The Gold Dragon Caper: A Damien Dickens Mystery (Damien Dickens Mysteries Book 4)

by Phyllis Entis

  “He started to kiss me. To run his hands over my body. ‘Sweet,’ he said, ‘like candy from a baby.’ He reached under my dress, and I tried to push him away. He grabbed both my wrists with one hand, pulling my arms up over my head, placed his mouth on mine and…” Millie turned and placed her arms on the arm of the couch, buried her head in them, and began to sob.

  “He raped you?”

  She nodded, unable to speak. I knelt at her feet, not sure what to do. How to comfort her. “Millie, look at me,” I pleaded.

  She shook her head without raising it, and took up the story, her voice muffled. “I was barely pubescent, and completely innocent. What he was doing was painful, and I started to cry. Mother hadn’t gotten around to telling me the ‘facts of life.’ I didn’t understand exactly what he was doing, but I knew it felt wrong. Shameful. I pretended it never happened.”

  “Didn’t your parents notice anything wrong?”

  “I became very quiet. Introverted. Mother realized something wasn’t right with me. She tried to draw me out, to get me to talk, but I wouldn’t. I was afraid she would think I had done something wrong. That what happened was somehow my own fault. After a couple of months, I started losing my breakfast. That’s when she finally sat me down and insisted I tell her everything.”

  “What about your father?”

  “Daddy had no idea, until Mother told him I was pregnant. He had simply thought his little girl was growing up.”

  “What did he do when he found out?”

  “We never told him where and when it happened. Mother was afraid he would confront his client and lose his business. And there was no way to be sure who the father was, anyway. Between us, she and I concocted a story about me having dated a boy behind their backs, and it having gotten out of hand.”

  I held my anger in check as I listened to Millie’s story. The selfishness of her parents, their blindness to their daughter’s needs, enraged and appalled me. But venting my feelings wouldn’t help Millie now. I needed to let her tell her story to the end.

  “Daddy was furious with me,” she continued. “Furious and disappointed. He didn’t want to have anything more to do with me. Mother made all the arrangements.”

  “For an abortion?”

  “No. She arranged for the two of us to travel west to a sanatarium. She told everyone I was feeling poorly. She said our doctor had seen a spot on my lung and had recommended a rest cure. Mother and I took the train to California. Daddy didn’t even come to the station to see us off. Mother stayed with me at the sanatarium until I gave birth. Because I was so young, the pregnancy was very difficult. The doctor had to deliver the baby a month early by emergency Caesarian section. The Caesarian saved the baby but damaged my uterus. After I had recovered, I needed a second operation. A hysterectomy.”

  Millie lifted her head. She had stopped crying, but her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. “The owner of the sanatarium was very accommodating. When the baby was born, the birth certificate listed Mother and Daddy as the parents. Colin isn’t my brother, Dick. He’s my son.”

  I rose from my knees and sat next to her, placing my hands on hers. She looked down at our hands resting together in her lap, and swallowed hard. “Nothing was the same when we returned home. Daddy had started drinking in Mother’s absence. His business suffered, and we had to move out of our house into a rented flat in a less expensive neighborhood. I didn’t know anyone in my new school. Because of what had happened to me, I was too shy to get involved in any of the clubs or after-school activities. Instead, I used to go straight home and help Mother with the baby. Daddy was staying out later and later, and his drinking kept getting worse. They quarreled, too. I could hear them from my bedroom in the evenings while I was doing my homework. When Daddy lost his last client, Mother insisted he either get sober or get out.”

  “Things got better after that. Daddy started attending meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous. He was still a good rough carpenter, though he no longer had the steady hands needed for the fine work. After he had been sober for a few months, he was able to land a job with a building contractor. He began to put his life back together. In time, we became a family again, although he never quite forgave me for what he believed to be my transgression.”

  “When Colin was four years old, Mother and Daddy were invited to a New Year’s Eve bash at the Egg Harbour Country Club. Mother was so excited. It was the first time they had been invited to a formal reception since that cocktail party at the Plaza. She bought a gown, and insisted Daddy purchase a new tuxedo. They looked handsome together, happy together, as they kissed Colin and me goodnight.”

  A few stray tears trickled down Millie’s cheeks, but her voice was steady as she came to the end of the story. “It snowed that night, and the roads were icy. On the way home from the party, their car was hit by a drunk driver, whose vehicle skidded across the highway and plowed into them. They were killed instantly.”

  Chapter Thirty-five

  We were interrupted by a knock on the door. I motioned to Millie to stay put as I retrieved my gun from the bedroom and checked the load. A quick look through the peephole revealed a young bellhop, who I recognized from our arrival earlier in the day. He was shifting his weight from foot to foot as he balanced a stack of boxes in his arms. I tucked the revolver into the waistband of my trousers at the small of my back and opened the door. Thanking him with a fiver, I took the boxes and locked the door behind him.

  “What’s all that?” Millie asked.

  I recognized Susan’s handwriting on an envelope taped to the topmost box. “Susan sent these. Some new clothes for you.”

  Millie began to cry. “I don’t deserve it. I let her down. I let everyone down.”

  I placed the boxes on a chair, and put my hands under her elbows. Lifting her from the couch, I cradled her in my arms. “Hush. No more tears. You followed your heart and did what you thought you had to do. I understand now why you acted the way you did, and why you always were so protective of Colin. I have one question though.” I hesitated, not sure how to ask what I wanted to know. “Do you know who…”

  “Who raped me?”

  “Yes.”

  She sank back down onto the sofa, and I sat beside her, my arm around her waist, holding her close. “I didn’t know for a long time. Or, maybe I didn’t want to know.” Her voice was so low I had to strain to make out her words. “But now I’m certain.”

  “You mean…”

  “Yes. Derek Turpin is Colin’s father. I’ve felt uneasy around Turpin from the first time I met him in Florida, but I’ve never known why. Yesterday, when he tried to force himself on me, I recognized something in the timbre of his voice.” She turned her face to look up at me. “You don’t know Colin well, but I watched him grow up. All at once, I realized how much his mannerisms, his voice, even his eyes and mouth, resemble Turpin’s.”

  “Does Turpin know? Do you think he’s made the connection?”

  “I don’t know. I hope not. I hope he’s forgotten the entire incident.” Millie shuddered. “And I’d hate for him to find out about Colin. Turpin already has embroiled my son in his plots. There’s no telling how far he would go if…” Her voice trailed off.

  “Millie, for Colin’s own protection and for yours, I think we should continue to refer to him as your brother, even when there’s no one else around. It would be too easy to make a slip and let the secret out.”

  “You’re right, of course.” She nodded her head, trying to stifle a yawn.

  “Tired?”

  “Exhausted. I haven't slept well since all of this began. I think I’ll sleep tonight, though. I feel much better, now I’ve told you everything. Now there are no more secrets between us.”

  We sat quietly, content in each other’s presence, until Millie’s eyelids drooped and I felt her body sag against mine. Waking her with a gentle kiss on the forehead, I led her to our bed, telling her I’d join her in a few minutes. By the time I returned to the bedroom, she was lying o
n her side, her legs curled up, one hand tucked under her pillow, the other under her cheek. She was fast asleep, a gentle smile on her face. I hoped she was dreaming of me.

  She hadn’t stirred by the time I had undressed, showered, and climbed into bed next to her. I tucked my body spoon-like behind her, draping my arm across her chest. She mumbled in her sleep, and squirmed her body even closer to mine. I felt her bare breast against my arm, and cupped it in my hand. Millie placed her hand over mine, holding it. “That feels so good,” she whispered. We lay that way, sometimes awake, sometimes dozing, until Millie turned to face me within the circle of my embrace.

  I whispered, then, the words I knew she needed to hear. The words that had always been so hard for me to say. “I love you, Millie, with all my heart and soul. Whatever has gone before, whatever happens in the future, I will always love you.”

  We kissed, paused, and kissed again, our tongues teasing each other. Probing each other. And we began to make love. Tentatively at first, as though it was our first time together. Tenderly. And when, at last, our bodies joined, our passion soared to a height beyond anything we had ever experienced, even in the early days of our marriage. Spent and at peace, we fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms.

  We awakened to the sounds of groundskeepers and housemaids going about their morning routines, and we made love again. Slowly, sweetly, as though we had all the time in the world. Nothing existed for me outside of our room. Not Colin, not Turpin. My only reality was Millie. We lay still, her head resting on my chest, until the telephone rang, and the spell was broken.

  I reached for the phone as Millie got out of bed, running her hands through her hair. Davila was calling, wanting to resume my debriefing. After promising to meet with him in a couple of hours, I phoned Susan. Artie and Bruno were already on their way to Vermont, she told me. She was all business, and I could sense her protective outer shell reasserting itself as she spoke. She would be in Henderson all day, she added, but would plan on joining us for dinner.

  I could hear the sound of running water coming from the bathroom. Before joining Millie in the shower, I lifted the receiver one more time and called room service to order breakfast. We had just finished dressing when a knock on the door announced its arrival. As we ate, we discussed our plans for the day.

  “I have an appointment with Davila,” I told Millie. “He has some questions for me on exactly how and where I found the gold nugget.”

  “Nugget? You mean, the Gold Dragon? You found it?”

  “I forgot you didn’t know. I didn’t have a chance to tell you yesterday, with everything else going on. It was hidden in the cabin where Colin was holding Artie.”

  “So he did steal it after all.” Millie shook her head.

  “Not necessarily. Artie didn’t know it was in the cabin, which means it was already hidden away by the time Colin brought him there.” I glanced at my watch. “I have to get moving if I’m to be on time for my appointment. I’ll bring you up to date on everything when I get back.”

  “I have to go, too. I need to retrieve my clothes and things from Colin’s apartment. Maybe you can give me a lift? The rental car is still at the apartment, and I can drive it back.”

  “That's not going to be possible,” I replied. “Because of the assault on you, the police are treating the apartment as a crime scene, and they will have impounded the rental car, too. I found your handbag in the shrubs near the apartment yesterday, and turned it over to Davila. I’ll ask him to return the bag and its contents when I see him today. Besides, I want you to stay put. As long as Turpin and his minions are out there, you’re in danger. I’m leaving my gun with you. I want you to keep it within reach at all times while I’m gone.”

  “But…”

  “I mean it, honey.” I placed my hands on her shoulders, and looked into her eyes. “No arguments. I want your promise that you will stay put. And that means staying inside this suite with the door locked.”

  Chapter Thirty-six

  February 25, 1983

  Colin slipped into the room, closed the door behind him and engaged the deadbolt lock. His eyes surveyed the sitting room as his ears picked up the sound of Millie’s quiet singing emanating from the bedroom. The door to the adjoining suite was closed. He carried a chair over to it, and jammed it under the knob for added security. Returning to the entry door, he leaned against it, folded his arms across his chest, and waited.

  Humming the final notes of I Just Fall In Love Again, her favorite Anne Murray song, Millie walked out of the bedroom, a smile on her face, her arms laden with empty department-store boxes. She froze when she saw him, her eyes registering her shock. “Colin? What are you doing here? How did …” Normally clean-shaven, and fastidious about his clothes, Colin was dirty and disheveled. There was a smear of blood on his shirt sleeve, and his face was covered with 4-day old stubble. “What happened to you, Colin?”

  “Where’s my wife and kid, Millie? What have you done with them?” His eyes bored into hers, trying to outstare her as she stood her ground.

  “They’re someplace safe. How did you know I was here? How did you get inside this room? That door was locked.” She was watching his eyes, his demeanor. Colin had changed since she last saw him. Had grown harder.

  “It was easy to find you, Sis. All it took was a few phone calls. Your brilliant husband registered under his own name. A fin for the desk clerk got me your room number, and a sawbuck bought the use of a housekeeper’s passkey.”

  “What’s happened to you, Colin? Dick told me you were the one who was holding Artie Sutherland captive. And the police think you stole the nugget from the Gold Dragon casino.” Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. “What have you turned into?”

  “I don’t know nothing about no nugget. As for the kid, we weren’t going to harm him. Derek wanted him for leverage, is all. I was keeping him safe. But your big-shot husband had to show up and spoil everything. He even tried to kill me. Good thing he has a lousy aim. One of his bullets hit my rear tire. It’s his fault I look like this. I hurt my arm while I was changing the tire. And after all of my effort, the spare went flat after only a few miles. I spent two days hitching rides to get back here, only to discover my apartment is roped off by the cops, and my wife and kid are gone.” Scowling, Colin clenched his fists. “He’s gonna pay. And you’re gonna pay, too. Every time I stand up you knock me down. It’s not my fault.”

  Millie covered the distance between them in a few short strides, and slapped Colin’s face. “How dare you?” she asked in a voice trembling with anger. “You disappear from home without a single word of explanation to your wife, abandoning her to cope alone with a baby. You and your accomplice kidnap a 12-year old boy ‘for leverage’ and hold him in a remote location against his will. And you say it’s not your fault? How dare you?” Millie paused, struggling for control. “If Dick had wanted to kill you, he could have. He’s an excellent shot, and he had you in his sights. He let you get away, then shot out your tire so you wouldn’t be able to get far.”

  Her eyes filled with tears and she wiped them away with an angry swipe of her hand. “When Mother and Daddy died, the social services people wanted to send you to a foster home. They didn’t think I was old enough to take care of you properly. But I persuaded them to let me try. I did my best, but I guess I didn’t do such a great job, after all.” She looked up at him, her scorn-filled voice lashing him. “You’re a selfish, spoiled child pretending to be a man. I’m ashamed of you. I…”

  “You’re the one who should be ashamed, Sis,” Colin interrupted, his face contorted with anger. “Or should I say, Mother?“

  The color drained from Millie’s face. She swayed as though she was about to faint, then regained control. “What did you just say?” she whispered.

  “Don’t play the innocent with me, Mother,” Colin spat out the word as though it was a curse. “I know you for what you really are. A liar and a slut. You’ve been living a lie, but you’ve been found out. I know
all about your secret pregnancy, and how I was passed off as your brother. I know who my father was, too.”

  “Tell me what you think you know.”

  “I know everything. I know you seduced Derek when you were just twelve years old. You enticed him into a bedroom during a party your parents took you to, and bedded him. When your paths crossed again a couple of years ago, you seduced him again. You’ve been having an affair with Derek right under your dumbass husband’s nose. You visited him in his hotel tower the other day. When he rejected your advances, told you he was tired of you, you went to the cops and claimed he tried to rape you.”

  “That’s not true.” Millie strained to keep her voice from breaking. “That’s not the way it happened. You can’t possibly believe that of me. You know me better than that.”

  “So, you’re saying Derek Turpin is not my father? Why should I believe you?”

  “That’s not what I’m saying. Derek Turpin is your biological father. That much is true. He raped me when I was twelve. He tried to rape me again yesterday, after two of his bullies grabbed me on his orders and held me captive overnight. Turpin is a braggart, a bully, a boor and a bald-faced liar. He will say whatever it takes, with no regard for the truth, as long as it gets him what he wants. I despise him and everything he stands for. And I’m very much afraid you are turning out to be like him.”