Margaret moved to the couch and sat down, pulling her dress over her knees. Her face was flushed as she met his gaze. “I know you’ve been having some trouble with Riva. I thought I might be able to help.”
He was still for a long moment as he stared at her. Finally he slung the towel back over his shoulder and ambled forward. He gave his silk pajamas legs a hitch and lowered himself to sit on the couch beside her. In dulcet tones, he said, “Did you?”
“I don’t know why I shouldn’t.” She gave him a defensive stare.
“Does Riva know you’re here?”
“No, but what of it?”
“She didn’t send you?”
“No, she didn’t. I do something on my own every now and then.”
Edison ignored the shading of resentment in the woman’s tone. It seemed apparent that Margaret was meddling. On the other hand, it was always possible that it was merely supposed to look that way, that Riva had put her up to coming. “I doubt Riva will be pleased if she finds out.”
“She certainly won’t be.” Margaret gave a small shudder as if the thought chilled her.
“You aren’t afraid of her?”
“Of Riva? Don’t be ridiculous! She has a sharp tongue at times, but she’s my sister after all.”
“She won’t exactly thank you for interfering.”
“Maybe not, but I think you’ll agree that things can’t go on as they are. Somebody has to do something, and I can’t stand to just sit around and wait for Riva to make up her mind what it’s to be.”
“Is that what she’s doing?” he asked thoughtfully.
“Yes, she is! She acts as if she’s the only one who can decide Erin’s life, as if I have no rights at all.”
He shook his head as if in sympathy. “She has become rather high-handed in the past few years.”
“She’s downright bossy, if you want my opinion. She even tried to tell me to keep my nose out of this business. Keep my nose out, as if the woman Erin calls Mother, the one who raised her from a baby, has no say in this!”
“I thought it was a little weird myself.”
“So it is. Riva may have given birth to her, but I’m her real mother.”
Edison felt a surge of excitement, the same surge stumbling on somebody’s dark secrets always gave him. “I’ll be damned.”
“Oh, God,” Margaret whispered.
Edison stared at her, at her wide eyes, then his own narrowed to blue slits. “Tell me,” he said in grating tones, “just how old is Erin?”
But Margaret was staring at him with her mouth open and the color receding from her face. “I forgot you didn’t know,” she whispered. “How could I forget?”
“Riva neglected to tell me something, it seems. Is Erin mine or is she somebody else’s mistake, somebody before Riva caught old Staulet?”
Margaret made a whimpering sound as she jumped to her feet. “Riva will never forgive me.”
Edison shot out his hand to catch her arm. “Hold on, we’re not through.”
Margaret tugged at his hold. “I have to go.”
“Not just yet. There are a few things we need to clear up.”
He gave a hard yank and she stumbled toward him, then sprawled across his lap. She tried to push away, but he grabbed her shoulder, throwing her to her back on the cushions as he heaved himself up to crouch above her. “Now,” he said, showing his teeth in a hard grin, “let’s you and me have a talk.”
“You’re hurting me,” Margaret cried. She tried to struggle, but his fingers were biting into her arms, and her movements brought her into contact with a rigid length at his crotch that made her freeze in shocked surprise.
“I’m Erin’s father, aren’t I?” he asked. “That’s what this is all about. You and Riva are coming unglued because you think she’s getting it on with my son, who just happens to be her brother.”
“Half-brother,” Margaret choked out. “Now let me go!”
“Oh, no, I kind of like having you here. It’s like old times. Remember the night out behind the house when you went to empty the scraps for the stray dogs? Huh? Remember how you let me kiss you? I kissed you before, at the store, but that time I’d have got more if Beth hadn’t opened the door and hollered for you, wouldn’t I? Now, wouldn’t I?”
He rubbed against her as he talked, easing over until his crotch was at the juncture of her legs. Thinking about that time out behind the house in the dark, of how he had planned to take her down on the dew-wet ground, made him horny as all hell. The fact that she was actually afraid of him made it better. Her eyes were wide and staring, and she made a moaning noise in her throat.
He laughed deep in his throat. “Come on, baby, you really want it, don’t you? How long’s it been? Huh? How long’s it been since old Boots really did it to you?”
He lowered his head, using his weight to press her into the couch as he kissed her. She turned her head from side to side, but he followed her mouth until he had it under his, until he had his tongue inside. He probed, shoving her tongue aside as she tried to keep him out, thrusting to give her an idea of what she was going to get. Her muffled protest filled his mouth, setting him on fire.
He lifted slightly to close his hand on her tit. He squeezed, enjoying the nice fullness of it, before he began to work at the buttons of her dress front. She heaved, trying to throw him off. He jerked her bodice open, grabbing at the edge of her bra and dragging it aside to expose a nipple. He opened his mouth and covered it, sucking, nipping hard while he squeezed tight.
“Be still and enjoy it,” he said between bites, “and there won’t be so many bruises to explain.”
“Get off,” she gasped. “Let me up or I’ll scream so loud it’ll burst your eardrums. I’ll tell everybody, tell the police.”
“Yeah, and then what are you going to say when they ask what you’re doing here? I’ll tell ‘em you offered it to me, like a lot of women do. Besides, I have friends downtown. Nobody’ll ever hear a word about it.”
“I’ll tell Boots. He’ll—he’ll come after you.”
“Sure he will. I expect he knows you’re here, too, just like Riva. He does, doesn’t he? Huh? Huh?” He reached down to pull up her skirt, raking his fingers over the plump inner surfaces of her thighs. He felt the ridge of her panty elastic and pushed his fingers under it, seeking the moist crevice where her thighs joined. Her squirmings and desperate pleas urged him on. He got a mouthful of tit once more as he found what he was looking for and shoved his finger inside.
It wasn’t enough, not by a long shot. He jerked down his pajamas and grabbed himself. She tried to clamp her legs together, but he kept them spread with his knees while he maneuvered himself to that hot, thatched, and quivering opening. Deliberately, he stuffed himself inside. He wrenched his hips, ramming deeper and deeper until he felt bottom and she gave a small scream.
An image of his first time with Riva crossed his mind as if from a dream. It had been something like this, almost the same. Had he done that on purpose?
“God,” he groaned, then, holding the image, began the quick, hard pumping that would bring him to the height of pleasure.
***
The call came exactly ten minutes after Riva discovered Margaret was not in her room. Riva had thought her sister was sleeping in since there had been no sound, no sign of her. It was a little strange for Margaret, but not too much so. Bonne Vie had a relaxing effect on people. The house was so large, so quiet and comfortable, that guests often had a tendency to rise later than usual.
When the phone rang, Riva was actually reaching for the receiver to call George and ask if one of the extra cars had been taken out. She recognized Margaret’s voice, but what she was saying was so garbled and shrill that it didn’t make sense.
“Slow down,” Riva said in soothing tones. “Tell me again. You’re where?”
Margaret began speaking again. Her voice was jerky and her breath came in hiccups, but she was coherent enough.
“Stay where you are,” Riv
a said when her sister had fallen silent. “I’ll be right there.”
“Don’t bring Boots. Do you hear me? Don’t bring him, don’t tell him. Just come.”
Riva repeated, “I’ll be right there.”
She heard the phone click and then the dial tone. She sat for an instant staring straight ahead, then she depressed the button for a clear line. Boots was not at Bonne Vie. He had gotten up early to take his car to the shop, something about a bad wheel bearing he had noticed on the drive down. That was probably one reason why Margaret had chosen this morning for her trip into New Orleans. Perhaps it was just as well. Margaret should know what she wanted. Riva shook her head, then, becoming aware of the buzz of the dial tone, she punched in the number that would connect her with the chauffeur.
“I thought you would never get here!” Margaret cried as she let Riva into the hotel room an hour and a half later.
“I came as soon as I could.”
“You brought the things?”
Riva indicated the small suitcase she held. As Margaret took it from her, Riva looked around. The hotel room was far from clean. It looked, in fact, as if a bunch of college guys had had a beer party in it. There were stains on the walls, cigarette burns in the carpet, and a lingering smell of urine and disinfectant. The exterior of the place was nice enough, but it was too close to the dives on Bourbon Street for its own good.
“Why did you come here?” she asked. “Why not just come home?”
“I was too upset, afraid to drive. I tried, but I was shaking too bad, and I couldn’t even remember how to get back out to the interstate. The car’s still at the parking garage; I walked here. Do you know Edison wouldn’t even let me take a shower in his room? He said his wife might notice.”
Margaret’s voice had stopped shaking, but her eyes were red and her voice husky from crying. There was a corrosive edge to her words that had not been there before.
Riva said abruptly, “Are you sure you don’t want to go to the police?”
“And have them ask embarrassing questions and make me have an exam? You must be crazy!” The other woman’s voice grew strident as she spoke. “Besides, everyone would find out, and I couldn’t stand that.”
“All right, I was just asking.”
“I’d think you would want to keep it quiet, too. I’d have to give my reasons, wouldn’t I, and everybody would know your secrets.”
“That doesn’t matter if you want to charge Edison.” Riva meant it. Inside her there was a burning anger that scorned the consequences, at least for now.
“I don’t. I can’t!”
“What about calling a doctor? Maybe he could talk to you, check you over, give you something to calm you.” It was odd how awkward she felt, Riva thought. She would like to put her arms around Margaret and hold her, but there was such tension in her sister’s body, such stiff withdrawal, that Riva felt the gesture would be unwelcome. If Margaret didn’t want sympathy or help, what else was there?
“I’ve already taken something my doctor at home prescribed for my nerves, thank you, I don’t need anything else. Besides, he’d just want to poke and pry at my female parts, too, and I’ve had enough of that.”
“Are you—are you sure you’re all right? I mean, are you sure Edison didn’t hurt you?”
“I’m sure.” The words were short.
Riva pressed her lips together, but she could not prevent her concern from showing. “Well, you don’t look all right!”
“How would you look if you had been thrown down on a couch and used like a two-bit whore? As a matter of fact, it should have been you. If you had done what Edison wanted, I wouldn’t have had to go see him and this wouldn’t have happened!”
Riva stared at her sister for a long moment. “So it’s all my fault? Again.”
Margaret’s lashes flickered, but she didn’t look away. “If you had gone instead of me—”
“I have better sense than to go to a man’s hotel room,” Riva said with acid scorn, “particularly Edison Gallant’s room. The truth is, it wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t interfered in my business. Why did you?”
“You said I was welcome to try if I thought I could do better at persuading Edison!”
“And did you persuade him?”
“You know I didn’t—you know—”
“You knew I didn’t mean for you to do this, too. Why, Margaret?”
“Erin’s welfare is my business, too!”
“Only because I allow it, remember that.”
“Erin’s my daughter!” Margaret cried. “I’m the one who tended to her when she was little, who took her to the doctor when she was sick and kissed her hurt places when she fell down. I’m the one who bought her first prom dress and sat up until she came home from her first date.”
“You’re the one because you took her away.”
“You didn’t want her!”
“How do you know? Did you ever ask?”
Margaret stared at her as if she had never seen her before. Suddenly her face crumpled. “Oh, Riva, I told him.”
A cold, hard weight settled in Riva’s chest. She whispered, “You what?”
“I told Edison about Erin. I didn’t mean to, really I didn’t. Sometimes—sometimes lately I forget things. It just slipped my mind that he didn’t know.”
Riva breathed deeply once, twice. Her voice a tight ache in her throat, she said, “Do you have any idea what you have done?”
“Maybe it will be for the best. At least now he will understand why Erin and Josh must be kept apart.”
“He’ll use it against me.”
“Maybe not. Why should he, after all?”
“Because that’s the way he is. Can you doubt it? Especially now?”
Margaret looked at her with tears rising to her eyes. “You didn’t have to remind me.”
It was the same old familiar ploy, but it worked. The guilt Riva felt rush up inside her was just as familiar. She turned toward the telephone on a stand beside the bed. “Look, I’m going to call Boots. You need him with you. He’ll know what to do to help you.”
“No!” Margaret screamed. “I don’t want him! You want to call him out of pure spite!”
“Spite?” Riva swung around. “What do you mean?”
“To get back at me because I told Edison.”
“The thought never crossed my mind. Margaret, you’re hysterical. What do you mean to do, keep it from your husband forever that you’ve been raped?”
“I have to, don’t you see! He’ll never look at me the same if I don’t. It’ll change everything.” Margaret covered her mouth with her hands and above them her eyes were wide and staring and brimming with tears.
It was a moment before Riva answered, then her voice dragged. “Can’t you see it doesn’t matter? Everything’s changed already.”
“No, it isn’t,” Margaret said, her voice tight. “I’m going to take a bath now and put on clean clothes, then we’re going to drive back to Bonne Vie. We’ll tell everybody I decided to go shopping and had car trouble. Instead of just sending the limo for me, you came yourself so that we could look around the stores together. You can send some of your help after the other car, and that will be the end of it.”
“You can’t just ignore what happened to you, Margaret. It isn’t healthy.”
“I don’t care. I’m not going to ruin my life because of Edison Gallant. That would be letting him win.”
“It’s not a game!”
But her sister was walking into the bathroom, paying no attention. “Anyway,” she said over her shoulder, “I don’t mean to ignore it. I’ll pay him back someday.”
“Don’t be foolish,” Riva called after her. “Children pay each other back.”
Margaret slammed the door without answering.
***
There was one problem with Margaret’s story: Boots didn’t believe it. Not even the shopping bags filled with clothes, hastily collected at Margaret’s insistence, served to impress him. He barel
y glanced at them as Margaret and Riva scattered them on the bed.
“You didn’t tell me you were going shopping,” he said, watching his wife with a look of dogged suspicion on his coppery-red features. “And you didn’t ask for money.”
“I have credit cards, don’t I?” Margaret protested. “Besides, it was just a sudden urge to see what they had down at Maison Blanche, no big deal.”
“Why’d you leave the car parked in the exit drive at the garage of the Royal Orleans? The man down there called and said you got in it to go when they brought it to you, but that you pulled up a piece, then just got out and left it setting while you walked off with the keys.”
“I told you I had car trouble.”
“It cranked just fine when they hot-wired it. That’s why they called; they looked at the registration and decided to ask for permission. The man said you came from inside the hotel and you looked upset. What gives?”
“I didn’t go inside. The idiot must have been thinking of somebody else. No, the car just quit.”
“Why didn’t you ask one of the guys at the garage for help?”
“I wasn’t thinking.”
“Why wasn’t you thinking? Was it because something Edison Gallant said upset you? I know he’s staying there, because I heard Erin mention it to you.”
“He—he has nothing to do with it. I used the hotel garage because it was convenient, especially if I wanted to walk up and down the Quarter later. You know how hard it is to find a parking place.”
It was just barely plausible. Another time, Margaret might have been able to carry it off. Now, she was too overwrought, her words too jerky. She couldn’t quite meet her husband’s eyes. Her hands, as she played with her hair and picked at her nails, were trembling.
“That ain’t the truth, Margaret,” Boots said. “You been up to something, I know. Now you tell me, or I’ll have to call and ask Edison if you’ve been to see him and what it was the two of you had to talk about.”
“You wouldn’t!”
“You know I would.”
It was apparent that Margaret did know. She broke into tears and in ragged sentences told her husband what had taken place. Toward the middle of it, Boots knelt on the floor beside the chair where she sat and pulled her into his arms. There was pain in his face as he listened, but there was also rage. It was so unusual to see such a look on Boots’s face that Riva was frightened.
Crimes of Passion Page 124
