by Mary Bowers
“Three million,” Ben said immediately. “Three million and it’s yours. I’ll even throw the lady in for free.”
“You won’t throw anything anywhere,” Willa said, suddenly furious. “You don’t own this house. I do, and it’s belonged to me since the moment it was built. My aunt gave it to me.”
“Your . . . ? What are you talking about?” Ed said, but the light was beginning to dawn for him, and suddenly he found it hard to breathe.
Ben pushed Rod aside and yelled, “What aunt? You don’t have an aunt. You were illegitimate. Frieda built this house, and a miser like Frieda Strawbridge would never give a house to a housemaid and her little bastard.”
“She gave it to me because I’m her niece,” Willa said. “I’m a Strawbridge, just like your wife was. Dolores was my cousin. That’s why Frieda gave us this house. When her brother, Winston, got my mother pregnant, the Strawbridges hushed it up and moved us out here to Frieda’s property so we could be hidden away. I may be a bastard, but I’m a Strawbridge bastard, and this is my house, and half of Dolores’s money is going to come to me. You may not know the terms of the trust, but Dolores knew, and so did I. Frieda kept everything secret during her lifetime, but after she died, the trustees explained everything to Dolores and me.”
Ben was stunned, open-mouthed. After taking a moment to digest it, he shouted, “Liar! My wife wouldn’t have kept a secret like that from me. If that was true, she would have told me.”
“She couldn’t,” Willa said, quiet now, and looking like she was sorry she’d blurted out her secret. “Her mother wouldn’t let her, even after she was dead. The trustees explained that her condition that we never let anyone know I was a Strawbridge wasn’t legal, and we could talk about it if we wanted to. But Dolores and I discussed it, and in the end we decided to honor Frieda’s wishes. I know now it was just Frieda reaching out from the grave to keep her hold over us. Dolores never escaped her, but I’m going to. I have. I have my own life now, and she can’t control me anymore.”
Willa had been gripping her wine flute in both hands, and as she finished speaking, the crystal shattered. Ed moved quickly to take the broken glass away from her and looked at her hands for cuts. Miraculously, she wasn’t hurt. She was looking at the shattered pieces that Ed and Taylor were collecting on the kitchen counter. “My wedding present,” she said in a tiny voice.
“I’ll get you another one,” Ed promised. “I’ll get you a whole set.”
Willa stood gazing at the broken glass. “Everything had to be her way, but I got married, and now look what she’s done. My wedding present is broken. She broke it, didn’t she? It’s a bad omen, isn’t it?”
“Of course it isn’t,” Taylor said quickly. “Come on, Willa, why don’t you sit down?”
Willa ignored her and kept speaking, her face a blank, her voice a monotone. “She used money, she used houses, and she used shame, always reminding me I was not as good, even with my Strawbridge blood. Her brother would never have married my mother, even if he’d lived. But when he died and the family found out his only child was about to be born, they sent my mother away. They kept it quiet. Aunt Frieda hid us. She always took care of us, but she kept a tight hold over us, too. And she still had a hold on Dolores, even from the grave. She killed her. Unless you did,” she said, still quiet, still calm, turning to look directly at Ben. “Did you kill her?”
Ben gathered himself for a bull-headed charge and was easily held back by Rod and Dan.
“Stop it!”
Everybody turned to stare at Ed. “Stop it. Willa, don’t you see that if you go on like this, you’re going to go crazy? Please stop.”
“Crazy?” she said. “Like Dolores? Frieda drove her crazy. I’m next, aren’t I?”
“Nobody’s ever going to harm you,” Ed said gently. “Nobody’s going to drive you crazy. Now please, everybody, just stop it. What we say here isn’t going to change things. Personally I believe that what Willa is saying is true. It explains everything – this whole sick situation at the end of Santorini Drive. But that doesn’t matter either. All that matters is what the lawyers and the trustees say. They’ll prove one way or another who owns this house, and who Willa is. So everybody calm down, and Ben, you behave yourself.”
“Mr. Brinker and I are leaving,” Dan announced, still looking straight into Ben’s face. “Aren’t we?”
In a miracle of control and leverage, Dan took Ben by the arm, turned him in sync with his own body, and marched him to the stairs and out of the house. In a state of shock, Ben went along with staring eyes.
They left a vacuum behind, and bewildered and silent people stood rigidly, not looking at one another for a few minutes. Taylor suddenly realized there was a small cut on Willa’s hand after all, and she tended to it, washing it in the kitchen sink and then asking for bandages. When Willa didn’t respond, she said, “Never mind, I’ve got some in my purse. Claire, do you mind? In the little zipper bag. I’m always getting scratched by the animals, so I carry them with me.”
It seemed to calm them down, having something useful to do, and when Willa’s hand was bandaged, Taylor found the garbage can and swept the shards of glass into it with a paper towel.
“There,” she said.
As if that had been a cue, Edson Darby-Deaver walked across the kitchen and shook Rod Johnson’s hand. Rod looked at him blankly as Ed said, “Congratulations. You take good care of her, or you’ll answer to me.”
Rod made an unintelligible sound in his throat and watched as Ed walked out.
Taylor and Claire looked at one another and quickly followed suit, congratulating Willa and Rod and getting themselves out of there.
They found Ed hovering around in front of Ben’s house, looking like he itched, but didn’t know where to scratch.
“Should I go in and help Dan with Ben? He might have become combative.”
It was the moment of comic relief that they needed, and the women almost laughed, but managed to control themselves.
“I’m guessing Dan Ryder can handle any number of drunks, combative or friendly,” Taylor said.
“Um hmm,” Claire agreed with a little nod, as if she were afraid to open her lips.
“Well, in that case, I’ll go on home. Terrible scene over there, wasn’t it? I don’t mind saying that I feel quite shaken.”
“We all are,” Taylor said. She gazed at Claire in a forlorn way, and Claire did the only thing she could do. “Won’t you two come in for a bit? If I have to sit alone in my house after all that, I think I’ll go crazy.”
“Us too,” Taylor said quickly. “Thanks.”
It did not escape Taylor that as she let them into her house, Claire glanced across the way at Ben’s house as if she’d rather discuss the fiasco with Dan.
Ed had never been in Claire’s house before, but he wasn’t particularly curious about her décor or the house’s layout. Taylor made a few complimentary remarks about the cool, pale blue-and-white color scheme, but since she didn’t like the ultra-modern furniture, she didn’t comment on it. Claire didn’t offer to show them around. Instead, she took them upstairs to her living room and out onto the balcony.
“We can be comfortable out here in the ocean breeze,” she said.
Taylor nodded, thinking that they could also watch for Dan to come out of Ben’s house from this vantage point.
“I’ve never seen Ben like that before,” Claire said. “When I first moved in, he and Dolores threw a little dinner party for me, and he seemed like such a nice man. We haven’t been really close, but he’s always been so nice before.”
“I think he drinks too much,” Ed said briefly. “He’s had a lot on his mind lately.”
“Did he get drunk at that dinner party you mentioned?” Taylor asked.
“Just a little tipsy, but he didn’t act anything like the way he was acting tonight! I spent most of that evening talking to Willa, actually.” She laughed in wonderment. “Can you imagine? She had all that on her mind, and all s
he talked about that night was the early days with Frieda and her mother, growing up here on the beach, living a sheltered life. Nothing about being the love-child of a millionaire!”
“Keeping secrets must have become a habit. What a life she must have lived,” Taylor said. “Held down and taught to be ashamed of herself by that monster. Did you ever meet Frieda Strawbridge?”
Claire shook her head. “By the time I bought this house, she was dead. You met her, though, didn’t you? What was she like?”
Taylor thought it over. “Strong. Determined. Manipulative. And very, very intelligent. I actually liked her, in spite of the fact that she treated her daughter like a servant. I guess that’s because I figured I was strong enough to hold my own with her. Willa wasn’t there; I didn’t meet her until months later. All this time, Dolores was her cousin. Well, now that she’s got a husband, I hope she’ll be happy.”
Claire snorted.
“What?” Taylor said. “Don’t you like Rod?”
“I really don’t know him,” Claire said quickly. “But I didn’t think he looked like a hero tonight when Ben started attacking his new bride.”
“I noticed that, too,” Ed said. “But to be fair, Dan really didn’t give him a chance. He seems to have an instinct for trouble, and to know how to deal with it, doesn’t he? Do you know anything about him, Claire?”
“Dan?” She darted her eyes around. “Oh, not much. He doesn’t like to talk about himself. But he was very kind to me when I found Dolores on the beach that morning. Very – you know – capable. He knows how to handle a crisis.”
“He sure does,” Taylor said with emphasis.
“And Rod does not,” Claire said, redirecting the conversation away from Dan. “Willa came to me for advice when he asked her to marry him, you know.”
“She did?” Ed said. Then he sat back and said, “Oh.”
“What is it?” Taylor asked.
“I think she might have come to me around that time, too, only I was too involved with Teddy and Purity and all the commotion at my own house to be able to stop and listen. Damn. If only . . . .”
Taylor watched him quietly. He looked so devastated. It struck her that it had been a very long day for Ed. She had engineered this little gathering because she wanted to find out more about Dan, but she could see that Claire wasn’t going to talk about him. She kept changing the subject, and Taylor wasn’t interested in hearing about anybody else just now. She already knew way too much about Ben, and she didn’t like him, and she was already feeling sorry for Willa. Rod wasn’t going to be much of a husband, if tonight was any indication.
Claire switched the subject back to Willa and Rod, and Taylor gave up.
“She was excited, infatuated,” Claire was saying about Willa. “Wanting to change everything in her life, and afraid to upset her quiet little world at the same time. At first, she didn’t seem all that madly in love with Rod, but when she started talking about being a ‘Mrs.’ she got all gushy. I think she was in love with the idea of getting married, rather than with Rod himself.”
“What do you know about him?” Ed asked.
She shrugged. “Not much. He’s been after Willa since the day he rented the Greene’s house, according to those maids of ours. They seem to think he’s just boring, and Willa is too, so it’s a good match. But I don’t know about that. There’s more to the man than his corny jokes. I can’t quite put my finger on it. He tries so hard to be friendly, but he just makes my skin crawl.”
“Mine, too,” Taylor said.
“Really?” Ed said. “He always seemed all right to me. Just kind of loud.”
“What’s his story?” Taylor asked. “Is this his first marriage?”
Claire began to say she didn’t know, then stopped herself. “He must have been, because Willa said something about his having a daughter, who died. He never mentioned her to anybody else that I know of. Certainly not to me. But when he told Willa about it, it was this great tragedy, and it made Willa feel sorry for him. He’s always so desperate to get people to pay attention to him, I’m surprised he didn’t tell everybody about his daughter.”
“You sound like you think he made it up,” Taylor said.
She shrugged. “Why would you make up something like that? No, I think there’s a grain of truth there. He just used his daughter’s death to get Willa’s sympathy. He’s the kind of guy who likes people to feel sorry for him, I think. Maybe that was his way of letting her know he’d been married before without talking about his ex-wife. He used the daughter’s death to distract her from asking any questions about the other woman.” Then she stopped herself. “You must think I’m awful, talking about him like this when I barely know him. But there’s something about him.”
“Oh, I know what you mean,” Taylor said quickly.
“Poor Willa is so unsuspecting; I’m sure she didn’t even ask him about his ex-wife. It’s easy to read between the lines with Willa. Whatever story a man gave her, she’d believe it.”
“She doesn’t know much about men,” Ed said.
“You can say that again,” Claire told him. “All the things she told me at the dinner party were about Frieda and Dolores, Dolores and Frieda, and pretty much nobody else. She’s lived in such a bubble, she doesn’t know anybody else. She told me the whole story of her life, and it didn’t amount to much.”
“But she didn’t tell you her little secret,” Taylor said drily.
“Oh, you’re right! I’m just so used to thinking of her the way she was at that party, too friendly, and desperate to be liked. I keep forgetting that she’s an heiress. It’s just so weird.”
Ed nodded. “It’s going to take some getting used to, all right.”
“You never had a clue?”
“No. And I should have. Now it seems so obvious. I guess we’re so used to rich people being able to buy and sell other people, I never questioned Frieda just owning Willa and her mother.”
“Well, I for one am a little worried about Willa now,” Claire said. “How do we know that Rod didn’t know she was rich all along, and that was the whole idea behind this bang-slam marriage?”
Taylor immediately shook her head. “I don’t think he had a clue. He didn’t look happy when she told us. He wanted to be her sugar daddy, her knight in shining armor, and now here she’s holding the purse strings. I don’t think this suits his plans at all.”
“You’re right,” Ed said. “He didn’t even look excited. Actually, he looked kind of . . . scared.”
“Scared?” Taylor laughed. “Why should he be? Maybe he’s angry his scenario didn’t play out, but give him time to think it over. He’s filthy rich now. And he can’t be afraid of Ben. If he’s got so much money of his own, he doesn’t need to worry about lawyers or trustees, either.”
Claire shrugged. “Give him a few days to get used to the idea. I’m sure he’ll be wearing a happy glow by the end of the week. Still, come to think of it, he should have been wearing a happy glow before he knew she was an heiress, shouldn’t he?”
“He seemed happy enough to me,” Taylor said grudgingly. “What do you think, Ed?”
“No. To me he just looked – smug.”
In the quiet that followed, they heard the door to Ben Brinker’s house open and close. Claire stood up and went to the railing to look down. When Dan Ryder stopped in Santorini Drive and looked up, she waved.
“Is everything all right over there?” Taylor called, going to stand beside Claire.
“Oh,” Dan said. “I didn’t see you there. Yes, he’s quieted down. By the time I got him home he was feeling sorry for himself, and then he passed out on the living room couch. I don’t think he’s going to cause any more trouble tonight.”
“Good,” Taylor said. “Thanks, Dan. You’re my hero.”
He snapped a little bow and wished them a good night.
“Well, maybe we should be going home, too,” Ed said. “Are you feeling all right now, Claire? We could stay if you need the company.�
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“You guys go ahead; I’m fine. Thanks for coming over. It’s nice to have friends.”
“Call us if you need anything,” Taylor said. She dug out an Orphans of the Storm business card. “My cell phone number is there.”
“Thank you. Listen . . . do you think she’ll be all right? I mean, really? Is she safe?”
“Who, Willa?” Taylor said. “She’s going to be fine. Better than ever. She’s a ‘Mrs.’ now, remember? And now that he knows he’s got a rich wife, I’m sure Rod Johnson is going to behave himself and be a very good husband.”
Claire forced a smile. “You’re probably right. I don’t know what’s gotten into me tonight.”
“If you want, we can go check on her tomorrow,” Taylor said. “We never did get to see those wedding pictures.”
“Yes, let’s do that. You don’t mind coming back?”
“Of course not, if it’ll make you feel better.”
As Taylor and Ed walked back down Santorini Drive toward his house, Ed said, “All right, what was that all about?”
“What do you mean?” she asked innocently.
“That ‘just us girls getting together to look at wedding pictures’ idea. I know you, Taylor Verone. Wedding pictures, indeed. You’re up to something.”
She was quiet for a moment. Then she said, “Claire’s right. Something’s fishy about Rod Johnson. I want to know more about his first marriage. And I want to know if this is his second marriage or his third, or maybe even his fourth.”
“You think he’s a gigolo?”
She looked at him and laughed. “That’s a charming way to put it. Actually, I’m wondering why a man would marry a woman like Willa Garden if she wasn’t an heiress. What do you think?”
After a long moment, Ed quietly said, “You’re asking the wrong man.”
Taylor let it drop.
Chapter 23
The next morning, the twins were due to clean the houses on the south side of Santorini Drive. Before they did, they dropped off warm croissants at Ed’s house.