With each trip, she laid out the details of her plan: she would marry a man named Frank Mason, a young guy with old money. Lewis couldn’t discern or remember in great detail exactly how she planned to do it, but if it was comparable to what she was doing to him, he believed it would certainly work. Lewis was in a whirlwind. He couldn’t breathe. He shook and fought the urge to grab a fistful of her long, black hair. He tried to contain himself, but resistance was futile. She showed him firsthand how she would convince Frank Mason that she was his woman. Lewis didn’t know how she knew of Frank, but he could not have cared less at that moment.
She told Lewis that once she was with Frank, her payments would change from weekly to monthly. Large enough to make it worth his while but small enough as to not be missed by Frank. Considering the amount Frank spent every weekend, she offered to give Lewis ten thousand a month for the first few months. Lewis did not protest; he could not protest. Lewis was in agony, longing for the curves of her face, the softness of her lips. He could scarcely think of anything else.
He loved her and hated her, unsure of which emotion ruled him more. When she was done laying out her plan, she asked if the terms and conditions were agreeable to him. She sucked, looking for his reaction before asking. Sucked. Asked.
He shouted, “Yes, whatever you want!”
He would have given her his firstborn if it meant she would free him. Now Lisa decided to relinquish control. She relented, leaving him in the calm of his release. He couldn’t believe what just happened, but he was low-key about his excitement regarding it. Lisa making the proposal was completely unexpected, and he realized for the first time that he had completely underestimated her. The way he saw it, she had anticipated resistance from him and concocted this scheme when she was sure he would be most susceptible to her advances. I’ll be damned; she set me up, he thought to himself, grinning at the execution. From that moment on, he viewed Lisa in a completely new light.
She had managed to do something no other woman could: earn his respect. For the first few months, Lisa paid the agreed-upon amount, increasing it to twenty thousand each month thereafter. Things were going well . . . until Lisa decided that stealing from her husband was morally deplorable. Nearly six years into their agreement, she tried to buy Lewis out with a $4 million lump-sum payment. She hoped the buyout payment would be enough to satisfy him, but she didn’t take into account his insatiable greed. Lewis figured if she could afford the buyout, she could give more. Mrs. Mason might have been feeling remorseful, but not guilty enough to confess the whole truth. Lewis took advantage of the newfound leverage he had over Lisa, offering to relieve her burden by sharing their secret with her husband. Lisa was horrified by the blackmail attempt, but her reluctance to resolve the situation herself forced her hand. In order to keep Lewis from crashing the world she’d meticulously built, she increased his payout per month, nearly doubling the payment. With thirty-five thousand being funneled into his accounts, she was sure that there would not be any problems. For a time, there had not been any glitches . . . until now, that was.
Lisa’s availability had waned in recent months, but since she was still paying on time, he was not concerned. He did not like surprises, however, and set up his own version of an insurance plan: Charlie Gray. Charlie was desperate and would do almost anything for a leg up. Lisa’s questionable behavior had provided the perfect opportunity for Charlie to prove herself, and she jumped at the chance. Charlie had been on assignment for three weeks and hadn’t reported anything of any value to Lewis. He began to think that Charlie didn’t take him or his money seriously, convinced that Charlie had lost focus. He wasn’t sure if she rolled that way or not, but he also wasn’t sure that she wasn’t distracted by Lisa’s curves and feminine wiles. Lewis could understand if this was true, but he would not accept it, even if she was attracted to her. He did not mind spending money to make money, but he never threw a dime away.
I-35 North was clear, and his Mercedes E-Class always made for a smooth ride. He parked and headed to room 1520. Charlie had some serious explaining to do. Lewis was ready to cut his ties and move on. He didn’t believe in paying someone to do a job that they were ill-equipped to do. He thought that maybe Charlie was not the woman for the job. Besides, there were plenty more where she came from. Lewis called Charlie from his cell, but she did not answer. He disconnected the call, taking a moment to collect himself. He felt his rage rising. His time was precious, and Charlie knew he was en route. He called again.
“Hello?” Charlie quivered.
“Open the door; I’m outside.”
“I’m not in my room . . . I, uh, had to make a run.”
“Open this damn door! I don’t have time for this.”
A member of the janitorial staff dropped his things as he passed by, obviously startled by Lewis’s outburst. Lewis cursed under his breath, realizing he was drawing unwanted attention.
“I’m sorry, but something came up, and I couldn’t wait.”
“You couldn’t call and let me know before I wasted my time driving out here? Huh?”
“I was going to call you but . . . It was simply last minute.”
Lewis stood outside the door, leaning in to place his ear against the wood to listen for movement inside. He felt disrespected and considered the consequences for kicking the door in, deciding against it. He had spent enough time with “Dallas’s Finest.”
“Charlie, I am giving you today, are we clear? Do not try to leave town. I will find you, understood? No one disappears with anything that belongs to me.” He hung up the phone before she responded. He would deal with her later. What in the hell was going on—first Lisa, now Charlie? Shit, he hoped that Sophie would not try him. He was ready to pop.
Chapter 10
Michelle sat in silence, trying to make sense of what she heard. What was her father doing here? What had just happened? How did Charlie know her father? So many questions swirled through her mind. The package she received came with a note that suggested she reach out to a Charlie who was staying at the Omni Hotel. Charlie apparently had been spending a generous amount of time with Lisa and might be able to shed some light on her history. She had a few questions regarding the old photographs she received and hoped Charlie could help her put some of these puzzle pieces in her head together. She found the hotel where Charlie was staying and came by on a hunch that she might be there. She had expected to get a few answers but not this. Michelle pondered what angle she should approach Charlie with. She did not want to reveal who she was, but she wanted to know the relationship between Charlie and her father.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes, it’s cool.” Charlie held her stomach unconsciously, worried about what Lewis might do to her. She said the wrong thing before, and he nearly killed her.
“Are you sure? Whoever that was sounded pretty upset.”
Charlie considered confessing her horror. Telling this complete stranger how she had misrepresented herself, scheming and plotting and now was in so deep she couldn’t tell which way was up anymore. “What can I do for you? Earlier, you said you had questions about Lisa.”
Charlie wasn’t forthcoming, and Michelle couldn’t press harder without arousing suspicion.
“I came across some old photographs, and I was hoping you could help me identify some of the people in them. I think that Lisa may be in a few.”
Charlie glanced at the photographs spread across the bed.
“Where did you get these?”
“Is that important?”
“Not really, I guess. Just curious.”
“Someone sent them to me with a note directing me to you.”
Charlie tried to mask the urgency in her voice. She lied about the origin of the pictures being important. It was very important. Someone figured out who she was and where to find her. The thought made her even more nauseated. She did not know a lot of people in the area, especially anyone who would have access to these pictures. They were old photographs, sending
Charlie down memory lane. She could not recall most of the people in them, but one did catch her eye. She picked it and passed it to Michelle.
“How did you find me?”
“The pictures came with a note.” Michelle passed the note to Charlie. “Here it is.”
Charlie examined the handwriting. She recognized it but couldn’t remember who it belonged to. She could only think of a handful of people that knew where she lived, but they wouldn’t have these pictures, and even fewer knew about her and Lisa.
“That is a picture of Lisa from high school.”
Michelle’s eyes widened in surprise. Her note had given her the impression that Lisa and Charlie had only recently begun spending time together.
“Exactly how long have you known Lisa?”
“Oh, we grew up together, more or less. I lived down the street from her. We were neighbors, not friends. That particular picture was at a house party. She didn’t even know who I was, but I knew her. She never missed a party.”
“She was a party girl?”
“I thought so at first, but after that night . . .” Charlie’s voice trailed off.
Michelle glanced up from the picture and peered at Charlie; the question manifested itself in her eyes.
Charlie hesitated to answer, but the look in Michelle’s eyes made it difficult to ignore her. “Lisa had gotten unusually wasted. A few of her friends took her home around one that morning.”
Uncertain of her words, Charlie sheepishly shrugged her shoulders. She busied her fingers with the buttons on her chiffon blouse, trying, unsuccessfully, to draw strength from their firmness. She wanted nothing more than to allow their solidarity to inhabit her entire being. To feel confident and secure in all that she had to say.
“I can only speculate on the time, but her screams woke me up around three. I could see into her bedroom window from my house across the street.”
Michelle took note of the subtle but swift change in her demeanor. The lavish modern art decor of the room exchanged its exquisite caravan of Sunkist oranges, fire-engine reds, and cherry browns for a mild, less intrusive gray scale as the temper within grew heavy with Charlie’s malaise.
Charlie paused, fought back the tears, and wondered if she wanted to share this story with a stranger. Michelle moved to the bed and placed a comforting hand over Charlie’s, offering it as a palliative, encouraging her to continue, prodding her to go back.
“I couldn’t make out what was happening at first. I only saw a lot of movement. Everything was blurry. I’m visually handicapped without my glasses, especially from that distance, but it was dark in my house, and I couldn’t find them right away. I didn’t want anyone to see me, so I left the light off. It took me a second, but I found them and . . . part of me wished I hadn’t found them. I can never un-see that.”
Charlie started openly weeping, unable to hold back the tears any longer. “The bastard was raping her!”
This was the first time she had ever shared the horrific scene from that night with anyone, her emotions letting loose from carrying that guilt around with her all these years. Michelle did not respond. Besides, she didn’t know what to say. She held her questions and gave Charlie the floor.
Charlie’s cries subsided, and she spoke again. “I was scared for her. Hurting for her. I should have yelled for help or something, and I was going to, but then I saw her. She just stood there. Watching.”
Charlie’s body shook as she spoke. Disgust was etched across her face. Nausea threatened to visit her. Michelle grabbed a cold towel from the bathroom and handed it to her. The cool, damp towel returned some of Charlie’s face back to its natural color. Her eyes were swollen, and her face was red from crying. “I was in shock, I guess. I couldn’t move. Watching her standing there . . . I kept waiting for her to intervene, to save her daughter, but she never did. She stood there, watching her ratchet husband rape their only daughter.”
Michelle was stunned. No, mortified was the more appropriate reaction that she could describe. This was horrible. She immediately thought of Brianna. How could she tell her? She changed her mind, realizing that it was not her story to tell. If Lisa wanted Brianna to know, Michelle decided that Lisa would need to be the one to do it. Charlie lay across the bed, emotionally drained, visibly exhausted. Michelle thought of what this could mean. This was not going at all as anticipated.
“Charlie, why did you tell me this?”
Charlie massaged her temples with the tips of her small fingers, warning the impending migraine to stay at bay. It was a vain attempt to buy time for her mind to assemble some plausible explanation, something to justify her sudden candor. Maybe it was Michelle’s convivial demeanor that permitted her to speak, or maybe the weight of it all had simply become too much to bear.
“I’m tired of living a lie. I feel like I’ve lost myself.”
Michelle nodded. She understood what Charlie meant. Life was like a delicate fabric, and it doesn’t take much to alter it. Charlie had cut so much that she no longer recognized the material; she lost Charlie. Michelle recognized her dismay because she too had fallen victim to the same thing.
“I was in love with Lisa . . . I am in love with Lisa. She disappeared that night, and I blamed myself. I thought maybe if she knew she had someone in her corner, she could have stayed, maybe even get some help. I heard awful things. I worried, but I was too young to do anything. I never forgot about her. I had been looking for her off and on. I travel a lot, and in every city I stayed, I looked for her. After I got to Dallas, I got into a little legal trouble. I knew this lawyer, Jacob, from around the way, and I stopped by his office for a consult. To my surprise, I saw a picture of her. Well, it was a picture of her, this guy, whom I later found out was her husband, and their baby.”
Michelle perked up. That baby must have been Brianna. This provided a window to get more of a definite timeline for their separation. Depending on how old Brianna was in the picture, they must have been separated fairly soon after they were born.
“She looked happy. It did not take much prodding to get Jacob to talk about the lovely family. Once I had her name, Lisa Mason, I looked her up. I didn’t think I’d have any chance of getting close but after a few months of uh . . . monitoring, I saw a crack in the door.”
Michelle was not surprised that Charlie monitored Lisa. She couldn’t label the energy, but something was certainly not kosher. She continued to listen to Charlie as she divulged more details of her stalker-type behavior. “I noticed that she would meet with this guy every month at a certain club. I figured that would be my best shot. I didn’t know what they had going on, but he had ‘ladies’ man’ written all over him. It wasn’t that hard to get his attention. We only messed around a few times, but I tried to stay close, you know, like, make myself available. Dude was real disrespectful, and it was difficult for me to be around him. When I was at the point to where I was about to give up, he propositioned me. He was loaded! When he came at me with dead presidents, I knew he could make it worth my time.”
“Wait, wait; hold on a minute.” Michelle was not sure if she wanted to hear more. She had already learned more than she ever thought she would. Frankly, she wasn’t sure she could take any more, especially if this dude was who she thought he was. She had to find out more information for her own version of “connect the dots.”
“So you’re telling me that your catching up with Lisa, here in Dallas, was completely coincidental?”
“Well, yes, umm . . . Well, I had been looking for her, but it’s not like I had any idea where she was. I was only hoping to run into her one day, like in the movies. I had imagined the whole thing for so long. A magical reunion.”
Charlie chortled and shook her head, amused with the absurdity of her imaginings. That would have never been possible. Lisa didn’t even know her.
“So the guy . . .” Charlie met Michelle’s stare. “He paid you to get close to Lisa?”
Michelle offered her last thoughts as more of a factual statement t
han a question. Charlie nodded, confirming her thoughts. “He pays for everything. Every trip I take her on, every dinner, every gift that I give to her, he took care of all of it. Dream come true, right?”
Michelle sensed Charlie’s angst and understood her sarcasm. The way she saw it, Charlie had gotten herself into an impossible situation. While her love for Lisa was genuine and ever-present, the entirety of their affair was predicated on a lie, not to mention the fact that Lisa was married.
“Right, dream come true.” Michelle couldn’t fret over Charlie’s issues. She had enough of her own. She stood to leave. “Thank you for speaking with me. I appreciate it.”
Charlie grasped the full severity of her disclosure and sprang to her feet. If Lewis ever found out that he had been a pawn in her chess game, or that she played him to get close to Lisa and took his money in the process, he would not take it well. The scar-drawn necklace he left around her neck from her last admission served as a constant reminder of what he was capable of. She glared at Michelle, her nostrils flaring as her hands flexed into fists. “If any of this ever gets out, I’ll know who’s to blame.”
Michelle shrugged, ignoring the threat, slightly confused by her abrupt change in attitude. She smiled halfheartedly before she closed the door behind her. “The dude that hired you to get close to Lisa, that’s the guy that was here earlier, right?”
“Yes, that’s him,” Charlie answered. “He can never know what I’ve told you.”
Michelle was grateful that Charlie could not see her face, where her bewilderment was so poorly masked. What did all of this mean? What was her father into? She never saw him much growing up, but he had seemed to be a decent man, and he always provided for her and her mother. Now she wasn’t sure what to think or how to feel about him. This situation was evolving at an uncomfortable rate. She didn’t know if the new information had anything to do with her or Brianna. She still had a lot of digging to do, and something told her she was not going to like what she unearthed.
Virtuous Deception Page 6
