Belle Pointe

by Karen Young

  “What’s in those archives that you wanted destroyed?”

  “Listen to yourself!” Pearce yelled, losing patience again. “Read my lips. There’s nothing there I would need to kill anybody over. Your wife is a pain in the ass, yeah, but I wouldn’t try to kill her. And Paige…Jesus, man, she’s my little girl. I’m her father. What’s the matter with you? Why are you all over my case after fifteen goddamn years of ignoring me and everybody else at Belle Pointe?”

  “That could be the problem here, Pearce. For fifteen years, I haven’t cared enough to even think about you or Belle Pointe. But now I’m here and you’ve trespassed on my territory by endangering my wife and that young girl and I’m going to see you pay for it.”

  Pearce sat down heavily on the bed. “Man, this is crazy. I don’t know what else to say to convince you. I tell you, it beats me where you’re getting all these bullshit ideas. It’s paranoia, that’s what it is. I’d expect it from Claire, she’s about half-nuts nowadays. But you. Hell, you disappoint me, bro. I tell you, I don’t know anything about that fire.”

  “You made a special trip out to the lodge to grill me about Anne’s purpose in digging into those old files at the Spectator. You told me to call her off. Think. Weren’t those your exact words? ‘Call her off,’ you said. When I wouldn’t promise, you threatened to give me grief. Well, it would have grieved me to lose my wife in a fire. As for damaging my stock with the Jacks, have at it. As you said to me a while ago, when you throw mud, some of it sticks on yourself. See how far your campaign gets after that.”

  It sickened him to think his own brother would deliberately try to damage his career, but it was a thousand times worse that his vendetta would harm Anne and Paige. “I can’t prove anything yet, but I’m here to tell you that I’m going to find proof. I’m going to be all over your ass like white on rice, bro.” His lip curled on the word. “As for making it to the U.S. Senate, it’ll be a cold day in hell when that happens if I have any say in it.”

  While Pearce sputtered, Buck turned in disgust and left.

  Victoria was waiting when Pearce stormed down the stairs a few minutes later. “What was that all about?” she demanded as he shouldered past her on his way to the front door.

  “That sonofabitch accused me of setting the fire at the Spectator last night! Like I give a freakin’ nickel about all that old shit Franklin Marsh plays guard dog over.” He shoved a hand in his pocket and swore viciously when he came up empty. “Shit, the bastard rattled me so I forgot my car keys. Claire!” he bellowed up the stairs. “Bring me the keys to the Lexus!”

  “You’re not going anywhere until you explain what happened with your brother,” Victoria stated. “Now, what about the fire?”

  “That’s just it. I don’t know a damn thing about the fire,” Pearce said, pacing restlessly while keeping an eye out for Claire, who suddenly appeared from the vicinity of the kitchen.

  “I’m waiting to be told what’s going on,” she said. Moving to the door, she peered out to catch sight of Buck. “Where’s Buck? Did he leave?”

  “Go back upstairs with Paige, Claire,” Victoria ordered. But her expression changed as she realized Claire was not in her nightclothes, but a trim suit and heels. And obviously on her way out. “Where are you going? Do you know what time it is? Where’s Paige?”

  “She’s in the shower. I offered to let her stay home today, considering the circumstances, but she’s so full of last night’s adventure that she can’t wait to milk it for all it’s worth at school.” Seeing no trace of Buck outside, she turned back to them. “I wanted to catch Buck before we left for school. Is he gone?”

  “I’m sure I don’t know,” Victoria said frostily. “He appeared this morning at an indecent hour and barged upstairs with absolutely no consideration for anyone’s privacy. I don’t know what’s come over him since he returned to Tallulah.”

  “Superstardom, that’s what,” Pearce muttered. “He’s a goddamn hero elsewhere, but he’s nobody here at Belle Pointe. By God, I want him off the property by nightfall.”

  “We won’t even go into why you can’t order him off Belle Pointe,” Claire pointed out in disgust. “He has as much right here as you. But why would you want to do that? With Will gone, he’s saved our asses by stepping in to supervise the crops this season. As to being a hero, he saved the lives of his wife and our daughter last night. If that’s not heroic, I don’t know what else you’d call it.”

  Both Victoria and Pearce stared at her as if she’d suddenly turned into a stranger. “This is none of your concern, Claire,” Victoria snapped. “Go back upstairs and see to Paige.”

  “Paige is fourteen years old and doesn’t need me to dress her, Victoria.” She shifted her attention back to Pearce. “What did you mean when you said Buck accused you of setting the fire? Why would he think that?”

  “Beats the shit out of me, but that kind of loose talk can destroy my campaign. Which I believe is what he’s been after all along, to blacken my name and throw the election to Jack Breedlove.”

  Claire huffed in disgust. “That is so ridiculous, Pearce. He was totally uninterested in the fact that you were in a campaign until he got to Tallulah, and the only reason he’s here now is to try and reconcile with Anne. Get it out of your head that he has some kind of vendetta against you.”

  “It sure as hell seems like a vendetta,” Pearce said. “And try making yourself useful, Claire. I need my car keys.”

  She reached over and plucked them out of a bowl on an antique library table within arm’s reach of where he stood. “These car keys?” She tossed them at him.

  Surprised, he caught them in midair, then frowned at her, catching what appeared to be a gleam of temper in her eyes at his rudeness.

  “Anything else I can do for you?” she asked him sarcastically. “Can I bring you a cup of coffee? Tea? Arsenic?”

  He glared at her. “What’s the matter with you?” He threw up his hands, looking genuinely confounded. “What’s the matter with everybody around here lately? Am I the only sane person left in this fucking house?”

  “I’m sane, Pearce,” Claire said quietly. “Finally. And I’m sober.” She looked at him for a long moment and then gave a deep sigh. “I guess this is an awkward time to announce it, but I don’t think there ever is a good time for something like this.”

  Pearce made a sound of disgust. “I’ve got things to do, Claire. Spit it out.”

  “I want a divorce, Pearce.”

  After ten minutes of heated argument, Pearce stormed out of the house leaving Claire to face Victoria’s reaction to her decision. “With all due respect, Victoria,” she said, “this is a personal matter that doesn’t concern you. So whether you think a divorce is wise or not, my mind is made up and I’ve already seen a lawyer.”

  “It’s too early for this,” Victoria said, touching her forehead.

  Claire noticed a tremor in her hand and frowned, studying her face narrowly. She didn’t want to be responsible for the woman having a stroke. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” Victoria snapped. “And if you won’t listen to reason about your very foolish decision to divorce Pearce, perhaps you’ll explain why you’re overdressed for driving Paige to school. You must have other plans.”

  “I don’t believe you’re okay, Victoria,” Claire said, avoiding a reply. “In fact, Miriam mentioned she was worried that you haven’t been yourself lately.” She moved to use morning sun to study Victoria’s face. “You’re pale and those are dark circles under your eyes. Something is wrong, isn’t it?”

  “Absolutely not!” With a lift of her chin, Victoria’s gaze was fierce with denial. “I’m sixty years old and I’ve had no work done on my face to disguise that fact. And indiscretion by Miriam will not be tolerated. I’ll speak to her immediately.”

  “What, you’re going to fire her after thirty years?” But knowing sarcasm was no way to reach her mother-in-law, Claire gentled her tone. “Please don’t even think of disciplining
Miriam, Victoria. She’s not telling tales, she’s expressing concern about you. And I think she’s right. Your color’s off and you’ve definitely lost weight.”

  “My weight has remained unchanged for forty years. As for my color, I’ll remind you that you’ve seldom seen me at this early hour. Furthermore, you’ve just made a distressing announcement. It’s no wonder I’m looking less than my best.”

  Still unconvinced, Claire had to let it go. There was no prying confidences from her mother-in-law if she didn’t want to talk. “It was just a thought. To be honest, I thought it was odd that you gave Buck a fairly free hand managing the crops this season when you’re usually breathing down Will Wainwright’s neck. On top of that, you let him bring Oscar Pittman back without protesting. But if you promise nothing’s wrong, then I guess I added two and two and came up with five.” With a determined smile, she made a move to get to the door.

  “Just a minute, Claire,” Victoria ordered, catching her arm. “You didn’t say where you’re going. You know it’s irresponsible to take off without revealing your plans. What if there’s an emergency involving Paige?”

  “I’m not leaving. I’m going outside to talk to Buck. I’ve told Paige to meet me at the car and I’ll drive her to school as always.”

  “What have you decided as punishment for that really outrageous caper she pulled last night?”

  “She’s grounded for a month except for school. And she has to forego her precious Goth look. When she comes downstairs, you’ll be happy to see that she isn’t wearing anything that’s black.”

  “Humph. Doesn’t sound like much of a punishment to me.”

  “She’ll be bored stiff. And after being trapped in the house with her for a month, you’ll be glad I didn’t make it longer.” She hesitated a moment and decided to lay it all out. “Actually, you may not be subjected to that torture. I’ve made arrangements to rent an apartment. Paige and I will be moving out, but it won’t be available until the end of the month.” Again, she tried edging toward the door, but Victoria stopped her with a hand on her arm.

  “What are your plans after dropping Paige at school?”

  Claire sighed. “I’m going to Jack Breedlove’s campaign headquarters, if you must know,” she confessed. “I’m volunteering a few hours this morning.”

  Victoria’s hand fell away as if bitten by a snake. “You cannot be serious.”

  “I can and I am.”

  “I won’t have it, Claire! It’s preposterous. Do you realize—”

  “And just so you know,” Claire said, unfazed for once by her mother-in-law’s disapproval, “I believe Jack is the best man for the job. He’s honest and honorable and he’ll represent everyone in his constituency, not just a choice few. You know as well as I do that Pearce is obligated to a few powerful financial interests. Unlike Jack, Pearce only wants to win the senate seat to use it as a stepping stone to the U.S. Senate in Washington.”

  “Wherever did you get that idea?” Victoria asked with genuine outrage. “Pearce’s first loyalty must be to Belle Pointe. It is to Belle Pointe. He’ll be in a position to do good for Tallulah once he’s a state senator. He doesn’t need to go to Washington. He won’t turn his back on his heritage.”

  “Then you’d better have a talk with him…and soon,” Claire said as she opened the front door. “And while you’re at it, you might ask him a few questions about that fire at the Spectator. I don’t believe whoever set it intended any harm to Paige or Anne, because it was a fluke that they were there, but someone damn sure wanted those archives destroyed. And Buck believes it was Pearce.”

  The only word for Claire’s mood as she left the big house was euphoric. The confrontation with Pearce and her announcement to divorce him made her literally vibrate with relief. She wished for a heartfelt minute that she could go straight to Jack and tell him what she’d just done. But she intended to conduct her divorce and any relationship that might develop with Jack on the up-and-up.

  Buck was talking to Oscar when she got to the equipment barn. She still felt bad that she had not spoken up in Oscar’s defense when she knew that Pearce was wrong in firing him. Taking a stand against Pearce and her mother-in-law would have been doomed to fail, but it still didn’t change the guilt she felt over the shameful way Oscar was treated. Rehiring him was only one of the much-needed changes Buck had instigated.

  “You left your brother foaming at the mouth, my mother-in-law apoplectic, and me agog with curiosity, Buck. I just wanted to come out here and thank you.”

  Grinning, he shook his head at her impertinence. “How is Paige?”

  “Oh, you thought I was thanking you for saving Paige’s life?” Eyes dancing, she shook her head. “Uh-uh, although I do. You left shock and awe in your wake at the big house just now, Buck. It was the most entertainment we’ve had since the day Pearce found out Jack Breedlove was his opponent.”

  In a beat or two, her smile gentled, her face grew soft and her eyes became suspiciously bright. Stepping close, she threw her arms around him for a quick, hard hug. “Thank you for saving my little girl, Buck. I would have died if I’d lost Paige.”

  “I know the feeling,” he said huskily, returning the hug. Then, angling back, he held on to both her arms to look her over. “That is one spiffy outfit you’ve got on this morning. If this is the way you dress driving Paige to school, it’s no wonder Jack stopped you for speeding.”

  She shook him off and twirled about. “Like it? I figure all eyes will be on the only Whitaker volunteer in Jack’s campaign headquarters, so I should make a good impression.”

  He stared, unsure whether she was serious. “How about we go inside the barn and have some of the worst coffee ever brewed? Ma promised me some of the good stuff up at the house, but she reneged after I pissed everybody off. We need to talk about this.”

  “No, no coffee, but I’m up for talking.” She glanced at her watch. “Paige will be ready to go in ten minutes. Is there any place private around here?”

  “Not much, but I’ve got some space I call my own. Paperwork I take to the big house and use Dad’s library.” Falling into step beside her, he walked with her into a corner of the barn near the entrance. When she was settled in a chair, he sat on the edge of the desk.

  He was smiling faintly when he said, “If Jack has recruited you to work in his campaign, I guess some of the shock and awe you left behind you just now came from your husband.”

  “He won’t be my husband much longer, Buck. I’ve filed for a divorce.”

  “Jesus, Claire.”

  “I’m going to marry Jack.”

  Buck’s eyes widened more. “Whoa, even for Jack, that’s fast work.”

  She laughed softly. “He doesn’t know it yet. He’s still working on trying to hold on to his resentment for the way he thinks I treated him when we were kids.”

  “Well, you did stand him up the night of the prom,” he said with his tongue firmly in cheek.

  “Yeah, because my parents locked me in my room, which was on the second floor. I couldn’t sneak out without breaking my neck.”

  “No kidding? They really locked you in?”

  “They were determined I wasn’t going to get involved with a person who was ‘beneath me,’ socially speaking.” She bracketed the words with her fingers. “And because they sensed there was something special between Jack and me, they decided to pack me off to that awful school to be ‘finished.’” More bracketing of a word with her fingers. “I was so young and easily intimidated that I let them get away with it, Buck. Then, when I was finally allowed to come home, Jack was gone.”

  “Fifteen years is a long time, Claire. Don’t do anything hasty.”

  “You think I’m making a mistake divorcing Pearce? After what you suspect he’s done, you think I should stay married to him?”

  He put up both hands. “My suspicions are just that. And I don’t have insight in to what goes on behind closed doors in your marriage. I just say you should proceed with caution.”


  “Because he’s dangerous when he’s crossed.” She managed a smile. “I know him better than you do, Buck. And I’m sure I’m doing the right thing. I’m taking Paige and getting out.”

  She gave a brisk pat to his desktop as if a thorny problem was solved. “But that’s not the only reason I wanted to talk to you.” She paused. “I think Victoria is sick.”

  He frowned, recalling that he’d thought the same thing. “Anything specific making you think that?”

  “Mostly that she simply looks bad. This morning when I noticed, she denied it, but I don’t believe her. Not that she’d tell us anything. She’s not a person to curry sympathy…even if she was dying.”

  Buck studied the horizon beyond the entrance where a field of cotton now stood knee-high, an endless sea of green. He wondered if Claire could be right and made a mental note to try and find out. Even if Victoria didn’t want sympathy, the family needed to know if she was sick.

  “Just thought I’d mention it.” Claire stood up and moved to the door looking out. After a long moment, she said, “There’s so much you could do here, Buck. Not just at Belle Pointe, but in Tallulah.”

  He eyed her suspiciously. “You been talking to Jack about that?”

  “Jack?” She frowned. “No.”

  “Okay, Ty.”

  “Neither,” she told him, looking at him oddly. “But Ty would definitely know a lot of kids in this part of the state who’d benefit not only from your celebrity as a sports superstar, but just from the force of your personality.”

  Buck grunted, then moved to stand beside her. “I see two problems. First of all, Pearce won’t be the next state senator from this district because I’m convinced Jack’s a far better man and I’m doing all I can to help him win.” When she lit up, he lifted a hand to shush her, adding, “When the time is right.”

  “Oh.”

  “When that happens, I can’t see Pearce stepping aside to let me move in on his territory here at Belle Pointe. And second point, I have a life in St. Louis. It’s no secret that I’m only here because of Anne. My knee is improving daily…as long as I don’t screw up, which means I’ll be going back to baseball. Have you forgotten that baseball is my life, not cotton farming?”