Back on Blossom Street (Blossom Street #4)(87)

I agreed, and couldn’t figure out what my sister had to say that was so confidential.

“When the party was winding down, she pulled me into a corner,” Alix went on. “It was about what happened to Julia. I thought things were sort of back to normal, but I guess not.”

“I don’t know if you heard or not,” I told her, “but the police felt they were close to an arrest. Then the prosecutor decided they didn’t have enough evidence to charge him.”

“Yeah, that’s what she said. And why she asked…”

“Asked what?” I had the feeling I wasn’t going to like this.

“Margaret wanted me to…help her.”

“How?”

“She thinks I might have a contact.” Alix’s eyes didn’t meet mine. “Apparently, Margaret thinks I might know someone who’d be willing to hurt Danny Chesterfield.”

Despite my effort to remain calm, I gasped and brought my hand to my mouth.

“She didn’t want him killed or anything,” Alix rushed to explain. “She wants him hurt. Badly. At least one broken bone—his right arm’s what she suggested, but if the leg was easier, she’d settle for that.”

I hardly knew how to respond other than with absolute horror. My sister was prepared to go to any lengths to see that Danny Chesterfield was punished for his crime.

“She said she was willing to pay, and she wanted to be sure that whoever I found let Danny know this was payback for what he’d done to Julia.”

Reaching for the back of a chair, I yanked it out and sat down. I felt as if my legs would no longer hold me upright. Never in all my life had I believed my sister capable of such an action.

“She wasn’t very pleased with me,” Alix said.

“You told her you wouldn’t do it, didn’t you?”

“Of course! What do you think I am?” She paused, giving me a wry smile. “I might’ve considered doing it as a favor three or four years ago, but I don’t do things like that anymore.”

I couldn’t speak. I simply couldn’t speak. I vacillated between pity and anger. I considered having Brad contact Matt, since they got along well and I figured my brother-in-law would know how to handle the situation. Or should I talk to Matt myself?

“She didn’t like what I had to say,” Alix continued. “I told her that hurting Danny, breaking his leg or anything else, wouldn’t fix the way she felt.”

No, Margaret wouldn’t like hearing that.

“I said Danny Chesterfield was a despicable human being who deserved to be in prison. I told her I thought it was only a matter of time before he ended up there. If not for what he did to Julia, then for some other crime. It’s a shame someone else has to suffer—I feel bad about that.”

Alix wasn’t the only one. Margaret had ranted about it for days until I thought I’d scream.

“Hard as it is, I suggested she try to forgive the creep,” Alix said. “It’s what I had to do with my mother. For a long time I was angry with her for not being the kind of mother I needed. Her addictions to drugs and alcohol made my childhood…difficult. I mean, I know she was a product of her own weakness and her own background. But her problems could weigh me down for the rest of my life if I let them.” Alix’s face brightened with the intensity of her feelings. “Instead of letting that happen, I followed Jordan’s advice and…forgave her.”

My admiration for Alix, already high, rose about a thousand percent. I wanted to tell her that, but the lump in my throat prevented me from speaking.

“About two years ago I wrote her a letter,” Alix told me. “Jordan helped me with it.”

“What did you say?”

Alix shrugged. “Not much really. Just that I supposed she did the best she knew how and that I forgave her.”

“How did she respond?” It wasn’t any of my business but I was understandably curious.

“She didn’t,” Alix told me with a tinge of sadness. “I didn’t hear from her for about six months, and then she wrote and said that since I got religion I probably wouldn’t be any good to her.” Her eyes glazed over for a moment.

“Did you tell my sister any of this?” I asked.

“I tried, but…” Alix shook her head. “Margaret wasn’t in the mood to hear it.”

That figured. Once again I wondered what—if anything—I could do to help my sister. And once again, no real solution presented itself.

CHAPTER 32

Colette Blake

Christian had left for China a week ago. Colette could only speculate on his business there. During her years as his assistant, she’d booked any number of flights for him and knew he frequently traveled to Asian countries, particularly China. The thought of him dealing in human cargo turned her stomach. How long had it been going on, she wondered. And the question she asked over and over: Why? Still, she had difficulty equating the man she knew and loved—yes, loved—the man whose child she carried, with a man who’d do something so criminal. And beyond criminal, so cynically cruel.

Regardless, and in the face of her dangerous knowledge, Colette waited patiently for word from him. He hadn’t said exactly how long he’d be away. His trips lasted anywhere from one to three weeks, and more often than not, he experienced delays, but she expected to hear from him soon. Now that she’d made the decision to tell him about the baby, the news burned within her.