False Pretenses (33 page)

CHAPTER 34

Zoe opened her eyes, realizing that the obnoxious buzzing in her head was actually her alarm blaring. She groped the nightstand on Pierce’s side of the bed and hit the snooze button—something
he
always did. She hugged his pillow and relished the masculine, woody scent of his Tuscany cologne. She pictured him lying in the brass bed in the guest room at his parents’ house. Was he awake yet? Had he ever gone to sleep? Had he missed her for even a fleeting moment? Then again, why would he? All he wanted to do was get away from her.

Zoe struggled to sit up. Did she have the emotional strength to push off the weighty guilt that seemed to have her pinned down and get up and face the day—and the probing questions she would get from employees, friends, and customers? One thing she didn’t have was the luxury of nursing her own heartache—not with Remy’s funeral this afternoon.

She threw her legs over the side of the bed and lowered her bare feet onto the floor and headed for the shower. At least she wasn’t camping out at Langley Manor without air-conditioning or running water. Wasn’t that something she could be grateful for?

She turned on the shower and thought of how pitiful Vanessa had looked, covered in bloody scratches, a bullet wound in her shoulder. Poor thing probably couldn’t wait to shower—to cleanse herself of Cowen. Hadn’t that been Zoe’s reaction on Saturday night after Cowen grabbed her and cut her face, threatening to do worse if she didn’t do what he said? She must have stood in the shower for thirty minutes, as if soap and water could wash away her memory of it.

Zoe stepped into the tub and pulled the shower curtain, the pulsating water hitting her back, feeling both soothing and therapeutic. She poured conditioning shampoo onto her head and worked up a luxurious lather, the massaging motion of the warm water making her long for the sleep she never got.

She rinsed and dried off, then slipped into her terry bathrobe and saw Pierce’s matching robe still hanging on the back of the door. Her thoughts immediately raced in reverse to those special days when they took off work together and stayed in bed—talking, reading, listening to music, watching movies, making love … no commitments at the eatery and no interruptions. Weren’t those times alone with him pure bliss?

She stood in front of the mirror and dried her hair, then put on waterproof mascara, anticipating the emotional impact of Remy’s funeral. She put on her black dress and fastened her favorite strand of pearls around her neck. Why did she look so pale? She brushed a little blush on her cheeks and put on lipstick. Better. At least she looked alive.

Robotically she went into the kitchen and made a single cup of fresh-brewed coffee, then sat at the breakfast bar, staring at the collage of photographs held to the refrigerator with heart magnets. Would these end up in the bottom of the shoebox with the photos of her parents and her brother, Michael?

She took a sip of coffee. How was she going to get through this day without letting on that her heart was broken? Guilt taunted her with biting sarcasm. How hard could it be for someone as practiced as she—the queen of pretense, the lady of lies?

She glanced at her cell phone and noticed she had a message. Had Pierce called her while she was in the shower? She keyed in the numbers to retrieve the message.

“Zoe, this is Adele Woodmore. It’s eight o’clock on Tuesday morning. I called several times Sunday and Monday and can’t seem to reach you. I decided to leave a message this time. My attorney has drawn up the papers, hon. You indicated that you’d prefer to come back to Alexandria to sign them so let me know when. I have them here at the house. I’ve been praying for y’all. I do hope things are working out the way you hoped. Let me hear from you soon.”

Zoe blinked the stinging from her eyes. How could she renege on this agreement after she had made such an issue of it? But if she signed the papers and Zoe B’s profit took a nosedive because of her personal life, Adele wasn’t going to get her thousand dollars a month. Should she take tomorrow and drive to Alexandria and just tell Adele the disappointing truth? How could she? How could she not?

Zoe stood and dumped her coffee in the sink. She didn’t have to decide today. Today was reserved for Remy.

Vanessa waited in her hospital room with Ethan for someone to bring her discharge papers. Outside her window, the morning haze looked ghostly as it hovered above the damp ground and caught the rays of sun.

“I’m glad you got a good night’s sleep,” Ethan said.

“I really did. But I’m so anxious to get home to Carter. I miss him so much.”

“He misses you, too, honey. I’m just glad it’s over.”

“So am I.”

Ethan pulled a chair up next to her bed and sat. “I called Southern Pride and told them about the door in the closet, the hidden staircase, and the tunnels, and they’re going to come out next week and take a look. They’ll probably make some adjustments to the new blueprints.”

“Did you have a chance to call Haven House and talk to Noah?”

“I did. Noah said he would love to talk with us anytime. I told him I would call him there as soon as you’re up to it. Apparently, Sheriff Prejean asked him not to leave town for a few days.”

“Was he planning to?”

Ethan shrugged. “I didn’t get that impression. But the guy doesn’t have anywhere to go.”

“I wonder what his story is. I’ve always wondered why someone would choose to stay homeless when there are so many agencies willing to help them.”

“Honey, you can’t ask him such an intrusive question.”

Vanessa rolled her eyes. “He’s the one who intruded on our lives. I’m not letting that man get away without finding out every detail he’s willing to tell us. If I’m a little intrusive in the process, he’ll have to forgive me. I have a million questions.”

“Which I’m sure you’ll ask.”

“Oh, come on, Ethan. You’re just as curious as I am about Josiah Langley’s involvement in the Underground Railroad.”

He smiled. “You bet I am. But I’ll tell you whose curiosity is over the top—my dad’s and uncles’. Dad’s going to dig out the original blueprints. But he’s almost positive the tunnels aren’t on there.”

Vanessa mused. “After this new discovery, I wonder if the three Langley brothers might regret their decision to give us the family heirloom as a wedding gift.”

“Are you kidding? They’re more excited than ever to let us bring the place back to life. And I’m sure we’re all just a little prouder now to have the name Langley.”

CHAPTER 35

Pierce sat in the glider on the screened-in porch at his parents’ home, the ceiling fan going round and round and rustling the pages of today’s issue of the
Houma Courier.
He folded the newspaper and set it on the seat next to him. Could he remember anything he’d read?

He picked up his mug and took a sip of coffee, focusing on a lone white ibis meandering through the back lawn, picking through the blades of grass in search of a tasty breakfast. Glints of sunlight filtered through the sycamore trees that shaded the yard. How relieved he was to be home—in the house he grew up in—ninety minutes from Les Barbes. He wondered if he would feel as relieved when one o’clock rolled around and he couldn’t go to Remy’s memorial Mass.

He thought of Zoe, and an image of her pretty face popped into his mind. Wouldn’t he be smart to just walk away? It’s not as though he needed the job at Zoe B’s. Wasn’t he experienced enough now to get hired as a chef almost anywhere in South Louisiana—or go back to teaching history?

The Church would probably annul the marriage. The woman he promised to love “for better or for worse,” and to whom he pledged his faithfulness, didn’t exist.

Pierce sighed. Would an annulment really change the reality that he had loved Zoe with all his heart—and still did? At least the Zoe he knew. How could she have been carrying around all those secrets without him picking up on it? So much for being soul mates!

He heard someone cough and realized his dad was standing next to the glider, dressed in his gray coveralls.

“How’re you doing, son?” Burke Broussard said.

“I’m alive.”

“Mind if I sit?”

“Not at all. I’m lousy company, though.” Pierce picked up the newspaper and set it on the end table.

Burke sat on the couch next to him, his arms folded across his chest. “I’ve got to get out to the sugar refinery. Just wanted to check on you first. Did you sleep?”

“Not really. I’ve got a lot to sort through.”

“Yeah, you do. I just got on the computer and read today’s headlines in the
Les Barbes Ledger
. The article focused on that drug-dealing creep who hung your friend Remy, and his threats against Zoe and Vanessa—not so much on you.”

“No, I’ll just be stuck with the stares and the unspoken questions—like what kind of dupe falls for a woman like
that?”

Burke rubbed his red and gray beard and seemed pensive. “Zoe does love you, son. She didn’t lie about that.”

“Didn’t she?”

“You
know
she didn’t. She got herself in over her head and made some really bad mistakes. But I’ve known her for six years. Five of those years she’s been my daughter-in-law. I’ve seen how the two of you are together. I know love when I see it.”

“Yeah, well, I thought I did too.”

Burke pushed with his foot and made the glider go faster. A minute passed without either of them saying anything.

“Don’t worry, Dad. If I decide to petition the Church for an annulment, I’ll be quiet about it so I don’t humiliate you and Mom.”

“Is that what you think we care about? We’re not worried about you humiliating us. We’re worried about your well-being—
and
Zoe’s. She’s family. If the two of you split up, we lose someone we love too.”

“I can’t be married to someone I don’t trust.”

“You’re feeling betrayed right now. That’s understandable. But I wish you’d take some time to consider everything before you act in haste.” Burke seemed nervous and kept glancing at his watch. “I’ve still got a few minutes before I have to leave. I’m going to step out on a limb and tell you something I’ve never told anyone, except your mother.”

Pierce glanced over at his dad and noticed his face was flushed. “What is it?”

Burke cracked his knuckles and looked straight ahead. “After your mother and I had been married a year, we talked about buying a house and having a baby. We were both working our tails off, saving every penny we could. Making a baby was the easy part. The house was another matter.” Burke pursed his lips, his eyes squinted. “Wouldn’t you know, the perfect house came on the market and your mother went nuts over it. We only needed another three thousand dollars for the down payment, but there was no way we could borrow it. She
really
wanted that house.”

Pierce shifted his weight. Did he want to hear the rest of the story? His dad was his hero.

“Stay with me,” Burke said. “I’ll get to the point here in a minute. Seeing your mom’s excitement about the house made me want to get it for her more than anything in the world. At the time, I was a painter. And a guy named Jacob Daigle hired me to paint the inside of his lake house. Big job—eight thousand square feet. The man had an amazing collection of artwork—oils, charcoals, pastels, pencil sketches—you name it. Daigle had one large oil painting of pelicans on a marina—really an amazing piece. I remember thinking it was a shame that he had hung it in an obscure room that looked like a library for paperback books.”

“I’m not sure I like where this is going, Dad.”

“Just hear me out. I’ll never have the guts to bring this up again. One night after I sent my crew home for the day, I took the painting and put it in my van. I hadn’t planned to do it. My justification was that Daigle had hundreds of thousands of dollars tied up in artwork, and he wasn’t going to miss one painting that meant nothing to him, but it might enable your mother and me to get the house. The next morning, I took it to a dealer and found out the artist was some big shot down the bayou. The dealer gave me a money order for thirty-five hundred, and I didn’t haggle with him.”

Pierce shook his head. “Weren’t you afraid of getting caught?”

“Sure. But no one could prove it. I figured I’d just deny everything with a straight face. I mean there were paintings all over that house. I hung a different painting in its place and doubted Daigle would even miss it right off. And when he did, there wouldn’t be any way for him to prove I took it.”

“Did you tell Mom?”

“How could I? She would never have let me keep the money. And I wanted to get that house for her more than anything.” Burke’s eyes brimmed with tears, his chin quivering. “So I came up with a plan. I told your mother that a guy I used to work with on the oil rig bought a boat and wanted to take me deep-sea fishing. I went down to Grand Isle for the weekend. I went fishing all right, but only from the pier. I wanted to get some sun so I looked believable.”

Pierce couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His dad was a thief? And a liar?

“I came home from fishing and told your mom that my friend had also taken me to the race track—and that my horse won big. I picked her up, spun her around, and told her how much it was. I’d never seen her so happy. We bought that house, son. You’re sitting in it right now.”

“I grew up in a house you bought with dishonest money?”

“Part of the down payment was. I’m not proud of it.” Burke put his face in his hands. “Five years ago, right after you and Zoe were married, I went back to Mr. Daigle’s place with a check for the thirty-five hundred. I was ready to tell him the whole truth.”

“What’d he say?”

“He had passed away the year before. His daughter owned the house. I told her my story, and she was shocked that I came back to make it right. She didn’t even call the cops or ask me to pay what the painting was worth at that time. She just thanked me, took the check, and said she hoped that cleared my conscience.”

“What about Mom? Did you tell her the truth?”

“Yeah.” Burke whisked a tear off his cheek. “That was the killer though.”

“How’d you do it?”

“I took her for a drive and just told her outright. She was horrified. She felt I had betrayed her by deceiving her that way. She wondered what else I hadn’t told her. She questioned how I could say I loved her, then look her in the eyes and lie.”

“Well? How could you?” Pierce tilted his father’s chin and forced him to meet his gaze.

“I don’t know, son. I loved your mother with all my heart. I just saw the joy in her eyes when we found the house, and I wanted to make her happy.” His eyes turned to dark pools and tears spilled down his cheeks and onto his beard. “What I did was terribly wrong. It wrecked my relationship with God until I made it right. I passed over it every time I went to confession. Ignored it when I went to communion. The only way I could live with it was to justify it and then forget it. I knew I wasn’t a bad person. I wasn’t a common criminal. I just wanted something that was out of my reach—and I compromised to get it.”

“Are you trying to tell me that Zoe loves me? And that she did the same thing?”

“That’s exactly what I’m doing. Was she wrong? Big time! Is she lucky she didn’t go to jail? Absolutely. But you’ve got to give her some credit for trying to make things right with Mrs. Woodmore.”

“Why? The only reason Zoe tried to square things with her was because of the anonymous notes she was getting. I’m not sure she even thinks what she did was that wrong. The lady’s filthy rich, Dad. Zoe knew Mrs. Woodmore didn’t need the ring. And that the money Zoe could get by selling the ring could make her dream come true. She wanted to be able to support herself. She wanted to start an eatery. She stole in order to get it done. She’s not sorry. Why should I give her credit for anything?”

Burke gripped Pierce’s wrist. “Listen to me. I’m not making excuses for Zoe’s behavior. What I’m saying is that just because she didn’t have the courage to tell you things she’s ashamed of doesn’t mean she never loved you. Or that she lies to you about other things.
I
didn’t. Maybe she doesn’t either. Don’t you owe it to yourself to find out? I know you love Zoe. Can you really let her go that easily?”

Pierce’s throat tightened with emotion. He didn’t want to lose it. Not here. Not now. “Dad, I don’t know how I feel. I haven’t begun to come to grips with the fact that everything I believed about my wife is a lie. And now my father tells me essentially the same thing. What am I supposed to do with that? Am I supposed to just forgive you both and pretend none of this matters?”

Burke shook his head. “No, son. What you’re supposed to do look deep inside us for the part you
know
to be true—the part your very soul can’t deny. Zoe and I stole something to get what we wanted most. And we lied to protect the secret, for fear of losing the one we love. That was cowardly and morally wrong. And for that I am deeply sorry and hope you can forgive me. Your mother has, and we’ve managed to move on. I’ve worked hard to earn her trust. But we’re happy again.”

Pierce felt as if he had a wad of peanut butter in his throat. Even if he had known what to say, could he have formed the words and pushed them out?

“I suspect that Zoe has wounds deeper than even she knows. After being sexually abused by her father, I can only imagine the torment she lives with—made worse by her silence all these years. She doesn’t need rejection from you right now. She never said what she did was right, and she doesn’t expect you to condone it. She just needs to know that you still love the part of her that you
know
to the depth of your being
is
authentic, regardless of the name she chose or where she came from. She needs to know that the ‘for better or worse’ part of your vows can withstand this test. And that good is stronger than evil.”

Pierce felt as if his head would burst with all the thoughts bouncing off his brain. “
Is
good stronger than evil, Dad? Because I see evil everywhere tearing people’s lives apart.”

“Evil can only do what we give it permission to do.” Burke sighed. “Son, look at me. I’m still the same dad who’s always loved you—and your mom. My mistake and my attempt to hide it didn’t negate that. I feel sure that Zoe’s didn’t either. That girl loves you. I know you’re hurting. I just don’t want you to lose sight of that.”

Pierce put his fist to his mouth and coughed instead of letting out the sobs just below the surface. What had it cost his father to come to him and admit such a failing?

Burke patted Pierce’s knee and then stood. “I’ve got to go to work. I know I laid a lot on your heart. And I don’t want to add to your burden. My point in telling you what I did is that this
can
have a happy ending. It just depends on how much grace you’re willing to give Zoe.”

“You’re putting this on me? She’s the one who messed up.”

Burke nodded. “But you’re the one with the power.”