“She’s been pranking her for years. It started in high school, I now realize.”
“If I were younger, I’d exact revenge. Just on principle.” She shakes her head in disgust.
“I think we can, but it’s a lot worse than a prank.” I show her the series of email exchanges, carefully watching her expression in the light of the phone as she reads them.
“This is bad. Worse than I imagined, but something doesn’t add up. Marlow seems so familiar to me, but not from when you were in high school.” My mother clicks her tongue and then grips the armrests of her chair. “The housemaid.” Eyes wide, she gets up on shaky legs.
“Wait. You don’t think they had an affair?” I blanch.
“No, but our housemaid in London looks so much like Marlow they could be sisters—except their coloring is slightly different and their hair, but their features are very similar.”
I snap my fingers. “That’s how she always knows where I am. That’s how she found out what Dad’s doing.”
“What do you mean?” Mom asks, wearing a pained expression.
“More like what Cap did.” I go on to explain the documents that my father showed me, proof that Cap had broken football rules and laws, bribing players to join his team.
“I don’t believe it. I can’t imagine Cap would do that. He was a man of integrity.”
“Dad told me a while ago. He’s been holding it over my head. He used it to try to get me to quit football, but then gave up.”
“Probably realized that wasn’t going to happen and had to focus on keeping the company afloat. He works too hard.”
Three circles, each containing Cap’s misdeeds, the inheritance, and the meaning behind the emails, form a Venn diagram in my mind before locking into place, revealing where they overlap. “Mom, I think he gave up because he was trying to figure out a way to get some of the inheritance money to save the business.”
My mom swallows hard. “He wouldn’t.”
“I think we’d both be surprised by what he’d do, considering he went along with Marlow’s threat. But what is she hanging over his head? What does she know?”
Mom marches toward the door. “I’m going to wake up your father and find out.”
Her hand is on the doorknob when my phone pings with a message. “Hang on. It’s another one from Pippa,” I say as nerves zip through me.
37
CHASE
Pippa sent me a series of screenshots of a text exchange, along with the note:
I’m sorry things didn’t work out. I didn’t want to tell you this, nor can I keep it from you. I want you to get your happily ever after. If that might be with Marlow, you should know the truth. I’m also well aware that it was wrong of me to go on her phone, but I guess I broke the rules this one time for a good cause.
Mom perches on the armrest of the Adirondack as I read a series of texts between Marlow and someone named Joe, revealing that she was using me for the inheritance money after finding out about it from her sister. She and Joe hatched the plan to blackmail Dad to get to me and the funds.
My mother reads over my shoulder. “Enough of this drama. Rhett Collins,” Mom calls with her hands on her hips in Wonder Woman stance.
Dad stumbles out of the room. “What? I have a headache.”
“Any afflictions you’re experiencing will have to wait. Come down here, now. You too, Marlow,” she hollers before marchingupstairs. Moments later, she returns, gripping them each by the elbow.
“Rhett, I have one question for you.” She turns to Marlow. “And two for you.”
Dad bristles.
Marlow scowls.
“Does the housemaid in London mean anything to you?”
Dad frowns. “If you’re implying any untoward behavior, absolutely not. I promise I’ve done no such thing. She’s young enough to be my daughter, for goodness’ sake.”
