"A few weeks ago, before we separated, we went to a charity ball. I support several charities, carrying on the Grayson tradition. My late father was commemorated, and I was the guest of honor. The community relies upon me to attract other prosperous people from whom they might solicit funds."
June found him rather pompous. She couldn't tell what Eddie was thinking. He sipped from his drink again before he spoke. "Did you have any contact with your wife the day of her death?"
"No. Say, am I being investigated?" He frowned at June. "I had reason to believe Premier Insurance was an honorable company. I've paid rather large premiums over many years."
They didn't want to cause him to clam up, so June spoke up quickly. "It's a formality, Mr. Grayson. It's a large policy and an investigation is pro forma."
Grayson's face cleared. "Ah. I was unaware of that, but I suppose it makes sense. Unfortunately for our conversation, I'm a busy man and have other matters to attend to. Are there any other questions I can answer quickly?"
Eddie jumped on this before June could demur. "Do you mind if we look around a little, Mr. Grayson? We'd like to talk to your employees a bit. Try to get a feel for Mrs. Grayson's state of mind when she moved out."
Grayson's eyes glittered as he smoked. "I'll have Carrigan show you around."
Standing, Eddie offered his hand. Grayson never moved from his chair and didn't reach out to shake. June stood, watching the exchange carefully. Grayson quite obviously found them intrusive and was reluctant to accommodate their request. However, he must want that money.
"We'll leave you to your business, sir," June said with what she hoped was a professional but friendly smile.
"Carrigan!"
Once again, the butler entered the room nearly immediately. He obviously lurked around doorways. "Yes, sir?"
"Introduce Mr. Strong and Miss Tarryton to the servants as they wish. They have a few questions."
"Yes, sir." He gave a little bow and gestured for Eddie and June to follow him out.
Eddie put his hat back on his head. "Nice meeting you, Mr. Grayson."
Nodding once, the older man went back to contemplating his cigar smoke.
As the door closed behind them, Eddie turned to Carrigan. "No need to follow us all around. We'll only be a few minutes and can find our way."
Carrigan looked put out. "I don't think Mr. Grayson would approve, sir."
Eddie slipped him a ten spot—a ten dollar bill. "I'm sure you have more important things to do."
Quickly pocketing the money, Carrigan nodded. "If you need anything further, please let me know."
"Will do." Eddie put his hand on the small of June's back and steered her toward the back of the house. "Let's start with the kitchen help."
"How do you know they're this way?"
"Been in a few of these tombs. Kitchen is always in the back."
If he was from her century, he was sure an old vid buff or a voracious reader of twentieth-century literature. "Okay."
They found the kitchen, sure enough. And there were a cook and a cook's helper working at the counter and stove. After a brief conversation, the only thing they'd discovered was that Elizabeth was a much easier person to work for than Hendrickson Grayson. He was demanding and cold, whereas Elizabeth was warm and gracious. It pretty much fit the description June would have given of Grayson.
The cook pointed out that the pool boy was working in the back yard. She said it with a sneer, which June found strange, because otherwise the woman had been friendly.
They didn't see anyone else until they entered the back yard. There was a gardener working there, and across a large deck, there was a man wielding a pool skimmer on the large blue-tiled pool.
Stopping to talk to the gardener first, as he was closer, a little off the pathway near some rosebushes, they got some interesting information.
"Hey there," Eddie began. "I need to ask you some questions about Mrs. Grayson."
"I ain't got nothin' to say to you," the skinny, dirt-smudged man said. He carried small pruning shears, and was trimming roses back. They were riotous and sweetly perfumed the air. June had the impression, from the shift in the gardener's eyes, that he was holding something back. Apparently, Eddie thought the same.
"Sure you do," Eddie persisted, grabbing the man's hand.
"Lemme go! Mrs. Grayson was a good woman. Don't need to say more than that."
"Tell us about her." Eddie squeezed the fellow's wrist and the shears dropped to the mulch.
"She loved these roses," he said, rubbing his wrist. "They were her pride and joy. Mr. Grayson says they'll be uprooted at the end of the summer."
"That's a shame," June said. "Was Mrs. Grayson often at home to enjoy them?"
The gardener was taciturn, but answered. "She had obligations, I guess."
"Was she involved with another man, maybe?"
That got the man's back up. "No! I'm sure she wasn't. She was not that kind of lady. She…just kept busy is all."
Eddie took the gardener by the shoulders and gave him a small shake. "There's more to it. What is it?"
"Ouch!"
Eddie let go, but he menaced the smaller man with his size. It was intimidating and June thought it rough, cruel. Eddie's methods worked, however; that could not be denied. The gardener looked toward the pool where the man was working, and then back to Eddie. "It's Mendez."
"She was having an affair with the pool boy?" June asked.
"No! That's not it. It's Grayson. He's…not right."
Eddie gave the guy a not-so-light shoulder squeeze again. "How?"
"He's queer. Mendez and him…they got something going."
June realized right away that homosexuality was deeply concealed in 1950. Unlike June's century, gay people had no rights and were ostracized if their sexual preference was revealed. For Grayson, a snob with his vaunted social position, that would be intolerable. He took great pride in his largess in Los Angeles. To be exposed would kill his social standing. She took the knowledge and ran with it. "So where did Elizabeth Grayson fit in?"
"She didn't like it none, I think. Busied herself trying to look the other way. But, when it started being undeniable, she took off. Can't say as I blame her. Them two, they're a pair of odd birds."
In June's estimation, that gave Grayson one more reason to see that Elizabeth was out of the picture. He had to count on her good will and silence about his homosexuality otherwise. She could see a man like Grayson finding that kind of trust very difficult.
Eddie gave the man a shake. "That's all?"
The man pushed at Eddie's hand and the larger man let go. "Yeah. That's all. You'll probably get me fired now. I need this job."
"We won't say anything about you," June reassured him.
Slipping the man a fin—a five-dollar bill—Eddie patted the gardener on the back. "Take the wife out to dinner on us. You did the right thing."
"Yeah. Yeah. We'll see." He stuffed the bill in his pocket and picked up his shears.
Eddie gave a meaningful glance at June, and the pair went to talk to Mendez, the pool boy.
He was hardly a boy. June judged him to be about twenty-seven, and he had strong, aristocratic, Hispanic features. He looked up from the pool filter disinterestedly as they approached him.
"Sorry to interrupt you, man, but we have a couple of questions for you."
He went back to the filter he held in his right hand, emptying out leaves and small flower blossoms. "What if I don't wanna answer?"
"Sure you do," June said. She hoped she sounded pleasant. She was offended by his sullen attitude.
"No, lady, I don't. You just get back on your white stallion," he sneered, "and trot your sorry ass out of here."
June stiffened, and Eddie stepped closer to the worker. "Watch what you say, Mendez."
Scowling, Mendez said, "How do you know my name?"
"We've been talking to all the employees. We know all their names."
It was a bald-faced lie, but Mendez wo
uldn't know that. Unlike the gardener, Mendez seemed out of place, like working at the pool was an excuse for being there. He didn't appear particularly competent, or vaguely interested in what he was doing. But he sure was defensive. June toed the filter away from him and he looked up at her with a scowl.
"Stand up," she told him.
"You gonna make me, bitch?"
Ticked off, June didn't wait for Eddie to grab the man; instead she took a handful of the man's long, black hair and yanked. "Get up!"
"Ow!" He gripped her wrist and twisted. She let go, but pushed him as he stood.
"June," Eddie warned. June didn't look at him. She was focused on Mendez. If Eddie could be a difficult character, June could, too. She wasn't a flimsy, helpless flower.
"Answer our questions. What do you know about Elizabeth Grayson?" she insisted.
Mendez took a step back, and June took a step toward him, trying to get in his face. He was only a couple of inches taller than she was, so it wasn't too hard to do. "That bitch? Why do you care? Who the hell are you?"
June narrowed her eyes. "Watch what you say about a dead woman. Be respectful."
"Hmph." There was anger in his dark gaze.
Eddie broke into the staring match. "I'm Eddie Strong," he said, his voice hard. "This is Miss Tarryton. Don't ruffle her feathers, señor, or you'll be answering to me."
"You two are a pair, eh?" Mendez said. "Like I care whose underpants you got your fingers in, Strong. I seen you in the papers. If it's this dame today, it'll be a different one tomorrow."
Seeing red, June raised her hand and smacked Mendez's face with all her might. He rocked back and immediately raised his left hand to backhand her. Eddie grabbed his wrist.
"Watch it, you're making me sore, bud, and you don't want Eddie Strong sore."
Mendez glared at them both. "I know she was a…" He appeared to think better about what he was going to say. "She was away a lot."
They'd gotten the same story from the gardener and the kitchen help. "What about Mr. Grayson?"
"He's easier to work with. Friendly. I got no beef against him." Mendez stared at the filter at his feet. "Is that all?"
"Just one more question," June said. "How long have you been working for Mr. Grayson?"
"He hired me last year. I was lucky to get this job. He pays good, too."
If they were having an affair, it was only since last year. In a way, she felt sorry for Mendez. It must have been difficult to share Grayson with his wife. But if Grayson was behind Elizabeth's suspected murder, what part did Mendez play in the scheme?
June gave him one last shove, and he puffed out his chest, giving her a vicious look. He was mighty close to pushing her back, despite Eddie's threats. She was still teed off at him, but that ire was dimming, being replaced by something as uncomfortable as her twisted wrist.
"That's all, Mendez. Best get back to your job."
Eddie steered June away and they went through the house and out to the car.
"You were pretty pushy with Mendez, June," Eddie started as he got behind the steering wheel. "You could have got your clock cleaned."
She rubbed the wrist Mendez had grabbed. "He made me mad."
"That's no excuse. You should know better than to start a physical fight with a man."
June bristled. "I'm strong. I can defend myself."
"Not against a full-grown man. He must outweigh you by fifty pounds."
"So?"
"Do you know some martial art or something?"
Now June was beginning to shake from delayed reaction. She didn't know any form of self-defense. If Mendez had struck her, he could have broken her jaw. "No."
"Damn it, June! Did you expect me to shoot him?"
"I—I don't know what I was thinking. He made me mad." She turned to face him better, poking him in the chest with a shaky finger. "Besides, you threatened the gardener."
"That was me. I can defend myself. And your wrist got hurt, for all your trouble."
Her wrist wasn’t a serious injury and nerves were more responsible for her attention to it anyway. "I’m okay. He wasn't going to hit me."
"Bull shit!"
June felt cold all over and realized that Mendez definitely would have hit her had Eddie not prevented it.
"I'm sorry."
Eddie, grim-faced, started the car and began to drive them away. "We're going back to your place. It's time for another discussion."
Tears were forming in June's eyes. She'd been foolish. Very foolish. Now she was paying the price, realizing the mayhem she'd nearly caused. Eddie might have had to hit Mendez, or draw his gun. That would have certainly made Mendez unwilling to answer even the few questions he'd done. Eddie was going to take it out on her butt. She knew that was coming. The third spanking of the day. Her bottom would never be the same again.
"Eddie, I'm sorry. I was stupid. I won't do it again."
"No, you won't. We'll see to that."
June was crying quietly even before they got to her apartment.
Chapter 6
The apartment building was quiet, though the streets were noisy with rush hour traffic, but it was effectively muffled inside the building. June had hoped the apartment complex would be busy, too busy to allow for the sound of Eddie spanking her. But aside from a buzz from the incandescent light in the hallway, there wasn't a sound to be heard.
June fumbled with the key for a moment, her hands shaking, eyes bleary from the tears that kept forming, but she soon mastered the old-fashioned lock and had the door open. Her place smelled like fresh air. She'd left the window partly open and a breeze stirred the sheer curtains hanging in the living room. The kitchen light had been left on, and offered faint light to work by as June went around and turned on lamps.
Eddie followed her in and shut the door behind him. The lock clicked into place. June tried not to look at him. Somehow, although she knew it was forlorn, she hoped he'd change his mind and let her off with a stern warning. She was upset at her own behavior already. Never in her life had she exhibited violent tendencies. Her greatest aggression was in business, where she ran her conglomerate with stiletto efficiency.
"You don't have to do this," she said quietly, putting down her purse and removing her hat. The hatpin nearly pricked her finger, she was shaking so badly. Eddie tossed his hat near hers.
"I want you to think about what you did, June."
She turned, though she kept her eyes down. Eddie's rough face would be harsher, pitiless; she couldn't look at the disapproval she knew she'd find there. "I am thinking about it, Eddie. I'm thinking hard about it. I did a stupid thing. I can't believe I did it. It's just not me. It must be this…situation that has me acting so out of character." June had nearly said dream, but caught herself in time. Even if she had to withstand another spanking, she didn't want the RAVE to end. There was more she needed to explore with Eddie.
Eddie removed his suit coat and loosened his tie. "Go stand in the corner with your skirt up, panties down."
That earned a look. "You want me to stand in the corner?"
"Yes. You need to contemplate what would have happened if he'd hit you. I want you to picture your face beaten like that."
June shuddered. "I don't want to picture that."
"Too bad. You asked for a lot more than you got. Go do as I said."
"Eddie…"
"June, do it."
Sighing, June took off her jacket and kicked out of her shoes. She practically dragged her feet, but she did as Eddie commanded and went to the corner near the open window. It took a moment to shut the drapes—she didn't want the neighbors across the alley to see her humiliation—but once that was done, she took her place and raised her skirt. She inched off her panties and tried not to sob. She was so embarrassed being treated like a little child, with a time-out.
"You are to stand there, thinking about what went on. No talking. Hold your skirt up." The cool air wafted over her bare bottom. "That's better."
Behind her, Ed
die fiddled with something on the bar and his heels made a tapping sound as he went into the kitchen and came back out again. June heard ice clinking in a glass and the small airy sound the sofa cushion made as he sat down.
The wall was white, the corner slightly shadowed as June's body came between it and the light. She sniffled and hiccoughed, slow tears spilling down her face. Shame ate her up and spit her out.
Minutes passed. Although June thought of many things as she stood there, three things were most prominent. One was that she'd never in her life been so helpless, so dominated by a man. She'd always had the power, whether she wanted it or not. Eddie took it, continually earning more as he defended her and made demands for her to behave. It was reassuring and made June feel secure, as though she was safe from making the wrong decisions for once in her life. Sure, she made mistakes—even Eddie's stern presence wouldn't stop that—but she knew that when she did, she'd earn her forgiveness and the slate would be wiped clean. So many mistakes had tied her in knots over the last eight years since her father died. Right now, during this dream, mistakes were scrubbed away.
Another thing she thought about was the thing Eddie wanted her to consider: being hit by Mendez. The man had been bigger, stronger, more ruthless than June. Had she been alone, he surely would have done her significant harm. Sure she could have called the cops and had him arrested…or could she? Did a woman who mouthed off have that right? Would she have been laughed at? In old vids, she'd seen women getting slapped with no answer for it except tears. That had to be part of Eddie's concern. June had acted like an imbecile, thinking herself protected by the mores of her own century, when, in fact, little protection existed here in 1950. Romantek might or might not make her realize that the hard way. In many instances, things seemed so real that it was hard to remember Romantek existed.
The third thing she realized, while standing exposed in the corner, was that she wanted more from Eddie. She'd thought she wanted to know him in real life before, but that was even more poignant as the hours went by. There had to be some way to make an outside connection. If she only knew his name. It couldn't be "Strong"—that had to be a character name. How would she find him? Every moment that passed brought her closer to the end of the dream, and closer to severance from the man who had become so important to her. Frustration formed in pools beneath her eyelids and slipped down her face.
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