Chapter 66 Thinking About the Past Makes Me Sick
The coffee shop was like a treasure trove of memories for her, Sarah, and Raymond.
Back then, Sarah was just Raymond's sister on paper.
Not many folks knew about this spot, so whoever invited her had to be in the know.
As she strolled out of the hospital, Margaret glanced at Daniel beside her. "Officer, you can head back on your own."
"What about you?" Daniel asked.
Margaret bit her lip, a thought popping into her head. "I drove today, and my car's still at the funeral home. I'll grab a cab to get it."
Daniel chimed in, "I should take you. Dorothy's got a serious beef with you. If I'm around, she won't try anything."
Margaret figured he had a point. Grabbing the car and meeting the mystery person at the coffee shop was top priority.
Daniel drove her to the funeral home entrance.
Margaret thanked him, unbuckled her seatbelt, and smiled. "Officer, can't you tell me your name?"
"I prefer doing good deeds anonymously," Daniel replied after a pause.
Margaret nodded. "Thanks, officer. You're a good guy."
She hopped out of the car.
Margaret drove off from the funeral home, and only then did Daniel leave.
When she got to the coffee shop, Margaret, clutching her handbag, walked in.
The coffee shop was perched halfway up a hill, with a winding stone path leading to it.
Margaret walked along the path. Before Marlon's accident, she loved dragging Raymond here for coffee to up their game.
After Raymond took over the Hughes family, she never came back.
First, it was too out-of-the-way and sketchy to come alone.
Second, she just wasn't feeling it.
Whoever knew about this place really got her.
She stepped inside with mixed feelings.
The window was open, and she heard music from a room inside.
She peeked through the window and saw a woman singing, draped over a guy's lap.
"Ms. Hughes, right?" A waiter in a server's uniform stood at the door, smiling like he'd been waiting forever.
Margaret nodded. "Yeah."
"The guest has been waiting for you. Please follow me." The waiter smiled slightly.
"Who's the guest?" Margaret asked, feeling a bit uneasy.
The waiter was all smiles but didn't spill the beans. "Ms. Hughes, you'll find out soon. Please follow me."
So mysterious? They wouldn't even drop a name?
Margaret was full of questions, clutching her black handbag, and followed the waiter down the corridor.
They stopped at a room door.
The waiter opened it and said, "Ms. Hughes, please."
Margaret peeked inside and saw a familiar figure on the sofa.
That back looked so familiar.
Margaret walked in, and the waiter closed the door.
She sat down and saw the familiar face. She sneered, "So it's you!"
Sarah held a bubbling pot and slowly poured coffee into two cups. "Margaret, you, me, and Raymond used to love drinking coffee and chatting here. Those were the days."
"But thinking about the past makes me sick," Margaret sneered, "You sent me the message, right?"
"That's right," Sarah replied calmly.
"Spit it out already," Margaret urged.
Sarah pushed a cup of coffee towards her. "You used to love my coffee. It's been a year, right? I made this just for you. See if I've still got it."
"Sarah, I don't have time for your games," Margaret said with disgust.
"Are you really that busy? As far as I know, Raymond hasn't been back to see you recently, right? How long does a cup of coffee take?" Sarah sneered.
Margaret stood up, grabbed her black handbag from the sofa, and turned to leave.
"Alright, I'll spill everything you wanna know," Sarah said, taking her sweet time.
Margaret plopped back down on the sofa. "Spit it out already!"
Sarah asked, "Did you know Ashley got canned from the hospital a week ago?"
"She got the boot 'cause she took your money, broke hospital rules, and got reported." Sarah's lipstick-painted lips moved like a gaping maw.
Margaret snorted, "Yeah, I knew that."
"Do you know who ratted her out?" Sarah asked.
Margaret's face changed slightly. "Was it you?"
"Margaret, I'm not that petty. Ashley and I got no beef. We haven't talked in ages. I'm no saint, but I wouldn't go after a stranger," Sarah paused, then continued, "It was your hubby, Raymond."
Margaret's mind went blank hearing Raymond's name.
She remembered that on the day Ashley got fired, Raymond was with Nancy, then he vanished.
She thought he was swamped with work, but turned out he went to report Ashley.
But Raymond had no ties to Ashley. Why would he do that?
No wonder the hospital kept the snitch's identity under wraps. It made sense if it was Raymond.
Sarah kept going, "There's more you need to know."
She continued, "Ashley didn't wanna off herself. She wanted to kill you."
Sarah's words made Margaret's heart tighten, like it was being squeezed, making it hard to breathe.
She continued, "From what I know, as soon as you boarded the plane to Ironwood Lane, Raymond sent Alvin to tail you. Ashley was on your trail too. Raymond fired Ashley to stir up hate between you two and sent Alvin over. I don't know what Raymond's endgame was. You can figure that out yourself."
With that, Sarah unzipped her handbag, pulled out a slip, and handed it to Margaret.
Margaret took it. It was a round-trip ticket for Alvin.
Sarah wasn't lying. Alvin did shadow Margaret closely.
Sarah said, "Margaret, this is the truth. Are you still gonna dodge it and fool yourself? Raymond wants you gone to marry me. You're dragging out the divorce, and he's already itching to take matters into his own hands. Ashley died because of you, do you get that? He's so slick he left no evidence. Margaret, as your ex-bestie, I'm telling you to divorce him. Clinging to a guy who wants you dead, isn't that gross?"
Margaret stared at her, speechless.
Sarah continued, "Margaret, think hard. Does Raymond really care about you? Does he really love you? If he did, he wouldn't keep choosing me over you, nor would he be so cold. He wouldn't have stood by when Marlon had his accident, forcing you to kneel in front of the Hughes Group building. In that freezing weather, during a blizzard, he even called reporters to broadcast it live. Now he wants to kill you."
She added, "Margaret, you're still young. Are you sure you wanna waste your life on Raymond? Leave here."
Sarah said, pulling out a blank check from her pocket and pushing it towards Margaret. "The officer who had your back today is perfect for you. Leave here with him. I'll give you as much money as you want. Go start fresh with someone who actually likes you."
Sarah said this, but she had already schemed in her mind.
Even if Margaret got the money, she wouldn't live to spend it.
As long as she left Silverbrook, Sarah could act in the shadows, and no one would know.
So the priority was to make Margaret give up and coax her away from Raymond.
Once she left Raymond, she'd be at Sarah's mercy.
"Can I fill in any amount?" Margaret glanced at the check and suddenly smiled.
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