THE GREAT BETRAYAL (33 page)

In Grace, he had seen what he could not reach in Leslie, mixed with a dangerous opportunity for a little payback—and nothing had been more attractive.

In Grace he’d found peace. Comfort. Bliss.

In Grace…he’d destroyed the very best parts of himself.

Chapter 53

When Leslie arrived at the house she pulled into their driveway next to Dawn’s BMW and turned off the engine. At first, she didn’t move. She just sat there, staring, but seeing nothing.

Luke and Grace. Cuddling in bed.

A few houses down she heard a car start. Rock music blared from the speakers. It snapped her temporarily from the trance. Mechanically she pressed the remote control, got out of the car, and went inside through the garage door.

She tried to call out for Kate, but her mouth didn’t seem to work.

“Hi,” Dawn said, rushing down the stairs to meet her. “I heard the garage door. She’s up in her room. She took a shower first thing. She’s really shaken up, Les.”

Leslie walked toward the stairs, saying nothing. Numbly, she climbed them one at a time. When she reached Kathryn’s bedroom door she tried the knob, but it was locked. She knocked, hearing herself say, “Kate, honey, it’s me. Open up the door.”

“Dawn?” Kathryn said from the other side. “Is that you?”

Dawn, confused by Leslie’s odd demeanor, joined her at the door. “Katie, honey, your mother just got here. Open up.”

“
No!” said Kate, sounding mortified. “Tell her to go away. I don’t feel like talking to her about it right now, okay? Just go away!”

Taken aback, Dawn rapped on the door insistently. “Kathryn, open this door right now and talk to your mother about what happened. This is serious. She’s scared to death about what nearly took place. Tell her what went on, everything that happened with Holly and her sister. About the salon. Everything.”

They heard Kate starting to sob behind the door. “Please just go away,” she begged. “I just can’t talk about it anymore right now.”

Feeling completely helpless and utterly confused, Leslie turned and went back downstairs. Dawn followed her into the kitchen.

“
She’s just upset,” Dawn told her. She led her friend over to the kitchen table and sat her down on a chair. Something else was wrong. She had seen Leslie like this once before, years ago—the day she’d driven Kathryn to Palm Beach Children’s Hospital. The day Dawn had driven up to find her spaced out in the car with Kate sick as a dog beside her.

“
Leslie? Are you listening to me? Snap out of it. You’re not going to believe this…”

Then, for the first time, and to her horror, Leslie learned of her daughter’s involvement with child pornography.

Dawn took the chair opposite her. “You’ll just
never
believe what’s been going on with her, Leslie. Kathryn’s been modeling for porn Web sites. And it appears that some of those goons are also into snatching young girls and selling them into underground sex rings. Apparently they set their sights on Kate, Holly, and Jodi…Kate says that they screamed and ran the first chance they got—but one of the men grabbed Holly and took off with her in a car.”

Leslie sat listening. She didn’t speak or show any visible reaction whatsoever. Did she hear a word Dawn was saying?

“
She called me—she was hysterical. I went to pick her up and I made her tell me everything.” Dawn took a deep breath. “But, boy, I wasn’t prepared to hear anything like this…”

Suddenly Leslie found her voice. “Kate’s been doing
porn
? As in ‘get naked and have sex in front of cameras’ porn?”

“
Well, I asked her, and she says there was never any sex. That sometimes Lauren would give hints about having sex—offering them all sorts of things—but she refused.

“
Lauren? Lauren who?”

“
Lauren of Lauren Samson’s Chalet of Beauty. That disgusting bitch is like their…their pimp, I guess.”

Leslie shook her head. She whispered, “Sweet Jesus.
Holly Samson’s sister
! That woman picks her up all the time, buys the girls nice gifts—oh, my God!” Her mouth opened in shock as she tried to take it in. “She’s been forcing these girls to have sex for profit?”

“
No,” said Dawn quickly. “Kathryn says she and Jodi only posed for pictures. At least, that’s what she
says
…” Dawn paused. “My instincts say there might’ve been more to it, but in any case, you’ve got to talk to her, Les. She told me she doesn’t feel important to you anymore because—”

“
What?”

“
That ever since Grace came into the picture, Grace has gotten all your energy and attention and Kate became less important. She says you didn’t care what she did…that she didn’t matter to you one way or the other.”

“
How on earth could she think that?” Leslie asked quietly, completely mystified. “Grace doesn’t even live in this state; she lives in
Tennessee,
for God’s sake. How could she possibly take up more of my time and energy?”

Dawn shook her head. “I don’t know…I think that’s a question you have to ask Kate. When she calms down, go up and talk to her. I imagine she’s a little embarrassed right now, in light of what she’s been doing, but…she’s felt quite distanced from you, Les. So much so that she went out and got herself into a lot of trouble…and all without you or Luke suspecting any of it.”

My God
, thought Leslie.
I would’ve lost both daughters tonight.

“
Both daughters,” Dawn repeated. “What do you mean?”

Leslie froze. Had she spoken aloud? Boy, she really
did
check out under pressure. She waved a hand cavalierly, slipping back into a daze.

Luke and Grace. Their betrayal was suffocating her.

Dawn pressed. “Did something happen to Grace, too? What do you mean?”

Leslie sighed. “It’s…complicated. I don’t know if I can make any sense of what’s been going on…”

“
Give it a try,” Dawn said, folding her arms. “You’re scaring me.”

Leslie placed both hands on either side of her head and stood up. “I can’t believe Kate was almost kidnapped…I can’t believe she’s been involved in pornography—right under our noses!”

“
Leslie,” Dawn snapped impatiently. “Don’t change the subject. Did something happen to Grace tonight?”

Leslie said nothing. In that moment, she didn’t have the capability to explain what she’d seen. Shrugging her shoulders and putting her head on the table, she felt everything seem to swirl around in her head. And she didn’t know how to balance any of it.

Dawn was staring at her, clearly not knowing what else to say. So she sat and waited.

Then Luke walked in.

“
Dawn,” he said quietly. “Could you leave us alone, please? Leslie and I need to talk.”

“
Sure,” Dawn said, puzzled. She squeezed Leslie’s hand, clearly worried about her. “Call me later, okay?” She rose from the table.

To Dawn’s surprise, Leslie rose with and followed her to the front door. “Thanks for bringing Kate home,” she said. She reached out and hugged Dawn. “Sometimes…I just don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“
No prob,” said Dawn, hugging her back. Quietly, she whispered, “But, I’m still very worried about you, Les. Please call me later and tell me what’s going on. Promise you’ll call?”

Holding her friend tightly, Leslie whispered back, “I’m sorry. You’ll have to forgive me for—” She broke off. She couldn’t tell Dawn what she’d suspected. She might very well lose the best friend she’d ever had. The
only
friend she’d ever had. “We will talk about it. Right now I have to deal with Luke and Kate…”
And Grace
, she thought.
Luke and Grace
. God—had she misread her daughter, or what?

“
I don’t know what’s going on with Grace, but—”

Leslie pulled back sharply.
Damn it
. She had spoken unconsciously again. What the hell was wrong with her? Letting go of Dawn’s shoulder, she stepped back and shook her head. “No, Dawn. Forget it. There’s absolutely nothing going on with Grace. And nothing ever will be again. It’s all over now.”

Dawn looked completely confused. “Over now? What’s happened? What do you mean?”

For a long moment, and as they’d done a thousand times before, they held each other’s gaze. Leslie shook her head, and tears filled her eyes. She reached around Dawn and opened the door. “I promise.”

Dawn understood: Leslie would tell her in her own time—as she always did.

Turning, Dawn left the house, a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. As she walked down the front steps, she wondered about Leslie’s odd behavior when she had first arrived, and Luke’s request that she leave. What was going on?

Dawn couldn’t wait to find out.

Luke had gone up to their bedroom. When Leslie walked in, she found him sitting on the edge of the bed, his face unreadable.

He said, “Leslie…let me try to explain.”

Explain
? she heard herself say.
What’s to explain
?
How in the hell can you explain being in a bed with my daughter
?
Did you want some kind of revenge for me not telling you about her
?
Did you do this to even the score
?
Did she
?

But what came out was, “If you don’t file for divorce…I will.”

Luke’s heart broke then, into a million pieces. There it was.

Divorce
.

“How many times, Luke?” Leslie’s voice was frail and astoundingly quiet. “I hate myself for asking this…but how many times have you been with Grace? How long has she been coming to Florida behind my back…to shack up with you?” Her voice cracked. “My own husband…in your dirty little house by the beach?”

“Oh, Leslie,” Luke began quietly. “It wasn’t like that—”

“Wasn’t like that? Spare me the laughable explanation you think you can give for going to bed with…for screwing your own stepdaughter. It’s practically incest!” Her eyes flew to him. “Did that ever occur to you while you were having sex with her? Didn’t you ever look down at her and think, ‘My God, this is Leslie’s
daughter
; I can’t be doing this’?” Leslie shook her head firmly. “You know what? Never mind. Don’t bother answering that.”

Luke stared at his wife. “Look—I lost control of myself…the lines blurred. Somehow…Grace filled a need…” He paused. “She filled the need I’ve had for
you
all these years, Leslie.”

Leslie snorted in disbelief. “I don’t believe what I’m hearing! If there’s one thing we’ve always had, Luke, it’s great sex. Aside from the last few months, and the times when one of us was traveling, we’ve slept in the same bed every single night for the past fifteen years!” She spread her arms, staring at him. “What
goddamn
need, Luke?”

He sighed heavily. Luke would never be able to explain it. He felt like a fool for even thinking he could. “Never mind, Leslie. I could never make you understand…because you’ve never really understood
me
.”

Leslie shot from the doorway where she’d been clutching the frame since reaching the room. She stood in front of him. The feelings had to be released or she’d burst. “Are you trying to make this about yourself? I never understood you, so you start fucking Grace? Did
she
understand you?”

Luke thought a moment. “Yes. For a time, I actually thought she did.”

Leslie slapped his face.
Hard
. Her palm stung from the blow.

Then she recoiled, surprised at herself. Autopilot.

“Kate was almost kidnapped tonight,” she said wearily. The brief spurt of anger had left her, taking all of her energy with it. “Do you understand
that
?”

“What are you talking about? Almost kidnapped by whom?”

“She’s been involved in pornography, Luke. And tonight some men kidnapped Holly Samson…but Kate and Jodi managed to get away.” Leslie broke down then, the enormity of it overwhelming her. “She called
Dawn
. My own daughter, and I wasn’t the first person she called…” Leslie trailed off, sobbing.

“
Jesus
,” said Luke. “Jesus. What the hell’s been going on?”

“Do you understand
that
? Your daughter’s run amok.”

Luke stood and moved toward the door. “Is she in her room?” He stopped. “My God, you’ve got to be kidding me…
kidnapped
?”

“She’s locked herself in there,” Leslie replied. “She wouldn’t let me in. She said she didn’t want to talk right now…yet she told Dawn everything. She told her
everything
.”
Even told her that I didn’t care about what happened to her
.