Covet

by Alison Ryan

  She’d told him where she’d be and he’d mentioned that he would be meeting her late that night, something that exasperated her but she treaded carefully around Mark. She’d revealed a lot of secrets to him, a lot of herself to him, and she hated to admit that gave him a small amount of power over her. He was one of the very few who could claim such a thing.

  Around 1 am she’d finally decided it was time for sleep. She’d been reading a Gillian Flynn novel, and enjoying it, but her eyes were heavy. She considered texting Mark but she was frustrated with him for being so cryptic and weird. She’d also considered calling Barrett but she doubted he’d answer. He probably had her number blocked by now anyway. He’d done things like that before. But he always eventually unblocked her and allowed her back into his life.

  Now that Scarlet was back it might be trickier. Patricia wondered how much Scarlet had told Barrett. Certainly not everything.

  But just as she was drifting off there was a knock at her door.

  She padded over to it in her long silk kaftan and Chanel slippers. On the other side of it was something she expected and also something she never would have expected in a million years.

  It was Mark. And in his arms, a sleeping little girl.

  Chapter Sixty-Five

  Barrett hadn’t been to the Evers condo in Nashville for years and even then, he’d visited only once. He’d forgotten all about it, and when Mark told him to meet him there to get Thisbe, he was surprised to learn his mother even still owned it.

  “Remember, you need to come alone,” Mark had said. “No cops, no Scarlet, no one else.”

  “Of course,” Barrett said. “All I want is Thisbe. And to hear whatever it is you need to say, Mark.”

  “See you in twenty minutes.” Mark disconnected.

  Barrett stared at the digital time on his iPhone for a few moments, wondering what he was about to get himself into. He was tempted to call the detectives on the case, to wake up Scarlet, to get his people involved. But he was afraid to risk any chance of Thisbe being hurt. So against his better judgment, Barrett told no one. He slipped out into the night and took an Uber to the Evers condo.

  It was a long ride up the elevator to Patricia’s. Barrett’s heart pounded in his chest and he thought about what he was going to say when he saw Thisbe. He wondered how much his mother knew by now. He’d been shocked not to hear from her; the story was all over the news. His father had finally gotten in touch with him from Las Vegas and was flying in tomorrow. Barrett hoped that by then Thisbe would be with him and Scarlet and this long and terrible nightmare could finally be finished.

  Barrett knocked on his mother’s door lightly and he heard her commanding voice.

  “Come in, Barrett,” she said.

  As soon as Barrett entered he saw his mother and Mark both sitting on her large suede sectional, the television turned on. The news glared from the screen, but it was apparently on mute. Barrett couldn’t make out anything the news anchors were saying.

  “Hello, son.” His mother’s usual smirk was gone and he could see fear in her eyes, something Barrett had never glimpsed in her in all his life.

  “Where is Thisbe?” Barrett asked, staring at Mark. “I did what you asked.”

  “She’s asleep in the guest room,” Mark said. “Take a look for yourself.”

  Barrett quickly walked down the long hallway to the only closed door. He quietly opened it and sure enough there was a sleeping little girl in the bed. The bed was enormous and she looked incredibly tiny in it. Her dark hair was fanned out on the pillow, her eyes closed with her hands tucked under her cheek. She looked like the sweetest cherub he’d ever seen and he was immediately grateful she was okay. He exhaled. As long as Thisbe was safe, everything else could be worked out.

  Barrett softly shut the door behind him and walked quickly back to where his mother and Mark still sat.

  “So what the hell do you want?” Barrett said. “How do we end this?”

  “I can’t believe you’re so angry,” Mark said. “I saved your daughter.”

  “How?” Barrett asked. “You scared her parents into killing themselves. You took a little girl. What part of this was saving her? You ruined her life!”

  “I ruined her life?” Mark stood, his large presence intimidating, but Barrett refused to cower. “You didn’t even know she existed until 48 hours ago. Her life was completely fine. But you decided what you wanted was more important than her happiness.” Mark looked over at Patricia, who was uncharacteristically quiet. “See, Patty? I told you. Your son is a no good, selfish piece of shit.”

  Patricia glanced at Barrett, “No, he’s not. Mark, just let him take Thisbe and go. You and I can sort things out.”

  Barrett looked at his mother, the woman who was directly at fault for everything happening in this moment. He wanted to hurt her, like she’d hurt him, like she’d hurt Scarlet. But something was off about her right now. Barrett stood there, unsure of what to do and unsure of what Mark would say or do next.

  “What do you mean, ‘No, he’s not’?” Mark bellowed. “He’s put you through hell. You’ve cried to me so many nights about this guy and all the pain he’s caused you. All the disrespect he’s shown you.” Mark pointed at Barrett. “This guy has the whole fucking world in the palm of his hand and has never had to struggle a day in his privileged life. He deserves nothing but misery.”

  Barrett and his mother looked at one another and Barrett suddenly realized Patricia was as trapped as he was right now.

  “Mark, how do we fix this? What’s the end game here? Is this about money?” Barrett asked.

  Mark strolled confidently over to Barrett, looking down at the man he’d been hired to drive and protect.

  “Money? You think this is about money? No, Barrett, I don’t need your money. All I need from you are a few simple things. You’re going to apologize to your mother, for starters. And to me. And after-“

  Barrett interjected. “Apologize? Me apologize? For-“

  The slap was blinding in both speed and power, and knocked Barrett to the floor. Patricia gasped at the display of violence from her erstwhile lover. Mark stood over Barrett, who was wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth.

  “You don’t get to interrupt me ever again, you snotty selfish prick!” Mark had rage in his eyes. “Yes, that’s right. You’re going to apologize to your mother for all you’ve put her through. And then to me for the way you’ve treated me. Then we’ll figure out how we wrap this up.”

  Barrett looked back down the hallway, hoping the noise wouldn’t wake Thisbe.

  “Don’t worry, sport, I gave her some Benadryl. You getting slapped around like a little bitch isn’t going to wake her up.”

  Barrett made eye contact with his mother, and for maybe the first time in his life he saw genuine emotion there. Unmistakable fear.

  Barrett rose to his feet, fists clenched. Mark noticed his aggressive posture and chuckled. “I’m assuming you know a little bit about my background, right Barrett? Army Ranger. And you’re what, a guy who tried to buy his way into becoming a SEAL? You’re a fucking joke. If you need some convincing to do the right thing, I’m just the man to motivate you.”

  With that, Mark tossed his sport coat onto the sofa near Patricia and cracked his knuckles. “All it would have taken was for you to swallow your pride. Now you get to swallow a few teeth and wash them down with your ego.”

  Mark and Barrett both lunged towards each other at the same time, crashing through a glass coffee table in the center of the room. The air practically reeked of adrenaline, and Patricia recoiled in horror, backing into the corner of the room.

  Mark straddled Barrett, punching his face three and then four times. Barrett rolled beneath the larger man, deflecting the blows, calling on everything he’d learned in the SEAL training he actually legitimately completed. He controlled his breathing and waited for Mark’s rage to overtake his own training and give him an opening.

  When he saw the opport
unity, he took it. A quick jab to Mark’s throat and a hook of his legs over Mark’s shoulder and suddenly he was free and both men staggered to their feet. This time Barrett struck first, two punches followed by a knee and it was Mark’s turn to taste blood.

  “Call 9-1-1! Do it now!” Barrett barked the command to his mother and moved to engage Mark again. The two men collided once again, this time Mark head-butting Barrett and shoving him against the wall where his head crashed through the glass of a painting and he slumped to the floor.

  “This is over, you cocksucker. Looks like that little girl’s an orphan after all.” Barrett was vaguely aware that Mark had reached for his discarded coat and was now holding a revolver in his hand. “Not the way I wanted this to end, but it’s for the best, Patty. We can go anywhere with your money.”

  Bang!

  Bang! Bang!

  The shots weren’t as loud as Barrett knew they ought to be in such an enclosed space, and although he’d steeled himself, he felt no pain. He opened his eyes to see Mark on the floor and his own mother standing nearby, holding a silenced pistol in her hands. The silence after the gun shots was deafening and Barrett stared at his mother in horror.

  She was standing over Mark’s body, her gun still pointed at him, her nostrils flaring.

  “That son-of-a-bitch,” she said. “Go to hell. Go straight to hell!”

  Barrett stood up slowly, “Mom. Where did you…how…”

  Patricia looked up at him, tears in her eyes, “He was going to kill you, Barrett. In front of me. To make me pay for dismissing him. For not being with him.”

  She dropped the gun on the sofa and collapsed. Barrett wanted to comfort her, but he also wanted to shake her for putting them all through this. And now someone was dead. Actually, three people were dead and one child was left without the only parents she knew.

  “What the fuck just happened?” Barrett asked. “What did I walk into here?”

  “He showed up with this little girl,” she said. “He said she was your daughter. With Scarlet. Well, that made no sense. Scarlet didn’t have a baby, I told him. But then he said, she did. Secretly. And that when I told you about her being pregnant she confessed to you…” Patricia started sobbing. “I had no idea. I would never have hurt my own granddaughter. And as soon as I saw her it was so obvious she was yours. That hair and her skin. My heart almost stopped beating. She’s so beautiful.”

  Barrett sighed, “I don’t believe a word you’re saying. I don’t believe you give a fuck about anyone but yourself. Did you call the police?”

  “They’re on their way. Her parents didn’t kill themselves,” Patricia said. “He told me what he did. He put something in their coffee. When he went to see them. And then he put them in the car… To make it look like. Well, you know.” Patricia looked up at her son. “He was a monster, Barrett. I know you think I’m one too, but I didn’t kill him for me. I killed him for you. And Thisbe. I know you don’t want to believe it, but I always want what’s best for you.”

  Barrett started punching the numbers in his phone, “You’re right, Mother. I don’t believe that even one little bit.”

  Chapter Sixty-Six

  The police were there within minutes. Barrett and Patricia were both interviewed separately, both giving the same story. Scarlet came soon after, flanked by her mother and Nancy.

  “Where is she?” Scarlet cried out as soon as she entered the condo. Mark’s body was covered by a sheet and Patricia was still talking to detectives.

  “Here, baby. I’ll show you,” Barrett wrapped his arm around Scarlet, who was shaking from adrenaline and nerves. “She’s sleeping. Still. Somehow she slept through the whole damn thing.”

  They walked back to the guest room and opened the door. Thisbe had shifted in her sleep. She was now on her stomach, one slender leg over the sheets.

  Scarlet started to sob inconsolably.

  “I want to hold her so bad,” she said. “I can’t believe everything that’s happened to her. And she has no idea…”

  “Shhh,” Barrett said as he quietly shut the door. “We have her whole life to tell her. We have her whole life to make sure she’s okay and never has to feel a single second of pain for the rest of her life.”

  Scarlet shook her head, “We could never guarantee such a thing. You know that.”

  Barrett smiled, “Well. We’ll do our damned best. I plan on making both your lives heaven on earth for as long as I live.”

  The next few days were a blur of interview and statement requests. Between the evidence and Patricia’s lawyers and connections, she wouldn’t spend any time behind bars. She was already in the papers being heralded as the savior of her son and his secret love child. It drove Barrett crazy to know she would probably come out of this looking better than she should. He would work on telling the real story one of these days.

  But for now, Barrett was focused on the healing of Scarlet and Thisbe. The little girl was completely confused as to what was going on around her. Thisbe had no idea Paul and Melissa were dead.

  “The man told me they’re away on a trip,” Thisbe explained. She had a sweet, high voice, and Scarlet couldn’t help but think she could listen to it all day and night. That it was what heaven must sound like. “He said they forgot to tell me and that he was my babysitter. He took me to a hotel and bought me McDonalds and ice cream.”

  “He didn’t hurt you or scare you, did he?” Barrett asked.

  Thisbe looked at him with her beautiful large eyes, the same ones she shared with her mother. “Oh, no. He was very nice. Kind of weird. He didn’t like to talk much.”

  Scarlet smiled, “Good. We’re so happy to hear that.”

  Thisbe stared at Scarlet, “I know you. I have a picture of you.”

  Scarlet looked at her, clearly taken aback, “You do?”

  “Yes. My mommy gave it to me. She said you were very important and that one day she would tell me all about you. She said you were her angel. The one God sent so she could have me.”

  Scarlet tried her best not to cry.

  “That’s so sweet,” Scarlet said, smoothing Thisbe’s hair back. “You know, your mommy was actually the one who was an angel. Because she chose to love you. I don’t have a choice because I made you. There’s no way I could ever not love you. But your mommy chose to love you with all her heart. Your mommy would have done anything for you, Thisbe. Your daddy too. And I promise, one day you will know everything they did. You’ll know the whole story.”

  Thisbe nodded, “I would love to hear it. One day. When I am more grown up.”

  Scarlet laughed, “Yes, sweet darling. When we’re all a little more grown up.”

  “They aren’t on a trip,” Thisbe said, suddenly sullen. “Are they?”

  Scarlet’s tears fell down her cheeks and Thisbe leaned over to wipe them with her thumbs, “Oh, sweet child. They’re not. I wish they were. I wish so many things, baby.”

  Thisbe’s tears filled up and both Scarlet and Barrett held her for a moment, together.

  “Will I have a home?” Thisbe whispered. “Who will love me now? I’m only 4. I’m not ready to be on my own.”

  Barrett pulled his daughter into his lap, “Baby, I can promise you that no matter how old you get, you will never be on your own. And I know you don’t know me yet, or this pretty lady here, but we will love you always. We always have.”

  “Thisbe,” Scarlet said. “You are my favorite ‘What if.’ And now you get to be my favorite forever. Is that okay with you?”

  Thisbe nodded, “I can try. I just really miss my mommy and daddy.”

  They decided to stay in Nashville for the time being, to help Thisbe transition into her new life. Patricia had requested to see Thisbe before she went back to Atlanta, something Scarlet was very much against.

  “No,” Scarlet said. “I don’t care if it’s not fair. I don’t want her to have any part of Thisbe’s life. I will not negotiate on that.”

  Barrett nodded, “I completely understand.
You’re right. She doesn’t deserve her. But I can’t help but be grateful that when it mattered, she saved my life.”

  “I still can’t believe Mark was actually going to kill you,” Scarlet said.

  “He had a gun in his hand, pointed at me.” Barrett pointed out. “Loaded. I was sure I was dead.”

  “I know, and I guess some people would say I should be grateful,” Scarlet said. “But it doesn’t change how I feel. Because of her we missed four years of Thisbe’s life we can never get back. And Melissa and Paul…”

  “I know,” Barrett said. “You’re right. Fuck her.”

  Barrett had left his girls to meet his mother one last time. It was downstairs in the lounge at The Hermitage. His mother was dressed to the nines, of course. She looked surprised when he came without Thisbe.

  “Is Scarlet bringing her down?” Patricia asked.

  “No,” Barrett said. “She isn’t. You don’t get to see her. And you need to learn to accept that.”

  Patricia sighed, “I don’t know how else I can make up for my mistakes. I committed homicide for you.”

  “Some mistakes can’t be undone,” Barrett said. “Some things can’t be taken back.”

  Patricia shook her head, “I can’t win with you. I never could.”

  “It’s not always about winning, Mother. It’s about being a good person who does things for love and not out of self-interest,” Barrett said. “Have you heard from Dad?”

  “Don’t get me started,” Patricia said. “He’s divorcing me. For some whore he met in Las Vegas. Arista. What a stupid name.”

  Barrett laughed, “He’s with Arista? From my office?”

  “Yes,” Patricia scoffed. “Why is that funny? Your parents’ marriage is dissolving.”

  “What ‘marriage’? It dissolved a long time ago,” Barrett said. “Now you truly have all the freedom you could ever want, Mother. All by your damn self.”