by JJ Giles
Brian gasped. “How is she?”
“Not good, Brian. I’m really worried about her. So why don’t you tell me what the hell you were thinking. Leave her on her fortieth birthday.”
For a long moment, Brian stared back and then crumbled. “Does she love me?”
“How can you even ask that? She’s having trouble even functioning without you around. Are you trying to punish her for something?”
“No, of course not. But can I tell you something? And you won’t tell Morgan?”
“Of course, you can. You wanna go to the confessional?”
“No. God already knows about it.”
Romeo drew the smoke deep into his lungs and let it out slowly. “What’s the matter, Brian?”
Brian paused. Yet he knew he could trust Romeo, always had since the day they met, even though he was like a father to Morgan. “I’m not who she thinks I am.”
“Who does she think you are?”
“Brian Alexander.”
“Okay… If you’re not Brian Alexander, who are you?”
“Brian Abernathy.”
Romeo froze as he studied Brian’s coiled posture and Brian curled a little tighter. Romeo’s lips parted to better breathe, to better get over the shock. “Then that ring is real.”
“About a million dollars worth.”
“Oh, dear God.” He threw his body back further in the rickety chair. His mind raced through a maze. “Jerome Bryant Alexander Abernathy VI?”
“Yep.” He withdrew his wallet and tossed an old ID in front of Romeo. Romeo picked it up and studied it carefully. It was Brian’s first driver’s license when he was only sixteen. Quietly, he laid it back down and lit a second cigarette off the first.
“You got some explaining to do.”
“Why won’t she marry me? I mean...to her, I’m not some prep school-yacht club-Billionaire Boy’s Club brat, I’m just me. And still she won’t marry me. Is there something wrong with me?”
“Oh, Brian,” Romeo whispered. Romeo knew exactly why Morgan wasn’t going to marry him, but as far as Romeo was concerned it was a lame excuse. “There’s a lot of fear in that woman.”
“Fear! I’m sorry, I don’t believe that. I’ve never known Morgan to be afraid of anything.”
“How well do you really know her?”
Brian shrugged. “I know she grew up hard. Her dad died...and then her mom. She never said what became of her stepfather, only that after her mother died, you got legal custody of her and placed her with a couple in the parish. I know she started her career as a corporate prostitute and that you hooked her up with a psychologist to move on.”
Romeo nodded. Everything except the day she committed murder. “And you’ve kept your true identity from her because...”
“She hates wealthy people.”
Heavily, Romeo sighed. “That she does. Do you know why?”
“Can’t say I ever figured that out.”
“I’m not gonna sit here and tell you she’s been fair with people all of her life. Morgan is very opinionated, very passionate and defensive about the way she feels. But I can tell you that her first experiences with very wealthy people were not so good. She was working as a corporate prostitute at the time, a huge corporation...and apparently the guy who ran the show is what she calls a superfreak. Megalomaniac from what I can tell. Something about shrouds and coffins and places I don’t even want to go. But the guy scared her one day and she walked out on him.”
“Necropheliac? And she was probably afraid he was gonna kill her.”
“Like I said, I don’t know. But she made the comment that...what good would the money do her if she was gonna be dead. I forbade her to go back there, of course.”
“I’m glad you did. God.” Brian’s stomach turned.
“And then there was another guy...happened to be the Bishop of this Diocese at the time. His family was very wealthy. And you must know how very young she was. Morgan thinks of wealth and depravity as the same thing.”
Brian shrugged. “Who was that guy she worked for?”
Romeo’s expression remained firm as he considered it. “If you are who you say you are you tell me. You live right across the street from him.”
In horror, Brian stared. “JD Rockingham?”
Slowly, Romeo’s body nodded to the question. “Nobody knows better than me that Morgan let’s people be who they are, son. But he scared her to death.”
Brian’s hand covered his mouth as if he might vomit. “No wonder.” His voice was soft.
But Romeo had a more immediate question on his mind. Knowing what he knew about JD Rockingham and having read Jerry Abernathy’s e-mails, he had to wonder if Jerry and JD were very, very close. Cohorts...as they say.
“What about your father?” Romeo asked.
Brian shrugged. “What about him?”
“Does he know JD well?”
“I don’t know. Uhhh...I moved out of there when I was eighteen and only went back a few months ago. I don’t remember my father ever spending more than a few minutes chatting in the middle of the street with JD or doing any more than going to his annual Christmas party. JD was always invited to the Fourth of July thing at the Mansion but all the neighbors were, too. But now that I think about it...” his vision trailed away, “...my grandfather and JD were very close friends.”
“Probably about the same age?”
Brian shrugged. “Yeah... he would have been in his late seventies by now. Why?”
Romeo paused. “Now that I know who you are and I know what I know about everyone else, I’m very worried about you...and Morgan.”
“Then she told you she’s seeing my father?”
“You know about that!”
“I’m the one who told him he has to get some help or I’m going to the prosecutor. And Morgan is the only person I know that can make him eat his own shit. My mom was beat up real bad one day and I automatically thought he did it. Turns out he didn’t do it, but Morgan’s influence has had a huge impact on him.”
“Can you understand what I’m worried about?”
“You don’t think my father...?” Brian gasped.
But Romeo only stared more harshly to drive the point to its conclusion.
“Oh, God,” Brian whispered. “Surely...”
“What do you think?”
“I don’t know.”
“I can tell you something else besides the fact that I’m scared to death for her. I saw her the day you left her and she was in a pretty bad way. She was ready to tear into your father just as badly as he wanted to tear into her...if those e-mails are any indication. Truth is I haven’t seen too much of her because I’m totally pissed that she even got involved with him. If you hadn’t have left her, I don’t think she would have gotten involved.”
“What are you saying?”
“You left her very vulnerable, Brian. In more ways than you can imagine. So why don’t you finally tell me why you left her.”
“She won’t marry me and I can’t stand one more rejection, that’s why.”
“But she loves you, son.”
“Then you tell me what the hell her problem is.”
Romeo gasped and lit another cigarette. “I can’t.”
“Then you know, don’t you? Did she find out who I am and doesn’t want to believe it?”
“I don’t think so. But I see you’re having some problems with it.”
“I’m not proud of where I come from. I don’t have any intention of being a corporate pirate like my father is or a rapist like my grandfather. I’ve enjoyed the last ten years of my life more than the twenty-four years before it. But she doesn’t love me quite enough to let me be her husband. So what’s the deal?”
For Romeo, this was intolerable. If only Morgan would get over herself. It was an accident, even though she wanted to insist it was done with malice and forethought. And he looked away from Brian.
“You know and you won’t tell me!”
“I can’t tell y
ou, damnit! I can’t tell you about it. I can tell you it doesn’t have anything to do with you, though. Morgan’s not as strong as you like to think she is.”
“Please,” Brian pleaded.
“No. There’s some things in her life that she’s never told herself the truth about, Brian. Very traumatic things that she doesn’t remember correctly and doesn’t want to. Things she’s internalized and it has nothing to do with you. I rather doubt she believes she’s good enough for you.” Tears began to puddle in his eyelids.
“That’s ridiculous!”
“I’ve known that girl since the day she was born. I baptized her when she was two minutes old. I’m telling you, this doesn’t have anything to do with you.”
“Would she take me back?”
“I think she would. She’s absolutely miserable without you.”
“I never meant to hurt her.” There were tears in Brian’s own eyes.
“And she certainly doesn’t mean to hurt you. This is not about you, Brian.”
“It’s just about marriage because she thinks I’m gonna beat her up, doesn’t she?”
“I don’t know how she perceives marriage. That was a happy little family until her father got killed. And you know she’s never been emotionally involved with anyone else but you.”
Brian let out a heavy sigh. “Will you talk to her?”
“Real soon. That doesn’t mean I can sway her. So what’s been going on with you?”
Brian waved it away. “For the first time in ten years my father and I are speaking...civilly again. I just feel like I can’t have Morgan and my family, too.”
“Why is that?”
Brian huffed. “Because Morgan would think of them only as those prep school-yacht club-Billionaire Boy brats and my father would think of her only as a prostitute that could ruin the family’s image.”
“Do you remember what I told you? Morgan equates wealth and depravity?”
“But isn’t there gradations of depravity like everything else?”
“I suppose,” Romeo ceded.
“There’s a lot of people who judge my family as being depraved just from what they see on the news.”
“Including Morgan?”
“I believe she would. But I think I’d better go talk to my dad. See what’s going on with JD.”
“That will be an interesting conversation.”
“I got something else to tell you. My crazy uncle claims that when my father gets done with Morgan, she’ll be happy for a man like me. I’ve got a fabulous wedding planned for the rear lawns of Avalon on September sixth. I hope you’ll officiate.”
Hesitantly, Romeo stared. He remembered that Morgan told him that Brian was getting married with or without her, yet was terribly drunk that day. “And the bride?”
“Morgan, of course,” Brian said curiously.
“Then I’d be happy to, son. I hope it all works out.”
“I don’t have a lot of hope for it, Father. She hasn’t missed me enough to hunt me down and make me explain.”
Saddened by that, Romeo dwindled. Even that would be proof enough to Brian that Morgan loved him. But Mistress Morgan was too proud for that. This was an impossible situation.
* * * *
“Hi,” Brian said warmly, entering his father’s office.
Jerry went to him only to hug, only to feel his son’s hard body melt around him for a moment.
“I heard an ugly little rumor today,” Brian said surely.
“And you want to know if it’s the truth or not. And I’ll offer the unvarnished truth as far as I perceive it, Brian.”
“Even if it has something to do with someone I’m not allowed to talk about?”
Jerry fell back in the chair. “Your grandfather. Yes, even him.” He braced himself for the question.
“It’s about JD Rockingham.”
“Alright.”
“Necrophiliac?” Brian’s nose turned up.
Jerry’s nose wrinkled the same as Brian’s. “There’s been all kinds of rumors about that for years. As the stories get told and retold, everyone in the vicinity is guilty by association, of course.”
“Grandpa?”
“Definitely your grandfather, I know that for a fact. I was speaking of myself. The thought of it makes me ill. But some of those older guys...I don’t know what to tell you. Of course, it’s all rumor and innuendo. I know JD hired you to work over his property. Have you dug up any bones?”
Finding that thought abhorrent, Brian quickly answered, “No.”
“I don’t think you will, either. JD wouldn’t be careless enough to let the skeletons be unearthed.”
“You’re saying this is true?”
There was a hint of wildness in Jerry’s expression. “Son, I’m saying I never saw it go down with JD. But your grandfather was the Son of Satan. And JD and the old man were best friends.”
“What about Grandpa?”
Jerry hesitated. There were things Brian didn’t remember and he was probably better off that way. Yet Brian needed to know. “This is ugly,” Jerry warned. “When your grandmother died, your grandfather laid her out in the Mansion. She died giving birth to your uncle Gerald. Just too weak.”
“Yeah.”
“Alex and I were only sixteen. Alex was pretty broke up about it.”
“I can understand that.”
“He wanted to spend some time with his mother, so I went downstairs with him to the coffin. Except Mom wasn’t in the coffin. Of course, Alex freaked out and ran upstairs to tell Dad. Dad had Mom in bed with him and JD was coming out of the bathroom.”
“Oh, my God.” Brian choked as he rose and grasped his stomach, about to vomit.
“Brian, I’m not telling you this to fuck you up, damnit.”
“Then it’s true?”
“I never saw them engage in intercourse with a corpse, Brian. But obviously I’m thinking the same thing you are...obviously. That was the day Alex named him the Son of Satan and I had to agree. Like I said, the very thought of it makes me want to puke, too. And I know people have said some fucked up things about me over the years, but I’m telling you, it’s guilt by association, not actual guilt. I’ve heard the rumors myself. Prostitutes have actually come up missing. Our girls...JD’s girls. Of course, nothing was ever investigated. Dad always had a way of shutting people up. Paying ‘em off. Settling out of court, to be precise.”
Brian fell back to the sofa, paled and sweating. “I remember something, too.”
“What do you remember?”
“When grandpa died, JD and Mom were in there a long time, weren’t they?”
Silence filled the air like a noxious cloud. This was the very thing Jerry didn’t want Brian to remember. Had prayed Brian would forget. “Yeah, they were.”
“That’s fucking sick.”
“As far as I’m concerned, yeah, it is, son. That was a hard day for all of us, Brian. When you went in there to get her and came out screaming... You can’t know how badly I wanted to kill them both that day. Her and JD both. And then I had your grandfather’s body removed as quickly as I could, against my sister’s insistence that he should lie in state like every other Abernathy that passed through the Mansion. That was a hard day.”
“I was screaming?”
Jerry nodded. “You don’t remember it clearly, do you?”
“Apparently not, but I kinda know where you’re going with it.”
“When you came out of there screaming, that’s when I went in. After that, we both started seeing a shrink.”
“Lovely,” Brian growled.
“Listen to me.” Jerry’s voice was full of command. “JD Rockingham is someone you don’t want to trust. You don’t ever tell him anything you don’t want anyone else to know. Don’t ever expect him to pay you in full. He’ll find a way out of it. But the important part of this is there’s some people in this world you don’t want to make enemies out of and JD is one of them. Your grandfather was another. I’m not half as destructive
as he was and yet I have the reputation for it. The way Bryant does things, he’s a fuzzy little bunny compared to his father.”
“Alex said there’s a lot of things that went on I don’t want to know about. And I’m sorry you got messed up.”
“I’m sorry you got messed up. But I’m so grateful that you and Cherry have enough sense to not pass this shit onto another generation. And if you do have kids, at least you’ll be older and have worked through some of it by then.”
Sarcastically, Brian smirked. “None for me, thanks.”
“That’s alright, too. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, it’s just that I heard something from a guy today that knows one of JD’s old prostitutes. And why she quit him. I don’t know how far he went with her...”
“She probably knows more than we want to hear about. But between the girls at Abernathy and JD’s girls, there were hundreds of them, Brian. Their one year contracts rarely got renewed. If one of the girls worked to four or five years, she had to be fucking outstanding.”
Sadly, Brian smiled. “Well, I appreciate your candor. I guess you never know who you’re talking to, do you?”
“Never, son. You never know. But because I’m still worried about you, have dinner with me tonight.”
Brian smiled broadly. “You don’t have to worry about me, but I’ll still have dinner with you.”
“Good. So let me go ream out the marketing department and then we’ll get out of here.”
Easily, Brian laughed. “How ‘bout I go take a shower and rummage around in your closet.”
“Perfect,” Jerry whispered.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Morgan’s estate was the most dreamily romantic thing Dan Gregory had ever seen. Comfortably he nestled into the chair, once again awaiting dinner to be prepared by his wife and Morgan’s slave. It was curious that Morgan offered nothing more than the very chaste iced tea or soft drinks to her clients. But after another afternoon of the most intense pleasure, even a glass of wine might put him to sleep.
“So, how’s your landscape project coming?” she asked.
“Very nicely,” he said surely. “In fact, Brian stopped out last Sunday morning to check up on it.”
“And it’s going well?”
