The Happiest Day Page 17

  Except for one piece, she realized.

  She wanted her mother’s locket. She despised the idea of having to go back into Norris’ room, but also didn’t want to leave the locket with him. She took a deep, steadying breath and headed back down the hallway to Norris’ room. She knocked only once and, knowing that he wouldn’t answer, opened the door.

  She stopped cold, her body stiffening in shock at the sight that met her eyes.

  Norris was hanging from one of the massive bedposts, a sheet tied around his neck, his face twisted in a gruesome mask. His feet still swayed slightly. Her mother’s locket was twisted around his wrist and dangled between his lifeless fingers.

  Chapter 16

  The entire city turned out for Norris’ funeral and although people whispered behind their hands, no hint of scandal was ever uttered. The kinder of those in their social circle attributed his suicide to his despair of losing his son. Rachel sat in the front pew of the church, Laurie next to her, stoic in his grief. He was still mourning Geoff’s death and seemed to have aged into a man in just a matter of weeks. Maryanne sat next to him, then Bert, Peter, and Blanche. Rachel wished beyond all reason that Peter could sit next to her, where he belonged, but knew that Blanche would never allow it.

  She stared at his coffin, her eyes dry and her face pale. Since the moment she had found Norris’ body, her body had felt as cold as ice. She had spent the past few days huddled in blankets, shaking uncontrollably. Dr. Miller had prescribed sleeping pills for her but they remained unopened. She didn’t want to hide from the world; she just wished she could get warm again.

  Laurie nudged her and she stood. The six of them exited the church and drove to Spring Grove Cemetery for the internment. As they filed into the rows of seat set up at graveside, Peter took the opportunity to squeeze her waist briefly with one hand. She looked up at him and he gave her an almost imperceptible nod. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “I love you,” then took his seat next to his wife.

  The graveside ceremony was blessedly short and the following wake at the house was a macabre encore of Geoff’s, only a few months earlier. Rachel realized that Norris was died the day Geoff did, it just took a few months for his body to follow his spirit.

  “Rachel,” a voice greeted her.

  She looked up from where she sat in a chair. “Leonard,” she said softly. “How nice of you to come.”

  “I’m so sorry for your loss.” He pressed his hand to hers. “Is there anything I can do for you?” He shifted restlessly and Rachel thought that he must be very uncomfortable at wakes.

  “No, but thank you for offering.”

  “The reading of the will is scheduled for Friday at ten a.m.”

  “All right. The whole family should be there?”

  “Yes. Norris changed his will after Geoff died. I wasn’t sure if you knew that.”

  Rachel drew back in surprise. “I didn’t know that. You came out here to see him?”

  “Yes, he called for me.”

  “Do you feel…that he was in his right mind?”

  “I do. He was depressed, certainly, but he knew exactly what he wanted. I’m sure of that.”

  “I trust you,” she said and was surprised again by his apparent discomfort. Was there something in the will that she wasn’t prepared for? “Is there something you need to tell me, Leonard?”

  “No, no,” he said nervously. “Everything will be fine with the reading, I assure you.” He looked over his shoulder and Rachel followed his gaze. Blanche stood in the middle of the room, smoking her cigarette, staring at Leonard with a half-smile on her face. Leonard blanched and turned back to Rachel. “Rachel, if there is ever anything I can do for you…on a personal level as well as professional, please don’t hesitate to ask me.”

  She nodded. “I won’t. Thank you. We’ll see you on Friday.”

  “Yes, yes,” he said, shifting his feet. “Rachel, I’m sorry.” He turned and left the room, and the house, without a backwards glance.

  Finally, blessedly, the house was empty and Rachel sat in Norris’ study with her brother, Maryanne and Bert, and Peter. Blanche had left.

  “Leonard asks that we all be at his office Friday morning for the reading of the will. He said that Norris wrote a new will after Geoff’s death.”

  Maryanne, holding a balled up handkerchief against her mouth, looked up in surprise. “Why would he have done that?” she asked in a heavy, grief-laden voice. She was newly pregnant, again, and they all worried for her state of health.

  Peter stood agitatedly and stalked over to the fireplace, leaning on the mantle. “He was planning his death. That bastard planned on killing himself all along.”

  “Don’t say that!” Maryanne exploded. “Daddy would never have done that!”

  “Don’t be naïve, Annie,” Peter bit out. “Norris was nothing if not a planner.”

  “Why would he plan this?” she cried. “Why would he want to leave us?”

  Rachel met Bert’s eyes from where she sat at Norris’ desk. He gave her a concerned look and asked softly, “Rachel? What is it?”

  She wrapped her arms around her ice cold body protectively. “He killed Geoff.”

  Peter whirled around, his face incredulous. “What…?”

  “It was an accident,” Maryanne said. “He knew that we didn’t blame him-”

  “It wasn’t an accident,” Rachel said quietly. “He confessed to me right before he killed himself that they had argued and he shot him.”

  Silence fell over the room like a death knell. Rachel bowed her head, unable to meet the eyes of anyone in the room. Her life had become so dictated by secrets but this was one that she couldn’t keep to herself. She cleared her throat and continued,

  “He felt that Geoff was haunting him. He just couldn’t live with what he had done.” She had no intention of telling them the rest of the story. She couldn’t break Maryanne’s heart further by telling her that her father had killed her mother. She couldn’t let Laurie know that the man he had admired his whole life was behind the murder of their parents. She didn’t want him to know that such a sick man was really his father. She couldn’t bear to see the look on Peter’s face if he were to find out that she had shared a bed with the man who might be her father. She would have to take the rest of her secrets to her grave with her.

  “He told you this?” Maryanne asked hoarsely.

  “Yes.”

  “What argument could have been so bad that Daddy would do this?’

  “I don’t know,” Rachel lied.

  Laurie walked over to his sister and knelt in front of her, taking her hands in his. “Why didn’t you tell me? You’ve been dealing with this all alone since Norris died.”

  “I wasn’t sure if I was going to tell anyone. When Leonard said that Norris had changed his will, though, I wasn’t sure what it was going to say. It’s possible that there could be a confession…I just didn’t want all of you to be blindsided in Leonard’s office.”

  “We’re family, Rachel,” Peter said. “You can’t keep things from us.”

  “I won’t anymore,” she said to him. “I’m sorry, everyone, but I have to go to bed. I’m exhausted.”

  “Go,” Laurie ordered. “We’ll take care of everything. Sleep as long as you need, Rae.”

  “I’ll walk you up,” Peter said, taking her arm. Rachel willingly leaned against him and allowed him to lead her out of the study and up the staircase. “You’ve been through too much over these past few months. I’m worried about you.”

  “I just need a good night’s sleep,” she demurred. “I’ll be fine.”

  He helped her undress and lifted the nightgown over her head. He sat her down at her dressing table and pulled the pins out of her hair then ran the brush through it. Rachel felt a heavy lethargy settle over her and she luxuriated in being taken care of. Norris had certainly taken care of her, financially and physically, but never on this personal of a level. Peter was attending to her on an emotional level.
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  He led her to bed and made sure she was comfortably settled, then he sat on the side of her bed, stroking her hair silently for many long minutes. Rachel felt herself drifting off to sleep. She prayed that it would be dreamless. She feared that she would never be able to get the image of Norris’ hanging body out of her mind.

  “I know this isn’t the right time,” she heard Peter say, his voice sounding far away. “But it will be someday, and I wanted you to know that I intend on marrying you.”

  She couldn’t lift her eyes. Her lips moved slightly, but she was unable to produce any sound.

  “You’re my heart,” he continued. “I can’t imagine my life without you. I don’t want to leave you any more. I want to share a home with you. I want to raise our children. It won’t be easy, I know, but we’ll make it happen.” He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Sleep now, darling. I’ll be here when you wake.”

  He was. Rachel sensed the change in their relationship even though she could barely recall his words as she drifted off to a heavy sleep. She just knew that he seemed to have made up his mind about his future and she felt as if the pendulum had finally swung to her side.

  They all met in Leonard’s office Friday morning and the will held no surprises. She was left the majority of his estate which was worth several million dollars, while Peter, Maryanne, and Laurie split the remaining portion, with a trust set up for Norris’ grandson, Alan. There was no confession and no secrets revealed in the reading. Leonard informed them that the changes Norris’ requested had been removing Geoff from the will and adding the request that Rachel continue running the newspaper while the others were to assist where needed. They were all now financial partners in the business. Leonard still looked extremely uncomfortable and Rachel felt that there was something he was not revealing to them.

  Rachel shook his hand as they all stood to leave, asking after his family. A dull flush worked its way up his neck and he mumbled, “They’re fine. Thank you for asking.”

  “Leonard, I want you to know that I intend to keep you on as my personal attorney,” she said, wondering if that was the reason why he seemed so ill at ease.

  “I appreciate that, but I wouldn’t blame you if you went elsewhere.”

  “I have no intentions to do so. Do you not want to represent me any longer?”

  “It’s not that, Rachel,” he said, an apologetic note in his voice. “I just feel as if I have failed you.”

  “In what way?” she asked, her eyebrows drawing together. “Leonard, can’t you tell me what is bothering you?”

  Peter had noticed her discussion with the attorney and joined them. “Is everything all right?”

  Leonard’s face closed over. “Everything is fine. You’ll have to excuse me. I have another appointment.”

  Rachel was perturbed. “All right. Maybe we can talk later?”

  “Of course,” he answered blandly. Whatever he had been about to say was not going to be revealed now.

  They left his office, shielding their eyes against the bright sunshine. It hit Rachel that her entire life was different now. She was only twenty, but widowed and a multi-millionaire. More than that, she was the owner of a well-respected and well-established newspaper. What a strange journey had brought her to this point in her life. Inhaling deeply, she looked at Peter and he smiled at her, taking her hand in his.

  “Are you all right?”

  “I am,” she answered truthfully. “I am going to be just fine.” For the first time since she was a child, Rachel was excited for her future.

  Chapter 17

  Six weeks later, Peter sat at home waiting for Blanche to emerge from her bedroom. He was slightly nervous, but also relieved that there was finally going to be an end to this disaster of a marriage. He had spent almost everyday of the past month and a half with Rachel and knew that Blanche was unhappy with the situation. After everything Rachel had been through, though, he just couldn’t bring himself to be apart from her. He stopped by the newspaper each day for lunch, if he wasn’t in court, and then came by again in the late evening to drive her home. He made sure she ate a good dinner and then, more often than not, he took her to bed and made love to her. Laurie had left for his final year of school and they were alone at the estate. He had never been so content and he intended on making this permanent. He couldn’t move forward, though, without ending it with Blanche.

  “To what to I owe this pleasure?” Blanche asked, entering Peter’s study. “You’re never here when I get up.”

  He wanted to say that was because she never rose before noon and he was half-way through his work day by that point, but refrained. He had a purpose to this conversation and he wouldn’t lose focus by starting an argument.

  “We need to talk,” he said simply.

  He saw her shoulders pull back as if she was preparing for a fight. “How ominous,” she purred, sitting down opposite him on the chaise lounge. “I wonder what it could possibly be.”

  “Blanche, I want a divorce.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I want to move on with my life.”

  “With your little innocent, I presume?”

  He pretended he was in court and thought carefully before answering. “Our marriage is not satisfying to me and I doubt that it’s satisfying to you.”

  “On the contrary, I am very happy with our marriage.”

  “It’s the money,” he stated flatly. “I know that. As part of our divorce settlement, I’m willing to give you my entire inheritance from Norris.”

  Her nostrils flared. “Do you think I’m so shallow, Peter?”

  “It’s a substantial amount. You could live comfortably for the rest of your life.”

  “I’m living comfortably now.”

  “I’ll give you the house, too.” He felt a burst of exasperation at her mulish expression. “Damn it, Blanche! What else do you want?”

  “What do I want? What do I want?” she screeched. “I want to not be thrown out like trash just because you suddenly presume yourself in love with a girl who lived in your house like your sister! I’ve put up with her for years, mooning after you with those puppy dog eyes, and I knew once she became a woman, you wouldn’t be able to resist her. It makes me sick!” She jumped up and began pacing the floor. “I will not be left, do you understand me?”

  “You can’t stop me,” he said, resuming his calm voice.

  “The hell I can’t.” She smiled and he felt a chill run through him. “I hold the trump card, Peter.”

  “What does that mean?”

  She stopped in front of him and folded her hands together in front of her as if giving thanks to her god. “If you divorce me, I will go to the police and tell them the truth.”

  Peter’s mind moved in rapid thought. He hadn’t done anything illegal. She was bluffing.

  “The truth about what?”

  “I know who killed your mother and Frederick Stern.”

  He tried to school his face, but failed. “What are you talking about?” he said hoarsely. “It was an intruder.”

  She leaned down close to his face. “It…was…Rachel.” She could barely contain her glee.

  “You’re insane. The police would never believe you. There’s no evidence.”

  “I have the evidence.”

  “How?”

  “Let’s just say that Leonard Winston enjoys pillow talk.”

  The bottom dropped out of his stomach. “Damn it, Blanche,” he whispered.

  “Your lover’s little stunt at Geoff’s wake motivated me to take control of the situation. Leonard was an easy mark although I had to put up with his crying and recriminations afterwards.”

  “Leonard is a family man,” Peter said tonelessly.

  “Too true, but I have found that there are few men that can say no to an aggressive proposition. It wasn’t even a challenge.” She shrugged. “It didn’t take long to get him to start talking and he admitted that Norris had taken the rap to try to divert attention away from Rachel. Norris
knew that he’d never be convicted because the evidence just wasn’t there.”

  “There’s no evidence that Rachel did it, either. Leonard can’t release any information. It will break attorney client privilege.”

  “He doesn’t need to say a word. I have the evidence. I have Norris’ journal.”

  Peter felt the panic rising in him. “Where did you get it?”

  “I overheard Laurie and Maryanne talking at Geoff’s wake. Apparently Geoff’s last words were about a journal. So, while everyone was busy crying in their coffee cups, I was searching Norris’ study. It didn’t take long to find it. The fool kept his safe combination written down in his desk. It makes for interesting reading, Peter. Especially the part where your innocent little angel slept with her own father.”

  Peter jumped out of his chair and lunged for Blanche. She stepped back and held out a hand. “If you touch me, I’ll have you thrown in jail for assault. If you kill me, Leonard has a letter of mine in his possession stating if anything happens to me, that you’re to be investigated.”

  He held himself back, his hands clenched in fists. “What do you want from me?”

  “What I always wanted. I want our marriage to continue. I want you to stay away from Rachel.” She sat back down, sure of her victory. “It’s over, Peter. You had fun, but the affair is over. Even if the police won’t press charges against her, the whole story will come out. She won’t be able to withstand the scandal. She’ll lose the paper. She’ll lose everything. Is that really want you want for her?”

  Peter thought of Rachel and how she had been over the past months. She was thriving in her role at the newspaper. She was blossoming and gaining self-confidence every day. She was making friends and becoming accepted into society’s circle. She seemed truly happy for the first time since he had known her. He couldn’t let it all come crumbling down around her.