The Spiral Path (68 page)

"Yes. Marcus has promised to fly
out here with a film version when we think we've got the final cut." She
made a face. "I'm hoping that film won't show me a zillion bad things that
pixels disguised."

"Eva wouldn't let that
happen."

They both fell silent as the movie
continued. Rainey, who'd watched till she was sick of it and no longer knew if
it was any good, kept one eye on Kenzie. His face was unreadable, but he
occasionally jotted a note on the tablet he'd brought along.

The movie ended with Sarah and Randall
setting sail for Australia. As they stood side by side on the deck of the ship,
her wistful regret showed how much she was giving up for the sake of her
marriage. Then her husband took her arm, and she turned toward him with a smile
that proved that Sarah Randall believed she'd gained far more than she'd lost.
The last image of the movie showed the ship sailing into the sun.

"What did you think?" Nervous
as a cat on a hot griddle, Rainey asked Kenzie as he turned on the lights,
"I don't expect you to like it, but in your professional judgment, is it
at least okay?"

He smiled at her as if she were a
toddler impatient for Christmas presents. "It's a lot more than okay,
Rainey. You really are a born director. Amazingly enough, I even like it."
He frowned. "It was hell to make this movie, as you know, and that was in
my mind as I watched. But seeing the finished product on a screen is rather
like journaling--it puts the experience at a safer distance. Now I can look at
The
Centurion
and see John Randall, not me."

She exhaled with relief. "Thank God
for that. I think it's the best performance you've ever given. I promised you a
shot at an Oscar, and here it is."

He shrugged. "An Oscar means less
to me than it used to, but this movie will certainly open doors for you. It's
going to do solid box office, and there's a chance it will be one of those
surprise hits that exceed everyone's expectations."

"You think it's cut right?"

"I didn't say that." He
glanced down at his notes. "I think you've cut it a little too tightly.
You've got a lot of wonderful, powerful moments. Too many--the viewer needs time
to recover in several places. Here's a list of the spots where I thought you
could add a little more time. I know the footage was shot, so it shouldn't be
difficult if you agree."

She scanned his carefully printed notes,
nodding as she saw which scenes he'd flagged and the suggestions he'd made for
augmenting them. "I think you've hit it, Kenzie. Damn, you're good."

He put an arm around her shoulders.
"If you're not too tired, I'll prove it later."

"That kind of good has been well
proven already." He really did have a wonderful understanding of
moviemaking, that mysterious blend of story, character, and medium. Watching
from one corner of her eye, she said, "I keep thinking what great partners
we could be--making movies together like Marcus and Naomi Gordon."

She felt him subtly withdraw. "I
don't know if I want to be involved in any aspect of moviemaking again."

"Not even acting?"

He smiled without humor. "At the
moment, acting has no appeal whatsoever. I rather like the idea of living on my
investments and playing househusband."

Rainey rested her head on his shoulder.
She had trouble imagining that Kenzie could be happy without using his
tremendous talent and energy. She'd pray that when he finished rearranging his
mind, he'd be ready for new challenges.

Rainey
was dozing in her recliner when Val called. "Hi, girlfriend," Val
said. "Good time or bad?"

"It's a fine time. The movie's
basically done, and we all think it's pretty damned good. The sound guy flew
out so Kenzie and I could loop dialogue for places where it wasn't clear. Any
minute now, Marcus Gordon will be arriving from Los Angeles with a film version
for us to go over one last time." Rainey suppressed a yawn. "After he
leaves, I'm going to sleep for a week, minimum. How are you doing? I can't wait
for you to see the final version of the movie!"

"I'm fine." Val hesitated.
"I'm calling at the request of Mooney, your private detective. He asked me
to break some news you might find a little ... surprising."

"He's located a possible father
worse than a drug dealer?" Rainey said lightly. "Imagination boggles.
Did Clementine manage to find herself a space alien?" Outside the house,
she heard the sound of the SUV pulling up. Kenzie returning with Marcus from
the airport.

"No space aliens. On a hunch,
Mooney kept digging to learn more about the studio executive alleged to be one
of your mother's flings. He learned that the affair was more serious than
preliminary reports had indicated. The dates are perfect for this guy to be
your father, and apparently she wasn't sleeping with anyone else at that
time."

Rainey had thought she was beyond caring
much about the results of her investigation, but she pushed the recliner
upright. "Mooney thinks he's identified the bastard?"

"Yes, and the candidate is alive
and well." Val took a deep breath. "Rainey, it's Marcus Gordon."

"Marcus?" Rainey froze. That
couldn't possibly be true. His marriage to Naomi was famously devoted.

And yet--he'd always been around. The
friend of the family who'd put Rainey on the plane to Baltimore after
Clementine's death. The producer who'd given her opportunities, including the
amazing chance to direct her first movie with almost no restrictions.

And he had the same kind of small-boned
build she did. She felt so dizzy that for a moment she wondered if she was
going to pass out.

Marcus Gordon entered the living room,
Kenzie behind him. Marcus smiled broadly and headed toward her for a hug.

How many times had he hugged her over
the years? And what the hell had been in his mind when he did? Confusion turned
to ice. "I'll call you later, Val. Kenzie and Marcus have just walked in,
and there's work to be done."

"Stay calm, Rainey," Val said
with a rush. "Give him a chance to talk."

"Don't worry, he'll talk."
Carefully Rainey returned the handset to its cradle and stood, raising her hand
to keep Marcus away. "I've just received some remarkably interesting
information. Are you my father?"

Marcus turned dead white under his
California tan. "I ... might be."

"I suggest you sit down and
explain." Rainey watched with gimlet eyes, like a cat ready to pounce on a
mouse that showed signs of fleeing.

But he didn't flee. He dropped onto the
sofa, looking ten years older than when he'd come through the door. "Naomi
and I were going through a bad spell. When I contacted Clementine about
starring in a movie I was putting together--well, one thing led to another. She
was so lovely. So full of life. I ... I might have left Naomi for her, but
Clementine refused to consider marriage. She said she'd been a lot of things,
but never a home wrecker, and besides, she didn't want to marry me. I was a
nice change of pace, but no more than that." Pain showed in his eyes for
an instant.

Rainey stood over him, arms crossed
belligerently. "What about when you found out she was pregnant?"

"I asked if I was the father, and
she just laughed and said of course not." He raised his gaze, expression
stark. "I went almost crazy wondering after you were born. Sometimes I
thought you looked a little like me, other times I was sure you didn't. By this
time, Naomi and I had worked things out, so I never pressed the issue with
Clementine. I settled for keeping an eye on you when I could, just in case.

"In other words, she made it easy
for you not to take responsibility, and you were happy to go along with that.
How very convenient. A DNA test should prove the relationship or lack thereof
pretty quickly."

Marcus turned even whiter, but didn't
look away. "If that's what you want. You have every right to be angry. I'm
so sorry, Rainey. If it's any comfort, I've tortured myself plenty over the
years. When I look at what you've accomplished, I'm so proud to think my blood
might be in your veins. But if you are mine, I've failed you." His mouth
twisted. "As Naomi says, there's no guilt like Jewish guilt, and I've
carried that about you for over thirty years."

Rainey's hands clenched into fists.
"How do you think Naomi will feel to learn that you cheated on her, and
maybe fathered a child with another woman?"

Marcus flinched. "She might throw
me out. She's entitled."

Before Rainey could say more, Kenzie's
arm came around her, warm support in a would turned upside down. "You
don't need a DNA test. Compare your hands. Look at the overall shape, the
fingers, the nails."

Startled, Rainey spread her hands in
front of her, then looked at Marcus as he did the same. Kenzie was right,
allowing for the difference in age and gender, their hands were very nearly
identical, right up to the slight inward bend of the little fingers. She lifted
her gaze and examined Marcus's small-boned build, the shape of his skull. Here
was the genetic missing link, the traits she hadn't inherited from Clementine.

He was studying her with equal
intensity, and in his eyes she saw the same certainty she felt. "So it's
true," she said unevenly.

Kenzie's arm tightened around her
shoulders and he drew her out into the hall for a private talk. "Before
blowing up a long-term marriage, step back and take a few deep breaths, Rainey.
Clementine was the one who insisted on keeping your father's identity a secret,
and it sounds as if she did that at least partly to save Marcus and Naomi from
splitting up, which would have damaged both them and their children."

"I wanted a father so much,"
she whispered, her voice raw.

"You've got one now. Think about
what you want from Marcus before you say something disastrous. I think he's a
much better choice for a parent than the drug dealer."

She focused on Kenzie's concerned face,
remembering that he of all people could understand. "How would you feel if
you found out that your father was someone you'd known your whole life? Someone
like Charles Winfield."

"I'd be shocked speechless, and
probably as angry as you are at first. Then I'd be glad. I wish to hell Charles
had been my father."

But he would never find out the truth of
his parentage. Reminding herself that she was lucky by comparison, she returned
to the living room, Kenzie's hand on her shoulder. Marcus was staring out the
window, his face haggard. He turned as she entered the room. "I wanted to
be your father, Rainey, but I didn't think I had the right."

Her anger began to fade. She'd had a
fantasy of a father who would always be there for his little girl, giving the
unconditional love and support she'd craved. But she was a grown woman now.
When she needed a reliable man, she had Kenzie. There was no point in blaming
Marcus for failing her when Clementine had never given him a chance. And no
point in hurting Naomi and the rest of Marcus's family over an ancient
indiscretion. "I wish Clementine had told you, or somebody, the truth, but
I like the idea that she was being noble rather than merely careless."

"She didn't have you from
carelessness." Marcus shook his head ruefully. "I've sometimes
wondered if Clementine slept with me because I came from healthy peasant stock
and would give her baby good genes. She wanted you very much, Rainey."