The Other Lady Vanishes (Burning Cove #2)(71)

“Stop right there.” Adelaide aimed the knife at him. “You lied to me, you conned me, you cheated me, and you had me locked up against my will. If you think I’m going to believe anything you say, you’re the one who is crazy.”

“I just want to talk to you, sweetheart. If you put the knife down, we can go somewhere quiet and have a cup of coffee together.”

“So that you can slip some Daydream into my drink the way you did the night you arranged for me to be kidnapped?”

“You weren’t kidnapped,” Conrad said. “You had a nervous breakdown that was followed by amnesia. The stress of our wedding night was too much for your delicate nerves.”

“There was no wedding night, certainly not one that resulted in the consummation of our marriage. I happen to know that for a fact now.”

Conrad’s eyes widened. “What?”

“Forget it,” Adelaide said. “It’s none of your damned business.”

“Sweetheart, you’re delusional. That’s why you had to be committed. But you were getting better at the sanitarium. I was planning to bring you home. Now you’ve undone all the benefits of the medication you were receiving. You need to return to Rushbrook for more treatment.”

“I’ve got news for you, Conrad, I’m as stable as I’m ever going to get.”

Florence glared at Conrad. “I told you to leave.”

“Don’t you dare threaten me,” Conrad said. “I’m here to take my wife back to the sanitarium. She is dangerously ill. Just look at that knife she’s holding if you don’t believe me.”

Adelaide raised the knife in a deliberately threatening manner. “Stop calling me your wife.”

“It’s the truth,” Conrad said. But he took a step back, putting a little more distance between them. “Surely you remember our wedding in Reno. You were so happy. I gave you a gold wedding band. You were wearing it when you went into the sanitarium.”

“I know a private investigator who can discover the truth. If it turns out that you actually managed to bribe some Reno judge to marry us while I was under the influence of the drug, I’ll go back to Reno to file for divorce. Oh, wait, I can get the marriage annulled on the grounds that it was never consummated.”

“There was a wedding,” Conrad insisted. “That gold ring is proof.”

There was a slight movement in the kitchen doorway. Adelaide turned her head and saw Jake. He was not looking at her. Instead he watched Conrad with ice-cold eyes.

“If Adelaide ends up on the train to Reno, she won’t be alone,” he said. “I’ll be with her to make sure she gets there safely. The judges in Nevada don’t ask a lot of questions. She’ll get her divorce—assuming she actually needs one, which I doubt. I can personally testify to the fact that your marriage, if it ever took place, was never consummated.”

Conrad’s face reddened with fury. “You must be Jake Truett. I’ve heard all about you. You took advantage of my poor wife’s delusional condition to seduce her. You’re after her inheritance. Admit it.”

Jake fixed Conrad with an intense curiosity that Adelaide decided could only be described as predatory. It was the expression of a wolf that was about to go for the throat.

“Is that right?” he asked very softly. “Who told you that?”

Conrad took another step back. “Dr. Gill, the head of the Rushbrook Sanitarium, phoned to tell me that Adelaide had been located here in Burning Cove. He warned me that there were rumors that a businessman from L.A. was trying to seduce her. You obviously figured out who she is. You know she inherited a fortune.”

“Dr. Gill told you that, did he?” Jake said. “And just how did Gill discover that Adelaide was here in town?”

“How the hell should I know?” Conrad shot back.

Adelaide did not wait for Jake to respond. “Speaking of my inheritance, Conrad, I’ll be hiring a lawyer soon. He’ll explain things to the bankers who are handling my money. They will probably prosecute you for fraud and embezzlement.”

Conrad was seething now. “Don’t you understand? Truett is the one who is trying to con you. He wants to marry you for your money.”

“Who said anything about marriage?” Adelaide shot back. “I have every intention of controlling my own money and my own future. Now go away and leave me alone.”

Florence gave Conrad a steely smile. “You’ve got to the count of ten before I call the cops and have you locked up for trespassing. One . . . two . . .”

Adelaide gestured toward the door with the knife. “Get out of here.”

Jake folded his arms and lounged against the doorjamb. “You heard the ladies.”

Conrad looked as if he wanted to commit murder but he did not say another word. He swung around and stalked back across the tearoom and outside onto the sidewalk. He slammed the door so hard the glass rattled.

An eerie silence descended on Refresh. No one moved for a few beats. And then Adelaide realized that she suddenly felt very light—excited and thrilled.

“Thank you,” she said softly. She did not take her eyes off the front door. “Thank you both.”

“You don’t have to worry about the likes of him,” Florence said. “You’ve got friends here in Burning Cove.”