“That’s horrible.”
“Yes, it is. Joanna’s been acting so erratically since I met you. She’s not willing to accept that we’re together. And what if she decides to take the children and disappear forever? We really need to make sure her access to them is permanently severed. You need to use all your connections in the legal community to make sure that happens.”
“It’s in the works. What happened at the beach is now on the record, which helps, of course. But we don’t need to talk about this now, my love, on our way to get married.”
“It’s just been weighing on me that the kids need to accept that they won’t see her anymore. For their own good, we need to make it clear to the children that she’s never coming back. And that will make it that much easier for me to adopt them.”
He looked over at her, surprised. “Really, you’d want to do that?”
“Of course. I’m going to be your wife, and I very much want to be their mother.” If that was what it would take for them to be a real family, she could put aside her reservations about motherhood.
Piper said no more, but she was glad he was pleased with her idea.
One thing was for certain: come hell or high water, she needed to get Joanna out of their lives for good.
24
Joanna
I sat in my car, where I’d been parked since dawn, fighting the urge to run up to the house, bang on the door, and insist that they let me see the children. I knew that would be a huge mistake. I haven’t been able to sleep at night, and I can’t stop crying. I don’t remember ever crying so hard. How could Leo be so heartless to take Evie and Stelli away from me? Five days ago, the three of us were playing in the sand together, and now there’s a court order against me. I have no idea when I’ll see their sweet faces or hold them in my arms again.
I looked at my watch. Almost eight o’clock. They would be leaving for school soon. I knew I should start the engine and pull away, but I desperately wanted just a glimpse of them. When I saw the front door open, my heart began to race. I couldn’t catch my breath, and I told myself again that this was a very bad idea—if they saw me, it would only give Leo more ammunition—but I was rooted to the spot and couldn’t move. Before I could think, Piper emerged with the children. Stelli’s backpack fell from his shoulder, and she ran over to pick it up, shooing them both into the SUV. I started the car and hurriedly drove away before they could see me, cursing Piper for stealing my life, and headed to my appointment with Celeste. By the time I reached her office, my heartbeat had slowed to normal and I felt a new resolve come over me. She would help me figure out a way to fix this.
As soon as I sat down, I blurted out, “They’ve gotten a protective order against me, and now Leo is trying to get sole custody permanently. They’re launching a full-scale investigation.”
Celeste leaned forward. “So, for the immediate future, Leo has sole custody? Are you able to visit the children?”
“No! They’re painting me as a child abuser. I can’t go near them. And she’s trying to cut me out of their lives entirely. They’ve changed the number to the house phone, so I can’t call the children, and if I try to go anywhere near them, I risk losing them permanently. Leo’s cell phone number gives me a recording—I think he must have changed his number, too. They’ve even turned Rebecca, the nanny, against me. We used to be so close, but when I text her now, she tells me she can’t be caught in the middle. Leo’s the one who signs her paychecks, after all.”
She shook her head. “I hope you have a good attorney who can help you navigate this.”
I nodded. “My friend Janice, the lawyer I told you about, is helping me, but Leo’s connected in the legal community. Don’t forget that. I’m sure Piper is whispering in his ear at night. She’s Lady Macbeth.” I sighed heavily, the emotion settling in my chest. “I didn’t mean to hit Stelli. I barely tapped him. I was already so wound up that day about the wedding and then got so rattled when that truck almost hit him.” I took a breath, trying to keep from crying.
“Don’t believe anyone who tells you family court is fair. It takes weeks to get a court date, and if you get the wrong judge, you’re screwed. Leo is a brilliant litigator, and Janice is no match for him, but at least I know she’s on my side. I’d be afraid to hire anyone he knows in case they were biased toward him, even subconsciously.”
“I see,” Celeste said, and then was quiet for a moment, as if considering what I’d just told her. “So have you thought any further about what your next steps might be?”
“I have to find character witnesses to testify that I’ve never done anything like this before. The irony is, I’m worried that Piper is the one who’s a danger to the children.”
Celeste frowned. “I understand that you’re upset and looking for a way out, but that’s fantastical thinking. You have no basis for that.”
“Actually, I do.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Which is?”
“I finally spoke to Ava Dunn. She sent me pictures of her husband’s wife, Pamela.” I pulled out my phone and handed it to Celeste. On the screen was a photograph of a slender woman standing on the beach and dressed in white shorts and a cropped black T-shirt. “Look—it’s Piper, only with black hair. I’m flying out to California and meeting with Ava tomorrow.”
“What do you hope to gain by that, Joanna? So what if she was married before—lots of people have been. It has nothing to do with her marriage to Leo.”
“But it does, it does. Ava’s ex-husband and daughter died in a sailing accident. Piper was with them, and she was unharmed. Ava thinks she was responsible for both of their deaths.”
I leaned back and waited for Celeste to digest this.
“I understand that the fact that Piper must have changed her name is alarming,” she said with a sigh. “But I think you need to tread carefully, Joanna. You don’t know anything about this woman or what happened. Accidents happen every day. It’s a big leap to assume that Piper is a murderer.”
I was becoming exasperated with Celeste’s inability to grasp the obvious. “But if she is, I can’t just sit back and wait until she hurts my children. I need to find out what happened to her husband and stepdaughter.”
“Joanna”—her voice held a warning tone—“if you’re not supposed to be around the children, and you are, you could lose them forever. Don’t give up what you really want just to prove a point.”
I clenched my jaw. “That’s not it at all. Call it mother’s intuition, but something’s off about that woman, and I won’t let her hurt my babies.”
“I understand.” She paused, and I swear, I could see her figuring out how to change the subject. “What about your mother? How are you going to do this while taking care of her?”
“Mom’s walking now and almost healed,” I told her. “She wasn’t happy about my trip, but nothing is going to get in the way of my doing whatever is necessary to protect my family.”
25
Piper
Piper leaned in closer to the bathroom mirror. Damn it. Where had that spot come from? There was a big red blotch on her beige linen blouse. She thought back to the last time she’d worn it—picking the kids up from a birthday party—and remembered the sticky lollipop Stelli had been holding as he got into the car. It must have somehow rubbed against her as she helped buckle him in. She took a deep breath and told herself that it was okay to feel annoyance, that it would pass. She was new to this mothering thing, and she needed to be kind to herself, to give herself time to figure it all out. Wasn’t that what she told her clients? Piper pulled out a different top from the master bedroom closet, relieved again that Leo had cleared it out for her before she’d moved in. She’d take the beige blouse to the dry cleaner’s later.
It was pajama day at school, and she’d volunteered to take the kids, but Stelli had looked less than thrilled at the prospect. Leo and Piper had been married for two weeks, so it was natural that the children still hadn’t fully accepted her. Of course, they still wanted
their mother, not her. And despite Leo’s long talks with the children about how the four of them were a family now, she could see the skepticism in both their eyes.
She went to the kitchen to make them breakfast, but Rebecca had beaten her to it. A sumptuous feast of homemade waffles and whipped cream, bacon, and coffee cake was displayed on platters. She resisted the urge to point out that these weren’t the healthiest of foods with which to start the day, and she said good morning and made herself a cup of coffee instead. She’d be making changes to their diet soon enough.
“Are you sure you wouldn’t prefer it if I took the children to school?” Rebecca asked her.
Piper gave her what she hoped was a sweet smile. “I appreciate that, but I’ve cleared my calendar for this morning. I wasn’t planning on doing pickup, though.” If this woman was worried she’d be out of a job, she needn’t be. Piper had no intention of giving up the center. “Can you gather their backpacks and get them ready?”
The nanny pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and returned the smile. “Certainly.” Why was she always so formal?
“Earrrrrrrrrr! Kerplash! Watch out!”
Piper jumped as a remote-controlled miniature Land Rover crashed into her ankle.
“Stelli! What the he—” She stopped herself.
Rebecca gave her a sharp look then ran over to the child. “Stelli, you know better. Not in the house. Apologize at once to Piper.”
He gave her a goofy smile. “Sorry!”
“It’s okay,” she said, rubbing her ankle. “Have a bite to eat, and then we’ll go to school.” Evie joined her brother at the table, putting some bacon on her plate. She looked at Piper. “Can you take our picture before we go, Piper? Like you did on our first day? Mommy always took our pictures for special school days, too . . .” Her eyes filled, and she took a bite of her bacon.
Piper gave her a sympathetic smile. “Of course. We’ll do one of you together and one of each of you alone. Okay?” It was obvious that Evie was missing her mom even more than usual today.
Evie nodded and bit her lip, while Stelli stared at his sister, his lip trembling. “I want Mommy!”
Piper gave Rebecca a helpless look, but Rebecca pointedly ignored her. She probably wanted to see how Piper planned to handle this.
She got up and crouched down by Stelli’s chair. “I know you want your mommy, Stelli. But remember what we were just talking about, how your dad told you that she’s in heaven? Mommy is watching you from up there, I promise. She’ll always be with you.” Piper looked at her watch. “Can you finish up now? We have to leave in ten minutes, and we need time for the pictures.”
Stelli pushed his plate away, his bacon untouched and only three bites taken from his waffle. “I’m not hungry anyway.”
“How about some green drink?” She took it out of the refrigerator.
“Yuck. It has grass in it.”
She poured it into a glass and held it out to him. “Here, taste it. There’s no grass, Stelli. It has yummy fruit like bananas and blueberries.”
He looked at her with suspicion. “I saw you put grass in it.”
“No. You saw me put in kale and spinach.”
“Gross.” He slid his chair out and picked up his backpack. “I bet you put awful stuff in my lunch,” he mumbled as he walked out of the room and into the foyer.
“Stelli doesn’t mean it, Piper. He’s just sad,” Evie said.
All of the anger drained out of her. “I know, sweetie. I know. Come on. Let’s go take some pictures.”
Evie nodded.
“Where shall we do it? Here in the hallway?” Piper asked her.
“Outside on the steps. That’s where we always take them,” Evie directed.
“All right. Let’s go,” Piper said, and they trooped out the door together and stopped at the bottom of the stairs, where Stelli was waiting. Piper straightened his pajama top and moved back, focusing on them with her iPhone camera. “Okay. Say ‘platypus.’” She took several pictures and then moved next to them, holding the camera for a selfie. “Let’s take one all together.” And she clicked the camera button again.
As they drove to school, Piper felt better. Breakfast hadn’t been great, but the pictures hadn’t gone badly. It wasn’t until she’d dropped them off and swiped through the photos that she saw Stelli’s face in the selfie. His eyes were scrunched up, and he’d stuck out his tongue. So much for progress. She’d have to be a little more creative going forward, or maybe a little more forceful.
26
Joanna
I landed at San Diego International Airport at eleven in the morning and had a few hours to rent a car, check into my hotel, freshen up, and grab a bite before I met Ava at her home at three. I had hoped to connect with her in person before Leo married Piper, but that hadn’t worked with her schedule. But when I spoke to Leo’s mother, she told me that they had gotten married three weeks ago. I unpacked my suitcase, changed into a linen pantsuit, and pulled out of the Hyatt on Park Boulevard after punching in Ava’s address in Del Mar Mesa, thirty minutes away. When I arrived, I saw that her house sat on a slight rise with a wide stone-paved driveway leading up to it. It was a long and meandering Spanish-looking home, imposing and grand. Back in Connecticut, I’d looked up the address and seen the value of the house—$4.6 million. Almost reasonable, when you compared it to the $20 million to $50 million homes dotting the landscape.
I parked in front of the house and walked through a lovely courtyard with exotic trees and beautiful landscaping to the front door, noticing the graceful arches and ornamental ironwork on the windows and lanterns. Ava answered the door herself, and I was a bit taken aback. I’d seen attractive photographs of her online, but in person, she looked like she was made of plastic, with the skin on her face taut, her eyes squinty from too much filler, and her lips a little too large. Trying to hide my reaction, I smiled and said, “Hello, Ava. I’m Joanna. Thank you so much for making the time to see me.”
“I wouldn’t have missed this,” she said, shaking my hand and opening the door wide. “Please, come in.”
It felt like I had entered a foreign world as I followed her through the house. The arched hallway with wooden ceiling beams and earthy terra-cotta tile was so very different from the formal East Coast aesthetic I was used to. We passed a wide, curving stairway with hand-painted tiles on the stair risers and Ava turned to me. “I thought we’d sit outside by the pool. Unless you’d rather be inside?”
“That sounds lovely,” I said.
As we went by the kitchen, Ava stuck her head in. “Juliet, will you bring us out some cold drinks?” We continued through the sunken living room, whose wall-to-wall glass doors were opened wide to the outdoors.
I gasped as we stepped outside to a private paradise of waterfalls gliding over stonework into a huge swimming pool of the brightest turquoise blue. Luscious tropical plants and trees surrounded the entire patio area, and giant ceramic pots held flowers of purple, blood red, and periwinkle. The effect was enchanting.
“Have a seat.” Ava indicated a lounge chair with a soft orange cushion, and just as we sat, Juliet arrived with a pitcher of lemonade and two crystal glasses. She placed the tray on the round mosaic table between us, poured the drinks, and retreated.
I took a long swallow, but Ava ignored her lemonade. “So . . . tell me more about this new identity Pamela has created for herself.”
“As I told you on the phone, she moved to Westport earlier this year. She bought a big house on the water and a small business that was . . . I guess what could be described as a cross between a meditation and health center. She expanded it and added all kinds of alternative therapies. My husband met her because of a client, but then I stupidly encouraged him to take one of her classes, which was how she got her hooks into him.” I knew she’d gone through something similar, but nonetheless I was embarrassed to talk about it with a stranger. “I wasn’t even out of the house. I don’t know how she did it, but it’s been less than six month
s, and they’re already married.”
Ava was nodding as I spoke. “She’s a calculating bitch. And she’s dangerous.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I can’t lay all of the blame for my marriage problems at her feet, because I was the one who screwed up first. Matthew was always so busy with work that it was almost as if I were a single mom, and I was very lonely. I had a short fling with a younger man, but it meant nothing.” She took a deep breath and waved her hand dismissively. “As I said, Matthew was so involved at his investment firm, not paying attention to me and traveling all the time. We separated, but I realized after I left that I’d made a huge mistake. I told him I wanted to come back and give our marriage another chance, for the sake of all the years we’d been together and for Mia.” At this she began to weep.
My heart broke for her, and I waited silently as she composed herself and went on. “He had just begun seeing Pamela. Or Piper, as you know her.” Her lip curled into a sneer. “She did everything she could to keep us apart. We weren’t divorced. He was still a married man even though we were separated.”
“How long was it before they were married?”
“Oh, it wasn’t long. She was pushing him to get a quickie divorce. Matthew threatened to expose my affair, to tell Mia. I couldn’t have that, and besides, as the months went on, I knew he was never coming back. She had him in her thrall. He was bewitched.”
I sat up straight. “Yes, that’s exactly the word. She bewitched Leo.”
Ava closed her eyes and nodded. “When he was awarded shared custody, it nearly killed me. I didn’t want my daughter near that woman, but I had no choice. Mia hated going to their house on weekends, but I felt there was nothing I could do. I should have insisted. She would be alive now if I had.” She was crying again, deep choking sobs.
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