“What?” said Richard.
“I was surprised, too,” said Lisa’s father.
Richard couldn’t understand why he hadn’t mentioned the situation sooner. He returned the business card to Lisa’s father, although he was inclined to toss it into the nearest biohazard container.
“Who’s his employer?” he said.
“I don’t know,” said Lisa’s father. “He said it was confidential. I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I can’t understand why you’re so bent out of shape about the whole thing. It’s not important.”
Richard peered into the box as if he expected something to jump out at him. The bottle of wine lay in a lavish nest of packing material. Richard held it up to the light to make sure nothing was hidden inside, and then he took a knife out of his pocket and demolished the box. He tore the cardboard apart layer by layer until there was nothing left except a pile of brown scraps scattered across the floor.
“What are you doing?” said Lisa’s father.
“I’m taking precautions, Andrew,” said Richard. “Nothing is as innocent as it seems.” He put the knife back into his pocket. “I would throw away the wine if I were you. It might be poisoned.”
“Are you crazy?” said Lisa’s father. “He’s just trying to bribe me into accepting his offer. He’s pushy and annoying, but he’s not dangerous. He doesn’t know Sabrina has cancer, and he certainly doesn’t know we’re treating her with Peterson’s drug, so calm down. There’s nothing to worry about.”
Richard carried the bottle to the sink and cracked it against the side. The wine rushed down the drain. A pungent odor filled the room. The neck of the bottle remained in Richard’s hand, the jagged edges poking out from below his clenched fist. He walked over to Lisa’s father, who was too flabbergasted to speak.
“Let me tell you a little story,” said Richard. “Once upon a time, many years ago, when my wife was still alive, she was selected to represent her company at a conference. She was excited because it was an opportunity for her to advance her career. Her company put her up at a luxury hotel, and on the night she arrived, a bottle of wine was delivered to her room with my compliments. She thought it was from me, but it wasn’t. She drank some of it. When she didn’t show up for the conference the next morning, a member of the hotel staff went to check on her. She was dead.”
He cleaned up the mess he had made.
“You think she was murdered?” said Lisa’s father.
“It isn’t a matter of opinion,” said Richard. “The official report said it was suicide, but she wouldn’t have done something like that.”
“Sometimes it’s hard to tell,” said Lisa’s father.
“No,” said Richard. “She was killed because she was my wife. It was revenge. Peterson said he would take everything away from me, and he wasn’t joking. It’s funny what fear will do to a person. When I realized I had four grandchildren, my heart shattered into a million pieces. They’re not safe, and it’s my fault. How can I even live with that knowledge? It would have been better for them if I’d never come back.”
Lisa’s father shrugged.
“It won’t make any difference in the end,” he said. “The final outcome is the same for everyone. Life itself is a death sentence. We’re all just waiting for the clock to run out.”
“Then let’s get to work, before it does,” said Richard.
∞∞∞
Back at the house, Lisa sat beside her mother in the living room while Molly prattled on about the wedding. She had brought Graham along without asking for permission, and Lisa’s mother hadn’t turned him away. He seemed to be enjoying the conversation, but Lisa noticed his eyes wandering around the room and got the impression that his primary interest lay elsewhere in the house.
It wasn’t long before Sabrina and Agnes came in to say hello. After Lisa’s mother introduced them, Molly leaped up and flung her arms around them, but Graham’s reaction was infinitely more intriguing. He acknowledged them with a ghastly smile and began sweating so profusely that he had to remove a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the perspiration off his face.
“Congratulations,” said Agnes to Molly. “Nora told us about your engagement. When is the wedding?”
“Oh, as soon as possible,” said Molly, gazing into Graham’s eyes. “We haven’t chosen a date yet. Graham isn’t particular about the timing. He said it’s the beginning of forever, so we might as well not wait. He’s a hopeless romantic.” She giggled. “Do you know what he said about the honeymoon?”
“Maybe you shouldn’t tell us,” said Lisa’s mother.
“He said he didn’t even want to go on a trip,” said Molly. “He thinks this is the most wonderful place in the world because he met me here.”
“That’s right, my dear,” said Graham. “I never intend to leave.”
Yvonne began crying from the other room. Lisa assumed Josh was taking care of her again and wondered if he needed any help. She thought about investigating, but that could be interpreted as an act of commiseration, so she decided against it and tried to ignore the shrill sound. Sabrina eventually grew restless and began to get up, but Agnes stopped her.
“Your husband is perfectly capable of taking care of her,” she said. “He needs to have something to do so he doesn’t worry about you too much. It’s good for him.”
Sabrina sunk back down onto her chair. She picked up one of the wedding catalogs Molly had brought and went through the motions of looking at it, but her vacant expression revealed her mind was preoccupied with other things. She finally jumped up before Agnes could stop her, and almost immediately, her legs buckled, and she collapsed. Molly screamed and clung to Lisa’s mother. Graham scrambled to his feet, his eyes wide with alarm. Lisa thought Sabrina was dead, but Agnes knelt down beside her and shook her rather
