ENDING OF PREVIOUS POST:

As the EMTs raised the gurney to transport Patricia, Jeff checked his ringing cell. "Ah, shit, it's Drew. He's not going to be happy."

"Put him on speaker. It may take all of us," suggested Zachery.

"Drew, you're on speaker. I've got your Dad and Zack here. How are things going in New York?" Jeff held the phone out.

"Things are fine here. Randal agreed to do things our way." Anderson paused. "My gut says things aren't going so well. What's going on?"

"Nothing we can't handle," said Michael. "I'm glad Randal's on board."

"Dad, what are you hiding from me? Is Shana all right?"

"Shana's fine." Zachery rubbed his forehead.

"What are you not telling me? Let me talk with Shana."


TODAY'S POST:

Chapter 28 part

Jeff glanced at Michael as he mouthed, "Drew can read her like a book. What do we do?"

Michael took the phone from Jeff, covered the speaker as he said, "We give Shana the phone. He already knows something's up."

"Shana, are you there?" After she nodded, Anderson said, "I can't see you nod. You need to speak. Is everything all right?"

Zachery released a deep breath.

Jeff rubbed his temples, as Shana said, "Yes, everything's fine. I finished 'King Lear.'"

"That's good. Now, what are you keeping from me?"

"Why would you think that?"

"Because I know you. What's really going on?" Anderson paused. "You know what? Forget it. I'll be home in about two and a half hours. Give Jeff the phone."

"No." Shana walked to the back porch. "Drew, please listen before you get angry."

"It's too late for that. I'm already angry. What's everybody hiding from me?"

"Patricia's in the hospital."

"What? How do you know? She's in Fiji."

"She was in Fiji, but she came to visit. She's now in the hospital."

"Okay. Why was she there and why's she in the hospital?"

"She was here because she owes people a lot of money."

"Figures!" yelled Anderson. "Did she think you'd talk me into paying her debts?"

"Drew, please listen. It's much worse than that. I think under the circumstances you'd be happy to pay her debts." After Shana heard him sigh, she continued, "The people she owed money to ordered her to kill me. That's how she was to repay her debt."

"What?" yelled Anderson. "Put Jeff on the phone."

Shana walked back into the house and handed Jeff the phone. "He's not happy and wants to speak with you."

"Drew, what has Shana told you?" Jeff waited.

"So Kuznetsov used Patricia's drug habit to get to Shana?"

"That's what we've figured out."

"Why's Patricia in the hospital?"

"Well, that's where it gets tricky. Patricia was drunk or high and pulled a gun on Shana. She stumbled as Shana knocked the gun from her hand she fell and hit her head on the corner of the table."

"Where was the security that I'm paying a small fortune for while this was going on? Why was Shana alone with Patricia?"

"Those are both very good questions..."

"And you don't have answers, do you?" interrupted Anderson. "Well, you have about two hours to get the answers." He hung up.

As Jeff put the phone in his pocket, he said, "I think that went well, don't you?" He glanced at Michael.

"He'll calm down by the time he gets home. His anger rarely lasts long." Michael headed for the kitchen. "I need a drink."

Zachery put his hand on Oscar's shoulder. "Buddy, I'd go on vacation. How much vacation time do you have? I'm sure Jeff will grant you at least a week."

"It's your choice. Do you want to face Drew or take a few days leave?" Jeff shoved his hands in his pockets.

"I think I'm better off facing Drew. With him, it's easier if you admit mistakes rather than hiding them."

"You're right." Jeff glanced at his ringing phone. "It's Drew."

"I need to talk with Shana," snapped Anderson.

After Jeff handed her the phone, she said, "Yes?"

"First I need to get your number, and second are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Really, I am. Patricia didn't hurt me. Honestly, she didn't."

"All right. I'll be home in about two and a half hours. By the way, I'm never leaving you again." Anderson hung up.




Characters so far:

Shana Kohlberg -- a 25 year old high school English literature teacher -- she's trying to get her family's painting back
Anderson Sharp -- often called Drew -- 31 years old -- works part-time on Wall Street -- a billionaire from Texas oil wells
Dmitry Bezrukov -- one of three Russian men in black suits
Jeff Burk -- takes care of Anderson's cars and important security details.
Helen -- Anderson's cook
Jane -- Anderson's housekeeper
Philip -- Anderson's butler -- close friend
Kyle -- Anderson's dog walker
Axel -- Anderson's lead German shepherd
Thor -- Anderson's second German shepherd
Romeo -- Anderson's third German shepherd
Aaron Kohlberg -- Shana's older brother
Ivan Kuznetsov -- formally Ivan Morozov, I accidently chose a real person, so I have changed it present day owner of the painting.
Patricia -- Anderson's ex-wife
Emily -- Anderson's five year old daughter
Isaiah Glassberg -- Anderson divorce/custody attorney.
Jeremy -- Jane's second-cousin twice removed, NYC undercover cop.
Hannah Jacobs -- Shana's cousin, the same age and best friend. Married within the past year and just had a baby, Sarah. Her husband, Paul. Sarah was just diagnosed with Tay-Sachs disease.
Joshua Colton -- Art Museum's curator
Benjamin Kohlberg -- Shana's father
Eliana Kohlberg - - Shana's mother
Maxwell Gaines -- Lawyer hired to retrieve the painting
Erich Berger -- Manager of the Dorotheum art auction house in Austria
Mary Pritchard -- The lady Anderson hired to help Hannah while she's in Boston with Sarah.
Zachery Sharp -- Anderson's younger brother
Michael Sharp -- Anderson's father
Susan Sharp --Anderson's mother
Leon Sharp - - Anderson's grandfather
Grandma Sharp - - Anderson's grandmother
Oscar - - Team Leader of the security detail
Detective Rollins - - Austin police detective