Part 31 (1/2)
”How did you know about this?” She looked at me, eyes narrowed. ”I kept it tucked in a book on my nightstand.”
”I found it crumpled on your kitchen floor, where I think Ben must've dropped it. He trashed your house.”
”Why?”
”Anger, probably. He was looking for some sign that you really are his mother. Gwyn confirmed my suspicions that you were.”
”She would never tell anybody.”
”Her world has fallen apart, just like yours. Just like mine, come to think of it.”
”My world is intact as long as I can stay in control of the situation. You have to help me, Diana. You have to give it to me.”
”Your world isn't intact, Celia. Ben's dead. He hanged himself in your garage.” As I told her what had happened, her face crumpled. Her body sagged.
On the other side of the adjoining wall, a toilet flushed.
Celia slumped on the bed.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO.
I listened to her cry and moan, and I wondered who she really was crying for. Then she sat up, wiping her hands across her eyes. ”Suicide?”
”Parson said it was.”
”You believe him?”
”I believe he can kill someone without laying a hand on them.” I thought of Colin. ”But he told me that when he arrived at your house, Leo Heath was trying to cut Ben down. He may still have been alive then. But Parson's men stopped Heath.”
”Heath?”
”The one you lied about. I think that was your first lie to me, at least that I know about.”
”Are you saying Ben wanted to kill himself?”
Not wanting to keep the fury out of my voice, I said ”The kid grew up thinking his biological father was a rapist. That his stepfather didn't love him because he loved his mistress more. Then the mistress turned out to be his real mother. Robert didn't even know, for Christ's sake.”
”Shut up!”
”And to get back at them, Ben joins Jenny in blackmailing everyone who's important to Robert and Gwyn. Yes, Celia, I think he wanted to kill himself.”
She stared at me, shocked at my rage.
The TV turned on in the next room. Its low muttering mixed with the rumbling of the air conditioner.
”I want to know what kind of killer you are,” I said. ”Are you cold-blooded, or accidental?”
She pushed her ink black hair from her face. ”Jenny was an accident.”
”Start from the beginning.”
”Ben found out I was his father's mistress. I don't know who told him.” Her expression hardened. ”Was it you?”
”He grew up, Celia. He put the pieces together all by himself. It wasn't difficult for him.”
”He wanted to meet me.”
”On the night of Jenny's death?”
”No, a few days before. He came to my house. He was drunk or high on something. He wanted to see where Robert slept with me, wanted to see where his family's money was going. He was shocked when I told him I wasn't taking any money from Robert. I told Ben that I loved Robert, but that I also loved my independence. And I never wanted to marry or have children.” Her voice broke.
”You said that to your son.”
”Ben didn't know that then. He asked if I didn't worry about his mother's feelings. I told him she had her relations.h.i.+p with Robert and I had mine.”
The TV grew louder. I could make out two actresses speaking in Spanish.
”He told me he was working in the video business. That his father and mother would be very proud. And then he blurted out what he was really doing. He ranted about how he and Jenny were going to show up all the hypocrites like Robert, like me. Then he tried to kiss me while taking a picture of us on this small video camera. I pushed him away, and he fell on the sofa and pa.s.sed out.”
”You checked to see what was on the camera?”
She nodded. ”I recognized Bella Casa immediately, Jenny Parson with Ryan, and Jenny taunting Beth Woods while she was having s.e.x with her. G.o.d, it was a Who's Who of Hollywood elite. There was no security protection. No pa.s.sword. Anybody could've seen the videos. What were they thinking?” Furious, she jumped up and pounded the wall. ”Keep it down in there!”
The volume on the TV lowered. Celia leaned against the dresser, hands clasped in front of her. Her face was ragged. ”In the morning Ben was frantic when I told him that I wouldn't let him have the camera back. He became a little boy again, pleading with me, telling me that Jenny was dangerous. That he didn't want anyone to know what he was doing, that he wanted out. That she and Zackary Logan would kill him if he didn't have the camera.”
”So you had Ben set up a meeting with Jenny?”
She nodded. ”Ben called me from the club. He said Zackary would be driving her home. Jenny had been drinking and was threatening him. If she didn't get the camera back that night, she would tell Robert. He told me where she lived and to wait in the shadows by the garbage bins in the alley. He would be following them in his car so he could bring Zackary back to the club. When they arrived, Zackary drove Jenny into the garage and parked in her slot. Ben, who had a key, let me in through the side door next to the gates. Keeping us out of view of the security cameras, he guided me to Jenny. She made Zackary get out of her Audi and told me to get in. I slid into the driver's seat.” She paused, unclasping her hands, then rubbing them over her forehead and into her hair.
”I thought I could talk her out of what she was doing,” she continued. ”That was my intention, anyway. But she threatened me. She said if anybody found out about their business, she'd tell them I was a full partner. That I'd let them bring the johns to Bella Casa. She was hysterical, out of control, making all kinds of wild threats, so I shook her. She screamed, and then she started hitting me. That's when my cell must've somehow got turned on.”
”It was Jenny I heard screaming, not you.”
”Yes. You understand, don't you Diana? I really didn't have a choice. I had to stop her. I shook her harder and harder until her neck snapped back and her head hit the pa.s.senger window. It made an awful sound, a kind of dull crack. I couldn't believe it had gone that far... .” She sat down on the edge of the bed and buried her head in her hands.
”Oh, Celia,” I murmured.
”It was Zackary Logan who took charge.” She looked up. ”He got the key from her purse, and he and Ben went up to her condo and got the bags to put her in. All three of us wrapped her up and carried her out to the bin. Ben kept saying 'You didn't have to kill her.' The boys drove away in Ben's car, and I walked back to mine and went home.”
”Did you have to kill her?”
”I didn't mean to. I was trying to protect everyone.”