The Weekend Visitor Page 9

  I patted his hand. "Not to worry. My lips are sealed. So, did Maureen get the abortion?" In a pig's ear.

  He looked at me with eyes that reminded me of a deer caught in the headlights of a car. "No. I don't know. Maybe." He laughed at himself and fished a cashew out of the nut dish. "I saw her the next week and she was all lovey-dovey. Sexy, but sweet and almost cloying, actually. I asked her if she had had the abortion, and was it safe for her to have sex so soon. She laughed and said the sex was perfectly all right. She had not had the abortion, she'd had a wonderful idea instead."

  I lit a cigarette I was pretty sure was number seven, but this was no time for a lecture. Instead, I gave Jack a wry smile as he said, "She wanted us to get married and have little Whosis and be the happiest family in the whole wide world. I told her no way! First of all, I have law school to get through. I want to do well and get all I can out of it. That does not include a wife and family. It particularly does not include Maureen. I guess I was stupid to stop using condoms, but, frankly, I don't feel solely responsible for this pregnancy. I'm quite willing to fund an abortion. I am not willing to spend the rest of my life with Maureen. So I told her to get the abortion and be done with it." He drank some tea, but I think it could have been saltwater for all he tasted.

  "Is that how you left it?" I asked.

  He nodded. "For then it was. Then she called me at school, in the middle of finals, and said she had to see me. I came up on the third and saw her on the fourth, on Sunday night. And damned if she wasn't still stalling! We went back to the house. We'd both already had a bit to drink, I guess, and we had more and started to argue. She was still talking marriage and really came on strong to me, really dialing up the sexy approach. She was getting to me sexually, but I was also getting angry about . . . about everything, I guess. So I went along with the sex. I told her if she wanted jungle sex, I'd give it to her. And I did. But it wasn't rape. She was as aggressive as I was. She kept laughing like everything was a big joke, and the madder I got the more she laughed. Jesus."

  He had his hands clasped in front of him, and I could see they were shaking. "I don't mean to be crude," he said. "I don't doubt she was bruised. So was I. But there was nothing sensual about it... or even personal between two people. It was just... rutting." He took a deep breath that was very nearly a sob.

  "That's all interesting and plausible, Jack. It's too bad there wasn't a third party eavesdropping so we could prove who's telling the truth. But I don't think an abortion is in the picture now, and for reasons we needn't explore at this point, I don't think she wants to marry you now, if she ever did. But I have a strong feeling she may have decided to have the baby and hit you for the biggest child support payments in history."

  He turned pure white, buried his face in his hands and muttered, "I'm finished. Completely finished. That does it." He gave a half sob. "I'll kill her."

  Chapter 14

  I got him into the house and pointed him toward the bathroom. When I heard water running, I poured both of us a good splash of bourbon into rocks glasses and added ice. I sat at the kitchen table and waited.

  In a few moments he came into the kitchen, still pale but under control and looking very young with droplets of water still along his hairline and a damp spot on his shirtfront. He was filled with apologies, but I raised my hand and pointed him toward a chair and his glass. "Please. Don't apologize. You're understandably upset. It's bourbon," I added.

  "Thanks. I never quite got the hang of scotch."

  "Me either. If I may ask, Jack, what got into you all of a sudden?"

  He sipped his drink and set it back carefully in the same spot on the coaster, as if testing the steadiness of his hand. "All of it, I guess. I could have dealt with an abortion okay. It's done. Over. You move on, even though you didn't really like doing it. But if Maureen is going to have it—have the kid . . . my kid . . . God, what a can of worms that will open up!"

  "Such as?"

  "Okay." He started ticking points off on his fingers. "In a nutshell, marriage is out, and I don't want Maureen raising a kid of mine. Nor do I like the idea of adoption, no matter how fine and caring the adoptive parents might be. If I'm to have a child, I want to be involved in his or her life, and I don't believe one should try to do that if the kid's adopted. Not fair to anybody."

  "You're assuming it is yours." I made it a statement.

  "Yes. More and more, I'm getting the feeling the whole thing was planned. If it had worked, we'd marry and she'd be set for life. If not, she'd sue for big bucks and still be set for life, and you wonder how much of the money the kid would see. And you wonder what kind of life Maureen would lead." His eyes were a very bleak, cold blue now and his face no longer looked so boyish. I wouldn't want to face him in a courtroom in five years.

  "And," he continued, "From a purely selfish point . . . this is going to mess up my life big time. You see, Grandmother didn't mind my going to law school when she thought I was going into the company business at the end of it. Hey, every banker can use a good lawyer, right?" He smirked.

  I nodded. "So what's the problem?"

  "The problem is, I'm not going to specialize in corporate law. I'm going for environmental law, and I will not be practicing that at Lanham and Sanhope Securities. Amazin' Grace thinks I've chosen a pointless career filled with a bunch of bleeding heart pinkos and pansies . . . her words." He grinned and then sobered. "It's far from pointless! We're killing our world so fast I don't know how we can turn it around, even if everybody tries. And the second half of her opinion is just silly. But, she has already threatened not to pay my law school tuition and expenses and not to come up with any money at all for me. I get an inheritance when I'm thirty, that she has no control over, but that's light years away! This Maureen thing is going to send her right over the edge. When she finds out about it, she won't even give me a sandwich and coffee at the back door."

  I leaned back in my chair. "I can understand her point, even if I don't agree with her, on your choice of careers. It's an uphill battle with few victories. But what is so awful about your not joining the family firm?"

  "Aha." He pointed his finger at his chest. "I was to be the great white hope. You see, my brother Richard is the only family male at L and S, and he and Lillian apparently can't have kids. My sister has two airhead daughters. I was to keep the line and the business going." He laughed ruefully. "Well, if the DNA checks out, I'll have proved I'm not sterile! I'll assume I can produce an heir and a spare or two in a more conventional manner at some point. Maybe one of them will like finance ... or the ballet... or roping cattle. My kids will be whatever they want to be."

  "But first, how do you get through law school if grandma locks the cash register?" I looked at him closely, wondering just who, in this entire mess, was telling the truth.

  "Well, all may not be lost. My mom will try to help if necessary. She's in England now, married to an old sweetheart. Bruce is a nice guy, and I think maybe they can afford it . . . just. My sister Francesca might help, and so might my brother Richard, but it would cause an awful family row if they did. I don't want that. I'd pay everybody back, in time. I get that money when I'm thirty that Grace can't touch. Damn her, this is plain spite."

  His eyes got that bleak look again. "She and Maureen make a great pair. Do it my way, or else! I'd like to strangle them both. Well, the hell with them! I'm accepted at Georgetown for late September, and to Georgetown I'll go. Lots of things can happen in three months." He drained his glass and set it down hard. "What do you suggest I do for now?"

  I thought for a moment. "Wel-l-ll.l think you can forget about being charged with rape. Ms. Delaney has some questions to answer there. But she will want—and get—some kind of money. If it's your kid, it's your bill. Maybe you'd better alert your grandmother that Attorney Frost will be in touch with you. And don't see or talk to Maureen."

  "Yeah. Maureen may be in for a surprise. My net worth right now is about two hundred bucks plus a maxed-out credit card. Je
ez, I dread this. Grandma will go ballistic."

  I finished my drink and spun the ice cubes in the glass. "Not a great deal of love lost between you and Grandma?"

  "That's not a word I frequently associate with Grace. Responsibility, duty, focus... even admiration, but not much love, I think. Well, it will work out. There are always ways to get around things. I just need to think clearly. Too many thoughts bubbling around just now, but I'll settle down. Those two charming ladies will not ruin my life, no way. I'll do what I have to do." We both stood and shook hands and I walked him to the door. "Thank you, Alex. You've been a great help. I owe you a big one. Anytime."

  "You don't owe me a thing, but thank you. By the way, your cousin Pete was mad as hell I made him help me con you into this little meeting. He swore up and down you would never rape any woman under any circumstances."

  "Pete's a good man."

  "He is that."

  Before Jack even got his car started, I had John Frost on the phone. It was not a pleasant conversation. It ended with John saying, "Be here at eleven in the morning. I'll have those two crazy women in here if I have to pull them off a phone pole." Somehow the words sounded familiar.

  I don't know how long I sat at the table wondering what on earth Maureen was up to, and if her story was true, then what was Jack's about? Suddenly Fargo scrambled to his feet and trotted to the back door, tail a-wag. A moment later Cindy came in, carrying her shoes. How that woman did hate shoes .. . and walking. She'd drive from the kitchen to the pantry if she could get her car in the house.

  She kissed Fargo's head and stroked his ears and neck. "Poor baby, have you been locked in all day with this grouchy-looking barfly? Give me a minute and I'll go out with you. Hello, darling grouchy barfly. I'll change and be right back . . . just time for you to make me an apple martini." I got a pat on the head as she passed. What was wrong with this picture?

  As we made and then ate dinner, I recounted my visit with Jack Sanhope. When I told her what he said had transpired with Maureen, Cindy managed not to say I told you so, but just barely.

  She completely sympathized with Jack. "Well, as he said, many things can happen over the summer. Let's just hope one of them isn't that he tosses grandma off the cliff. Or walks Maureen off the end of the pier late some foggy night."

  I laughed and added my plate to those already in the dishwasher. "Oh, I think Maureen is safe enough. She's carrying a Sanhope, no matter what everyone may think of her. And grandma's got the whole clan too intimidated to do anything to her."

  "Don't be fooled by his cute grin," Cindy warned. "The more intimidated he is, the more he may see no way out but... murdah! What's on TV?"

  We adjourned to the living room and Cindy opened the TV guide. She scanned the program lineup and made a face. "Nothing, nothing and worse-than-nothing."

  "Check the History Channel," I suggested. "They're usually okay unless they've got secrets of ancient Egypt and the damn pyramids on again. Someone in their programming department has a fetish for pointy buildings with secret rooms."

  She flipped a page and ran her finger down the listings. "You're in luck. It's half a world away from Egypt."

  "Good. What is it?"

  "Secrets of ancient Mexico and the Mayan pyramids."

  Chapter 15

  Fargo and I strolled up Commercial Street to keep our eleven o'clock date at John Frost's. I deliberately concentrated on tourist watching to keep from thinking of the ensuing conference. I was trying very hard to keep an open mind.

  Many of the town's visitors were trying very hard to deal with mouths full of saltwater taffy as they walked, looking like cows working their way through tough forage. Others were heavy laden with plastic bags—smiley faces and Thank You stenciled on the sides. Some slurped at cold drinks, others looked hopefully for an empty bench, still others dragged fussy children behind them, and some actually limped as they walked and stared vacant-eyed at crowded window displays. All were on vacation and, if asked, would assure you they were having fun. And the natives smiled and smiled as they listened to the joyous muted bell-song of their cash registers.

  Arriving at John's office, I found him, Trish, Mary and Maureen gathered in the conference room ahead of me. John was definitely not in a good mood. "We were about to start without you," he snapped. "I want this situation clarified here and now."

  "Sorry," I muttered, and slipped into a chair at the other end of the table, Fargo by my side.

  John turned to Maureen. "Ms. Delaney, I confess to total bewilderment. We now have so much conflicting information about your situation, I hardly know where to start." He consulted his notes and made a good stab at it. I didn't envy Maureen's position here.

  "For example, Ms. Peres has come up with some rather astounding facts. You didn't bother seeing a doctor until Wednesday after the Sunday you were presumably raped. You are two months pregnant, quite probably by the man you accuse of raping you last week. He allegedly gave you eight hundred dollars for an abortion, but is not sure you had it—."

  "Attorney Frost." Mary Sloan leaned forward on the table. "This all sounds very convoluted, but let me tell you how it came about." She looked at Maureen questioningly, received a slight nod and continued.

  "Maureen met Jack Sanhope in March. He seemed very nice, and she simply thought she was making a new friend in a new country." She glared at John. "Things are a bit simpler where she comes from, you know? Well, Sanhope did rape her, and got her pregnant, after drugging her and taking her back to his house in early April. She was too frightened then to see a doctor or tell anyone. She didn't really know the girls she shared an apartment with, had no nearby relatives, no close friends. So she told the only person she could. Jack Sanhope. He insisted on an abortion. She couldn't bear the thought of an abortion but didn't know what else to do."

  I poured a glass of water and watched Maureen. She seemed deep in thought. Mary went bravely on with her tale, which seemed no less convoluted than the earlier one.

  "Maureen and I were becoming . . . quite close, and she finally told me what had happened. We talked it over. Maureen really didn't want to give the baby up for adoption, either. She really wanted the baby and, frankly, I was quite pleased at the thought of helping her raise it."

  "Did she happen to mention the eight hundred dollars for the abortion she had agreed to have?" John's tone went well with his surname.

  Maureen spoke at last. "Indeed and I did," she said defiantly. "And, yes, I knew I wouldn't use it to commit that terrible sin. I'm Catholic. You think I want to burn in hell? I agreed to anything, I was so afraid of Jack. So I took the money. I knew I might need it when I had the baby. He said it was all he had, so I knew he'd give me no more. Mary agreed that I deserved it."

  She dropped her head again and spoke softly. "Dear, dear Mary. What would I have done without her? I'll love her past death, I will. She took me in, cared for me, advised me. She told me to keep the money, that I'd have expenses. And bless her forever! She told me not to worry, that we would keep the dear child and raise it and she would help me. Surely the good Lord sent her to me."

  All Maureen needed was an organ playing softly in the background. Trish looked as if she'd swallowed a spoonful of vinegar. "There's a bit of discrepancy here, Maureen. Jack Sanhope says you leaned on him to marry you. Did you love him?"

  I wondered how Maureen would answer this one. If she said yes, Mary would surely be bent out of shape. If she said no, it would look like all she wanted was Jack's money and social position. She surprised me by giving Trish a sweet smile and saying, "No, of course I didn't love him. After all he had done to me? But I thought of the baby ... needing a name, needing a father. We shouldn't punish the child for our sins. So I mentioned—I did not demand—marriage. That's the way it usually works at home, you know? Even feeling the way I do about him, I'd have married him for the baby's sake. But Jack did not want marriage, he didn't want me to keep the child or even give it up for adoption. He wanted abortion." I wondered why
Maureen was bothering with the Sanhopes. She could make millions in Hollywood.

  Trish muttered, "Uhmm," and wrote something down as Maureen continued. "I was afraid of going to the police and having Jack arrested. I thought he might kill me, with his awful temper. So after Jack got me drunk, or maybe he even drugged me again, and forced himself on me last Sunday ... all right, Mary and I did a foolish thing. We thought making the rape more recent would sound better than it having happened back in April." She shivered slightly in the warm room. "And I desperately wanted enough money to raise my baby properly, send it to university and all. So, Mr. Frost, we turned to you for your help."

  She flashed another sad smile, which Frost now returned warmly, while Trish added another "Uhmmm." I was glad Trish was making notes. Personally, I was lost.

  Mary tapped a pencil on the table, as if calling us all to order. "Now, here's the way Maureen wants it set up. Mr. Frost, you'll have to make it all sound legal, but here it is. Maureen naturally doesn't want to go to court, but I don't think the Sanhopes would, either. They'd look pretty bad. And I happen to know they don't like that. So, Maureen will get all her medical expenses paid during and right after her pregnancy. She's not trying to take them for anything, but when she has to leave work she'll want the equivalent of her salary while she's on leave."

  She looked around the table to make sure our attention hadn't wandered ... fat chance. And how did Mary know the Sanhopes didn't like court? And had John and Trish realized that all the "ideas" here seemed to be Mary's? I went back to listening.

  "Naturally, Maureen will want provision for the child's college to be guaranteed, and private high school, should that seem advisable, plus any medical or dental expenses not covered by her insurance. And she will need three thousand dollars a month for expenses like clothing, someone to watch the child while Maureen is at work, school incidentals, all that sort of thing . . . until the child's twenty-first birthday. And Maureen should get twenty thousand dollars up front for pain and mental anguish. That's all she wants and it really isn't much, considering."