Crown Jewel (9 page)

“Good thinking! The only problem is, we don't have a Suggestion Box. And, this is an island, too. I'll work on it,” Max said. “There's always FedEx. For some reason people pay attention when they get overnight mail. Like I said, I'll work on it. You know, Bro, I get spooked every time I look at you. It's like looking in a damn mirror, except, I'm better-looking.”

Ricky watched as Tyler threw his arm around his brother's shoulder. He felt a lump the size of a lemon settle in his throat. Some good had come of this after all. It didn't matter that he wasn't the recipient of his sons' affection.

“Do you happen to know if either one of them is seeing anyone seriously?”

“They date, but no, nothing serious. They put in some long, hard days, Ricky. There isn't a whole lot of time left over for serious relationships. Donna is smitten with both of them, that's for sure. I think Tyler might have the edge. They might look like you, but they aren't following in your footsteps. That's probably a good thing,” Roxy said, a little sharply.

“Damn right that's a good thing.”

 

To Ricky, Roxy looked as cool and refreshing as a Popsicle in her lime green sundress and matching sandals. With her tan she didn't need makeup. Lipstick, some perfume, and he was seeing the result. He wondered what she thought of how he looked.

“I like a lady who's on time. Hop in. I brushed out the sand earlier. Sorry there aren't any limos around. Your hair is going to get messed up unless I drive slowly. You okay with that?”

“Well, sure, Ricky. We aren't going to a five-star restaurant, are we?”

“I don't think there's one within a thousand miles. Take your pick, Longhorns or Papa Lupini's.”

“Beef or pasta. Let's do the pasta. We're at that age where we have to eat sensibly. I had meat yesterday. I try to eat it only once a week.”

“I didn't know that,” Ricky said, his eyes on the stop-and-go traffic. “You know what I hate about this damn island? There's only one road in and one road out.” He was referring to Hilton Head, where they both had rented condos. “What kind of vacation is it when you sit in traffic wherever you go?”

“It's the golf. People will put up with anything to play on a good course. Speaking personally, this would get real old, real quick for me. Are you sure this is a good idea, Ricky?”

“The Italian restaurant part or the fact that we're on a bona fide date?”

Roxy worked at the stray hairs escaping the bun in her hair as traffic started to move. “The date part. You hated my guts and I hated yours and here we are working side by side for six months and now suddenly, we're out on a date. Why?”

“Why not? You have to eat, I have to eat. Why can't we do it together? People usually go out to dinner on a date. That hate thing…I never hated you. I guess I never really understood what it was all about. Of course most of the time back then I was either stoned or drunk. It seems like a lifetime ago. This might also be a good time to ask you why you told Philly I was stalking you. I wasn't, Roxy. In my mind, I was chasing you the way a guy chases a girl. I liked you and wanted to go out with you. That's how I remember it. Are you sure you want to talk about this, Roxy?”

Roxy fiddled with the gold chain around her neck. She looked like she was a million miles away. Her voice was low, almost hushed when she replied. “That wasn't how I saw it back then. I really thought you were stalking me. No matter where I went, you were there. I changed my phone number three times, and you still managed to get it and call me. You would show up everywhere I went. You started to scare me. I really did believe you were stalking me. Two different perspectives here. The sad part is, Philly believed me and not you.” Roxy sighed.

“I try to bury stuff I don't want to talk or deal with, hoping it will go away. Of course it doesn't. It just hangs out there until one day you
pop.
You're worried about the book and the movie, aren't you? They're going to drag everything out. Past, present, Philly, me, your parents, the boys' parents, Reba. God, I hate that sniveling little weasel Dicky Tee. I just hate it when someone makes money off someone else's misery in the guise of entertainment.”

“I feel the same way. I'm going back to L.A. next week, Roxy. You can hold the fort, can't you?”

“Of course I can hold the fort. Are you going because of the book and movie, or are you going for…other reasons?”

“The whole ball of wax. I have to resolve this thing with Philly in my own mind. It haunts me. I need to understand what drove my brother, what secrets he was hiding, and he was hiding something. His strange marriage to you, his whole attitude concerning me. Did he really hate me or did he care about me? What did he do besides invest my money? Nothing seems to compute. For my own peace of mind, I need to know. Where's his stuff, Roxy? I need to see his stuff. Why are you so reluctant for me to see his things?”

“What stuff are you talking about? Do you mean his clothes and personal belongings?”

“No, his stuff. Did he keep his books, his records at home? I'm talking about all his/my business records. Where did he keep them? Is it possible he kept an office somewhere we don't know about? I want to find those things. I want to be able to
see
my brother's life. In some respects now, he's someone who passed through my life that I never got to really know. I want to
know
my brother. It's that simple.”

“Ricky, about fifteen years ago Philip told me his quarters were off-limits to me. I didn't know it at the time, but that's when he must have found out I changed the beneficiary on the insurance policies. The first I heard of it was at the reading of the will. I swear to you, Ricky, I never knew he knew what I had done. Philly had his lawyer, Andreadis, send me a letter at the time, do you believe that, telling me not even to think about entering that room. The really weird thing is I wasn't the least bit curious and I don't know why. I think I started to get a little scared of Philly right around that time. I had all kinds of nightmares about what might be hidden in that room. I never even gave a thought to the fact that he had found out about the insurance policies. He had a Medeco lock put on his office door, and he had the only key. He not only changed the lock, he changed the damn door. It's solid teak. At one time Philip had a bunch of different safe-deposit boxes. I don't know where the keys are, and my name wasn't on them.

“Philly didn't trust anyone. He had good reason not to trust me, but I don't think he trusted even his lawyer. He was very secretive, Ricky. I'm not telling you something you don't already know. I can give you the key to the house, and you can do whatever you want. The will's been through probate, so I guess you can break down the door to his office if you want. He also had a post office box. Don't ask me why.”

“Why did you do it, Roxy? Why did you change the name of the beneficiary on those insurance policies?”

“Why? Because even though he provided for me and Reba, I was afraid that it was all going to end when he died. I didn't expect him to die so young. I used to have nightmares of being old and penniless, even a bag lady. I think that's every woman's secret nightmare. It was a stupid thing I did, and I deserved to get caught. Everything I did in regard to your brother was stupid. But he cheated me, too. I didn't know about his…
problem
. Philly wasn't interested in sex. As far as I know there wasn't a thing in this world that could turn your brother on. I learned that the first week of our marriage. Finally, I just accepted it. If you ever find out all the things you want to know about your brother, I'd like to know what his problem was. Things like that take a psychological toll on a gal.

“Ricky, if all this comes out in that exposé book, it could hurt Reba. She's going to be an excellent surgeon, and medical schools and hospitals care about people's reputations. That weasel, Dicky Tee, can spin and spin, and we won't recognize the story in the end. You have to consider your sons and their families, too. It will turn into a circus.”

“Philly was an expert at covering up and paying off. My thinking at the moment is, take the bull by the horns and beat them to the punch.”

“Ricky, are you sure you want to do that? That slimeball, Dicky Tee, has a penchant for writing libelous articles and taking the hit later. People read his garbage and believe it. Be sure before you do something you might regret. Ricky, turn off here,” Roxy said, pointing to the restaurant. “Not many people here tonight. Maybe we won't have to stand in line.”

“If not, it's going to be a first. Maybe all the Memorial Day visitors are gone. The new batch of tourists hasn't arrived yet. Wait till school lets out.”

Roxy groaned as she stepped out of the Jeep.

It was a small family restaurant with red-checkered tablecloths and comfortable seating. The floor was black-and-white tile and as spotless as the aprons on the waiters and waitresses. Tantalizing aromas filled the room. Somewhere in the back, probably in the kitchen, Frank Sinatra was warbling.

A young girl, probably a granddaughter of the owners, placed menus and a basket of crunchy bread on the table. She had plump cheeks, sparkling eyes, and a ready smile. No alcohol was served on the premises. Sweet tea, lemonade, and cold soda were the choices.

“Sweet tea,” Roxy said.

“Make that two,” Ricky said.

Roxy tore a chunk off the loaf of bread from the basket and spread a thin layer of butter on it. “You should have taken care of everything before you came here, Ricky. Why didn't you?”

“I wasn't ready. I'm not ready now, either, but I know I have to do it before that slimeball writes his book. If you take away his gusto, what does he have left? Not much. It will all be old hat by the time he gets his book out. I suppose I could be wrong. I'm just doing what I think Philly
wouldn't
do.”

Roxy looked at her dinner companion over the rim of her glass. “That's your first mistake. You aren't Philly. Do what Ricky would do. If you make a mistake, it will be your mistake, not Philly's. Do you understand what I'm saying here?”

“Yes, I do understand, and I also understand that you still hate him. In addition, you weren't listening. I said what Philly
wouldn't
do, not what he
would
do.”

Roxy looked everywhere but at Ricky. Her voice was almost a whisper when she said, “Okay, I stand corrected. There was a time back there in the beginning when I thought I loved him. When I found out…it was just to be a business marriage, I asked for a divorce. He said no. He meant no, too. He made me nervous. I had Reba to think about. I was young, and makeup artists don't make all that much money. I stayed. It was a mistake, but it was my choice. Like I said, I was stupid. You'd better be prepared for whatever it is you
think
you might find if you dig beneath the surface of your brother's life. Let's not talk about this anymore.”

“Okay. What do you want to talk about? I'm sick of talking about fabrics, tile, grass seed, and face-lifts. When was the last time you had sex?”

Roxy choked on a mouthful of lettuce. When she finally managed to clear her throat, she said, “I don't think that's any of your business.”

“Your face is pink. If you tell me, I'll tell you.”

“You obviously have me confused with someone you think cares about when you had sex last. I don't care. It's none of my business. My sex life is none of your business either.” She chomped down on a slice of cucumber, her face still pink.

“You're rattled. I finally got a rise out of you. I'll be damned,” Ricky gloated.

Roxy speared a wedge of tomato with her fork, but she didn't say anything.

“Do you remember how…?”

Roxy leaned across the table. The devil danced in her eyes. “Honey, I could make your head explode with bells and whistles. I could single-handedly blow your socks off, one at a time. I could reduce you to a mass of quivering pulp that would require a week for you to recuperate. If I wanted to. What do you have going for you?” she asked sweetly.

His neck grew fiery hot. He didn't trust himself to speak because his tongue felt scorched. He reached for his tea and fished out an ice cube, which he popped into his mouth.

“Well?”

He noticed, to his discomfort, the devil was still dancing in her eyes. She was expecting a stunning answer. He worked his tongue around inside his mouth before he gave it to her. “I can double that!” he said, his voice croaking with emotion. Or was it from fear and trepidation?

Roxy made a clucking sound with her tongue before she spoke. “How do I know you can deliver?” Curiosity was added to the sweetness in her voice.

Ricky almost choked on the ice cube. He had to come up with another scintillating comeback. Maybe it didn't have to be verbal. He wiggled his eyebrows and grinned. He felt weak in the knees.

Their dinners arrived. They ate in silence, each looking up occasionally as they tried to judge if the other was serious.

They left the restaurant at 9:30. They arrived at their respective condos at 10:10.