“Maybe not to most people. But yes, to me, yes.” He eased himself into a chair and frowned at her. “I believe our boy is smitten with you.”

Unconsciously Robin stiffened. “Hmph.”

“No? Disagree? Or just not reciprocated?”

Robin shook her head, but before she could speak, Herk went on.

“He's brilliant. I've said it before and I'll keep saying it to anyone who'll listen! He's handsome and he's sharp. Not like that limp little Claudia. Know what she reminds me of? Spaghetti. A piece of spaghetti all boiled away. Limp and white and boring.”

Robin stared at the floor. A picture flashed through her mind—Claudia huddled in the shower, covered in red.

“She's terrified, Mr. Swanson,” Robin said.

“Herk!” he barked at her.

“Herk. Claudia is terrified. Of something. Of her mother. Of her mother coming back or—”

“What in blazes are you talking about? That girl always has some paranoia or another. Why, back in our old place she was taking a tray full of medicine every single day. A walking pharmacy, that girl. Stuff to sleep, stuff to wake up, stuff for bad dreams, stuff for anemia, stuff for—ah, well”—he made an impatient gesture in the air—“what does it matter? Puny stock, that's what I say. Why in God's name my stupid son ever married her disgusting mother is beyond me!”

“Why do you say that?” Robin asked seriously.

“Say what?”

“Why do you hate Lillith so much?”

“She bewitched him!” Herk's face screwed up, and he fairly spat out the words. “Bewitched him, pure and simple! Now, Parker's mother—there was a beauty if ever I saw one—sweet and simple and loving. Not a sorceress like that Lillith. And Lillith was a common person, to boot. Should never have been involved with our family at all.”

“But … your son must have loved her.”

“He
thought
he loved her, but Gardner's never been known for his great perceptions! That wasn't love, what he felt for Lillith—that was desperation! Thank God I still hold the purse strings in this family—no telling what idiotic thing my stupid son might pull next! After he made the decision to marry Lillith, how could I ever trust him with the family fortune? No, they're all lucky I'm still around to keep this crazy family on its feet.”

Robin took a sip of tea and leaned back in her chair.

“You really love Parker, don't you?” she asked softly and noticed how the old man's eyes took on a tender sort of shine at the mention of his grandson's name.

“Oh, I know he's brash—rude sometimes—but so was I when I was young and handsome.” Herk leaned forward, a conspiratorial twinkle in his eye. “I turned heads and broke hearts!”

Robin had to smile. “I don't doubt that for a minute.”

“Well,
don't
doubt it, 'Cause I
did!
Parker has the brains—he just doesn't know how to use them all yet. He's going to
be
someone. He's going to keep this family name going. He knows how to
work
people—
charm
people—he can be a
very
persuasive young man. Yes, I know you can call it insincerity if you want to, but I don't call it that at all! I call it
smart!
In this day and age it's important to get people on your side. That's how you
build
. That's how you
survive.”

“He doesn't like Claudia very much, does he?”

“Claudia? Hates her! Despises her! Well, can't blame him, can I? My stupid son wants to split up Parker's inheritance and give the girl half—what in blazes is Gardner thinking! I'll tell you what he's thinking—
nothing!
He never thinks at all! That was
Lillith's
idea—the witch!
She
put that stupid idea in my stupid son's head! Well, I forbid it! Claudia already gets Lillith's share, and that's
all
the Swanson money she's ever going to get! Gardner wants to put her in the will—well, okay! But we'll
all
have to die first before Claudia gets
one
—
more
—
penny!
Parker will do great things with that money. Run the family business. Carry on the family name. Improve what I started all those years ago. Not like that wimpy son of mine who can't do anything right.”

Herk leaned back, a dreamy look on his face.

“Parker. He's my hope. My future. He
deserves
the inheritance he'll come into—not like Claudia. She didn't have to do
anything
to deserve her money. Just be here. Just have a witch for a mother. So if Parker hates her, I say fine! All she does is run around and upset everybody with that wild imagination of hers. Should have been a writer or something. Then someone else could pay her for making things up.”

“So you believe Parker really hates Claudia because of the money?” Robin asked seriously.

Herk scowled. “Not just the money. Everything. The money's just part of it. Mostly he just hates her 'cause she's Claudia. What better reason?”

Robin set her saucer down. “And you think … you think it really
is
just her imagination?”

“Listen to me.” Herk stood up and began pacing, his hands folded behind his stooped back. “Ever since Lillith died, Claudia's believed her mother's coming back for her. It's guilt, I tell you, nothing but guilt. Want to know what I think?”

Robin knew he would tell her regardless, so she nodded.

“I think Claudia was
glad
when her mother disappeared! Why, I think Claudia was so downright overjoyed that she stood right there on that beach and prayed to all the gods of the sea that Lillith would be washed clean out to kingdom come! But then”—Herk's voice lowered to a stage whisper, and he leaned in close to Robin's chair—“then when she actually
saw
Lillith—laid out all white and drowned and dead on those rocks—she was so horrified at her own feelings, she went straight out of her mind!”

Herk rocked back on his heels, looking immensely pleased with himself.

“The night after Lillith killed herself, Claudia woke us all up screaming. Said Lillith was standing down there on the beach calling for help, with shells and seaweed in her hair, waving her arms all around, telling Claudia to follow her! Does that sound like a sane person to you?” He snorted and jabbed a finger in the air for emphasis. “That girl is crazy as a bedbug.”

The clock on the desk chimed softly, and Robin jumped.

“I should get home,” she said. “Do you want me to come tomorrow?”

“You mean you don't have a hot date this weekend?” Herk teased. “You mean you'd rather be with me?”

“You're the best hot date I could think of.” Robin grinned, and he hugged her and walked her to the door.

“It's dark,” he said, scowling out at the chilly night. “I'll get Parker to take you—”

“No,” Robin said quickly. “Please don't bother. It's not far.”

“But—”

“Really. It'll only take me a few minutes to get home from here.”

She gathered her things together before he could protest, and then she hurried down the drive toward the gate. It felt as if a storm was brewing. A restless wind lashed the bare trees, and what few leaves remained on their branches now swirled wildly in the air. Robin brushed her hair back from her face and stopped suddenly, her heart in her throat.

A noise? Or just the wind?

A footstep?

Quit being so jumpy—it's just been a strange day—too many questions—too many suspicions
…

She forced herself to think about home and Walt coming over. She forced herself to think about that funny way he had of smiling and how he already seemed to know what she was going to tell him tonight—

There it is again
.

Robin froze, her hands clenched in her pockets.

Between the moaning of the wind and the flailing of the trees, it was impossible to hear anything clearly. She shielded her eyes and looked up into the sky. A glob of yellow moon showed ghostly behind torn ribbons of black clouds. Strange shadows leapt around her like dark spirits in torment.

Come on, Robin, quit scaring yourself
.

She began to walk faster. Her sneakers thudded softly on the driveway, crackling leaves underfoot, snapping twigs. The wind wasn't moaning anymore, but sighing—a haunting sound … a sad sound—

“Robin,” it sighed …
“help me …”

Robin broke into a run. Her breath was ragged in her throat, and her heart felt as if it was going to explode. The driveway seemed to have acquired a whole new series of twists and turns through the trees, seemed to have become an impossible maze that led nowhere. Dangerous shadows lurked around her—invisible watchers waited for her to fall. Limbs reached down and snatched at her, and she screamed as one caught her by the hair.

Robin couldn't move.

In her terror the more she tried to free herself, the more her hair tangled in the tree branch. Jerking and pulling, she only succeeded in trapping herself more. At last she managed to tilt her head back and grab for the limb.

But it wasn't the limb she felt beneath her fingertips.

It was a badly scarred face.

“Well, looka here,” a voice hissed, and as Robin screamed, she felt slow, sour breath sweep over her.

“Yessiree, just look here what we have.”

Eyes wide, Robin saw Skaggs's face only inches from her own, a sleazy grin spreading over his lips. She gave one hard tug and heard him laugh.

“You're just makin' it worse, strugglin' like that,” Skaggs scolded gently. “You're just gettin' yourself in a hell of a mess.”

From Robin's twisted angle she saw his arm move out from his side, saw him lean a shovel up against a tree.

“Hear that wind?” he murmured. “It's so loud, you could scream and scream and probably nobody would hear.”

To Robin's horror she felt his hand on her hair … on her cheek … sliding down the side of her neck …

“Stop it!” she cried. “Let me go!”

“Why should I?” he whispered, his lips against her ear. “When you're so nice and helpless this way?”

“No—”

“You should be nicer to me, little girl. You and I could make some kind of a … partnership, hmmm?”

“Get away from her, Skaggs.”

Robin screamed again as a tall shadow disentangled itself from the trees. She felt Skaggs go rigid, and in the next second he shoved her away.

“I didn't mean nothin',” he was practically whining now, fumbling with her hair, trying to pull it from the branch while she struggled to get away. “I didn't mean nothin' … I was only tryin' to help—”

“Don't ever touch her,” the voice said again.

It was a cold voice … a frightening voice.

With one final jerk Robin felt her hair come free.

She looked up into Parker's angry stare, and then she turned and ran.