The doorbell rang and Doug Traum entered the room with Carol Bruton at his side. Carol, always elegant to a fault, wore a black Armani pantsuit with a black-and-red Hermès scarf at her neck and tons of gold jewelry, encrusted with stones. Her thick strawberry-blond hair was held back with quilted Chanel sunglasses. What could you say? Despite swollen eyes, she was as stylish in widowhood as she was on any other day.
They went around the room shaking hands with everyone and thanking them for being there and for their prayers. When they came to me, Carol took my hands in hers and began to cry again.
“I heard what you did,” she said. “Absolutely heroic! So brave. Thank you. I just wish…”
“So do I, Mrs. Bruton, I would give anything to have found him…” My eyes welled up again. “I’m so desperately sorry. We all had such great regard for your husband.”
“I know that and I thank you for it. And you, Mr. Langley, thank you. This is such a terrible shock for me…”
“Come, let’s sit,” Doug Traum said, in a surprisingly soothing voice. This great bear of a man, who generally bellowed every word he spoke, was suddenly so gentle and touching. After they took their places on the large sectional sofa, Traum took a deep breath and said, “So tell us. What’s the latest news?”
“We expect to hear something before dark,” J.D. said. “They’ll continue to search with night-lights, but it becomes more dangerous…you know, the environment out there is still pretty rustic.”
The majority of us knew that meant the night hunters would be on the prowl, but no one said anything specific. I knew there was the occasional bobcat, more snakes than Saint Patrick ran out of Ireland, and yes, those deadly gators. There was no point in risking more loss of human life.
We recounted what we knew for certain over and over, leaving out the Valerie part, but until we heard from Ed, there was nothing new to discuss. Finally, around seven, his call came. He was in the lobby, he said, could he come up?
“By all means,” McGrath said to him on the hotel’s phone, and then hung up. “I have to get a new cell phone right away.”
“So do I,” Pinkham said, adding, “It’s amazing how dependent we’ve become on them, isn’t it?”
“Make that three,” I said. “Gosh, I hope he’s got news.”
The bell rang and J.D. opened the door.
“Come in, come in.”
Ed looked all around the room and recognized at once that the other woman in the room had to be Bruton’s widow. He went right up to her, introduced himself politely and solemnly, and took her hand in his.
“I am so dreadfully sorry for your loss, ma’am. First, I want to tell you that we have found your husband’s body. He is intact. In fact, we found both men. Once you make a positive ID, we can have him prepared to go home.”
“Praise God,” she said quietly. “Thank you.”
I was standing right next to them and I thought how difficult it must be to tell someone you have found the body of their loved one and it wasn’t intact. Having to mention its state at all had to be extremely difficult, but Ed had twenty years of practice and he was graceful and sensitive.
“Why don’t we all sit down,” Ed said.
Everyone took a chair or settled on the sofa while Ed stood.
“First of all, here’s the most important news. It was an accident.”
“An accident? How can that be? What about what Valerie said when—” I began.
“We’ll get to that. The first thing I did, because of my wife Sela’s tip this week, was put a tail on the man who was following you, Betts. His name is Louie Genega. He’s a small-time drug dealer who used to be in the employ of one Vinny Braggadocio, your friend from New York.”
“Oh my God,” I gasped.
“The guy in the hotel business?” J.D. asked.
“Yep. That’s the one,” Ed replied. “It seems Valerie met Louie through an exchange of goods for cash and she told him about you, Betts. Apparently, she wanted you gone and out of her life.”
I had to sit down. Knowing the depth of her hatred for me made me feel ill.
“Gone like…dead? Or just back to New York?” J.D. asked.
“Interesting point,” Ed said. “According to Mr. Genega, Valerie was apparently very high one night in a club and was ranting and raving about you and how you were trying to take her husband away from her.”
“Is that true, McGee?” McGrath said.
“Well, I…J.D. and I were engaged once upon a time. It would be easy for her to leap to that assumption, I imagine.”
“Balls, McGee. I wasn’t sure you had them,” Pinkham said quietly, and perhaps because of the occasion, no one laughed, but they did smile.
“We never even thought of you as a girl,” McGrath said. “Pardon the oversight?”
“It’s a long story,” I said.
“So, Genega starts following Betts around because he’s lovesick for Valerie and definitely smitten by her glamour.”
“What’s he going to find out about me?” I said.
“Not much. But he’s baiting her with pictures, telling her how wonderful she is and how she deserves better than J.D. He starts wining and dining her. And getting her high.”
“Hmmph,” J.D. said. “Tramp.”
“Only thing is,” Ed continued, “that Louie boy can’t afford the romance. So he calls his old boss, Vinny, to ask him to help finance his new love life, thinking he’s gonna get you out of the picture by wooing her out of her marriage, she’ll get half of whatever J.D. has, and he’ll be on the gravy train. Vinny didn’t know yet that Betts was the target.
“So Vinny feels sorry for him, gives him twenty grand, and Louie doesn’t pay him back. Vinny comes to Charleston, figures out what’s going on, and—”
“I knew it!” I said. “I knew Vinny was a bad guy!”
Everyone, except Ed, looked at me, wondering what in the world I meant.
“Um, actually,” Ed said, “Vinny’s not a bad guy. I mean, he’s not the Archbishop of Canterbury, but he’s got some good qualities. It wasn’t so nice what he did to Louie’s eyes and nose, but when he found out Louie was considering blowing you up to impress Valerie, he pounded him into the ground. And think about this. If J.D. had been in the boat, Valerie would have been that much richer, right? So I think it’s fair to say that Louie was considering it, but so far there are no facts to prove he did do it.”
“Vinny did warn me. Oh Lord.”
“Well, I’d like to hear about that. So, early this morning we got the judge to sign a warrant to search Louie’s apartment. We’ve had our eye on him for some time. Four of Charleston’s finest paid him a visit and found C-four charges and enough OxyContin to ease the pain of everyone in town.”
“C-four charges? What are C-four charges?” I asked.
“Explosives. Like Play-Doh. You can attach it anywhere and blow something up with a cell phone.”
“So, is that what happened?” J.D. demanded. “That’s what blew up the boat and killed Ben and Smitty?”
“No, not at all. Believe it or not, the boat hit an old Civil War mine. All the dredging your men have been doing to run electric conduits and sewage pipes must have stirred things up. Forensics isn’t complete, but they’re pretty sure what it is.”
“I’ll be damned,” J.D. said. “No foul play, then. Is that right?”
“Not as far as the explosion goes. It appears that it was a complete accident. Of course there will be a more thorough investigation, but this is what we suspect is the case. And that’s all the news for tonight.”
“Except that somehow Valerie is involved in this evil, am I right?” J.D. said. “Valerie had some conversation with Louie about a hit on Betts? Is that what I am to understand?”
“No, it was more like speculative daydreaming, but understand this, our friend Louie was looking for a home run. Valerie was the closest thing to financial independence he had ever seen. If he could have been rid of both of you, it would have been twice as goo
d for him.” Ed took business cards from his wallet and handed them to Carol Bruton, Doug Traum, Pinkham, and McGrath. “In case there’s anything to report or if you have a question. Mrs. Bruton, if you’d like, I’ll go with you to the county morgue…”
“I’ll come along,” Doug Traum said.
“You need us?” Pinkham asked.
“No, why don’t you wait for me in the bar downstairs,” Traum said with a wry smile. “I’ll bet you guys could use a shot of something.”
“Yes, well, um…okay, then.”
Sandi said, “Unless you need me, Betts, I’d like to go out to my brother’s house. Call you in the morning, Betts?”
“Yes. Fine. Sandi, thanks for everything.”
Sandi left. J.D. stood and then I did, too. What else was there to say?
“Come on; let me walk y’all to the door, Ed,” J.D. said. I followed along to listen. “Where are my folks?”
“They went back out to the plantation. After we released Valerie, she asked to be returned to MUSC for detox.”
“Well, how about that?” J.D. said. “At least she’s still got the sense to recognize the end of the road when she sees it.”
McGrath and Pinkham were suddenly behind us.
“Wait up, Ed, we’ll ride down the elevator with you. You staying, J.D.?” McGrath asked.
“No, I’ll be along in a minute. I just need to ask Betts something in private.”
“Oh! Okay,” McGrath said.
“All right, then,” Pinkham added.
“We’ll see you later.” J.D. closed the door.
He looked very somber and took the longest breath I had ever seen him draw, exhaling, it seemed, every detail of the night. Except one.
“What’s the matter?” I said.
“Your son called.”
“He did?” I was so shocked I didn’t know what else to say.
“Yes, your nineteen-year-old son named Adrian for your mother, Adrianna, saw his aunt, Joanie McGee, on CNN and was wondering who else was down here in Charleston whom he might like to know.”
“What did you tell him?”
“I told him that I expected there were many people who would like to know him. I gave him my credit-card number and told him to get on a plane. He’s arriving on Continental at nine-thirty. Would you like me to pick him up for you?”
“Um, I don’t know. I mean…”
“I think I’ll come along in my truck. Just to make sure you get there okay.”
“Um, J.D.?”
“Yes?”
“He’s yours, J.D. That’s all you need to know.”
“Look, Betts. You’ve had under one minute to think of what to say. I’ve had several hours. It’s an unfair advantage, so we’re not going to play a game about this, okay? I hate games anyway. Come here to me.”
I started to tremble and couldn’t stop, and then the tears began to flow. He put his arms around me and I leaned into him. I felt his chest rising and falling and knew he was crying, too. It was too much to bear in such a short time.
“All I can do is wonder what you’ve been carrying on your shoulders all alone all these years. Betts? Didn’t you know you always could have come to me?”
“No! I didn’t know that! Oh, I don’t know what I knew, J.D., except that I had a son to raise and no family to help me. I did the best I could to cope. It was so hard…”
“I’m sure it was. Ah, God! I should have tried harder to see you, Betts. I am so sorry.”
“And I should have told you, J.D. And Adrian. And Daddy and Joanie. But it was so complicated and I was so afraid everyone would reject us. It was easier to say nothing. Somehow it was easier to live the lie than to face you, your parents, my father…I mean, it’s never been good between our families! Something always happens! I figured I would just disappear…so I did.”
“But you didn’t. And here we are. And somehow, by the grace of God, the world has finally cleared the way for us to be together…”
“Not without more than a few casualities along the way…but I can’t even think about that now.” I smiled then.
“You’re right. There will be plenty of time to think about what kind of relationship we’re going to have. Tonight, the battlefield is rife with carnage. Let’s go to the airport and meet my son.”
“Let’s go meet our son.”
We owned our lives for the first time in our lives.
A little while later, we pulled into the airport, parked, and went inside the terminal to wait. Adrian’s flight was late. Of course it was. Everything out of New York is always late.
“Want a beer?” J.D. asked.
“No, but I think a glass of wine might be the ticket. I think I earned it.”
“Maybe two.”
We walked into the airport’s watering hole, and who was sitting there on a bar stool all alone? None other than Vinny.
He turned and saw us, then turned away. I went straight up to him and stood right in his line of vision.
“Whatcha drinking, Vinny? Can I buy you a bona fide mint julep and a glass of Huge Apology and Forever in Your Debt on the side?”
He looked up and down and then at J.D. Then he looked back to me and smiled. Naturally, he turned to me and naturally he tried as hard as he could to look irresistible.
“Ah, Betts. Where’d you get that hair?”
“Swimming.”
“What’s to be done about Betts McGee?”
“Be my friend, Vinny. Every gal needs a true friend like you.”
“I always was your friend. Always had a soft spot for magnolias, you know.” He turned to J.D. “You must be J. D. Langley.”
“I am indeed.” J.D. stepped forward to shake Vinny’s hand.
I said to Vinny, “My son is J.D.’s boy. Sort of an engagement baby.” Then I turned to J.D. “Vinny and I dated for a while.”
“And the truth will set you free,” J.D. said. “What are you drinking, Vinny?”
Vinny looked long and hard at us and said, “Dinner.”
Who could fault that choice, given the last twenty-four hours?
We talked for a few minutes and finally Vinny said, “So, Betts? Are you coming back to New York?”
“Well, I’ll be in New York for Bruton’s funeral and then I guess I’m coming back here for a while at least, depending on what happens with the Bulls Island project. What are your plans?”
“Don’t worry about Vinny,” Vinny said. “I got more plans than time.” He looked at his wristwatch. “I gotta go to my gate.”
“Hey, Vinny?” I said. “I owe you.”
“You don’t owe me nothing,” he said. “Just plant one right here.” He pointed to his cheek. I stood on my toes to give him a solid kiss. “Take care of her, J.D. Don’t make me come back down here and start that war all over again!”
“Don’t you worry. I will take excellent care of her.” J.D. shook his hand soundly.
I loved hearing J.D.’s sentiments, however premature they might be. We watched Vinny walk away.
“He’s got some swagger,” J.D. noted.
“Hey, that’s Vinny Braggadocio.”
“And just what does that mean?”
“He is one hundred percent Eyetalian good old boy!”
“I think I understand,” J.D. said. “Come on, let’s check Adrian’s flight.”
It had arrived and we went quickly over to the security area where he would be coming out. A few very exciting minutes passed, then I spotted him before he saw us. My heart was in my throat.
“That’s him,” I said to J.D. “That’s him in the blue sweater. The tall lanky one.”
“Oh my God,” J.D. breathed. “That’s my boy.”
Adrian ran up to me, giving me a bear hug. Then he stood back and looked at J.D.
J.D. said, “Son? I’d know you anywhere. Come here!” J.D. was hugging Adrian’s neck so hard I thought it might snap, but then he dropped his hold, choked up with tears, and covered his face with his hands.
“M
om?” Adrian was blushing and thoroughly confused.
“Adrian? I don’t know what to say or how to say this, but…this is your father, J. D. Langley. You’ll probably have a few questions.”
BACK AT MY CONDO, after a lot of rapid conversation, and before the hour grew too late, we called Daddy and Joanie to say we were all right and asked if they could meet us at Sela’s Sunday night for dinner at six. They said yes, of course, and I gave them the facts about the accident, as I knew them, leaving the details about Valerie and Adrian’s arrival for another time. Joanie wanted to know if Cam could come and I said absolutely, yes. I was sure there would be more information about the accident the next day and we finally said good night.
Then J.D. called his parents and got an earful of Valerie’s long sad tale of woe. No one cared about Valerie’s weeping and moaning and that was exactly what made her long tale truly sad. But yes, they said, they would meet us at Sela’s for dinner, too. Six o’clock. And by the way, would they bring Mickey and Rosie? Well, why not, they said, unsure of why but suspecting J.D. had something up his sleeve.
The night didn’t end until almost two in the morning, with J.D. on the sofa bed, Adrian in the guest room, and me staring at the ceiling in my room for hours. I didn’t care that I couldn’t sleep. I really didn’t want to sleep, as I was struggling to remember every detail for a memoir I planned to write someday. Surely this story was worth a book?
Morning finally came, and the day that ensued was a logistical nightmare. First, we had to get the county coroner to sign off on Ben Bruton’s certificate of death in order to release his body to Carol. The entire incident was still under investigation as a crime scene and his body was technically evidence. But given the strength of the fact that no crime had been committed and Ben’s high-profile stature, the judge was very agreeable and signed the necessary papers.
Then there was the sorrowful task of putting him on the plane. J.D., Ed, Adrian, and I all met at the airport. Doug Traum brought in the largest plane the company had at its disposal, but it barely had room for Ben’s casket. We all hugged and kissed Carol, and J.D. and I offered to take the ride with her, knowing how horrible it would be for her to be on that plane with her husband’s remains. But she was resolute in her refusal, saying that with Traum, Pinkham, and McGrath at her side she would be fine.