'She's changing my ribbons. Do you believe that? She's telling people she owns my company. The loan… that loan… she knew all about the loan my mother… it's that weasel accountant, Simmons… this must be his wife.'
She was so angry she was shaking and talking so fast all Dylan got was something about a ribbon and a weasel.
'You need to listen to me,' Dylan said. 'Forget about the ribbon-'
'I will not forget about my ribbon. I'm calling a lawyer, and I'm going to nail that little weasel. How dare he… and she… change my ribbon? She wants fuchsia? Can you believe the gall…'
She was waving her phone around while she rambled on. Dylan dodged it once, then grabbed it and placed it on the console.
Once again he tried to get her attention. 'Kate…'
She was on a roll. 'Do you think the loan officer at the bank is in on it, too? If he is, he's going to prison with the weasel. How dare they-'
He cupped the sides of her face and forced her to look at him. 'Kate.' He didn't shout her name but he came close. He got her full attention. 'You've got much bigger problems than ribbon.'
He let go of her, sat back, and waited for her to calm down. The impact of what he'd just said cut through her anger. She was suddenly so embarrassed by her raving lunatic behavior she apologized. 'I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have shouted… it was just a shock, you see. They're trying to steal my company… those sneaky-'
He quickly stopped her before she got all revved up again. 'But you won't let them.'
'Yes, you're right. I won't let them.' She was finally able to compose herself.
'Are you ready to listen to me?'
'Yes, I'm ready. What did Nate tell you?'
'The cousins are all bad news. Bryce has racked up a huge debt which will all be dumped on his wife when he dies. He's in liver failure, and the doctors figure he's got about six months.'
'No shock there,' she said. 'He looks like he's dying.'
'He's just thirty-five, and he has already destroyed his liver with alcohol.'
He moved on to Ewan. Kate wasn't surprised to hear about his violent behavior. She'd seen a glimpse of his temper in Anderson's office. Ewan seemed capable of going into a rage at the least provocation.
'Roger's the gambler in the family.'
'Yes,' she said. 'In the video Compton said Roger had gambled away four hundred thousand. That surely was an exaggeration.'
'No, it was pretty accurate,' Dylan said. 'And apparently Roger hasn't slowed down. He's in to a loan shark for about seven hundred thousand now.'
'No,' she whispered. 'Are you sure? Seven hundred? That's crazy.' She shook her head. 'No wonder he was crying.'
'You haven't heard the bad news yet. Roger borrowed the money from Johnny Jackman. He's the real badass here. He's got connections you wouldn't believe, and he also has a reputation to uphold. He's going to get that money one way or another.'
'You sound like you know Jackman. Do you?'
'I've never met him, but I've heard all about him. The feds are going to be happy with this development. They've been trying to get something on him for a long time. Nate can't leave them out of this any longer. He needs them. And so do we.'
'What happens now?'
'We keep you alive.'
'I want to go home,' she whispered.
He was exasperated with her but understood. 'You know you can't go home.'
She didn't argue. 'For how long?'
'Depends.'
'I shouldn't have taken the money,' she blurted out. 'I didn't want it. But then I heard them saying such terrible things about my family… my mother in particular, and I wanted to strike back. Taking the money seemed the best way.'
'It wouldn't have mattered. Whoever wants you out of the way couldn't take the chance you might change your mind. Too much is at stake.'
'So everything that's been happening to me is tied up with this money?'
'We have to assume it's about the money. You heard what Compton said. He changed the will some time ago, but according to the date on the video, he didn't record his message until a few weeks ago. Since the explosions happened after the video was made, the question now is, who knew about the video?'
'You saw how shocked and outraged those brothers were, and Vanessa looked dumbfounded.'
'True. So, either there's a player out there we don't know about, or one of your relatives is a damned fine actor.'
Chapter Twenty-seven
Kate didn't want to stay in savannah for the night. she dearly loved the city, but because her relatives were there, she was determined to get as far away as possible.
Dylan understood and agreed. He headed northwest, avoided the highway, and stayed on the scenic back roads. He didn't seem worried about where they'd spend the night. He also didn't seem concerned that they were getting low on gas.
'We don't want to run out of gas on a back road,' she said.
'No, we don't,' he agreed. He glanced at her and asked, 'Are you going to worry about it?'
'Yes, I am.'
'Okay, we'll stop. Get the map out of the glove compartment, please. Find Bucyrus. The sign we passed a couple of minutes ago says we're ten miles from it.'
She hadn't noticed the sign. After unfolding the map and checking their location, she gave him directions. The little town was nestled in a valley, and according to the welcome to bucyrus sign, there were 828 residents.
They found a restaurant on Main Street. The parking spots angled into the curb. Dylan pulled in front of the hardware store.
He turned the motor off and asked, 'Are you hungry? Sure you are,' he answered before she had a chance to say anything. 'I'm starving.'
He made two phone calls while she stretched her legs and tried to shake off the sick feeling in her stomach. She wasn't ill, but every time she thought about the relatives she became nauseated.
She didn't have an appetite until she walked into the restaurant. The aroma of freshly baked bread, cinnamon, and other more pungent spices greeted them, and by the time she sat down, she was ravenous.
The owner had taken time and care with the restaurant's decor and was apparently a fan of stripes. Yellow- and-white-striped curtains hung at the windows. The tablecloths were also yellow and white and so were the stools at the counter. But the motif had not yet reached the booths. Strips of duct tape covered tears in their blue vinyl seats.
'Quaint' or 'charming' might be overstated descriptions of the eatery, but it definitely fit into the homey category. On each table were ceramic salt and pepper sets in various animal shapes. The table Dylan and Kate chose had black-and-white-spotted cows.
What the restaurant lacked in ambience was made up for by the food, which was delicious and homemade. They both ordered a shrimp and pasta dish that came with a salad. Dylan ate all of his and half of hers.
The restaurant was empty except for the waitress and the cook, who were occupied with the soap opera that was playing on the small television at the end of the counter. Dylan leaned in so that he couldn't be heard and said, 'Tell me more about this weasel and ribbon.'
Kate's brow wrinkled into a frown and she shook her head.
'You know about the loan my mother took out using my company, among other things, as collateral.'
'Yes. And…?' Dylan urged.
