He nodded and looked up to make sure neither Paul nor Anthony had heard. Then, tucking his chin low again, he said, “I’ve had some setbacks. Nothing that can’t be remedied, but this couldn’t have happened at a worse time.”
Something that had been niggling at the back of her mind took that moment to come forward. “Answer me honestly, Will. Do you have three million?”
He took a shaky breath, raised his head, and looked her in the eye. “No, I do not have the money, but I can get it. I’m insured for this kind of thing.” He tossed a pleading look skyward. “God, it’s ironic. Megan thought I was crazy when I told her about the policy. She laughed. She said that she wasn’t worth enough to be kidnapped. It was hard for her to believe what she was marrying into.” He gave a bitter snort. “And look what she got. Her husband isn’t worth much more than a hill of beans, and she’s been kidnapped.”
He eyed Savannah in dead earnestness. “I don’t give a damn about the three million. I honestly don’t. I mean it when I say that if it were up to me, I’d sit home, make the payoff, and get Megan back. She didn’t ask for this. She didn’t have more than a couple of thousand dollars in the bank when she married me. It’s because of who I am and where I come from that her life’s in danger.” His voice rose in emotion. “To hell with the kidnappers. I just want Megan back.”
For a split second, Savannah was taken out of time and place and overwhelmed by a rush of envy. She had not often envied Megan over the years, but she did now. To be married to a man who felt so fiercely about his wife was truly something.
Regaining his composure, Will continued in the same low, private murmur. “But it’s the insurance business. A condition of the policy is that an authorized person be involved. The insurance company is more than willing to hand over the money for the exchange, but they want to maximize their chances of getting it back. I figured that between you and Paul, I’d be able to satisfy them without antagonizing the kidnappers.”
Grasping his arm, Savannah said, “You’ve done the right thing. Sammy and Hank are the best. Really.” She paused. “Have you called the insurance people?”
“I told you, I haven’t called anyone.”
“I think you should. Get that ball rolling. In the meantime, you should have someone with you at the house.”
“I don’t need anyone.”
Savannah thought guiltily that she was grateful Megan’s mother was dead. She wouldn’t have wanted to break the news of a kidnapping to her. “A personal friend, maybe?”
“I don’t need anyone.”
“Not even for moral support?”
He gave a quick shake of his head.
“What if you’re in the bathroom and don’t hear the phone?”
“Oh.”
“Isn’t there anyone you want to call?”
He shook his head. “Megan’s got no family. What’s left of mine isn’t worth notifying. I don’t feel comfortable, well, I’d rather not call friends at this point.”
The irony of the situation did not escape Savannah. Will could host a party the following Saturday night and there would be two hundred people in attendance. Yet when it came to calling a single friend to hold his hand through a rough spell, he came up short.
Anthony wouldn’t have a drop of sympathy for William Vandermeer, but Savannah wasn’t Anthony. She knew that Will played tennis three times a week as part of a regular foursome, that he and Megan had spent time during each of the past few winters in Saint Croix with two other couples, that they regularly went to the symphony with a completely different group. But the termfriendwas defined differently in social circles of the type to which both her family and the Vandermeers belonged. Things like pride, protocol, and petty rivalries prevented friendships from becoming close. Weakness was not something one showed willingly. Keeping a stiff upper lip was the order of the day.
So Will had no one to call. Savannah thought to contact one of Megan’s friends, but she and Susan were the closest. And Will. In addition to being husband and wife, Will and Megan were best friends. In spite of their age difference, they shared everything. Then again, perhaps it was because of their age difference that they were close; since Megan was too young for Will’s friends and Will too old for hers, they turned to each other.
But Megan couldn’t be with him just then, and he needed someone. “Will, let me call Susan,” Savannah suggested. “She loves Megan like I do. She’d want to know what’s happened. I’m sure she’ll want to help out in any way she can.”
“The less people involved, the better.”
“Just one person. Just Susan. She cares about what happens to Megan, like you do.”
“No one cares like I do.”
“Okay,” Savannah conceded, “but let me call Susan anyway.”
“I’m sure she has better things to do than to baby-sit me.”
“She hasnothingbetter to do.” That was a fact, and Savannah saw enough signs of weakening in Will not to want to argue further. “Listen, you go on home. Contact the insurance company. I’ll call Susan from my office and clear myself up for the next few hours.”
“You don’t have to—”
“I want to be there to see you set up. I have a meeting at five that I can’t miss, but Susan will be there by then. Sammy and Hank should be there even sooner. Once they’ve gone through the library with a fine-tooth comb, you can call in the glass people to fix the door. Meggie shouldn’t have to see it broken when she gets home.”
