Full Figured 10 (25 page)

I popped open the bottle of champagne and filled our glasses. I had rushed home to celebrate with Yvonne. Earlier, after Will had left the house, I had gone to that bank, moved all my money, and closed those dummy accounts. I had been making plans to leave town, because I had believed it would be only a matter of time before the police pinned the money and the accounts on me. However, with Will now in a coma and Lynn being charged for poisoning him, there was no longer any reason to leave. I just had to get to the hospital and finish him off. I'd do it after Lynn made bail, so it would look like she did it.

“I told you this would work. Now that those two are out of the picture, we are going to live like we've always wanted,” I told Yvonne. I reclined in my lazy boy, feeling good. I looked around thinking I'd miss that room, when I moved into my next place. The money I was going to walked away with caused for something more lavish.

“I didn't think this would ever be.” Her face indicated that she didn't share the same excitement.

“Why the long face, Yvonne? This is what you wanted. I did all of this for you.”

“I didn't want this. I didn't want Will dead, nor do I want Lynn to go to prison. This was your idea, and at first it did sound like a good one, but that was before I got to know them, Lance. Hanging out with them has changed it all, and now I'm terrified.”

“Yvonne, snap out of it. You can't just jump ship when the shit hits the fan. You were all for it, and now that it's happening, I gotta know that you're still on my team. I gotta know that you are still with me.” By then I was in her face. She couldn't just abandon ship. If she did, I'd have to find a way to get rid of her ass too.

Her eyes glossed over. “I'm still with you, Lance. I'm not going anywhere.” A tear fell. “You're right. This is what I wanted, and you did it, baby. You made it happen.”

She wrapped her arms around me. I kissed the top of her head and then handed her a glass. We celebrated, and that night the sex was amazing. She and I had won, and it felt pretty damn good.

* * *

The next morning Lynn made bail. I wrote the check and took her home. She was quiet in the car during the entire ride. When we got to her house, I got out and opened the car door for her. I helped her out and walked her to the front door.

“Thank you, Lance,” she said once we were inside.

“You're welcome. Are you going to be okay alone?”

“Yes. I'm going to shower and then head to the hospital.”

“Okay. I'll get Yvonne, and we'll meet you there.”

“Okay.”

“Hey, Lynn. Did Will mention anything to you about money missing or say he suspected me of stealing?”

She laughed. “No. Why?” She sat down on the sofa. “Will knows you'd never do that.”

I let out a sigh of relief. I was glad he hadn't told her. “I know, right? This is the thing. There was a mix-up in HR, and yesterday, before Will went into the hospital, he came by and asked me about it, and I told him I'd take care of things first thing Monday morning.”

“That's fine. I'm sure it's nothing. I went into work on Friday but didn't stay long, because, you know, morning sickness. Of course, if Will isn't better, you know I won't be in on Monday, so can you please just hold down the fort?”

I sat next to her and held her hand. “Of course I will. Don't worry, Lynn. I know you're innocent, and Will is going to pull through.”

“Thank you, Lance. I don't know how I'd manage without you right now. I mean, I don't know the ropes yet, and Will needs me. I want to be there when he opens his eyes.”

“So do I. Now I'm going to go, and I will meet you at the hospital.”

“Okay.”

I stood to leave and then headed outside. When I got in my car, I cranked my radio. I drove home, feeling like the self-made multi-millionaire that I was soon to become.

The next day I was anxious to get to the hospital and check on Will. He was still doing the same as he was when I left the night before, and I was going out of my mind. I was overwhelmed with stress, and on top of it all, I was still having morning, afternoon, and evening sickness. I didn't know what was going to happen to my husband or my husband's business. I was on edge and afraid to death.

I sat in the hospital room for a few hours, talking to Will and hoping he'd open his eyes. I stepped out of his room for a moment to go eat, and just then my phone rang. It was the offer that was handling my case.

“Hello, hello,” I said, anxious to hear from him.

“Mrs. Daniels, we have news.”

“Okay.”

“We verified that those bank accounts are in Lance Morgan's name. He closed those accounts on Saturday, but since the judge signed a subpoena for his records, we have enough to make an arrest.”

“Oh, thank God.” I let out a sigh of relief. “So when? When will you arrest him? Will he get bail?”

“Well, considering he has a motive to do something to your husband, we are going to request no bail,” Officer Williams said. “We plan to question him, and we will look for any witness who can confirm that your husband was with him on Saturday, before he had another episode.”

“Will that even work? I mean, what if no one knows or confirms it? I know in my heart that Lance is behind my husband becoming ill. I mean, they worked together. You must talk to his fiancée. She has to know something. I just don't want him to be released on bail. If there's no proof that he harmed Will and he's released on bail, he could leave town or, worse, come after me.”

“Don't worry, Mrs. Daniels,” Officer Williams assured me. “We have frozen his assets, his accounts, and if he is considered a flight risk, the judge will most likely rule in your favor.”

“I'm now terrified, because I lied and told him I had no idea that Will suspected him of stealing, and he's going to know I told you, because Will is unconscious.”

“Listen, I will make sure the prosecuting lawyer and the judge know all those details.”

“Please, because I don't know what he is capable of.”

“Don't worry, Mrs. Daniels.”

“Please. I'm pregnant. My husband is lying in a coma.”

“I know, Mrs. Daniels, but believe me, we will protect you and make sure he doesn't hurt you or your husband again.”

“Thank you. Just please let me know as soon as you know something.”

“You know I will.”

I hung up, trembling. I didn't want Lance to come after me. He had looked me in the eyes, as if he had nothing to do with my husband becoming ill, and had pretended that the missing money was an HR error with the payroll. I was shaking as I dialed Kenya. After I explained what was about to go down, she rushed to the hospital to be with me.

* * *

Later that day, when Kenya and I got to my house to get me some clothes, I was surprised to see Yvonne's car parked outside. When I got out of the car, I thought there was going to be a battle, because they had arrested Lance, but as I got closer to Yvonne, I saw that her face was drenched with tears.

I quickly approached her. “Yvonne, I'm sorry. I know about the arrest.”

“I'm so sorry, Lynn,” she said, and we hugged.

“I hate that things ended like this, Yvonne, but Lance has been up to no good.”

“I know. Can we go inside? I have something I need to talk to you about.” She sniffled.

“Sure. Come on.” I felt bad for her, because she looked a mess.

When we got inside, we went into the family room. We all sat, and I spoke up first.

“Did you know Lance was stealing from the company?”

“No,” she answered and wiped her cheek.

“Yvonne, please don't lie to me. You know a man like Lance is not going to go out alone, and if you had any idea, he is going to take you down with him.”

“I didn't know at first. I just thought Lance was doing well. He never once told me that he was taking more than he actually made . . . until recently, and I'm so sorry for what we did to Will.”

“We did to Will . . .” I leaped up from the sofa. “What did you do?” I yelled. I took steps in her direction and towered over her. “What in the hell did you do to him?” I knew I was pregnant, but I balled up my fists, anyway. I was ready to beat her ass.

“He made me,” she whispered.

“Made you what, Yvonne? Speak up! Tell me what happened to Will. He is in a coma, Yvonne, and my husband could die!” I was shaking at that point.

“I'll tell you everything, and I'm willing to testify, because I feel so horrible, and I am sorry. I didn't want to do it.”

“Enough!” Kenya yelled. “Just tell us what you did. What did you give him?”

“I don't know. It was something, something that they use in construction all the time. That is how Lance had access to it. I honestly don't know what the powder was, but I put it in Will's juice a few times.”

“A few? What's a few, Yvonne?” I asked, lowering my voice. I eased down on the sofa to give her my undivided attention, I wanted her to be honest and to tell me everything.

“A couple of the mornings we met to discuss Lance's party, I put a couple of pinches in Will's orange juice. Lance encouraged me to put more in it, but I never did, because I didn't want to hurt Will. The plan was to move Will out of the way so that Lance could take over the company.”

I covered my mouth. “You guys were plotting to kill my husband.” I had heard what she said, but never in a million years did I think someone would actually do that to me and my family.

“Lance was, yes. I only did what he told me to do, but I swear on my life that I never put enough in his glass that it was fatal. The other day, when I made their drinks, Lance came into the kitchen and added more to Will's glass. Then he threatened to kill me if I talked, Lynn, and I was too scared to say anything. Initially, the plan was simple, and I thought I could do it. But I started to see Will more, spend time with you, and after getting to know you two, you were no longer strangers to me, so I tried to back out, but Lance was persistent.”

“Why didn't you just leave?” I asked.

“And go where? I have nothing and no one. I grew up with everything, and when my father died, my stepmother took everything from me. I lost my friends, and things didn't get better for me until I met Lance. He was able to provide the things I was accustomed to, and I didn't want to go back to having nothing. At first I went along with it. I saw Will only in passing, never said much to him, but then that changed.... So I'm sorry.”

“You have to go to the station with me and tell them what you know,” I insisted.

“I'll go to jail.”

“Well, you should have thought of that before you tried to kill Will,” Kenya shot at her.

Yvonne looked at me like she wanted me to save her, but I had nothing to say about that.

“Let's go. You are going to tell the police everything you've told me, and if my husband doesn't pull through, I swear that I will kill you myself. No jail will keep me from doing that,” I thundered, knowing it was an empty threat, but I was hurt and furious at her for what she and Lance had done to my husband.

She stood.

I went to get my purse.

“There is one more thing,” Yvonne said quietly.

“What?” I demanded.

She headed into my kitchen and quickly came back with a bottle that looked like a container of seasoning.

“What is that, and why did you take it from my kitchen?” I quizzed.

“This is proof.”

“Come again?”

“Lance wanted to frame you for Will's murder.”

The more Yvonne spoke, the angrier I became. “Let's go.”

We left my house in one car, and when we got to the police station, I explained the situation and they handcuffed Yvonne. I felt bad for her, but worse for myself. My husband was the one who had lost the most in this, and even though Lance and Yvonne were going to be locked up for a long time, they'd still get to live.