Truth (82 page)

One afternoon Claire led Courtney out to the
gardens. They settled onto the same bench that Catherine had told
Claire was visibly accessible to the cameras but not audibly.
Claire explained her change of heart to her dear friend. Courtney
told Claire about Brent’s research. Derek Burke was related to
Jonathon Burke, but not directly. And Brent couldn’t find anything
remotely negative regarding him or his wife. The news fortified
Claire. With all of her heart she wanted to believe Tony’s vendetta
was done.

The two women embraced. Courtney promised to
always be there for Claire, if Claire promised to be honest. With
tears in her eyes, Claire said, “I refuse to be anything else, and
Tony knows that.”

Courtney smiled and hugged her again. “If
this is really what you want, I’m happy for you. I want you to be
happy.”

“
I’m not sure about
forever, but right now, Tony is what I want.”

Courtney smiled, “You know I love
babies?”

“
Good, I think ours is in
need of an aunt. Emily isn’t very happy with me.”

Tony hired a bodyguard, Clay, an ex-secret
service agent. As long as Claire stayed on the estate, he stayed
behind the scenes. However, if she and Tony left the grounds, he
rode shotgun with Eric. If Claire left by herself, he drove. If
Tony chose to drive somewhere with Claire, Clay followed closely
behind. He was much more intrusive than Phil had ever been. She
almost asked for Phil; at least he’d be familiar. Sometimes Claire
wondered what happened to him.

Claire never moved back to the second floor
suite. The first night she arrived at the estate, she stayed in
Tony’s room. After that, all of her new and old things were moved
there. The technology which once barred her from his suite was no
longer an issue. Besides, once their baby was born, neither one
wanted to maintain separate rooms. The underutilized room beside
Tony’s suite was in the midst of renovation. It would be a lovely
nursery, accessible from their suite and the corridor.

By early August, Claire’s
baby bump was visible, especially when wearing a bathing suit.
Although it made her self-conscious, Tony complimented her changing
anatomy. Her midsection wasn’t the only part of her growing. Her
new doctor in Iowa City maintained everything was progressing well.
Somehow they’d managed to keep the pregnancy from the press. This
was amazing since the media seemed to know almost everything else
including Claire’s change of address. Thankfully, nothing was ever
printed about the threatening packages she’d received. The
name
Rawls
never
appeared in print or on the internet.

Living within their secure bubble, Claire
began to relax and enjoy her life again. She would spend days
sunbathing at the pool or hiking to her lake and listening to the
waves lap the shore. When she closed her eyes, the sound of the
water upon the pebbles continued to remind her of the sound of
their baby’s heartbeat at that first ultrasound. As their little
one grew, the heart rate increased. It was too early to learn the
baby’s sex, but the doctor said the faster the heart rate the
better the chance of a girl. When he said that, Tony squeezed
Claire’s hand and whispered, “I bet she has your eyes, too.”

Claire smiled and shook her head. It never
ceased to amaze her how Tony managed to get his way.

Memories of Patrick Chester’s attack kept
Claire content within the safety of Tony’s estate. Catherine’s
presence helped Claire fight the feeling of isolation. Catherine’s
ongoing support was therapeutic as their relationship moved beyond
anything it had ever been. Nonetheless, when Claire asked,
Catherine wouldn’t reveal any more about Tony’s past. Claire
believed Catherine wanted she and Tony back together. She’d
achieved her goal.

On a warm and breezy day
in late August, Claire’s bubble burst. She might never have
realized it, if she hadn’t decided to come in early from the pool.
From the sunporch she heard loud voices coming from Tony’s office.
Claire quietly walked down the marble corridor to investigate. She
heard Tony, but she couldn’t tell who he was talking to --
yelling at
would be a
more accurate description.

Nearing the closed grand doors, Claire
recognized the significant change in their relationship. Never in
the past would she have willingly walked toward his voice holding
the threatening brash tones she currently heard. Most significantly
she no longer feared opening the doors and learning the reason for
his tirade.

Not wanting to interrupt, she gently opened
the door and slid inside the office. Immediately she realized she
was standing in a bathing suit, flip flops, and a cover-up while
Tony wore a suit. Obviously, he’d come straight from the office.
His eyes flickered toward her. She saw the darkness she’d heard in
his voice. The office was full. Facing Tony, she recognized the
backs of Eric, Catherine, and Clay. When she entered, Clay was
speaking. She heard the end of his statement, “...no, sir. We’ve
intercepted the others. This is the first one to make it onto the
estate.”

Claire panned the room. Sitting on Tony’s
desk was an open package. She wanted to know what was in the
package and, most importantly, if it were addressed to her. Tony’s
eyes were now solely on her and soon everyone turned her
direction.

“
You are all very loud. Is
this about me?” Claire asked.

“
Claire, please don’t
worry about this. I’m taking care of it.” Tony’s voice strained in
an attempt to modulate his tone from the one he’d been using on
everyone else.

She stepped toward him. His eyes went to
Catherine, “Catherine, if you could please help Ms. Claire, she may
need some assistance.”

Claire stopped. Yes, there
were others in the room, but if this were about her and her baby,
she had the right to know. “Clay, what
others
have you
intercepted?”

“
Ma’am, nothing that
concerns you.”

“
I don’t believe
you.”

Catherine approached Claire with her arm
out, “Claire, let’s get you something to drink. It is very hot
outside.” Claire heard Catherine’s voice from the hall; she’d been
loud too. Something was happening.

“
I am not
leaving.”

“
Claire.” The finality in
Tony’s tone, the way he said her name, the one syllable, could
easily be translated:
Not now Claire. I’m
handling this. Leave now.

Claire shot Catherine
a
do not touch me
look and walked to the other side of the desk. She didn’t
intend to make a scene in front of everyone, but she wasn’t leaving
without answers. Standing beside Tony she said, “Catherine, Eric,
and Clay, could you please excuse us for a minute. Mr. Rawlings and
I need to speak privately. I would assume he’s not done with you,
so please stay close. This won’t take long.”

Everyone in the room
turned to Tony. The tension was palpable. Finally, Tony clenched
his teeth and proclaimed, “Do not go far. I’m
not
done. Clay make some calls.
After Ms. Claire and I have finished, I want answers.”

Everyone hurried from Tony’s office as
Claire turned toward her ex-husband. She’d seen the intensity of
his eyes before. However, she knew the blackness was meant for
someone else. She wanted to know who. “What’s happening?”

“
How did you hear? You
were at the pool.”

“
How could I not hear?
Everyone in a three mile radius could hear you. Tell me, what’s so
important to bring you home early from work? The sooner I know, the
sooner you can continue your
meeting
.”

“
Damn it, Claire. I don’t
want you worrying.” He paced to the window and back. “Besides, who
in their right mind would come in here while I’m teetering on the
edge of sanity? Did you see how fast they all left?”

Claire smiled as she
placed her hands on lapels of his dark suit. “No one. Just ask my
family, I’m definitely not in my right mind. And if I’m correct,
the only thing that can get you this worked up is something about
me.” She turned and picked up the package. It was addressed
to
Claire Nichols Rawls
with the estate’s street address. “So, I don’t
get to open my own mail anymore?”

“
Seriously, some asshole
found you here, knows our address, and you want to complain about
opening mail?”

She turned and faced him. With her spine
straight and chin up she kept her voice calm, “No, it scares the
hell out of me, but anyone can learn this address; it’s public
record. The stupid press has told anyone who wants to listen that
I’m living here.” She lifted the box, “What was in it? And how many
packages or letters have come that I don’t know about?”

“
It was a silver baby
rattle, engraved.”

“
Where is it?”

“
Clay bagged it. He’s
having it processed for finger prints. Hopefully the asshole
touched it.”

“
Engraved...what did it
say?”

He seized her shoulders and pulled her
close. “Claire, let me handle this. Show me you have faith in
me.”

Her face tilted upward, “I wouldn’t be here
if I didn’t.” She kissed him. “What did it say?”

“
Baby
Nichols-Rawls.”

“
That isn’t so bad,
considering the way it was addressed. Why didn’t you want me to
know that?”

He directed her to his large leather chair.
She obediently bent her knees, and he said, “That wasn’t all. Under
the name it read: R.I.P.”

She couldn’t hide the shock or fear suddenly
flowing through her. Protectively her hand covered her midsection
as her body began to tremble. “Oh my god, Tony...”

He knelt before her, his voice now soft, “I
told you once before, too much information isn’t good for you. Will
you please learn to trust me and enjoy the bliss I’m trying so hard
to provide?”

“
But... that has to be
considered a threat. Can’t you take it to the police?”

“
We are. But what will
they do that we aren’t already doing?”

When his arms encircled her, she lost her
fight with tears and took comfort in his lingering embrace. When a
semblance of calm prevailed, she said, “I’m going to lie down. Will
you please come to our room when you’re done with the others? Or
are you going back to work?”

“
No, I’m staying here.
I’ll be there as soon as we’re done.”

Later he explained the new
cards and packages began arriving to the estate mid-July. The first
was a congratulations card about a baby. Sometimes they were
flowers, sometimes presents. The notes were always addressed
to
Claire Nichols Rawls
and the sources of origin would range from the
west to east coast. Even the font changed on the cards. The benign
contents made it difficult to involve the authorities, but the
recent change in text now had the police’s attention.

During the first week of September, Tony
needed to take a ten day trip to Europe. He asked Claire to join
him again and again. Her growing anxiety caused by the spontaneous
deliveries made Claire question every decision. She didn’t know if
it was safer to stay within the gates without Tony or to be with
him overseas. She chose the familiarity of the estate.

The first attempt to unlawfully enter the
estate occurred three days after Tony left. Though initially
concealed from Claire, when she finally learned the details, she
learned Clay thwarted the failed attempt. No perpetrator was
caught, but, thankfully, a possible threat was adverted, and a
previously unknown kink in their security was identified.

The next incident occurred
as Clay drove Claire back to the estate one warm afternoon. Keeping
her gaze toward the tinted window, the changing leaves of the vast
countryside went unnoticed as Claire’s mind reviewed her busy day.
They’d traveled early to Iowa City where Clay escorted her to her
doctor’s appointment. She thought wistfully about the doctor’s
words. If she and Tony chose, with the assistance of an ultrasound
at her next appointment, they could learn the gender of their baby.
Claire smiled wondering if they wanted to know. Yes, they
occasionally joked about their green-eyed daughter, but did she
want to know? One thing was for sure, if the answer was
yes
, she didn’t want to
attend that appointment without him.

As often happened, especially with the
increased flutterings she felt, Claire realized her hand was
protectively shielding her growing baby. She thought about the
maternity clothes she’d purchased before meeting Courtney for a
delicious lunch. The press would be all over that, but hiding her
pregnancy was becoming impossible. Without even considering a
desire to drive, Claire’s eyes closed to her favorite pregnancy
side-effect: her afternoon nap.

Feeling the change in acceleration, Claire
was jarred awake. By the time she focused, she saw the car to their
left. Like the car in which she rode, the windows were too dark to
see through. Clay held fast as the other car bumped and pushed
against the side panels of Tony’s prized Mercedes. If the roads had
been wet or snowy, the outcome may have been different. Thankfully,
the roads were clear. By the time Clay pulled over, the other car
disappeared over a hill and Claire’s breathing was shallow and her
heart rate accelerated. The other car didn’t have a license
plate.