Read Online Fool Me Once by Fern Michaels - Free Book Online Page B

story—a missive. She opened it. No, not a missive. A missive was many pages. There were only three sheets of paper, lined paper ripped from a legal pad. The writing was large, taking up two lines for each sentence. She was surprised to see a tissue-wrapped square among the three pages. She opened it carefully and was stunned to see her baby bracelet. It said, BABY LOWELL . Olivia tossed it onto her desk before she leaned back in her chair and propped her feet up on the desk. She looked down at the letter. It was dated ten months earlier. It was written in April, Olivia’s favorite month of the whole year.
    Dear Olivia,
    I can only imagine how shocked you must be at this intrusion into your life. By now I am also certain that your father has explained things to you. I know he never would have divulged our secret to you, but things changed in my life, and I regret that I am the one breaking our pact.
    Six weeks ago I received some bad news in regard to my health and knew after the initial shock that I had to put my house in order. There’s no need to bore you with the details.
    I know you’ve had a good, wonderful life. I know this because your father is a kind, caring man. He couldn’t wait for you to be born. He talked endlessly of the things he was going to do with his son or daughter. I know he named you after his mother. It’s a beautiful name. I didn’t become involved in your life until you turned sixteen, at which time I hired a private investigator who sent me weekly reports. I’m very proud of you, not that that means anything.
    I’m leaving everything I have to you. Not because I feel guilty but because it is the right thing to do. It’s that simple. I wish I could say I feel something maternal, but I don’t. I never have.
    Now, I want you to do something for me. Because it is the right thing to do. It doesn’t affect your inheritance in any way. I would take care of these matters myself, but unfortunately, time doesn’t permit it.
    Before I met your father, the spring of my last year at Ole Miss, I worked in a small, privately owned bank. I worked there for four years. I liked being around money even then. I robbed the bank with the help of my two best friends, Jill Davis and Gwen Nolan. We didn’t go up to the teller and demand money or anything like that. We just helped ourselves to a package of bearer bonds. We held on to them for five years. That’s how long I was married to your father.
    Jill, Gwen, and I met up two weeks after I walked out of the hospital after giving birth to you and divided up the bonds. That’s how I started my mail-order business. We agreed not to keep in touch, though we did take each other’s phone numbers and addresses in case of emergency. We eventually lost track of one another, although Gwen once asked for a loan. I want you to find them, and I want you to return the money to the bank anonymously. When you take possession of my house, go to the safe in my bedroom, and you’ll find what little information I’ve been able to gather in regard to Jill and Gwen. The combination to the safe is under the blotter on my desk.
    If for some reason Jill and Gwen balk about paying the money back, I want you to be stern with them. It was wrong what we did. It has haunted me all these years. I’m sure it’s haunted Jill and Gwen, too. Paying the money back is the best way for them to deal with the guilt. If they don’t cooperate with you, repay all the money from my account. I would like you to do one last thing for me even though I have no right to ask. Buy your father the boat of his desires. Anonymously, of course. I owe him that much, and he deserves so much more. Have a good life, Olivia.
    All best wishes,
Adrian Ames (Allison Matthews)
    Olivia bolted off the chair, the letter clutched in her hands. “Daaaaaddddd!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. “Daaaaddd!”

Chapter 6
    D ennis