by Debbie Zello
“A five-million-dollar life insurance policy was taken out on you ten days before the event that ended your marriage. Your ex-husband took it out and is the sole beneficiary.
“Have you changed your will, revoked his power-of-attorney over you? Changed everything since your divorce?”
“No. I just recently changed my name back to my maiden name. I’ve been remiss about that.”
“That’s exactly what I thought. I have a very difficult question to ask. I know about what happened in your family. I’m very sorry for your losses. Your mother had substance issues as well as suicidal tendencies, is that correct?”
“Yes. She suffered for several years. My sister’s death was the point of no return for her.”
“Did you know her sister had also committed suicide? And an aunt before her?”
“No. She never spoke of a sister or her aunt,” Cheri said, stunned.
“Your ex-husband knew. We found an investigator that did a complete check on you six months prior to all of this starting. Your mother’s problems were evidently something that might be considered hereditary.” A panicked glance passed between Gareth and Cheri.
“Have you ever been depressed or suicidal, Miss Winslow?” Len asked, in a clinical voice.
“Yes.” Cheri answered, sadly. Cheri began rubbing her forehead as if to brush away a painful memory.
“When?”
“I was a complete mess when I first met David. I wasn’t suicidal but I struggled with depression constantly. I confided everything to him. He knew all about my background. I thought he loved me. I thought he wanted to help me.”
“Yes, he’s very good at that. You gave him the money to begin his practice?”
“Yes.”
“The down payment on the house came from you?”
“Yes.”
“Have you thought about taking your life since the day that ended your marriage?” Cheri looked to Gareth. Tears were in both of their eyes.
“Yes.”
“When?”
“For several weeks after I left David. Then again last week.”
“Well, I’m very glad that you’re still with us, Miss Winslow. If you had succeeded, you would have missed all of the fun! We believe and intend to prove that David orchestrated all of these events, in the desire to push you over the brink, so that you would take your own life.
“He set you up with forged checks. Took out an insurance policy, kept you upset and unthinking, until such time as he could frame you properly. You would end your life, he would cash in the policy as well as all of your assets, and he would be exonerated of all guilt. The perfect crime.”
Chapter Eighteen
Walking in to the courtroom and being forced to see him was almost more than Cheri could take. David sat there with a smug look on his face, so sure of himself. He had hatched his plan, calculating that she was weak enough to follow through. He was right, as he usually was. She would have done just that, if it weren’t for Gareth’s intervention.
As Cheri approached her seat, he turned and had a look of surprise on his face. He looked as if he wasn’t expecting to see her. A look that Cheri took great pleasure in as indeed she was still here.
The courtroom was called to order as Judge Carol Dade entered and took her seat. “Good morning,” she said.
“Good morning, Your Honor. My name is Anthony Grison and I’m representing Miss Winslow in these proceedings.”
“Yes, Mr. Grison, you and it appears every other lawyer in Boston.”
“Yes Ma’am. Miss Winslow has a spotless record and therefore no problem finding righteous allies.”
“We’ll see.”
“Your honor, I am Ronald Cressy. I represent Mr. David Gates for this action.”
“Now that we know all of our players, let’s get down to the business at hand, shall we? I run my court with an iron boot. No shenanigans of any kind will be tolerated. You argue in front of me, and not for the audience.
“If you’re looking for a gig on a late night talk show, forget about it. If you want to perfect your comedy routine, do it elsewhere. If you’re here to practice law and do the best that you can for your client, then I’m all ears.”
“You have the floor, Mr. Grison, sir.”
“Thank you, Your Honor. We have filed several motions earlier this morning. I believe you have them before you.”
“Yes, I do. I found the reading of them fascinating. I saved one for after lunch, as I feared the viewing of the footage might ruin my appetite, and I have a lovely lunch planed with my daughter.
“I have a few questions first for Miss Winslow,” the judge said, smiling at Cheri.
“That’s highly irregular, Your Honor,” Mr. Cressy said.
“Yes, I realize that but I’m asking them anyway. Miss Winslow, I’m very sorry about the tragic loss of your family.”
“Thank you, Your Honor.”
“For you to have not only finished high school with honors, but college as well. Then to go on to law school and a practice that has been exemplary. Now you’re drawn into this mess.
“Miss Winslow, what were your duties with respect to your client’s cases in your firm?” the judge asked.
“I consulted on the formulation of trial strategy. I did all of the work on precedence and writing motions. I wrote the opening arguments as well as the closings.”
“So you did all of the lawyering. Your husband did the arguing in court?”
“Yes, Your Honor. He was much better at the questioning and the acting.”
“That’s a great way of putting it. We all know this is a grand play we’re in. We should get Tonys too!”
“Yes, Your Honor,” Cheri said smiling for the first time.
“I’m going to grant your motion to dismiss the charges against you. You have proven beyond any doubt that you did not sign these checks. Not only that, but I feel you have proven that your ex-husband was attempting to control you into ending your own life. I’m sorry to say that currently there isn’t any law against that.
“I am, however, canceling the insurance policy on you. Since he is no longer your husband, he can’t obtain another without your consent. Changing your will and rescinding his power-of-attorney over you should end his ability to acquire any of your properties. Be of haste to accomplish that.”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
“Lastly, we need more women in our courts. Women like you. Don’t let your past or your present control your future. I should like very much to see you arguing a case.”
“Thank you, Your Honor.”
“The case against Miss Winslow is dismissed due to inadequate evidence against her. The case against Mr. Gates stands alone. Good luck, Mr. Gates, I feel you will need it,” she said, directly at David. The rap of her gavel ended Cheri’s nightmare.
They all stood to respect the judge’s exit from the bench. Cheri stood there, unable to move or breathe. Then the tears began, as Gareth rushed from his seat behind her, to sweep her up in his arms. “Don’t cry, sweetheart. You should be singing! It’s over and you’re free!” he said kissing her soundly.
“Thank you everyone. Without you behind me, I don’t know where I’d be. You especially, Gareth. You rescued me. Saved me. Made me want to live,” she said, crying harder.
“Let’s take this somewhere else,” Len said. “There’s too many ears here.” Gareth took Cheri’s hand and began to walk out. David was at the door with his attorney and as Cheri passed he said, “Alls well that ends well? You hope it’s the end, right?” Cheri stopped dropping Gareth’s hand.
In a move that was very un-Cheri-like she stepped right in his face and said, “Why do you hate me so, David? I gave you everything and asked little in return. Is it that you can’t stand the idea that I left you? That you could do, say whatever you wanted to me and I took it until the day I reached my end? Or is it the thought that I might end up with someone that loves me, cares for me. That I have a life and family.”
“I do
n’t hate you, Cheri. It’s true I never loved you. You were a pet. A wounded bird that had the money I needed to get a start. I didn’t mean for you to find me that day. You can probably guess that was a shock and disrupted my plans. But I live to fight another day,” he said with a leer.
Gareth leaned in to David’s space and was about to pop him in the mouth when Len grabbed his friend’s arm.
With his schooled smile Len said, “You go on home now, David. You might want to watch the news tonight. I hear there is an interesting exposé on gay porn sites and the people that frequent them. I’m told it’s riveting and contains actual footage.” Cheri thought that David might have actually swallowed his tongue as his color took on a greenish-blue tint.
“I sincerely hope that you haven’t done something that you will regret, Cheri,” he said seething.
“I’ve done a lot of things that I regret, David. One of them was trusting you.” Len took her arm as well as Gareth’s and walked out of court.
They got to the hallway and Len said, “Were going to Toscano’s down the street. We’ll talk there. Try not to pummel anyone between now and when I next see you, understand?”
“He’s got it coming,” Gareth said seething.
“Agreed, just not by you, my friend. Let the system spank him, not you.”
Cheri called Piper on their way to the restaurant. Piper told her that she knew all along that everything would turn out just fine. Cheri had her close the office and take the rest of the day off.
The celebration went long into the afternoon. Tuscan delicacies along with wine were brought to them in a continuous flow. Cheri ate heartily for the first time in a very long time. She smiled and laughed so that it pleased Gareth completely. Laughing is so much better than crying.
After making her speech thanking her team for their tireless work on her behalf, Gareth and Cheri began the drive back to her cottage. For the first time, she felt comfortable talking about the future. “I want you to come to California and see if it’s right for you. We can keep your house here, sell the mausoleum and come here for vacations. If you’re not happy there, I’ll have to travel back and forth. One way or the other, we’re going to be together,” Gareth said holding her hand.
“I’ll have to look into the requirements for the bar exam. I’m sure it’s not a whole lot different from here. I can sell the practice as long as they keep Piper. I won’t leave her high-and-dry,” she said, wistfully.
“Maybe she would like to come with us. You can ask.”
“She has a family. They own a house. I doubt she’ll be interested but I will ask.”
“I have a very busy schedule for the next several months. When I committed myself to it, I hadn’t met this spectacular woman yet. Now that I have, I’ll be more careful with what I agree to. Until I’m done with my obligations, I’ll have to see you when I can until September.”
“That’s only five and a half months. We’ve already done that. This time can we call each other?”
“Everyday. Anytime. Day or night.”
That night, tucked securely against him, Cheri slept. They had made love once again, without invitation. Gareth simply covered her with his strength and love, moving inside her with the peace that commitment brings.
Gareth didn’t sleep as well as her. He saw something in David’s eyes that he had seen before. The deep hate that comes with losing. He knew it wasn’t over for David. Somehow, sometime, someway, David would come back. Gareth just had to figure out how to best protect her.
Chapter Nineteen
The keys to Gareth’s beach house had indeed arrived overnight. They were waiting for him when they arrived back from their victory celebration. After they had their breakfast of bagels and cream cheese along with a quart of coffee each, they walked hand-in-hand to the door. Using the key, Gareth turned it in the lock and the door popped open. “Remember now that I didn’t buy the furniture or do any of the decorating. So, if you don’t like it, we can change anything. Or we can sell it furnished just like it is.”
Cheri stepped on to the natural white oak floors and immediately fell in love. Six bedrooms occupied the first floor with a snack area and gathering room. The laundry and storage room were in the back next to the four-car garage. A small elevator was tucked in behind the stairs to the second floor.
Cheri gave Gareth a look of disbelief as she pressed the button for the elevator. “Really? At a beach house? Aren’t we a little ostentatious?”
Shrugging his shoulders and grinning he said, “Wheelchair accessible? I was thinking of my old age.”
“I suppose in your old age you’ll need six bedrooms,” Cheri teased. The elevator arrived and Cheri looked inside before turning to take the stairs.
“You don’t want to ride up?” he asked.
“I’ll walk while I still can, thank you,” she said over her shoulder. He followed her up the stairs. Cheri came to a complete stop at the top of the stairs. It was as if she was looking at a page right out of House Beautiful.
The second floor was completely open. Surrounded by glass doors leading out to a wrap-around deck that was open to the sun on the front and covered in the back. The living room and game area faced the ocean. The dining room and kitchen were towards the back. The kitchen was a U-shape without upper cabinets, so even from the kitchen you could see the Atlantic.
It was built with an oven range combination that also had a grill at the very end. The grill was outside in a cove accessed from a glass door in the kitchen. The copper range hood extended out to cover the grill so you could use it in any weather. It was the most ingenious thing she had ever seen.
Gareth stood at the top of the stairs watching her feather her fingers over the granite counter wondering what she was thinking. She moved to the white overstuffed leather furniture that occupied the living space. “Why leather?” she asked.
“You can sit on it slightly wet and not hurt it. Plus, it feels cool to sit on,” he said. She plopped herself in a chair and nodded her agreement. It was comfortable.
“Where does that go?” she said, pointing to the spiral staircase by the elevator.
“The master suite. Want to see?”
“Absolutely,” she said, walking over and climbing up the winding stairs. She actually gasped when she got to the top. The entire space was a copy of the second floor in that it was wide open and had the same glass doors and deck. The back wall that faced the street was a wall of natural white oak doors, drawers and cabinets. She walked over to open a door. Inside was a closet system for hanging pants and jackets. The opposite side for dresses and skirts.
The bed was in the center of the room draped from the ceiling with wispy white; as Cheri put it, Cleopatra drapes. The bed was huge, as the space would require. It faced the ocean and she could imagine the drapes flowing in the ocean breeze.
The bathroom was also encased totally in glass. Completely see-through. “How do you pee and take a shower without showing the world your goods?” she asked.
“Close the door,” he said, matter of fact.
“The door is glass too, Gareth. Closing it won’t help the situation.”
“Close the door,” he repeated. Cheri walked in and closed the door. As soon as the latch met the frame, the glass frosted over. When she opened the door, it went clear again.
“Well, I’ll be damned. How did you come up with that?” she said continuing to open and close the door.
“I figured it could be done and I had the money to do it. You’d be amazed what money can do. But if you would like to show me your goods, just leave the door open so I can watch.”
“Is this the tub you told me about?” she said walking over to the giant copper cistern in the far side of the bathroom.
“It is.”
“Eight people could fit in here,” she said taking off her shoes to try it out. Gareth walked into the bathroom to join her in the tub.
“Do you like it?” he asked cautiously.
“I love it! The whole
place. It’s simply stunning and I can’t figure out why you would build this and not enjoy it.”
“I built it as an investment. I thought I would keep it for my family. Then I saw it and realized I didn’t have a family to fill it. It’s way too big for me alone. If you’ll help me fill it, I’ll keep it,” he said pulling her into his lap and kissing her.
“There are six bedrooms, Gareth. That’s a lot of filling to do. And why a copper bathtub?”
“It will last forever. Even when the house is gone, the tub will still be here. I like things that last. I like the warm color too. And we don’t have to fill the bedrooms. Our kids can bring friends with them.”
“Why do you want me? I’m nothing but trouble for you. You should cut your losses and run as fast as you can back to California,” she said, sadly.
“I want you because I fell in love with you. You’re not the trouble, you just know the trouble. You kicked the trouble’s ass, so now it’s smooth sailing ahead. So when is our wedding, Cheri?”
“Would your family come here so we could marry where we met?”
“They’d go wherever we said. So it’s here. Now…when?”
“How about September? We’ll stick to our original plan. Spend the month of September here. Your friends and family can stay here in the big house and we’ll have the cottage. We can get married right on the beach out front and have the party here,” she said smiling. Gareth took out his phone and began to dial.
“Naomi. Yes, I know it’s early there. You have woken me up plenty of times this early. Darling, working for me, you are never on vacation. You should know that by now. Fine I’ll get to the point of my call. I’m getting married,” he said, pulling the phone away from his ear. Cheri could hear a woman yelling.
“Calm down, Naomi. In September, here at the Cape house. I need you to send out an announcement to Tucker and the crew. I want them and of course you to come here for it. Tell them it’s a vacation too. I want everyone to stay as long as they want. No, I’ll call my parents. Copy me on the e-mail. Thanks, now go back to sleep. Bye.”