Truth and Justice - Fern Michaels Page 0,85

think we had a snowball’s chance of making this come out right for Bella.”

“I agree. What we lost sight of was Andy himself. He was, according to Bella, a stand-up guy. He would have done the right thing no matter what. At the last second, yes, and on the fly, but he did do what was expected of him. We can forgive him that laxness, he just got married to the girl of his dreams, and that’s all he was thinking about. I feel so bad for Bella. I’m sorry Andy passed. Life would have been so promising for them both.”

“Annie, by any chance did you happen to notice anything different between Mr. Montrose and Bella?” Myra asked, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

“I certainly did. That mouth of hers was kissed solidly for a very long time. Their eyes are glassy. I’m happy for them, but they’re both feeling guilty and don’t know what to do about it. That’s the sad part.”

“They’ll figure it out and go on from there. It may take a while, but they both have all the time in the world now,” Myra said.

“I agree. Coffee’s ready,” Annie said, picking up the tray.

Myra held the swinging door leading to the dining room open. “Just coffee, people, and we’re fresh out of goodies,” she said, setting the heirloom silver tray on the sideboard. “Avery, we’re out of tea, so it’s coffee or ginger ale.”

“Ginger ale is fine. Okay, ladies and gents, let’s get to it!”

Chapter 19

Kathryn waited until Paul Montrose raised the huge golf umbrella so that it covered Bella and himself in preparation to walking Bella back to the cottage, where Myra had invited him to stay before she locked and bolted the door.

Paul grinned. He didn’t bother to demur. He simply said okay and squeezed Bella’s arm in a show of protection. The little move did not go unnoticed by the Sisters or Avery, who smiled.

Love was in the air, and it was more than a little noticeable.

“Okay, people, time to head to the war room and get this show on the road. Avery, what are your operatives telling you?” Annie asked, as she led the way to the bookshelf that would magically open to reveal the moss-covered stone staircase that led to the dungeons below and the war room.

“Reports have come in, but there has been no activity. They are picking up sound, human and either TV or stereo. It’s doubtful Sara will venture out in this deluge. But, if she does, my people will be on her like fleas on a dog.”

Myra turned on the lights, and the massive TV on the wall came to life to reveal Lady Justice in all her glory. They all shot off a snappy salute before taking their assigned seats at the table. Except for Nikki and Isabelle, who scampered up to the dais, where the bank of computers awaited them.

“We’re up and running, so let’s get to it,” Nikki called out.

“Before we do anything, we need to decide what we’re going to do with all of Sara’s money. I’d like to get on this right now because Phil is waiting to help me, and I hate tying him up any more than necessary. Remember, I’m in training and need all the help I can get so we don’t have to depend on Abner all the time,” Isabelle reminded them.

“Okay, girls, let’s run this up the flagpole and see what happens. Yoko?” Myra said.

“Let’s start with Bella. She said all she wanted was enough to pay off Andy’s truck, plus the insurance and taxes. That doesn’t seem fair enough to me. Maybe it’s because I’m a woman, maybe not, but I keep thinking about all the pain, the misery, the unhappiness she went through all those months. I think she deserves to be compensated, and obviously her husband thought so, too, because at the eleventh hour, he came through for her,” Yoko said.

“I believe Bella when she said she didn’t want Andy’s money. She certainly didn’t marry him for it because she didn’t even know he had any other than his military pay. I say Nikki and Alexis set up a trust of some kind for Bella’s future. If she uses it, fine; if not, that’s fine, too. She can donate it to charity,” Kathryn said.

“I think three million dollars will do it plus a check for $75,000 to pay off the truck, taxes, and insurance,” Alexis said.

“I think that will work,” Avery