Champagne Problems (Ransom Drysdale)

Chapter 28 - I Know What You Did

Ransom looked through the letters he'd just retrieved from the mailbox the next morning, eyes now coming to rest on a white envelope. No name on it. Blank.

Chucking the rest of the mail on the side he could hear Effie upstairs as she came out of the bathroom after finishing her shower. She'd be a while so there was enough time to see what this letter was.

Opening it up, he looked at the header that was a photocopy The Medical examiner's office - part of Harlan's toxicology report, and the words I Know What You Did written in pen. On the bottom was an address of where to meet and what time. 

Blackmail. And he was sure he knew exactly who had sent it.

Poor Fran, she really shouldn't be sticking her nose in where it didn't belong. She could get hurt...very hurt...

"What's that?" Effie asked, as she saw him now shove the letter down the side of the chair. 

How had he not heard her? Had Paola been giving her ninja lessons for times such as this? That didn't matter, because she'd blatantly seen what he had held in his hands 

"Ran?"

"It's nothing, just junk mail."

"Don't give me that bullshit." She replied and now grabbed the letter, looking over it. "What is this?"

"Someone fooling around, just leave it Eff." He said, going to get the letter out of her hands, but she held it away from him. Looking at it once more and then back to him.

"You're lying."

"Effie...don't..." He warned.

"Just tell me the fucking truth Ransom! Why has someone sent you a part of Harlan's medical report with that written on it!" And then she suddenly came to the realisation that perhaps this was more sinister than she'd first expected it to be. Her eyes looked at him as she shook her head slowly. "Tell me you didn't..."

He looked at her as though she was mad. "Tell you I didn't what?"

"Tell me you didn't kill him, that you had NOTHING to do with this!" Her voice was now raised.

"Of course I damn well didn't!"

She shook her head. "You're lying! I know you are; you know something about all of this and you're not telling me!" Was that fright that he could hear in her tone? Now he looked into her eyes he could see it. She was afraid... of him.

"Heh..." he laughed lightly and smiled. "Oh sweetheart, I really wish you hadn't asked."

"Just tell me!"

"Harlan cut me from the will – cut everyone from the will. He told me everything was going to Marta and I couldn't allow that to happen. So I did something about it..."

And there it was. The cherry on top of a very messed up cake.

"Wait, he cut everyone and is giving his whole fortune to his sugar baby nurse!" she blinked, the outrage clear.

A flicker of annoyance crossed his face. "I tried to talk him out of it, but the old fool wasn't backing down."

Effie looked him in the eye seriously, her demeanour calm. "Ransom, what did you do?"

"Switched the medications. Marta would give them to him and bam. Dead as a doornail – except that didn't happen the way I thought it would, so I came up with another way to get our money back. Seems like someone else knows what I'm up to though..." his eyes went from her to the paper. "I can't have anyone stopping me Eff..." their eyes met as his expression darkened. "Not Fran...not even you." 

She needed to know that he was not about to be taken for a fool. She stood in his way, and he wouldn't hesitate in doing something about it if it meant getting their fortune back.

"Oh please!" she laughed at this and then looked at him. "Like I'd ever stop you from getting back what's ours..."

Ok...he'd not been expecting her to say that. The look she was giving him was deadly serious and now she passed him the blackmail letter. "That nurse has been left everything and Harlan didn't give two shits about the rest of the family. It can't happen...we can't be left out in the cold!"

"So you understand why I have to do this?" He wanted to at least make sure they were on the same wavelength.

Effie's eyes narrowed. "Get that money back Ransom. Whatever it takes. I'm with you all the way on this."

It seemed that he'd underestimated his darling wife.

"Eff! I'm taking your scarf, it's cold!" Ransom called up to her as he prepared to leave for the will reading that afternoon.

"Seriously?" she appeared at the top of the stairs and then came quickly down them, now taking the ends of the scarf and pulling him down toward her. Her lips savoured his own and eventually she had to let go of him. "Oh I wish I could see their faces once they're told they're not getting their cut either. Walt's especially." She smirked.

"I'll let you know, but it's going to be the best entertainment I've had all year." 

"You just focus on the important part. Now the photocopy of the report means that Fran must have another copy. I think I might just know where that is, but you're gonna have to get it when no one's in the room."

She was devious, and he loved it. "Where?" 

"The mantle clock, I only know that because she keeps her stash of joints in there - when we were there for Thanksgiving I saw her open it and give one to Meg - that housekeeper is most certainly a dark horse." If Fran was hiding joints in there, then obviously it was the perfect place to hide a toxicology report. 

"I'll be sure to get it, The reading won't take long, and they'll be arguments for sure. All of them tearing one another apart, I'll take my chance then." 

"We can't have her exposing what you did."

He sighed. "You think I don't know that? Anyway I gotta go, otherwise I'm gonna be late for the show." 

With one last kiss, she watched him head down the path to the Beamer, before going back inside to focus on Adeline, and to await Ransom's return.