Still Waters...

by Crysal V. Rhodes

  “What’s the entire Stillwaters story?” Ray knew that there was one, and he was curious. “How did this town get here?”

  Bev turned to him with questioning eyes. “You mean Dana hasn’t told you?” There was condemnation, not curiosity, in her tone.

  “No, she hasn’t.”

  Bev studied him just as her grandmother had less than an hour ago. Ray held her eyes. He didn’t like what he saw in them—distrust. Still, he was persistent.

  “And since she hasn’t told me, why don’t you?”

  “You’re supposed to be Dana’s fiancé, not mine. Let her tell you, but I will say this. In spite of unbelievable obstacles, everyone resting here has a story of success. If Stillwaters blood runs through your veins, failure is not an option.”

  When speaking of her family, Bev showed the same sense of pride that Dana had exhibited. That’s what made it so difficult to believe that she really thought that a Stillwaters family member might be a murderer.

  “Since perfection is a Stillwaters family requirement, I take it that divorce is considered as failure.” Ray was teasing about the perfection crack, but he did wonder what her opinion was on the subject of divorce.

  “We may not be perfect, but members of the Stillwaters family usually marry well,” Bev replied. “There have been very few divorces in our family.”

  “Except for Dana,” he countered. She must have known that he was steering her in that direction. “From what I’ve heard she’s been divorced twice.”

  Bev lifted a brow. “From what you’ve heard? You mean you didn’t know? Dana didn’t tell you? It appears as though you and your fiancée don’t talk very much.”

  Ray let his silence answer her question as they continued their stroll. It was peaceful here, and at the moment he needed that peace. He didn’t like the turmoil that Dana was creating, and he wanted no part of it. It was time to end this, but not here on hallowed ground.

  Bev could sense that he had something on his mind, and it wasn’t difficult to guess what it was. She didn’t know him that well, but she knew Dana. She was quite familiar with her tactics; whatever truth there was to be told, it wasn’t going to come from her. Without a word, she led him from her family’s resting place. Getting into the golf cart, they drove away. Bev came to a stop in the middle of the road leading away from the church and cemetery and turned to Ray expectantly. He looked at her. Now was the time to speak.

  “I found out that I was engaged to Dana just before we reached Stillwaters. You’re going to have to ask her about what’s going on.”

  “You’re saying that you don’t know the reason she did this?” Bev was still suspicious of him.

  Ray wasn’t budging. “Like I said, ask Dana.”

  “And you weren’t in on this from the beginning?”

  “I’m not repeating myself, Bev. Either you believe me or you don’t. I just need a ride out of here so that I can go home.” He looked and sounded exhausted.

  “All right.” Feeling suddenly energized, Bev gave up the questioning. “I can help you with that.”

  Ray noticed that she seemed to be as relieved as he was that this farce was over. That made him feel better. There was just one more thing.

  “I want to say that I’m sorry that I didn’t say anything when I first got here. It was never my intention to let this lie continue.”

  Bev didn’t answer. Instead she gave him a sad smile. Ray hadn’t seen a smile on her face since—

  “Hey, I can’t remember the last time I saw that happen.” He grinned at her.

  Bev ignored him. She wasn’t interested in lighthearted conversation with this man. She was just glad that he had come clean, although about what still wasn’t clear. Dana held the answer to that, and once again it was time for her to confront her sister.

  * * *

  “I should have known that you would talk Ray into telling you!” Dana’s angry eyes flashed.

  “Oh, don’t be silly!” She couldn’t believe this woman. “The man simply didn’t want to get caught up in your drama.” She and her sister had been arguing for about half an hour and nothing had been resolved. “Dana, you’ve been playing your silly games since you were a child. Whenever something didn’t go your way you’d concoct your little schemes to manipulate things until they pleased you. But you’re a grown woman now, and it’s time to act like it.

  “I know that you’re still angry at us about Mitch, but don’t start a family feud because of it. Our mother has a chance to head this family after Grandy leaves us. Don’t deny her that honor.”

  Dana gave her sister a disgusted grunt. “I’ve already told you that I couldn’t care less about that. Believe it or not, the world does not revolve around the Stillwaters family.” Tired of the discussion, Dana headed toward the bedroom door. Bev was on her heels.

  “So if you didn’t bring Ray to town to interfere with the family’s selection of Grandy’s successor, then I’m asking you again, why did you bring him?”

  Dana stopped and turned toward her. “You mean Ray didn’t tell you? I’m shocked! You got everything else you wanted to know out of him. Not that I should be surprised. I knew that he was weak when it comes to you.”

  She started to walk out of the door, but Bev moved to block her exit. “What do you mean by that?”

  Dana felt a sense of satisfaction at the disquieted look on her sister’s face. It wasn’t often that she got the upper hand on Bev.

  “You’re no fool. You know exactly how to play him to get what you want.”

  “Oh, please. If you thought that, why in the world would you bring him here, especially as your fiancé?” Bev scoffed.

  Dana gave a wicked smile. “Don’t worry about it. I have my reasons.”

  The look on Dana’s face was malicious, verification of how wide the gulf between the two sisters had become. Saddened by that reality, Bev turned and left the room. This time it was Dana who did the following. She smelled blood as she stalked her sister down the stairway.

  “I’ve suspected for years that Ray had a thing for you. I’ve noticed his reaction whenever the two of you are in the same room, but I never said anything.” They reached the end of the stairs and stood face-to-face. “As a friend I thought that he would show me some loyalty. But I guess that lust trumps friendship. ”

  Bev was incensed. “And in our case, family.”

  “Uh-uh. Play stupid all you want, but I came here for some answers and I mean to get them.”

  “Answers to what, Dana?” Bev was just about through with this foolishness.

  “I’ll let you know when I get them.” She turned and walked through the front door. Ginny appeared in the living room entranceway.

  “Are you two at it again?” She looked anxious.

  Bev wanted to spare her mother the pain of her sister’s deceit. Dana had caused her enough problems. Bev and Ray had agreed that urgent business would be used as the excuse for his leaving town early, and Dana had agreed to go along with their decision. She didn’t want to look bad in her mother’s eyes. At the moment, Bev just wanted to soothe her mother’s concern.

  “Don’t worry. It’s nothing. It’s just Dana being Dana.”

  Those four words should be explanation enough.

  * * *

  “Man, how did you get caught up in this?” Thad Stewart shook his head in disbelief as Ray finished telling him the story of Dana’s deceit in getting him into Stillwaters. Ray had called him an hour earlier and asked to be picked up so that they could go somewhere private and talk. They had ended up walking along the bank of Stillwaters Lake. “And what is it that Dana came home for that’s so important that she had to lie to bring you here?”

  “I’d rather not say.” As he had with Bev, Ray had told Thad everything but Dana’s motive. That was her revelation, not his.

  “I know one thing. I ought to find the woman and strangle her. Darnell’s been sweating the hell out of me trying to find out what you two are up to. She didn’t believe for a mo
ment that you two were engaged.”

  “Who did?” Ray gave a sarcastic laugh. Sweeping his hand over his close-cropped hair in frustration, he flopped down on a nearby picnic table. “Yesterday when I left California I was a happy man…”

  “And today you’ve been fronted off in front of Bev.” Thad gave a knowing chuckle. “That’s what this is about, isn’t it?”

  “Aw, man, I’ve been through enough today. Dana’s mad at me, Darnell’s mad at me and Bev’s mad at me, too. She and Dana are probably battling it out somewhere right now. I didn’t want to be in the middle of that, so I called you. I just want out of here. Can you help me?”

  Thad looked at the pained expression on his friend’s face and chuckled. “Yeah, I guess you have been through the wringer. I’ll…”

  The ring of Thad’s cell phone interrupted him. He answered it while Ray studied a small fishing boat bobbing on the crystal-clear water while its occupants cast their fishing lines. Thad’s voice interrupted Ray’s contemplation.

  “My man, lady luck is on your side. That was Darnell. Dana told Grandy that you had to leave, and she offered to have someone drive you out of here so that you could catch a plane back to L.A. But you won’t be leaving until tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow? I want out of here today! What if I pay one of those plane owners to fly me out? There are at least a half dozen airplanes parked out near that strip.”

  Thad shook his head. “I can tell you right now, I doubt if anybody is flying out of here until they head for home. People came here to relax and have fun. Besides, there’s a lot of political maneuvering going on right now in the family and I doubt if you can find anybody who wants to leave. Anyway, buddy, you’re in Shangri-La. Nobody in Stillwaters needs your money.”

  Ray couldn’t disagree with that. “And how did Shangri-La get here? How did all of this happen? Why didn’t you tell me about this place and about this family? ”

  Thad raised a brow. “Think about it, Ray. How many old money families welcome the public spotlight?”

  Thad was right. Old money was discreet. It was the new rich who craved the spotlight so that everyone would know that they had arrived, especially in Hollywood. Ray saw it all the time.

  “Besides, if I had told you that a place like this existed, would you have believed me?”

  “Probably not.” As Dana had informed him, those people who needed to know did know.

  “Brother man, I’m here to tell you that what you’re seeing here is another whole level of wealth.” Thad took a seat on top of the picnic table, using the bench as a footstool. “I’m not about to blow the benefits I’ve enjoyed by marrying into the Stillwaters clan, so I keep my mouth shut, and I’m not alone.”

  Ray could understand that, too. If Darnell was even a small example of the moneymaking expertise of this family, then the possibilities were limitless. Thad had already been a major player in the movie industry as an actor before he married Darnell, but after the two of them combined forces, his star power had soared into the stratosphere. The last two movies that he and Darnell had produced and starred in together had made major money, and that was just the beginning.

  Thad had always possessed a great singing voice, but he had never showcased it. Being the consummate musical artist that she was, Darnell had recognized his potential. She had talked him into recording a duet with her, and it had soared to the top of the charts. Overnight he had started an additional career. His already substantial fortune had increased dramatically, and together the couple was one of the wealthiest in the entertainment industry. Thad and Darnell were the “it” couple in Hollywood. Money was pouring in. It appeared that they could do no wrong.

  “This place produces winners.” Thad lifted his hands to include the whole environment. “Darnell is a product of that. You have noticed that she and I have no problem getting capital for our movie projects?”

  “Of course, the two of you are gold-plated. Investors are standing in line.”

  Thad looked at him steadily. “The major ones don’t have to.”

  Ray’s mind raced as he recalled the names of some of the people and entities who had invested in the production company that Darnell and Thad had formed. He didn’t recall the name Stillwaters on the list, but there was one consistent financial investor—

  “The S and F Consortium!” Ray remembered looking the name up online, but there was scant information.

  “Family First.” Thad remained expressionless.

  “No wonder your movies get previewed here,” Ray muttered.

  “Of course,” Thad said. “My wife and I come here for a variety of reasons, but the major one is for our peace of mind. I don’t want that spoiled with a lot of publicity. Neither does anybody else here, so discretion is paramount.”

  Ray pondered his words for a moment. “So you’re asking me to keep my mouth shut about this town and what I’ve seen here.”

  “That would be the prudent thing to do.”

  Both men were quiet for a moment, and then Ray asked, “How did all of this start? How did these people accumulate all of this?”

  Thad looked at him curiously. “Didn’t Dana tell you anything about Stillwaters?”

  “Not much.”

  Thad scratched his head. “So much for communication between friends, but given that you’re really not going to become part of the family it makes sense that she would be guarded.”

  “Oh, so now I can’t be privy to any further information about the Stillwaters family unless I marry one of them?” Ray made the statement in jest, but the thought annoyed him.

  Thad was amused at Ray’s irritation. “Man, there’s power and influence in this family that you could not imagine, and I’m not about to challenge it if I don’t have to. But I’ll tell you this, the Stillwaters family is absolutely fascinating and it’s ruled by a remarkable woman.”

  “Esther Stillwaters.”

  Thad nodded. “One and the same. From what I’ve been told Grandy and her husband were kids when they got married. She was only fourteen and William was sixteen. They started having children right away, and, as you probably know by now, they had seven in all.

  “Darnell told me that her great-grandfather, William, owned a lumber mill. You see, the members of the Stillwaters family don’t work for anybody but themselves or one another.”

  “How well I know.” Ray had found that out when the prenuptial agreement between Thad and Darnell was being negotiated. He had opted out of writing it, since that was not his area of expertise. He had suggested to Darnell that Dana as her attorney might want to do the same. Darnell had told him that she couldn’t consider anyone else to do the job other than one of the other attorneys in her family. He had thought nothing of it at the time, but now…He listened closely as Thad continued.

  “William’s father had a successful hauling business. He gave his only son the money to build the mill, and it thrived. He bought this plot of land and built a house for his family.”

  “The one that Mrs. Stillwaters lives in?” Ray had observed that Esther’s house was older than the other ones in town.

  “No, that one was built later.” Thad’s voice faded. His eyes strayed across the lake.

  Ray frowned. “So, all of this land, this wealth and power, came as the result of a lumber mill?”

  “Something like that.” Thad returned his attention to his friend. “Actually, I think you had better ask Dana about the rest of it. This is her family’s story. All you need to know right now is that the members of the Stillwaters family are strong, smart, and shrewd, and that their women don’t play.”

  “All of them except Dana,” Ray sniffed. “She’s playing a little too much for me.”

  “Stop worrying about it. You’ll be out of here tomorrow. Let’s get back to the house.”

  “So that’s it? You’re really not going to tell me any more about the family?”

  “Nope,” Thad climbed to the ground and swiped at his clothes. “That’s all that you’re g
oing to get from me.” He drew an imaginary zipper across his mouth.

  “That’s cold, man.” Ray was genuinely disappointed.

  Thad threw an arm around his shoulder. “Just chill out and enjoy. There’s a dance tonight. Go and have some fun.”

  As the two of them started back up the trail toward the car, Ray knew that his friend was right. He would be leaving Stillwaters tomorrow, so why worry about Dana and her drama? That he wanted to forget, but when he left town Ray doubted that this place could be as easily dismissed.

  CHAPTER 7

  Bev watched Dana and Ray boldly as she sat in the banquet room of The Cove Community Center, where the dance that evening was being held. These family conclaves were held yearly, and the social committee for this gathering had planned weeks of activities that would keep everyone entertained. They were meant to help keep the family bonded, but this one was special because of Grandy’s centennial birthday celebration. Everyone’s spirits were high, except for Bev’s. Dana’s escapades had her depressed, but she planned to put on a good face for this evening’s festivities.

  The cover story that had been circulated regarding Ray’s coming departure hadn’t been questioned by anyone. Every adult in Stillwaters had occupations laden with pressures. They understood business emergencies when they occurred. Until his departure, he was welcomed into the fold and greeted graciously. That’s what hurt Bev most about her sister’s dishonesty. Family was supposed to trust one another. None of their extended family had doubted Dana, and she had betrayed their trust. It was Bev’s hope that no one other than Darnell and she would ever find out that Dana had lied about Ray.

  Bev shifted her attention to her sister. She was continuing to play the happy fiancée role, and she wasn’t a bad actress. Throughout the evening she stayed by Ray’s side, smiling at him and occasionally whispering in his ear. Bev could only imagine what she was saying. Knowing her sister, she suspected that Dana was cursing him out. Despite it all, Ray was playing it cool. Although she really didn’t want to admit it, he did look good this evening.

  He was dressed casually in a knit shirt that she couldn’t help noticing emphasized his biceps, and the finely creased jeans that he wore fit him well. She knew that he worked out. He had done so with Thad. She had never denied that Ray was a nice-looking man. He wasn’t the make-your-head-turn handsome like her cousin Nedra’s husband Sinclair or the really-cute-with-dimples handsome like Bev’s son-in-law. With his dark brown coloring and square-jawed features, she would describe Ray as ruggedly good looking. He had even managed to elicit some flirtatious giggles from a few of her teenage cousins, which he acknowledged politely and dismissed. Despite Dana being upset with him, he appeared to be enjoying himself, and the Stillwaters clan seemed to like him.