Girl in the Shadows (Shadows 2)

guest here. I don't have a right to tell her what to do with her money.' "She'll listen if you tell her we're promising to leave. I saw the way she looks at you. You're mare than just a guest here. You've become her daughter. You've replaced me. I'm not jealous or upset about it. Better you than me be stuck here. Just do it and do it well, sweetie, or you know what news bulletins will be released,'" she threatened.

I left the house and walked to my car. Trevor must have been watching the front door all evening, I thought, because the moment I appeared, he came hurrying out of the winery to meet me.

"What's happening? Is everything all right? Where are you going? Where's Echo?" He fired his questions at me without taking a breath.

"I'm going to see Mrs. Westington. Echo's up in her room."

"And?" he said, seeing the papers in my hand. "What's all that?"

"Rhona believes Mrs. Westington will listen to me and sign this power of attorney giving her rights to money."

"Why doesn't she go to see her mother herself and ask?"

"Mrs. Westington has already told her no. Actually, she's already called her attorney to prevent Rhona from doing anything. but Rhona doesn't know that yet."

"You shouldn't have agreed to show those papers to her he said.

"I was going to see her anyway. I'm just humoring Rhona. Like you said, sometimes it's better to go around a fire and let it burn itself out."

"Yeah, but I don't like it," he said, looking at the house. "She's a lot different, meaner. sneakier. I can't even imagine the places she's been and the things she's done. Sending you to do this makes me suspicious."

"Don't worry. Trevor. When they finally realize they won't get anything more, they'll leave," I told him.

He looked at me, thought a moment, and then shook his head. "I don't like it," he said, and walked back to the winery.

How I wished I could tell him the real reason I was doing all this. how Rhona was blackmailing me. how Tyler had made it all possible for her. but I was afraid of seeing it all blow up into a bigger mess that would hurt all of us. especially Echo. Swallowing back the truth. I got into my car and drove to the hospital.

When I arrived, Mrs. Westington was making a scene with the nurse, complaining about the food and demanding they send the cook up to her so she could instruct him or her in how to prepare chicken so it tasted like something other than cardboard. The nurse was just trying to get her to calm down. She looked to me for help.

"Please stop this." I said. "Immediately."

Mrs. Westington widened her eyes, blew air through her lips, and fell back on her pillow with her arms folded under her breasts, pouting like a child. Uncle Palaver told me when people get older, they act more and more like children. He called it the second childhood. That was what I thought I was witnessing at the moment.

The nurse thanked me and left,

"You know they make you sicker in hospitals, don't you?" Mrs. Westington quickly began in her own defense before I could say another word. "They feed you slop. They wake you at all hours of the night to see if you're alive or give you some pill. They don't want me walking about either. They've turned me into aninvalid."

"You promised you would behave. All you're doing is prolonging everything."

I shook my head and she looked away a moment and then sat back.

"Where's Echo?"

"She was tired and I thought you were right about this not being a good place for her. She's in her room, doing her lessons."

She looked at me askance, her eyes two slits of suspicion. "What's that in your hands?" she asked,

"Your daughter asked me to bring this to you to consider. She and Skeeter promise they'll be leaving immediately if you do this." I said. "I didn't tell them anything about what you've been doing with your attorney."

"What is it exactly?"

"A power of attorney document so they can get money."

"You know where you can put that," she said. Then she stared a moment and added. "How did they get you to bring that to me? They threatened you?"

"No, they just asked me to be their spokesman," I lied.

"Spokesman? That girl's got bats in the belfry. She could send the governor here to see me and I wouldn't change my mind. What made her think you could do it for her? How come she's not comin g here herself?"