Innocent Little Crimes (11 page)

Lila pinched her lips together and felt
her blood stir, the way it did before she stepped on stage in front
of a cheering crowd.
Well, Peter, my
precious co-conspirator. You will have entertainment you’ll never
forget. This will be the weekend from hell.

Chapter 13

Saturday, March 7

Jonathan yelled over the roar of the surf.
“Dammit, Della, move your skinny ass!” He rubbed his gloved hands
together as he watched the volleyball roll across the boundary line
drawn in the wet sand. Clouds threatened rain overhead and the wind
whipped at them, but for the moment the air was crisp and dry in
the morning light.

“If you care so much,
you
should have gone after it.”
Della took her time retrieving the ball.

Millie called from the other side of the net.
“Sorry, Della. Bad serve.” Della waved her off.

“Come on, come on,” Jonathan said.

Della threw the ball back to him and promptly
sat down on the sand. She reached for a blanket and wrapped herself
up, then lit a cigarette.

Dick groaned. “Don’t do this to us, Della.
We’re getting killed out here.” Della ignored him.

Lila yelled. “Play ball!”

Peter crouched into position next to her.
“Come on, Jonny boy. Sock it to me.”

Jonathan gave the ball a loud thwack and
delivered it right into the net. Dick groaned again.“Hey, I haven’t
played volleyball since high school. Besides, we’ve got the head
wind against us.”

Davis laughed. He and Cynthia were on Lila
and Peter’s team. They were ahead eight to three. “Hey, we’re
sports, aren’t we, gang? Let’s change sides.” He started under the
net.

“It’s still going to be unfair—four against
three.” Jonathan said, glaring at Della.

Dick stood facing Lila, his back against the
net. “Okay, have you heard this one? This guy goes to a whore house
and the madam says to him, whatever you do, don’t go into room
number one. Go into room two only. So he goes upstairs, but there’s
a long line in front of room number two. He needs to get laid bad,
and he doesn’t want to wait. So he goes into room number one and
there’s this broad laying on the bed. He jumps her bones and
leaves, satisfied. The madam is surprised to see him back so soon.
How come? she asks. He says he ain’t into waiting, he took the
whore in room one. The madam gets upset. She says, I told you not
to go in there. That woman is dead. He looks at her puzzled and
says, no wonder she reminded me of my wife.” Dick laughed as the
others groaned.

He pointed to Lila. “Maybe I should have
pursued a career in comedy, instead of mulling over budgets. I
could do snappy one-liners with you, on your show. What do you
think?”

Lila ignored him.

Cynthia walked off the court. “I’ll join
Della. My stomach’s upset anyway.” She dropped down next to Della,
and huddled against her knees. “What an awful day for
volleyball.”

“You said it.”

Lila sidled up next to Davis in front of the
net. “Now I’ve got you to myself, loverboy.” She lowered her voice.
“Remember what it was like back then? Just you and me, under the
lights?”

Davis backed away and turned his attention to
the game. “Whose serve is it?”

Lila inched closer to him. “You know, I
really thought you were in love with me. How foolish I was. Of
course, you were just absorbed in your role—a true actor. Living
your part. How was I to know a genius was at work?”

Davis fumbled. “Hey, it was a long time
ago.”

“Yes. It was.” She took his arm and he
flinched.

“You know, Davis, you made out good. Not the
money I have, but a nice nest egg—all those blue chip investments.
Your Jag, the condos in Novato, the new shopping center. Lucky you
pulled that one off. It’s going to make you even richer. And with
Cynthia’s money, you’ll never have to work again. Just sit back and
enjoy the ride. A lot of people would kill to have it as easy as
you.”

“I work plenty hard.” Davis shook off her
arm. “And how do you know so much about my personal life?”

“Oh,” Lila said, returning a serve that came
over the net, “I’ve got long ears, the better to keep tabs on
you.”

Davis wondered what on earth she was talking
about.

“So, you’re really convinced she’s it.” Lila
nodded to Cynthia sitting on the sand. “Those other two didn’t work
out, did they?”

Davis stiffened. How did she know about
Claire and Denise? Or did she? Was this some kind of bluff? Was she
really up on the details of his life? Now he was getting angry.

“So, she’s the one you’re going to marry,
huh? So young, so easy to mold. She worships you, you know? Wonder
if she’d feel differently if she really knew you.”

That did it. “Cynthia knows me inside out.
And she loves me for who I am. I don’t have to pretend with
her.”

“Like you did with me?”

“Oh Christ, Lila,” Davis said, keeping his
voice low. “We were in a play. You said it yourself, we were
acting—caught up in our roles. I can’t help it if you took it
another way.”

Jon made a bullhorn with his hands.
“Hey, you two, wake up. There’s a
game
happening here.”

“Okay.” Peter held up his arm. “Nine-three
service.” He lobbed the ball across court. Dick set it up for the
spike, but Millie responded too slowly, missing the ball by a
foot.

Dick clenched his fists. “Can’t you do
anything right?”

Millie’s face flushed. “I can’t run that
fast.”

“You could if you lost a few pounds.”

Millie clamped her mouth shut.

Jonathan volleyed the ball over the net. “I
can’t believe you stayed in Oly. Such a redneck town.”

“Oh, it’s not that bad,” Dick said.

“I forgot you were from Tacoma. ‘Glaucoma,’
we used to call it. Remember? So, how do you like politics?”

“There’s nothing like it. You get to spend
millions of other people’s dollars. You get to control the destiny
of an entire city. Come visit sometime. I’ll show you all the great
projects I’ve instituted. Got the state’s first recycling center
off the ground.”

“Really?” Jonathan’s face displayed his
disinterest.

“So, look at your great life,” Dick said. “It
must be fantastic working with all those stars. Making all that
money. And screwing all those gorgeous women. So what are you doing
these days? One of those cop shows? Not that I keep up. I never
watch TV.”

“Right. I don’t do episodes, Ferrol.” He
concentrated on slapping the ball coming over the net. “Episode
directing is the armpit of Hollywood. Beginning directors do that
garbage, not me.”

“I hear it pays well.”

“Yeah, but it’s not worth the hassle. All you
are is a traffic cop for some pissant star, who, just because he
has some rating points, acts like a twelve-year-old. I do MOW’s and
Longform. Anyway, I’m getting into features now. That’s where the
big bucks are.”

Della heard Jon. “Hey, Levin—the stuff you do
is garbage.”

Jonathan missed the next ball. It
rolled over to Lila. He shouted back at Della. “You should talk,
Della. Your whole
life
is
garbage. You look like garbage. You wouldn’t know classy if it hit
you in the face.”

Della stood up and flipped her cigarette butt
onto the sand. She crossed the court while Lila held the ball, an
amused look on her face.

Jonathan planted his feet. “It’s easy for you
to gripe about my career, Della. You blew yours big time.”

“What—are you referring to the ‘big break’
you offered me? My opportunity of a lifetime?”

“I’m referring to your entire life,
Roman.”

“Oh, just because I wouldn’t kiss your royal
ass? Because I walked out on you? I suppose I blew my big chance to
drag along on your shirttail. To bask in the shadow of your
overinflated ego. Which, by the way, was the only thing you were
able to keep inflated.”

Peter laughed. “Ooh hoo, low blow.”

“You
walked
out on
me
? That’s a joke. I
tossed your bags on the sidewalk. Keep popping all those pills
baby, and you’ll really rewrite your dirty history.”

“Screw you, Jew boy!”

Peter shook his head. “Not nice, Della.”

Cynthia got up and walked over to Davis. “I
want to go home,” she said. He pulled his attention away from the
argument and looked at her.

“What, darling?” He searched her face.

Cynthia spoke louder. “I mean it. These
people are despicable. You told me to tell you if I wanted to leave
and I’m telling you now. I think we should go home.”

Davis stroked her hair and nodded. “Okay,
darling. I’ll take care of it. Just a sec.”

Della stormed off through the woods in the
direction of the castle. Jonathan chased after her. “Hey—you don’t
walk away from me!”

Peter smiled. “Guess they have some
unfinished business to take care of.”

“Everyone here has some unfinished business,”
said Lila.

“What do you mean?” Dick said.

Lila waved him away. “Later, Dick. I guess
our game has been called on account of bad temper. We win by
default. Peter, be a love and help me with the net. I don’t want to
leave it out. That storm is moving in like gangbusters.”

Cynthia pulled on Davis’s sleeve and reminded
him with her eyes.

“Uh, Lila,” Davis said. “Can I talk with you
for a sec?”

Lila let go of the net in her hands. “Speak
up, loverboy. I’m all ears.”

Davis hesitated. Cynthia spoke instead.
“Lila, we appreciate your hospitality, we really do. I just don’t
feel comfortable here and I’d like to go home.”

Lila laughed. “Why, Dorothy, did you bring
your ruby slippers?”

“Pardon me?”

“If you had your ruby slippers, you could
wish your way back to Kansas. But, since you seem to have left them
at home, you’ll have to wait for old Dobson and he won’t be back
with the boat until tomorrow. Surely you can wait another measly
ol’ twenty-four hours?”

“Don’t you have a phone or a radio? Can’t I
make a call for another pick-up? There must be someone else around
here who has a boat.”

“Well, actually I have a CB and a boat. But
the boat’s in the shop at Crane Island and unfortunately, the CB is
in the boat. I’m afraid you’re stuck for the weekend. But, Cynthie,
dear heart, have a little patience with us old folks. I know it’s
all been so dull up till now. I promise you, it will get much more
interesting.”

Cynthia looked at Davis. He shrugged and gave
her a weak smile. He tried, hadn’t he?

Lila spoke again. “There’s nothing Prince
Charming can do for you. Come on. Let’s get inside and batten down
the hatches. Just look at that mean old ugly sky. We’re gonna have
us one helluva storm.”

Millie collapsed into the overstuffed chair
in the dining room. The brisk air and the volleyball game left her
winded and drained. She wasn’t used to so much exercise. Not to
mention all that overt hostility. The others gathered around the
huge spread of food overflowing the banquet table, including dozens
more liquor bottles, caviar, canapés, and a three-layer chocolate
cake. She was too tired to be irritated. Once more, Dick had made
her look like an idiot and once more she said nothing. She decided
to punish herself by skipping lunch. She watched Davis talking to
Cynthia in a far corner, both of them sipping drinks and not happy,
from what she could tell. Della sat by a window, smoking something
that did not smell like tobacco.

Millie watched Jonathan follow Lila around
the table as he put food on his plate. Lila all but ignored him.
Millie tried to figure this weekend out. Why did Lila invite them
all? No one seemed to be having a good time except Lila and her
friend Peter. She knew Dick only pretended he was having fun. So
much for a relaxing vacation.

Millie noticed a gradual change in the
atmosphere of the room as the group drank a substantial amount of
liquor at Lila’s urging. The talking and laughing grew louder. The
guys were now sharing Della’s pot and the smell pervaded the room.
Dick managed to put himself in the center of attention once more,
telling stupid jokes, trying to make Lila laugh. The jokes all had
the same theme—they were hostile to women. Didn’t Dick realize he
was giving himself away?

She felt a pang of pity for him; he was
always the low man on the totem pole, always vying for attention.
Her pity turned inward. If she hadn’t been so desperate for
attention herself, she wouldn’t have married him. She knew when she
got pregnant she was making a big mistake, but she really wanted a
baby. And she had been afraid Dick would pressure her into an
abortion, which was unthinkable. That’s why she took him back to
Wisconsin—to meet her stern, religious Belgian-Catholic parents.
Millie’s father, in his classic way, demanded to know Dick’s
intentions—in front of all her relatives at a family gathering.
Millie remembered Dick’s face as he nearly choked on Aunt Edna’s
potato salad. Before their week on the farm ended, they were
officially engaged. Although he never mentioned over the ensuing
fifteen years the way she had “trapped” him, Millie guessed the
source of his deep resentment stemmed from the consequences of that
trip. No matter how hard she tried to make him happy, that
resentment spilled out, erasing any attempt at intimacy.

Lila sat in the seat next to Millie. “Well,
just like the good old days, right, Mil?”

Millie questioned Lila with her eyes.

“Same old Dick. Same old malicious jokes,
even. The organizer. The planner. He picked the right career,
wouldn’t you say?”

Millie shrugged. “Lila, can I ask you
something?”

“Shoot away.”