A Lethal Legacy (19 page)

Not many seconds
later, I finished. Disgusted with myself, I zipped up my pants and told her to
pull her shirt down. We hadn't even managed to undress all the way.

"You're not very
nice today, Eddie,'" she said.

"I'm married. My
wife's seven months pregnant. And you're almost thirty years younger than me. I
wish you'd just go away," I said.

"We can't help
this. It's out of our control. No one will ever know," she began
whispering over and over again in my ear until she had lulled me back into a state
of desire.

"It's OK, baby,
it's OK. It's bigger than us, don't fight it." Her words and body and
hands calmed me as I found myself aroused once again.

This time we went
slower and undressed. She continued to lull me with her litany of reasons why what
we were doing was all right.

When it was over,
Kristina still clung to me and caressed me.

"Please, don't
feel guilty, Ed. It's all right. It's just like with my mom and Philip,"
she said.

"What do you
mean?" I asked.

"I know about
them," she told me.

"So? What are
you going to do about it?"

"Nothing. No
sense in getting Claire upset. Although I've hinted to Philip about my mom
before. He doesn't say much, but he always gives me what I want."

"So you just use
him, don't you?"

"Sometimes. I
think I deserve it, don't you? This family abandoned me when they allowed Pam
to take me away. Do you have any idea what kind of mother she was?"

"She wasn't very
nurturing, I'll admit. But she took care of you, and Gary really hurt
her."

"She sure took
care of me, all right. And I provided a good income for her and Oscar whenever
a client blew into town who favored little girls," she said as she
withdrew physically from me.

"You mean they
prostituted you?"

"Is that what
it's called? I thought it was child abuse. But yeah, when I was about ten, it
happened for the fist time. Then when I was around fourteen I got smarter and
realized those men were paying Oscar, and I thought,
why shouldn't they pay
me directly?
That's when I hit the streets. I've been hustling one way or
another ever since."

"Kristina, I'm
sorry, I had no idea. But why did you move back to Las Vegas?"

"It's all I
really know. When Gary died, I didn't have anything in New Orleans. I'm trying
to go straight though, but it hasn't been easy. Right after Gary died, Pam told
me about Philip and mentioned how I could use their little affair to seal the
inheritance deal. She thinks I'm going to share with her so she can leave
Oscar."

"Will you help
her?"

"It depends on
how much she offers to help me."

"Sometimes I'd
like to kill Oscar Timmons. He should be in jail."

"Probably, but
Pam isn’t much better. She's a whore herself."

"Kristina, I
know it's not your fault; it's just what you were taught. I wish you could stop
always working an angle. What's the hustle with me? What do you want from
me?"

"No hustle.
You're the only one who's decent."

"How can you say
that? Look at me right now and tell my wife that I'm a decent guy. I don't feel
so decent right now. Get dressed, Kristina, or we won't get to the mall for those
Christmas presents."

"Ed, don't feel
bad about this, really. You make me feel better, honest."

We held each other
for a little longer before getting dressed and heading out to face the
Christmas crowds at the mall.

But as I drove back
to my apartment later that day, I couldn't help remember what she said about my
decency. I always thought I was a decent, loyal person. But it seemed that
Kristina always managed to find my weakness and bring me to a place where
decency becomes the standard for derision.

My daughter, Tessa
Marie Townsend, was born in March of 1992. Cassie had a long labor but never
wavered in her determination to give birth to Tessa naturally. Claire and
Philip were our first visitors, along with Aunt Susan, at the birthing center,
even beating Cassie's parents. They brought a frilly little dress and a savings
bond and good cheer. I was grateful to have some family to share my absolute
joy at the miracle of tiny Tessa.

In fact, Claire and
Philip became doting surrogate grandparents to our daughter. We even thought up
nicknames for them for when Tessa began to talk. They would become Nomie and
Boppa. Silly, but Claire loved them.

When I looked at
Tessa sleeping or nursing, her main activities when we first brought her home,
the turmoil within me since Christmas would subside, and I thought that
everything would turn out all right after all. How could the world be anything
but perfect when this delicate creature could be created? For the first time in
my writing career, I wrote beautiful poetry to and about my daughter who
quieted my demons and left me breathless. Once or twice, I wondered how Gary
could have so easily allowed Pam to leave with Kristina.

When I finished my
fourth novel, I decided to take some time off to cherish the joys of fatherhood.
I was taken quite by surprise at my feelings for little Tessa. My love for
Cassie deepened into something different, too. We now had a connection between
us that made us related. I also wanted some time to digest the idea for my next
novel. Everything I wrote seemed to have some basis in the reality of my life,
and I didn't feel ready to write about my latest concept.

Claire and Philip
heard from Kristina sporadically now. I listened attentively when they told me
of her calls, and I worried more and more about her motives. I knew Philip had
begun worrying, too. One day after I took him golfing at the club, we sat in
the lounge enjoying our beers when Philip broached the subject.

"You know, Ed, I
think I made a big mistake with Kristina," he said.

"What do you
mean?"

"I never should
have told her about the portfolio."

"Why?"

"You remember
the night I showed it to her and told her it would all be hers one day?" I
nodded. "Ever since then we've given quite a bit of that portfolio away to
her. She seems to need an inordinate amount of money." He shook his head
sadly.

"Could you say
no?" I asked.

"I can't do that
for my own private reasons. Neither can Claire for hers. It's that damn woman
who Gary married that's caused this mess."

"Pam? How's it
Pam's fault?"

"She always
wanted something for nothing and was always asking for more. She calls me
sometimes and reminds me about our affair. I'm certain she's coaching Kristina
now to get this money out of us before we die. Claire and I may need this money
if one of us ever has to go to a nursing home. Look at your mother, for
instance."

It was true. My
parents hadn't had a nest egg the size of Claire’s and Philip's, but my father
had plenty of life insurance through Ford Motor Company, and I invested it
wisely after his death. However, the nursing home bills for my mother were
eating through it too quickly. Her current nursing home required patients to be
able to pay their own bills for at least two years before they became Medicaid
patients. I  hoped her money held out that long.

"Then I think
you and Claire have to put your foot down with Kristina. Maybe put her on some
sort of allowance that you think you can afford at this time."

"Maybe that
would work. I don't know. I know I’m sorry I ever told her that it would one
day be hers. That showed me, huh? I've always tried to impress everyone with
what I owned, now I'm getting paid back." He drank the rest of his beer in
one gulp.

This surprised me.
Philip had never been one for soul searching or even honesty, especially when
it came to himself, but it seemed he had come to some clear realizations about
his life. Maybe there was hope for Kristina if even Philip could come to an
understanding of himself.

Kristina called her
grandparents in February and told them that she couldn't make it in college.
She explained that she had decided too late to get a refund on the semester's
tuition. And she was broke again looking for a job. Pam and Oscar refused to
help. Her grandparents sent her $500 to pay for a month's expenses.

In March, she called
to tell them about this great opportunity. She had just met a pilot who was
starting his own pilot's school and would give her a break on the cost of
lessons if she also did some PR work for him. She called Claire and Philip to
tell him that she needed $3,000 to enroll, but at the end of the year, she
would be a certified pilot able to fly small charter planes. They believed her
and sent the money before telling me.

"That sounds
almost too good to be true," I said after I had heard the whole story.

"Yes, isn't it
wonderful? I knew Kristina just needed to find her niche and then everything
would turn out all right," Claire said.

"I hope it works
out for her, but I’m not certain you can become a pilot like that though. Must
be quite a guy," I said trying desperately to keep the sarcasm at a
non-detectable level.

Cassie heard it my
sarcasm and looked at me sharply. "Is the money refundable if she decides
this isn't for her?" she asked.

"I didn't ask,
but I'm sure it will work out," Claire said.

Soon after this
conversation, Philip told me at the country club about his fears concerning
Kristina and Pam. They didn't hear from her again until the summer when once
again she was out of a job. In addition to working for the pilot, she had been
working at an upscale restaurant as hostess.

In July, Pam called
Philip and told him that Kristina had broken her arm and needed money for her
emergency room treatment, which cost $500. Oscar refused to pay for any more of
Kristina's bills, and Pam didn't know where else to turn, she told Philip.

"How did she
break her arm?" I asked when they told me they had just wired the money.

"She was walking
to work and fell on the sidewalk," Claire said. Philip remained quiet at
her side.

"She was walking
down a street in Las Vegas in the summer and just fell and broke her arm,"
I repeated in an attempt to get Claire to realize that perfectly healthy young
women in a sunny climate did not usually have these types of accidents.

"Yes, Ed, that's
what I said. Don't you believe it?" Claire asked. "Why would Pam lie
about it?"

"I don't know,
Claire. Honestly I find it a little hard to believe," I said.

"But of course
that doesn't mean it didn't happen," Cassie interjected when Claire seemed
hurt at my response.

"I'm sorry, Claire,
I don't mean to upset you. But don't you think Kris asks you for an awful lot
of money?" I asked, watching her face as she turned to Philip who remained
passive at her side.

"I guess, but
when she says she's in trouble I can't not help her," she said.

"No, you can't,
I know. But just be careful. Maybe putting her on an allowance might help so
you don't have to hear the constant pleas for money," I suggested. Philip
evidently had never mentioned this possibility to her.

"Maybe, but then
maybe we won't hear from her at all. We'll just wait and see," Claire said,
and Philip shrugged his shoulders.

"By the way, how
are the flying lessons coming along?" I asked. Cassie jabbed me with her
elbow as we walked behind Claire and Philip into the living room.

"The man left
town after a few weeks, and she's never heard from him again," Claire said.

"Claire, I hate
to beat a dead horse, but don't you think the allowance thing might keep you
from using up all of your money?" I asked as I sat on the ottoman at her
feet. "I worry about you and Philip having enough if anything should ever
happen."

"I know, Ed, and
we'll think about it, OK? Now bring me the mostest beauteous baby in the
world." She held out her arms for Tessa.

Later Philip thanked
me for trying when I went outside to take a look at his riding lawn mower in
the garage.

"She doesn't
want to think that Kristina might be lying to us. It's difficult for her to
accept," he said.

"I know, but you
and I both know that little girl is not telling the truth most of the time when
she's asking for money," I said. I decided to pull no punches with Philip.

"I know, and I
think deep down Claire knows it, too. But Kristina is all she has left now that
Gary’s gone."

He had never
mentioned Gary's name to me once since his death. I looked over at him and saw
a very old man with regrets standing before me.

"We all miss
Gary," I said.

"Yes, but no one
else regrets their life with him like I do." He pulled the cover off the
mower to show me his new machine.

The next time
Kristina called her grandparents Claire answered the phone. This time she
wanted to start school again and needed tuition money by the next week in order
to enroll for the fall classes. Claire must have told her what I suggested
because I received a call from Kristina right after their conversation.