Part 4 (1/2)
”All right,” Maggie started. ”About two months ago-”
”Someone tried to kill her,” Hannah blurted out.
My eyes widened as I stared in amazement.
Maggie tensed and said, through clenched teeth, ”No one tried to kill me. It was an accident.”
”Wait a minute...” I said.
”Good heavens, someone in the stable hit you from behind-knocked you out cold-and that's not attempted murder?” Hannah asked.
”Hold on, when-” I started.
”Christ, Aunt Hannah, this is precisely why I didn't want anyone to know. Christ!” Maggie said. I noticed her hands beginning to shake.
”Well pardon me for caring.” Hannah turned to me. ”We went to the police, and they were absolutely no help. They investigated but found nothing. Well, of course they found nothing. Whoever did it is a murderer, not an idiot!”
But before I could even open my mouth- ”And what about the woods?” Hannah asked. ”Don't even tell me someone wasn't following you. Whoever it was scared you senseless on more than one occasion.”
”Okay, ladies, if we could-” I always wanted to be invisible.
”Aunt Hannah, could we please stop this? I know what happened. I know you care and I know you're scared. Well, so am I dammit, and I don't know why it's happening or what to do!” She was on the verge of hysteria. ”So please, can we stop this? I feel like I'm going insane.” She laid her head against the back of the couch and closed her eyes.
Hannah sat on the arm of the couch and held her. ”I am sorry, sweetie,” she whispered, stroking Maggie's hair.
Maggie cried softy for a minute then looked up at her.
Her aunt reached down, dried her tears with the back of her hand and kissed her cheek.
I coughed softly.
”I'm sorry, Miss Ryan,” Maggie said.
”Kate, please, and there's no need to apologize. We should take this step by step, don't you think?”
”So, where do we start?” Hannah sat next to Maggie, and held her hand.
”Well, obviously, we've got to figure out why someone would want to kill...uh, attack you. When did this start? Was there anything going on at the time that might offer an explanation?”
”I can't think of anything. I've been racking my brain for two months. Maybe money. All I have is money. But why now? It doesn't make sense. I've had money all my life.”
I raised an eyebrow. ”Really, how much money?”
She looked at me and grinned. ”I'm a poor little rich girl. I thought you knew that.”
The phone rang and Hannah got up to get it. ”Don't talk without me,” she said over her shoulder.
Of course, we did.
”Maybe it's my imagination. Maybe none of this is happening. Perhaps it's a coincidence. I swear, when I ran into you this morning and I fell, I thought, G.o.d please, not again. I expected to see your car race down the road away from me, but when I saw you and you looked so concerned I knew you weren't part of whatever this is.”
”Was anyone with you during any of these attacks?”
”Why, do I need a witness?” she asked.
”No,” I said. ”But if there was someone with you, maybe they saw something you didn't.”
She sighed and closed her eyes. ”I'm sorry, I'm a bit jumpy.”
Hannah came back into the room. ”You're talking without me.” She got no farther then five steps before the phone rang again. ”Jiminy Christmas!” She turned on her heels. ”No talking,” she called over her shoulder.
I leaned over at put my hand on Maggie's, not surprised to find it freezing. ”Don't worry, we'll figure this out.”
”I'm not sure what it is. Sometimes, I think I'm going nuts. I mean I'm a reasonably intelligent woman and I can't figure out why this is happening much less who is behind it.” She looked at me then. ”You do believe me, don't you?”
I looked into the scared blue eyes. ”Yes, I do.”
Hannah came back in the room. She looked disapprovingly at both of us. ”You talked without me. I could hear you in the other room. So, now you have to tell me everything. Go on.” She sat down.
Maggie looked at her. ”Who was on the phone?”
”Stan,” she said, not looking at me.
I waited for her to tell me what he said. Then I waited some more. Finally, I took a deep breath. ”Okay, what did he say?”
She sat there, dusting off her dress or picking lint or something. I have no idea.
”Hannah?” I asked.
”Well, do you want the good news or bad news first?”
”Bad news? There's bad news? How can there be bad news?” I asked.
She smiled and gave me an inquiring look but wouldn't say a word. I wasn't sure who was more infuriating, her or her niece.
I took another deep breath and caved. ”Okay, give me the good news first.”
”I knew you would be a good-news-first person!” she said triumphantly. ”Shows you're an optimist. I always say, show me a person who is a good-news-first person and I'll-”
”Christ, Aunt Hannah, will you please give her the good news,” Maggie said.
Here we go again, I thought. I said nothing. I was not in control with these two.
”Oh, all right. Well, the good news is that your car will cost next to nothing to fix.” She smiled broadly.
I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead. ”And the bad news would be?” I was so frightened.