CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

The discharge nurse informs me that my belongings can be retrieved from the police station. I am relieved to find that Donnelly isn't in the office today. I don't think I can handle another conversation with him like the last one.

I perform a cursory check of my things. There's only one item I truly care about, and when I find it still in its place in my handbag, I breathe a sigh of relief.

I head outside and try to plan my next move. I don't have another position at the moment, so I'm at liberty for now. I don't know for sure what I'll do, but for today, I only want to rest.

Not here, though. I don't want to spend another night in Savannah. It's a shame. The town is beautiful, and I believe I could quite enjoy a vacation here, but it holds too many bad memories for me.

So, I decided to head to the airport. I don't know where I'll go yet. I'll decide later.

I walk to the bus stop, but before I reach it, I hear a voice call my name.

"Mary! Mary, wait!"

I turn to see Annabelle hurrying over to me. I turn warily to her and glance back at the police station. I'm not sure how she feels about me now that I've gotten her entire family into legal trouble.

When she reaches me, she smiles sadly and says, "Don't worry, I'm not angry at you. I'm angry, but not at you."

"Oh. Um, h did you…"

"I'm the one who brought your stuff here. I just came to say goodbye before you left. I hope that's all right."

I meet her eyes and see only the guilt-ridden young woman who confides in me when she has no one else to talk to. My trepidation melts away, and I return her smile. "Of course, dear. I'm glad you caught me."

"Yeah, me too. Do you want to grab some tea? I know a place nearby that has some good stuff."

"That sounds lovely."

She beams and waves at a car parked across the street. When it pulls up next to us, I recognize Wharton in the driver's seat. The butler gives me a sad smile similar to Annabelle's, but his tone is genuine when he says, "I'm glad you're all right, Mary."

He drives us to a strip mall near the police station. During the drive, Annabelle makes small talk, asking about my health and sharing her well-wishes. I think she's waiting until we can talk privately to get to what's really on her mind.

My suspicions are confirmed a few minutes later when Wharton drops us off at the tea house and Annabelle and I sit with steaming cups of Darjeeling. She sips hers, perhaps a little too quickly, and I see her shoulders first tense, then relax as the heat of the brew melts into soothing warmth.

She gives me a smile that is probably as close to a genuine one as the poor girl will be capable of for a while. "I wanted to thank you," she begins, "for finding justice for Lila. And for putting George Baumann behind bars. Who knew he was such an asshole, huh?"

"Well, that much was obvious," I reply.

She laughs, and nearly spills her tea. To avoid an accident, she sets it on the counter and says, "Yeah, I guess so. Well, thank you for all of that. I'm glad someone did something about it." Her smile fades. "I can't believe I didn't know. I mean, I was… close might not be the right word, but I knew her better than anyone in the family did. I never even thought that she could have been hurt. I believed my parents when they said she just left."

"Of course you did. It is in one's nature to trust her parents." Usually.

"Yeah, but…" she shakes her head. "I mean, why would they lie?"

I consider my response carefully. I don't know if Annabelle is aware of the accusations against her grandmother. If not, I don't want to be the one who breaks that news to her. After a moment, I say, "They were trying to protect the people they loved." It's not exactly a lie.

"Were they?" she looks over my shoulder for a moment. "They wanted me to go with them. To Europe. They tried to tell me it was just a spur of the moment vacation to get away from all the unpleasantness with George." She meets my eyes again. "That's not what it is, though, is it?"

"Not entirely," I admit.

She sighs and sips more of her tea. "Did they have something to do with it? With Lila?"

"No. Not that I know of. They are closely associated with George, however, and her body was found on your property. They're no doubt waiting for advice from their lawyer before they return."

She laughs without humor. "Yeah, I figured. They were pissed at me when I said I was staying here. Christopher finally took me aside and explained that they were going to be questioned, and they wanted me with them so we could stand as a family. I told him that I was done standing with them. Anyway, long story short, we fought. They said some things. I said some things. Eventually, we'll probably apologize for a lot of it, but…" She looks away again. "I'm moving to California. I already talked to the police, and they said I'm not a suspect. I asked them if anyone else in my family was, and they wouldn't answer. Which means they answered. Anyway, I'm going to take advantage of the fact that the rest of them are caught up to get my stuff and get out of here." She sighs. "God, I feel horrible saying that."

"Don't," I insist, gently but firmly. "You must do what's right for yourself. You will mend the bridges between you and your family, but if you do so from a distance, you'll be able to decide how many of those bridges you mend and where they lead to. If I were you, I would look for a source of income other than the family coffers so they have no pull over you."

She laughs genuinely at that. "We don't have family coffers. Not anymore. Dad's up to his ears in debt, and Mom and Christopher are definitely fired. They'll raise a stink, but they're going to have to sell the estate and a lot of what's inside of it to pay for their defense already. They might stay out of jail, but they'll be ruined."

"I'm sorry to hear that." I'm not really sorry, but it seems the polite thing to say.

Annabelle is less circumspect. " I'm not. I hated being rich. That was our entire family personality. ‘Hi, we're the Greenwoods. We're rich.' I'm over that. I'm going to get a job and rent an apartment and buy a nice cheap car. I'll go hiking and swimming in the beach, and once a month, I'll go to the movies or order pizza or something. If I end up making a lot of money, I'll give it to charity. But I'm not going to be rich again." She sighs. "I don't know, maybe it works for other people, but I'm sick of it."

"I don't blame you, dear. As you say, wealth can consume a person's identity until they are nothing more than their pocketbook. But don't make any rash decisions yet. Find your independence. Become who you want to be. Then any wealth you gain will be a tool to serve you, not a god you worship."

She nods. "Yeah. We'll see." She sips more of her tea, then says, "I feel bad for the staff. This all blindsided them, obviously."

"Yes. It's very unfortunate. But that isn't your fault. In my limited experience, they seem like hard workers. I'm sure they'll find other employment."

She nods again. "Yeah, Nathaniel's going to start his own landscaping company and hire the groundskeepers. I'll talk to Clara and see if she can take any of the household staff. Wharton used to work for a limo company, and he's got some money saved up, so he'll be fine until he finds another job. Still, it sucks to see how many people are affected by the selfishness of a few."

We fall silent for a moment. I can think of many things to say, but they all seem trite to my ears. Eventually, Annabelle asks, "What are you going to do?"

"I haven't decided," I say. "For now, I'm going to fly somewhere and take a few days to rest. After that, we'll see."

She smiles wryly. "I know what you're going to say, but I have to ask. Do you need some money to help tide you over?"

"Oh, no, thank you, dear. I have a tidy sum saved away. I wouldn't say I'm especially wealthy, but I work by choice."

"Really? Why don't you retire?"

"I like to keep busy. I don't think I could handle being alone and idle all the time."

"Why are you alone? I know it's none of my business, but you're a beautiful woman. You've never thought about finding a beautiful man?"

I laugh at that, and she joins me a moment later. When I recover, I say, "Well, thank you, dear. That's very kind of you to say. I suppose… well, I don't know if I have a good answer for that. I suppose marriage isn't something I've ever prioritized."

"Who said anything about marriage? Guys are good for more than a ring, you know."

I laugh again, and then say, "Well, I suppose that hasn't been much of a priority either. But who knows what the future will bring?"

"Whatever it brings," she replies, "I hope it brings you happiness. You deserve it."

I squeeze her hand and say, "So do you."

We finish our tea, and Wharton drives me to the airport. I take my leave of them with a final embrace, then walk into the terminal.

I purchase a one-way ticket to Boston, Massachusetts. I know what I intend to do next.

It's time to stop running.