Bliss House: A Novel

by Laura Benedict

  No. It wasn’t Karin’s ambition that had brought them to this point. It was her illness. She was sick. They both had known it soon after they got together, but he’d loved her enough to marry her in spite of her addiction. She’d wanted to love him. To be true to him. But she hadn’t been willing to continue the counseling work to get herself to a place where that was even a remote possibility. He’d been her husband, though, and they’d been through a lot of shit together. They’d understood one another. At least he’d believed that, once.

  It killed him that he’d had to learn from Nick that she’d been afraid. That she’d felt threatened. Why hadn’t she come to him?

  Trust. She hadn’t trusted him enough to share the secret that the baby was a Bliss.

  Using Rainey’s keys, he brought her Lexus around to the front of the house, parking as close as he could given the sudden increase in number of police vehicles in the circular driveway. He wouldn’t miss being away from this place. The detective had insisted that Rainey and Ariel leave so that they could secure the scene. Who knew what else they would find in the hellhole where Ariel had been attacked.

  He’d smelled Karin’s perfume down there. He’d heard her voice: Gerry.

  What if he’d hung around the house after the party? Knocked on the door when he drove back there that night and awakened Rainey and asked where his wife was? She probably wouldn’t have known at that moment, but they would’ve been awake. They would’ve been there to stop whatever had happened. Stopped Karin’s murder.

  Nick Cunetta would be alive. Bertie Bliss might not be in the hospital. Ariel wouldn’t have been assaulted.

  I’ve got to stop this!

  He slammed the door of the running Lexus so hard that it drew the attention of one of the uniforms standing nearby.

  So fucking what! he wanted to say. You people have made my life miserable enough already. Get over it!

  Inside, one of the troopers directed him to Rainey’s bedroom where he found Rainey standing by the unmade bed. Ariel was curled into a fetal position, her back against the enormous pile of bed pillows, her face hidden.

  Rainey looked up at him in surprise when he came through the door.

  “She won’t go,” she said, her voice low. Miserable.

  Ariel didn’t move.

  “Ariel, you don’t want to stay in this place,” Gerard said. “He could come back. It’s not safe for you here.”

  He put a hand on Rainey’s arm and pulled her gently to the side.

  “Ariel,” he said, sitting on the edge of the bed. “I need you to listen to me. I know you think I’m an asshole, and I apologize for the mean things I said to you. You didn’t deserve them. And I’m not just telling you this because I feel bad about what just happened to you.”

  Ariel didn’t respond. They could hear the police moving through the house, the occasional scratch of their radios, scraps of conversation. It was somehow worse than it was the day Karin had been found. Then, there had been a kind of surreal calm in the air. Today was frantic. They finally had someone to pursue, and it was as though they’d discovered a new kind of energy to keep things going.

  He thought of touching Ariel, but stopped before he did it. It might push her over the edge.

  “Did they tell you that you couldn’t come back?” he said. “Is that why you don’t want to leave?”

  “Of course we’re not going to . . .” Rainey stopped in mid-sentence when Gerard put a finger to his mouth, shushing her. He shook his head. He could tell she was leery of the next thing he might say, but she didn’t finish her sentence.

  “Is that it?” Gerard said.

  “I can’t leave,” Ariel said, her voice muffled.

  “I promise you can come back.” Gerard knew he was clearly out of bounds, but he felt like he had to take the risk. He had to get her out somehow.

  There was a sound of footsteps out in the hall, and Lucas Chappell came to stand in the doorway. This time it was Rainey’s turn to shush. She hurried over, motioning for him to stay outside the room. As she pulled the door halfway shut behind them, Gerard could hear the detective telling her that they needed to leave right away.

  He turned back to Ariel. “They’re going to try to force you to go,” he said. “But you’ll get back here faster if you go without a fight.”

  “She’s going to take me away, forever. She told me. She told me she’s going to sell the house and move us back to Missouri.” She sat up a little, but still wouldn’t look at him. What he could see of her face was pale, and her undamaged eye was wide with panic.

  “I know why you don’t want to leave,” Gerard said. And God help me for the lie I’m about to tell, he thought.

  She looked at him suspiciously.

  He looked away, toward the window onto the garden.

  “I know how much the house has changed you,” he said. “I know your mother either doesn’t see it or doesn’t want to admit it.” Turning back to her, he said, “Am I right?”

  Her sudden relief was like a palpable thing between them.

  “It’s real,” she said. “It’s all real. When I’m outside, it hurts again. I could feel the change right away, when we first moved in. I hated being here at first. But then things started to happen. I don’t care what else happens to me here. It doesn’t matter! Somebody will catch that horrible man.”

  He heard the fearful hope in her voice.

  “Jefferson too,” she added. Though she didn’t sound as certain.

  Whether she was certain or not didn’t matter. Gerard was certain enough about Jefferson Bliss for the both of them.

  “Your mother told me she was booking a room at the Grange.”

  Ariel shook her head vehemently. “I won’t go.”

  “It’s a cool place to stay, but I don’t think it’s the place for you right now. Too many people.”

  Out in the hall, Rainey’s voice was rising with panic. The detective’s response was quiet enough to be unintelligible. He could picture them trying to carry an unwilling Ariel out of the house. No way that was going to work.

  “Did you ever meet my dog, Ellie?” he asked her. “She’s funny as hell. Chases a ball like it’s her life’s mission. I’ve brought her out here a bunch of times, but maybe before you all got here, so you haven’t had a chance to meet her yet. Karin loved her, even though she was always jumping up on her. We kind of sucked at training.”

  “We never had a dog,” Ariel said.

  “Listen. You and your mom can come and stay at my place until they arrest those guys. It’s totally private. You can’t even see the house from the road. Now that my in-laws are gone there’s plenty of room.”

  Ariel looked at him steadily. He could see she was a nice kid. Before her accident had changed everything, she had obviously been the center of a very small, adoring world. He wondered what kind of woman she was going to be and hoped she wouldn’t end up batshit crazy. That would definitely happen if she stayed in Bliss House for any long period of time. Right now, they just needed to save her life.

  “Can they really make me leave?” She had been able to hear the detective as well, and she wasn’t stupid.

  “Yeah, they really can.” God, she was just a little kid. He wanted to kill Randolph Bliss. He was a fucking demon.

  “It doesn’t feel fair to me,” she said. “I’m the one he tried to hurt. I should be the one to decide.”

  “I agree,” he said.

  “I wish I could make them see. Maybe you could get my mom to make it look like we’re leaving. Then we could come back when they’re all gone. They can’t keep us out of our own house. It’s got to be against the law. I know they think he’s not dead, but I swear he wasn’t moving when I left him. Maybe Jefferson came and got him. Or maybe someone else was there, hiding.”

  She was so earnest that he wanted to encourage her. But it wasn’t possible.

  He shook his head. “Not going to happen. Even if you could keep him out—and I’m not saying that you’re not right
that he’s dead, or maybe injured—the police aren’t going to let anyone stay tonight. If they find him, they might let you and your mom come back tomorrow.”

  “I don’t believe you. My mom is even more upset than the police.”

  “It would be stupid for me to lie to you,” Gerard said. “You don’t even really know me, I know. But this has been a kind of nightmare for all of us, Ariel. Maybe your mom would be pissed off if she knew I was saying this to you . . .”

  She waited.

  Gerard ran a hand self-consciously over his hair and looked away. He hadn’t known that he would have to be more honest with the girl than he’d wanted to be.

  “Everything you’ve seen—including Karin’s death—tells us that this guy is responsible for more deaths than just hers. It’s hell losing someone you love, and I know you know that better than anyone, Ariel. Your mom is scared she’s going to lose you, too. I can’t get my wife back any more than you and your mom can get your dad back.”

  “I thought he was here,” Ariel said. “I think your wife is here. Someone helped me. I can’t really explain it.”

  “Telling your mother that is just going to freak her out more,” he said. “But I believe you.”

  “Why?”

  “Listen. The police only deal in what they can prove. If they can get Judge Bliss and Jefferson they’ll be happy. Or at least they won’t care about you coming back here. Whatever else is going on . . . I don’t know, Ariel. There’s a lot of weird stuff that has gone on at this house. I kind of agree with your mom that this is maybe not the best place for you. But I know it’s important to you right now. You’re not a stupid person.”

  “No,” she said quietly.

  “We just have to let the police do their job. Stay out of their way. It won’t be for long.”

  He didn’t look away from her gaze. She was uncertain of him, but perhaps there was a small amount of trust. He wondered how long it would last.

  “One night,” he said. “Maybe two. It’s not like nobody knows who Judge Bliss and his son are. They can’t hide for long.”

  Ariel fidgeted with the edge of the hem of the plain pink T-shirt she wore. The police had taken away the bloody robe as evidence.

  “If I go, do you think Ellie would stay in the room with me at night? Does that sound dumb?”

  What she sounded like was the kid that she was. He smiled. “I think she’ll want to climb up and put her head on your pillow. But I’ve got to warn you: she’s a blanket hog.”

  Because of the tight skin on one side of her face, Ariel’s smile was awkward. But it was a genuine smile, and he knew he would be sad not to see it after she realized he had betrayed her. It was going to be a long time before she and Rainey ever came back to Bliss House.

  She sat up even more and smoothed her hair. “All right,” she said. “Just for a day or two, but then I have to come back here. You have to make my mom understand how important it is.”

  “You bet.” Gerard got up from the bed quickly to go and speak to Rainey before Ariel could change her mind. He couldn’t bear to look at the girl’s trusting eyes anymore. How many lies had he told her? Two? Three? He knew his Bible well enough to be grateful that there weren’t any fowl near Bliss House, lest he hear a cock start crowing.

  Chapter 77

  Lucas was in the middle of the hall bringing the team of state troopers up to speed when his phone rang. It was Tim Hatcher, the deputy. Lucas excused himself to answer.

  “Why aren’t you here?” he asked by way of a hello.

  “I was about to leave the office when we got a call from the hospital, sir.”

  “And?”

  “Mrs. Bliss woke up. The judge wasn’t with her, obviously, because he was there at the house, right? The sheriff said the judge is in some deep shit. Is it true?”

  “I don’t have time to go into it now, Deputy,” Lucas said. “But yes. Deep shit describes it. Did she say anything?”

  “Well, I was just getting ready to call you anyway because we got a hit on the fingerprint from Nick Cunetta’s window. And all hell broke loose at the hospital because Mrs. Bliss’s son, Jefferson Bliss, showed up there and tried to strangle her. I went over there right away.”

  Lucas exhaled sharply. “Jesus H. Christ, Deputy. Where in the hell did you go to academy that you make a report like that? Because you’re not making any sense, and I’ve got a house full of cops here tripping all over each other and a state judge running around bleeding like a stuck pig. So please think very carefully before saying whatever you’re going to say next.”

  There was a pause, and Lucas thought that the deputy might just have given up in confusion. He silently cursed the sheriff for giving him such a rookie to work with.

  “Mrs. Bliss said that she knew who attacked her in her kitchen. She’s pretty sure it was a guy named DeRoy Lee, who works at Fauquier’s Bookstore.” He took a breath. “I looked him up real quick. He did a year in county lock-up. Works at the bookstore in town. Assault. Possession. He’s in some special parole program run by the county.”

  “Okay,” Lucas said. “That’s a nice surprise. She’s sure?”

  “But there’s more. She said he’s the judge’s second cousin by marriage, or something like that. Also that her son freaked out because she asked him if he had something to do with Karin Powell’s death. She told Nick Cunetta she had a fingernail belonging to Karin Powell that she found in her son’s pocket.”

  “You’re doing better,” Lucas said. “So she’s saying there’s some connection between her son and Nick Cunetta?”

  “The son told her Nick Cunetta called him and threatened him because of it.”

  “Did some helpful member of the staff tackle the kid after he hit his mother, I hope?”

  “They didn’t. Security says they probably have him on video, though.”

  “Great,” Lucas said. “Security’s a shitload of help. Maybe we can get them to keep an eye out to see if he comes back and detain him. Since they know what he looks like now.”

  “You want me to tell them that?” Tim said, sounding serious.

  Lucas was being sarcastic, but the deputy didn’t catch the nuance. “You can tell them, but they won’t notice shit.” He was about to hang up when he remembered something else the deputy had said. “So, what about the fingerprint?”

  “That’s the best part.” Tim paused for dramatic effect. “The fingerprint also belongs to DeRoy Lee. So it looks like he attacked Mrs. Bliss and might have killed Nick Cunetta.”

  If Tim Hatcher, Deputy First Class, had been there in the room, Lucas would’ve given him a big, unprofessional kiss on the lips.

  “Get the paperwork started and interrupt some District Attorney’s dinner. I need a warrant so we can visit Mr. DeRoy Lee right away. Call me.”

  Lucas took two officers, one with a video camera, down into the underground rooms via the ballroom’s staircase, while another team headed outside for the springhouse tunnel. Both teams carried large battery-powered lights.

  The troopers with Lucas hadn’t yet seen the rooms and were vocal about their disgust.

  “It’s like some kind of creepy love nest,” Lucas said. “Condoms, wine, mini-fridge, a sink. A covered bucket for the necessary stuff.”

  “The furniture down here isn’t new,” one of the troopers said. “It’s like my crazy great-aunt’s house in Danville.”

  “Man, remind me not to come to Sunday dinner with your family,” said the one with the camera.

  “Just get the footage,” Lucas said. “Nobody wants to stay down here all night. Let’s do what we came to do and make sure there’s no imminent threat. We can get the forensics teams down here first thing in the morning.”

  They recorded the first room easily enough, careful to stay out of each other’s way.

  Lucas thought about the judge. This was where he’d chosen to spend his spare time. And now the Adams girl had said that the son had showed up. What about Karin Powell? Would they find her DNA her
e? Her shoe was still where Gerard had pointed it out. He knew the answer was probably yes, given her habits. She was probably screwing the son as well. Three people who could well have afforded expensive hotel rooms or even apartments had chosen to hide their activities in this dank hellhole.

  Lucas noted that the officer doing the recording had done a lingering shot of the blank wall with its useless curtain rod. Once upon a time, someone had hung a curtain there. Why? Lucas was sure it had been some psychopath’s joke.

  What if the girl hadn’t escaped? How many others had the judge and his son had down here? Looking at the grubby, and now bloody, bedcoverings, Lucas felt his stomach churn.

  “I’m going next door,” he said.

  “We’ll be there in just a minute,” said the officer with the camera.

  Going into the hallway, Lucas wondered at the weak electric lights on the wall. The bulbs looked old, as though they’d been screwed in decades earlier and just hadn’t burned out. And how had they gotten electricity all the way down here? It spoke of planning. Of history. This place had been in use for a very, very long time.

  The contents of one of the baskets in the second room had spilled over the floor: It was all porn, and not gentleman’s porn either. Disgusted, Lucas used one gloved hand to sort through the pile. Given the vintage, it had probably belonged to the judge.

  “Dirty, dirty Judge Bliss,” Lucas said.

  He moved on to the other baskets. Opened them.

  There were two people inside. At least he thought they were people.

  Each looked like an enormous doll washed of all colors except black and gray, their torsos and heads bloated and waxy, their eye sockets empty holes.

  He’d seen figures like these before. Never at a crime scene, but when he was in training at a medical forensics class. Adipocere was the name for what had happened to whoever the people had been. The decomposition of the fat in their bodies had transformed them, preserved them like carnival mummies. People who had become corpses and were hidden away. Most likely for years.