by Leigh James
“No,” he said. “Yes.” He ran his hand through his hair again. “Being with my family these past two weeks has had me thinking. And all of this horrible stuff about my mother and Danielle—it’s made me realize some things.”
He paused for a beat. “Do you remember what I told you Todd said to me? Right before the wedding?”
“No,” I said. I looked at him blankly. “Was it something like, where the hell is Audrey running off to? ’Cause that’s when my mom showed up.” He was scaring me, and I was just babbling, afraid to hear what he had to say.
“No,” he said and sighed. “That wasn’t it. It’s something that’s been bothering me.”
“Okay,” I said again. I braced for whatever was coming next.
“He said that when you finally figure out what you want in life, you’re pretty ready for forever.” James came and sat on the bed next to me. He reached for my hand. “Like I said, these last two weeks have had me thinking. About family. About what I want… for my family.”
I held my breath.
“Audrey, it’s taken me a very long time to find you. And we haven’t been together very long. But I’ve finally figured out what I want. And I am pretty ready for forever.”
He got off the bed and knelt by me. He pulled a small black box out from his pocket, and I was pretty sure I was no longer holding my breath—I’d just stopped breathing. He opened the box, and inside there was an enormous, square-cut diamond, fit for a princess.
“Are you?” he asked.
I was stunned. I just blinked at him. “Am I what?” I asked stupidly.
“Ready for forever?”
I blinked at him again.
“I don’t want to wait anymore,” he said, watching my face. “I love you. I want you to know that I mean it forever.”
I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t find my breath.
“Audrey, will you marry me?”
Finally, comprehension dawned on me and I nodded my head up and down.
“I’m going out on a limb and guess here—is that a yes?” he asked hopefully.
“Yes,” I whispered, finding my voice. And then I threw myself at him. “Yes, yes, yes.”
James
The next two days passed in a blur. We’d gone to the police and given statements. We’d also given them my parents’ flight information; the detectives said they would be waiting at the airport when they arrived. They wouldn’t tell us if they would make an arrest, but we knew they would at least question both of my parents. That was something.
I was still having a hard time adjusting to my new reality. This was real. My parents were involved in Danielle’s death. I let the shock, betrayal and disgust course through me as Audrey and I went about our other business. This was my new reality, and it was going to take some time getting used to it.
My parents had always been difficult, but now I found them abhorrent. No matter how distant we’d become, that wasn’t an easy thing for a son to feel.
Audrey and I went to New Horizons, and I’d finally met Tommy. “This is James,” Audrey told him. “I love him, and you will, too. He wants us to move to California with him.”
“What about Mom?” Tommy had asked.
Audrey had shrugged. “She’ll probably come out and visit, even though I don’t want her to. Because she’s Mom.”
They both laughed at that.
Then we paid a visit to East Boston. Because before we got to my horrible mother, we had to deal with Audrey’s. We had to make sure she was completely on board with my proposed agreement. She had to promise not to blackmail us and/or communicate with my mother, in exchange for my private investigator’s silence on her ongoing parole violations and a large sum of money being wired into her bank account.
Mrs. Reynolds was wearing an old Pour House T-shirt and hadn’t bothered to clean her apartment, but she did say she was happy to see us.
“You’re happy to see me?” Audrey asked, flabbergasted.
“Mostly him,” Mrs. Reynolds said, lighting a cigarette and jutting her chin out at me.
Audrey gave me a quick look and turned back to her mother, her brow furrowed. “Didn’t that investigator come over here?” she asked. “And tell you about his file?”
“Yeah,” her mother said, exhaling in Audrey’s face. “He didn’t bother me none. I mean, once he told me what I was gonna get.”
I pretended to study my phone while Audrey gave me a scathing look.
“What exactly are you going to get?” she asked her mother.
Mrs. Reynolds looked at me too, possibly waiting for some sort of direction. I continued to study my phone, not wanting to admit anything. Audrey sighed. “Never mind, Ma,” she said, resigned. “I’ll get it out of him later.”
It was quiet for a beat. I looked up just in time to see Mrs. Reynolds holding her hand over her chest, clutching at her heart and staring at Audrey’s left hand. “Sweet baby Jesus in the manger,” she said, “is that an engagement ring?”
“Yes. It is.” Audrey sighed again. “James and I are getting married. And I’m moving to California with him. And we’re bringing Tommy.” Audrey looked defiantly at her mother.
“Well. Huh. Okay,” her mother said, agreeably enough, not missing a beat.
Audrey appeared speechless, like the wind had been knocked out of her. “Okay?” She looked suspiciously at me again. “How much freaking money did you give her?”
“Enough,” I said innocently.
“I know you’ll take good care of Tommy,” Mrs. Reynolds said, interrupting us. “And I’ll come out to visit all the time.”
Audrey looked at her in horror, her eyes wide. “Visit… us?”
“And stay at a hotel, Miss Holier Than Thou. Your boyfriend—I mean, your fiancé—has made all of that possible.”
“I thought you didn’t like him,” Audrey said, jerking her thumb at me. “I thought you said he was prick masquerading as a gentleman.”
“Yeah, but things change,” her mother said and shrugged. “Except you. You’ll always think you’re too good for me.”
“That’s because I am,” Audrey said.
Her mother laughed a little, and then took another deep drag. “Well, you are holier than thou. And I’m sure as hell not.”
“Being holier than thou’s not for everybody,” Audrey said.
“You don’t have to tell me that,” Mrs. Reynolds said, through a cloud of smoke.
* * *
Audrey called Elena from the car and quit. “I’m not coming back to the service, Elena,” she said. The relief was evident in her voice.
“You and Jenny both?” the madam wailed. I could hear her from across the car. “Jenny already called me from the island. Jesus, it must’ve been quite a vacation.”
“It was, Elena.” Audrey said, lacing her hand through mine. She hung up and turned to me. “I’m officially unemployed,” she said.
“In this particular case, it’s really for the best,” I said.
Audrey smiled at me but wrinkled her nose. “I’m pretty young to be retired.”
“I’ll keep you busy,” I said.
“You have to. You promised. Remember the cowboy thing?” she asked.
“Can the cowboy thing get retired?” I asked.
Audrey laughed. “Maybe. I don’t mind you being the bed, though,” she said, and snuggled against me.
“When you put it like that, I guess I don’t either.” I pulled her close to me, not minding at all.
* * *
“I have to return those clothes to Elena,” Audrey said later. We were in her room and she was staring at the formidable closet.
“Nah,” I said, “I’ll just pay her for them. I’m very fond of that black dress. And I might frame that bikini.”
* * *
All things considered, I was happier than I thought I could be. Especially because I was about to meet my mother at the airport with two police detectives and Danielle’s parents in tow.
I still couldn’t b
elieve that my parents were involved in Danielle’s death. And yet, I did believe it. What my mother had said to Audrey, and the way that she’d threatened her, confirmed my worst fears. I knew in my heart that my mother had done something terrible, even though I still didn’t know exactly what it was.
I also believed that my father knew. Even if he’d done nothing to help my mother, I was certain that he’d done nothing to stop her. And that made him guilty and reprehensible, too.
We didn’t know what, if any, charges the police would bring. We didn’t know if my father would ultimately be implicated as well. But still. Danielle had been an innocent girl, and her murder deserved justice. For Danielle’s sake, her parents’, and for mine. If we couldn’t have justice, we could at least have some sort of public acknowledgement. Some sort of reckoning.
Danielle’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, were waiting for us at the airport. I hugged them awkwardly and introduced them to Audrey. They looked tired and strained, but they said they were glad to be there. They wanted to see my mother’s face.
“All these years, and we’ve never made peace with Danielle’s death,” Mr. Anderson said. His wife blotted her eyes. “I told myself it was because it’s so terrible to lose a child. And it is—but it was more than that. It seemed more than just… unnatural. Like it was more wrong than that.”
Mrs. Anderson cleared her throat. She had aged gracefully, but there were dark circles under her eyes. She looked hollowed out. “When you called it was like we’d been waiting for that call for twenty years,” she said. “We didn’t know it, but we had been. Your mother never thought Danielle was good enough for you, James. Danielle used to tell me that. I always thought your mother would finally warm up to her, see what a great kid she really was. Now I know the truth. My daughter never had a chance.” She started crying and Mr. Anderson pulled her to him. I turned away.
The two Boston police detectives we’d spoken with were waiting nearby. There was also a reporter from The Boston Tribune and a photographer for Paparazzi.
“How did the press know about this?” Audrey whispered to me.
“I took a page from your mother’s playbook and called them,” I said. “I figured that would push Celia right over the edge. Which is exactly what she deserves.”
Audrey nodded at me, and I held my breath, watching as the plane pulled up to the gate. I waited for my mother to come out and meet her fate. And my brother. I had to tell my brother the horrible news.
Todd and Evie came first, followed by Cole and Jenny. They all looked surprised by our presence. “What’re you two doing here?” Todd asked. “Mother said—”
“Don’t believe it,” I said, grabbing his shoulders. “Everything’s fine. Audrey and I are engaged.”
“That’s so great,” Todd said. He beamed at us.
“But I’m not here for good news,” I said lowly and urgently. “I tried to call you, but I couldn’t get through. I’m here because of Mom and Dad. Because of something terrible.”
“But they’re fine,” Todd said, confused. “They’re right behind us.”
“Not something terrible that happened to them—something that they did.” I gave my baby brother a long look and then I motioned to Danielle’s parents. “This is Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. Do you remember my girlfriend from high school? Danielle? These are her parents.”
“It’s nice to see you,” Todd said, shaking their hands. “And I’m still so sorry about your daughter. I was young when it happened, but I remember what a tragedy it was.”
Todd turned back to me. “I don’t understand,” he said, looking baffled. He looked from Mr. and Mrs. Anderson to the police detectives standing behind them. “What’s going on?”
I took a deep breath, knowing the blow I was about to deliver. “Mother has been implicated in Danielle’s death. She threatened Audrey in Eleuthera and we started putting the pieces together,” I said. “The police are here to bring her in for questioning, and maybe dad, too. And the Andersons are here to see them face-to-face.”
Todd went pale beneath his tan. “Are you kidding?”
“No. I’m sorry, I’m not.” For the first time, I felt real sadness and regret about our parents, not just the rage that had been coursing through me.
“Come and sit down,” Evie said gently. She led Todd to some nearby seats, talking to him softly and rubbing his arm.
“Holy wow,” Jenny said, coming up next to us. She must have overheard at least part of the conversation. “I’d say I didn’t believe it, if Mrs. Preston wasn’t such a c-word. Sorry, James.” She turned to Audrey. “She just kept looking at me the whole flight. Like I was going to infect her with hooker cooties, or something.”
Audrey gave her an exhausted smile. “I’d say I was surprised, but—”
“Ho my frickin’ God, Audrey!” Jenny shrieked, interrupting her. “Is that an engagement ring?” Audrey nodded at her and Jenny grabbed her, jumping up and down. “It’s not even a rock! It’s a frickin’ boulder!”
“Jenny,” Audrey said calmly, “let’s talk about it later. We have some bad stuff to take care of right now.”
“Right,” Jenny said. She stopped jumping and crossed herself. “But wow. Just wow.”
My mother swept off the plane then, in a green polo shirt with the collar turned up, immaculate khakis, and white loafers. Her face managed to move enough to register shock when she saw us.
“James?” she said. “Audrey?”
I glowered at her, and she stopped dead in her tracks, my father bumping into her from behind. “Watch it, Robert,” she snapped.
“Mother, be polite—we have company,” I said, motioning to the Andersons. “You remember Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, right? Danielle’s parents? And this is Detective Gordon and Detective Fisk, from the Boston Police Department. I believe they’d like to ask you and Dad some questions—downtown.” I smiled as she fought to maintain her icy composure. Just then, the photographers started snapping pictures, their flashes going off.
“And that’s the Tribune. And Paparazzi.” I smiled tightly at her while she regained her composure and perfected her posture for the photographers.
“Mother, a couple of other quick things: Audrey’s mom is playing for my team now. You can still pay her if you want to. I’m sure she won’t object.”
I watched as the detectives headed purposefully toward my parents. The Andersons followed close behind, pale and resigned.
“Oh—and one more thing,” I said. “Audrey and I are engaged.”
“Mr. Preston! You’re engaged?” called one of the photographers. “Let me take a shot of the happy couple!”
They published the picture all over the Internet that afternoon. In it, Audrey and I had our arms wrapped around each other, tired smiles on our faces. In the background you could just see my mother, the police converging on her. Her face managed to move enough to look as if she had swallowed a very bitter, very low-class pill.
Epilogue
Five Years Later
Cole, Jenny and their three kids were waiting for us at the beach. Todd and Evie were just getting their youngest up from a nap; they were coming down to meet us shortly.
“I can’t believe you two are pregnant again,” I said, shaking my head at Cole.
“I told you years ago that I couldn’t keep my hands off her,” Cole said and laughed. “This is what happens.” He motioned to the baby strapped to his chest in a Baby Bjorn.
“Plus, you should talk, bro.” He motioned to my youngest, who was strapped to mine.
“Yeah, but you’re pregnant with your fourth. That just seems exorbitant. Audrey and I have a respectable three.”
“For now,” Cole said. “I can still see that emotional boner on your face. If Audrey wants another one, she’ll get it.”
“That’s probably true,” I said and laughed.
We’d kept our promise and come back to the Bahamas every year. The only part of the promise that was not intact involved Todd and Evie’s childre
n. They had three little boys, and they were indeed screaming and often filthy. They brought home bugs and worms for their mother and made her scream, too. But she loved them, and it let me see another side of Evie—a side that let me know she was sincere in her love for Todd and for their children.
And I loved her and Todd’s screaming, filthy little buggers for that.
Four years ago, Audrey and I had been married in a small ceremony at the Gardner Museum. Todd and Cole had been my attendants; Jenny and Evie had been Audrey’s. Cole and Jenny had married later that same year. In contrast to our intimate wedding, they rented an entire Caribbean island and had hosted a blowout, black-tie affair, complete with fireworks shot out over the water.
“This is huge,” I’d said to Cole at the time, looking around at the celebration.
“Jenny’s sort of used to huge,” Cole had said, deadpan.
At our wedding, Tommy had walked Audrey down the aisle. She’d looked exactly like an angel, in a long lace dress.
My eyes had filled with tears the moment I saw her. Audrey’s mother had tears in her eyes, too—most likely for a different reason. She was probably counting all the dollars Audrey was marrying into, relieved that she didn’t have to sweat the annual increases to the Massachusetts cigarette tax.
My mother was crying, too. Probably because she was worried about the dilution of her bloodline, as well as the fact that I was marrying the woman who’d brought her house of cards tumbling down.
I thought of it as poetic justice.
Things had changed irrevocably in my family after the allegations surrounding Danielle’s death were made public. No charges were ever brought against my father; there wasn’t enough evidence. My mother, however, had been arrested on a felony-murder charge. The prosecution’s theory was that she had hired someone to kill Danielle by running her off the road. But there wasn’t enough physical evidence for the grand jury assigned to her case to charge her, and she was set free after a preliminary hearing.
