“Glad I didn’t commit to that one,” she whispered to herself. She smacked her lips at the strong coffee, all the while contemplating her next move. Melanie would be bankrupt because she was certain that she had not insured the house prior to signing the contract and closing. Amanda obviously had learned things from her father’s house and the other people with whom she now consulted. But what else had she learned, and would it threaten their relationship?
On the contrary, with Melanie the clear instigator and manipulator in Amanda’s eyes, this panned out about as she’d expected and hoped it would. As Amanda went to college or moved out of the house, she would have to divide her time between her mother and grandmother, making difficult choices about who to see and when. The life of a young adult revolved around her friends and immediate social network more than her family, Nina knew. When the child came back for the holidays, whom would she see, spend time with, show affection to? Those were the key issues that dominated Nina’s thought process. Her goal was to make sure that Amanda tilted that balance in her favor.
Amanda’s love for her had always been a mainstay, undeniable and irrevocable. She was confident that would remain steadfast. Like a true believer, Amanda would remain loyal to her, she was certain. After all, there was nothing in any chain of events that could be traced back to Nina.
In her mind, morality was a rationalization. The moral thing, the right thing, was always to take care of yourself, take what you could get. Scratch and claw for it if you had to, but best to learn the polished approach and make it seem like everyone else was fighting, and you were just trying to make peace, the innocent bystander. And why go to those lengths? Well, if the thread came undone on the newspaper article, she had decided, the entire scheme could unravel and expose not only their most recent antics, but possibly years of petty crimes.
Most importantly, if Amanda were led to believe she should love her father, then there would be less for her. That was the reality.
Watching replays of her daughter on television screaming at firemen made her look casually around her confines and smile. Amanda had survived the night but was assuredly sweating bullets somewhere. The scared and insecure little girl would soon come running home to Nina. She swirled her coffee cup in her hand and offered a silent toast to Amanda as if to notch one on the scoreboard for her.
Yes, Nina Hastings was doing just fine, thank you.
She looked at her watch when she heard the key enter the deadbolt on the front door.
“Right on time.”
CHAPTER 81
Amanda smoothed out her light green windbreaker, which she was wearing half zipped over a chartreuse short-sleeved sweater and blue jeans. She had changed and left her hoodie and other jeans at Brianna’s house for Brianna’s mother to wash. She rubbed her eyes again, then squeezed a few eye-drops into each, followed by a light tossing of her hair. The morning sun had crested and this Monday promised to be a turning point in her life. With graduation less than a week away, she was going to step into the big, bad world a new, wiser and stronger person.
Fumbling with the keys, Amanda burst through the front door, tripping in the foyer of her mother’s house. As she did so, it occurred to her that they had actually sold the house. They intended to vacate it this weekend for the new owners.
“Nina! Nina! Are you here?”
Amanda darted into the dining room and the kitchen, but did not see her grandmother. Reversing course she entered the main hallway and shot straight back to the den, where she saw Nina standing with an expression of concern on her face. Amanda immediately ran to her and hugged her.
“Oh, Nina, it was so bad! Have you turned on the television? Did you see what happened?”
“What’s going on, Amanda? You can tell Nina.”
Amanda pressed her face into the silver silk blouse, feeling her grandmother flinch when she knew that Amanda’s tears might stain the fabric. Having the good fortune of hindsight now, it occurred to Amanda that when her grandmother referred to herself in the third person as Nina, she was full of the conceit that served as her fuel.
“Mama, Dagus, it was all so bad last night. He was going to kill me, and then there was Mama. It was terrible.” She heaved into her grandmother’s bosom, holding her tight. She felt a little like Dorothy after she had returned to Kansas in The Wizard of Oz.
“It’s okay, Amanda. It’s okay. You know, it’s just you and me now, and I’m going to make it okay for you like I always have.”
She felt Nina embrace her, but it wasn’t a loving embrace. The way that she could feel her grandmother’s muscles flexing in her arms, Amanda sensed that she did not want so much to hold her close, but to prevent her from getting away. It was a clutch rather than a hug.
“Oh, Nina, I’m so sorry for all of this. I know that you have been the one there for me all this time. It’s only you, Nina.”
“It’s okay, Amanda. I’m here for you.”
Her conversation with Brianna had refined the path that she had finally chosen. She’d learned many lessons living within the confines of the psychological hell her grandmother and mother had created for her. Primarily though, she had discovered that everyone had a soft spot, a weakness.
For example, looking at Nina Hastings, the average person would believe she was a refined, cultured woman with a sense of humor and a tough edge. Her father’s revelations to her, even in his death, however, had given her the distance she required to look back on the situation and see it from a more objective standpoint. Like a diver surfacing to check his distance from land, she was able to break away just long enough to gain a balanced perspective.
But defeating Nina was probably not possible. The woman was simply too tough and too savvy. There was only one possible route: an indirect attack.
“I know you’re here, Nina.” She pulled away, wiping at the ersatz tears. “You’ve always been there for me.”
“And I’m here for you now,” Nina said, an edge to her voice, “once you level with me.”
“What do you mean?”
“I checked, Amanda. Your father’s not buried in Arlington. That was some other loser’s funeral you went to. Why did you lie to us?”
Amanda’s mind raced. Her strategy had been cut short by what she should have considered the one obvious flaw in her plan, but she was prepared. Military funerals were highly publicized and easily researched. Again, Nina was punching and jabbing, circling the ring with her own flesh and blood, keeping her off balance and controlling the situation.
Not this time.
“Because he was Special Operations we handled everything quietly at Arlington. Go check it out yourself.” This part was true as far as she knew. Matt had told her that he was the executor of her father’s estate. In his documents there was a clause that asserted, in the event of Zach’s death, that there was not to be a ceremony. He had already been buried once. In reality all they had handled at Arlington, was Sergeant Eversoll’s funeral.
“I don’t appreciate you questioning me.” Amanda’s temper flared, counterpunching. “You don’t believe me? Here I come back to you for support, and you are suspicious of me? What in the world could I do to you, Nina?”
Nina stared at Amanda, her black eyes set upon her like a target finder. She watched her grandmother flinch, the tightness in her face eventually giving way to a more relaxed, if sagging, expression.