There’s no one in town who didn’t hear Muriel tell the story of how Betsy stole Rob from her, and the fact that it was all because of Nina. And from what I hear, Claire had desperately wanted to board at Vassar, but neither Betsy nor Rob would hear of it. “A waste of money when she has such a beautiful home,” as Betsy put it. And Regina’s father committed suicide because of his investment in Rob’s hedge fund.
Who among those girls, amid all the extravagant display, could have avoided feeling bitterness that night? And from the next day on, for twenty years, they had lived under a cloud of suspicion.
George Curtis felt a deep sense of shame. I did come back here the night of the Gala, he remembered. It was about 4 A.M. I stood here on this spot. I knew where Betsy’s bedroom was. I was crazed with fear that Isabelle would divorce me if Betsy ever told her about us. But then I could see the reflection of someone moving in Betsy’s room. There was a light in the hallway, and when the door opened I was almost sure I could tell who it was.
I still think I know who it was. I know who it was. When Betsy’s body was discovered I wanted to tell, but how could I explain why I was here at that time? I couldn’t. But if I had admitted to what I saw, everyone else who has been under suspicion wouldn’t have been going through this hell for twenty years. He felt the guilt wash over him.
Alex Buckley was walking to him. “Ready to go down memory lane, Mr. Curtis?” he asked cheerfully.
74
“How do you think that went?” Laurie asked with concern as she stepped into Alex’s car.
Alex was starting the engine and putting up the top of his convertible. “I think we could use some air-conditioning. To answer your question, I think it went great.”
“I think it did, too. But it’s twenty of seven. I’m so afraid that if we hit traffic we won’t be at the hospital when Timmy calls, and Dad will miss talking to him.”
“I checked the traffic report a few minutes ago on my iPhone. It’s okay. I promise I’ll get you to the hospital by seven-thirty.”
“One more left,” Laurie sighed as Alex drove out of the grounds of the Powell estate. “And now the usual question. What’s your take on George Curtis?”
“He’s a class act,” Alex said promptly. “He’s the kind of guy people look up to. Well, why not? He’s been on the cover of Forbes magazine.”
“And it doesn’t hurt that he is downright handsome,” Laurie said. “Think about it. Curtis is a billionaire, charming, good-looking. Compare him with Robert Powell, at least as far as money goes.”
“There is no comparison, Laurie. Powell may be worth half a billion, but Curtis is worth billions.”
“Now, think of that frame in the Gala films where George Curtis and Betsy look pretty serious, almost as though they’re arguing.”
“Are you using that in the background, Laurie?”
“No. That wouldn’t be fair. But I do know this: the George Curtises of this world don’t get involved with this kind of program unless they have something to hide. Think about that.”
“Laurie, you continue to amaze me. I did think about it. And once again, I agree with you,” Alex told her.
Laurie pulled out her phone. “I’ll just alert Dad that we’re on our way.”
Leo answered on the first ring. “I’m still alive,” he said. “I’m now watching All in the Family. Another golden oldie. Where are you?”
“On our way down. Traffic is good so far.”
“Didn’t you say Alex Buckley was driving you here, then back to the Powell place?”
“That’s right.”
“Don’t let him cool his heels in the car. Bring him up. I’d like to meet him.”
Laurie looked at Alex. “Would you be interested in meeting my dad?”
“Of course I would.”
“Alex accepts with delight, Dad. See you.”
75
Bruno was putting on his police uniform when he listened to the call. Countdown! he said to himself. After all these years, I get my revenge. There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth, he thought. Oh, Leo, how sad you are going to be. Your daughter. Your grandson. And all the while they’ve been searching through hospital records to see if the doctor had made a mistake on a patient. You were the one who made the mistake, Leo. When you were a tough young cop. Too tough. You could have given me a break when you arrested me but you wouldn’t. You wrecked my life. You cost me thirty years in prison and then another five for good measure.
Bruno stood in front of the full-length mirror on the closet door of his shabby apartment. He had been renting it month to month because, as he had explained to the landlord, he wanted to be sure that his job with Perfect Estates worked out. The landlord, happy to avoid necessary repairs for the present, was delighted with his temporary tenant.
He wouldn’t care that I left suddenly, especially since I paid him to the end of the month, and I’m not going to claim the month’s security.
As if anyone could damage this dump, Bruno thought.
76
As Laurie and Alex were driving out, the production crew was closing down for the day.
The graduates had changed from their gowns, and all of them as one turned down the offer to keep them. “Laurie really wants you to have them,” Jerry explained. “And I can tell you, they were very expensive.”
Nina spoke for all of them. “That’s just what we need, another reminder of that night.”
Their cars were waiting to drive them to their hotels.
When Rod and Alison arrived at their room, they happily closed the door behind them. Then Rod reached for her. “Alie, it’s all right.”
“It’s not, Rod. It’s not all right. You know what’s on that tape. You know what Josh can do with that.” She turned from him and angrily reached into the closet, grabbing clothes from their hangers and throwing them on the bed.
Rod sank onto the couch and unconsciously began to massage his aching knees. “We are going to have a scotch now,” he said emphatically. “Then we are going to order a fabulous dinner, either here or out—your choice. We’ll order the most expensive items on the menu, courtesy of Robert Powell.”
“I couldn’t eat a thing!” Alison protested.
“Order it anyhow.”
“Rod, you make me laugh when I have no reason to.”
“Alison, that’s what I’m here for,” Rod said cheerfully. He was not about to tell her that he absolutely shared her concern about Josh’s tapes—not because of the money, but because of what it would do to Alie if, once again because of Betsy Powell, her chance to go to medical school without taking on a heavy financial burden, was snatched from her.
77
Regina carefully packed the few new clothes she had brought in preparation for the program. I may be trading these for an orange jumpsuit, she thought bitterly. Score one hundred for Robert Powell. He ruined my life when I was fifteen years old, and now he has his big chance to ruin the rest of it. I wouldn’t be surprised if he put Josh up to going through my bag.
But in the note Dad accuses him and Betsy of deliberately setting him up for a scam. Why would Robert want that to come out? Josh must be doing this on his own. I’ve got to pay him off, she thought. How ironic—I have publicly made myself more likely to be accused of being Betsy’s murderer than if I’d stayed home selling real estate.
Efficiently, she packed her overnight bag and a large suitcase. Now where? she asked herself. I don’t feel like calling for room service. I’ve got a car downstairs, courtesy of Mr. Powell. Should I?
Yes, she decided, why not? She would have him drive her past her old house, then take her to the restaurant where she and her parents used to go regularly for dinner.
Auld lang syne, she thought.
78
One more night in the house she hated! Why did I do this to myself?
It was a q
uestion Claire had been asking herself since the plane landed. Had it been stupid to make herself up to resemble her mother that first morning? Had she done it to stick it to “Daddy Rob”? Maybe. He’d had the nerve to open the door of her bedroom right after her interview this morning to ask her that very question. Why didn’t I ever press charges against him in all these years? she asked herself. Why don’t I do it now?
She knew the answer. Because it gave me a perfect reason to kill my mother, and because, with his battery of lawyers, Daddy Rob would have held me up as a demented liar, and my mother would have loved backing him up. That’s why I became a counselor, she thought. I wanted to help other girls in my situation. But not many of them told me that their mothers accepted the fact that their stepfather came sneaking into their room at night. I know that until I go into therapy myself, I’ll never move forward with my life, Claire conceded. He’s held me hostage all these years.
There was one way she could get to him. Tonight and tomorrow morning she would again wear makeup and style her hair to accentuate her remarkable resemblance to his dear Betsy. As if that makes a bit of difference in the grand scheme of things, Claire thought bitterly as she picked up the phone to order room service. I wonder if Nina will faint again when she sees me.
And why was she, of all people, the one to faint in the first place?
79
Nina packed, then had room service send up dinner. As she listlessly took a bite of cordon bleu, her phone rang. To her astonishment, it was Grant.
“Couldn’t help wondering how the interview went,” he said. “Alex Buckley is notorious for shaking up witnesses.”
“Well, he did an Oscar-worthy performance on me,” Nina said. “Wait until you see it.”
“Hey, you sound pretty down.”
“I guess I am,” Nina admitted.
“Try not to be, but I understand. I was a witness in a fraud case twenty years ago. It wasn’t pleasant.”
Pleasant! That’s a good word, Nina thought as she listened to Grant tell her he was looking forward to seeing her and wished her a good flight.
Nina took a large swallow of vodka from the tumbler beside her dinner plate. Maybe if I promise my mother to give her all the money left after paying Josh, she’ll be satisfied, she thought. Especially if she knows that an A-list producer like Grant is dating me!
80
In Mount Sinai Hospital, Leo was looking at his watch with growing impatience. It was twenty to eight, and Laurie still wasn’t there. But just as he was sure she would have to take Timmy’s call in the car, Laurie appeared in the doorway. The tall, impressive-looking guy behind her was instantly recognizable as the famous Alex Buckley.
Laurie rushed to hug him. “Dad, I’m so sorry. They should take the East River Drive and bury it at sea. There was a fender bender at 125th Street. You would have thought it was a terror attack for the traffic jam it caused.”
“At ease,” Leo said, “or you’ll be the next one in here with heart fibrillations.” He looked up at Alex. “Wouldn’t you agree with that, counselor?”
“I certainly agree that your daughter is under a lot of stress,” Alex said carefully as he pulled up a chair at Leo Farley’s bedside. “But she’s doing a great job with this program, I can promise you that.”
“Now, before you ask me again, Laurie, yes, I feel fine, and yes, I get out tomorrow morning,” Leo Farley declared. “What time do you wrap up this witch hunt you’re on?”
“Hey, Dad, that’s not exactly what I would call having respect for my work,” Laurie protested.
“I have every respect for your work,” Leo said. “But if I had gotten away with murder for twenty years and now I was under a spotlight where every word I said in front of a national viewing audience could be picked over by all the amateur sleuths in the country, I might be driven to do whatever it took to cover my tracks.”
Alex saw that both Leo and Laurie kept glancing at their watches. It was five to eight.
“Timmy’s late calling. I’d better call the office at the camp again and check to see if anything is wrong,” Leo said.
“Dad, you’ve been calling the office at the camp?” Laurie asked.
“You bet I have. That way I can keep them on their toes and make sure that there’s no lapse in security there. What do you think, Alex?”
“In your situation, if I were the parent or grandparent, I would do exactly the same thing,” Alex agreed.
The ringing of Laurie’s phone brought a collective sigh of relief. Before it rang again, she and Leo were saying, “Hi, Timmy.”
“Hi, Mom,” a happy young voice answered. “I was worried that you wouldn’t get home in time to have Grandpa with you when I called.”
“Well, we’re both here,” Laurie said.
Alex listened as Timmy described his activities of the day. He was on the “A” swim team. He liked the three other guys in his tent. Camp was fun. It was only at the end of the conversation that his tone became wistful. “I miss you guys. Are you really, really coming up on visiting day?”
“We are really, really coming up on visiting day,” Laurie promised.
“You bet we are,” Leo said emphatically. “Have I ever broken a promise to you, big guy?”
“No, Grandpa.”
“Do you think I’m going to start now?” Leo demanded with mock severity in his voice.
The wistful note was gone.
“No, Grandpa,” Timmy said happily.
When they said their final good-bye, Laurie looked at Alex. “That’s my little guy,” she said proudly.
“He sounds like a great kid,” Alex said honestly.
“And now I want you two to go get something to eat and start back to Robert Powell’s place,” Leo said firmly. “You’ll be late enough as it is. Laurie, I hope you’re going to take a couple of days off after you wrap up this program.”
“That’s the last thing I’ll be doing, Dad. In fact, that’s almost funny. Postproduction can be the toughest part of it. But I agree with you—emotionally, this one has been tough. I have to tell you, I hope I’m never under suspicion of having committed a murder.”
Alex knew which way Laurie and her father’s thoughts were turning. “I’ll defend you, ten percent discount,” he promised. They both laughed, and when Alex said good-bye to Leo he heard himself saying, “I defended some people in cases about which I’d love to have your opinion. Would you want to have dinner sometime?”
“Sure I would,” Leo agreed.
“Can I come?” Laurie laughed.
“There’s no question about that,” Alex said, his tone now serious.
With a final good-bye to Leo, they went downstairs and left the hospital.
“I love Manhattan,” Laurie sighed. “It’s home sweet home.”
“So do I,” Alex agreed. “Look, we don’t have to be back to that mausoleum until eleven, and it’s only eight thirty now. Why don’t we have a relaxed dinner?”
“We were talking about grabbing a hamburger.”
“Forget it. Marea on Central Park South is one of the best restaurants in New York. It’s always full, but by this time the theatre crowd has gone. Okay with you?”
“Perfect,” Laurie said. Relaxed now that Leo looked good and Timmy sounded happy, she knew she would enjoy the evening dining with Alex.
• • •
At that very moment, Bruno was crossing the Tappan Zee Bridge on the way to Timmy’s camp.
81
Twenty-four miles away in an equally expensive restaurant in Westchester County, Robert Powell and Muriel Craig were sipping champagne. “To our reunion,” he whispered.
“Rob, dear, I’ve missed you. Oh, how I’ve missed you.” Muriel reached across the table for his hand. “Why didn’t you ever call me in all these years?”
“I was afraid to call you. When we broke
up I was very unfair to you. I know you had given up the chance to be in that series, and it became so successful. I owed you so much, I didn’t know where to begin.”
“I called and wrote to you,” Muriel reminded him.
“That only made me feel more guilty,” Robert Powell confessed. “And I haven’t told you yet how absolutely lovely you look tonight.”
Muriel knew that was not flattery. She had prevailed on Meg and Courtney to do her makeup and style her hair. She had found a beautiful dinner suit in an exclusive boutique in Bedford. The fact that she had already bought a beautiful dinner suit with matching accessories on Rodeo Drive in Hollywood did not trouble her. She was carrying Nina’s credit card.
Robert was saying, “I think we’d better order.”
Throughout the dinner, he skillfully intermingled compliments with subtle questions. “I was so flattered to hear that you blamed Nina for calling Claire and Betsy to the table that day, Muriel.”
“I could have killed her,” Muriel admitted, her voice thick and a little loud. “I was so in love with you.”
“And I often thought of you over the years and wondered how stupidly carried away I was, and how much I came to regret it.” He paused. “And then, when Betsy was mercifully off my hands, I wish I could have known who to thank.”
Muriel looked hesitant, then glanced around the dining room to be sure that the occupants at the surrounding tables were absorbed in their own conversations. Satisfied, she bent forward and leaned across the table as far as she could, getting a smear of butter on the lapel of her new suit.
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