Prodigal Son

by Danielle Steel

  “Are you and Dad going to get divorced?” Lisa asked her mother as Maggie lay down on her bed to relax for a while. It had been a long day, and she wasn’t used to walking that much, but she wanted to get strong. She needed the exercise.

  Maggie hesitated for a long moment. She knew she’d have to, but she hadn’t wanted to face it yet. “I haven’t thought about it. Maybe.” She was more concerned about the trial, but Michael was going to be away for a long time, and she was never going back to him again. “I guess it would make sense,” she said simply, and Lisa nodded. She couldn’t defend her father anymore.

  “Would you ever get remarried?” Lisa asked her nervously, and Maggie laughed.

  “You’re way ahead of me. I can’t even imagine it.” She just wanted to get through the coming months and the trial. And the thought of dating again, at her age, sounded horrifying to her. Her experience with Michael hadn’t made her anxious to trust anyone again.

  “Dad said you and Peter were in love with each other and having an affair. Is that true?” It had troubled her since she’d heard it and made her suspicious of Peter.

  “Of course not.” Maggie looked horrified at the suggestion. “I was in love with your father until our last day.”

  “But not anymore?” Maggie shook her head. She was in love with the man he had pretended to be to her, but not who he really was. And looking back over the last twenty-three years, she realized that what she had thought was love was really control. It hadn’t been loving at all, just like what he had done to their daughter, turning her into more of a wife than a daughter when she was only a child. And Maggie had still never heard from Michael, and suspected she never would again. That said it all. She had ceased to exist for him.

  They had room service that night, and Bill stayed at his own apartment, so he could finish writing his paper. They had a quiet night, and Peter and his boys did too. They went to a movie after dinner, it was pure science fiction with robots attacking each other, precisely the kind of thing they loved. And then they went back to the hotel and watched TV.

  The two families got together again the next day. And the rest of the week flew by. They were leaving for their trips to Spain and Tuscany on the same day, and the night before Peter took them all out to dinner at a nice restaurant. And afterward, Peter and the boys walked them back to Claridge’s. They all hugged on the sidewalk and promised to stay in touch with each other. Ryan and Lisa had been texting each other all week when they weren’t together, and Ben gave Maggie a big hug when they left her. They liked their new aunt, and the kids had had fun together. Ben said he was sorry they didn’t live in L.A.

  And the next day Peter and the boys left for Spain. They went to Madrid and Seville and Toledo, and then lay on a beach on the Costa Brava, and they spent the last few days in Mallorca, and they all loved it. He called Maggie a couple of times to see how they were doing, and she loved the villa they had rented.

  “You like her, huh, Dad?” Ryan commented one night after he heard his father talk to her, and Peter looked startled.

  “Yes, of course. She’s my sister-in-law and I’ve known her since we were kids.”

  “I mean like a girlfriend,” Ryan explained as though his father were stupid, and Peter laughed.

  “No, not like a girlfriend,” he corrected him. “We’re just friends.”

  “How come you don’t have a girlfriend?” Ryan asked. All his friends’ divorced fathers did, and usually pretty jazzy ones who were a lot younger than they were. That wasn’t Peter’s thing. He didn’t know what his “thing” was. He hadn’t dated in fifteen years, since he married Alana.

  “I don’t know. I’m still getting over your mother. I liked being married. I don’t feel like a bachelor yet. I feel kind of like … a nothing. I just want to hang out with you guys.” But his brother was going to prison for life, he had just found out he had killed their parents, and his sister-in-law had been poisoned. He wasn’t in the mood to date. And eight months before that, his whole life had fallen apart and his wife had left him. It was a lot to absorb. And when he talked to her about it, Maggie said she felt the same way. She was just starting to live again after twenty-three years. They had talked about it while walking around London with the kids. Neither of them could imagine dating again. At least not yet. And all Peter wanted now was a job.

  His wish came true when they were in Madrid. He checked his e-mails when he got to the hotel. And he was startled to see that the firm he had interviewed with in London had offered him a job. It had taken them a while, but it was a great offer. He just didn’t know if he wanted to live in London. He really wanted to go back to New York. He was ready for Wall Street again. But no one had offered him a job there so far. And this was an excellent offer, worthy of him, with a partnership in the firm within two years, profit sharing, benefits, stock, and they were willing to pay for an apartment for him, big enough for his boys when they came to visit. It was everything he wanted, just not in the right town. He didn’t know whether to accept it or not. And he talked to Ryan and Ben about it over dinner.

  “So what do you think, guys? How would you feel if I took a job in London? For a few years anyway.” If something better came along in New York, he would take it. But this was it for now.

  “I like it,” Ryan said sensibly. He knew his father needed to go back to work. He wasn’t happy just hanging around, not like their mom, who got her nails and hair done, and had lunch with her friends every day.

  “Would you still come to see us in L.A.?” Ben asked, looking worried, and Peter was quick to reassure him.

  “Of course I would. And you can come here. We could go skiing in Switzerland over Christmas or New Year’s. It’s not a bad flight from L.A.” The boys agreed. It wasn’t that much farther than New York, if Peter went to live there.

  Peter thought about it for the next few days and then sent an e-mail to the firm in London, and accepted the job. They wanted him to start on September 15, which sounded good to him. It gave him time to close the lake house, make a quick trip to L.A. to see the boys, and start work in the fall. And with a shiver down his spine, he realized he would be divorced by then. His divorce would be final in September. Brave new world.

  He told the boys he had taken the job, and they were happy for him. Ryan sent a text to Lisa about it that night: “My dad is moving to London. He took a job there. We’ll visit. See you soon. Ryan.” Lisa responded immediately: “Cool. L.”

  Chapter 19

  Their trip to Spain was a success, and Peter delivered the boys to Alana in Southampton in the third week of July, as promised. She was having a big birthday bash for herself, and she wanted them there. And of course, Bruce was with her. He was a permanent fixture these days.

  They were sad to say goodbye to their father, but they were looking forward to the month in Southampton with their friends. It was part of their old life and familiar to them. And Peter had promised them he’d fly out to California to see them before he left for London, so they knew they’d see him soon.

  He drove back to New York after he dropped them off, and flew to Boston, where he had left his truck, and drove back to the lake. The place looked dreary to him now, and he was lonely without the boys, after spending three weeks with them in fun places.

  For the next month, Peter swam in the lake every day, and lay on the raft. And the rest of the time, he packed up the house. He was surprised at how much paraphernalia he had collected in the six months he’d been there. He threw most of it away, and the rest he packed to send to London. He met with the realtor and arranged to put it on the market, for a reasonable price, and hoped that someone would buy it quickly. He wanted it off his hands now, and this chapter of his life closed.

  It was upsetting knowing that his brother was in jail nearby, awaiting trial. Peter had no desire to see him. And he wanted to get as far away from Ware now as he could. Jack Nelson drove out one afternoon with an investigator to interview Peter. The interview was peaceful. They wanted
to know his impressions about his brother. Peter was honest with them and said that he thought he had been a sociopath, a man without a conscience, since his youth. He gave them some examples of the lies he’d told, his manipulation of their parents and constant lies to them. Peter didn’t paint a pretty picture.

  “Why doesn’t he just plead guilty and make a deal?” Peter asked Jack, who knew him well, and the police chief shook his head.

  “I suggested it to him. He refused. He wants his day in court and a jury trial. It’s going to be a circus, with reporters from all over the state.” Peter was dreading it, and he knew Maggie was too. She would have to testify against her husband.

  They chatted for a little while afterward, and then Jack left. Michael had become a mystery to him too, as he was to so many now, but not to Peter.

  He only drove into Ware once, to stop in at the diner to see Vi and tell her about his plans. She told him how sorry she was about everything that had happened and gave him a warm hug. She said she was sorry she hadn’t met his boys. And he ran into Jack Nelson as he was leaving. They shook hands, and he hurried out. Everything about the town depressed him now, more than ever before. Too many bad things had happened.

  Peter was anxious to get to work. The vacation had gone on too long. It had been ten months since October. And he was delighted to close the house on Labor Day weekend, and hoped he’d never see it again, when he handed the keys to the realtor. He had sold his truck back to the used-car lot in Ware the day before, and he’d gone to say goodbye to Walt Peterson at the hardware store, and had a last cup of coffee with Vi at the diner.

  “Looks like the prodigal son is leaving again,” Walt teased him.

  “I’m not sure which one of us that would be,” Peter responded.

  “You’ll be back for the trial, I guess,” he asked, and Peter nodded. So would Maggie and Bill. She wanted to leave Lisa in London. She didn’t want her anywhere near it. It would be traumatic enough for them. “He was a good doctor,” Walt said in defense of his brother, and Peter didn’t comment. He could no longer say that about him, nor could the other people whose parents he had murdered. Michael had left a trail of bodies behind him, including their parents’.

  Peter left then and drove the loaner that the used-car lot had given him for his last day. He dropped it off the next morning and took a shuttle to the airport in Boston. It was a long ride and he had time to think on the way. He was reflecting on his brother in jail in Northampton. As much as he had loathed him at times in his youth, he had never thought it would come to this.

  With the time difference, he got to L.A. in the early afternoon, and the boys seemed subdued to him when he got to the house. He couldn’t figure out what it was, and Ryan was particularly uncommunicative with him. Ben finally spilled the beans.

  “Mom’s getting married. Ryan’s mad about it.” It gave Peter a strange feeling when he heard it. There was something so final about it, even though he knew Alana had been dating Bruce for nine months. But somehow their getting married made him feel as though he had never existed.

  “He’s a jerk, Dad,” Ryan said glumly.

  “I thought you guys said he was nice to you and your mom.” Peter’s radar was up after what Ryan had just said. “What kind of jerk?”

  “He’s a show-off,” Ryan said with a look of disgust. “All he cares about is money.” Peter didn’t say it, but he had that in common with their mother. It was her priority too. She had proven that to him amply in the last year. She had learned it from a master, her father. All that mattered to either of them was money, although he had to admit she was a decent mother. But she had been a lousy wife to him when he needed her. She had bailed at the first opportunity.

  “When are they getting married?” Peter asked with curiosity.

  “Christmas,” Ben supplied the information again.

  “Good. Then let’s go skiing when they’re on their honeymoon,” he suggested, and Ryan broke into a grin.

  “Maybe Lisa can come with us,” Ryan suggested. The two cousins had been texting a lot. He thought she was very sophisticated because she was two years older, and he felt sorry for her because of her father. She never talked about it to him, although that didn’t surprise him, from what his father had said.

  “I’ll ask Maggie,” Peter offered.

  They went out to dinner that night, and bowling afterward. He hated playing the role of the divorced dad who had to find entertainments for them. He preferred being at home with them, but there was no home he could offer them here. He was going to London to look at apartments that week and promised he’d find something they’d like. It was easy now with the firm paying for it, and a big salary coming his way again. In some ways, he hadn’t minded the simplicity of the past year. It had taught him about what mattered to him and what didn’t, and that he could live simply and enjoy it. It had been an odd time, he had lost a brother forever, but he had gained a sister and friend, and a niece and a nephew. Ryan and Ben agreed with him. They loved being with their aunt and cousins since their mother was an only child.

  Peter stayed in L.A. for three days to see the boys, and then flew to London. Alana had agreed to let them come to him in London for Thanksgiving and Christmas, since she was going away with Bruce for Thanksgiving to his family in Baltimore, and they were going on their honeymoon in the Caribbean over Christmas and New Year’s. The boys were a little disappointed that she was going away for both holidays, but thrilled that they’d be visiting their dad in London. And he had promised to organize a ski trip over New Year’s. Peter was feeling good about his life as he left for London. And he had arranged for some of his things to be sent to him from storage. He was going to have a real home again, a place where he could be with his kids.

  And he hit the ground running when he landed. He saw five apartments the first day, and three the second. And the last one he saw was perfect. It had three bedrooms and was a duplex in a beautiful old building across the street from Regent’s Park. He could throw a football there with his boys. And the apartment was comfortably decorated with masculine-looking furniture, big comfortable leather armchairs, and a cozy den with a giant flat screen in it. He called Maggie after he signed the lease and told her all about it. She invited him to dinner to celebrate. He still had a few days to get organized before he had to start work. And he arrived with a large bunch of flowers when he showed up at the mews house she had rented for herself and Lisa. Bill wanted to keep his apartment. He had a new girlfriend and liked his freedom. Everyone was happy. And he had come over to her place for dinner to see Peter. There was an instant atmosphere of celebration, as everyone talked about their summer, and their plans for the fall. Lisa had just started school that week and said it wasn’t so bad. She was at the American School in London, and she liked the kids, and there was a boy she had her eye on. It looked like she and Maggie had made the adjustment. And the mews house suited them to perfection. It was owned by a woman who had moved to Hong Kong, and everything in it was flowery and cheerful. Maggie looked totally at home there, and so did Lisa.

  “It looks like you guys have really settled in,” Peter commented as he and Maggie talked after dinner. Lisa was in her room on the phone with one of her new friends.

  “It’s the perfect house for us,” Maggie said, smiling.

  “You have to come and see my apartment.”

  “How were the boys when you saw them?”

  “A little ruffled, but fine. Alana is getting married over Christmas. Ryan isn’t too happy about it. Alana has known the guy forever. I think he’s probably a decent guy, but kind of an L.A. show-off. That suits her. I’m going to take them skiing over New Year’s while she’s on her honeymoon,” he said casually, and then saw Maggie’s face cloud over. The trial was immediately afterward. They were both anxious for that to be over. The prosecutor had recently sent her a page of questions to answer, and some of them were pretty ugly. She wanted to show them to Peter but hated to talk about it, and she didn’t want to
deal with it that night.

  Maggie and Peter were happy to see each other. They sat and talked for a long time, until Peter finally left. He had a lot of unpacking to do at his apartment. He invited her and his niece and nephew to dinner there the following weekend.

  “I warn you, pizza and takeout, or ‘take-away’ as they say here.” There were a lot of new things for him to get used to, like driving on the wrong side of the road, which Maggie had no intention of trying, particularly since she hadn’t driven in twenty-four years. She wasn’t about to start here.

  “I’m glad you’re here,” Maggie said to him warmly, as she walked him to the front door. “It’s nice having family around, isn’t it?” They had turned into a good support system for each other, especially now, with everything that had happened, and living three thousand miles from home in another country. It was a fresh start for them all, especially her and Peter.

  He was thinking about her as he took a cab back to his apartment. She looked pretty and relaxed. She had gone shopping and bought new clothes, and she seemed younger again. Peter knew he felt better than he had in years, after his vacation with the boys, and healthy life at the lake. He was ready to start his new job, and a new life in London.

  And as Peter and Maggie thought about the pleasant evening they’d just shared, they had no idea how close their kids had gotten, and how comfortable with each other. They really enjoyed their cousins. As soon as he left, Lisa sent a text message to Ryan.