The First Wives Club (41 page)

” Annie smiled, but thought for a moment of her reservations over Miguel, just a few years younger than she, and a minority. Wasn’t she uncomfortable about that? It was so hard to break away from conditioning.

“Hey, never mind what they say,” Brenda told Elise. “Fuck em if they can’t take a joke. But neither of you has won Queen for a Day’ yet,” she added, tissue box in hand. “Jack Bailey hasn’t heard from the last contestant yet.

I’ll see you and raise you,” she said with more bravado than she felt.

“This ought to win me the washer-dryer and a big hand from the crowd.

I’ve got something to be grateful for, but I warn you, it’s pretty weird.” She paused.

“Morty told my father something … a secret I had once told him about this counse1Or at summer camp I’d had an affair with.” Elise and Annie were gazing at her. “The counselor was a woman. A girl, really.

The swimming instructor.”

There, it was out.

“When Morty told him that, spitefully, my father looked at me, and I looked away. I couldn’t lie to him about anything. I never had.”

Brenda looked at the two of them. “My father never mentioned it again, but it changed him. Deeply. Daddy loved me, I knew that, but from then on, he never looked me in the eyes again. And when my father died four months later, Jesus, I felt terrible. And I blamed Morty.

Christ, I still do. Of course, I never should have told him.”

“Well, many girls have crushes on women when they’re in their teens.

It’s normal,” Elise said soothingly. “Your father just didn’t know that.” he three women sat silently, the fire making the only sound in the room. “I think it’s more than that, Elise.” Brenda looked at her two friends directly.

“I’ve been trying to sort it out since I met Diana. You know, the only real physical affection I ever felt for anyone in my whole life was for that counselor at camp. Nothing else physical was ever good …

certainly nothing with Morty. I figured it was just our bad marriage.

At least I wanted to believe that. But it was deeper.” She spoke softly, even gently, but with conviction.

“Diana makes me very happy. I love her. And I’m thankful.” Brenda leaned back and folded her hands in her lap. For the first time in her life, she realized, she didn’t feel the need to explain herself, to make any more excuses. She had stated a fact. Now the rest was up to them. I accept myself, Brenda thought, and felt the warmth in her chest.

Elise looked at Brenda and said, “From what I hear, Brenda, Diana is a very impressive woman. Bright, committed, and sensitive.” Elise broke out laughing.

“I’m sorry, but I just had a thought. She’s all the things Morty’s not.”

Annie said, ‘Well, I hope you get what you want. You deserve someone in your life who will love you. I’m very happy for you both, Brenda.”

Brenda cleared her throat. “So, did I win the washer-dryer?”’ The others both smiled. “This is a helluva weird Thanksgiving. I thought I’d mope around and miss Anthony and Angela. I didn’t know we would be playing truth.” I thought we were supposed to be moping.”’ “Let’s do something, not just talk about things,” Annie said. ‘God knows. I m sick of moping. Let’s really do something about Aaron, and Morty, and Bill.”’ “We should have taken more action before, but we’ll do it now,” Elise said.

‘You’re already started, Brenda. So far, you’re leading us all.

Sending in the tax informalion to the IRS was the first step. Remember our goals, Morty broke, Gil powerless, Bill castrated, and Aaron abandoned. I’ve already started to work on Gil. We know from Stuart and Uncle Bob’s contacts that he’s going to go into Mitsui. And I’ve told my uncle to throw all of his weight and mine against Gil now.”

“How?”’ Annie asked.

“Get behind Mitsui. Buy it up in a big way. And do it strategically.

Once we’ve bought in at a low price, talk it up. Make it a hot ticket.

No takeover possible. Get the word out. We’ll make enough to buy Sylvie her own school.”

“Say that again?” Brenda asked.

Elise explained the whole process. Annie listened, too. Elise was so wonderful, she thought, almost ready to cry again. She bit her lip.

“You want my settlement from Morty?” Brenda asked. ‘To invest? Maybe I could help fuck Gil over and wind up with what Morty promised me!” “Certainly,” Elise agreed. “But be practical. You need something to live on, but we could invest the rest for you. Then we’ve got a little more working capital and it’s Gil who gives it to us.”

”So, that starts Operation Gil. Then there’s the SEC investigation.

Any word, Annie?”

“De Los Santos hasn’t made much progress yet. I’m seeing him again right after Thanksgiving. I’m not sure we’re going to get anywhere with this, but I trust the man.”’ Annie didn’t have the courage to tell them how much she liked Miguel. She was just beginning to admit it to herself. But soon. Soon she’d tell them, but not yet. She wanted to be more sure of how she felt. And of how he felt.

“What do you mean we’re not going to get anywhere?”’ Elise demanded.

“Oh, I don’t know. Gil seem so, so … impervious.”’ “Don’t be ridiculous. Everyone is pervious.”

“Pervious? Can you say pervious?” Annie wondered.

“I just did,” Elise snapped. “It means accessible, vulnerable.”’ “Oh, you know what Annie means,” Brenda said. ‘Aaron and the pervert headshrinker, they have their careers, their reputations, and each other. They look fine, we’re the losers. And Morty, the fat slob, gets millions of bucks and a blonde from Savannah, or wherever the hell she was spawned, and now he’s hanging out with the beautiful people, and he’s in the prime of his life, while I’m fat, over forty, and finished.

”And whose fault is that?” Elise asked, exasperated. “Your only exercise appears to be lifting the fork.”

”Don’t throw rocks at me, keep them floating in your drink,” Brenda said sweetly. “I eat too much, you drink too much, Annie worries too much. What’s the diff?”

Annie stared at the two of them. In a moment they’d gone from friends to adversaries. They looked like two cats with their backhairs up.

But very different cats, Elise was an elongated, elegant Siamese purebred, Brenda a roly-poly tabby with claws. Would they tear into each other? Would the holiday be spoiled?

And then, Elise smiled grimly. “I guess you’re right.”

Brenda smiled back. ‘I’ve got a stash up in my room. Do you?”

The smile left Elise’s face, but Brenda continued, “I tell you what.

I’ll trade you my six Milky Ways for your bottle of Stoli.”

Elise hesitated, for a moment looking like a cornered cat. Then, taking the challenge, she raised her eyebrows. “What else have you got?”

Now it was Brenda’s turn to stop smiling. “Gummi Bears,” she admitted.

She paused, as if fighting some internal battle. “And some peanuts.

But that’s all. I swear it.”

“Oh, certainly. Next you’ll tell me you’ve got a bridge you want sell to me.

Well, I’ll go get yours if you’ll get mine. Is it a deal?”’ “From now on, no drinks for you before dinner,” Brenda warned. “And no wines.”’ “You’re the one who whines,” Elise batted back. “And no dessert for you after meals.”

Annie had to hide her smile. Maybe Brenda had bitten off more than even she could chew. And for once Annie wasn’t being the nag.

“You’re on,” Brenda sighed, and trudged up the stairs to the guest bedroom, while Elise went into the study and pawed through Brenda’s bags. Annie sat, astonished and delighted as each triumphantly returned, Brenda waving the bottle of vodka over her head, while Elise dumped sweets on the coffee table.

In addition to the candy bars, nuts, and Gummi Bears, she had found a big bag of Raisinets. She added it to the pile of contraband with a flourish.

“You neglected, somehow, to mention these.” She smiled.

Brenda glared at her. “Silly me. So forgetful. So we’re off the stuff for the duration? Cold-turkey time? We clean up our acts?”’

“I will if you will. No more booze until these husbands pay the price.”

“It’s a deal.”

“Okay, so back to business,” Elise said, pulling out her Hermes notepad and a gold Montblanc pen. “We start on Mitsui and the SEC with Gil, and we’ve sicced the IRS on Mort.” She looked up at Annie. “Now, what about Aaron?”

Annie shrugged. “What about him? I don’t know.”

“We have to get him for this trust busting. We have to, Annie.”

“So long as it doesn’t hurt the children.”

“Well, where’s his soft white underbelly?”

“Not the shrink, that’s for sure,” Brenda said. “I saw her picture in Vanity Fair and she’s scary looking. Harder than diamonds.”

Annie smiled. “I can’t think of what he would miss. He’s not involved much with Sylvie, and I would never involve the boys. He’s never been promiscuous, he has no bad habits—” “Except for betraying his wife.”

“And squandering his daughter’s fortune.”

“Yes, well, except for that.”

“What were his goals?” Elise asked. “What was really important to him?”

“The boys, of course, especially Alex, but they’re off-limits. That and his work, I suppose.”

“What about his work?” Elise asked, beginning to take notes.

“Well, I think the agency is the most important thing to Aaron. And I know he’s been planning to buy out his partner, Jerry, for a long time.

But now, he doesn’t have the money. First, the divorce cost him, and then …” She stopped. “We can’t hurt Aaron’s livelihood. Sylvie will need the money. But I’m so angry, I’d like to kill him.”

Elise thought for a moment. “Well, it couldn’t hurt if Aaron’s parner got some new accounts, would it? Make it harder for Aaron to buy him out. Why don’t you call Jerry and see? Meanwhile, I could ask Uncle Bob to find out if any of the companies he’s involved in want a new agency. We move them in through the partner. At the least, Aaron makes some money for Sylvie. And if it gives his partner some leverage over Aaron, so much the better.”

Annie wiped her eyes and nodded. “Jerry could use a break right now.

Elise, you’re brilliant. Thank you.”

Elise smiled. Perhaps, just this once, for a retarded girl’s tuition, she could make an exception to Mother’s rule. She could do that for Annie. She’d figure out a way to make Annie take the money. She turned to Brenda. “So?

Anything else?”

“For Morty, it’s money. It’s always been money. Of course, since he’s welshed on his deal with me, Diana is dying to sue him. She says she’ll do it on contingency. She’s furious.”

“Suing him isn’t enough,” sniffed Elise. “How strong was the package we sent to the IRS? What did Klendenning say?”

“It looked good to me.”’ Brenda shrugged, “Your attorney promised that I’d have immunity, and that I won’t be responsible for the fines, if there are any.”’ ”Not if you’ll testify and help them make the case.”

“Brenda Cushman, girl stoolie.”

“Better than Brenda Cushman, girl patsy.”

“I never would have turned him in if he hadn’t welshed. His lawyer, Leo, told Diana that he’d had some reverses. The stock had gone down.”

She stopped, thinking hard.

“Annie, do you think that Aaron’s tip might have come from Morty?” she asked slowly.

Annie stared at her. “I don’t know. It’s possible.” She reflected for a moment. “Aaron’s never done anything like it before. He’s very conservative.

He isn’t interested in the market.”

”That might be something to look into,” Elise said, briefly taking more notes. ‘What stock did he buy?”

Annie’s mouth opened, her face reddened. Of course! “It was Morty the Madman,” Annie admitted, feeling as dumb as she ever had in her life.

“Eureka!” Elise shrieked. She and Brenda began to hoot.

”Why didn’t you tell us that?” Brenda screamed.

“Because I’m stupid,” Annie said. “Should I tell Miguel De Los Santos about this?”

”Only if you want to see how Aaron looks in stripes.”

“Insider trading!” Elise chortled.

“But I don’t want to see him in prison!” Annie cried.

“Look, I think we could get them all on that stuff,” Brenda said earnestly.

‘I mean, the stock was completely inflated. I used to know that operation, and it was totally fly-by-night. Couldn’t we bring them all down with it? Griffin underwrote it, Bill did the contracts, Aaron bought stock—” “Please! I have to think of Sylvie. I can’t get Aaron into that kind of trouble,” Annie cried.

”And Bill would never do anything he could get caught at,” Elise said.

‘He’s the original Philadelphia lawyer.” She pursed her mouth. “No, each man gets the punishment reserved for him. What did they say in The Mikado? The punishment fits the crime.”

” “Come on, Elise. Each one of us says our husband is the hardest to get. Don’t hold out. I’ll go for it if you will. There’s got to be a way,” Annie said.

“Well, I do hear from my uncle that there’s trouble on the Phoebe front.”

“Maybe that could be exploited,” Brenda suggested cheerfully. “Though I think she’s a time bomb that will self-destruct anyway.”

“Well, where else is Bill pervious?” Annie asked.

“I’m not sure. Of course he’s most vulnerable around the woman thing.

Show him he’s a bad lay and ruin him for life.”

“Well, is he?”’ Brenda asked, hopeful.

Elise looked back at her, as if considering whether or not to respond.

Then she sighed. “Unfortunately, no.” She giggled. “Although it’s been a long time.”

“Well, maybe we can break up his marriage plans completely. Then he’d be broke,” Annie suggested.

“Not exactly. He’s collected some antiques over the years that are now worth quite a bit. And he does make something at his job.”

“Oh, he’d just charm some other rich woman,” Brenda said. Then she stopped.

She didn’t want to hurt Elise.

“That’s all right, Brenda.” Elise shrugged. “You’re right. But I’m sure there must be something.”

Then Brenda stood up. “That reminds me. Guess what gift I have for you?”’ From under a seat cushion she pulled out a file folder. “What would you give me for all of Billy-boy’s client billing records and expense reports? Angie got one of the girls from the typing pool at his law firm to get copies of them last week. I don’t know what’s in em, but maybe something.”