Simon Fitzgerald stared at the locket for a long time. When he looked up, his voice was husky.
“We owe you an apology, my dear.” He turned to Steve. “This is Julia Stanford.”
Chapter Twenty-six
Kendall had been unable to get the conversation with Peggy out of her mind. Peggy seemed incapable of coping with the situation by herself. “Woody’s trying hard. He really is…Oh, I love him so much!”
He needs a lot of help, Kendall thought. I have to do something. He’s my brother. I must talk to him.
Kendall went to find Clark.
“Is Mr. Woodrow at home?”
“Yes, ma’am. I believe he’s in his room.”
“Thank you.”
She thought of the scene at the table, with Peggy’s bruised face. “What happened?” “I bumped into a door…” How could she have put up with it all this time? Kendall went upstairs and knocked on the door to Woody’s room. There was no answer. “Woody?”
She opened the door and stepped inside. A bitter-almond smell permeated the room. Kendall stood there a moment, then moved toward the bathroom. She could see Woody through the open door. He was heating heroin on a piece of aluminum foil. As it began to liquify and evaporate, she watched Woody inhale the smoke from a rolled up straw he held in his mouth.
Kendall stepped into the bathroom. “Woody…?”
He looked around and grinned. “Hi, Sis!” He turned and inhaled deeply again.
“For God’s sake! Stop that!”
“Hey, relax. You know what this is called? Chasing the dragon. See the little dragon curling up in the smoke?” He was smiling happily.
“Woody, please let me talk to you.”
“Sure, Sis. What can I do for you? I know it’s not a money problem. We’re billionaires! What are you looking so depressed about? The sun is out, and it’s a beautiful day!” His eyes were glistening.
Kendall stood there looking at him, filled with compassion. “Woody, I had a talk with Peggy. She told me how you got started on drugs at the hospital.”
He nodded. “Yeah. Best thing that ever happened to me.”
“No. It’s the most terrible thing that ever happened to you. Do you have any idea what you’re doing with your life?”
“Sure I do. It’s called living it up, Sis!”
She took his hand and said, earnestly, “You need help.”
“Me? I don’t need any help. I’m fine!”
“No, you aren’t. Listen to me, Woody. This is your life we’re talking about, and it’s not only your life. Think of Peggy. For years you’ve put her through a living hell, and she stood for it because she loves you so much. You’re not only destroying your life, you’re destroying hers. You’ve got to do something about this now, before it’s too late. It’s not important how you got started on drugs. The important thing is that you get off them.”
Woody’s smile faded. He looked into Kendall’s eyes and started to say something, then stopped. “Kendall…”
“Yes?”
He licked his lips. “I…I know you’re right. I want to stop. I’ve tried. God, how I’ve tried. But I can’t.”
“Of course, you can,” she said fiercely. “You can do it. We’re going to beat this together. Peggy and I are behind you. Who supplies you with heroin, Woody?”
He stood there, looking at her in astonishment. “My God! You don’t know?”
Kendall shook her head. “No.”
“Peggy.”
Chapter Twenty-seven
Simon Fitzgerald looked at the gold locket for a long time. “I knew your mother, Julia, and I liked her. She was wonderful with the Stanford children, and they adored her.”
“She adored them, too,” Julia said. “She used to talk to me about them all the time.”
“What happened to your mother was terrible. You can’t imagine what a scandal it created. Boston can be a very small town. Harry Stanford behaved very badly. Your mother had no choice but to leave.” He shook his head. “Life must have been very difficult for the two of you.”
“Mother had a hard time. The awful thing was that I think she still loved Harry Stanford, in spite of everything.” She looked at Steve. “I don’t understand what’s happening. Why doesn’t my family want to see me?”