Author Anon

“I’m glad you’re doing better, David,” says Amanda. “I understand you wanted to see me.”

“Yes,” says David. “There were some things I wanted to tell you. That night-”

“We know,” says Amanda. “And more. Much more.”

“The family has already filled me in,” says David. “But I needed to know the impact this will have on all of us, especially Eileen. You hear stories about cousins having kids and how they turn out with two heads and stuff. Eileen is so beautiful. Will she be normal?”

“As far as we know, she is healthy,” says Amanda. “We can only hope for the best. You know, not all consanguinous relationships end up with deformed babies.”

“When I found out all this,” says David, looking intently at Amanda, “I realized something more. I realized I can’t keep going around like this, like my dad, my granddad, et cetera. Who knows how many more cousins I have out there? Who knows how many kids I have out there?”

“You do know about Lucas, don’t you?” asks Amanda.

“Yes. Stephanie told me,” says David.

“When?” asks Detective Ute, stepping into the room. “Sorry to interrupt, but since you are talking, we need to ask you some questions.”

David glares at him. “I am having a private conversation.”

“Maybe you should just tell him your story,” suggests Amanda, patiently. “Then we can finish our conversation.”

“Don’t leave,” says David. Turning to Ute, he says crossly, “What would you like to know?”

“Do you know who shot you?” asks Ute.

“No, it was dark,” says David.

“Could it have been Blanche Albright?”

“Maybe, but I doubt it,” says David. “Just before the gun went off, I touched her hand and it was empty.”

“Was somebody else in the house?”

“I don’t know. Stephanie Van Ness was there before Blanche, but I pushed her into the kitchen and told her to get out the back.”

“Did you hear her leave?”

“No, and when the door opened, I thought she was coming in to help me. When I was shot, I thought it was an accident.”

“Wait a minute. What door opened?”

“The kitchen door. When my eyes got adjusted to the dark, I saw the door open and a dark figure come out, crouch down and then I was shot.”

“So you thought Ms. Van Ness was coming to help you, and when you were shot, you thought she was trying to shoot Blanche Albright?”

“I guess that’s what went through my mind,” says David.

“Any reason to suppose she might have wanted to shoot you?”

“No! She wanted money from me.”

“Money?”

“She told me Lucas was my son and I was responsible for his care.”

“Wasn’t she already receiving child support?” asks Ute.

“Yes, from the wrong father. She knew it, but at the time, it suited her purpose.”

“What changed all that?”

“She was being blackmailed and couldn’t take it anymore.”

“By whom? Did she tell you?”

“By the man who conspired with her, Damian Stone. Now, I can’t verify any of this. She was a habitual liar.”

“Did Mr. Stone visit you?”

“No. I don’t even know if he exists.”

“Apparently, Dr. Steele, here, saw a man near your house. We believe it might be him. Is there anything else you can remember?”

David shakes his head and Detective Ute thanks him and leaves. David turns to Amanda again.

“The biggest lesson I learned from this,” says David, “is that I need to settle down. As I laid there, thinking I was going to die, all I saw was your face. I realized that I loved you and I wanted to be with you.”

Amanda stares at him, stunned. “Oh, David. No.”

“If you could get over Rick-”

“It’s not Rick, David. It’s Michael.”

“Michael?! That dull priggish geek?!”

“Don’t talk about him like that. I do love him and I don’t see him the way you do.”

“You’re blind.”

“Maybe. But you’re prejudiced.”

“This is not the end,” says David.

——————————————————————————————–

“Please talk to me, Rick,” says Lisa.

“I don’t know what to say,” says Rick. “I feel like a sleepwalker. Coming home to face all this, so unexpectedly. I just feel numb right now.”

“I know it’s hard to take in,” says Lisa. “Some of the things we found out recently are hard for me to take in as well. I feel like the world has turned upside down. I’m sure it must be worse for you.”

“It’s crazy. And Eileen-” Rick breaks off, grimacing.

“Oh, Rick. I’m so sorry,” says Lisa, with tears running down her face. “It all happened so quickly I didn’t have time to think before I realized I was hurting you.”

Rick is silent. So Lisa continues, “You were working so hard, I hardly ever saw you. David took advantage of that fact. You know how lazy he was. Instead of working, he’d come over here, ‘to keep me company’, he would say. One thing led to another and before long I was mesmerized by him. When I came to my senses, I broke it off with him. But he kept coming back, taunting me.”

“When were you going to tell me?” asks Rick, thoughtfully.

Lisa looks anguished. “I didn’t want to take the risk of losing you. I love you and I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“You’d rather I be hurt by lies than by the truth?” asks Rick.

“No! I didn’t want to hurt you at all. I thought if the truth would hurt, you would never be told, so you would never be hurt.”

“Don’t you see?” asks Rick. “It’s lies and secrets that come between two people, not truth. The truth may hurt but you can work through that hurt and betrayal. Lies imply distrust and a relationship can’t be based on distrust.”

“I realize that now,” says Lisa. “I let my jealousy of Amanda blind me and I didn’t trust her. But I know better now. I feel I’ve grown-up a lot in the last week. The question is, where do we go from here?”

Rick pauses before answering. “I think we should see a marriage counselor.”

——————————————————————————————–

“Happy New Year, Amanda,” says Sylvia, kissing her on the cheek. “I have a feeling this year is going to be special.”

“Happy New Year, Mrs. Silverman,” says Amanda. “I’m looking forward to this year.” Hand-in-hand, she and Michael enter the big living room, where a large gathering are having drinks and hors d’oeuvres.

“Your brother’s girlfriend is beautiful,” says Gavin.

“Yes, if you like that kind of beauty,” answers Ashley.

“Jealous, Ashley?” asks Chloe Purl, a friend of Ashley’s.

“Hardly,” says Ashley. “One look at them and you’d know they were both virgins.”

Amidst some giggling, Belle turns to Ashley, flabbergasted. “How could you, Ashley? What is wrong with that anyways? In this day and age, there’s more virtue in waiting than jumping into bed with every man you see.”

“Exactly. Virtue,” says Ashley. “How bo-o-o-ring. You’re just as prudish as they are, so why don’t you run along and join them, and leave us more mature adults to our own conversation.”

In disgust, Belle moves away from the group to join Amanda and Michael. Gavin, a little embarrassed, moves off to talk to Nicholas.

“So, I understand you’ve had quite an exciting time here in Brighton,” says Gavin. “I’m Gavin Sparks, by the way.”

“Oh. You’re the up-and-coming author,” says Nicholas. “I understand you’ve had an exciting life yourself. Traveling, that is.”

“Yes,” says Gavin. “I do a lot of traveling and meet a lot of people. It’s amazing, though, to come home to a relatively small city and find so much is happening right at home.”

“Just because we don’t make headlines internationally doesn’t mean we don’t have action around here,” says Nicholas, laughing.

“I’m curious to know more about what happened in the missing diamond case,” says Gavin. “You were the reporter-cum-investigator on the case, correct?”

“Yes, but I’ve had to leave that off to help Dr. Steele,” says Nicholas.

“Maybe I can offer my services,” suggests Gavin. “After all, as an author, I’m always looking for inspiration for my stories. If I can be right in the middle of the action, it makes it so much more authentic.”

“What would you like to know?” asks Nicholas.

“Tell me about Carl Redd,” says Gavin.

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Filed under: All That Glitters