“I thought about it before they ever graduated school, but I took the cowardly way out.”
Anna was firm. “No beating yourself up, remember?”
“Very well.”
The next two hours were spent going over the data they had gathered. In broad strokes. Pixel by pixel. They came up with nothing new.
Anna rubbed her eyes. “So, your kids were spoiled. They each met their spouse in college, or around the college. Talbot married an adjunct professor that she met in class and started a relationship with while still in his class. They are still married. That says something.”
Carolyn was nonplussed. “To me it says that each of them knows where the bodies are buried.”
“That could very well be the case. Granville married Piper in a stunningly elaborate set of events. All family and friends were flown in. The rehearsal dinner was black-tie, with performances by several well-known names. There was a luncheon on a cruise boat, as well as several other events. All in all, it was a weeklong commitment by all involved and very well attended. The corporate interests were abuzz that it was the marriage of titans. Family and friends thought it the social event of the season. Talbot had a very different approach. She had her ceremony in a very secluded area. All guests, there were only a hundred or so, were choppered in. It was very intimate, in a lodge. At the time it was considered very modest. There were rumors that it was a shotgun wedding, of course, because it was planned so quickly, but that was not the case.”
“Do you think they are happily married?”
“From all accounts, they are comfortable, perhaps even content, but I think that happy would be a word uncommonly used to describe anything about my children. They are more inclined to consider arrangements. What is mutually acceptable to each. I am told that their extramarital endeavors have been frequent and semidiscrete. Of the two, it is Talbot who is known for her wandering eye. Granville was once accused of harassing the staff — it was never clear which gender — but that was laid to rest. I am uncertain if it was accomplished by settlement or by threat. In a position with unlimited financial backing, reality is often blurred.”
The girls were starting to fade. They had had no sleep, and it was beginning to take a toll.
Anna started to collect the sheets of butcher paper.
Adeline touched her arm. “Anna, there is no need to tidy. The staff will — ”
“I know you trust all these people, Adeline, but your comments about being able to attain anything with the right amount of cash got my attention. I think I would be more comfortable if I just roll these up and keep them in my room. You don’t want the family to know what the plan is.”
Carolyn laughed. “We’re safe there. We don’t have a plan.”
Anna continued to gather. “Perhaps not, but we don’t want them knowing what we know. Whatever that is. What do you girls want to do?”
Adeline thought for a moment. “I suggest that we get some sleep. In the morning, or perhaps the afternoon, I will have the stylist and her team come back for our fittings. Then we can determine if we would like to sightsee or snoop.”
Anna smiled. “You know my vote. It will always be to snoop.”
Carolyn got to her feet. “Mine too.”
“Very well. Tomorrow — rather, later today — once we have rested, we will determine where we go and how we go about getting more data.”
Anna put the roll of paper under her arm. “Maybe we can do undercover work. I’ve always wanted to do that.”
Carolyn shook her head. “We can’t do that. They know what we look like. We went to that party.”
Anna’s smile was tinged with sadness. “I appreciate the sentiment, but I could put on a different outfit, and in the right circumstances, I’ll bet you a lot of money that no one would take a second look at me.”
Adeline took a deep breath. “I would hope that was not the case, but your life experience is a more valid register than my wishes. I believe that any information gathering we need to do can be realistically done remotely which will be easier and, to be honest, done with greater safety.”
Anna pulled a face. “Do you really think there is danger here? Your kids don’t seem to be the type to duke it out.”
“My children would not hesitate to protect what is theirs, any way that is necessary. If that means that people are injured, or worse, so be it. It is one of my greatest regrets in life. That I did not teach them something as basic as human decency.”
Carolyn tried to sound upbeat. “It’s never too late. You can teach them now. Look at your grandson. He was able to figure it out.”
“That conclusion is based on two pieces of information that have not yet been confirmed. Firstly, that he has indeed changed. Secondly, or more accurately an addendum to the first assumption, that he is not simply here at his parents’ behest.”
“If he is here because of his parents, he is in the wrong line of work. The boy should be an actor, because he has me convinced, as well as everyone I have talked to. Even Cara. She’s a hard nut to crack when it comes to you. Very protective.”
Carolyn was cautious. “Even Cara can be fooled. Look at how close Barry got. We need to be aware of Adeline’s concerns.”
The girls were unanimous. “Agreed.”
SEVEN
“I HATE TO admit how tired I was. My head didn’t hit the pillow before I was out.” Anna chuckled.
“I gave serious consideration to falling into bed fully dressed.” Adeline’s comment surprised Anna and Carolyn. They saw their friend as the height of elegance. When she had a common moment, they were always taken aback, but very grateful for her allowing them to see it.
Carolyn put ham and a bit of salad on her plate. The girls had slept through breakfast and had decided on a snack before moving forward with their day.
“Living in this city might take some getting used to. People seem to stay up awfully late, everyone seems to get up super early, and they all walk so fast. I was looking down at the crowd on the streets from my bedroom window. You just don’t see that many people walking around in the nicer areas of our state.”
“People walk a lot in the city. With the traffic being what it is, if you aren’t going far, it is most often faster to simply put foot to sidewalk. Depending on the weather, it is difficult to get a cab, although I rarely do so. If I am in need of a quick ride to the shops or a meeting, it is almost always the case that the doorman will have a cab available for me at my request.” Adeline spread softened butter on her toast. “So do you girls want to take a walking tour of the city? Maybe go to a museum, or what?”
Carolyn swallowed. “I thought we were working on the project.”
Anna took a sip of her drink to allow Adeline to comment first. When Adeline didn’t jump in, Anna took over. “I thought so too. I just didn’t want to seem pushy. I know this kind of thing is hard, and you have to do it at your own pace. If you want to sightsee, I’m all for it, but if you want to get to the bottom of what is going on with your kids, we can do that too.”
“Well, as it happens, I received a telephone call from Christophe earlier. He was full of suggestions.”
Carolyn was confused. “For the sights?”
“For things to inquire about regarding his parents’ endeavors. My financial manager is flying in this afternoon. He will be looking at some questionable investments. Roland will be flying in with him. He will be taking another look at some background information. I have a private detective, or rather a fleet of them, doing some investigation.”
Anna looked deflated. “What does that leave for us?”
“As I suggested last evening, the stylist and her team will be here in just a bit to do some fittings.”
“We hardly need to go to the expense of a new wardrobe if we are sitting in your conference room, taking notes for others to investigate.” Anna tried not to sound annoyed. She was unsuccessful.
Adeline smiled. “I thought about what you said last night. Actually, about all that you
said. I have decided on a two-pronged approach. I will depend on you to determine the best way to implement the approach. I would like my staff to do the dirty work, so to speak, but I would like for us to do a more personal investigation. I propose that our approach be more personal. I would like to approach my children face-to-face, and in that way, if we can work things around to a positive place, it is the beginning of a better relationship. If we cannot do so, at the very least I have been bold enough to confront my issues face-to-face.”
“That’s a whole lot of approaches.”
Adeline laughed. “I suppose it is. As you might have been able to discern, I am a bit nervous about all of this. While I have had a distant relationship with my older children, I have always been able to convince myself that they were spoiled but benign. If in fact they are more injurious than I have allowed myself to believe, then it is my responsibility, not only as their mother but as a member of the community, to do what I can to excise them from their positions of power.”
Anna was interested again. “Do you have a plan?”
“I have taken the liberty of inviting them to dinner tonight. The beginning of a plan, really.”
“When do they get here?” Carolyn sounded nervous.
“We will not dine here. I think all involved would prefer a more neutral setting.”
Anna chuckled. “And it would be nice to have some witnesses.”
Adeline smiled. “Cara has pointed out to me that your enemies stab you in the back, but your friends stab you in the front. My children would never do anything to create a scene. Not even in front of the staff.”
“It is more their style to let you rot away.” Anna wanted to bite her tongue off. She simply couldn’t let go of the fact that Adeline’s children had done nothing to help her when she needed it most. She needed to get a handle on that, or a confrontation was just a matter of time.
Anna was many things in life, but shy and retiring were simply not on the list. She hated the fact that Adeline had been passive enough to allow herself to get into a position of weakness, and it was easier to lash out at the children who’d done nothing than her friend who didn’t take the appropriate steps.
“As we have discussed, I take responsibility for my part in that, Anna. I had at my disposal the best resources imaginable, and instead of taking advantage of those resources, I simply gave up.”
Carolyn reached out to her friend. “I believe that you were depressed, Adeline. I know that when I am depressed it is difficult for me to simply put one foot in front of the other. Wasn’t it you who told me, repeatedly, that I am to forgive myself for the things that took place with my Suze? That I was not in a position emotionally, spiritually, or even physically to do anything about it? Perhaps because your youngest daughter was deployed and you were rambling around in that big old house all by yourself, it was just easier not to fight the good fight.”
Adeline took a deep breath. “I believe you might be onto something there, Carolyn. Thank you. What I do know is that I am ready now. I have a new lease on life. A long-term lease. I’ll be damned if I allow that to be taken from under me.”
Anna beamed. “That’s good to hear, because I’ve got plans. Lots of plans. For our next adventure. And the forty-seven after that. We’ll talk about those after we get this all taken care of. What are we doing tonight?”
“Nothing formal. I have put one of my staff on it. A simple dinner at one of my clubs. I’ve decided a buffet would be best. It will allow us to mingle a bit more. Perhaps a few words over a serving dish will help Anna to decipher what it is that is driving her to distraction.”
Anna’s eyebrows met in the middle. “How did you know about that?”
“I know you. The more something is knocking around in the back of your brain — that is the term you used when our project was Barry and we could little understand what Pickles meant and you were unable to decode its meaning — the more protective you become of those around you.”
“Is it really that obvious?”
“Only to those of us who have the privilege of knowing you well.” Adeline’s affection for her friend was empowering.
“You’re right. It is driving me crazy. I know we missed something. Mostly because you always miss things when you are first looking at them. Nobody sees everything on the first pass, but there is something going on that I just can’t put my finger on. Something not right.”
Carolyn suggested, “It always comes to me when I stop thinking about it. Maybe if you do something totally unrelated, it will pop into your mind.”
“I tried that. Wrote a nice long letter to Amy. Elsa was kind enough to post it for me. I even took a bath, which is even better thinking time for me than a shower, but I only do it when I really need to think. I read somewhere that your mind responds to rituals, so I keep the whole bath thing for when I’m really stuck and my brain needs a new place to open up. That, and I really don’t like my bathtub at home. It needs to be about eight inches longer to be truly comfortable.”
“Was the tub in your bath sufficient?”
Anna couldn’t help but laugh. “You could use that bathtub to do laps. It was great. Thank you, Adeline.”
Carolyn nibbled at the open-faced sandwich she’d created. “So, where exactly are we?”
Anna rolled her eyes. “Nowhere, and that is what is frustrating me. We came here to figure this out, and I haven’t accomplished a darn thing. Don’t know any more than when I arrived.”
Carolyn argued. “We did get all those notes on timelines and interactions or whatever you call it with all the different members of the family.”
“But I don’t see how that is going to help. I think what we need is the same kind of data, but for the people Granville and Talbot actually do business with. We don’t have that.” Anna’s frustration was growing. “Knowing that they partied a little too much or maybe got away with something in school, that isn’t going to tell us what they are up to now, is it?”
Adeline put her plate down and stared into middle space. She looked like she was trying to decide what the next step would be or if there should even be a next step. “There are moments I think that I should just allow nature, or rather the law, to take its course. I know that my children will eventually be caught at whatever it is they are doing, and to be brutally honest, that is not my overall concern. My concern is for the people who work for them, directly or indirectly. Some would undoubtedly lose their positions, and that would be tragic in this economy, but what about those who were unaware or became involved with something nefarious for reasons that we cannot imagine? It is the innocent that I worry for.”
It was Carolyn’s comment that changed everything. Just a thought muttered while she was gathering the plates from the other girls and walking toward the cart to retrieve drinks. “I thought you had a theory that bold moves are never first moves.”
Anna thought for a moment. “You’re right! You are absolutely right. Do you really think that someone, even someone really rich, would start off with a swindle that was really huge? No. Maybe something smaller. Maybe in school. Maybe after all these years the first things that they cut their teeth on aren’t even thought about anymore, or people figure since the statute of limitations is gone, they don’t have to keep the secret anymore. Maybe Carolyn is right. Maybe we do have to look back before we move forward.”
The excitement had returned to Anna’s voice, and it was contagious. “The way we tracked down Pickles was to look to Barry’s past. That might actually work again.”
Adeline took a breath. “I am willing to do whatever it takes, but I am not at all sure that this will be of benefit. I have given you all the information I have, and it doesn’t seem to have gotten us anywhere. If our undertakings have done anything at all, it is to make it ever more clear to me that I was a woefully poor mother and did not take the time or effort to know my children well once they hit that magical number of eighteen. The truth of it is that I did not know them well before that.”
Anna answered for the girls. “Don’t worry about it, Elsa. What can we do for you?”
“Originally I came in to advise you that the stylist and her team will be here in thirty minutes.”
“Thank you.”
“But overhearing what you were speaking of, I think I have an obligation to confess.”
Adeline whipped her head around to look directly at Elsa. Her movements were normally so refined that the sudden movement startled Carolyn.
“What is it, Elsa?”
“Please, ma’am. May we do this privately?”
Carolyn and Anna started to leave before Adeline could respond.
“I’m sorry. Not from the two of you ladies, from the rest of the staff.”
Adeline looked at Anna, who had walked toward the door. A virtually undetectable nod was exchanged, and Anna closed the door.
“Ma’am, I am sorry that I didn’t tell you any of this sooner. It just never seemed to be relevant.”
“And what is it that seemed irrelevant, Elsa?”
“My mother went to school with Talbot.”
The surprise on Adeline’s face was instantly replaced with a more neutral appearance that she would maintain for the rest of the conversation. “Please, Elsa, go on.”
“The whole reason I applied for this job was because of Talbot. She and my mother were friends. Not close friends, mind you, but they knew each other well enough. Mom said that Talbot was a talker. That she shared more than she should have. That the school was full of young people with the same privileged background and that they felt safe with one another. Able to let their guard down. It wasn’t like it is now with the tabloids and the paparazzi. When they were within the walls of the school, they were free.”
“What years were they in the same school?”
“First when they were away.”
Adeline looked at the girls. “Boarding school.”
Spoiled Fruit Page 9
