Josh couldn’t believe his ears. He finally understood why his father was so disgusted whenever Richard mentioned Peterson. It was Richard’s way of reducing every situation to the same level and dismissing the individual struggles of everyone involved. Josh couldn’t decide if Richard was playing a game, or if he was delusional. Either way, he was determined not to let him get away with it.
“Maybe instead of worrying about Peterson, we should be worrying about Lisa,” he said in a voice he barely recognized.
“I am,” said Richard. “Stop being impatient and consider the future. If Peterson ever finds out she’s in the position to undermine Graham, she won’t ever be safe again. You may think I’m being selfish, but I’m doing what’s best for her. We need to strike now if we want to have an advantage later when it counts.”
“But you’re treating Lisa like an inanimate object,” said Josh.
“Of course I am,” said Richard. “That’s the whole point. Even though Graham isn’t nearly as scheming as Peterson, he’s still a crook. We have to deal with him on his own level, and that means viewing Lisa as a tool. We can’t afford to get all mushy about her. That would play right into Graham’s hand. He wants to trade Lisa for the notebook. Fine, but I want to trade for information: question for question and answer for answer. I’ll give him what he wants, but for a different price.”
“What about Lisa?” said Josh.
“Oh, don’t worry about her,” said Richard. “When Graham realizes she’s worthless, he’ll have no reason to keep her around. He probably can’t wait to get rid of her. She’s a tremendous liability. For everyone’s sake, it’s much safer to take her out of the equation entirely.” He turned his attention to Lisa’s father. “Let’s stop wasting time, Andrew. I assume Graham gave you instructions?”
“We have a meeting place at the park by the river,” said Lisa’s father. “He told me to be there at two o’clock with the notebook.”
Richard glanced at his watch.
“That gives us less than two hours,” he said. “That’s hardly enough time. Graham’s got no clue what he’s doing. Fortunately for him, I’m going to help him out. Okay, here’s how this is going to work. I’m going to meet him at the park with the notebook, and—”
“No, you’re not,” said Josh. “It’s gone.”
Richard turned slowly, and Josh saw a flame kindling in his eyes. He held his breath. As much as he hated to admit it, he was intimidated by Richard, even though he knew he would win if it came down to a fight.
“What did you just say?” said Richard.
“The notebook is gone,” said Josh. “I got rid of it. I burned the pages. There’s nothing left.”
Richard seized him by the collar of his shirt and shoved him against the wall. Leaning forward with a menacing glare, he shook him.
“I told you to keep it safe,” he said. “What kind of idiot are you that you can’t follow simple instructions?”
“I did what I thought was best,” said Josh, resisting the impulse that prompted him to fling Richard away. “I don’t care if it’s part of my family’s history. I’m not going to be defined by it. I hate what it’s done to the people I love. It’s your life, not mine, and I don’t want to have anything to do with it.”
“You don’t have a choice,” said Richard. “You can deny it all you want, but it’s going to catch up with you eventually, whether you like it or not.”
“Only because of you,” said Josh. “I was doing fine until you came along and ruined everything. I don’t know why you think the whole world revolves around you. I can’t believe you’re actually planning to use Lisa as a bargaining chip.”
“Well, so much for that idea,” said Richard, releasing Josh. “Thanks to you, we don’t have anything Graham wants. This is precisely why I tried to impress upon your ignorant mind the value of the notebook. All you had to do was listen to me. When are you going to realize I’m never wrong?”
Josh looked from Richard to Lisa’s father.
“You must have something that would satisfy Graham,” he said. “You experimented on my mom for months. Maybe you don’t remember all the data you collected, but you could still tell him what you did and what happened. Isn’t that what he really wants? What information is there in the notebook that you couldn’t explain to him?”
Richard and Lisa’s father exchanged a glance.
“What do you think?” said Lisa’s father.
“I don’t know,” said Richard. “Graham would be a fool to trust me, but we might as well try. If this doesn’t work, we’ll have to hope his nonexistent conscience kicks in and prevents him from doing anything horrific. I’ll go to the park and meet him. He won’t be expecting that, and it will make him nervous.”
Lisa’s father sunk back into despair.
“What good will that do?” he said. “We’re never going to get her back. Graham’s got to be smart enough to realize the game will be up as soon as Nora finds out.”
“She’s not going to find out,” said Richard. “From your incoherent babbling on the phone, I gathered she believes Lisa is with you. It’s your job to make sure she continues to believe that. You don’t need to worry about Graham snitching on you. He’s probably just as eager to keep this secret as we are.”
“What if Lisa tells her?” said Josh.
“She won’t,” said Richard. He spoke confidently, but Josh thought he looked uneasy. “I’ll talk to her about it.
