Inheritance by Judith Michael

all the trouble of getting jobs with them, and I worked out this asaiplanlNotdoit?"
    Ben was watching Laura closely. "Pretty sudden change of heart."
    She shook her head. "I've thought about it a lot."
    "It's Owen," Clay said abruptly. "Ever since you started nKxming around after him you've been diffment about all of them. Like you're choosing them over us. Like you like them better than us."
    Vehemently, Laura shook her head. "Fm not choosing them. I'm not choosing nobody—anybody."
    "Not your brothers?" Ben said softly. "You're not choosing your brothers?"

    Inheritance
    "I didn't mean ... oh, damn it, Ben, you know what I mean. I don't want a contest; I just want to skip this one job. We've done so many and we can do another one—somewhere—^I'll keep my promise; it's just that I don't. . ."
    "Want to rob the Salingers," Ben finished when her voice trailed off. "Why not?"
    "Because they trust us and they've been nice to us, and— ^
    *That's a stupid reason," Clay cut in, but Laura rushed on.
    "—and we know them. It's not like other times when we'd break into a place and never meet anyone or even know their names ... I mean, if I saw pictures on a desk or dresser, I'd wonder what they were like and how they'd feel when they came home and found their things missing, but I never knew them, and I do know Allison and Leni and Owen . . .'*
    "So we know them," said Clay. "So what? What have they ever done for us? We work our asses off to earn a few lousy bucks a week, and we're always working overtime— **
    "You wanted overtime," Laura flung at him, "so you could check the guards' schedules."
    Clay shrugged. Ben looked at her through narrowed eyes. 'They can afford to lose a few jewels; their insurance will pay for them anyway. So maybe the real problem is you're afraid they'll suspect something after you leave and not like you anymore. Right? But you'll be gone, so what's the difference? Anyway, why should you care whether they like you or not? You're better off if ftiey don't; they're a rotten bunch of crooks. They take care of themselves and fuck everybody else and wouldn't let anybody who's not a royal Salinger have even a little piece of what they've got—^"
    'That's a lie!" Laura cried, striking the table with her fist. 'They're not like that! They're just the opposite—they've been good to me, and Clay, too—they're going to let us live in one of their cottages, and Owen is loaning me money for college and— '*
    "What?" Clay shouted. "Live where?"
    "Wait a minute." Ben's face was frozen. "Keep your voice down. Clay. Felix Salinger offered to let you live in the compound and send you to college?"
    "Not really," Laura conceded. "Owen thought of the cottage, and everybody goes along with him, and he was the one who talked about college—^"

    Judith Michael
    «(i
    *Felix won't agree," Ben said.
    "Why not?" Laura asked hotly. "I mean, he's not as friendly as the others—well, Asa isn't either, I guess—but if the others want to help us, why wouldn't Felix go along? Is there some reason he wouldn't?" She stared at him. "You know something about him that you're not telling!"
    Ben looked at his hands as they gripped his mug of beer; the knuckles were white. "Amazing," he murmured. 'The Salingers, of all people."
    "Why not the Salingers?" Laura demanded.
    "It's a wonderful chance for you," he said slowly, as if she had not spoken. "I couldn't have swung college for you, at least not this year. And you'd have a place to live for the whole summer, and save your money . . ." He stared at his hands, then shook his head heavily. "I can't do it, Laura; I can't give up this job. Maybe someday I'll tell you why, but right now you'll just have to trust me. You could stay widi them after I do it, but I think they'd find you out. Danm it, Laura, I'm the one who cares about you, not them, and I'm asking you to help me. I've been thinking about this job a long time, and I can't throw away the chance now that I'm so close."
    "How