Madam of Maple Court (5 page)

The other five houses on Maple Court were built in the same vein, large yet not ostentatious. As the families moved in, Pam became nodding acquaintances with the owners and their wives, the CFO of a major clothing manufacturer, the vice president of a brokerage firm, a very high-priced divorce attorney, and the architect who'd done most of the work on the DePalma house. "You see, even he thinks it's a good investment." Eventually the builder even decided to keep one parcel for himself but hadn't built on it yet.

"What do you think this house would sell for?" Pam asked Vin one afternoon after they'd been living on the court for several weeks.

"I've been keeping up with values as the houses were finished, and I'd say these would go for close to one point five mil."

"One and a half million dollars?" Pam blurted out, aghast. She'd long before lost track of what they were spending. Of course it hadn't
cost
anywhere near that, she assured herself. Values were skyrocketing and they were just benefitting from a good investment. "Holy…"

He grinned from ear to ear. "I told you we didn't have to worry about money. Nothing but the best for the DePalmas."

Several weeks after they moved in Vin decided to host a housewarming party. "I'll invite some of my best clients and their wives, too, along with several other potential accounts I've been courting. Maybe fifty or sixty of the best people. They'll all be green with envy and they'll quickly realize how successful I've become. I'd love to rub Haskell's face in it, but I can't think of a way to invite him. Partnership? Who needs it?"

Pam had wanted to invite a few of her friends from the old neighborhood, but when she mentioned that he said, "We'll have a separate party for them. This one will be purely business. DePalma Advertising will pick up a good part of the tab as a business entertainment expense and I'll deduct the rest from our taxes."

While the art director at DePalma created designer invitations, Pam hired a caterer and began the job of getting the house ready for the "grand housewarming." Now she thought of everything about the Maple Court house in quotes. The day before the party, the house swarmed with cleaning people and decorators. Although most of the affair was to be outdoors, Vin had informed her that he would be giving folks the 'nickel tour' so the entire house had to be scrubbed, polished, dusted, and scented from top to bottom. Funny, she thought as she looked at the gaggle of people, they'd just moved in a month ago and already people were able to find things to clean.

The morning of the gathering, florists arrived. Fortunately the weather was fabulous, the day clear and warm as only a few perfect days in May can be in the New York area. All the new bushes and trees had been carefully trimmed, and gardeners had all but clipped each blade of grass with scissors the day before. In addition, bowls and vases of fresh blooms were delivered and placed strategically around both the main floor and the upstairs. Even the bathrooms were festooned with greenery.

As Pam looked around she realized that, were she to plan this gathering, there would be much less of everything.
Less is usually more
, she thought. They could do without the overly fussy floral arrangements and the bowls of hand-selected chocolates and nuts from a New York City chocolatier. To Pam it was ostentatious and screamed "new money," but early on Vin had insisted that he wanted to do it all with the best of everything so she'd demurred as usual.

Then the caterers arrived with truckloads of ingredients. As Pam walked into the spacious kitchen she could barely see the appliances. A chef was directing the assembled multitude with the finesse of an orchestra conductor, while his minions stuffed mushrooms, deveined shrimp, made mayonnaise from scratch, and did a hundred other tasks to create finger food for the hundred guests Vin had invited. Pam shook her head in awe and walked out into the backyard.

That too had been transformed. A dozen small tables with sparkling white tablecloths had been arranged around the patio. There was a small wooden floor for dancing beside a raised platform for the string quartet, which would be replaced late in the afternoon by a three-piece band for dancing. Originally Vin had wanted to have someone barbecuing steaks to order, but the caterer had flatly refused to have that "smoky mess" all over his yard.
His yard
. Pam could only smile. Thank God it was only one afternoon.

When the guests began arriving and the valet parking staff began to shuttle cars to the parking area at the elementary school several blocks away, Pam accepted that it had all been worth it. "This house is amazing."

"I can't get over how lovely the grounds are."

"It must have cost the earth."

"I hadn't realized how well Vin was doing."

"And look at that pool. I gather it's heated, too."

"And it's got a spa, too, with a sauna."

She had bought a new outfit for the occasion, a gauzy silk blouse patterned with swirls of deep blue and turquoise, over full, matching deep blue silk pants. She wore large silver and turquoise earrings and a thick matching bracelet and necklace. She'd had her soft brown hair cut and blow-dried in the city in a sophisticated jaw-length style that curved beneath her chin and accented her oval face. At Vin's insistence she'd even had her makeup done that morning, and she had to admit that the soft mauve shadow and liner made her brown eyes look deeper and slightly exotic.

For hours she worked the room as Vin had suggested. She moved from one group to another, making sure that everyone was entertained. Several times she carried a tray of champagne flutes to be sure that all the guests were feeling relaxed. She fielded compliments on the house and the party with an innate charm that she hadn't realized she had.

The small combo began playing at five-thirty, and several couples made use of the dance floor. At six the guests adjourned to an elaborate buffet and took plates to the tables. By ten that evening the moon had risen and finally everyone had departed.

"That was quite a party," she said to Vin as they dropped onto lounge chairs beside the pool. "I think everything went really well."

"It certainly did, and a few very big people said they'd call me next week. It certainly showed how far I've come."

"Everyone seemed to have a great time." After several minutes Pam huffed out a breath and swung her legs off the chair. "Let me change into jeans," she said to Vin as she looked around at the masses of glasses and plates cluttering every horizontal surface, "and I'll get started cleaning this joint up."

He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her onto the chair beside him. "Forget everything. I arranged with the same folks who cleaned up yesterday. They'll be here first thing tomorrow morning and they'll take care of everything." He kissed her lightly on the top of her head. "You were a wonder, darling," he said, holding her close. "Even Eugene Banner Senior commented on how charming you are and what an asset you are to me. He really meant it. You were fabulous."

She had no idea who Eugene Banner Senior was, but Vin's tone showed that he was impressed, so she was, too. "I didn't do much," Pam said, glowing under his praise. "The people you hired did most of the work."

"You held it all together. Next time you'll be able to direct and organize everything."

"Next time?"

"Several of my clients wondered whether they could use the house for their office summer and Christmas parties and I said we'd think about it. Can't you picture a Christmas party: big tree in the corner, fire in the fireplace, eggnog, the works. I didn't promise anything, and I wouldn't without checking with you, love, but it would mean a lot to me. I'm incredibly complimented that anyone would even suggest it."

"I guess," she said. It would be a lot of work, but if it would advance Vin's career…

"Listen, you take to this like the proverbial duck to water.
You were the most charming hostess I've ever seen and it means a lot to me, and to my future."

She laughed and punched him in the ribs. "You know flattery will get you anywhere with me."

"It might be flattery, but it's also true. Will you do it? For me?" He stroked her face and turned her toward him. "Please?" He kissed her and his hand found her breast.

Pam sighed. Vin was getting deeper and deeper into his image, and appearances were becoming more and more important. Pam often thought that even the vacations they took were planned as much for the cachet they gave him at the office as for the pleasure they would give the two of them.
What the hell
? She kissed him back and slid her fingers through his hair.
What the hell? If this is what he wants, why not
?

Over the next few months, to further enhance his reputation at the office he began to buy hand-tailored suits, monogrammed shirts, and Italian leather shoes. He became a technojunky, getting a PDA before any of his cohorts and one of the fanciest cellular phones made. He was on his way up. Way up. That had been more than two years ago, she thought. And now?

Pam pulled herself back to the present. "Where did the money go, Mark? I really thought we had lots."

"Frankly, Pam, I haven't a clue. I know he lost a few good clients, but I thought he still had some. I must admit that I was a little surprised at the state of his finances."

"It all went into the business? He took almost half a million out of the house last year. Everything's gone?" Pam slumped in her chair. "I'm in shock."

Mark reached across the desk and took Pam's hand. She sensed there was something going on beneath his calm exterior. "I can imagine." He lowered his voice and seemed almost conspiratorial. "Pam, I don't know whether I should say anything to you, and I don't mean to imply anything illegal or immoral, but maybe there are accounts I don't know about. Secret ones."

"You mean that Vin might have been moving money to the Cayman Islands or something?"

He looked uncomfortable. "I don't know what I mean. I'm pretty sure Vin was an honest man." She watched him make a decision. He gazed directly into her eyes. "I've known you and Vin for many years, and it's just that there's not as much money as I thought there should be, either, and I can't imagine where it might have gone. I suspect that he's been either hoarding cash or spending it on something besides the business. I hadn't wanted to bother you, but frankly I'm stumped and you deserve to know what was going on."

"Something beside the business? Like what? Other women? Gambling?"

Mark sat up straight and looked miserable. "Let's not jump to any conclusions. Please." He clasped his hands on the desk. "Let's do this. You take some time and then go through the papers in his desk at home. See whether you can find anything—records, bank statements, credit card bills, anything like that, anything that might give a hint of where some of this money might have gone. I'll give you a complete list of everything I know about and you can compare what you find with that. Maybe there are bank accounts I don't know about. Let's hope so, anyway."

"Why don't you come out to the house and look for yourself?"

"I'd rather you did it. If there turn out to be tax implications I'd rather find out all at once." He didn't say, or not at all.

"What if we find something illegal? Should we go to the police or the IRS?"

"Let's consider that if, and it's a very big if, the time comes. Take your time and call me when you've had a chance to look over his things. Don't hurry. Take a few weeks if you want to."