“Okay, but I get to interrogate you first,” said Graham. For the first time since his arrival, he relaxed. “As a token of good faith, please come with me. It would be inexcusable for me to keep an old man such as yourself standing out here in the gloom. We’ll carry on this conversation in a more hospitable place.”
“Where are we going?” said Richard.
“Hamilton Estate,” said Graham with a smile. “My favorite place in the entire world. Owen isn’t expecting us, but I’m sure he won’t object. You’re worth the inconvenience. In fact, it’s an enormous honor to have such a distinguished guest. Perhaps I’ll take it upon myself to offer you a glass of wine.”
“Perhaps not,” said Richard.
They climbed into the car, and less than twenty minutes later, they found themselves standing before the imposing edifice of Hamilton Estate. The windows were dark, and water dripped off the moldy eaves. Graham pounded on the door until Owen appeared, wearing a robe and slippers.
“I apologize for interrupting your sleep,” said Graham with an ingratiating grin. “As you can see, my intrusion is completely justified. Richard and I have important business to conduct. We’ll be upstairs in George Hamilton’s study. Maybe you could bring us whatever you have lying about in the kitchen. We’re famished.”
He hurried upstairs before Owen could reply. Richard followed him. They went into the study. Graham sat down behind the desk in George Hamilton’s chair and gestured at Richard to make himself comfortable. Removing a pen from his pocket, he fixed Richard with a hypnotic stare and prepared to write.
∞∞∞
For the next hour, Graham questioned Richard about the drug. No detail escaped his attention, and when he finally put down his pen, Richard felt as if his brain had been turned inside out. He hadn’t intended to tell Graham anything useful, but he felt so drained that he couldn’t remember exactly what he had said. He was shocked by the extent of Graham’s knowledge about the drug, and more than a little worried that he had underestimated him. Graham leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands behind his head.
“It’s been a pleasure doing business with you, Richard,” he said. “I think you’ve held up your end of the bargain. Now, what would you like to know?”
Richard didn’t hesitate. Of all the mysterious things that remained to be discovered, there was only one that mattered. Everything else was of secondary importance. He didn’t want to sound too eager, but he couldn’t stifle the nervous excitement that revealed itself in his voice.
“Is your boss Peterson?” he said.
Graham stiffened in his chair and stared at Richard with wide eyes. Slowly, a smile spread across his face and he began to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” said Richard.
“Oh, nothing,” said Graham. “It amuses me how you always pretend to know everything when you actually know nothing at all. I’m afraid you’ve been laboring under a misconception. My boss is not Peterson. There. Now you know.”
“You’re lying,” said Richard. “I’ve been able to predict your every move for the past four months. You’ve followed in his footsteps, played his games, and used his tricks. I know it’s him, so just admit it. No one else would be so fanatical about the drug or have such an obvious vendetta against my family. Besides, what about the timing? This all started when he got released from prison. Are you trying to convince me it was a coincidence?”
“Not a coincidence,” said Graham. “The secrets locked inside that damaged brain of his are priceless, but so far, we haven’t been able to access them. Oh, don’t worry. We won’t give up. We’ll figure out how to get them if we have to cut his skull open and take them out with our bare hands.”
Richard shook his head.
“No,” he said. “This is just the sort of trick he would play. Graham, if you’re not his minion, I don’t know what you are. You brought Hamilton Estate back from the dead—and what about the murder? That man was Peterson’s son-in-law.”
“Peterson’s daughter swooped in the moment he got released from prison and offered to take care of him,” said Graham. “We couldn’t let her have him, though. We needed him more than she did. My boss finally got sick of dealing with her, so we sent her a warning. She won’t cause any more trouble.”
Richard stared at the floor with unseeing eyes.
“I was wrong,” he said. “All this time, I thought it was him.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” said Graham. “Maybe a generous dose of humility will help you repair some of the damage you’ve done to your family. You don’t have to worry about losing them anymore. No one is trying to destroy them. It’s all in your head.” He stood up. “I think we’re done here. Let me take you back to the park.”
Richard was convinced. More than anything, he was certain Peterson would have gloated over him if he were the true criminal mastermind. He followed Graham downstairs, feeling only half alive. They drove away from Hamilton Estate without saying a word and returned to the park where Richard had left his truck.
“I’ll call you with instructions about Lisa once I get everything squared away,” said Graham. “I apologize for destroying your frame of reference. I don’t think you’ll recover. Goodbye, Richard. I’ll probably never see you again. I won’t forget about you, though, and I’ll always be grateful to you.” He leaned over as Richard exited the car. “It’s ironic. You’ve actually been more useful to us than Peterson.”
Richard watched until Graham’s car vanished around the corner. He felt defeated. Graham had manipulated him more than he had thought possible, but he was mostly angry with himself for being so wrong. He feared he had misjudged Graham completely, and he hoped Graham would be honorable enough to let Lisa go.
Chapter 20
As the night ended, Lisa
