We stood entwined, inhaling each other's familiar scents, processing our thoughts. Aroused and aware of each other's desire, but as if by unspoken consent, not acting on it.
Larry spoke first. "I didn't know Bob and Florian were going to show up at your house. And I did end up talking shop, letting time slip away. However, seems to me there's a lot more brewing in your head for you to react that way to such a simple situation." He let go of me and his lips brushed my hair. "Let's talk about this."
I felt so overwhelmed by his willingness to salvage whatever we had between us that I would have gladly forgotten about my list of important questions. Why can't relationships come with an instruction manual for unsophisticated adults like me?
We sat on the sofa, close, but not too close. "Why did you hire Bonnie to represent Kyle?" I really wanted to ask, "Why are you paying Bonnie's fees?" but this sounded less accusatory. It wasn't a question he expected, I could tell.
"Bonnie? It's not a big deal. I'm always doing favors for her clients. It's payback time." His voice cheerful again.
I would have accepted that had it not been for that "guilty" word that Bonnie had dropped on me so strategically.
"Bonnie said you hired her." I swallowed hard. "Because of guilt." There, it was out there. Ball's in your court, Larry.
He cocked his head and looked at me, his eyes aloof. Nothing on his face flinched. We hadn't moved an inch, yet the distance between us grew. I'm not sure how long we stayed that way. All was quiet in the house, the deceptive quiet of a prison yard. He stood, walked to the patio door and glanced at the small garden. I couldn't see his face.
"Guilt is not something I experience often. I do what I have to do and that's it. If consequences arise, I handle them." He turned to look at me, his back to the glass door.
"Okay," I heard myself say.
"I called in the Ferrari."
I didn't have a clue what he was talking about. My ignorance must have showed on my face. He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. He was nervous, a break in the steel armor.
"That's how your son got picked up. Because I called in the missing car." I felt my eyes dilate, like they were about to pop off their sockets. He noticed it too, and the rest of the words came rushing out. "Lella, I had no idea he was driving the car. We—the police—were looking for a Ferrari with Ruby Russell at the wheel. I was being a cop." He seemed to wait for my reaction.
I rested my back against the pillows, closed my eyes so he couldn't read them and tried to comprehend what he just told me. The saddest part was that somehow I was glad, glad about the car, glad that it had nothing to do with Parker and Audrey. Glad that he had my son arrested? I was being a cop. Bad answer. But I knew it was true. He had no idea about Kyle and the Ferrari. I didn't even know anything until a few hours before the arrest—and I'm the mother and best friend. Once again, Ruby was the center of the mess. Larry stood, waiting for me to say something. I liked that sense of power. A whole new feeling.
"Can you please sit down? You're making me nervous. Sit down and tell me the full story. I need to get a better idea of the sequence."
He sat on the same spot as before. A strand of hair fell on his forehead, and I fought the urge to push it back. "I was coming off the 5 and had to go under the freeway to get to your place, and I saw the Ferrari entering the ramp to the north. I had just heard that it was listed as missing. I didn't see the license plate, but there aren't that many Ferraris. Plus, I figured Ruby was coming from your house." He waited for me to say something. His logic was flawless, but I wasn't about to tell him that. "When I picked you up you didn't mention Ruby visiting you, and frankly, at that point, I had other things on my mind. I forgot about the Ferrari until the next morning." I sensed his nervousness. I wanted to hug him and hated myself for it.
"I woke early, but didn't want to wake you. You slept so peacefully." He looked straight into my eyes, and I felt heat rush into my cheeks—so much for my sense of power. "I went into my office. My computer feeds info twenty-four seven and there it was, Kyle York arrested driving stolen car. Still I didn't make the connection. Out of curiosity I called one of my buddies on duty. When he gave me the news, it finally hit me how the whole thing would play out to an outsider. Cop gets kid arrested and then sleeps with the mother? That's where the guilt kicked in, I guess. I didn't want you to get hurt. My next call was to wake up Bonnie." Again, he waited. "I can fire her if that's what you want."
He would fire Bonnie if I wanted.
Larry Devin was a nice man. He was also a cop. I seemed to be helplessly in love with him. In a sense it was lucky that Larry called the Ferrari in. Now I was thinking like a cop. I shook my head, scooted over a little and put my hand in Larry's.
"Lella, about the car."
"Shhh."
"We have it. Kyle's Porsche was located this morning."
"What?"
"Remember when our phones went off at the same time? That was it."
"Oh my God. They found the Porsche. Is Ruby okay?"
He looked at me as if I spoke in tongues. "Ruby? No, no trace of Ruby."
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Kyle's smile lifted my spirits. I was visiting my son in jail in the middle of the afternoon, and it was okay. Sort of going with the flow, accepting reality. I picked up the phone, aware of Kyle glancing at Larry.
"Mom." The excitement in his voice, pure joy to my heart. "Did you hear about my Porsche?"
He said my Porsche—good.
"I did, Kyle, I did. Well, maybe our idea about Ruby hiding at your place wasn't so far-fetched, but if she ever was there, she'd be long gone now."
He nodded, still looking excited.
"Listen, I'd like you to meet someone." I turned to Larry and he moved closer. "Kyle, this is Larry Devin." I waited.
The only reaction from my son was an even wider smile. I handed the phone to Larry and stepped back. We had discussed all this on the drive up from my house. Larry had questions regarding the Porsche, and I figured I might as well introduce the two of them.
"Hi, Kyle."
"Nice to meet you sir, and thank you so much for sending Ms. Bonnie." My son, the prince of politeness.
"Call me Larry; it will be easier on both of us." I watched him readjust himself on the chair and move closer to the glass divider. "I'm checking information for your lawyer, Ms. Bonnie. And we wondered if you have any idea which way Ruby went when she left your hotel room to get the Porsche?"
"Actually, I was asleep. I overslept and was late on the set. I felt tired and dragged all day long. Ruby's whole visit is kind of foggy." He paused. "So, will I be getting out now that they've found my car? It's obvious that Ruby is alive and well."
"How so?"
"How else could the car get there? In my parking space, in my condo building? The police had already searched my place. They knew the car wasn't there a few days ago, and I've been locked up the whole time since."
"Too bad there aren't any surveillance cameras in that building of yours—would have made things easier. They're checking the car for fingerprints and other evidence that may help to establish how the vehicle got there."
"Will it take long?" Kyle looked so vulnerable and full of hope.
"It's hard to tell because it's out of our jurisdiction. You live in Los Angeles. This is Orange County. Each department works a little differently. The fact that they've already gone through your condo once will make it easier and quicker." Larry glanced at me. "I'll let you talk to your mom. If somewhere down the line you feel like talking to me, don't hesitate to tell Bonnie. We're old friends."
I was happy about the last statement. Hopefully Kyle wouldn't ask me too many details about my acquaintance with Larry, at least not now with all the excitement in the air.
"Kyle, when I visited you before, I forgot to tell you about Audrey. Her aunt in Parker died and she had to go to the funeral with her little brother. She asked me to explain and tell you she's thinking about you."
"Oh, thanks, Mom. I was wondering why she didn't answer her house phone." He'd been calling her? "I feel better. I thought she believed all the bad things the media is dishing out and didn't want to talk to me."
"Kyle, do you have any idea what Ruby was dropping off in Parker? Or to whom?"
He shook his head, blew me a goodbye kiss and hung up the phone.
We left on that note. We walked out of the building and across the parking area to Larry's Mercedes. It crossed my mind that perhaps Kyle wouldn't have been so friendly to Larry had he known he was the very person who set in motion the system that brought him there. I chased the thought away. Larry seemed preoccupied with something and kept quiet while we walked. Somehow I knew he was analyzing his conversation with Kyle. This was a silence where I wasn't included, and I was okay with that.
"Do you mind if we have dinner with Bonnie?" He turned to look at me but kept on walking. I stopped, and he reacted to my hesitation. "We need to talk about Kyle and the Porsche. You've seen your son. He thinks he's about to be set free. It doesn't work that way, and I didn't want to be the one to tell him."
I frowned.
"What was that question about Ruby and Parker? You are not thinking about going looking for Ruby, are you?" When I didn't answer he misunderstood my silence.
"Why the sad face?" He took a step back to where I stood, put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close to him. He did all this in the middle of the sidewalk. Besides Larry and I, there were only a few people in sight. I felt like a teenager being walked home from school. And I liked it.
"You don't mind, then? We're meeting Bonnie next to her office. There's a little place where she likes to eat so we won't take away from her working hours. Okay?" He looked at me and I nodded yes.
I'm doing this for Kyle, I told myself without much conviction.
The aloof expression lingered on Larry's face even as he drove. He put his hand on my knee, but I could tell his mind was somewhere else. "So Kyle is friends with Audrey Bernard?"
I turned to look at him. What a strange question. First Parker, now Audrey. Was he jealous of Kyle? I doubted Larry's loyalty again. "I'm not sure what you mean by 'friend.' They met the same day he got arrested. He spent most of the afternoon with her and would have spent the rest of the evening if not for Carolyn's phone call."
"Carolyn?" He kept his eyes on the road.
"Kyle's agent. I guess he was to meet her at some affair and got sidetracked with Audrey. But the minute Carolyn called, he grabbed his stuff and took off. That was when you two crossed paths." His hand tightened on my knee.
"Can I assume he doesn't know her very well, then?"
"You mean Audrey? It was love at first sight."
"You don't say…" He turned to look at me and his eyes smiled. His smile excited me, a lot. The same sort of excitement as the first time he touched me. I forced myself not to think about it, but I wanted to make him stop the car and make love to me right there and then. I craved physical contact. No, sexual contact—in the worst way. His hand left my knee and found my cheek. He stroked my face with the back of his hand and I sighed. I knew by the way his hand slowed that he felt the same way. We didn't speak, each fighting our desire our own way.
When he did speak, his voice had a whisper of huskiness. "Does he know about the child?"
"The child? What child?"
"I believe his name is David."
"Yes. He met him when he met Audrey, in the garage. She drags her little brother with her most of the time."
"He's not her brother. He's her son."
I turned in my seat so suddenly the impact of the safety belt against my breasts felt like a knife. Larry's hand slid off my face and stayed there in midair. Audrey had introduced herself as David's sister. Why would she lie? And how would Larry know that she was David's mother and not his sister? Who was Audrey to him?
"Looks like Mr. Devin has been busy catching up with Audrey's family tree when he was up in Parker." I regretted saying it.
He slammed on the brakes and stopped the car in the middle of the bicycle lane. With the engine idling he turned to look at me. "Whatever is eating at you, you may as well say it. I understand the stress you're under. I am trying to have an intelligent conversation to clarify just how deep your son is into this mess, and you keep making snide remarks that aren't justified."
I retreated to my side of the car without looking at him and realized how selfish I had been. I'd focused my actions and thoughts of those past days on my obsession with Larry. I needed to think fast, because I had a gut feeling that he was about to turn the car around, take me home and resume his life without me.
"Did your husband cheat on you?" The question knocked the wind out of me.
"No—no!" I had to stop and breathe. "Why would you ask that?"
"Lella, I'm trying to understand why you're so mistrusting. I can't imagine you being like this with everybody, yet around me you make it sound like I'm scheming behind your back. Why would I do that? If I wanted to be in Parker with Audrey, I would be there. So, what is it?"
Whatever I say will make or break this budding relationship. I stared at my hands folded on my lap, praying for the right answer. I looked at Larry, fully aware of my quivering lips. I bit them. I wasn't going to be the poor little crying darling. I heard my voice, and I knew I could tell the truth. "I think I'm falling in love with you and, believe it or not, I'm terrified. This is my first relationship since Nick died. And while I may have had doubts about Nick's loyalty in the past, the new facts that I'm finding out can affect my son's and my life in a way that scares me. What if Nick was cheating on me? And what if that's one of the reasons for Ruby's behavior? I hate being so clueless about people I care about, and you are one of them. I understand people and relationships don't come with a warranty, but right now, that thought isn't helping much."
He cupped my face in his hands and kissed me with such tenderness I felt the world melt with me. I didn't care that we were sitting in an idling car with pissed-off cyclists pedaling by. He held me against him and said my name like the first time in the darkness of the car. A moment like this was worth a thousand miserable ones…and then some.
J.B.'s Court was a small bar and grill. I followed Larry to a table set for three. Bonnie wasn't there. The man behind the bar waved to us. I had the feeling he was going to bring Larry's usual before we warmed the chairs. The layout of the room reminded me of the Old Dana Point Cafe, where I first met Ruby. Same shade of darkness, same mild smell of old rugs and waxed tabletops. We were the only people there.
The bartender set a martini in front of Larry, then sat down on the third chair. "Bonnie called. She's a little late. What can I get your friend?" He looked at me.
Oh, of course, I was the friend. "Water with lemon would be great, thanks."
He didn't seem in any hurry to get me the water. Instead he looked me over like merchandise. I decided to return the favor. He was over sixty, for sure, stocky, not fat, little hair, but bushy brows—one of life's mysteries in my mind.
"How is Olivia?" he asked Larry. Somehow I knew he really wanted to ask about me.
"She's still in Europe. She loves the place. Keeps finding excuses to stay a little longer." Larry's face relaxed when he spoke about his daughter. He fidgeted with his drink, running his finger around the rim of the glass. Was he nervous? Because of me? He shifted in his chair and introduced me.
"J.B., this is my friend Lella. Lella, Joe Basso."
I still tasted his mouth on mine, but I didn't get upset about being introduced as his friend. "J.B. is a retired judge. Couldn't live away from the courts, so here he is, running a public establishment a block from them." It sounded like a well-worn line.
"Oh, you're the mother of that kid, the movie kid, with the Testarossa."
"Well, it's not his Testarossa, you see." I wanted to tell him to shut up, the way he said "movie kid," just like Bonnie the first day I met her.
Before I had the chance to do more verbal
damage, Bonnie showed up. J.B. got off the chair and helped her sit, even kissed her hand. I forced myself to remain an unbiased observer.
Bonnie must be one of those women I'd heard about, but never met. Once they find an outfit they like they order a dozen in all possible colors. Today's version was army green. J.B. disappeared then returned before our greetings were exchanged with a glass of water and a drink similar to Larry's, for Bonnie. Yep, they were regulars all right.
"Did you see Kyle? What do you think?" Bonnie was talking to Larry.
"I know he's an actor." Larry shook his head. "But I can't imagine him putting on an act with his mother."
I nearly spat water over myself. Larry went to visit Kyle to see how he acted with me?
"Yeah, he doesn't have it in him," Bonnie agreed, before I could catch my breath. "The poor kid thinks he's going to be released because they have the Porsche. What did you find out?" How about that? They really met to talk business, and Bonnie relied a lot on Larry for—his opinion? Inside information? What was I doing there?
"Nothing good. Kyle had a thing for the Parker girl, Audrey Bernard. He was over at her place the afternoon of his arrest. Lella said he spent most of the afternoon there." He smiled at me.
"Crap, they'll find his prints all over the place."
I finally spoke up. "Who is going to find his fingerprints? What are you talking about? What does Audrey have to do with Ruby and the car? You're talking in riddles." Damn, add "inaudible" to my other talents.
They exchanged glances, and J.B. approached with menus. He stood there, not saying a thing. Bonnie looked at him. "I'll have the usual."
"Same here," Larry echoed.
The three of them looked at me, and the owner stuck the menu in my hands.
"I'm not hungry."
Larry shook his head and raised a hand as if to say something. He changed his mind and shook his head again. Bonnie smiled at me like we had some secret entente between us. She pulled the menu toward her. "Lella, J.B. here makes these wonderful sweet potato chips. They're baked and just great with a chicken sandwich he puts together. You should try it. You can always take it home if you can't finish it, but I promise you, it's worth trying."
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