I've Got You Under My Skin (25 page)

73

G
eorge Curtis arrived at the Powell mansion at three-thirty. He had been asked to wear the same kind of evening attire he had worn at the Gala. He had a virtual replica of it in his closet. Because it was so warm, he carried his white dinner jacket, shirt, and bow tie on a plastic-covered hanger.

Before going to the club to play bridge with her friends, Isabelle had given him a cautionary note. “Just remember, you think you kept your little romance pretty quiet, but if I was suspicious, don’t you think anyone else was? Maybe even Rob Powell? Just be careful and don’t fall into a trap. You had the strongest motive of anyone to have Betsy dead.” Then, with a kiss and a wave of her hand, she stepped into her convertible.

“Isabelle, I swear to you—” he had begun.

“I know you do,” she said. “But remember, you don’t have to convince
me,
and I don’t care if you did it anyway. Just don’t let yourself get caught.”

The temperature had dropped a little, but it was still very hot. George parked his car in the front driveway, picked up the clothes hanger, and walked around to the back of the house. A flurry of activity greeted him. The production crew had their cameras aimed at designated spots on the grounds. He guessed that was where the graduates would be standing while he talked in the foreground with
Alex Buckley. He had been told that the background would be a rolling shot of scenes from the Gala.

Laurie Moran approached as soon as she spotted him. “Thank you so much for agreeing to do this, Mr. Curtis. We’ll try not to keep you too long. Why don’t you wait inside with the others? It’s too hot out here.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” he agreed. He crossed the patio with reluctant steps and went into the house. The four graduates were in the main dining room, dressed in the gowns that he recognized were replicas of the ones they had worn that night. Even with the skillfully applied makeup they were wearing, the tension in their faces was unmistakable.

He did not have long to wait. Laurie’s assistant Grace came in to take the graduates outside. When she came back for him, he saw that they were all in place, standing like statues against what he knew would be the background of films of the Gala. He wondered what they were thinking. He wondered if every one of them didn’t feel as he had that night. I was terrified that Betsy had the power to ruin my marriage just as the children Isabelle and I had prayed for were becoming a reality, he thought. Alison had to have been bitter. She had lost out on her scholarship because of the donation Rob had made to her college. Occasionally I would pick up something in the grocery store where her father worked, and he would always brag about how hard Alison was studying . . .

There’s no one in town who didn’t hear Muriel tell the story of how Betsy stole Rob from her, and the fact that it was all because of Nina. And from what I hear, Claire had desperately wanted to board at Vassar, but neither Betsy nor Rob would hear of it.
“A waste of money when she has such a beautiful home,”
as Betsy put it. And Regina’s father committed suicide because of his investment in Rob’s hedge fund.

Who among those girls, amid all the extravagant display, could
have avoided feeling bitterness that night? And from the next day on, for twenty years, they had lived under a cloud of suspicion.

George Curtis felt a deep sense of shame. I
did
come back here the night of the Gala, he remembered. It was about 4 
A.M.
I stood here on this spot. I knew where Betsy’s bedroom was. I was crazed with fear that Isabelle would divorce me if Betsy ever told her about us. But then I could see the reflection of someone moving in Betsy’s room. There was a light in the hallway, and when the door opened I was almost sure I could tell who it was.

I still think I know who it was. I
know
who it was. When Betsy’s body was discovered I wanted to tell, but how could I explain why I was here at that time? I couldn’t. But if I had admitted to what I saw, everyone else who has been under suspicion wouldn’t have been going through this hell for twenty years. He felt the guilt wash over him.

Alex Buckley was walking to him. “Ready to go down memory lane, Mr. Curtis?” he asked cheerfully.

74

“
H
ow do you think that went?” Laurie asked with concern as she stepped into Alex’s car.

Alex was starting the engine and putting up the top of his convertible. “I think we could use some air-conditioning. To answer your question, I think it went great.”

“I think it did, too. But it’s twenty of seven. I’m so afraid that if we hit traffic we won’t be at the hospital when Timmy calls, and Dad will miss talking to him.”

“I checked the traffic report a few minutes ago on my iPhone. It’s okay. I promise I’ll get you to the hospital by seven-thirty.”

“One more left,” Laurie sighed as Alex drove out of the grounds of the Powell estate. “And now the usual question. What’s your take on George Curtis?”

“He’s a class act,” Alex said promptly. “He’s the kind of guy people look up to. Well, why not? He’s been on the cover of
Forbes
magazine.”

“And it doesn’t hurt that he is downright handsome,” Laurie said. “Think about it. Curtis is a billionaire, charming, good-looking. Compare him with Robert Powell, at least as far as money goes.”

“There is no comparison, Laurie. Powell may be worth half a billion, but Curtis is worth billions.”

“Now, think of that frame in the Gala films where George Curtis and Betsy look pretty serious, almost as though they’re arguing.”

“Are you using that in the background, Laurie?”

“No. That wouldn’t be fair. But I do know this: the George Curtises of this world don’t get involved with this kind of program unless they have something to hide. Think about that.”

“Laurie, you continue to amaze me. I
did
think about it. And once again, I agree with you,” Alex told her.

Laurie pulled out her phone. “I’ll just alert Dad that we’re on our way.”

Leo answered on the first ring. “I’m still alive,” he said. “I’m now watching
All in the Family
. Another golden oldie. Where are you?”

“On our way down. Traffic is good so far.”

“Didn’t you say Alex Buckley was driving you here, then back to the Powell place?”

“That’s right.”

“Don’t let him cool his heels in the car. Bring him up. I’d like to meet him.”

Laurie looked at Alex. “Would you be interested in meeting my dad?”

“Of course I would.”

“Alex accepts with delight, Dad. See you.”

75

B
runo was putting on his police uniform when he listened to the call. Countdown! he said to himself. After all these years, I get my revenge. There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth, he thought. Oh, Leo, how sad you are going to be. Your daughter. Your grandson. And all the while they’ve been searching through hospital records to see if the doctor had made a mistake on a patient.
You
were the one who made the mistake, Leo. When you were a tough young cop. Too tough. You could have given me a break when you arrested me but you wouldn’t. You wrecked my life. You cost me thirty years in prison and then another five for good measure.

Bruno stood in front of the full-length mirror on the closet door of his shabby apartment. He had been renting it month to month because, as he had explained to the landlord, he wanted to be sure that his job with Perfect Estates worked out. The landlord, happy to avoid necessary repairs for the present, was delighted with his temporary tenant.

He wouldn’t care that I left suddenly, especially since I paid him to the end of the month, and I’m not going to claim the month’s security.

As if anyone could damage this dump, Bruno thought.

76

A
s Laurie and Alex were driving out, the production crew was closing down for the day.

The graduates had changed from their gowns, and all of them as one turned down the offer to keep them. “Laurie really wants you to have them,” Jerry explained. “And I can tell you, they were very expensive.”

Nina spoke for all of them. “That’s just what we need, another reminder of that night.”

Their cars were waiting to drive them to their hotels.

When Rod and Alison arrived at their room, they happily closed the door behind them. Then Rod reached for her. “Alie, it’s all right.”

“It’s not, Rod. It’s not all right. You know what’s on that tape. You know what Josh can do with that.” She turned from him and angrily reached into the closet, grabbing clothes from their hangers and throwing them on the bed.

Rod sank onto the couch and unconsciously began to massage his aching knees. “We are going to have a scotch now,” he said emphatically. “Then we are going to order a fabulous dinner, either here or out—your choice. We’ll order the most expensive items on the menu, courtesy of Robert Powell.”

“I couldn’t eat a thing!” Alison protested.

“Order it anyhow.”

“Rod, you make me laugh when I have no reason to.”

“Alison, that’s what I’m here for,” Rod said cheerfully. He was not about to tell her that he absolutely shared her concern about Josh’s tapes—not because of the money, but because of what it would do to Alie if, once again because of Betsy Powell, her chance to go to medical school without taking on a heavy financial burden, was snatched from her.

77

R
egina carefully packed the few new clothes she had brought in preparation for the program. I may be trading these for an orange jumpsuit, she thought bitterly. Score one hundred for Robert Powell. He ruined my life when I was fifteen years old, and now he has his big chance to ruin the rest of it. I wouldn’t be surprised if he put Josh up to going through my bag.

But in the note Dad accuses him and Betsy of deliberately setting him up for a scam. Why would Robert want that to come out? Josh must be doing this on his own. I’ve
got
to pay him off, she thought. How ironic—I have publicly made myself more likely to be accused of being Betsy’s murderer than if I’d stayed home selling real estate.

Efficiently, she packed her overnight bag and a large suitcase. Now where? she asked herself. I don’t feel like calling for room service. I’ve got a car downstairs, courtesy of Mr. Powell. Should I?

Yes, she decided, why not? She would have him drive her past her old house, then take her to the restaurant where she and her parents used to go regularly for dinner.

Auld lang syne, she thought.