"You're right. She's not." Ian steeled himself, looked Walter straight in the eye. "That's why I brought her here with me."
Walter started. "Here? To the Institute?"
"Yes." Ian didn't avert his gaze. "It was the only logical solution. It buys us the time we need, and it keeps Victoria from doing anything stupid." A pause. "By that I mean anything that might incriminate the Institute and, as a result, get Victoria into trouble." Ian cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I realize that sounds ominous. It's probably an overreaction on my part. After all, Clarissa loves your daughter very much. I doubt she'd ever do anything to harm her. Still, that's under normal conditions. Right now, she's livid. She feels betrayed, as if Victoria's turned on her family and manipulated you by lying about the FBI. She's also coming apart at the seams. You know how much this Institute means to her. It's her life. Honestly, I can't vouch for what she'd do if Victoria managed to get through to the authorities when the Institute was still vulnerable."
"I understand your concern—and Clarissa's distress," Walter replied stiffly. His expression became grim, as if he were about to broach a matter he found thoroughly distasteful. "Where is Victoria now?"
"At the moment, she's in the lounge on the third floor. Harper is keeping an eye on her while the attendants set up her bed. Obviously, I want her to be made as comfortable as possible. Since the Institute has no available rooms, I had Audrey's room converted into a double. The idea seemed to appeal to Victoria. She calmed down a bit when I suggested it."
"That's not a surprise. She's been trying to find a way to see Audrey. Now she'll have that chance."
Fleetingly, Ian gauged Walter's reaction, trying to determine just how angry with Victoria he was. He was outwardly controlled, but Ian could sense that, beneath the surface, he was sizzling.
As expected.
"I'm sure you want to speak with your daughter," Ian said carefully. A quick gesture toward the door. "Go right ahead. I'll get our cleanup under way."
"On the contrary," Walter replied in clipped tones. "I'm not feeling very conversational at the moment. I need to settle down before my daughter and I exchange words. An argument between us would only upset Audrey. The last thing I want is for her to suffer a setback. I want her well and out of this place. Let her have her reunion with her sister. It will do her good. As for Victoria, she'll adapt to her situation. She always does. You've clearly gone out of your way to minimize her inconvenience." He headed toward the door. "I'm getting some air. I'll be back later. Get busy with this cleanup of yours."
"I intend to." Ian shot his mentor a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry about all this. But don't worry. In a few days, it will all be over. And Waters, Kensington, Tatem and Calder will come through this as strong as ever."
"I'm counting on it." Walter brushed by him and stalked out.
Alone in the room, Ian smiled. Everything was going like clockwork.
* * *
Walter headed down Seventy-eighth Street, his mind racing. He had to act immediately, before Ian made a trip to the office. So far he hadn't been there. He'd gone straight from his apartment to Clarissa's, then to Victoria's, and finally, to the Institute. Which meant the cleanup efforts hadn't had a chance to extend to Waters, Kensington, Tatem & Calder.
That bought Walter the few hours he needed.
Swiftly, he glanced at his watch. Eleven-thirty.
He paused at the corner, whipped out his cell phone, and punched in Miss Hatterman's home number, thankful that she lived in midtown.
"Hello?"
"Miss Hatterman, it's me. I need you in the office."
"Of course." Crisply efficient as ever, his secretary didn't miss a beat. She was used to sporadic weekend fire drills. "When?"
"Now. It's an emergency. Drop whatever you're doing and leave. But first, call that computer person . . . Lake or Lakes, I think it is. Tell him I need him in, too."
"Lakeman. He lives in Manhattan, so he can get to the office right away—if he's home."
"If he's not, find him. Pull his personnel file if you have to. Call his family, his neighbors, whoever. Just get him to the office within the hour. Tell him he'll be well compensated for the inconvenience."
"I'll take care of it." Miss Hatterman cleared her throat. She'd never heard her employer so unsettled. "Mr. Kensington, is everything all right?"
Walter was already on the move, marching to the curb to hail a cab. "No, Miss Hatterman. It's not."
* * *
Frank Harper caught the hospital attendant's eye, nodding when he saw him signal from the doorway of the TV room. He turned to Victoria, who was perched stiffly at the edge of her chair, impatience emanating from every pore of her body.
"Okay, Miss Kensington. We can go now."
She jumped to her feet, itching to see Audrey. Hearing Zach's reassurance that she was okay had been wonderful. Seeing it for herself would be better.
"Your room's ready," the burly guard announced.
Victoria arched a derisive brow at him. "Don't you mean our room—mine, my sister's, and yours?"
Harper frowned. "No. I told you, the room's hers and yours. I'm just keeping an eye on you. From the hallway."
"Ah, a nanny. How touching."
"Look, lady." He crossed his arms over his chest, his jaw setting in annoyance. "Don't make this any harder than it has to be. I'm not any happier with this arrangement than you are. I've got better things to do than baby-sit a testy broad all weekend. But that's what I've been told to do. You've been bugging me to see your sister for the last half hour. Now I'm saying okay. Do you want to go to your room or not?"
Biting back another flippant reply, Victoria nodded. She might dislike this man and loathe the idea of his guarding her like a common criminal, but antagonizing him would be stupid. She wanted to see Audrey. And she had an agenda— one in which time was of the essence. Harper could be either a mere nuisance—one that could be skirted with minimal effort—or a full-scale pain in the ass who planted himself in her face and made things very difficult for her.
It was up to her to ensure he turned out to be the former.
Keeping her mouth shut, she followed Harper out of the lounge, around the bend, down the corridor, and past the nurse's station. He went two rooms farther, then stopped outside an open door, gesturing for her to go in.
"And before you start bitching about privacy and harassment and whatever else you were spouting before, I'm not coming in," he informed her. "I don't give a damn what you and your sister talk about or if you walk around stark naked. As long as you stay in that room, do what you want. Okay?"
"Fine." Victoria hurried by him, her mind already on the kind of state she'd find Audrey in.
Her gaze flickered from the bed that had been set up for her to the one adjacent to it—the one that held her sister. At last. After two long, apprehensive weeks, she was going to see Audrey, get firsthand proof that she was all right.
What she saw was better than what she'd expected.
Audrey's bed was elevated so she was raised into a half-sitting position. Her dark hair was neatly brushed, and it fanned across the pillow beneath her head. The sheet was drawn to her waist, exposing the upper half of her torso, which was clad in the familiar yellow hospital gown. Even through the shapeless gown, Victoria could see that her sister's breathing was slow and even, and that most of her previous bloating had gone down. Her body looked close to normal, as did the color in her cheeks. And there was no intravenous tube—in fact, no tubes of any kind—attached to her. Whatever medication she was receiving, albeit illegal, she was able to ingest it on her own.
Thank God.
"Audrey," Victoria murmured, moving to her sister's bedside.
Audrey turned her head at the sound of Victoria's voice, her eyelids fluttering open. Seeing her sister, her entire face lit in a weak but thankful smile, her relief as acute as if she'd been thrown a lifeline. "They said you were here. I thought maybe I'd dreamed it."
"Well, you didn't."
Victoria's voice trembled as she perched on the edge of the bed and brushed Audrey's hair off her forehead. "I came the minute they let me." She leaned over, hugged her sister, and felt tears sting her eyes. Funny, she'd gone months on end without seeing Audrey, yet this two-week separation was the longest of her life. "How are you, sweetie?"
"Better." Audrey hugged her back. Her motions were sluggish, as was her speech. Victoria wasn't surprised. Clearly, it was the effects of whatever Ian and Clarissa were giving her— not for the bulimia, but to keep her sedated. "I'm still tired. Put I'm eating." She paused, wet her lips. "Father visits a lot. He actually seems worried about me. Oh, he's also furious. But that's par for the course when it comes to me."
Audrey frowned, rolling her head from side to side as if to clear it. "I called you. This place is weird. I can't explain it. It's like they want me well, but until I am, they're keeping me drugged up. I'm always so out of it. I sound paranoid, I know. Maybe I am. They say it's the effects of the medicine. It probably is. But when I say I don't need it, they say I do. And Miss Rivers, the one who administers the stuff, she gives me the creeps. I told Father that. He got annoyed at me, of course, for bugging him again. But he did ask them to assign me different nurses, not her. They went along with the request. I like the other nurses much better. Especially Miss Groves, who's incredibly sweet and caring. Miss Rivers still comes in, but now it's just at medicine time."
Audrey paused, wet her lips again. "I always feel so groggy after my medicine. So out of it. I hate that."
Victoria's grip on her sister tightened. "But you're okay otherwise? In between the medicine, I mean. You're feeling stronger?"
"Yes. Much." Audrey swallowed hard. "I'm sorry, Victoria. I didn't mean to screw up again. I was doing so well, painting, feeling like I'd found myself, found' where I belonged. Then I met Rolando, and everything just fell apart." Another hard swallow, as she battled her self-pitying impulses. "I became a victim all over again."
"Audrey, listen to me." Victoria drew back, noting the strength Audrey was striving for—a new and promising effort. Normally, she ran from her problems. This time, she seemed ready to face them.
Maybe something good had come from this ordeal after all.
"Sweetie, you're not a victim, not in the way you mean." Victoria restrained herself from blurting out the whole ugly truth about the Hope Institute, knowing this wasn't the time. "It could be you needed the fiasco with Rolando to make you realize how strong you are. Maybe you had to go through all this to see how much you have to live for, and to be willing to fight for it." Victoria squeezed her sister's hands. "Everything's going to be fine," she assured her, meaning it now more than ever. "It's going to happen a lot sooner than you think. I can't explain now, but you have to trust me. We're going to get you out of here, get you settled where you'll be happy. You'll start seeing Dr. Osborne again. He can help you—without all this medicine."
"Yes, he can. And I can, too." Audrey's jaw set. Even in her weakened state, it was obvious she meant every word. "This time I'm going to get well. Not just for a while, for good. I'm determined."
"So am I." Victoria smiled. "We'll take this on together."
But first I have to get to Zach, she thought for the hundredth time since Ian had ushered her from her apartment. I have to. The clock is ticking.
As if in answer to her prayers, the door opened and a slim young nurse entered the room, carrying two lunch trays. "You must be Audrey's sister," she greeted Victoria. "I've heard glowing stories about you. I'm Miss Simmons."
Victoria rose, went over to relieve the nurse of one tray. "It's a pleasure, Miss Simmons. Audrey was just telling me how wonderful you've all been to her. I can't thank you enough." She placed the tray beside her bed, turning as Miss Simmons settled the other tray on Audrey's stand and swiveled it around so her patient could reach it easily.
"Audrey's a delightful patient." The nurse's lips quirked. "Except when she scares us to death by dragging herself out of bed and disappearing."
"I wanted to reach Victoria," Audrey replied, her forehead creased in rueful apology. "I didn't go far—just to the phone. I felt terrible about scaring you."
"All that matters is that you weren't hurt. And now there's no need to jeopardize your health again. Your sister is right here with you." Miss Simmons turned to give Victoria a genuine smile.
"Yes, I am." Victoria trusted her instincts and acted. "While we're on the subject, I'd really like to personally thank some of the other nurses who've cared for Audrey. I've spotted a few of them, but I can't seem to find Miss Groves. And Audrey speaks so highly of her."
A nod. "Beatrice is one of our best. She's an amazing nurse, with a heart of gold. Normally, you'd have no trouble finding her. She drops in on each patient at least once a day. This week and next are a little different. She's been assigned to one specific patient during that time. That explains why you haven't seen her."
"Really." Victoria feigned concern. "That poor person must be terribly ill to require a private nurse. I can imagine how busy Miss Groves must be. Still, I'd like to stop by and thank her, even if it's only for a minute. I promise not to keep her."
Miss Simmons was adjusting Audrey's bed so she was in a comfortable position to eat. "That shouldn't be a problem. She's on the second floor. Room 214. Just get her attention from the doorway. No one is permitted in Mr. Karr's room but Beatrice."
Room 214. That's where she'd find Zach.
"I'll do that. Thank you, Miss Simmons." Victoria forced herself to sit down and eat. Actually, she realized with some surprise, her insides were actually gnawing with hunger. She'd hadn't had a thing all day, other than the two cups of coffee she'd downed right before Zach's crack-of-dawn phone call. It wouldn't help for her to faint in the corridor. She needed every bit of her strength to get through the next few hours.
She'd eaten half her turkey and green beans when Miss Simmons excused herself and left the room, saying she'd be back in a half hour to collect the trays.
Victoria's gaze followed her exit, and she frowned as she spied Frank Harper lounging against the wall across from their room.
He was her next obstacle.
She stood and went over to Audrey, relieved to see her sister had eaten almost everything on her plate.
"The food here's better than at most hotels," Audrey declared, noting Victoria's scrutiny. A look of grateful comprehension flickered across her face. "I'm holding everything down. Stop worrying."
Victoria grinned. 'That's going to be a tough habit to break. I've been worrying about you since we were kids. It's an older sister's right." She edged a glance at the door.
Audrey's lighthearted mood vanished, and dread filled her eyes. "You're not leaving already? You just got here."
The panic in her sister's voice tore at her heart. "No, sweetie, I'm not leaving." And when I do, you'll be with me, she added silently. "But I'd like to find Miss Groves now, while I know where she is. If it's lunchtime, she and the patient she's assigned to will be in his room."
A reluctant nod. "But you'll come back."
"By the time you've eaten your last crumb of banana cream pie and washed it down with milk," Victoria assured her teasingly.
A soft laugh escaped Audrey's lips as she recognized a promise Victoria used to make in their childhood. The laugh was music to Victoria's ears, as was the hope in her sister's eyes. In just thirty minutes, Audrey already looked better lhan when Victoria had walked in. Her color was rosier, her strength improved. The sooner she got out of this place, the faster she'd heal.
That prompted another concern.
"Audrey, when is your next dose of medicine due?"
"Not until three o'clock." She rolled her eyes. "I'm in no hurry."
"I don't blame you."
Three o'clock. That gave her plenty of time. There'd be no more sedatives if Victoria had her way. "Okay, sweetie, you eat up," she urged. "I'll be back soon."
She headed for the door.
Time to bull
doze her way around Frank Harper.
The guard looked up when she stepped into the hall. "Need something?"
In this case, direct was best. The less said, the less chance there was of arousing suspicion.
"Actually, yes," Victoria replied, an announcement rather than a request. If she asked, the answer might be no. "There's a nurse I need to see. She was especially kind to my sister. She's assigned to Room 214. I'm going downstairs to thank her personally."
He shrugged. "Yeah, okay. But I'm going with you. Oh, and you can't walk inside that particular room. Doctor's orders. I'll have to catch the nurse's eye and ask her to come out."
"Fair enough."
They took the elevator down. The ride was silent, partly because Harper wanted nothing to do with her, and partly because Victoria's mind was racing. There were so many potential snags to this plan. First, Zach and Beatrice had to be in the room. Assuming they were, Harper planned to rap on the door to get Beatrice's attention—which meant Victoria had to find a way to camouflage Beatrice's reaction when she came face-to-face with her. The woman was doing a fantastic job of helping them. But she wasn't a professional actress. She was bound to look startled when she saw Victoria standing there. And startled wouldn't do, not when, supposedly, she and Victoria had never met. As if that weren't enough, Victoria would then have to get permission to enter David Karr's room. The only one who could give her that was the reclusive Mr. Karr himself. Which meant praying Zach could come up with something brilliantly resourceful without a moment's planning time.
The if's were limitless. She couldn't let herself think about them. She simply had to make it happen.