My heart is pounding. I’m euphoric. “She’ll rise to the occasion, the same way she did at the video shoot. She’s ready for this, Reed. I promise. It’s what Alessandra’s always wanted.”
Reed nods, apparently reaching some sort of decision. “All right, then. I’ll get the machine fired up for a full album. The minute we get back from our trip, I’ll pull my team together and get everything scheduled. We’ll want to capitalize on the success of the first single. Keep momentum going.”
Squealing, I pepper Reed’s handsome face with kisses, and thank him profusely.
“There’s no need to thank me,” he says, laughing. “This time I’m telling the truth. Alessandra is going to make me a mint.”
Swooning, I check the time on my phone. “We’ll need to call her in a couple hours. She’s still on her flight back to Boston.”
“This is so exciting,” Eleanor says. She leaps up and grabs my hand. “Come with me, Georgie! I’m going to introduce you to all my friends and tell them you’ve agreed with me you belong on TV one day—and, also, that your cute little stepsister is about to become a star!”
***
In a pleasant, sunlit game room, filled with people playing Scrabble and dominoes and cards, Reed and I are making the rounds, making pleasant small talk with Eleanor’s friends and nurses, when a newscaster on a TV in the corner reports something startling: “Breaking news. Howard Devlin, the billionaire studio head and movie producer, has just been arrested by LAPD for rape and various other sex crimes.” My jaw hanging open, I snap my head toward the TV in the corner, just in time to see Howard Devlin, in handcuffs, being shoved like a common criminal into a cop car that’s parked in front of his sprawling mansion.
I turn to Reed to find him looking as shocked as I feel. We quickly excuse ourselves from the game room and barrel into the hallway. First off, Reed immediately calls Isabel, but gets her voicemail. He calls Leonard, who says he’s heard the news, but knows nothing more than what’s being reported. Finally, Reed calls CeeCee and hits the jackpot. Confidentially, of course, CeeCee tells us Isabel and her posse went to the police station last night, through a back door and in the cover of darkness, and stayed for hours, giving their detailed statements.
“And this morning,” CeeCee says exuberantly, “Isabel’s lawyer called to schedule two interviews with me! An exclusive, one-on-one with Isabel, which we’ll do on network television. I’ve already made arrangements. And a second, more comprehensive interview, which will be published in a special edition of Dig a Little Deeper, along with individual, exclusive interviews of all the other women, too.”
“Holy crap, CeeCee. This is going to be the story of the year. A game-changer.”
“I know. Now, listen, Georgina. I want you to do some brainstorming while you’re in Italy. When you come back, you’re going to need to write an opinion piece for the special edition. Something that draws parallels between Gates and Devlin, from your unique perspective.”
“I’d love to. Yes.”
“I’ll handle both Isabel’s interviews, personally, but I’m going to want you to handle some of the other women’s interviews for me. We’re going to have a short turnaround time on this special edition to make it timely.”
“You got it. Thank you for trusting me.”
“Trusting you? This is all because of you.”
“No, it’s because you had a gut feeling about him. Because you warned me about him. And because, most of all, you’ve shown me what a kickass woman looks like.”
Our excited lovefest continues for a short while longer. But, finally, we end the call and I hand Reed’s phone back to him.
Reed looks at his watch. “We should think about catching our flight soon. If you’re still planning to show my mom that article you wrote for her, I think you should do it now, sweetheart.”
“Okay. Yeah, let’s do it.”
We head back into the game room, where Eleanor is chatting with her favorite nurse, Tina. After Reed tells her why that Howard Devlin news story sent us sprinting into the hallway, we lead Eleanor to a table in a quiet corner of the game room. And that’s where I reach into my purse and tell her I’ve brought her a special surprise.
“Since I last saw you,” I say, my heart thrumming in my chest, “I’ve been researching and writing an article inspired by something you told me.” I hand her the folded pages of my article. “I wrote an article especially for you, Eleanor.”
“For me?”
I nod. “If, for any reason, you don’t want the world to read what’s in your hand, then I promise, I won’t submit it to my boss. The only reason I wrote it is to give you a tiny drop of some much-deserved peace.”
Chapter 38
Georgina
Looking deeply perplexed, Eleanor puts reading glasses on, squints at the first page in her hand, and reads aloud the words printed at the top: “‘A War of Fire: How a Battle Between Rival Mobsters Shattered Innocent Lives.’”
She looks at me blankly.
“It’s about your family,” I say nervously. “About the fire. After you told me about it during our last visit, I decided to poke around to see if I could solve the mystery of how it got started. I wanted to see if I could clear your father’s name. And I did it, Eleanor. I figured out, without a doubt, your father didn’t set that house fire. I’m positive.”
Eleanor looks beyond flabbergasted. She looks at her son, and then at me, before throwing her hands over her face and bursting into wracking sobs.
“Aw, Mom.” Without missing a beat, Reed gets up and takes his weeping mother into his arms. “Wait until you hear what Georgina figured out. You’re gonna be so happy, Mom.”
But Eleanor is inconsolable. Crying so hard, so violently, a nurse comes over to make sure she’s okay. And, of course, I’m mortified to have provoked this horrifying reaction. All I wanted to do, the only thing, was to give this poor, tormented soul, who’s suffered so much in her lifetime, the tiniest measure of peace. But, obviously, my unexpected news has had the exact opposite effect than intended.
Thank goodness for Reed. This ain’t his first time at this particular rodeo, obviously, and he’s smooth as silk with his mother. He holds her tenderly. Strokes her back and whispers to her in a calm, controlled voice. He’s so simultaneously confident and nurturing, in fact, I can’t help thinking as I watch him, “Damn, this man is going to make one hell of a father one day.”
Eventually, Eleanor quiets down and becomes a rag doll in her son’s muscular arms.
“How about Georgina tells you the gist of what she wrote, so you don’t have to read the article itself?” Reed suggests. “She can tell you how she solved the mystery, like she’s telling you a detective story.”
Eleanor nods, rubbing her slack cheek against Reed’s broad shoulder. “I’d like that.”
My stomach somersaults. “Maybe you should tell your mother about the article. I’d hate to say something wrong.”
Eleanor shakes her head. “No, I want you to tell me. You’re the one who solved the mystery. I want to hear it from you.”