Victims Read Online Free Page B

into that,” he snapped. “There’s no need, now. Everything’s changed. Obviously. Besides, using that information was the expedient of last resort. Initially, there was an easier, less complicated answer to his custody suit.”
    “What was that?”
    He looked at me silently for a moment, signifying that he was about to take me into his confidence—a confidence that I would be wise to respect.
    “I simply arranged for the court proceedings to be delayed.”
    “For how long?”
    “Two years, probably. The first court date was about a year in the future, if I recall correctly.”
    “And you could’ve continued to get postponements. For years.”
    He made no reply, but his silence was eloquent.
    “And, in the meantime,” I said, “Kramer was aware that you also threatened him with possible action on the incriminating information you held against him.”
    “That’s correct.”
    “You had him pretty much backed into a corner.”
    “Right.” He said it with obvious satisfaction. Alexander Guest wasn’t a man to show an enemy mercy.
    “So he decided to steal his son, take him away. Tonight.”
    He nodded: a slow, ominous inclination of his head. “Yes.”
    “What happened here tonight, Mr. Guest? Can you give me a rundown?”
    As if to organize his thoughts, he sat silently for a moment, still absently fingering the silver letter opener. Then, drawing a deep breath, he began speaking in a deliberate, precisely measured voice.
    “To understand what happened,” he said, “you must understand that, during the past year, I’ve made it my business to know something of Kramer’s activities. And, in the process, I was warned that he intended to get John and take him away, possibly abroad. And I was determined—absolutely determined—that it would never happen. Not only would he ruin Marie’s life, probably, but he’d also ruin my life, too. I’ve been married three times—and divorced three times. I’ve learned my lesson. I’m not suited to marriage, and I’m not going to try it again. I have—had—two children. My son Alex was killed when he was twenty. And Marie—well—” He shook his head. “In some respects, Marie is lost to me, lost to herself. So that leaves John. He’s my only grandson, the only thing left to me that really counts. Do you understand?” He asked the question sharply, suddenly, as if to dispel any suggestion that his affection for John was a bid for sympathy, or a confession of weakness. Alexander Guest wasn’t taking me into his confidence. He was sorting matters out, giving me the facts he’d decided I’d need if I was to help him solve his problem.
    I nodded. “I understand.”
    “Are you a family man? Do you have children?”
    “I have two children. Teenagers.”
    “Then you can appreciate my position.”
    “Yes.”
    Apparently satisfied that he’d made his point, he continued in the same brisk, precise voice, as if he were summarizing for a jury.
    “Kramer’s first attempt to get John involved a third party, and it was unsuccessful. I won’t go into the details, because they aren’t germane. But, suffice it to say, I was warned. I hired a man to guard Marie and John, at their home. And I also hired Quade, to help me.”
    I frowned. “Help you?”
    “John spends a lot of time with me, especially on weekends. Once I learned of Kramer’s intentions, I naturally wanted protection. For John, and for myself, too.”
    “So Quade stayed here, whenever John was with you.”
    “That’s correct.”
    “Is there anyone else living in the house?”
    “I have a couple. She does the cooking and housekeeping. He drives for me and helps around the house. They live over the garage. They’re away for the weekend.”
    “So just the three of you were in the house tonight.” As I spoke, I opened my notebook and put it on a corner of the desk. It was time to get the details down on paper.
    “Yes.”
    “What I’d like,” I said, “is for you to give me a rundown on