“I will never understand why she felt she couldn’t trust her own family, her own mother. I suppose her fear of confiding in us was a symptom of her anxiety and depression.”
“Mostly it was because none of you believed her when she tried to tell you that Brad was a very scary guy.”
“That is not true, damn you. I talked to her doctor personally. Dr. Mowbray confirmed that Elizabeth was suffering from severe depression complicated by an unusual neurosis brought on by her sensitive nature.”
“Dr. Mowbray is a sensitive?”
“Yes. He trained at Arcane House. He explained everything to me. He also told me that Brad was doing his best to help her. But Elizabeth was actually delusional. I was terrified she was going to kill herself.”
More tears leaked from Myra’s eyes.
There was no point arguing anymore, Clare thought. Elizabeth was right. Myra was in denial. She did not want to believe that she had urged her daughter into a truly horrendous marriage. Talk about the ultimate bad guilt trip for a mother.
“Mrs. Glazebrook, if it’s any consolation, I am well aware that when I show up here in Stone Canyon, I don’t usually bring joy and sunshine into your life,” Clare said. “But I swear it isn’t my intention to hurt anyone.”
“Then why don’t you leave?” Myra asked baldly.
“I intend to,” Clare promised.
“When?”
“Soon.”
Myra’s mouth pursed in frustration. She looked around the well-furnished great room. “Why have you gotten involved with Jake?”
“It just happened.”
“That sort of thing doesn’t just happen. Men may choose to believe that when it suits them but women know the truth.”
Clare pondered briefly. Myra had a point. “Okay, I’ll give you that.”
Myra crushed the tissue in one hand. “Are you trying to seduce Jake the same way you seduced Brad?”
Anger flashed through Clare. “One more time for the record. I never, ever slept with Brad McAllister. He was a dangerous, vicious liar and probably a very strong parahypnotist into the bargain.”
Myra’s eyes widened in outrage. “He was not a hypnotist. I told you, Archer had a thorough background check done. Brad McAllister was a level-four strategist. If he had been false in any way, Archer would have seen through him immediately. Archer is an eight, for heaven’s sake.”
“And I’m a level-ten lie detector. Trust me, I know a liar when I meet one.”
Myra rose suddenly. “There is an old saying in the Society. No one can tell a lie as well as a human lie detector.”
Clare stood. “I am not here to hurt your family.”
“You want revenge, don’t you? For all the things you missed because you didn’t grow up as Archer Glazebrook’s daughter.”
“That’s not true.”
Myra ignored that. “What else are you after, Clare? Why have you set your sights on Jake Salter? Do you think you can use him somehow to further your own agenda?”
Clare tightened her hands into fists at her sides. “That’s enough, Myra.”
“I’m giving you fair warning, Clare. I will do whatever I must to save my family.”
Myra turned and walked very quickly across the great room, heading for the front hall.
Clare hurried after her. “Listen to me. Please.”
Myra wrenched open the front door. She stopped and looked back at Clare, radiating the fierceness of a lioness protecting her cubs.
“I want to make one thing very clear,” Myra said. “I promise you that I will not stand by and allow you to wreak any more vengeance on this family.”
She went out, slamming the door behind her.
Chapter Thirty
Jake pulled into the drive, got out of the BMW and started toward the front door.
The door opened just as he reached for his key. Clare stood there. She had a glass of iced green tea in one hand. The black pants she had on looked familiar but he was certain he hadn’t seen the blouse before.
He stopped a couple paces short of the door and let himself take in the sight of her standing in the opening, waiting for him. It hit him that he had been anticipating this moment ever since he left the clubhouse.
“I heard your car in the drive,” she said. She held up the iced tea. “Thought you might need this after dealing with Archer all morning.”
“You must be psychic.” He moved into the hall and took the tea from her hand.
She closed the door and turned to look at him. “How did it go? Did he give you the third degree?”
“Sure. I was expecting it.” He kissed her on the mouth and then swallowed some of the cold tea.
“Well?” she prompted. “What did you say?”
“I confirmed his worst fears. Told him you were with me.”
Her dark brows snapped together. “That’s all?”
“No. After that I really ruined his day.”
“You beat him at golf?”
He nodded once. “That, too.”
A wary expression tightened her eyes. “What else did you do?”
“I told him that you want to find out what happened to Brad McAllister and that you plan to stick around Stone Canyon until you get some answers.”
“I’m not sure that was a good idea.”
“Well, he wasn’t real thrilled, I can tell you that. But he had his reasons. Do you know that he thought you were the one who murdered McAllister?”
“What?”
“He’s been doing his best to squelch any and all inquiries into the matter for the past six months.”
“Good grief.” She looked stunned. “He was trying to protect me?”
“He’s your father. He might be late to the party but that doesn’t change his sense of obligation. Besides, he decided that Brad had it coming.”
“But now he must realize that I had nothing to do with Brad’s murder. I certainly wouldn’t be looking into the situation if I was the killer.”
“That little fact did alter his view of things,” Jake agreed. “The upshot is that he is now taking a more philosophical attitude toward our current living arrangements, however.”
She groaned. “In other words, he’s decided that if I’m going to open up a can of worms, it would be best if you kept an eye on me.”
He took another long pull on the tea and lowered the glass. “That pretty much sums up his take on things.”
“Damn. People keep saying stuff like that.”