More than a Maid (29 page)

After Tom finished reading the letter, a heavy silence fell over the room. The brothers were stoic, numbly staring straight ahead, including Victor who was still on the phone. Each of them too dazed to process their shock over the story they'd just heard.

Henry looked at their faces, fidgeting as he awaited their response until he couldn't take the suspense any longer. He directed his words at Ramon. "I knew my goose was cooked the second you showed me those pictures. Never panicked before in my life. I just knew I had to go try to enjoy my life for a while before I ended up in prison." His eyes were wet with tears. "It was bad enough, knowin' you found those pictures."

He sniffled and lifted his handkerchief to his eyes."S'pose you're wonderin' how Papa ended up in that pond." He took a deep breath. "I wanted to take the blame for it but Valeria wouldn't let me. Said she'd tell the police the truth. And maybe I didn't handle it the right way but all I wanted to do was protect her. She was here illegally as it was." Henry nodded to his right. "Dwayne here can vouch for that."

Dwayne sunk down in his chair, his palm against his forehead as if he was in pain.

Henry continued. "I panicked. If she went to prison, you boys may have ended up back in Mexico, God knows where. You'd just lost your father. Couldn't let you lose your mother, too." After a deep breath, he said, "That pond was just bein' dug out. Had a golden opportunity to dig a hole and cover him with concrete. Then water."

Dwayne lifted a brow and muttered, "You bury him all by yourself?"

"Yep." Henry nodded. "No witnesses."

Armando, in a daze, asked, "So, after that we moved back to Guadalajara? Dwayne said you already knew who I was when you met me the first time."

Henry looked in Armando's eyes, trying to hold himself together. "Valeria figured one of Eduardo's relatives would come around lookin' for him. So, she took you boys and left. She was supposed to stay with some friends of mine in Santa Catarina but she never showed. Took me seven years to track y'all down. Couldn't believe my eyes the day I finally found you." He stared hard at Armando for a second, then looked away, sad. "But your Mama. So damn stubborn. Took me two more years to talk her into movin' back here. She was still afraid someone would recognize her and figure out what happened. But I had all new employees by then. No one ever recognized her, far as I know."

Willing himself to stay calm, Ramon kept his eyes on the floor and quietly said, "So, what about me? Was Mama pregnant before Papa died?"

Henry gulped. He took a few deep breaths, then said, "I don't know. I always suspected I was your father, Ramon, but your Mama wouldn't let me talk about it. She went a week without speakin' to me last time I asked. Told me to never make you feel different from your brothers. I was to care for each of you the same."

Tears rolled down Henry's face as he continued. "I never told you boys but you were like sons to me. I know I ain't never had no right to act like I was your father. Especially after I buried your Papa like I did." He stopped to wipe his eyes. "I made a lotta mistakes. And all these years I've lived in fear of that shame comin' to light." He tucked his head down, his voice quivering. "But I've never regretted one second I spent with your Mama. Not one second. And I've never regretted you boys…" His voice cracked, and he waited until he could speak without breaking down. "Those years after the three of you moved in and tore up my house," he let out a sad chuckle, "those were the best years of my life. And to see how you've all gone on to be the men you are..." He glanced at Ramon, then stood and rushed to the bathroom before he broke down completely.

Tom followed him into the hallway to make sure he wasn't planning a quick getaway. He left the letter on the couch, beside Ramon.

Dwayne hunched forward, elbows on his knees. He cleared his throat and did his best to gentle his voice. "Boys, I had no idea." He took a deep breath and wiped his hand across his eyes. "If I'd known…" His voice trailed off for a moment, then he changed course, scanning their faces for signs of coherence. "I'm sorry this happened to you." When Armando finally looked in his eyes, Dwayne added, "Deeply sorry."

Victor slowly melted from his stupor, his voice weak through the phone. "
I can't decide if it's better or worse than what I'd imagined
."

In a scratchy voice, Ramon barely croaked out, "Worse."

Dwayne shook his head, hands folded. "In case you're wondering about my involvement in all this… all I did was provide documents. I can't say much else about it. Had no idea I was an accessory to manslaughter."

Armando asked Dwayne, "So, what happens now? You really think Henry'll go to jail?"

Dwayne offered him a sympathetic look. "Yeah. I'll do what I can to help. But…" He sighed as he glanced at the letter, which Ramon now held, "depends on whether or not a jury'll believe that confession. And even if they do, he still broke the law."

Victor said, "
He deserves jail. That's for sure. What kind of sentence you think he'll get? And what about you, Dwayne? Will you be dragged into this?
"

Shrugging, Dwayne said, "Probably. For me, worst case scenario, I'll lose my elected position because the public'll lose faith in me. Or maybe not. Maybe it's for the best. I could use an early retirement. But Henry…" Dwayne winced as he gave the question some thought, "I expect he'll end up with a plea bargain. Depends on what kinda witnesses the D.A. decides to dig up and whether or not they wanna prove the letter's fake. But even so, I wouldn't expect he'd get more than five, maybe ten years in a minimum security prison."

With his eyes on the letter in his hand, Ramon asked, "Do I call the cops now? Will they arrest him right away?"

Dwayne said, "Call 'em soon. Show 'em you got nothin' to hide. Keep track of all your witnesses, especially the ones you're not related to, like Tom, or any of the ranch hands who may have had contact with Henry regarding the pond. They'll figure out quick enough that the only person hiding anything on this property was Henry. And get ready to lose your privacy for a little bit. You're all about to be local celebrities if it's a slow news week. You especially, Ramon, seein' it's your land."

Ramon put the letter down, his eyes suddenly wide. "Huh?"

Dwayne smirked. "Yeah. Local cattleman, grisly discovery of a murdered…" He got quiet as he realized how insensitive he sounded. "Sorry."

Armando sighed. "No. You're right. It's gonna happen just like that. We might as well get ready for it." He wiped a tear from his eye. "Mama carried that miserable secret around with her all those years and now it'll be reduced to fodder for the local news."

Dwayne's head shook. "Worse. This kinda thing ends up on those true crime shows. You know, the ones on that cable channel?"

Ramon snorted. "Not if I have anything to do with it. I ain't talkin' to no reporters."

Dwayne said, "You could get an attorney to speak for you, but that'll
still
make ya look guilty. Say as little as possible to the press but don't ignore 'em or you'll look like you're hidin' somethin'. It'll pass soon enough. Trust me."

"He died before I was born!" Ramon said. "I obviously had nothing to do with it. Why would it look like I'm hiding anything?"

Armando said, "I think Dwayne's trying to tell you someone could start digging around and make a case where there isn't one. Just be smart and say as little as possible. Don't open yourself up for more trouble." He raised a brow at his brother. "And you
did
hide all those pictures. A good investigator could figure that out, even if we lie on your behalf. That'll make us all look bad."

Gnashing his teeth, Ramon glared at Armando. "Don't lie for me. I know I'm not guilty. I just want this nightmare over with." He emitted an angry sound as he stood, hurrying out of the room. "I'm goin' to my office to call the police."

Dwayne rose to his feet. "Hold on, there. Let me help." He followed Ramon down the hall.

Armando's eyes teared up as he watched them leave. He took his phone from the coffee table and held it in his hand. "Shit. So, what now?"

"
I don't know
," Victor said. "
I'm pissed at Mama. At Henry. At Papa. And at the same time, I'm not. I'm just sad.
"

"I know exactly what you mean." Armando took a deep, sniffling breath.

"
I guess we need to call an attorney. Handle one thing at a time. Try to stay level-headed. Help each other deal with the fallout. Feels silly to be on my honeymoon right now.
"

Armando took a moment to think. "Don't look at it that way. You deserve that honeymoon."

"
I know, but…
" Victor paused, sighing. "
We'll come back for a few days, at least. Talk to our attorneys. Hell, the cops might wanna talk to me for all I know
."

"Do you remember anything about living here when we were little?"

"
No. Nothing. I remember you being a baby but I don't remember anything specific. And I sure didn't know we lived with Henry
."

"Me neither. It's weird how so many things make sense now." Armando dabbed his eyes with a tissue. "We'll get through this, won't we?"

"
Si, hermano. We will
."

* * *

Late that evening, after the hoopla of the day had died down, Ramon stripped down to his boxer briefs, turned off the light, and collapsed next to Marcy in bed.

As soon as she inched toward him, he pulled her closer and she buried her face in the crook of his neck.

Softly, he said, "Please don't take it as an insult if I just sleep tonight."

Marcy trailed her fingertips along his smooth chest. "Of course I wouldn't, after everything that's happened. I feel so stupid for fighting with you at the wedding now."

"Yeah. Me too." Ramon kissed the top of her head, then he yawned. "I dread tomorrow. Already startin' to get phone calls from all over the damn place. Reporters. Nosy neighbors. What a fuckin' nightmare."

The local news had already run a short segment about the case, including footage of a backhoe excavating the pond. But thankfully, there happened to be many other news stories today, so the ranch didn't get as much attention as everyone originally feared.

Marcy said, "Don't worry. I really think it'll blow over fast. You're not gonna work tomorrow, are you?"

"For a little while, yeah. Got no choice."

"I can go to Kernersville for you if there's something I can help with. Then maybe you could stay here all day."

He played absentmindedly with her hair. "I guess that'll work. You can take my car but
please
be careful with it."

She smirked. "I will."

"Thanks." He exhaled deeply then kissed her forehead. "I'm
so
glad you're here."

* * *

Marcy spent the next few days working at Mrs. Perry's house in Kernersville, since Ramon was so busy with reporters and police. On Wednesday, two days after Henry was taken into police custody, Marcy called Ramon at five o'clock before leaving for the day. She had spent the last hour chatting with Mrs. Perry, who was stricken with concern over what the family was going through.

"She's taking a nap now," Marcy said, sitting at the desk in the office. "But I don't think I should leave her by herself. She's really worried about you."

With a heavy sigh, Ramon said, "
I know. But I need you here
," making Marcy's heart swell. He added, "
There should be a nurse's aide on the way. When she gets there, you go ahead and come home
."

"Okay. So, the reporters are gone?"

"
I think so. Some looky-loos wander in every so often but I think the local news is finished with us. For now, at least
."

"Is Henry home yet?"

"
No. Tomorrow, we think. Dwayne said it can take a while for the bond hearing, but then he'll be home under house arrest
." He gasped quietly, then continued in an urgent voice, "
Shit. I gotta go. You come home soon. Drive safe, all right?
"

"I will." Marcy hung up, her cheeks warming from the way he said, "Come home." She had never fallen for anyone so quickly before. In the back of her mind, she had started to think of "home" as "with Ramon." And from his familiar tone, it sounded like he felt the same way about her.

She was just about to check on Mrs. Perry when her phone rang again. She assumed it was Ramon, probably remembering something after their call ended. She gave her caller ID a quick glance before answering.

When she saw the name of her ex-boyfriend, Andrew, she was so surprised, she could barely choke out the word, "Hello?"

"
Hey Marcy. You okay?
"

"Uh… yeah." She swallowed, hard.

"
I'm sorry. Did I catch you at a bad time? I just wanted to make sure you were all right. Heard about what happened at the house where you're staying.
"