“Imagine being in pain every day, needles stabbing into your skin and poison flowing throughout your body,” she said. “Why won’t you grant me one dying wish?”
“I can’t pretend to have feelings for Lisa,” said Josh.
“Is that your final decision?” she said.
“Yes,” said Josh. “It is.”
His mother collapsed, sobbing uncontrollably. Agnes pushed Josh out of the way. He returned to his room, his eyes stinging with unshed tears. In truth, he didn’t have as negative an opinion of Lisa as he had expressed to his mother, and he wondered if he could have been more diplomatic. Exhaustion finally overwhelmed him. Not knowing what else to do, he lay down, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.
∞∞∞
Lisa’s father was discharged from the hospital the next morning. After reserving a room at a nearby hotel, he went to the house to see Sabrina. She was gloomy and withdrawn. The confrontation with Josh had depleted her strength.
Lisa’s father returned to the hotel with a heavy heart. Sabrina was running out of time. If he didn’t figure out how to remedy the situation, she would die very soon. It wasn’t until he locked the door and turned around that he noticed Graham sitting in a chair near the window, cradling a cup of coffee in his hands. He smiled at Lisa’s father with gentle amusement and gestured toward the other chair. Lisa’s father sat down, feeling certain his legs would give out if he attempted to stay on his feet.
“How did you get in?” he said.
“The receptionist was very helpful,” said Graham. “When you arrived, I was thinking about writing a complimentary review about this place. People who work in the hospitality industry are greatly underappreciated. It’s admirable for you to give them your business when you have a perfectly good house to live in, but I’m afraid you have me to thank for that.”
“How so?” said Lisa’s father.
“I’m terrible at keeping secrets,” said Graham, taking a contemplative sip of coffee. “You must have known it was me. Let me congratulate you, Andrew. You accomplished a feat most men only dream about when you murdered your mother-in-law.”
Lisa’s father was too shocked to reply.
“I found out several months ago,” said Graham. “I didn’t want to believe it at first. You seemed like such an upstanding citizen. I kept quiet about it because I thought it might be useful later on—and because I didn’t want to cause trouble for you—but then at the wedding, everything changed.”
Lisa’s father sat down with a groan.
“You told Nora,” he said. “It wasn’t Lisa.”
“Your daughter knows?” said Graham. “Wow, that’s bad. Worse than I imagined. It’s shocking. She’s probably going to have serious psychological issues for the rest of her life.”
“I know,” said Lisa’s father. “You don’t have to lecture me. I have only one question for you. What could you possibly hope to gain by destroying my family?”
“I didn’t want to do it,” said Graham. “It wasn’t my decision, but it was necessary. Please don’t be angry with me. Think about it like this: the ethical boundaries that direct our decisions are shaped by the expectations of the people we love. Removing those expectations opens up a world of possibilities. It’s actually very exciting. I know what I’m talking about, Andrew. In fact, you’re not the first person I’ve had this conversation with.”
“Did you blow up my laboratory?” said Lisa’s father.
“That’s an excellent question,” said Graham. “To make a long story short, yes—but I took all the necessary precautions to ensure it would look like an accident. It was more of a controlled demolition than a bombing, if the distinction makes you feel better. I was just trying to level the playing field. Please don’t take it personally.”
“You almost killed me,” said Lisa’s father.
“I would have regretted it,” said Graham. “I know this is hard for you to understand, but there’s a perfectly logical explanation. My boss doesn’t want anyone on the outside to be able to influence you—including you. That’s why we blabbed your secret and destroyed your research space. You belong to us now.”
“Not really,” said Lisa’s father. “I told Richard about you.”
Graham blinked at him.
“That was extremely stupid,” he said. “I’ll have to inform my boss, of course, and it won’t be pretty. I can’t believe you betrayed my confidence. Oh well, back to business. I have the data you requested.”
He removed an envelope from the pocket of his suit and held it out to Lisa’s father.
“I don’t want it anymore,” said Lisa’s father.
“Okay, but that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook,” said Graham. “What are you planning to do about Sabrina? It’s been four weeks—almost time for the second dose. I assume you lost your stash of the drug in the explosion. You’ll have to make some more. You’ll need another bone marrow sample. Hmm, that could be a problem. Without a laboratory to work in, you’re going to be at a real disadvantage. Maybe I can help. If you tell me what to do, my people will get the job done in no time. Richard will ever need to know.”
“Nice try, Graham, but that won’t be necessary,” said Lisa’s father.
“Really?” said Graham. “I see. You must have a stockpile of the drug at your house. Nice going, by the way, changing the locks and setting up the security cameras. You’re more stubborn than I thought. Tell me, Andrew, do you love your daughters?”
The question infuriated Lisa’s father.
“Of course I love them,” he said. “Don’t drag them into this mess. They deserve better than that. Poor Lisa. I can’t imagine how she must be feeling right now, and Veronica probably doesn’t even know why I disappeared.”
“It’s tragic,” said Graham, “but I can protect them.”
“From what?” said Lisa’s father.
“To be honest, I don’t know,” said Graham. “The boss hasn’t mentioned anything about them, but it’s logical to assume they might eventually come up in
