Higgins hesitated. “Fair enough.”
Remy ran his finger along the flap and pulled out the contents. There were three folded sheets inside, each taped shut. One was addressed to Dorothy, one to Titus and the other to...
Remy looked up. “This one is addressed to you, Higgins.” He handed it to him. Dorothy's letter he returned to the envelope. The note to Titus was puzzling. Why would Emma be writing to Titus?
Higgins looked up. “This is a confession to the murder of Bubba Joe Henry.” He stood up. “I'm going to have to get on this.” He hesitated again. “Did she seem like the kind of person to commit suicide?”
Remy shook his head. “I don't know. She told us she'd had some kind of breakdown ten years ago and suffered some memory loss at the time. That's why she didn't come to see Dorothy before.”
“Did you believe her?”
“More now than I did at first,” Remy said. “Why do you think she confessed now? If you had no proof—”
“She says it was something you said about the truth that made her realize it had to be done. Do you know what she meant by that?”
Remy nodded. “She assumed her sister's identity almost thirty years ago. Before you arrived...we talked about not disclosing that she was really Emma Merlinn. She was concerned that her past might affect my campaign.”
“And you went with the truth.” Higgins nodded his approval. “You've got my vote, Mistral.”
Remy smiled crookedly. “Thanks. Right now, I'm more concerned about my fiance and how this will affect her recovery.”
“I understand.” He looked awkward. “I'll leave her phone with you. She mentions someone telling her husband?”
Remy nodded, but when he was left alone, he found himself looking at the note to Titus. Where was Titus? Why hadn't he come to the hospital to see Dorothy yet? This might not be his finest hour of the day, but what the hell. He carefully lifted the tape and unfolded the letter.
* * * *
Dear Titus,
There's so much to say and no time to say it. You were my friend and my lover and I know I let you down. I'm so sorry. Remy said something today about the truth. I don't know who said it first, but I've been thinking about that phrase, you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. I need to be free, so here's the truth. I hope it will set you free of the past, too.
I always cared about you, but I never loved you. I wasn't capable of it back then and now, I love my husband. I slept with you the other night to keep you quiet. Because I felt I owed you something for the pain I'd caused. I betrayed my husband, myself and you when I did that. I convinced myself I was doing it for Dorothy, but it was for me, so I could get to know her. I didn't want her to hate me.
And I lied to you about Dorothy. She isn't your daughter. She is Magus's flesh and blood. There is no doubt about that. I made sure I protected myself when I strayed. The only reason Magus had doubts about her paternity is because I wanted to hurt him.
I've done so much damage to so many people, I don't expect to be forgiven, but I wanted you to know the truth so that you could move on with your life. I wrote to Henry before I went to see Darius, because I knew things might not go well. I'm weary of the burden of lies and mistakes I've carried for so long. You won't see me again. I don't want Dorothy to have to visit me in prison. She's suffered enough for my mistakes.
I have a last request that you don't have to honor, but I hope you will for old time's sake. Please let Dorothy go. I think she needed you, but now she needs Remy more.
Your old friend, Emma
* * * *
Remy sat back. Titus and Emma. And Titus had believed that Dorothy was his daughter. Well, that explained the overly protective attitude that had so annoyed Remy. He needed to be told. For some reason it felt important that Titus know right away. He thought for a moment, then opened the letter to Dorothy and read it, too. He downed his coffee, then dragged himself out of the chair and went upstairs. Dorothy was still sleeping. While he was gone, they'd assigned a policewoman to sit in her room with her.
Now that she'd had a chance to clean up, each bruise and scrape stood out in sharp relief against her unnaturally pale skin. He stared down at her, noting each wound inflicted on her by that bastard. He'd failed to protect her. That ate at him like acid. He'd been so focused on what he wanted, on his grand ideals and this was the result.
Hadn't she dealt with enough? Emma may have believed she was freeing her from the past, but the truth was, she was just running out on her daughter again, leaving her more crap to deal with. And is that what he was going to do, too, he wondered? All his feelings about letting her down and how he shouldn't have used her, weren't they just rationalizations because he was afraid of how he felt about her? If he had any guts, he'd tell her loved her, and that he wanted their engagement to be real and honest. He should tell her that he'd give up his political career for her if she wanted. If he had half her courage, he'd risk rejection. If he really loved her, he should give it to her as a gift, with no strings attached.
He wanted to be with her when she read the letter, but he also didn't want to keep it from her. After a moment, he laid it on the table by the bed.
He gave the officer his cell number. “Call me if she wakes up. And tell her I'll be back. I need to see someone.”
He hated like hell to leave her, but he needed to clear the decks with Titus first. He didn't like him, but he needed to know about Emma. He kissed her forehead and made himself leave. When she woke, she'd want answers. Maybe he could at least have some for her.
Exhaustion dragged at him as he drove to Oz. He took it slow and was surprised when he made it. Inside, he found the house deserted. Where was all the staff? He made his way to the security room and found it shut down. He sat down and turned the cameras on, scanning room after room. It made no sense, but he was tired, so maybe nothing could.
He went back to the living room and sat down to wait. At some point, he drifted into sleep.
Dorothy came awake with her head full of questions needing answers. She hurt all over and was ravenously hungry, but she felt like herself again. That awful, breakable feeling was gone. She struggled into a sitting position and found herself facing a policewoman.
“Where's Remy Mistral?” Okay, admit that she expected to find him still here.
“He had something urgent to do, someone to see he said. He wants you to call when you wake,” she said. “And he left that letter for you. He said you'd understand when you read it.”
Dorothy picked up the indicated item and opened it, but it wasn't from Remy. It was from her mom.
* * * *
My dear girl,
I am humbled and amazed at your kindness to me, considering the great wrongs I have done you in the past. What your Remy said about truth, it keeps echoing in my head, that and that saying about the truth setting you free. All I've done, all the mistakes I've made and the wrong things I've done, they press on me like a mountain. I've hurt the people I finally learned to care about, pretending I was doing it for them, when it was just about my own fear.
You guessed that I killed Bubba Joe. I could tell. You don't need the burden of that knowledge on your shoulders. Believe me, it isn't worth it. I've written a letter to that detective, confessing to the crime.
There's more you need to know. Titus has believed for all these years, that he was really your father. He isn't, but I let him believe it so he wouldn't expose me to you as the fraud I am. I've wounded him, too. The only thing I ever did right was make sure Magus was your father. And then I took you away from him.
I am so sorry for what I've done. Magus and I both let you down. I know you think you've forgiven me back at Darius's house, but you didn't know all of it then. If you can't forgive me, that's all right. I can't forgive myself. Someday I hope that you'll meet my Henry. He's a wonderful man. I was lucky to have someone like him in my life. He's the one who taught me how to love someone other than myself. I've written him a separate letter,
but please let him know that I'm gone. He'll need comfort when he knows the truth, as well.
I'm glad you have your Remy to rely on right now. He's a good man and one day he may be a great man, if he keeps clinging to the truth in his life.
I wish I could tell you that I always loved you, but that would be a lie. I didn't know how to love for so many years. I do love you now, it is the greatest pain of all to leave you again. But I don't deserve to associate with you when I tell you my last, awful truth. I didn't conspire in Magus's death, but I did know it was going to happen and I did nothing to stop it. I was angry with him when he wouldn't give me money or let me talk to you. When you were hurt, too, that's what sent me over the edge. The guilt was awful. Verrol Vance gave me the proof that Bubba Joe was involved. I don't know how he knew about what Bubba Joe did to me, but he did. The only person I ever told was Helene, Magus's housekeeper. She was my only friend during that awful time. I promised him I wouldn't use it until he was out of jail. I didn't know Darius was also involved, though I did wonder.
I hope that in some way, you can be set free of the past and move on to have a wonderful, happy life. I'm sorry for what I've done and for my failure to eliminate Darius. I'm so proud of the person you've become. Kate did a wonderful job of being your mother. She deserves the title, not me, though it was sweet to my ears. Be happy, my darling girl.
* * * *
Dorothy realized tears were streaming down her face.
“Should I call a nurse or your fiance?” the office asked.
Dorothy looked at her. “I need to get home. Now.”
Everyone told her why she shouldn't go, but it was as if she was possessed by the spirit of Magus and erased them as they arose. In less than half an hour, she was in a patrol car, heading toward Oz. At the gate, no one responded. She climbed out of the car.
“What are you going to do?” the officer asked, alarmed.
“I'm going over the wall,” she said with a grin. “No one keeps Dorothy out of Oz. I'll open the gate for you when I'm inside.”
“I'm not supposed to let you out of my sight!”
But she was already reaching up for the iron cross bar of the gate.
* * * *
Remy woke with a start and looked at his watch. He'd been asleep all night.
“Damn.” He rubbed his face and then looked around. That's when he saw Titus sitting across from him watching him. After a long exchange of looks, Remy said, “Good morning.”
“Emma's dead,” Titus said.
Remy looked down for a moment, then back up. He stood up and produced the letter. “She left you this.”
Titus took the letter, but didn't open it.
“I tried to see Dorothy. They wouldn't let me.”
“No one can see her. They gave her something to help her sleep, but she's fine. I expect they'll release her today or tomorrow.”
His pale lashes lifted. “If I'd been here, this wouldn't have happened.”
Remy met his gaze. “No, I don't think it would have. But he wouldn't have given up either. He'd have waited for a moment of distraction.”
Titus looked down at the letter. “I'd like to be alone.”
“I know you don't like me, but you shouldn't be alone right now.” He had a feeling he was forgetting something important...Helene Tierry. She was coming over today to talk to them. Titus still didn't move. Fine. He'd tried. “I'm going to go shower. I've got an appointment this morning. Could you let her in? Everyone seems to be AWOL.”
“I sent them home,” Titus said.
“Well, could you let her in or do I need to do it?”
There was a long pause, during which Remy wondered if Titus had even heard him, and then he nodded.
Remy raced through his shower, anxious, but not sure why. He made a quick call to the hospital, but the line was busy. Downstairs, he found Helene had just arrived. She and Titus faced each other in the hall. Remy hurried the rest of the way down the stairs to join them.
Helene was a tall, gray-haired woman with a lot of presence and an air of quiet charm. He noticed that she clutched her purse to her chest, as if were of immense importance. Despite his worries, he felt a shiver of excitement.
“Thanks for coming over, Mrs. Tierry,” Remy said. “I supposed you've heard about Dorothy? She hasn't been released from the hospital yet.”
“I can come back another day,” she said, composed, but still uneasy.
“I think Dorothy would prefer to have the situation resolved, if at all possible, ma'am, if you would consent to talk to me as her representative.”
She studied him for a long moment, and then nodded. He indicated the living room, followed her through the double doors, then deliberately, closed them in Titus's face.
“Please have a seat. Can I get you anything to drink?”
She shook her head, but seemed to relax a bit. After a moment, she straightened her back and looked at him, her chin up. “You know, don't you?”
“That Verrol Vance was your son? Yes, we do.” He sat down opposite her, trying to keep his expression neutral.
She looked away. “I should have come sooner, but he was...my son. I made him a promise, even though it shamed me.”
“He gave you his evidence against the men who hired him, didn't he?”
She nodded. “He told me if I gave it to anyone, Vonda would be killed. When she was murdered, I knew I had to send it to the police. He asked me to wait a week. He never said why.”
“May I see it?” Remy asked.
She nodded again and opened her purse. Inside was a packet of papers, which she handed to him.
“May I look?” Remy asked. Another nod gave him permission to look at them. He unsealed the package and pulled out the cover letter, rapidly scanning the words. They knew Bubba Joe had been involved and suspected Darius Smith. Interesting Bozo wasn't. The third man wasn't named. He looked up. “He mentions a third man...”
The door opened. Titus stood there, holding a gun. It was pointing at them.
“I'll take that,” he said.
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* * *
TWENTY-ONE
* * * *
“Why don't we let Helene go and we'll talk about this,” Remy said, cursing himself for not suspecting something like this once he knew Titus had been involved with Emma as well.
“Put it on the table, then both of you back off,” Titus repeated. There was a look in his eyes, a blankness to them, as if Remy and Helene were barely visible to him. He seemed to be focused somewhere else, somewhere deeper, and very dark. When Remy didn't move immediately, Titus turned the gun toward Helene.
Cussing, Remy complied, helping Helene to the corner and standing in front of her. It wasn't much, but for now, it was all he could do for her. Titus took the packet and retreated to the furthest table from them. He started reading it, pausing often to keep them at bay.
Finally he set them down, a look of disbelief on his face. “He didn't name me.” He looked at Remy. “He didn't mention me at all. I did it all for nothing.”
“All?” Remy asked, with some idea of keeping him talking.
“Verrol. That lawyer, Barnes.” His voice changed. “Vonda. And her friend. I can't remember her name. The neighbor.”
“Leda Tasker,” Remy said. And they'd just handed her over to him. They told her she'd be safe with them and then handed her over to a killer. He felt Helene's hand on his arm, as if she sensed how hard it was to not hurl himself at Titus. “It was you in the library. You hit me. Your bugs and tracking device. You've been listening to everything we've said and done.”
“Not everything,” he said, “or I'd have known about her...”
“...and killed her already?” Remy looked at him in disgust. “Is there anyone you wouldn't kill?”
“I had to keep Dorothy from finding out...”
“...that you were involved in Magus's death. Why did you do it? You were his bodyguard. It was your job to protect him.”
There was such grief in the way he said it that the words just popped out. “You killed her, too, didn't you?”
His head came up, his gaze distant. He nodded. “She lied to me. She said...”
“...that Dorothy wasn't your daughter?”
Titus nodded. “She wanted to die anyway. She killed Bubba Joe, you know. We don't need her, Dorothy and I. We have each other.”
“She'll hate you when she finds out what you've done,” Remy said.
“She's not going to find out. Everyone will think Darius killed both of you and Emma, too.”
Remy noticed he avoided looking at Helene. It was going to be a difficult kill for him. But how to use that information? There had to be a way to distract him and at least get Helene safely away.
“Helene doesn't deserve to die,” Remy said. “She's done nothing to you and you killed her son.”
Titus shifted, but said, “What's got to be will be.”
“Dorothy loves me and I love her,” Remy said. “This will break her heart.” He wished it were true.
“She'll get over you, just like she got over Magus. She'll have her answer with these papers and we'll put the past behind us, move forward again.”
“And you'll have the money,” Remy said. “Isn't that really what this was all about? You wanted the money so you could compete with Magus for Dorothy's affection. You've felt her pulling away from you, growing away from you and not needing you as much. Then she sent you away, but if we're all dead, you think she'll need you again.”
Titus looked at him, his eyes burning with rage. He may have pushed him too far. The barrel of his automatic pointed at him. His finger started to tighten on the pull.
“But she won't, Titus. Now that I know the truth, it's over. I'll never need you again.” Dorothy stood in the doorway to the room, her face white and shocked, her eyes filled with grief and disbelief.
A Dangerous Dance Page 26