“Excuse me? A ring? No. Did you find something back there, Mr. Jackson?”
“Yeah, look, it’s a beauty,” he said, shining his flashlight on a large gold ring.
I felt the color drain from my face, as my eyes locked on to the ring in Mr. Jackson’s grimy hand.
Jerry laughed and said, “Wow that must cost some bucks.”
I couldn’t talk. I just stared at it.
“Mrs. Dupres, is this your ring?” he asked again.
Jerry looked at me with a puzzled expression.
It wasn’t my ring. But, I knew who it belonged to.
It was Jackie’s ring; the large gold ring with the blue stone in the middle. It’s Jackie’s ring, Jackie’s large blue stone ring…Jackie’s ring. I kept saying to myself over and over while Mr. Jackson and Jerry stood staring at me blankly.
“Um, Mrs. Dupres, here you take the ring and maybe go sit down. You look a little shaky.” Mr. Jackson placed it in the palm of my hand and gave Jerry the eye. I closed my hand around it and made my way out of the damp room with my stomach in a knot.
Upstairs in the kitchen, I sat at the long country table with the ring in front of me. I stared at it, wondering why in the world it was in my basement. I thought about Jackie’s head injury, the large bandage on her head, and her odd behavior. I tried to swallow but couldn’t. My mouth was dry, and my heart was pounding in my chest. Taking a deep breath, I picked the ring up and examined it. It was heavy and ornate, and the blue stone in the middle shimmered in the light. Sliding my finger over it, I wiped away specks of dust and pressed it tightly between my two fingers. There were two smaller stones on either side, and I noticed one looked loose; I placed my finger on it and heard a click. Immediately, the center stone popped open revealing a secret compartment filled with several tiny tablets.
“Jackie’s been hiding tablets in her ring?”
Sam’s words rang through my head, “Claudia was drugged.”
When was the last time I saw Jackie wearing this ring? She wasn’t wearing it last night. What about that punk I saw in town arguing with Claudia; what about Todd, and the waiter at Magnolia? It all came rushing into my mind like a tidal wave.
“Jackie and Sam must be fooling around behind my back.” My stomach tightened. “How else would her ring end up in my house?” It didn’t make sense, but it was the only thing I could come up with. Jackie and Sam having an affair…the idea was surreal. It certainly explained the bizarre behavior, soulful looks, and the speech she gave me about being so naïve…how I needed to get away…but what about Claudia? I was beginning to think everything was connected - the murders, Claudia, Sam and Jackie, the bruise, the bandage…the pills.
I heard Brilliant’s voice. “I am preparing you for change. What do you see?”
“Where are you now, Brilliant?” I screamed out, but there was no reply. I breathed in slowly and deeply, trying to remember all the relaxation techniques he taught me. My mind was racing, my heart ached, and big salty tears streamed down my face. A cheating husband is bad enough, but one who cheats on you with one of your best friends is particularly hard to handle. I felt like I might pass out.
I need a plan. I need to figure out what to do next. I heard his voice again, “Listen to your inner guidance.”
I didn’t hear my inner guidance.
I could hear the drip of the kitchen faucet. I could hear my heart beating in my ears. I could hear Mr. Jackson and his sidekick mumbling down in the basement, but I couldn’t hear my inner guidance.
“Go to that quiet place,” he whispered.
There was no quiet place. My mind was screaming so many things.
I had to deal with the plumber, the furnace, the children coming home, and Mother…and I had to face Sam.
“Mrs. Dupres?” The men were making their way up from the basement. I jumped up and grabbed my handbag, searching for my checkbook.
“Hey, Mrs. Dupres, you got a treasure chest down there in that basement of yours? We found this here cuff link, too.”
“Sam’s missing cuff link. It just gets better and better,” I mumbled.
“Excuse me, Mrs. Dupres, you okay?” Mr. Jackson asked, scratching his head. “Um, look no worries. We’ll send you a bill, okay? The furnace is running like a dream now. You won’t have any more problems.” Unable to find my voice, I stood perfectly still in a trance-like stupor, staring at the two of them. “Um, yeah, like I said…we’ll send you the bill. You call us if you need anything else, okay?” Mr. Jackson knitted his eyebrows.
I nodded and shook his dirty hand, smiling a sort of half smile at Jerry.
As they made their way out, I saw the two exchange looks. I quickly locked the front door and made my way back down to the basement. My legs felt like jelly, as I searched the cold cellar. “I wonder what else will show up down here.” I looked everywhere, but nothing. I tried to piece it all together. “Why the hell would Jackie be down here?” I mean if something was going on with the two of them, couldn’t they find a better place to rendezvous? The two of them are accustomed to comfort, first class all the way. A basement seems an unlikely love nest.
I turned to switch the light off when it caught my eye - a manila envelope peeking out from behind the steam pipe. It was stuffed, and I pried it out carefully. “What the heck?” It was dusty and heavy. I opened it up and stood motionless. The envelope was filled with cash, and a lot of it…thousands of dollars.
VERY REVEALING
I drove to Jackie’s house in a stupor. I had no idea what I was going to say when I got there. I had no plan. I just felt the need to see her face to face. When I got to her door, I heard loud music. I rang the bell. The music stopped, and a minute later she opened the door. She was wearing tight fitting skinny jeans and a black knit halter top. She had a long gold chain around her neck worn backwards, letting it hang down at the small of her back…always the glamour girl.
She wasn’t surprised to see me and showed me into her living room with a casual wave of her hand.
“Have a drink, Pen,” she said flatly.
I quickly declined and stood perfectly still, mentally rehearsing what I wanted to say.
“Oh have one; you look like you could use one,” she said and headed over to the bar.
She had a shaker filled. Apparently, she had already started, even though it wasn’t quite noon. “Bottoms up,” she said, and took a gulp from a crystal tumbler before throwing herself into a large leather chair by the fire.
“I don’t know where to begin.” My face felt hot and my hands were shaking. I met her gaze and asked, “Why?”
“I’ve been asking myself the same question,” she shot back. “It’s a shock, I know, but I’ve been trying to tell you for some time now.”
“Well I never got the message,” I murmured.
“Life is hard, Pen; I told you to take the rose colored glasses off.” She shook her head, and I could feel my love for her quickly changing to hatred. The nerve of her, reprimanding me for being trusting, for believing in her and our friendship, for believing that even Sam wouldn’t sink so low as to sleep with one of my dearest friends. I felt like slapping her.
“I’m sick of all this drama.”She threw her head back, running her fingers through her red mane. “That’s why I mentioned going to France for a while. I need a break from all of this.”
“You…you need a break? What are you complaining about? I’m the victim here!”
“I realize that. I’m trying to help you.”
“Help me?” I screeched. “How…by stealing my husband?”
“What?” She cocked her head.
“How could you, Jackie? You must have a million men at your fingertips.”
“Huh?” Her face froze. “What are you talking about?”
“You slut,” I shouted out in a voice I didn’t know I possessed.
“Shush…quiet,” she said, putting her drink down with a shaky hand. “Look, Pen, you’ve got it all wrong; totally wrong!” Her expression changed. “I’m n
ot the one you have to worry about. I tried to stop it.”
“Stop what?” I screamed.
“Pen, listen, I confronted Sam, at your place, I….” She reached out to me. “Look, we got into a massive argument. The big ape was out of control. He dragged me down to your basement, so no one would hear us. He got violent, Pen. He hit me and threw me on the floor. That’s how I got that bump on my head.”
“What a story! Well, at least that explains the ring.”
“What ring?”
“Stop playing me for a fool. Your ring, Jackie! That ugly ring; the one with the big blue stone...”
“Huh? You have it?” she asked, screwing up her face.
“Yes, I found it behind the furnace, in my basement.”
“What the hell…” she mumbled, looking puzzled.
“Of, please, Jackie! I also found Sam’s cuff link. Look, it’s over; I see it all very clearly now. How long are we going to play this game?”
“Look, Pen, I’m telling you the truth. Sam and I got into an argument, and yes we were in your basement. I remember grabbing his shirt when he threw me down. That’s probably when his cuff link fell off. But the ring…”
“Spare me the dramatics. Just give me the facts.”
“I am. I’m telling you exactly what happened. He noticed my head was bleeding and panicked. He yanked me up by my hair and told me to keep my mouth shut or he’d kill me. He continued threatening me, kept saying he had dirt on me. Something I wouldn’t want getting out. It was horrible. I got out of there as fast as I could. I couldn’t tell you, Pen. I was so frightened. I was afraid of what he would do next. He’s unstable. He said if I mentioned anything to anyone, he’d track me down and skin me alive. He kept going on about dirt he had on me and leverage.”
“What dirt?” I shot back.
“Nothing compared to what he’s hiding.”
“Well I’ve got a lot of time, so start talking. What dirt does he have on you?”
“He was going to tell Claudia and Paul about…” She stopped.
“About what…?”
“About me,” a voice shot out from behind me. I turned quickly and was stunned to see Trevor casually leaning against the back wall. His shirt was open, and his low slung jeans were half unbuttoned.
“About us,” she said flatly and lit one of her long cigarettes. “We’re involved.” She blew a train of smoke out slowly.
“We’ve been seeing each other on and off for a while now,” Trevor added and positioned himself next to Jackie in a protective manner. “It started last year; we ended it when I went back to school, but I couldn’t stay away. I’m here to stay. We’ve got a sick thing going, right babe?” He pulled Jackie close, wrapping his arm around her waist.
“It’s sick alright.”
“Oh, come on, don’t look so shocked. He’s a man now; he’ll be 21 next week.” Jackie gazed lovingly at Trevor and cooed, “We’re in love.”
My eyes widened as I took in the two, caressing and cooing. Their union was definitely surprising, but it certainly wasn’t enough to push Sam over the edge. “That’s it?” I said rubbing my head. “Okay, I get that Claudia and Paul might not be so thrilled about their 21 year old son having an affair with a cougar, but why in the world would Sam care?”
Jackie cut me off. “Trevor, darling, be a love and pick up that case of wine I ordered from Brandson’s.” She placed her car keys in his hand and kissed him deeply. He sashayed toward the door, buttoning his jeans as he left.
“I’ll be back, babe.” He winked and headed for the door. “Bye, Penny,” he yelled out before closing the door behind him. I certainly wasn’t comfortable with Trevor’s sudden familiarity, referring to me as Penny, but that wasn’t half as jarring as seeing him wrapped around Jackie, his tongue halfway down her throat. I remembered him as a child, sitting at the edge of my pool sipping a purple juice box, and winced.
“I think I’ll take that drink now.”
Jackie rushed to place a crystal tumbler in my hand. I felt like I might spontaneously explode right in the center of her ultra-mod living room and drank the clear liquid in one full gulp.
“Okay, now, let’s start from the beginning… again,” I muttered.
She quickly refilled my glass.
“Look, I didn’t want Trevor to hear this part. Like I said, I confronted Sam,” Jackie said.
“Why?”
“Because I saw him having a drink with Claudia, and I knew about the drugs.”
“What drugs? Jackie, please, you’re going in circles, not making any sense. What drugs?”
She looked at me with that same look she gave me in Leighton’s parking lot and again when we were leaving the Regal after lunch, and I felt my stomach sink. I searched her face and saw the pain and fear she was carrying. She took her hand and placed it gently on my arm.
“Sam isn’t having an affair with me. Oh, Pen, things are much worse than that.” She walked around the room and stopped in front of one of her large paintings. Her finger traced the lines in the huge work of art, and she started to cry.
“I found pills in that ring of yours,” I stammered. “What kind of pills are they?”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“That ring has a hidden compartment. I opened it. It’s filled with pills. You honestly expect me to believe you didn’t know that?”
“That ring isn’t mine. It belongs to Phyllis. She gave it to me…let me think. Yes, I remember, it was right before the whole Teddy debacle. I remember exactly. It was the day before we all met for lunch at Regal Rock, when I was so upset. She saw me that morning at the coffee shop and came running over to me. She said she felt badly about missing my birthday and took the ring right off her finger. She wanted me to have it, said it was a belated birthday gift. I thought it was odd. I didn’t know it had a secret compartment. I swear. Anyway, I lost it. I noticed it was missing the day before the costume ball. I had no idea it was filled with pills.”
“What is going on?” My head was spinning.
“I’m not sure. Anyway, there’s another ring to worry about.”
“Huh?”
“Yes…a drug ring.”
“A drug ring,” I repeated, trying to pull more air down into my lungs.
“Yes, Pen. Ever since Teddy went off the deep end, I’ve been doing some digging. That private investigator I hired to trail him and his little bimbo uncovered more than a fling. Seems Teddy has been partying up a storm…wild parties with lots of drugs. And he’s not the only one.” Her eyes widened, and I could see the sadness behind her glare.
“I’m so sorry Pen, but Sam’s involved, too. The detective has documented proof of that.”
“Well, that certainly explains the late nights and erratic mood swings,” I mumbled.
“He’s not alone. A ton of guys from Regal Rock are into this stuff. Some major partying has been going on in our little village.” Her eyes widened. “Anyway, I found out Todd was dealing the stuff; that waiter at Magnolia was, too. They had quite a client list as well: CEO’s, bankers, politicians, socialites; the list goes on and on. If news got out that these folks were nothing more than a pack of druggies, their reputations would be ruined. I’m thinking someone got nervous and shut Todd and that waiter up…permanently.”
I sat wringing my hands; it all seemed unreal. “Okay, let’s get back to why you confronted Sam?”
“Like I said, I knew Sam was totally into the whole drug scene. One night I saw Claudia and him having a drink downtown. I started to wonder whether Claudia was using as well. Anyway, they got into a very heated discussion and Claudia stormed off crying. It made me uneasy. I wanted to know what was going on; I thought they might be romantically involved. Oh, I don’t know what I thought. Anyway, I drove over to your place the following day to ask him point blank. I confronted him, and he completely denied it. In fact, he laughed when I brought it up. He only got upset when I mentioned his drug use. That’s when he got violent and threatened to ex
pose my relationship with Trevor. Look, I’m so sorry I never told you. I was planning on telling you everything. I was waiting for the right moment, Pen. The bottom line is…Sam is not someone I want to cross.”
“Did you ever approach Claudia about them possibly being an item?”
“Yes, I phoned her that same day. I never mentioned my confrontation with Sam. I just asked her if there was anything going on with the two of them. She thought I was joking. Look, I was wrong about the two of them being romantically involved. I admit that…but I don’t think I’m off base about Claudia’s involvement in the drug ring. You saw her paying off that guy in town. Something’s not right.”
“I don’t believe that whole overdose story,” I said shaking my head. “Someone tried to kill her in that fountain, Jackie. I’m scared.”
“I am too,” she said softly. “I’m just starting to piece things together.” Her brow creased.
“I found a bag of money,” I said flatly.
“What…Where?”
“In my basement.”
“This is getting insane.” Jackie walked around in a circle holding her drink tightly. “How much?” she asked.
“I didn’t count it…a lot, thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands. Wait; didn’t Phyllis say something about Frank having a problem and money missing from their business account? Remember, at lunch?”
“Yes, I remember, but I didn’t take her seriously. Phyllis is such a drama queen.”
“I don’t like this,” I said, pulling at my collar.
“It stinks,” Jackie replied.
“Of..?” I asked, fearing her answer.
“Phyllis,” she said flatly. “About that ring, you said it was filled with pills. Do you still have it?”
“Yes, I brought it with me.” I rummaged through my handbag and found it at the bottom of the large leather satchel. “Here it is,” I handed it to her. She examined it carefully, and I showed her how to pop open the center stone, exposing the hidden compartment underneath.
“Wow!” she exclaimed. She took out one of the small tablets and held it up for me to inspect. “These pills, do you know what they are?”
A Brilliant Ride Page 16
