“That’s a silly question,” Sue said. “Of course, I’d help.”
“There you go.” Vivien took the black dress off the hanger and tossed it at Sue. “So you do get it. We’re friends. That’s what friends do.”
Sue sighed and pulled the dress off her head. She couldn’t argue with Vivien’s logic. Vivien turned her back so Sue could get dressed.
Sue stood by the bed and dropped the towel. “Julia mentioned a demon crossing over with Lorna’s husband. Is that what happened?”
“It was our first séance. We made a mistake. Don’t worry, we vanquished it,” Vivien answered.
Sue slipped the dress over her head. “And the fire?”
“Heather’s son wanted her to move on. He was ten when he died. Let’s just say he and Jan, in all their ten-year-old wisdom, decided if they burned down the house, then Heather would have to literally move on.”
“That’s so sad,” Sue said. “I feel that pain in her when we touch.”
“Things like that can never completely heal,” Vivien said. “It’s a part of her now. She’s doing better, though, now that she had a chance to say goodbye to him.”
“And you? Your first husband tried to drown you in the ocean?”
Vivien glanced over her shoulder. Seeing Sue had the dress on, she twirled her finger to indicate Sue should turn around. When she did, Vivien reached for the zipper.
“Not on purpose. Sam was trying to lead me to a bottle that he had buried in the sand. The most direct route was through the water to the beach across the way from my old house.” Vivien zipped the dress and turned Sue by her shoulders. She gave an approving nod. “I knew that dress would look great on you, better than it looks on me. You should keep it.”
Sue moved toward the bathroom to look in a mirror. The gown hugged her body with the skirt flaring around her hips to create a nice flow when she walked. The neckline plunged between her breasts, teasing without revealing too much.
“It’s beautiful, thank you,” Sue said.
“You make the dress.” Vivien went back to the clothing bags she’d brought in. “I have some shoes for you to try in here somewhere.”
Sue’s phone started to vibrate on the counter. Vivien went to check it for her. “Kathy.”
“Hank’s mother. Don’t answer,” Sue said.
Vivien silenced the call. She began snooping through Sue’s phone. “This woman has called you thirty-six times, left twenty-three voice mails, and,” Vivien pushed at the screen, “she’s been rage messaging.”
“I know. I’ll call her later.”
“You don’t have to,” Vivien said. She held up the phone to show the text message screen was open. “Do you mind?”
Sue shook her head in denial. She didn’t care if Vivien read them. At this point, the woman knew all her secrets.
“Call me, call me, call me,” Vivien read quickly in a bored voice. “You’re being selfish. Pick up the phone. Have you found the cufflinks? How can you treat me like this? Hank would be appalled. How can you embarrass me like this? Don’t you dare sell Hank’s cufflinks. I want them. He’s my boy. You’re useless. You didn’t deserve my saint of a son.”
“She’s a piece of work,” Sue said, not wanting to hear more.
Vivien lowered the phone. “Can I call her?”
Sue laughed. “Why would you want to do that?”
“I’m calling her.” Vivien hit the callback button and held the phone to her ear.
Sue rushed to her side and leaned in to listen. Vivien put it on speakerphone as it rang.
“Where the hell have you been, Susan?” Kathy didn’t bother to say hello as she launched into an angry tirade. “Do you know how humiliated I was when you didn’t come to Hank’s dinner honoring him for his great service to this community?”
“I hear a lot of me and I statements in there, Kathy,” Vivien said.
“What?” Kathy asked in confusion. “Who is this?”
“You can call me Mrs. Stone,” Vivien stated. “I’m a friend of Sue’s. I want you to listen to me very, very carefully, Kathy.”
“Wha—?” Kathy tried to protest.
“Shh,” Vivien cut her off. “Now, Kathy, I think we both know that your son was not the perfect angel you claim he was. You raised a murderous, wife-beating asshole who got what he deserved when he hit Sue with a hammer and tried to dump her body.”
Kathy gasped.
“I am sensitive to the fact that he’s your son, and you love him, but Sue doesn’t. She spent years taking his abuse while you turned a blind eye. She doesn’t want to talk about him. If the fact she has not picked up the phone when you call hasn’t clued you in, let me enlighten you. She doesn’t want to hear from you at all. I’m going to need you to stop calling and texting this number. Don’t go over to the house. Don’t expect Sue at any dinner parties. She will not be over for the holidays. If I so much as hear you breathe Sue’s name, I will hire a ghostwriter, and we’ll publish a tell-all about every dirty little thing your son did, and I won’t change names to protect anyone. I’ll hand a copy to every last person in St. Louis. Do we have an understanding, Kathy? Leave Sue alone, and I’ll leave this story alone. I’m sorry for your loss.”
Sue stared at Vivien in wonder. Her mouth fell open.
“Oh, and I flushed the cufflinks down the toilet. Sorry.” Vivien hung up the phone and set it on the counter.
Sue stared in amazement. “I can’t believe you said that to her.”
“I doubt you’ll hear from her again,” Vivien went back to looking for the shoes.
“She can have the cuff links. I don’t want them. I don’t want anything that belonged to him.”
“She doesn’t deserve the cuff links. I say sell everything and use the seed money to get the life you deserve. Turn it into something positive,” Vivien said. “When I heard her speaking to you like that, I suddenly just knew her greatest fear. She didn’t want anything tarnishing that perfect image she’s tried so hard to cultivate. Even if she doesn’t admit the truth to herself, a part of her knows who her son was. She won’t want that information out there.”
Sue felt like a giant weight lifted off her chest. “I thought I’d have to change my name and number to get her to stop.”
Vivien produced a pair of red heels. “Put these on.”
Sue pulled the shoes on and rocked them back and forth. “They’re a little snug.”
“Slip your feet out of them and stretch your toes when you’re sitting at the table,” Vivien said. “Trust me. You look hot in them. He won’t be able to resist you.”
Sue laughed. “They’re a little high. I’m not used to heels like these.”
“Practice walking in them,” Vivien said, draping the discarded dresses over her arm. “Show Lorna the dress. Her matinee crowd should be gone by now. I’ll put some of these clothes away so they don’t wrinkle, and then we’ll do your hair and makeup.”
Sue carefully walked across the apartment and down the steps. The lights were dim in the lobby, and the theater was quiet. When they arrived, people had been inside watching an old black and white movie.