antique revolver wasn’t in the garage like you told me, we found it in a drawer in her bedroom. But thanks for the tip. I got a nice arrest out of this.”
Chapter Thirty-two
It was mid-February—six weeks after that first phone call from Abby had entangled Sandy. At last, the turmoil had quieted. The remaining pieces of the drama that had once endangered her were now in place. Jamie was safely in Georgia with her father. Moran held nothing over her and was off her mind. The legal system would slowly take care of the rest.
They were in Chip’s house and had slept late on a Saturday morning. They had the entire weekend to waste. Their morning began lying closely and still enjoying the afterglow of the night before. Now they leaned back on the living room futon with their bare feet on the coffee table. He had a short knit robe over his boxers; she wore pale- green cotton pajamas. He had just gotten his second coffee and she had switched to a Bloody Mary.
“Freddy Kidde got me started drinking these. My favorite now.”
“A strange sort of man and a strange sort of drink.” He screwed up his face. “Vegetables soaked in vodka. Why don’t you toss in a pork chop and some gravy? The last thing I want is hot sauce and celery stuck in my drink.”
“Hot sauce suits my personality.”
“Now back to the law books for you.”
“Moran had no choice but to drop the charges against me. He couldn’t risk my going public and jeopardizing a conviction against Abby for felony murder.”
“He has a good case of blackmail against her as well.”
“Her trial isn’t for a few months. Moran is going to use the testimony of Freddy Kidde to establish that Abby and Toby were together in the blackmail. Once blackmail is established then Abby’s motivation for the attempted murder of Toby is obvious. That’s all Moran needs to convict her of the felony murder of Bruce Banks. Once they find her guilty of murdering Bruce Banks, Nita Banks can proceed with her wrongful death civil case against Abby and get a judgment against her assets.”
“Aiming for her fancy condo in West Palm, huh. So if Nita can hold on, she’ll come away with a couple million dollars, mas o menos.”
“Thanks to the cooperation of Freddy Kidde,” she said. “The suspicion of abusing Betty Jo’s body ruined him, so he has nothing to lose by testifying against Abby. In fact, he’s eager to do it given that the blackmail scheme led to his downfall. You know he’s fighting to keep his seat in Congress.”
“Not unusual for politicians to get caught with their strippers, mistresses, and hookers,” he said. “They pay a heavy price for a roll in the hay. They’re better at screwing the taxpayers.”
“One more sacrifice on the altar of sexual obsession. Passion rules us all and we obey.”
“He was a fool. How’d you make out in Fort Lauderdale with Betty Jo’s mother?”
“Nice lady. Seems they kept somewhat in touch, although she didn’t know her daughter was missing. I told her Betty Jo had died a natural death—from accidental choking. Doesn’t that sound innocent? At least that much was the truth. I said there was some talk of her body being mishandled before the doctor got there. Fortunately, she didn’t question me further about the nature of the mishandling. She asked about the burial and I told her it was dignified. I told her the authorities wanted to reach her, but didn’t know her address.”
“Did she know her daughter was a stripper?”
“Didn’t seem to mind. Said she was pleased her daughter was successful and happy even though she had yet to marry. When they last spoke, she told Betty Jo the bank was foreclosing on her house. She needed eight thousand. Betty Jo told her not to worry, she’d get the money to her. According to the mother, last month some man in a suit and big car showed up with money in a bank bag. He was very polite and said he was a friend of Betty Jo’s. Fifty thousand dollars in cash. Told her not to worry, all perfectly legal. The taxes had been paid. He said Betty Jo saved her money and was a smart investor. That she was sorry she couldn’t make it down, but to tell her mother she loves her. Far more than the mother needed to save the house and enough to make a big difference in her life from then on.”
“I don’t get it. Fifty thousand from where?”
“Freddy told me Betty Jo was carrying eight thousand in her shoulder bag. He must have kicked in with the other forty-two. Her mother seemed okay, but I think she broke down after I left. The entire visit was so sad. I hope I did the right thing.”
“You did fine,” Chip said. “And what about the crazy lady?”
“Ruth Towalski? Not crazy but needs psychiatric help. You think she’ll spend the rest of her life in prison?”
“I think she wants to,” he suggested. “If her life had gone in a different direction, she could have been a constructive citizen and a positive help to someone somewhere. She was no help to Toby, however. A different sort of mother might have made a big difference in his life.”
“The DNA paternity test came back positive for Kevin,” Sandy said. “He’s definitely Jamie’s father. He’s a much more cheerful man now. He gets full custody of her, which is what they both wanted all along. That smart kid will knock ‘em dead in Georgia. Jamie will be in every front row for the rest of her life.”
“For a while, she must have hoped you’d be her new stepmother. Did he make a play for you?”
“Make a play. Is that guy talk?” She knew what he meant and where this was going. She had expected the question eventually.
“Guy talk would be, did he try to nail you?”
She hesitated and then nodded her head. “Yes, he tried to nail me.” That was misleading. She should get it all out and done with.
“Did he succeed? I’ve no right to ask.”
“Would it make a difference?”
“Of course it would make a difference. You think I’m made of stone?”
“I mean a serious difference. Like a turning point difference?”
He thought a minute. “No turning point...I guess. Serious, but not like turning-point serious.”
“I think this is a good time for me to have another Bloody Mary.” She could scarcely breathe. She had to get out of the room.
He frowned and stared straight ahead. “Make that two.”
She left the room without saying anything further. She noticed her hand quivering slightly as she made the drinks. She sat down to let her nerves quiet. Why had she risked it? She felt perfectly satisfied with Chip. Was it an experiment with Kevin? Was she feeling so serious about Chip that she wanted to test him against Kevin, put them up against each other for a comparison? Kevin was definitely more unrestrained, more passionate. He had let himself go completely in bed. Like a teenager, only with one big difference—he knew what he was doing. She had surprised herself how she had responded, attempting to equal his passion. Where did all that come from? It must have been in her, waiting. However, one sweaty night does not a romance make.
So now what? She and Chip had gone together merely four months and she’d no idea if he had expected exclusivity with her. He was no kid. He’d had at least two hot lengthy affairs that she knew of. The last one was with a legal secretary at the courthouse who lived with him in this house for nearly two years. Meaning they made love in his bed right here and he put all those great moves on her right here.
She gave the drinks a final stir and returned to the living room. He just stood looking expectantly. She handed him his drink. “The answer is yes.”
“Yes?”
“Yes, he succeeded. I cooperated fully. We got to know each other somewhat trying to investigate all of this. I know that’s not an excuse. For some reason I was attracted to him and I wanted it to happen. It was just sex. A one time, after dinner thing. I’ve no further interest in him. It was an adventure. Just sex, no love, just fantasy. But I’m guilty. The deed is done. I realize once is all it takes to ruin our relationship. Whatever it does to us, I’ll have to live with.”
“Go on,” was all he said.
“We hadn’t talked about an exclusive relationship, but now that I’ve strayed, I’m thinking exclusive is what I
