“So you’re basically manipulating me by threatening my children?” said Lisa’s father.
“Pretty much,” said Graham. “It’s despicable, but that’s how the game is played. Don’t even think about calling the police. I’d throw you under the bus so fast you wouldn’t know what hit you. You and Richard and Agnes would go straight to prison. Sabrina would be dumped at a crummy hospital to die. Her husband and your wife would be charged with complicity. The kids would be placed in foster homes, and who knows what would happen to them? I’ve heard dreadful stories.”
“Stop,” said Lisa’s father. “Just tell me what you want.”
“I want you to continue treating Sabrina,” said Graham. “I expect weekly reports on her condition, including physical assessments and lab results. Oh, one more thing: you need to stop confiding in Richard whenever something goes wrong. He’s not your friend. I am.”
He finished his coffee.
“What about my children?” said Lisa’s father.
“Do what you’re told, and they’ll be fine,” said Graham. “I realize you don’t have much of a choice, but that’s how my boss conducts business, so I suggest you get used to it. Look on the bright side: coercion is a great excuse for just about anything.”
Lisa’s father was too miserable to reply.
“I’m sorry, Andrew,” said Graham. “Believe me, I know exactly how you feel. Here, let me show you something.”
He took a photograph out of his wallet and handed it to Lisa’s father. It was a picture of a young boy, about ten years old, with bright eyes and a cheerful smile.
“You have a son?” said Lisa’s father in disbelief.
“So it would seem,” said Graham. “Actually, I’m more like his future stepfather, but let’s not argue about semantics. He means the world to me. If anything happened to him, I’d be ruined. It’s been months since I’ve seen him. I miss him terribly. He was inconsolable when I left.”
“But what about you and Molly?” said Lisa’s father, who was so baffled that he had no choice but to resort to feeble protests.
“It’s complicated,” said Graham.
He returned the photograph to his wallet and got to his feet.
“I’ll see you later,” he said. “Call me when you’re ready to meet, and we’ll go to the park like we did last time. I’m glad you’ve decided to be reasonable. The alternative is too terrible to contemplate. When I talk to my boss, I’ll put in a good word for you. I think you’ve already suffered quite enough.”
He went out. Lisa’s father put his head in his hands. He wanted to talk to Richard, but he knew Graham would find out. Graham knew everything. The only thing that comforted him was the morbid realization that Sabrina was spiraling toward death’s door. The whole thing would be over soon enough. Until then, there was nothing he could do to extricate himself from Graham’s clutches. For the remainder of the day, he sat in his room and stared at the wall. Its dull emptiness reflected the state of his spirit.
Chapter 12
Lisa didn’t talk to anyone about her father’s departure. She carried on with her life as if nothing had happened, but when the initial shock wore off, she became aware of a growing emptiness in her heart into which everything else disappeared. She spent the nights crying herself to sleep, and when she tried to perform at her usual level in school, she found she had nothing to give.
She eventually began to feel invincible in a miserable sort of way as she embraced the freedom that accompanied having nothing to lose. As she sunk into apathy, she found some measure of comfort. The only thing that bothered her was that no one seemed to notice she had disappeared—no one except Josh.
It would have been the easiest thing in the world for him to leave her in the dust, but he didn’t. He was nice to her in a variety of ways that she resolutely ignored. He prevented Shannon from being cruel to her, and he took care of the younger children so she didn’t have to worry about them. He rarely spoke to her, but he was always there, and she knew he was watching out for her.
His steady presence was a source of comfort, but she soon realized it had a downside: he wasn’t minding his own business anymore. That morning, as she stared at the history test she hadn’t studied for and tried to think of something to write, he walked up the aisle to turn in his test, which he had already finished. He paused on his way back and looked down. She tried to hide the empty page with her arm.
Josh returned to his desk. A few minutes later, the bell rang. Lisa trudged up to her teacher and turned in her test. She had only written a few words for each question, and she knew she would get a failing grade, but she didn’t care. She went into the hall and found Josh waiting for her.
“What’s wrong with you?” he said.
“Nothing,” said Lisa. “Get out of my way.”
“I saw your test,” said Josh. “Why aren’t you trying?”
“It’s none of your business,” she said. “Just leave me alone.”
“You’re being stupid,” he said. “I know you’re upset about your parents, but you’ve got your whole life ahead of you. Don’t throw it away.”
Lisa finally felt an emotion other than indifference.
“Shut up,” she said with a thrill of fury that made her feel as if she had returned from the dead. “I’m sick of your patronizing little remarks. I don’t need you to lecture me, so just stop it already. You’re not my father.”
“Oh, I see,” said Josh. “You’re trying to get his attention.”
Lisa felt her face turning red.
“I hate you,” she
