Copper Beach

locked. There were forced therapy sessions. There were counselors who wanted to test me and my friends, over and over again.”

    “What was the family supposed to do? They couldn’t risk keeping you at home. The shrinks told us that you really believed you had paranormal powers.”

    Abby’s smile was edgy and cold. “I do believe that. Which is why I’m in a position to warn you that the lab notebook is dangerous.”

    “It’s just a damn book.” Dawson’s voice hardened. “I need to find it. I’m not fooling around here.”

    “I realize that the account is worth a lot to your firm, but there are other gazillionaires out there,” Abby said. Her voice softened. “Let this one go. Find another.”

    “Damn it, this is business. I’m not asking for a favor. I told you, I’ll make it worth your while.”

    “Thanks, but I can’t take the job.”

    “This is about the past, isn’t it?” Dawson’s face reddened with anger and frustration. “About the fact that your father married my mother for her money and found out too late that my grandmother had it locked up in a trust.”

    “Believe it or not, this is not about the past.”

    “It is all about the past and the money. Don’t you get that? Grandmother saw through your father right away, but Mom wouldn’t listen.”

    Newton had stopped growling. More than ever, he resembled a scaled-down version of a junkyard dog. He looked remarkably dangerous. There was a little wolf in every dog, Sam thought. People who forgot that sometimes had nasty encounters with teeth.

    “It’s all right,” Abby said to Newton. She stooped and touched him lightly with her hand. “It’s okay.”

    Newton did not take his focus off Dawson.

    “Whatever happened in the past isn’t important here,” Abby said. “Everyone has moved on, including me. We’re the perfect blended family now, remember?”

    “Bullshit.”

    Her mouth curved slightly. “True. But family is family.”

    “This isn’t funny,” Dawson said tightly. “You’ve had it in for me from the start because Grandmother made sure you and your father would never get a dime of her money.”

    “I don’t suppose it will do any good to tell you that I never cared about the money,” Abby said.

    “If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s always about the money,” Dawson said. Bitterness edged his mouth. “And right now you’re letting the past get in the way of both of us making a hell of a lot of it. Want some brotherly advice? Grow up and get over it.”

    “I repeat, this isn’t about the past.” Abby locked her arms beneath her breasts. “It’s about you getting involved in something you know nothing about.”

    “I realize I don’t know anything about rare books,” Dawson said, exasperated. “That’s why I’m here. What I know is that I need this investor and you’re the only one who can get him for me.” He closed one hand into a fist. “Name your price, damn it.”

    “No,” Abby said.

    Dawson’s jaw twitched. “You know, don’t you?”

    “Know what?” Abby said.

    “You know that my firm is in trouble.”

    She frowned. “No, I wasn’t aware of that.”

    “I took a real hit a couple of months ago when a major project, a sure thing, went south. It was a Ponzi scheme, and I fell for it. My clients don’t know about the losses yet. I can juggle the numbers for a few months while I recover. But the only way I can dig myself out of this hole is with new capital. I have to close the deal with this investor. If I don’t, I’ll go under.”

    “Oh, damn,” Abby whispered, shocked.

    “Lawsuits will be the least of it. You think some of your clients are dangerous? I’ve got a couple who will go to the Feds. I could wind up in prison.”

    “I’m sorry,” Abby said. Her tone was surprisingly gentle. “But you can recover. You’re good at investing.”

    “Abby, I’m standing on the brink of bankruptcy and maybe looking at jail time. I need to land this account.”

    “I’m sorry,” Abby repeated. “I’m sorry, but I can’t help you.”

    “Why not?”

    Sam picked up his coffee. “For one thing, she’s already got another client for that lab book.”

    Dawson swung around, jaw working. “You?”

    “Me,” Sam said.

    Dawson pulled himself together immediately. “I’ll buy the book from you. Just name your price.”

    “I don’t have the book yet,” Sam said. “If and when I do get it, I won’t be selling it.”

    Dawson