by R. J. Kaiser
“You’re a bloody liar!” she screamed.
Her servant came around the love seat and took her by the arm. He tried to pull her away. Venita resisted.
“I won’t be insulted this way. I won’t, I tell you. I refuse!”
“The game’s over, Miss Kumar,” Mac said.
“You don’t want me to marry your son. That’s why you’re doing this.”
“Wait a minute,” Troy said, confusion replacing his anger. “That stuff about Amal is bullshit, isn’t it, Venita? I mean, that is Amal.”
She glared at Mac before turning to his son. “Troy,” she said with unexpected gentleness, “sometimes an actor must improvise. Amal Kory adores me. He adores my work. He truly does. But he’s on a spiritual quest and couldn’t come to America at the moment. My reputation is as an actress, not a director. I knew that American cinema would never accept me in front of the camera—not as a leading lady, a star—but I’m absolutely certain I can make it behind the camera, given the opportunity. The trouble is, I don’t have directing credentials. I needed a name to work with. My goal was to take control in my own right by the second or third project. This is all true. Every word of it, I swear to you. And it will work. I’m certain.”
“Then that guy who left is a phony.”
“Don’t you see that doesn’t matter? I’m the talent, Troy. I will handle the direction. Nothing’s changed really. All we need to do is drop the pretense. Take your father’s check. Let’s marry like we’ve planned.” She took him by the arm. “Please, Troy, don’t let this minor detail get in the way of a truly great opportunity for us both.”
“Venita, do you know how hard it is for an established director to get a film in this town? They’ll laugh at you, whether I give you a million dollars or not.”
“No, Troy, when people see what I can do, investors will flock to us. You must trust me, my darling.”
Stella, who’d been quiet, began sobbing mournfully. Everyone fell silent, turning in her direction.
“Dear God,” she said, “I gave that man twenty thousand dollars.”
“Pantel?” Mac said.
“Yes…I thought…I thought he adored me, my work…I thought we were going to do fabulous things together… I thought he had money coming from India…he…he said…”
Venita looked aghast. “You gave Arjay twenty thousand?”
Stella nodded, sobbing.
“The thief!” Venita exclaimed. “The bloody fucking thief!”
Stella wiped her eyes. “He told me his funds would be coming within a few weeks. I offered…oh, good Lord. Twenty thousand dollars. And it’s your fault, Venita. You brought a swindler into my home. You vouched for him.” She turned to Caldron. “You’re a policeman! That man who just left stole my money!”
“You want to make out a complaint? Is that what you’re saying?”
Stella looked at Mac desperately, pleadingly.
“Trickery is one way to take a person’s money, Stella,” he said. “Extortion’s another. Mr. Pantel set his sights a little lower, that’s all.”
She sank back on the sofa, weeping. Troy looked practically as bewildered as his mother. He dropped back into the chair. Venita Kumar turned first one way, then the other, looking for a compassionate face.
“This is insane,” she exclaimed. “Am I the only one who sees it? I’m a star. Millions adore me. What’s wrong with you bloody people?”
Troy sat with his head in his hands. Tears ran down Stella’s cheeks. Venita, seeing what was happening around her, got in Mac’s face.
“This is all because of your villainy!” she railed. “If it wasn’t for you, none of this would have happened.”
She lunged at him then, striking him with her fists. Jaime Caldron got to his feet, but before he could say or do anything, Venita’s servant quickly grabbed her by the arm and jerked her away.
“That’s enough!” he shouted hoarsely. “Enough!”
“Don’t you dare speak to me that way…you… you…donkey!” she cried.
Jugnu jerked her back, ignoring her. “I am sorry for this, sir,” he said to Mac, his voice a low rumble. “She has lost her reason. Allow me to take her from this country. There is no need to punish her. She can make no more trouble for your family.”
“Do whatever you want,” Mac said.
Jugnu began dragging Venita toward the door.
“No!” she wailed. “A chance! That’s all I’m asking. A chance! Troy…”
Moments later they were gone and the room was in silence except for Stella’s sobbing. Troy looked at Mac. He seethed with hatred.
“You couldn’t just tell us, you had to make a big show of it.”
“Maybe I was a little heavy-handed, but you know what? You and your mother haven’t exactly been gentle with me. I won’t be going into the details now, not in front of Lieutenant Caldron, but I know what you and your friends Ginger and Hernan are up to and, frankly, Troy, I’m appalled that you’d stoop to that. So you don’t have much cause to be indignant.”
Troy stared at him with contempt. Mac, the checks in his hand, said, “Am I right that you don’t wish to share this with Miss Kumar and Mr. Pantel?”
“Okay, fine, you made your point,” Troy said. “Why don’t you just tell us what you want. A signed confession?”
“Remorse is too much to expect, I suppose, but I wouldn’t mind a little consideration. It’s no secret you don’t like me, Troy. But the irony is, I don’t know why. Sure, I haven’t embraced your Hollywood dream, and maybe I’ve been less tolerant than I should have been, but have I been that bad a father?”
Troy shook his head. “You haven’t a clue. You really don’t.”
“Troy,” Stella interjected. “Be quiet!”
“Why? Do you think after this he’s going to—”
“Troy, shut up!”
“No, I’m not going to shut up!” he shouted, standing again, his face red. “I’m sick and tired of this father-son bullshit, Mom. Maybe you can spend your life pretending but I can’t. Not anymore.” He glared at Mac. “You can’t understand why I hate you. Well, how would you feel about the man who killed your father, your real father? I’m not your son, you sorry sonovabitch.”
Mac looked at his wife. Her face was buried in her hands. She cried softly.
“Stella?”
She continued to sob.
“Stella?”
Finally she looked up at him, her eyes red. In a small voice she said, “I didn’t know for sure until after Troy was born. The doctor confirmed he was Aubrey’s with a blood test.”
“And you didn’t tell me?” Mac felt as though he’d been kicked in the stomach.
“I was afraid you’d…well, I knew how you felt about Aubrey. How could I ask you to raise his son?”
“So, instead you told him and let him hate me.”
“I didn’t intend for him to know. He guessed.”
“But did you have to tell him what happened that night, Stella?”
“I didn’t,” she said, shaking her head. “I swear.” She looked at her son. “How did you find out?”
“I overheard the two of you arguing one day,” Troy replied. “You didn’t know I was in the house.”
“No wonder you hate me,” Mac said, flabbergasted. He glanced at Jaime Caldron, who had listened quietly as their family drama played out. Then at Jade, who seemed as distraught as he felt.
“Well, I almost got my revenge,” Troy said. “But what goes around comes around. You’ve got bigger problems than me, Mac. Seeing you twist in the wind is almost as good as having your money.” He shook his head, looking wistful. “Well, unless somebody would like to put me in handcuffs, I’m going to split.” He hesitated a moment and, when nobody said anything, he said, “In that case, I’m going to call a cab. See you around, Mom.”
He started to leave when Stella said, “Take my car, Troy. Here.” She dug in her purse and fished out her car keys and tossed them to him.
“What abou
t you?”
“I’ll find transportation. But I’ll want to talk to you later. It’s very important.”
“Okay. Call me. Nice party, Mac.”
He left the house. Nobody said a word until he’d started the car and driven away. Mac sat down on the love seat across from Caldron. The detective waited.
“This was the point where I was going to make a big, dramatic confession, Lieutenant, but my son…uh…I guess that’s Stella’s son…stole my thunder.”
“I knew why you invited me here, Mr. McGowan. You get points for that.”
Mac glanced at Jade, who then came over and sat next to him. She took his hand.
“Points,” Mac said, staring off. “Twenty years I’ve lived with this, now I get points.” He shook his head. “Maybe I deserved it. God knows, I didn’t rush to set things right.”
“You weren’t being selfish,” Stella said, wiping her eyes. “You were trying to protect us, Troy and me. I never doubted that.”
“Thanks, Stella, but what have I accomplished?”
“You kept us from giving a fortune to those dreadful people. Had it not been for them, none of this would have happened. Lieutenant Caldron would not be here now.”
“No, Stella,” Mac said. “The whole thing was going to come out. None of you are aware of this, but this afternoon the pool over at Aubrey’s place crumbled away in the earthquake. Aubrey’s body was found.”
Jade squeezed his hand. He was so emotionally wrung out, he didn’t feel as relieved as he’d expected.
“To your credit, you invited me here before the quake,” Caldron said.
“More points?” Mac said ironically.
“Murder is no small thing. You need all the consideration you can get, Mr. McGowan.”
“I know this will sound self-serving coming twenty years after the fact, but I didn’t murder Aubrey, Lieutenant. I killed him accidentally. I didn’t even intend to hurt him. I was trying to stop him from beating Stella. We were having an affair and he walked in on us. During the scuffle he fell and hit his head.”
“It was justifiable homicide,” Jade interjected. “He was defending Stella.”
Caldron looked back and forth between Mac and Stella. “Why didn’t you come forward with your story at the time?”
“We were afraid to,” Mac said. “That’s what it amounted to.”
“So, instead you buried the body. That’s not the act of an innocent man, Mr. McGowan. In my humble opinion the prosecutor’s got a clear case for murder, manslaughter minimum. Especially if the forensics back it up. The science and tech guys can do some pretty amazing things these days—not to rain on your parade or anything, Mr. McGowan.” He turned to Stella. “But an eyewitness can make or break any case. Your son says he heard you and Mr. McGowan arguing and he heard reference to the fact that Mr. McGowan killed Aubrey St. George. I don’t know what your story is now, ma’am, but your only real option at this point is to tell the truth.”
Stella sat with her head bowed.
“You could be an accessory,” Caldron went on. “You could have compounded a felony, aided and abetted. No question you were involved in the cover-up. And I’m wondering what your role was in disposing of the body. What I’m saying is, you’ve got a lot to lose. As far as I’m concerned, the offer to help us make the case against your husband is still open.”
Caldron stared intensely at Stella when she glanced up. So did Mac and Jade.
Stella clasped her hands, looking down at them prayerfully. Mac’s heart pounded hard. He had no idea what to expect. Stella had been shaken to the core and had just watched her family disintegrate before her eyes. Her dreams had been dashed. She could be bitter, vengeful. He could only hope she cared about her dignity and her self-respect enough to back him up. He silently pleaded for the truth.
Stella drew a deep breath and gazed heavenward with shimmering eyes. “Mac didn’t kill Aubrey, Lieutenant.” She paused dramatically, her eyes shimmering. “I did.”
“You?”
“Yes, Mac struggled with Aubrey and yes, he was trying to keep Aubrey from beating me, but he didn’t kill him. He was unconscious.”
Mac was astounded. “Stella, what are you saying?”
“Aubrey knocked you out with the statue. When you awoke, I told you that he’d fallen and hit his head after you shoved him. But that isn’t what happened. Aubrey fell all right. Then he got up. He was about to hit you again, kill you, I imagine. I picked up the Chinese cheop and I struck him, crushed his skull. I didn’t set out to kill him, but before it was over, I wanted him dead.”
“Stella,” Mac said, “there’s no need to go into it, not without an attorney. It’s enough that you saved my life. That’s justifiable homicide. Leave it at that.”
“Fine, whatever. The point is, I killed him because I didn’t want you to die and him to live. He was a mean bastard, he truly was.”
Mac glanced at Jade. He could tell she was thinking the same thing he was. Stella had made a damning admission, one that couldn’t have been lost on Caldron, who was listening attentively, now leaning forward in his chair.
“But you told Mr. McGowan he killed St. George thinking that way he’d be less likely to report the death?” he said.
“Yes, and I wanted Mac beholden to me for keeping his secret. I did what I thought was necessary to keep my life and my career from falling apart.”
“And so for twenty years you let me believe I killed a man…”
“I know that seems cruel, Mac, but if it weren’t for me, you’d very likely be dead. Aubrey was in a terrible rage and you were completely vulnerable. I didn’t have to make this admission. Nobody knew what happened but Aubrey and me. And he’s dead.”
“Why did you, then?” Mac asked. “Lieutenant Caldron was prepared to hang me.”
She again looked up toward the ceiling, blinking back tears that threatened. She bit her lip. She touched her hair. “Why?” She leveled her gaze on him as another tear slid down her cheek. “I won’t insult you by saying I did it for you, Mac. I did it for me, of course.” She gave him a bittersweet smile. “I’ve always done what I’ve done for me. Ever since I was Judy Miller.
“I guess when Amal—or whatever his name is—walked out not only with my twenty thousand dollars, but also with my dreams, it struck me that everything was lost, it was over. And don’t think these past twenty years have been easy for me, Mac. This has been eating at me, too. Yes, I was obsessed with my career and with Troy, but I’ve had to live with myself and it hasn’t been easy. I’m a much better actor than you give me credit for.” She wiped her eyes with a tissue. “The point is, I decided enough’s enough.”
“Stella, I contributed plenty to this mess. You weren’t the only one making mistakes.”
“Oh, Mac, you have no idea. I was willing to do anything, use you any way I could. I not only tried to extort money from you, I was the one who sent you those anonymous notes.”
“You did?”
“Yes, I had my gardener deliver them. The first time I was in Palm Springs just so you wouldn’t think it was me. I knew there was no other likely candidate. You had to wonder.”
“I suppose it crossed my mind, but I couldn’t imagine why you’d do it.”
“I was desperate. I thought it would bring us back together. I even thought we might reconcile.”
“But not because you cared about me.”
“No,” she said, lowering her eyes. “Because I was hoping you’d invest in that film and make me a star.”
Mac could see Jade looked relieved, happy for him. He was still stunned. Stella had just played the most dramatic scene of her life and he, ironically, was the beneficiary.
“Well, there you have it, Lieutenant Caldron,” Stella said with a sigh. “My confession. Do you arrest me now?”
“We may as well get a formal statement and take it from there.”
“Stella, let me call Maury,” Mac said. “You should have a lawyer with you.”
“I�
��ll call my own attorney,” she said.
“I’ll want a statement from you, too, Mr. McGowan,” Caldron said to Mac. “What happens from here on out will be up to the D.A.”
“Dear Lord, what a day,” Stella said. “Lieutenant, shall we go? I need to get this over with and I want to talk to my son.” She got to her feet. Mac, Caldron and Jade did, as well. Stella offered Mac her hand. “I’m truly sorry, Mac. I hope you can forgive me.”
“Stella, I’m happy to be alive and I guess I have you to thank for that.”
“Only fair to warn you, I’ll ask my lawyers to try to make me as comfortable as I can be in my old age. As far as money is concerned, I won’t make it easy on you.”
“I wouldn’t expect less.”
She smiled at Jade. “Goodbye, Miss Morro. I won’t presume to offer you any advice, except to say this. His stubbornness can be infuriating. But he does have a soft heart.” Then to Caldron. “Shall we go?”
Stella headed for the door. Caldron handed Mac another of his cards.
“Statement tomorrow?”
“Sure.”
“Call me to set up a time.”
The detective followed Stella out the door. When they’d gone, Mac turned to Jade.
“What’s there to say after that? Even with all the surprises I’ve had in the last few days, if anyone had told me that Stella would essentially confess to having murdered Aubrey…”
“She backed off some,” Jade said, “but maybe she understood that with Aubrey’s body found, forensics would show repeated blows. What I don’t understand is why she didn’t let you take the fall. It would have been your word against hers.”
“Maybe she was telling the truth about being tired of living the lie,” he said. “After all, her dreams have been dashed.”
“Or there could be a little deviousness left in the woman,” Jade said.
“What do you mean?”
“Honestly?”
“Yeah.”
“Book deal,” Jade said. “And if she works it right, she could play herself in the movie.”
Mac threw back his head and laughed. “You know, you just could be right.”
