So Hard To Forget Part 11

There was so much pain in Helen's voice that Nicole grasped her hand. "When can I meet this sister of mine?" She shifted her position so she was facing Helen. There was something very wrong. She'd felt it the minute the question was out of her mouth. She saw the looks Max and Doug traded and wondered what the two men had to do with anything. Then she realized she'd missed an important clue. Max, Doug and Helen were all acquainted.

Helen squeezed Nicole's hand, holding on to it like a lifeline. "Sandra's dead, Nicole, murdered by her husband."

Nicole was taken aback, stunned. More, she was confused. She looked at Max and voiced her troubled thoughts. "What does this have to do with you? With Bedford?"

Max always liked a dramatic exit. He figured it was as good a time as any to leave the women to get acquainted and for Nicole to learn all about her sister from Helen. He motioned for Doug to come with him. "With Bedford? Not a d.a.m.n thing."

CHAPTER ELEVEN.

NICOLE WAS LOST in a bizarre vacuum of time, talking and listening to Helen reminisce about Sandra. A peculiar kind of heaviness settled over the room, making her think her mind was playing tricks on her. It was downright spooky looking at the pictures, examining the life of someone from a tiny baby to a grown woman, when all the time she kept thinking it was herself. There were times, seeing Sandra smiling and relaxed or laughing with friends, that she'd even crazily found herself struggling to remember where she'd met those strangers or when she'd ever been to that particular place.

By the time they'd turned the last page in the last alb.u.m, she was exhausted. She'd tried several times to find out about her sister's marriage "and her death. Every time she broached the subject, Helen promptly deflected her question by talking about some other adventure of Sandra's.

"This is all too much for you, isn't it?" Helen asked finally. She wanted more than anything for Nicole to show some real feeling, but knew the more she talked the less the young woman listened. She patted Nicole's hand and politely lied. "To tell the truth, I'm a lit He frazzled myself. Seeing you ... well, never mind. I think I need some fresh air, then I'm going to my room to lie down." She tried not to be so disappointed as she set the last alb.u.m she'd been clutching to her chest on the table and stood.

Nicole watched her go, her heart heavy with pity and guilt. She rested her head on the back of the sofa and closed her eyes. What was she expected to feel for someone she'd never seen, met or even known about? She supposed there should have been some psychic or spiritual connection to her sister. Maybe clairvoyance, shared feelings, but there'd been nothing. She'd never felt weird or disoriented. She'd never felt sharp pains without a mason for them, and them were no unexplained dreams of a link to someone else. She'd certainly never had an out-of-body experience.

Nicole laughed. Now she was making herself crazy trying to figure out if them were clues she'd simply overlooked because she didn't recognize them. She sat up, suddenly disgusted and tired of the strain. She didn't need another problem added to her list. Max would soon be gone and that was almost a relief. That left her father to deal with.

Dammit. She sat up, startled by a jolt of unpleasantness when she thought of the way Charlie was acting. She suddenly remembered the guests and jumped to her feet.

WHEN HE AND DOUG left the women in the living room, Max glanced around, realized that the men were in the dining room having lunch and turned toward the front door. "We need to talk, Doug."

They went out onto the porch. Max rested against the railing and shut his eyes. For a second he was back at the lodge and could visualize Nicole that first night with golden moonlight in her hair.

"You look about as worn-out as I am, What happened When Max opened his eyes and stared through him, Doug had a sinking sensation. "I've seen that look before," Doug murmured. "When you were mooning over Sandra."

"I wasn't mooning."

"From the way Nicole was glaring at you, I'd say you were your usual charming self and stepped on toes."

"That's unkind. She thinks I'm a weasel." "You are."

"Jeez." Max pressed his fingers to his eyes. "She found out we're working for Bedford and won't speak to me now."

Doug leaned his shoulder against a column, crossed his arms and grinned. Max looked almost as bad as he did, and he had an excuse by the name of Charlie. "You're supposed to be an expert at keeping secrets. How did she get that out of you? No---don't answer that. I know you better than to think you'd ever use s.e.x." Doug was joking, but when Max didn't answer and deliberately shifted his gaze away, he straightened from his lounging position.

"Don't ask," Max snapped defensively, "and I won't have to tell you to shut your mouth."

For a second Doug was speechless. "You know a shrink would have a field day with your motives and actions."

"Leave it be, Doug."

"Okay, I will for now. But being the weasel you are, what did you end up telling her about Bedford?" "Nothing. She wouldn't let me explain."

"Well, you don't have to worry, then. I went to see Bedford yes'rday and told him we were off the case.

That I didn't like his business practices and underhand tactics."

"When did you step up to such high moral ground?"

"Screw you, Max." Doug smiled. "Just because you messed up, don't take it out on me."

"Sorry. What did Bedford say?" Max was having trouble paying attention as he debated whether to tell his partner his scheme or wait until he'd made a couple of phone calls to see if what he had in mind was feasible.

"He didn't take kindly to being told no. So, he threw me off his ranch."

Max's dive into the dark waters of self-pity was saved by curiosity.

The fact that Doug had turned down a paying client was a shock. That he'd actually done the job himself was stunning.

"Aren't you even going to ask why I did it?" "After I swallow my surprise."

"I like Charlie. He's a rounder. Drinks too much, gambles too much, but he's a straight arrow. An upright kind of guy. He's bon est--well, sort of--when it suits him, and he does love the ladies. The thing is, he's like a kid, Max, and I know that's no recommendation for a man his age, but somehow it fits Charlie.

"h.e.l.l, he nearly killed me, but I don't believe I've ever laughed so much or had so much fun. And I like this place."

Max's gaze narrowed on his friend. "You're not thinking of becoming a cowboy, are you?"

"No. I don't know. Sara would divorce me in a minute if I even dreamed of something so crazy. 3'here's thisHtt{e place Charlie showed me... Oh, never mind. But we work too hard, Max, take life too seriously."

"I won't disagree with you there."

Doug was amazed at Max's response. He'd expected ridicule, and it threw him off for a moment. "Helen shocked the h.e.l.l out of me by showing up. I had to fill Charlie in on everything. Even about Bedford and our a.s.sociation---" he chuckled "--and our sudden disa.s.sociation. I also told him we'd do everything we could to help him and Nicky with Bedford. That's another problem. Bedford's been playing dirty. Using every means he can to screw Charlie and Nicky out of their land."

"Nicky told me some of it"

Doug perked up. "Ah. See, she likes you enough to tell you about their problems."

"That was before she found out we worked for Bedford."

"Oh. Well, Charlie got taken for a fide. He's in the hole for about thirty thousand dollars he doesn't have. I set the office to checking it out and found that the deal was backed by one of Bedford's blind corporations. Charlie took out a hefty mortgage on the ranch for some bogus deal. Of course the get-rich-quick scheme fell through, Charlie lost thirty grand, and Bedford's just waiting for Charlie to miss a payment, then the bank's going to foreclose and the land will be auctioned off. The bank's in Bedford's pocket, so he's going to start squeezing soon."

Max cursed. He didn't need more problems.

"By the way, Nicky doesn't know her father's in trouble. We thought it best to run it by you first, see if we could oome up with a plan before you tell her."

"Kill the messenger, right?" Max took a stab at humor, but the diversion didn't help.

"You want to spit out what's been chewing on you, besides Nicky?"

"I think I've come up with a plan to get Gillman." He thought he heard a noise at the door and motioned for Doug to move farther down the porch.

"Oh, h.e.l.l, Max. I thought we were through with that. John Gillman's beat the system and us. He's gotten away with murdering Sandra, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Max loved a challenge. "Are you so sure about that now that you've seen Nicole?" He smiled at the way Doug's puzzled expression changed as his meaning dawned on him. For once his partner was speechless. "Come on, man. It's simple. We resurrect Sandra through Nicole."

"You've lost your mind," Doug said, but there was doubt in his voice and he began to pace in front of Max. Suddenly he stopped and swung around to face him. He pushed at his gla.s.ses, then ran his fingers through his hair. "Have you got a plan mapped out?"

"Down to dotting the i's and crossing the t's. It'll work, Doug." His friend and partner wasn't above taking on a challenge, either. Max could feel Doug's growing excitement.

"He's a killer," Doug whispered, as if Gillman, thousands of miles away, might overhear him. "Nicky could end up like Sandra."

"No, she won't. Because I'll he with her every minute of every day and night that it takes to pull it off. And you'll be there, as well as a security force from the office. Nicky's Sandra's identical twin, right down to the birthmark. It's simple. We'll trap Gillman with Nicky, but he'll think she's Sandra."

"You're going to bring Sandra back to life? That's a mighty big leap of the imagination there, pal. Maybe you better tell me everything--in detail."

They both jumped when the screen door was pushed open and Helen Applewhite stepped out. "Maybe you should tell me this plan, too." She smiled when they glanced guiltily at each otbermlike boys caught looking at a girlie magazine. "I have excellent hearing, and at my age eavesdropping has become a great source of entertainment."

"Where's Nicky?"

"The last I saw, she was coming out of the dining room with Charlie. She seemed pretty determined to get him alone for a talk, and he seemed equally determined to get away. I think she won, because as I pa.s.sed the stairs, they were heading to her room. I imagine she has a lot of questions."

Doug groaned and shook his head. "Worse than that. I think she's going to put Charlie on the hot seat. He told me Nicky has this radar that tells her when he's in trouble. And he's in big trouble this time."

NICOLE SHUT her bedroom door firmly and turned to face her father. "Okay, Dad. What have you done and what's it going to cost?"

"Sugarplum, I'm crushed." He reached for the k.n.o.b, but she shoved his hand away and planted herself directly in front of the door. "We have guests, darling, who are getting ready to leave. You know I have to give my farewell speech."

She shook her head. "Dad, please."

Charlie gave a heavy sigh and limped ov to the bed. He sat on the side and wrapped both hands around his cane. "You remember Ben Jessop who was here a month ago? The chemist with Agi-Chem Laboratories?"

Nicole nodded and felt the chill of dread. She hadn't liked Jessop much. "Go on."

"He told me about a new strain of range gra.s.s that he and a couple of his egghead agriculture-scientist buddies had developed. It was going to be great stuff. Great for cattle, even wildlife, and able to withstand some pretty cold temperatures. It was supposed to cut down, if not cut out, the cost of winter feed."

She'd picked up on the operative word--was. She swallowed her fear and gathered her courage enough to ask, "How much did you lose?"

"I was set up, Pumpkin. Doug found out that Bedford was behind the deal. He's going to help us."

The thought of Max and Doug sent a surge of rage through her. Now was not the time to tell her father that he'd more than likely been taken in again. "Please, Dad. If I don't know how much, I can't help you."

CharlFe tapped the cane against his cast and stared at the floor. "Thirty thousand."

For a moment she thought she'd heard wrong, but when her father lifted his head and looked at her, she saw the truth in his eyes. Her knees felt suddenly weak, and she barely made it to the bed before she collapsed beside him. "Oh, Daddy," was all she could say.

"That ain't the worst of it. I took a mortgage out on the ranch to come up with the cash. Doug thinks Bedford's got Penkins at the bank in his hip pocket. They're going to wait fill I miss the payment and fore close, then Bedford can pick up the ranch and mountain at auction."

"Thirty thousand dollars." The amount was astronomical, and it was all she could think about. "Sounds like a lot, I know."

"Sounds? It/s a lot, Dad. More than we have." "I think we can put it together, though. There's Missy and Polo. You know how much Shannon Bart-let admires those horses."

"Missy and Polo are mine, Dad." The fact that he was willing to sell her prize quarter horses ones she'd raised from foals and trained herself, was enough to make her take a good look at him.

He was pale and drawn and looked older than his years. She checked the urge to wrap her arms around him and tell him they'd figure it out together like they always had. But she doubted if he would hear her. As he continued to talk, she realized that, for the first time in his life, he was really afraid he was goiug to lose the ranch and maybe the mountain.

"The herd, Nick. If worse comes to worst, Ash will give us a good price for them."

"It's not enough, Dad." He met her eyes again, and the desperation and shame she saw in his face almost broke her heart.

"Close?" he asked, his voice raspy.

Nicole shook her head. "Maybe. Maybe half." Charlie perked up a little. "What if we filed a lawsuit against Bedford for setting me up and cheating me out of the ranch? It could stall him until we come up with the money. Better still, we could win."

"Stall him until we come up with thirty thousand dollars? We can't get blood out of a turnip, Dad. As for a lawsuit I don't think so. Lawsuits mean lawyers, and we don't have enough for a retainer." She didn't want to tell him that Bedford's attorneys would eat them alive in court.

He took a deep breath, patted Nicole's leg. "We'll think of something. We always do." He used the cane to stand, then looked at his daughter. "I love you, b.u.t.ton. Your mother loved you, too. And I'm sorry we didn't know about your sister. We would have taken her, too, if we had." He started toward the door and paused with his hand on the k.n.o.b. "Our guests are getting ready to leave. You need to come say your goodbyes."

She stood up. It had all been said. Everything out in the open, and her father would, in all likelihood, try to ignore the fact that their lives were heading down a trail they never thought they'd have to follow. Losing the ranch would break his heart as much as hers. Maybe he was right. Maybe it was best to wait until all the guests were gone. Then they could sit down and try to figure what they were going to do to get out of this disaster.

"Right," she said. "The guests. We'd better go see them off." She followed his slow descent down the stairs and into the dining room.

The men were gathered around having a last drink together. Nicole shoved all her problems, including Max, to the back of her mind, plastered a smile on her face and joined them. In the commotion of saying goodbye and escorting the men out of the house, she had a second to wonder where Max and Doug were. Surely they would be leaving with the rest. Only after Hal, the last guest, pa.s.sed by and gave her a quick kiss o the cheek, did she spot Max, Doug and Helen Applewhite on the porch. She and her fat hex escorted the men to the two waiting Suburbans and watched as they were driven off by a couple of the cowhands. They gave a last wave when the vehicles were almost at the end of the long driveway.

Max met them at the top of the steps. "Nicky. Charlie. We'd like to talk to you. How about the living room again?"

Nicole had a quick flash of her and Max in bed together and could almost feel his mouth on hers. She forcefully shoved the picture away and followed her father, noticing that his steps had suddenly become lighter. If he thought Max and Doug were going to be their deliverance, he was in for a rude awakening. Mr. New York, better known to her now as the champion of all weasels and Bedford's lackey, was, she had a feeling, about to take them, metaphorically speaking, for a tide. Dammit but she hated to let him win.

As she sat between her father and Helen on the sofa, she did a brief tally of her a.s.sets. wondering how much she could make from her two gold fillings and Roger's diamond engage mont ting, which she'd refused to return. But even adding the horses, cattle and some antiques, it wasn't enough to cancel a thirty-thousand-dollar debt. Then the absurdity of her hocking her fillings got the better of her and she smiled.

Max thought it was a good sign and decided to plunge tight in. "Nicky, you know now that the reason Doug and I are here is that we were working for Bedford. He wants the mountain and the ranch, and we were to help him get enough background and information on your family so he could mount his campaign.

"The thing is, we only took the case in the first place se we'd been working on Sandra's murder for over eighteen months. We were burned out, and the idea of fly-fishing in Montana, staying at a mountain lodge for a week, was too good to pa.s.s up. Can you imagine the shock we had when we saw you? We never had any idea that Sandra had a twin. Then there you were. I was sure you were Sandra, and I knew her better than anyone." Max left his seat in front of the fireplace and took the chair next to Doug and across from the others. "What we couldn't figure out was how or why Sandra would change her name and hide out here. How did she get here? Why didn't she contact her mother? You threw us for a loop, and we were groping around for answers without tipping our hand as to who we were."

Nicole was surprised how easily she accepted what he was telling her. "What about Bedford?"

"Bedford's not the issue or the problem other than the dirty game he sucked your father into. I know how much Charlie's into the bank for, and we might be able to help you."

"Why?" Nicole asked. "And who do I have to sleep with or kill?"