“Abby, this is supposed to be your specialty. You find weird books for weird people who believe in the paranormal, right?”
She smiled faintly. “Something like that. It’s nice to know you have so much respect for my professional expertise.”
Dawson grimaced. “Come on, I know you’re holding a grudge because of the past. And let’s face it, you did have some serious issues when you were in your teens. Remember the time you came home with that old book you picked up at a yard sale? That night you set fire to it in the bathtub.”
Abby’s shoulders were rigid. “That was sort of an accident. But no one believed me.”
“Because you scared the hell out of everyone and set off the alarm,” Dawson shot back. “We ended up with a house full of firefighters and a lot of water on the floor. Mom was furious. You embarrassed her in front of the neighbors. That was when Grandmother said you should be put into an institution.”
“I’m well aware of your grandmother’s opinion of me,” Abby said.
“It’s not like that was the only scary incident. You exhibited some very bizarre behavior when you were in your teens. Mom had every reason to worry about the twins.”
“No, she didn’t. I would never have hurt anyone.”
“What about the time you disappeared for nearly two whole days? Mom and your father were frantic. The police wouldn’t look for you, because they said you were probably just a runaway. Then we got that call from the cops saying you’d been found at the scene of a fire that had started in a bookstore. The dealer was injured and had to be taken to the hospital. The only reason you didn’t end up in juvenile detention was because your father got you a good lawyer who got the charges dropped.”
“Got news for you, Dawson,” Abby said. “The Summerlight Academy was only about half a step up from jail. The doors and windows were locked. There were forced therapy sessions. There were counselors who wanted to test me and my friends, over and over again.”
“What was the family supposed to do? They couldn’t risk keeping you at home. The shrinks told us that you really believed you had paranormal powers.”
Abby’s smile was edgy and cold. “I do believe that. Which is why I’m in a position to warn you that the lab notebook is dangerous.”
“It’s just a damn book.” Dawson’s voice hardened. “I need to find it. I’m not fooling around here.”
“I realize that the account is worth a lot to your firm, but there are other gazillionaires out there,” Abby said. Her voice softened. “Let this one go. Find another.”
“Damn it, this is business. I’m not asking for a favor. I told you, I’ll make it worth your while.”
“Thanks, but I can’t take the job.”
“This is about the past, isn’t it?” Dawson’s face reddened with anger and frustration. “About the fact that your father married my mother for her money and found out too late that my grandmother had it locked up in a trust.”
“Believe it or not, this is not about the past.”
“It is all about the past and the money. Don’t you get that? Grandmother saw through your father right away, but Mom wouldn’t listen.”
Newton had stopped growling. More than ever, he resembled a scaled-down version of a junkyard dog. He looked remarkably dangerous. There was a little wolf in every dog, Sam thought. People who forgot that sometimes had nasty encounters with teeth.
“It’s all right,” Abby said to Newton. She stooped and touched him lightly with her hand. “It’s okay.”
Newton did not take his focus off Dawson.
“Whatever happened in the past isn’t important here,” Abby said. “Everyone has moved on, including me. We’re the perfect blended family now, remember?”
“Bullshit.”
Her mouth curved slightly. “True. But family is family.”
“This isn’t funny,” Dawson said tightly. “You’ve had it in for me from the start because Grandmother made sure you and your father would never get a dime of her money.”
“I don’t suppose it will do any good to tell you that I never cared about the money,” Abby said.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s always about the money,” Dawson said. Bitterness edged his mouth. “And right now you’re letting the past get in the way of both of us making a hell of a lot of it. Want some brotherly advice? Grow up and get over it.”
“I repeat, this isn’t about the past.” Abby locked her arms beneath her breasts. “It’s about you getting involved in something you know nothing about.”
“I realize I don’t know anything about rare books,” Dawson said, exasperated. “That’s why I’m here. What I know is that I need this investor and you’re the only one who can get him for me.” He closed one hand into a fist. “Name your price, damn it.”
“No,” Abby said.
Dawson’s jaw twitched. “You know, don’t you?”
“Know what?” Abby said.
“You know that my firm is in trouble.”
She frowned. “No, I wasn’t aware of that.”
“I took a real hit a couple of months ago when a major project, a sure thing, went south. It was a Ponzi scheme, and I fell for it. My clients don’t know about the losses yet. I can juggle the numbers for a few months while I recover. But the only way I can dig myself out of this hole is with new capital. I have to close the deal with this investor. If I don’t, I’ll go under.”
“Oh, damn,” Abby whispered, shocked.
“Lawsuits will be the least of it. You think some of your clients are dangerous? I’ve got a couple who will go to the Feds. I could wind up in prison.”
“I’m sorry,” Abby said. Her tone was surprisingly gentle. “But you can recover. You’re good at investing.”
“Abby, I’m standing on the brink of bankruptcy and maybe looking at jail time. I need to land this account.”
“I’m sorry,” Abby repeated. “I’m sorry, but I can’t help you.”
“Why not?”
Sam picked up his coffee. “For one thing, she’s already got another client for that lab book.”
Dawson swung around, jaw working. “You?”
“Me,” Sam said.
Dawson pulled himself together immediately. “I’ll buy the book from you. Just name your price.”
“I don’t have the book yet,” Sam said. “If and when I do get it, I won’t be selling it.”
Dawson turned back to Abby. “This is your idea of revenge, isn’t it?”
“No,” she said. “I swear it’s not.”
“I hope you enjoy it.” Dawson slammed the briefcase shut, picked it up and went down the hall.
The door closed behind him.
“Excuse me,” Abby said.
She rushed out of the kitchen and disappeared into the bedroom. Newton hurried after her.
Sam got up and followed the pair, not sure what he should say or do. It was clear that Abby was accustomed to handling her problems all by herself or with the help of her close-knit circle of friends. But he happened to be the one who was here today.
He walked into the bedroom. Abby was sitting on the edge of the bed, clutching a tissue. She was not crying. She had one hand on Newton, who had his front paws propped on the bed beside her.
“Please go away,” she said, a little too politely. “I’ll be fine.”
Sam went to the bed. He pulled her to her feet and into his arms.
“We’re a team now,” he said. “That means you’re stuck with me.”
She pressed her face into his shoulder and sobbed.
