Box Set: The ArringtonTrilogy (116 page)

Heath wasn’t as exhausted. In fact, he seemed
rather invigorated. “Isn’t this hotel extraordinary?” he exclaimed,
gazing around the elaborate suite.

“I suppose. All I care about is getting a
good night’s sleep,” I said dully.

“Felix Lowell is paying for this. No need to
eat Hazel’s sandwiches anymore. Let’s go down to the restaurant and
have a delectable meal.”

I fell into the nearest chair, exhausted, and
sighed, “I’m tired, Heath.”

“The city has energy like no other. There are
so many people, so much going on,” he remarked with a bright
twinkle in his eye as he looked out the windows of the tallest
hotel in any city in the world. “Get dressed. Let’s dine
together.”

At Heath’s insistence, I dressed and
freshened up, then allowed him to escort me to dinner. To my
surprise, hotel guests whispered and gawked at us when we entered
the grand dining room. I scanned the room to see if I recognized
anyone.

“Why are they staring at us?” I asked Heath,
as he graciously pulled out my chair.

“The trial of Richard Parker is the talk of
the city, on the front page of every newspaper,” he revealed,
sitting down across from me. I placed the napkin on my lap, feeling
all eyes upon me.

“You’re going to have to get used to this,”
Heath said reassuringly and took my hands in his. “Don’t let their
stares and whispers bother you.”

I gulped hard and sat silently as Heath
placed our order with the elderly waiter. I felt very out of place
and uncomfortable, and wished I was far away from anything that had
to do with Richard Parker. However, that wasn’t meant to be. Mr.
Lowell made his entrance, causing more whispers as he approached
our table. “Mrs. Lillian Dalton?” he asked and handed me an
envelope. I looked to Heath for support, and he gave me a humble
nod. “You have been officially served a subpoena to appear in
court. It’s just a formality,” Felix indicated in a friendly
manner. He leaned over me and gingerly shook Heath’s hand.

“Old friend, good to see you,” Heath said as
he rose and patted Felix on the back.

Felix was rather short for a man, but lean.
His wavy hair was dark blond, and his eyes a warm, honey brown. His
attire was distinguished, his mannerisms refined. There was a
sophisticated air about him that I supposed all Harvard alumni
possessed. I felt small and out of place. I just wanted to crawl
under the table and hide away.

Heath called the waiter over and ordered
Felix a drink. Then Felix turned to me and smiled. “It is a
pleasure to finally meet you, Mrs. Dalton, though I feel as if I
already know you. Heath never let a day pass during our years at
Harvard without mentioning your name.”

A hot rush of blood heated my face, and I
swung my eyes to Heath. He sat proudly, and graced me with a
dazzling smile that made my heart flutter madly. Oh, how good it
felt to learn that Heath had thought of me during his college
days.

“She is even more beautiful in person,” Felix
commented.

The two of them were staring at me, drinking
me in, and causing me to feel flushed. I needed to change the
subject. “Tell me, Mr. Lowell, what exactly am I here for? Why do
you need my testimony?”

He took a quick swig of his brandy, crossed
his legs, and leaned into me so all the nosey eavesdroppers
wouldn’t hear. “Frankly, Mrs. Dalton, all we have is circumstantial
evidence. No one actually witnessed Ned Griffin’s murderer.
Nevertheless, we truly believe and are confident, with all the
evidence we have acquired, that it was Richard Parker who wanted
Ned Griffin dead.”

“How do I factor into all this, Mr. Lowell?”
I still didn’t understand; if I wasn’t in New York City at the time
of the murder, how I could be of any help to the prosecution.

Felix uncomfortably shifted in his chair,
cleared his throat, and leaned in even closer to me. “It is known
all over the city about your relationships with Mr. Parker and his
counterpart, Ned Griffin.”

“But it ended before the murder,” I softly
uttered, instantly losing my composure.

“Lillian, it’s all a part of it. The facts
will speak for themselves,” Heath interjected.

“It was jealousy and rage that took Mr.
Griffin’s life. Perhaps it wasn’t at the hands of Mr. Parker, but
on his orders. You do want justice for Ned, don’t you? After all,
you planned to marry him.”

How uncomfortable and ashamed I felt. Heath
saw my dismay.

“We’ll get through this; we will,” he said
when I gazed helplessly over at him.

“Between you and Mrs. Dalton, I think we can
win this. Richard Parker needs to be punished for this brutal
crime, and with your help, I will see to it that he is behind bars
for the rest of his life.”

Heath brought me back to the suite after a
long dinner. He and Felix had a jovial reunion, talking of college
days and events. I hadn’t known Heath played college baseball. He
appeared somewhat embarrassed when Felix brought it up.

“He was a natural athlete,” Felix
exclaimed.

Heath and Felix drank a little more than I
thought was necessary. In fact, I was stunned to watch Heath become
tipsy and silly.

“Felix is quite a character,” Heath said,
leaning himself up against the door to the suite. “And the most
intelligent man I have ever known.”

“You two get along well,” I mumbled between
yawns.

“He is like a brother to me,” Heath replied
reflectively. My heart instantly sank. I missed Ayden so much
already. As the rain poured steadily outside, I thought of nothing
but Ayden up in the tower of our lighthouse station.

“Hey, now, it’s all going to be all right,”
he assured me as soon as he noticed my tears. “We’ll get through
this.”

“I fear I will have to relive it all over
again.” I bawled onto his shoulder as he comforted me.

“You’re a strong woman, Lillian Dalton. The
strongest woman I have ever met. I don’t know if I could have
survived all that you had to endure. You are a true survivor,” he
said, as he thoughtfully rested his chin atop my head.

“This is so unfair,” I sniffled. Little did
he understand it wasn’t only the trial that I believed was
unfair.

“I know, I know,” he hushed me, while gently
caressing my hair.

“Thank you for being here for me, for being
such a good friend,” I said, looking up to him.

“I promise to always be there for you,” he
told me and left a lingering kiss on my cheek. “Sleep well,” he
added, and leisurely pulled away.

“Good night, Heath.”

I didn’t sleep at all that night. Instead, I
lay wide awake, thinking and thinking. Was it true? Did Richard
have Ned murdered? I remembered how much animosity they shared, and
wallowed in guilt that I had purposely gone to Ned to make Richard
jealous. Although Richard had walked out of my life, I knew he
would be enraged at my relationship with Ned. But I never really
believed Richard could contemplate murder. Yes, he was a
controlling, self-infatuated man, but a murderer?

As the night wore on, I thought back to when
Richard and I were together. Ned had been beaten after Richard had
opened his own production, and Richard was elated. I recalled that
being very odd and sick. Was that information something I was going
to be required to reveal? Should I want to see Richard thrown in
jail for the rest of his life? Of course, if he did in fact murder
Ned, he deserved such punishment. Would I get satisfaction out of
seeing him grovel and beg for mercy, as I had? Did I carry that
much enmity toward Richard?

I had loved him once. But I was only a child
and didn’t know any better. It wasn’t true love, like the love I
possessed for Ayden and Heath. It was a sick, twisted love, induced
by drugs and alcohol. Richard got me hooked on cocaine and used me
to gain fortune and success, and when he was finished with me,
callously threw me out into the gutter. He lied, stole, and abused
me. My life was nearly ruined because of him, and by the light of
the first day of Richard Parker’s trial, I was going to make sure
he paid for what he had done to me and to a man whom I did indeed
care for - Ned Griffin.

* * *

Before heading to the courthouse for opening
statements, Heath and I were told to arrive at the District
Attorney’s office early for a briefing. Seymour Stern was the
prosecutor, and Felix, his assistant.

“Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Dalton. We have a
big day ahead, and I want you in that courtroom every step of the
way,” Mr. Stern began. He was a tall, rather plump man in his late
forties, with a head of thick gray hair. His spectacles sat upon
his wide nose, and behind the rims were small, penetrating black
eyes that could rip right into your soul. His presence was
intimidating, to say the least.

“I need you to keep your eyes and ears open,
taking mental notes. At the end of each session, we will meet back
here in my office to go over any revelations you may have come up
with during the trial. I want you to listen attentively to each
witness, think back, and recall anything out of the ordinary. I
want to nail this guy, and I believe you are the one witness who
will take him down.” Mr. Stern’s voice was deep and thunderous. I
nearly jumped out of my seat.

“We have a barrage of witnesses, and we will
bring them on first. I predict you will be on the stand by late
next week, give or take,” Felix said.

“Lillian will do whatever it takes,” Heath
announced, placing his hands on my quaking shoulders to comfort
me.

All the men looked to me for assurance.

“I want nothing more than to see Richard
Parker rot in jail.”

“That’s a girl. See, Mr. Stern, I told you
she would cooperate,” Felix proclaimed. “Now tell me anything and
everything you were involved with, from the day you met Richard
Parker until you returned to that lighthouse station where you now
you reside. Give me the facts, as best you can recall.”

“Now? You want me to go over everything now?”
I groaned bleakly.

“You may keep it brief. Just the facts, Mrs.
Dalton,” Mr. Stern said to me, urging me to think back into my
recollections.

I looked to Heath, and the panic that must
have overtaken my face caused him lean in and whisper to me, “I
will leave the room and return the minute you are finished.”

“No, Heath, you’re bound to hear it all in
court,” I said, resigned.

“This time I won’t hold judgment toward you,
I promise.”

With the feeling of butterflies fluttering
wildly in my stomach, I walked across the crowded city street,
protectively surrounded by the three men, over to the five-story
courthouse. A group of newspaper reporters rushed us, taking me
aback. “Mrs. Dalton! Mrs. Dalton!” they yelled. “Can you give us a
comment?”

“A comment about what?” I called back over my
shoulder, but Felix ushered me along and into the lobby of the
courthouse.

“Whenever they ask you that, Mrs. Dalton,
just reply ‘no comment.’ The press can be merciless.”

“Take your seats inside. We’ll be in
shortly,” Mr. Stern said, and hurried down the corridor with Felix
and a few other men.

“We sit to the right. That’s the prosecution
side,” Heath told me. We walked along with the small flow of people
into the courtroom and took our seats in the front row, directly
behind the prosecution’s table.

When I was seated comfortably, I curiously
scanned the large room. Richard had not been brought in yet, nor
was his lawyer there. I was terrified, thinking of Ned’s parents,
especially his father. I had never mentioned to anyone how he
attempted to rape me.

People began to file in just before nine in
the morning, and that’s when I spotted Judith, along with Rachael,
Sterling, and Sarah Van Dorn. Heath heard me suck in my breath and
turned to see what had caught my attention.

With her head high and her pudgy nose nearly
scraping the ceiling, Judith pretended not to notice me and
proceeded to her seat on the defense side, while Rachael gave me a
quick, humble smile. Sterling followed suit, and timidly, I waved
back. Sarah looked radiant, more beautiful and attractive than I
remembered. As soon as she saw Heath with me, she hastily pulled a
blue silk handkerchief from her purse and dabbed the tears from her
eyes. Heath’s eyes lingered on her for only a moment, and then he
surprised me by taking hold of my hand.

The attorneys entered from the same doors
we’d walked through, then went to their separate designated sides.
The room went still as the side door opened, and two police
officers escorted Richard to his seat. Heath squeezed my hand
tightly and whispered, “Just lean on me anytime you want.”

Richard kept his eyes straight ahead, not
turning to acknowledge anyone in the courtroom except for his
defense attorney. Richard looked remarkably healthy and as dashing
as ever in his brand new suit.

“All rise!” the bailiff ordered, and everyone
in the room immediately stood, including Richard and the jury. My
trembling had subsided, and I was relieved when the trial got
underway.

Felix spoke in a captivating manner, leaving
all in the courtroom riveted to their seats. Even the judge
appeared impressed with his opening statement.

“Richard Parker may seem like a well-bred,
affluent man,” Felix said pointing right at Richard while locking
eyes with the twelve straight-faced jury members, “but I am here to
tell you, gentleman of the jury, that Mr. Parker is the devil in
disguise. I have a mountain of evidence to present to you in the
coming weeks, and dozens of witnesses who will testify under oath
that Richard Parker is the man who took Ned Griffin’s life,
murdered him in cold blood, left him to bleed to death on a cold,
dark, desolate New York City street. What man would have a motive
to see Mr. Griffin dead? Who could possibly have harbored so much
hatred for him? Who had something to gain by having Ned Griffin out
of the scene? The man sitting over at the defense table is that
man. Richard Parker premeditated his murder, and then brutally shot
Ned Griffin in the back, under the cover of darkness. Why would he
do such a thing, you are wondering? Because of jealousy, rage, and
money! There is no doubt in my mind that after all the evidence is
presented to you, you the jury will find, beyond a reasonable
doubt, that the defendant is guilty of this heinous crime, and will
convict Mr. Richard Parker of murder in the second degree.”