The Girl in Hemingway's Studio

by Carolyn Grady

  CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

  Ticking Time Bombs

  April 17, 2017

  Eric counted and recounted the money in his envelope. He was one hundred and fifty dollars short. He was going to take money from his and Betsy’s joint checking account. He was going to use the money they had set aside for their April house payment, but when he opened their account, the house payment had already been deducted. Betsy must have paid it early. They were down to a balance of fifty dollars. Now Eric wasn’t sure what to do. He called his brother.

  “Marcus, did you want me to pick you up this afternoon?” asked Eric.

  “Yeah, I’m ready with the money. It was really tough to pull the cash together this month. I didn’t pay my student loan again and pulled the last of our savings out of our account. Pitifully, I made several trips to the blood bank. Can you believe I sold my blood like a freakin’ drug addict? ” Marcus said in disbelief. “Do you have your share?”

  “Of course,” Eric lied. “I’ll pick you up at 3:15 p.m. By the way, I talked to Sam on Saturday and the weather is clearing in Missouri. They’re positive they will be able to do the Core Study next week. Then they should be able to determine the value of the mine, get ready to start mining, and give us back our $90,000. Hopefully, this is the last time we have to eke out our payment from nothing.”

  Eric decided not to tell Marcus he was short with his share of the payment. Last Wednesday when he walked into his office, several auditors were already there looking over his books. Connie was sitting in his office as one auditor was sitting at her desk using her computer and another auditor was going through her files.

  “Eric,” she whispered. “Should I be worried? They were waiting outside the door when I got here. Trying to make conversation, I mentioned that our annual audits were usually in late May or early June. The head auditor told me this was a special unannounced audit ordered by Mr. Zeigler himself.”

  Eric tried to smile as he hoped his answer was true, “No Connie, of course you have nothing to worry about.” He thought about the money he had “borrowed” from selected customers while trying to make up missing payments in other accounts. He was playing a shell game by moving funds from clients who had paid their policies early. He couldn’t remember for sure, but he thought everyone was paid back but he wasn’t positive. He was hoping the audit wouldn’t be until late May when he could make sure all his books were in order.

  Eric looked in a mirror and shook his head. How did you get into this mess? Before, whenever he needed money, he always rose to the occasion. He would hustle—he was a salesman; his friends said he could sell ice to an Eskimo. When things got tough, he would work harder and longer. Why did this situation reduce him to helplessness? He recounted the money again and decided to call his mother, maybe she could loan him a little money.

  Eric was waiting in front of Marcus’s house at 3:15 p.m.; he was a failure when it came to generating cash this month, but at least he was on time. His mother wasn’t able to help him with the extra money. She had termites and the extensive and expensive treatment eradicated her emergency savings. She had thought of asking Eric for some money to get through the month. His call concerned her as she worried if Eric and Marcus were actually making the monthly payments on her refinanced loan, as they had promised. They hadn’t talked about all the money they would be getting from Uncle Fred’s mine in a long time. She almost asked Eric about it, but was afraid of the answer.

  “Eric, how are things going at work?” asked Marcus. “You used to love telling me about all the huge policies you were selling, how you could talk clients into increasing their life insurance policies, and all the new clients you were signing up. But you don’t talk about work anymore. Is owing this money to Anthony worrying you?”

  “Yeah, I guess,” a hesitant Eric, answered as he pulled away from the curb. “I’m embarrassed to say this, but I’ve let my business slip. I need to get back to wheeling and dealing and earning some money. I promised myself, first thing tomorrow, I’m cold-calling clients and start earning good money again.”

  They pulled up to the run-down shack in the middle of a scuzzy neighborhood. As they got out of the car, Eric patted Marcus on the back.

  “Let’s hope this is our last visit here.” Eric said.

  “Nope,” corrected Marcus. “We will have to make one more final payment and then we are going out drinking afterward. Agreed?”

  “Agreed,” said Eric as the brothers then high-fived each other.

  At the same time in New York, Charlotte and Aaron were getting ready to go out to dinner. While looking out of the window at the rain pelting her beloved patio, Charlotte thought back to that night she was waiting for Aaron to walk through the door, the night after that horrible beating. She had been ready to tell him their relationship was over. But Aaron surprised her. He looked shocked when he saw her bruised face and battered body and knelt down in front of her. He put his head in her lap and cried. He cried actual tears. He then reached in his pocket and showed her a card. It was an appointment with a therapist for a program called Battering Intervention and Prevention. He had an appointment tomorrow afternoon. Aaron begged Charlotte to stay and see if this therapist could help him. She reluctantly agreed.

  Thinking back to that painful and confusing time, Charlotte decided to call in sick on that Friday. She lost her nerve going into the office looking like a battered woman. By Monday, the swelling and bruising had subsided and with her make-up artfully applied, no one noticed. Aaron had attended a meeting on Friday and she was encouraged it would help him. He continued seeing the therapist twice a week. He seemed calmer and better able to control his livid outbursts.

  The day that Hannah was to return to clean the apartment, Charlotte left early for her office trying to avoid facing her. What Charlotte didn’t know was that Hannah had called Aaron to see if she could change her schedule from morning to afternoon so she could meet with her counselor at the university that morning. After work, when Charlotte opened the door to their apartment, she was surprised to see Hannah in the kitchen. Hannah didn’t say a word, but the look of disappointment was written all over her face. Charlotte was about to explain, but stopped and walked back to her bedroom. She didn’t need to explain anything to the maid. She believed in Aaron and was grateful he was trying to get better. Charlotte sighed as she continued to watch the rain.

  Aaron walked out of the bedroom looking very handsome in his tailored slacks and jacket. He whistled when he saw Charlotte and walked over to the window to watch the rain with her.

  “Charley, you look beautiful,” he said as he kissed her cheek. “I’m so glad we are going out to dinner tonight, I have so many exciting things to tell you about my work. Finally, I’m getting the recognition I’ve been hoping for all these last few months.”

  Charlotte smiled, “Oh, good. I’m glad your editors are happy with your work. I love your articles and always learn such interesting facts when I read them.”

  As they walked toward the elevator, Aaron pressed his Uber App and ordered a car.

  The shyster took the envelope from Eric and Marcus. He was a member of Anthony’s gang the brothers hadn’t seen before. He flipped through the small bills and put the envelope in his back pocket.

  Eric sighed a breath of relief; usually the swindlers would count the money in the envelope before letting the brothers leave the shack. Maybe, he thought, no one will notice some of the money was missing. If Anthony calls to complain he was short-changed, I can blame the new guy and swear the correct amount was in the envelope when I handed it over to him, Eric believed that he now had some hope.

  Aaron and Charlotte settled down at a table in one of their favorite neighborhood restaurants looking out at the bustling New York frantic scene. People with umbrellas rushing to catch buses or cabs to get out of the cold and rain. Charlotte snuggled next to Aaron.

  Pointing to the frantic commotion going on outside, she remarked. “I’m so happy we decided to come here f
or dinner. We are toasty warm, enjoying a nice glass of wine while everyone outside is rushing to find a cab to get home.”

  Aaron smiled, “I’m going to be quite busy for the next couple of weeks. I have five articles due before the middle of June. I only have the research completed on two of them. I’m afraid I will have to cancel my sessions with Dr. Denise.”

  Charlotte frowned, “Are you sure that will be okay? You are doing so well with your meetings.”

  A look of anger came over Aaron’s face, “Do you think I’m that out of control? I will be just fine. You will see.”

  Charlotte held her breath as she put an arm around Aaron’s shoulder. “Of course, you will be okay. I believe you are doing wonderfully. I didn’t mean anything; just that you seem to enjoy your appointments with Dr. Denise.”

  Aaron calmed down. Charlotte removed her arm and took a drink from her water glass. Sometimes she felt she was living with a time bomb ready to explode.

  CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

  Consequences Continued

  April 18, 2017

  “Dr. Allen isn’t going to be in the office tomorrow, he’s leaving for a long weekend vacation. He will see you next Monday at eight,” Alexis announced as she disconnected her call. Marcus groaned. Alexis was putting frozen peas on the top of Marcus’s head and tending to his cuts with Polysporin and Band-Aids when she saw her dad’s car pull up in front of the house. She rushed to open the front door and saw her dad running up the walk with Judith close behind.

  Oh darn, she thought. I was hoping we wouldn’t have to involve Judith with whatever mess Marcus has gotten us into. Alexis ran into her father’s open arms and they walked together into the house.

  Arthur was shocked when he saw his battered son-in-law on the couch. Judith put her hands over her mouth when she walked in the front door and shut it behind her.

  “Dad, Eric has also been assaulted by the same men and I need to go and help Betsy. Can you stay here and take care of Marcus? I think he needs to go to the ER to make sure he doesn’t have a concussion.”

  “No,” interrupted a firm-voiced Judith. “Arthur, you go with Alexis to take care of Eric and Betsy. I’ll stay here and take Marcus to the hospital and care for him until you both get back.”

  Everyone stopped and stared at this pampered woman who was now taking charge of the situation.

  “Alexis, you need to go,” said Marcus. “I’m really worried about my brother. Judith and I will be fine.”

  “Settled then,” Judith replied. “Arthur you take the car and I’ll drive Marcus to the ER in one of their cars.”

  “Darling, wouldn’t you be more comfortable driving our car,” a shocked Arthur asked.

  “Alexis’s car has an automatic shift doesn’t it?” Judith asked Marcus. He shook his head affirmatively.

  “Go Arthur. Go Alexis, we will be just fine as long as I don’t have to drive that Jeep.”

  “Judith are you sure….” Arthur started to ask his wife, but when he saw that determined look on her face that meant she had made up her mind. He continued, “Okay, let’s go Alexis, I’ll drive. Do you know where we are going?”

  At that moment, Alexis’s iPhone pinged. Looking at the incoming text, she declared, “Yes, Betsy just texted that Eric was taken to the ER at Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center.”

  Turning to her stepmother and husband and putting her hand on Judith’s shoulder, Alexis smiled and whispered in her ear, “Thank you.”

  Judith nodded and shooed her away.

  As Arthur backed out of the driveway, he looked at his daughter, “Sweetheart, are you okay? Do you have any idea what happened to Marcus?”

  “I have an idea, but no details. I told you that Eric and Marcus had refinanced their mother’s house to pay for part of their investment to excavate their uncle’s mine. Marcus told me that you gave him $10,000 and they got the other $20,000 from Walter, as an interest-free loan. But the men in our house this afternoon implied that he ‘forgot’ to tell me about the money Marcus and Eric borrowed from their boss. I have no idea who that would be, but those men threatened us that if Marcus and Eric didn’t bring the rest of the money plus a $500 penalty by tomorrow afternoon, they would be back. That doesn’t sound like an interest-free loan from Walter.”

  “No, it doesn’t. I told you that Marcus had asked me for a $100,000 loan this summer. Now I’m sorry I just didn’t give it to him.”

  “Dad, you did the right thing. I was hoping your refusal of a loan would discourage him and his brother and they would just sell the mine to the investors.”

  As they pulled into the hospital’s wide driveway near the Emergency Room, Arthur told Alexis to jump out and find Betsy, he’d park the car and meet her in the ER. As Alexis walked through the automatic doors, she saw Betsy in the waiting room filling out papers on a clipboard. Betsy jumped up when she saw her sister-in-law.

  “Alexis, thank you for coming.” Betsy then whispered in Alexis’s ear, “I don’t think they believed me that Eric fell off a ladder. The paramedics said he looked like someone had beaten him. I’m still so shaken, about all that has happened. Can you fill in some of the blanks?”

  Before Alexis could answer, a young man in blue scrubs approached them. “Do either of you know a Marcus? They are about to take Eric up for an MRI and he said it was important to talk to a Marcus before he leaves the room.”

  “I’m Marcus’s wife,” answered Alexis and the orderly took her back to a hospital room. She was shocked when she entered the room and saw Eric. He had been beaten severely and his injuries looked far worse than Marcus’s. The nurse who was taking Eric’s vitals thought Alexis was his wife and began explaining Eric’s injuries. She said that Eric’s left leg was broken in two places and needed to be set. They also found a torn meniscus in his left knee that would need surgery. They were going to send Eric up for an MRI to rule out any bleeding in the brain, blood clots, or bruised brain tissue swelling before the surgery. At first they thought his spleen might have been damaged and would need to be removed, but now they don’t think that is necessary. And he hasn’t shown any signs of a concussion so far.

  Eric grabbed Alexis’s hand and pulled her down to whisper, “Tell Marcus to get out of your house, I think these goons are coming after him.”

  “Too late. They pummeled him too, but he isn’t hurt as badly as you. What’s going on Eric?”

  “I can’t explain now; just tell Marcus, that stupid me shorted the thugs $150. He needs to get $150 plus a $500 penalty to them tomorrow afternoon at four at the same place. Will Marcus be well enough to make the payment? Do you have any idea where we can get the money?”

  “I think so, my dad is here, and I’m sure he will lend us the money. Please tell me this isn’t Dad’s cousin, Walter who ordered the beatings.”

  “No, Walter wouldn’t loan us the money, he referred us to someone who would.”

  The young orderly walked back into the room and told Alexis they were going to take Eric up for his MRI.

  Walking back to the waiting room, Alexis saw that her dad was waiting with Betsy. Looking at the old magazines scattered on the round table, she spotted the Time magazine that featured the story about Cuba written by Aaron with pictures taken by her sister. She held it up to show her dad.

  A nurse came out to talk to Betsy about Eric’s insurance.

  Alexis sat down next to her dad with the magazine.

  “Remember how worried we were when we couldn’t find Charlotte last July?” asked her dad. “In spite of everything we went through, I still remember feeling so proud of her and even forgave her thoughtlessness when I read this article and saw her photographs.”

  Arthur paused, wondering if this was the time to mention what had been worrying him. “Alexis, there is something else I’ve been meaning to ask you. When Charlotte wasn’t on that plane coming back from Florida and we didn’t know where she was, I called my friend, Patrick, as you suggested. He told me about Aaron going to Cuba and we started talking
about our children. Something he said has been bothering me ever since. When I told him what a difficult, self-willed, and obstinate child Charlotte had been as a teenager and young adult, he said that when Aaron was young, he was usually a good kid. But when he turned fourteen, something changed in his personality. When Aaron would stress about schoolwork or not performing as well as he thought he should have in soccer or baseball, he would get very angry and mean. Sometimes he would take that rage out on the family dog. I remember reading that children who are cruel to their pets, sometimes grow up to become abusers. Did you ever see any evidence of that in Aaron last summer?”

  “No, Dad. Aaron was terrific in Key West, very considerate and kind to both of us. Charlotte never mentioned anything about any anger problem. Aaron treated us with such thoughtfulness and consideration and went out of his way to show us a good time in Florida. I could tell even then, that he was falling madly in love with Charlotte. Even though Charlotte and I aren’t as close as we were as children, I’m sure Charlotte would have told me if Aaron was hurting her. Especially after the problems she had with Jordan.”

  “That’s what I thought too, I certainly hope she would tell us if there was a problem.”

  Judith applied some more ice on Marcus’s face. She sat down on a chair and pulled it closer to Marcus.

  “Okay, let’s talk about what’s going on.”

  Warily, Marcus looked at her, “I don’t want to involve you in this horrible mess my brother and I have gotten into. I didn’t think it was going to be dangerous, certainly not life-threatening dangerous and I wouldn’t want you or Arthur or Alexis to be harmed.”

  “Marcus, before I married Arthur, I was married to handsome, young playboys who really enjoyed my money. A couple of them were involved in some shady dealings with unscrupulous thugs or gambled away more money than they had. When I refused to subsidize them, sometimes they suffered the consequence of dealing with gangsters. So probably of all the people you know, I’m the best one equipped to get you out of this frightening mess.” Judith looked at Marcus and smiled.