Love With A Stranger (34 page)

“Right, but we still have to be discreet. We do have to protect our reputations since we’re residents and you practice here. There is one more thing to tell you,” she ventured with a grin.

“Your expression tells me it’s going to be good.”

“I might have a way of tricking Peter into making a settlement with me very soon,” Cass revealed. “If so, all we’ll have to wait is a proper mourning period.”

After Cass told him what she had in mind, Jason said, “But his offer might be canceled if he learns I’m the man wooing you.”

“I don’t think so, because he stands to gain a lot by settling with me ASAP. I’m sure Peter would be thrilled to get me and you out of his picture within the next month.”

“Would you be satisfied with his offer?”

“Yes, I’d get you and justice, so I’d be perfectly content.”

Jason grasped the hands that cupped his face, covered them with kisses, and said, “So would I, Cass, so would I.” As they sank to the thick coverlet with their mouths fused and their passions rising anew, before his wits were scattered by her, he thought of a way he could ensure Peter’s cooperation with Cass if a particular person—perhaps two—could be won over to his side or he wasn’t immune to using blackmail.

Saturday morning, instead of being on the golf course as planned, Jason stood on Inez’s front porch. When the sternfaced woman responded to his knock, she scowled at him and asked what he wanted. “I need to speak with you in private, Miss Doughtery. It’s important.” He watched her squinty gaze walk over him in near contempt.

“What do we have to talk about? You’re Mrs. Grantham’s friend.”

Jason ignored her hateful tone and expression. He smiled and said, “Something that could be valuable to you: fifty thousand dollars.” He saw the dark-haired woman’s matching gaze widen, then narrow. “You’ll be taking a big loss at easy money if you don’t hear me out. May I come in to explain?”

“Only for a minute. I wasn’t expecting company and I’m busy.”

Jason followed her into a small living room with furnishings that were sparse and cheap. It was obvious the ex-housekeeper didn’t spend her good earnings on improving her surroundings. However, the place was clean and neat. He sat on a lumpy and well-worn sofa and said, “I need information about how and why Peter and probably David Hines were drugging Cassandra Grantham and I’m willing to pay you for your assistance.” He witnessed Inez’s brief look of panic before she scowled again.
You’re on the right track, but convincing her to betray them isn’t going to be quick or simple.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Is that what that crazy woman told you? You know she’s sick in the head.”

Jason controlled his anger and feigned a pleasant and polite air.
Try to throw a scare into her but don’t antagonize her.
“No, Miss Doughtery, she isn’t. Her symptoms and behavior were brought on by being slipped drugs, illegal drugs; and I believe it was done with your help, perhaps without your awareness of what you were doing.”

“You’re as loony as that snooty woman!”

“I’m a physician, Miss Doughtery, so I know the signs and I know Mrs. Grantham’s history and personality. I promise you I won’t tell the police about your involvement, whether it was accidental or intentional, but if you refuse to cooperate with me, you could be charged as being an accomplice. All I want to do is protect Cass from Peter’s threat to her, one you know
exists. Before I can do that, I have to know what he was doing to her.”

“He was helping her. He got her a doctor when she went nuts.”

“He provoked her near breakdown with illegal drugs, then David Hines kept her drugged and overdosed for weeks. Since you were the one administering those drugs to her, you are a part of that crime.” Jason saw her pale for a moment at the use of that last word.
She’s guilty, so terrify her if you must.
“If you’ll help me protect her from future harm, I’ll pay you fifty thousand dollars in cash and forget you were involved.”

Inez stared at him. She reasoned it would be his word against hers, Peter’s, and Doctor Hines’s, and he couldn’t prove anything. If he was willing to pay so much to uncover that information, she deliberated, what would Peter be willing to pay to keep it hidden? “You may as well leave, Doctor Burkman, because I don’t know nothing about your silly ideas.”

Jason had almost seen the mental wheels turning in the woman’s head. “I suppose you need to think this over, so take a week or two to decide and call me with your answer. I should warn you, Miss Doughtery, Peter Grantham isn’t a man to challenge; he’s cold-hearted and ruthless. If you tell him or Hines about our talk this morning, you’ll lose from both sides. At least by taking mine, you’ll earn a lot of money and stay out of trouble. If you take his, I can’t imagine what will happen to you. Good-bye.”

That afternoon, Peter Wesley Grantham stood inside Inez’s door and gaped at her as he snarled, “How dare you summon me like a lacky and try to blackmail me, you old bitch! You can tell Cass or the police anything you want. Who would believe you without proof? I’m willing to bet Cass will testify you detested her and are being vindictive because she fired you. If anybody even suspects drugs, they’ll think you were
the one giving them to her out of hatred and spite and jealousy. You’d better think hard and long about who you’ll be going up against; Hines and I will eat you alive in or out of court. You’ll have to be punished for this challenge: I’m not paying you another cent, so get off your ass and get yourself a job! And don’t call me again, Inez, or you’ll be sorry, very sorry.” Inez glowered at Peter as he stalked from her house, slammed her door, and sped off in his expensive sports car.
You’re the one who’ll be sorry, you bastard!
She hissed.
A hundred thousand is a drop in the bucket to you, and you owe me plenty for the risks I took. I’m not going to jail for you and you can’t treat me like this. You forget how much I know about your little doings and you don’t know what I have in my dresser. I can fix you good and be gone from here.
Yet, she warned herself not to be hasty or impulsive, and praised herself for not telling Peter about Jason’s suspicions and visit.

At six o’clock, Cass glanced out the den window and saw Peter swimming back and forth in the large pool. She noticed an empty glass on a nearby table and assumed he had been drinking since his return home. She couldn’t imagine what had him so agitated, but she was positive it had nothing to do with a bad golf game.

In the kitchen, she prepared herself a glass of wine in an insulated mug and went to speak with him, to put her clever ruse into motion. She took a seat in a chaise and crossed her legs at the ankles. As she watched him, she sipped the tasty beverage and plotted her strategy again.

When Peter glanced up in mid-stroke and saw her, he paused and waved and swam toward her. He heaved himself from the water, grabbed his towel, and claimed the chair to her right. As he dried his face and fingercombed his ebony hair, he said, “I missed you last night. Where did you go? I was worried about you.”

“I went to supper and the movies with Linda. We had a great time.”

“You two went out alone on a Friday night?”

“Linda’s between boyfriends and I’m in mourning, so yes, we did. What did you do last night? Did you have a hot and heavy date?”

“Nope, I stayed home and watched TV alone. I was hoping we could eat together and talk, but I couldn’t find you.”

“I’m sorry if you were worried about me. You’ll have to remember I’m a big girl and I can take care of myself.”

“You’re too trusting and sweet, Cass, and I don’t want anybody taking advantage of you. Including me,” he added, and tossed the towel aside.

Take his cue, Cass.
“What do you mean?”

“This is a crazy place and time to have this kind of conversation, but something’s been gnawing at me for a long time.” He looked at the ocean.

“What has, Peter? Is there a problem? Are you annoyed with me?”

He looked at her. “No way, Cass, but there is a problem.”

“What kind of problem, Peter?”

“Something you might not want to hear about, now or ever.”

“Am I going to have to drag an explanation out of you?” she jested.

Peter reached for his glass, found it empty, and set it down again. He looked at his feet. “I’m in love with you, Cassandra Grantham, and it’s eating me alive to think of you turning to another man. I was giving you time to get over Dad’s death before I said anything about my feelings, but I can’t with Jason trying to worm his way into your life.”

Those words were shocking and unexpected to her, though she knew they were lies. “Peter, I—”

“Wait, Cass, and let me finish, please,” he urged as he turned to face her. “I’ve been working up the courage to do this for over an hour, so let me continue before I lose it. I’ve
been in love with you since I first met you. Damn, what a day that was! I met the first woman who completely stole my heart and she was about to marry my father. It’s been a fierce struggle to resist you. That’s why I tried to make you hate me, so I wouldn’t yield to your temptation. If you had leaned in my direction even slightly, I would have come after you; I couldn’t have helped myself or stopped myself. Dad didn’t deserve you; he was evil and deceitful.”

She was about to stop his ruse, but his impending words halted her.

“I found awful stuff in his wall safes at the other residences. He was cheating on you big time, Cass, and I detest him for it. I destroyed the evidence so nobody could find it. I wasn’t going to tell you and hurt you, but I thought you should know so you won’t keep grieving over him when he doesn’t deserve it. Did you suspect or know the wicked truth about him?”

Play along, girl, and learn all you can, and set him up for your ploy.
“Not until after he was dead. While I was going through his belongings, I found filthy pictures and revealing notes. I destroyed them immediately. I didn’t think you knew the truth, so I didn’t want to hurt you by exposing him. I still find it hard to believe Tom was so evil and he took such risks with our lives, considering the sexual diseases running rampant these days. I’m lucky he didn’t pass one along to me.”

“I realize Dad put you through hell with his manipulative and lewd ways.” He laid his hand on her forearm and stroked it with his fingertips. “Let me make it up to you. We can marry and have children. We can have a home and family and be happy, Cass. I love you and need you.”

She gazed at him for a minute, delighted when her eyes misted—from dirt carried on the wind! “I’m sorry, Peter, but I don’t feel the same way about you. I’m very fond of you, but I don’t love you, and I can’t marry someone I don’t love. Please understand and forgive me.”

He took a deep breath, moved his hand away, and said,
“There’s nothing to forgive, Cass, unless it’s me for putting you on the spot like this. Just forget what I said, okay?”

“No, Peter, I won’t. It’s flattering and appreciated. You’re a sexy and handsome man, but you deserve to have a woman who loves you like crazy. I know you’ll find the right one some day.”

“So what are you going to do with yourself?”

Thank you, thank you, thank you,
her mind shrieked in delight, as he gave her the opening she needed. She also noticed how fast he dropped the phony romance angle; if he was sincere, he would be begging her to change her mind. “I’m thinking about making serious changes in my life.”

“What kind of changes?”

“I may move to St. Simons Island to get away from the bad memories here. I was thinking about opening a boutique to support myself. I just want and need to break all ties to Tom and start a new life. The problem is, he fixed it so I can’t, unless a bank will loan me money to finance my business based on my trust fund and stocks. Do you think that will be possible since Tom tied them up with so many stipulations for so long?”

“I thought for a minute there you were considering marriage.”

“If I marry again, I’ll lose my inheritance, and I need at least part of it to make a fresh start. Since you know the truth about Tom, you must realize I deserve payment for his many betrayals. I suppose I’ll have to wait until I withdraw enough funds to carry out my plan.”

“You don’t have to wait, Cass, if you’re willing to settle for five million cash and this house; it’ll bring in another one to two million. Would that allow you to carry out your dream?”

“Yes, Peter, but what about the will’s restrictions? It says it reverts to you if I remarry, and I don’t intend to do so in the near future.”

“What about Jason Burkman?”

She sent him an odd look. “What about him?”

“I thought you liked him and wanted to date him.”

“I do like him and he’s good company, but he’s only a friend and my doctor. After what I went through with Brad and Tom, I’ll be slow to wed again. I want to regain my independence and self-confidence. I don’t want to be dependent upon any man, or be fooled by another one. I couldn’t date Jason until I convinced myself he’s trustworthy. Besides, despite what Tom did to me, nobody knows about it, so I have to observe a proper mourning period or I’ll make a terrible impression on people.”

“I think that’s wise. As to the will, Cass, I know a way we can get around Dad’s stipulation. If you sign over everything to me, I can give you the money and house; I’ll even pay the gift taxes on them. Simon can draw up the papers; we can meet in his office to go over them and sign them; then you can get on with your plans.”

“Is that legal? I mean, revert it to you without me marrying?”

“Yep; that’s one loophole Dad didn’t think about and cover. Would you be satisfied with that amount and the house?”

“Of course, and you’re welcome to the rest. What about you, Peter? Where will you relocate? How will you get that much cash?”

“I may sell the businesses except for the one in LA. The house there hasn’t sold yet, so I could move into it. One company is plenty for me to run, and I like California. Maybe it’s best if we both break free of the past. Just give me two weeks to get the money together and papers ready. Okay?”

She nodded. “I hope I haven’t hurt you today, Peter. If it could be different between us, I would…I’m sorry.”