“Brian did not … kill … Ethan,” Marni stated through gritted teeth, her own fury quickly rising to match her sister’s. “That accident was carefully documented by the police. Brian was in no way at fault.”
Tanya sliced the air with her hand. “It doesn’t matter what the police said. He was a bad influence on Ethan. If he hadn’t come along that summer, Ethan would still be alive. Yourown brother.How could you insult his memory by doing this?”
“Ethan liked and respected Web,” Marni countered angrily. Quite unconsciously she’d reverted to calling Brian Web, but even if she’d thought about it, she’d have realized that there was no longer any need for pretense. “If he’d survived the accident, he’d have been the first one to say that Web wasn’t at fault. And given the age that I am now, he’d have been the first to bless my relationship with Web.”
“So you’re desperate, is that it? You’re thirty-one and single, andthatman is your only hope?”
“Yes, that man is my only hope, but not because I’m thirty-one. I happen to love him. He fills needs I never realized I had.”
“Very touching. Is that what you’re going to say to Mom and Dad when they finally learn the truth? And when were you planning to tell them anyway? They’re going to be thrilled, absolutely thrilled.”
“Do you think I don’t know that? Do you think I’ve been evasive simply to amuse myself? I’m finding no pleasure in this, Tanya, and the worst of it is that you people are making me feel guilty when I’ve got nothing to feel guilty about. I’d planned to tell Mom and Dad when the time was right. I was hoping that they’d form an image of what Brian Webster is like today, to somehow counter the image they’ve held of him all these years.”
“You’re dreaming, little sister—”
“Don’t call me little sister,” Marni said in a warning tone. “We’re both adults now. It doesn’t seem to me….” She closed her mouth abruptly. She’d been about to say that Tanya hadn’t done anything with her life that would give her the right, or authority, to look down on Marni, but she realized that insults would get her nowhere. Yes, Tanya would go to their parents with what she’d learned, and maybe Marniwasdreaming, but there was always that chance, that slim chance Tanya could be an ally.
Marni took a deep breath and raised both hands in a truce. “What I could use, Tanya, is your help. It’s going to be very difficult for Mom and Dad, because I know they share your feelings that Web was responsible for Ethan’s death. They’re older, and Ethan was their child. I was hoping you could see things more objectively.”
Tanya’s eyes flashed. “You arenotgoing to marry that man.”
“And it matters that much to you who I marry?” Marni asked softly.
“You can marry anyone you please as long as it’s not him.”
Marni looked down at her hands and chose her words with care. “Fourteen years ago, you wanted Web for yourself. Could that be coloring your opinion?”
“Of course not. I didn’t want him for myself. I knew what kind of a person he was from the start.”
Marni bit back a retort concerning both Tanya’s erstwhile interest in Web and the character of her two ex-husbands. “Do you know what kind of a person he is now?” she asked quietly.
“It doesn’t matter. When I look at him I can only remember what he did. Mom and Dad are going to do the same.”
“But think. He has a good career. He’s successful and well-liked. He doesn’t have the slightest blemish on his record. Can you still stand there and claim he’s a killer?”
Before Tanya could answer, a light knock came at the door, then Web’s voice calling, “Marni?” Marni quickly opened the door. Web looked from one sister to the other, finally settling a more gentle gaze on Marni. “Is everything okay here?”
“No, it’s not,” Tanya answered in a huff. “If you had any sense, you’d get out of my sister’s life once and for all.”
Marni turned to her with a final plea. “Tanya, I could really use your help—”
“When hell freezes over. I wouldn’t—”
“That’s enough,” Web interrupted with quiet determination. His voice softened, and he reached for Marni’s hand. “We’ve got to run, Marni. I’ve already explained to Heather that I have to be up early tomorrow. She understands.”
With all hope that Tanya might aid her dashed, Marni didn’t look at her sister again. She took Web’s hand and let him lead her down the stairs and quietly out of the townhouse. She leaned heavily against him as they began to walk. Yes, Web had to be up early tomorrow. So did she. They were heading for Vermont, where she wouldn’t be able to hear her phone when it began to jangle angrily.
Chapter 8
Marni’s parents weren’t put off by the fact that she wasn’t home to answer her phone. They quickly called her administrative assistant, who gave them Web’s Vermont number.
It was shortly after two in the afternoon. Marni and Web had left New York early, had stopped at their usual market for food and were just finishing lunch. When the phone rang, they looked up in surprise, then at each other in alarm. In all the time they’d spent at the cabin, the phone hadn’t rung once.
“Don’t answer it,” Marni warned. Neither of them had moved yet.
“It may not be them.”
The phone rang a second time. “It is. We both know it is.”
