“When did you see them?”
“Earlier today. Dad isn’t aware that she told me about his involvement in Stephan’s death, but he probably guessed she did. Besides, I’ve been ducking his calls since I left the estate.”
I take a seat in one of the guest chairs, if only to compose my thoughts for a moment. “Alright, Margot. We need to work together on this. We have to get Clara and Matty back.”
“I am well aware of that, Carter. I just don’t know how. And frankly, I’m scared of the repercussions. There’s no telling what he’ll do if he feels backed into a corner.”
“I get that you’re scared, but aren’t you angry about Stephan, too?”
A pained look darkens her face, casting an even deeper shadow over her eyes as she lowers them. “Yes, I’m angry. I’m still grieving. I’m horrified. And I’m scared.”
Tears fill her eyes as she looks up at me.
It breaks my heart, because knowing what she knows now, Margot is wedged in a tough and agonizing spot between the love of her life and our father, the one man whose affection and approval she has worked so hard for.
“You can’t just go after him, Carter. He’ll shut you out. He’ll stay one step ahead of you always. And it could lead to Clara getting hurt. He doesn’t care about her. Just Matty,” Margot adds.
“What do you suggest I do then? I can’t just sit here.”
“We need a plan. You and I will figure something out. We know him best.”
“So you’re willing to help.”
“I have to be.”
I give her a curious look. “You have to be?”
“We’re family Carter, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to risk jail for our father. Besides, if anything happens to Clara or Matty, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. I’ve been thinking about it. The fear she must’ve felt. Being all alone, threatened by our father after she…after she watched him kill Stephan. I can’t even imagine. And all this time, I bought the rumors and the crap they said about her. I actually blamed her for Stephan’s death.”
I shake my head slowly. “A lot of people blamed her, Margot. I don’t think Clara ever had the bandwidth to really worry about that. With Matty and his heart condition, she had a lot on her plate.”
“He needs to pay for what he’s done,” Margot concludes, her tone cold.
I sense the determination, the anger giving way to clarity. For the first time in years, I feel as though my sister and I are finally on the same page again.
“Is she safe, Margot?”
“Like I said, for now, yes. She’s being held captive, but she is well taken care of. Matty seems calm.”
“What does he want with them?”
She exhales sharply, a bitter smile stretching across her face. “He wants an heir to the Lockwood fortune. I don’t have a husband anymore and there’s no chance I’ll be starting a family anytime soon. You…well, you walked away from it all, and our father doesn’t have an heir. It’s what it all boils down to.”
I’m torn between fury and disgust. This isn’t some low-level scum or a hostile insurgent I’m about to go after. It’s my own father. “Has he lost his goddamn mind?”
“Maybe a little. He plans to raise Matty in the family. From what he’s told me, he hopes you’ll step up and do it, then when Matty comes of age, he’ll bring him into the company, show him how to lead.”
“And Clara?”
“He’s offering her a lot of money to relinquish her rights and leave. He’ll handle Matty’s care, everything.”
“But she said no.”
“Damn right she said no. Matty is her child, and she loves him. She’s not willing to leave him behind for any amount of money. And that puts her in danger. We need to be really careful about how we proceed, legally, I mean. You’re not going to find him unless he wants to be found. He’s got the sheriff in his pocket, remember.”
I nod slowly.
Gung-ho isn’t the approach for this, not anymore. At least I have a line on Clara and Matty. What follows will be quite the feat of surveillance and financial forensics, because if I’m going after the old man, I’m going to have to attack him from every possible angle.
