Page 38 (1/2)

"And you never told him who you really are?"

"Maybe I should have Maybe he would have been calainst htened I didn't want to cause any more trouble"

She stared at me a moment and then nodded

"It's not your fault," she said with surprising firan's fault fro excuses for her, doing things to cover up herher to live in a rose-colored world

"If she did poorly in school, they blamed it on the teachers or the subject If she spent money unwisely, it was because soan this poor Megan that

"Grant shouldn't have been so understanding once the truth about you was out," she continued, talking etting people to feel sorrier for her all the tian My father was blind and stupid whenever he looked at her, listened to her, saw the things she had done She's a snake charmer

"Grant is in a different situation," she said, catching herself her eyes nearly clicking with the change in her tone of voice "He was trapped this time Of course, he couldn't just heave her out and let the world knohat he had reat future I understand that You coood business sense

"Grant has wonderful business sen

se He admires that in me, too, you know I can tell,"

She pressed her thin lips together firmly and nodded

"I've got to go to him to see what I can do to help him My sister won't be able to help hiic woman so no one dares blame her for any of this"

She fixed her eyes onwith her fury "But you and I know the truth, don't we? One day, we'll force her to face it

"All right," she said standing "don't do anything or say anything about this to anyone I'll be in touch

"As you can see," she said s coolly, "I'm really the only one you can trust in this family"

Before I could say anything, she pivoted on her heels like some marionette and marched out of the house to carry out her self- imposed mission