Lisa decided she would never try to be friendly to Shannon again. She wanted to say something cruel in return, but she resisted the impulse. Retaliating against Shannon would accomplish nothing except to solidify Shannon’s belief that she was a vindictive person. She walked away, but it wasn’t until she was standing in front of the elevator that her head stopped spinning.
She glanced at the directory on the wall and saw her father’s name. She decided she would never get a better chance to confront him. The evening was already ruined anyway. She took the elevator down to the second floor and found his office. Gathering her courage, she knocked on the door.
∞∞∞
Josh stood in the hall outside his mother’s room and tried not to succumb to despair. His father had somehow gotten permission to go inside, so he was alone, surrounded by the beeping of monitors. Through an opening in the curtains, he could see his mother lying on the bed, looking for all the world like a corpse.
His only reassurance came from the screen above the nurse’s station. It was divided into sections, each marked with a room number and containing a fluctuating line. As long as the line was moving, he knew his mother’s heart was still beating.
He closed his eyes and wished Lisa were there. As he reflected on the events of the evening, he couldn’t understand why he had been plucked from the heights of heaven and plunged into the depths of hell. As he tried to steady himself, he heard a familiar voice. He couldn’t believe it at first, but there could be no doubt: the voice was Graham’s.
“Erica, I’m so glad you’re finally here,” said Graham.
“How is he doing?” said a woman’s voice.
“About the same,” said Graham. “If it weren’t for the ventilator, he’d be dead. The doctor will be here soon. Here, take my chair. I’ve been saving it for you. I can’t tell you how glorious it is to be with you again. You’re looking marvelous, by the way.”
Josh peered around the corner. He saw a tall woman hovering over Graham’s victim. She was wearing a severe gray suit that matched the silver flecks in her short hair. From her empty face, Josh couldn’t decide if she was overcome with grief or merely indifferent. Graham stood near her, watching her every move. The woman eventually sat down. A moment later, a group of hospital staff entered the room and closed the door. Josh knew something horrible was happening behind the curtain, but there was nothing he could do about it.
He raised his eyes to the screen and watched the man’s heartbeat. The line fluttered on for a while, and then it transformed into a series of shallow waves. After a few moments, it stopped moving. Josh stared at the line. The murder was complete, and the mastermind was right there in the room. He was baffled by Graham’s audacity. After a few minutes, the door opened, and the hospital staff left. Graham and the woman remained behind with the body.
The more Josh analyzed the situation, the less he understood it. He didn’t think the man would be removed from life support unless a family member gave permission. Who then was the woman, and why did she appear to be familiar with Graham? He eventually stopped trying to figure it out. There were answers somewhere, but they were out of reach. Nothing made sense anymore: nothing except Lisa.
Chapter 18
Lisa stood outside her father’s office. She was already having second thoughts about her decision to talk to him, and she found herself hoping he wasn’t there. It was late. Maybe he had already returned to his hotel. She knocked one more time, and when she received no response, she turned to walk away. It was then that the door opened, and she saw her father. His face was haggard, and he looked as if he hadn’t slept.
“Lisa, what are you doing here?” he said. Before she could reply, he grabbed her by the arm, pulled her inside, slammed the door, and turned the bolt. Lisa had never seen him in such a state of agitation before. She didn’t know Graham’s deadline had recently passed, and her father had been trying in vain to contact Richard. Frightened, she backed away, collecting her swirling thoughts.
“Did your mother put you up to this?” said her father.
“No,” said Lisa. “She doesn’t even know I’m here—well, she knows I’m at the hospital, but she doesn’t know I’m talking to you right now. Josh’s mother is in the intensive care unit, and she’s not doing well at all. Josh and I were at prom, but his father brought us here to visit his mother in case she didn’t make it, and Josh told me to go home because he didn’t want me to be stuck here all night, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to—”
“No,” he said. “We have nothing to talk about.”
The irritation in his voice convinced her he still blamed her for revealing his secret to her mother, even though she hadn’t. She felt herself blushing with indignation. Crossing her arms, she stared belligerently into his face.
“I didn’t tell Mom what you did,” she said. “I promised not to say anything, and I kept my word.”
“Lisa, I’ve known it wasn’t you for a long time,” he said.
“Then why didn’t you say something?” said Lisa. The frustration she had ignored ever since his departure finally came to the surface. “I’ll never forget how I felt at the wedding when you told me I should have kept my mouth shut, and when you disappeared, I thought you were blaming me for something I didn’t do.”
“No, it wasn’t like that at all,” he said.
Lisa knew
