Nancy sighed heavily. She wasn't going to fight with Ned. She had
acted on instinct when she had caught him with Amy, and refused to listen
to his explanations. How was she to have known that he really wasn't
cheating on her? It had certainly looked that way in the restaurant. Yes,
she turned to Frank for comfort when he appeared on her doorstep, but at
the time, Nancy was acting on the only thing she knew. Ned had cheated on
her and she kicked him out. At that point in her mind, Nancy was now free
to do whatever she wanted. "Not now," Nancy told him firmly. "Finish your
story."
"One night, when I was working late, I stopped by Paul's office to see Amy. There were brochures on her desk of custom boats that Paul was interested in buying. He had her calling the different companies and finding out more information. While she was on the phone, I said that I needed to get a file from his office and I logged on to his computer instead." Ned shook his head sadly. "What I found blew me away."
"Bank statements," Nancy said.
Ned's eyebrows raised in question, "How do you..."
Nancy waved him off, "Later. Tell me the rest."
"So, anyway, I copied all of the information on to a cd. Then I found two very suspicious claims files. I think I know what he's doing, Nan. I'm pretty sure that he's approving claims for much more than they're worth, and with Gerry's help in accounting, he's skimming the money off the top, and then settling the claim with the client for a reasonable amount. The company thinks they're normal claims, the customers are happy to be getting as much as they are, and no one is the wiser. But, I can't prove it yet. So anyway, just as I found these two files, I heard Amy call for me. There was no time to copy the information, so I quickly turned off the computer and went out to the outer office. She was ready to go home, so I had to leave. I walked her downstairs to her car and I asked her if she knew anything out of the ordinary that was going on with Paul. I was about to spill everything to her, when Paul appeared," Ned said with disgust evident in his voice.
Nancy squeezed Ned's hand and motioned for him to continue.
"So, I asked Amy out for dinner the following night and I planned to let her in on what I knew, to see if she could help me figure out the rest. That was two days ago at the sushi restaurant," he finished.
Nancy let the information sink in. It sounded to her as if Paul and his brother were some way embezzling money. She fixed a gaze on Ned, "Is Paul the one that did this to you?"
Ned nodded. "He came over after you left the apartment and we started arguing. He told me that I had nothing on him and that I would never be able to prove anything. We started fighting and the next thing I know he pulled out a gun. I don't remember anything after that."
"After he shot you, he ransacked the apartment to make it look like a robbery. Amy came over and found you. She called 9-1-1 and they rushed you here. Our apartment manager called me, and I came as soon as I heard," Nancy filled him in.
"So that's when you met Amy," he prompted.
Nancy nodded. "We, uh... Frank was still with me. We asked her what happened and she told us that she found you at the apartment. She said that you kept saying my name and mumbling something about a desk."
Ned's eyes lit up as he remembered. "That's right! I put the cd in with all of our important papers."
Nancy smiled. "When she said desk, I had a pretty good idea of what she was talking about. Of course I had no idea what to look for."
"You found it?" Ned asked excitedly.
"Frank did, actually," Nancy admitted. "I didn't want to leave you, so he offered to go back to the apartment and check it out. That's when he got attacked."
Ned gasped, "Do what?"
"He apparently found the cd and he was quick thinking enough to copy all of the contents on his laptop. He was walking back to my car, when someone hit him on the head with a baseball bat," she answered.
"Is he okay?"
"A concussion," she nodded. Nancy shuddered as she filled Ned in on the phone call, and finding Frank unconscious next to her car.
"It had to have been Paul," Ned surmised.
"Now that I've heard the story, I think so, too," Nancy agreed. "Have you talked to the police yet?" Nancy questioned.
Ned shook his head no. "I'm sure they'll be by later on today. But if I had to wager a bet, I'd say that Paul is going to skip town. He's got enough money to just disappear."
"Well, we're not going to let that happen," Nancy promised. "Joe is flying in tomorrow to help us out. We're going to catch him," she insisted.
Ned grasped Nancy's hand and apologized once more. "God, Nan - I'm so sorry. Do you think we can put all this behind us?" he asked hopefully.
Nancy bit her lip and looked down at their joined hands. When she looked back up at Ned, she saw his brown eyes filled with concern and love. "I... I don't know," she admitted. "You lied to me, Ned. We always promised that we would never keep anything from each other. I know you had your reasons, but it still hurts."
"You went to Frank," he countered. "Don't you know how much that hurt me when I saw you two together?"
"I'm sure it did. You probably felt the same way I felt the night before," she answered calmly. "I just don't know why you felt that you couldn't tell me." Recognition dawned on her face and she looked at Ned closely. "You fell for her, didn't you? You didn't plan on it, but it happened."
"Nancy, I..." he began
"The truth, Ned, please. That's all I'm asking for is the truth," Nancy said softly.
Ned's eyes left Nancy's and he looked everywhere but at her. "I didn't mean for it to happen," he answered in a low voice.
Nancy pressed her lips together in a tight line. She found herself once again fighting the emotions that raged inside of her. She counted to ten inside her head before she said anything. "Then your answer is no, Ned. There is no way for us to put this behind us. I love you, but I... I can't trust you anymore. I can't spend the rest of my life always wondering if there is someone else when you tell you me that you're working late. I just won't do it."
Ned glanced up at Nancy with a sad expression on his face. He picked up her hand once more, and said, "I'm truly sorry, Nan."
"So am I," she replied, truthfully. She banished the depressing thoughts from her mind and said, "But, the important thing here is that you need to concentrate on getting better. And I have to concentrate on helping you out of this mess."
What Ned said next shocked Nancy, "Tell Frank I said thank you."
Nancy cocked her head to the side and looked at him curiously. "I will," she answered slowly.
"I hope he treats you well, Nan. Better than I did," Ned began. "And I know this sounds crazy coming out of my mouth, but God help him if he ever does anything to hurt you. He'll have to answer to me."
Nancy chuckled softly. "I don't doubt that for a minute." She stood up and pressed a soft kiss on Ned's forehead. "Get well soon. I'll either call or come by as soon as we get a lead on Paul and his brother."
Ned nodded and whispered a soft, "Bye, Nan," as he watched her walk out of the hospital room.
"One night, when I was working late, I stopped by Paul's office to see Amy. There were brochures on her desk of custom boats that Paul was interested in buying. He had her calling the different companies and finding out more information. While she was on the phone, I said that I needed to get a file from his office and I logged on to his computer instead." Ned shook his head sadly. "What I found blew me away."
"Bank statements," Nancy said.
Ned's eyebrows raised in question, "How do you..."
Nancy waved him off, "Later. Tell me the rest."
"So, anyway, I copied all of the information on to a cd. Then I found two very suspicious claims files. I think I know what he's doing, Nan. I'm pretty sure that he's approving claims for much more than they're worth, and with Gerry's help in accounting, he's skimming the money off the top, and then settling the claim with the client for a reasonable amount. The company thinks they're normal claims, the customers are happy to be getting as much as they are, and no one is the wiser. But, I can't prove it yet. So anyway, just as I found these two files, I heard Amy call for me. There was no time to copy the information, so I quickly turned off the computer and went out to the outer office. She was ready to go home, so I had to leave. I walked her downstairs to her car and I asked her if she knew anything out of the ordinary that was going on with Paul. I was about to spill everything to her, when Paul appeared," Ned said with disgust evident in his voice.
Nancy squeezed Ned's hand and motioned for him to continue.
"So, I asked Amy out for dinner the following night and I planned to let her in on what I knew, to see if she could help me figure out the rest. That was two days ago at the sushi restaurant," he finished.
Nancy let the information sink in. It sounded to her as if Paul and his brother were some way embezzling money. She fixed a gaze on Ned, "Is Paul the one that did this to you?"
Ned nodded. "He came over after you left the apartment and we started arguing. He told me that I had nothing on him and that I would never be able to prove anything. We started fighting and the next thing I know he pulled out a gun. I don't remember anything after that."
"After he shot you, he ransacked the apartment to make it look like a robbery. Amy came over and found you. She called 9-1-1 and they rushed you here. Our apartment manager called me, and I came as soon as I heard," Nancy filled him in.
"So that's when you met Amy," he prompted.
Nancy nodded. "We, uh... Frank was still with me. We asked her what happened and she told us that she found you at the apartment. She said that you kept saying my name and mumbling something about a desk."
Ned's eyes lit up as he remembered. "That's right! I put the cd in with all of our important papers."
Nancy smiled. "When she said desk, I had a pretty good idea of what she was talking about. Of course I had no idea what to look for."
"You found it?" Ned asked excitedly.
"Frank did, actually," Nancy admitted. "I didn't want to leave you, so he offered to go back to the apartment and check it out. That's when he got attacked."
Ned gasped, "Do what?"
"He apparently found the cd and he was quick thinking enough to copy all of the contents on his laptop. He was walking back to my car, when someone hit him on the head with a baseball bat," she answered.
"Is he okay?"
"A concussion," she nodded. Nancy shuddered as she filled Ned in on the phone call, and finding Frank unconscious next to her car.
"It had to have been Paul," Ned surmised.
"Now that I've heard the story, I think so, too," Nancy agreed. "Have you talked to the police yet?" Nancy questioned.
Ned shook his head no. "I'm sure they'll be by later on today. But if I had to wager a bet, I'd say that Paul is going to skip town. He's got enough money to just disappear."
"Well, we're not going to let that happen," Nancy promised. "Joe is flying in tomorrow to help us out. We're going to catch him," she insisted.
Ned grasped Nancy's hand and apologized once more. "God, Nan - I'm so sorry. Do you think we can put all this behind us?" he asked hopefully.
Nancy bit her lip and looked down at their joined hands. When she looked back up at Ned, she saw his brown eyes filled with concern and love. "I... I don't know," she admitted. "You lied to me, Ned. We always promised that we would never keep anything from each other. I know you had your reasons, but it still hurts."
"You went to Frank," he countered. "Don't you know how much that hurt me when I saw you two together?"
"I'm sure it did. You probably felt the same way I felt the night before," she answered calmly. "I just don't know why you felt that you couldn't tell me." Recognition dawned on her face and she looked at Ned closely. "You fell for her, didn't you? You didn't plan on it, but it happened."
"Nancy, I..." he began
"The truth, Ned, please. That's all I'm asking for is the truth," Nancy said softly.
Ned's eyes left Nancy's and he looked everywhere but at her. "I didn't mean for it to happen," he answered in a low voice.
Nancy pressed her lips together in a tight line. She found herself once again fighting the emotions that raged inside of her. She counted to ten inside her head before she said anything. "Then your answer is no, Ned. There is no way for us to put this behind us. I love you, but I... I can't trust you anymore. I can't spend the rest of my life always wondering if there is someone else when you tell you me that you're working late. I just won't do it."
Ned glanced up at Nancy with a sad expression on his face. He picked up her hand once more, and said, "I'm truly sorry, Nan."
"So am I," she replied, truthfully. She banished the depressing thoughts from her mind and said, "But, the important thing here is that you need to concentrate on getting better. And I have to concentrate on helping you out of this mess."
What Ned said next shocked Nancy, "Tell Frank I said thank you."
Nancy cocked her head to the side and looked at him curiously. "I will," she answered slowly.
"I hope he treats you well, Nan. Better than I did," Ned began. "And I know this sounds crazy coming out of my mouth, but God help him if he ever does anything to hurt you. He'll have to answer to me."
Nancy chuckled softly. "I don't doubt that for a minute." She stood up and pressed a soft kiss on Ned's forehead. "Get well soon. I'll either call or come by as soon as we get a lead on Paul and his brother."
Ned nodded and whispered a soft, "Bye, Nan," as he watched her walk out of the hospital room.