42. James
JAMES
Itried to find Will after the ceremony, but by the time I worked my way through the crowd, the wedding party had already left for the wetlands photoshoot. I spotted Theo and Donna talking to Robert on the front steps and joined them as they waited for their rides to the floating reception.
“Oh, good, there you are,” Robert said. “Donna, do you mind if I steal James for the ride over? I need to run a few ideas by our resident Vermont expert.”
Donna’s smile was plastic. “Of course. Although would it kill you to stop working for one day? It is our son’s wedding, after all.”
Robert shrugged. “You know, it just might.”
Once we were alone in Robert’s limo, his fragile facade crumbled. He pulled a bottle of pills from his pocket and swallowed several with a pained sip of water.
“Are you okay?” I asked, but he didn’t reply. “I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t have followed you, but Es got the phone, and I didn’t want—”
“I’ve come up with a new plan.” He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at his sweaty brow. “But before I tell you, I need to ask you something.”
I swallowed hard. “Okay.”
“Is it all a performance, or do you actually care for my son?”
The AC hit my damp skin as I closed my eyes and pictured Will.
Not thirst-trap Will in his skimpy running shorts, or movie-star Will in his tux, but regular Will in his frumpy T-shirt.
Here was the man few saw, the one who’d faced down the press for his brother, sacrificed what was left of his pride to support his pompous father, and committed insurance fraud for his fake boyfriend’s fake son.
Unable to meet Robert’s gaze, I stared out the window. “It’s not a performance.”
“I didn’t think so. That’s why I’m going to take a chance on you and pray I’m not putting my faith in the wrong person. Though at this point, I don’t know what other choice I have. You’re William’s last hope.”
Last hope for what? Acting? “I can’t keep lying to him. I’ve already—”
“That video clip you found on Donna’s phone is only a small snippet of the security footage Tony stole from the hotel that night,” Robert continued, acting as if I hadn’t spoken.
“Ten years ago, I saw a different clip, one showing Donna knocking on Derek’s door and William emerging hysterical, the bloody statue in his hand. ”
No, that’s not possible, was my first thought. But it was fleeting. I learned a long-ass time ago that almost anything is possible: Dad kicking me out, Travis drowning. Why not this, too?
“It cost us ten million dollars to silence Tony. He told Derek to lie to the police. Said if anyone knew William was in his room at that hour, they’d get the wrong idea. And since Derek didn’t want to get William in trouble, he agreed.”
“But it wasn’t the wrong idea, was it?”
Robert shook his head. “I didn’t know Derek felt that way about William, and I certainly didn’t know about him and Donna. Although perhaps I should’ve. I just assumed they were fighting over the award and William’s obsession and—” He broke off and hung his head in his hands.
“And you’ve never told Will any of this?”
“Of course not. Do you really want him to live the rest of his life with this on his conscience, hating his mother?”
“Isn’t it already on his conscience?” And doesn’t he already hate his mother? Although that wasn’t entirely true. Will had a complicated relationship with Donna, sure, but for better or worse, she was still his safety net. And with his father dying, he was going to need her more than ever.
Robert had no reply other than to close his eyes and wait for the pills to take effect.
When he opened them again, I asked, “Okay, so what’s this new plan of yours, and how do I fit in?”
He still wanted me to recover the rest of the hotel footage from Tony’s phone. Maybe there’d be proof Derek had it coming, or a case for self-defense. But he wasn’t counting on that.
Now, he wanted me to install spyware on his phone, too. That way, when he paid Tony an additional five million dollars for his continued silence, I’d have proof of extortion, and with that proof, I could beat Tony at his own game. I could blackmail him.
“You could walk away from this a multimillionaire,” Robert said. “I don’t want the money back. You and Theo can keep it.”
Keep five million dollars? It sounded too good to be true, because it was.
The only way to sell the threat and ensure Tony didn’t release the video was to pass myself off as a double agent.
“We’ll make Tony think you’re also blackmailing Donna and me, that William is just a pawn in your game, your way of getting close to us,” Robert explained. “And because you want to keep blackmailing us, you need Tony to promise not to release the video. Does that make sense?”
No, it did not.
“Look at it this way,” he said, reading the confusion on my face.
“At the end of the day, the information you and Tony have is valuable. If this got out, it would destroy all of us, including Derek. Tony is either going to keep milking us for all we’re worth, or he’s going to sell that video to the highest bidder the moment Derek stops being his number-one cash cow.
But if my plan works, you’ll have the power to stop him, the power to prove he’s been blackmailing us this whole time.
“Your leverage over him is worthless, though, if he thinks your feelings for William are genuine. Then you’ll be no better than Donna or me.
You have to make him think you want in on the action, that from now on, you’re the only one blackmailing us, not him, that you don’t care one way or the other if the video is released.
You just want to get paid. And since Tony’s already gotten ten million out of the deal and likely doesn’t want to spend the rest of his life in prison for extortion, not to mention risk destroying Derek’s career, he’ll agree.
I know he will. He’s greedy, but he’s not stupid. ”
“So you’re saying you want me to pretend to be some kind of criminal mastermind, just fucking and blackmailing everyone and anyone I can?”
“Well, yeah, more or less.”
“But what about Will? This will destroy him. If he thinks I’ve just been using him to—”
“It will hurt him, yes, but he’ll get over it.
And he’ll finally be able to act again. It’s all he’s ever wanted to do.
And you’ve only been dating for a short while, right?
Come on, you’re a handsome man. You’ll find someone else soon enough.
And don’t forget, you’ll be a millionaire.
You’ll have your pick of any guy you want. ”
Not any guy. Not Will.
“Think about Theo and what he needs,” Robert continued.
“Imagine no more worrying about rent or college tuition or Theo’s medical bills, should he test positive for the gene.
In fact, I’m going to set up an anonymous trust in Theo’s name for an additional five million. So, that’s ten million in total.”
I stared back at the frail man in disbelief. Ten million dollars! Was he doing this for Will’s sake or his own? Was this all just so he could safeguard his precious legacy and not be remembered as the man who’d tried to cover up his son’s crime?
“Just think about it. But don’t think too long. We’re running out of time.”
He opened the pill bottle again, and I knew what he really meant. We weren’t running out of time. He was.
“I know you haven’t agreed yet, and that this is all a lot to consider.
But I trust you. And I know you’ll do the right thing for William, and for yourself and Theo, too.
” He unlocked his phone and passed it to me.
“You can still say no, but why don’t you just install what you need to install now, just in case? ”
I closed my eyes and took his phone. When I was done installing the spyware, I asked the question that had been bugging me ever since I’d overheard Robert and Derek arguing behind the cathedral.
“Why is Tony doing this? I mean, I get the whole blackmail thing, but why didn’t he want Will in the movie if Derek did? Is he jealous of Will and Derek?”
Robert sighed as he took back his phone. “Derek didn’t win the Oscar. William lost it. Derek’s career is in free fall right now because good looks can only get you so far in this business. The moment William finds an audience again, Derek loses the only thing he has going for him: sympathy.”
“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.”
“I’m not. Tony swooped in the second he heard the rumors William was starring in my next film. He thought he could kill two birds with one stone, hitch Derek’s tanking career to my coattails and prevent William from making a comeback.”
The chauffeur opened the door, and a wave of hot, humid air rushed in. “I’m not saying yes. But I’ll think about it.”
“Oh my god, did you see the way Ryan’s eyes were practically glowing? He needs to wear pink more often.” Theo rambled on and on, pausing only to snarf stuffed mushrooms and bacon-wrapped dates. But I wasn’t listening. I was still reeling from Robert’s offer.
Ten million dollars was a lot of money, especially to us. Theo would never have to work a day in his life. He could travel and make music. And Will would get his career back, his passion. The choice was obvious. So, why hadn’t I told Robert yes? What was I waiting for?
A hand settled on my shoulder, and I flinched.
“So, what do you think?” Theo asked.
“About what?”
“Oh my fucking god. You’re the worst. Are you really that worried about bottoming? Why don’t you just get one of those dilator sets? You start small and build your way up.”
I grabbed a stuffed mushroom off his plate. “I’m not worried about bottoming.”
Theo dropped his voice to a whisper. “Don’t look now, but here comes Es.”
I followed Theo’s gaze to my best friend, who’d just come up the stairs, her hair in a severe ponytail, cameras dangling from her neck. She caught my eye and winked before turning the corner and heading for the restrooms.
“Wait here,” I said. “I’ll be right back.” I didn’t want Theo anywhere near this clusterfuck.