The Arrangement [Box Set] (30 page)

And apart from that there was the fact that Walter had been trying to kill her, or at least horribly mutilate her. She wasn’t sure what he was about to do to her but there was no way she could go home and continue living with him. He’d turned into a complete monster.

She knew there was a chance that if she approached Herb and explained everything that had happened, he might let her come back. If she said she’d been running away from Walter because she was afraid of him, but wasn’t trying to get away from the firm, he might be able to accept that. That way she could continue her life at The Oaks. More importantly, she could still get access to her children. Herb kept a close tab on her ability to contact them but he did let her talk to them, so long as she did exactly what he wanted. If she gave Herb her complete obedience she could depend on him giving her access to her children. It would always be on his terms but it would be better than nothing. If she didn’t go back it would be very difficult for her to get to her children at all, of that much she was certain. The Greenwood Academy was like a fortress that held the children for Herb. They knew that it was Herb, and not her, who had the final say regarding those children. Without Herb’s permission they wouldn’t let her anywhere near the girls.

She began to panic. The thought of Herb and Walter keeping her children from her was too much. She found it difficult to breathe and sat on a chair by the table and tried to catch her breath. How would she get out of this situation? How would she ever be able to look after her two young daughters? If she didn’t go back to Herb, what chance was there that she’d be able to play any meaningful role in their lives? She had to be there for them. And the only way she could see that happening was if she went back to Herb and begged for his forgiveness. She sat at the table till her breathing calmed.

She looked around the apartment. She hadn’t noticed how many old things were in there before. There was a record player and a stack of old jazz albums beneath it. The clock by the bed was an antique with a radio built into that was tuned with a wooden knob. The stove in the kitchen used solid fuel and could probably heat the entire apartment in winter. The place was like a retreat from the stress and worry of the world outside. She felt safe and relaxed there for the first time in a very long while.

Of all the things rushing around in April’s head, the only thing that she was certain of was that there was no way her life could go on without her children. She’d allowed them to be taken from her for long enough. That couldn’t continue, whatever else happened to her. She got up from where she was sitting and slowly walked over to the phone. It was a heavy, black, Western Electric model with a rotary dial. She began rotating the dial to the number of Walter’s office. She felt a clot of emotion welling up in her chest but she stopped herself from crying. She had to do what was right for her children. She had no choice.

She knew that she would get the receptionist at the firm. She didn’t want to speak to Walter but she was hoping she might get a hold of Herb, or perhaps Frank. She trusted them more than Walter and thought if she explained to them what had happened and why she had run away she might be able to get them to understand. She wanted to protect Jack and Jimmy too. There was no reason their lives should be endangered, or even for them to lose their jobs, simply for stepping in to assist her. She wanted Herb to take control of the situation and make sure Walter couldn’t harm her. She wanted to go back to her life at the Oaks where Carla and Midge would be waiting for her. Most of all she wanted to be able to see her daughters again. She knew she was surrendering, giving up her chance at freedom and autonomy but she didn’t have the strength to continue fighting.

As she went through the slow process of rotating the dial to each of the numbers she looked at the stack of records on the floor. There were a few John Coltrane albums and others by Herbie Hancock, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker. She was no jazz expert but she knew what that music sounded like, how it made a person feel when they sat back and closed their eyes and listened to it. She looked at the worn books on the shelves and in piles on the floor by the bed. They were books that had been read and reread a hundred times. Their spines were cracking, their pages were leafed and worn. They weren’t for show. Someone actually sat down with them and took the time to see what secrets their pages contained. There was a little paper bag of coffee on the counter in the kitchen and a plastic spoon sticking out of it for measuring. Next to it was a butter dish and a bread board covered in crumbs and bits of crust. As she looked around the apartment she realized this was what a real life looked like. Everything didn’t have to be luxurious and perfect. There were no servants here, no Italian marble, no partners expecting full sexual access to her whenever they felt like it. This was a real life.

—KWP. Good morning? The voice on the other end of the line jolted her from her thoughts.

KWP. Kingsley, Wellington, Prentiss.

—Hello? she said uncertainly.

—How may I help you?

It was the receptionist at the firm. She was no longer certain of what she was doing. She had no idea what Herb would say to her. She had no idea if she was doing the right thing. All she knew was that no matter how much she didn’t like it, the firm had her children and she couldn’t leave them behind.

—Could I speak to Herb Kingsley, please?

—Who may I ask is calling?

—It’s April Masterson.

The tone of the receptionist’s voice changed immediately.

—Oh, April. It’s pandemonium over here this morning. What the hell happened last night?

—What do you mean?

—Security details. Drivers. The works. I shouldn’t even be saying anything. Herb isn’t here. Can I put you on with Walter?

—Oh God, no.

—Is something wrong?

April didn’t know the receptionist’s name but she realized the receptionist knew quite well who she was. She’d probably been involved in arranging all sorts of details regarding April’s move to The Oaks.

—Something’s very wrong, she said. Just tell Herb I called. Tell him I wanted to speak to him only, not Walter.

—Alright, the receptionist said.

She sounded a little confused by the situation but she would pass on the message. April hung up. She looked out the window and saw a woman walking on the street below, holding the hand of a little girl. It almost broke her heart to see how easy it was for that woman to be with her child. She would give up all the wealth and privilege in her life just to be with her two daughters like that. Just to walk them down the street to school in the morning would be worth more to her than all the limos and spas and hotels and fancy clothes in the world.

She began dialing the number of the girls’ school.

—Greenwood Academy.

—April Masterson calling for Lucy and Mary Masterson, please.

—One moment.

She found it frustrating that the school acted like a corporation. Every time she called she was put on hold while all sorts of internal checks were made. It was like making a phone call to a prison inmate. She knew it wasn’t normal for a school to act that way. She was kept on hold for five minutes and knew they were checking the girls’ file to see if she was approved to call them.

—Mrs. Masterson, there appears to be a problem with the file.

—What are you talking about? I had this sorted out just yesterday.

—Your name’s not on the pre-approved list.

—You’re kidding me. I went through all of this already. Herb Kingsley had my name added to the list yesterday. I’m their mother.

—I understand that, Mrs. Masterson, but there’s been an amendment to the file.

—What? Who made the amendment?

—I can’t tell you that.

—What do you mean? These are my children. When was the file amended?

—It says this morning, at five twenty-one.

—Listen, please, I’m not crazy. I’m just their mother. I’m having difficulties with their father and he’s using this against me. Can you just tell me who made the amendment to the file?

—I’m really not supposed to.

—I need to know so I can get them to change it back. It’s really important. Was it Walter Masterson?

—Look. Don’t tell anyone you found out from me, but the file amendment was made by a Kit Kingsley.

—Kit! At five this morning?

—Yes.

—I see, April said. Her hand was shaking but she kept her voice level. And are my girls alright?

—Of course they are, Mrs. Masterson. I’m sure you’ll get this file thing sorted out soon but in the meantime you shouldn’t worry about the girls. They’re safe and sound here.

—Can anyone take them from the school?

—Just the account signatories.

—Who are?

—Herb and Kit Kingsley.

April’s heart was racing. She couldn’t stand the idea that it was the Kingsleys and not her who had control over the girls’ school file. She knew that there was no point arguing with the receptionist. She didn’t have the power to do anything about it.

She hung up and sat by the window, watching the people on the street below go about their business. It was a busy street and there was a lot of activity. There were stores and restaurants all full of life. She felt like she had been separated from the normal world since being sucked into the firm’s sordid arrangement.

She got up and went to the bathroom at the back of the apartment. The walls in there were covered with old black and white photographs of stage actresses from the twenties and thirties. She stood in front of the mirror and looked at her face. The clear, healthy glow she’d had yesterday after the spa was gone. She looked gaunt and tired now. Her makeup was smudged around her eyes, making them dark and smoky. She looked at her face and tears rolled down her cheeks. So much had happened in the past few weeks and she had never had a chance to process it all. She was completely overwhelmed. She’d only slept with a few men in her life before her marriage, all of them long-term relationships. Since Walter had become partner she couldn’t even count the number of people she’d been with. She’d been forced to do all sorts of things for Walter and his partners. Many of them she’d even done willingly, absorbed in the excitement of the moment and the pressure of the situation.

She wept as she got out of the expensive lace and fur dress that Kit had selected for her. She’d become a plaything of the rich and powerful and she knew it. She unhooked the clasps at the back of her corset and let it fall to the floor. If she never wore anything like that again it would be too soon. She turned on the water in Jack’s shower and let it heat up. She’d been used every way a woman could be and she wanted the water hot.

III

W
HEN APRIL GOT OUT OF
the shower, Jack and Jimmy had returned. They’d bought milk, bread, eggs and fresh coffee. Jack was making the eggs on an iron pan on the stove and Jimmy was slicing the bread.

—I can make the coffee, April said from the doorway of the bathroom.

She was surprised to find that she felt shy. She’d let the water wash over her for over twenty minutes and was quite refreshed. The nap and shower had given her the strength to face another day. She was wrapped in a man’s bathrobe that was much too large for her.

The guys looked at her. Jack stopped what he was doing and stared, his mouth partly open. Then he dropped the pan.

—Shit, he yelled out. Sorry. God, I’m such a klutz.

—You get burned there, buddy? Jimmy said.

Jack went to the sink and ran cold water over his hand.

—In more ways than one, he said to Jimmy.

April smiled. She hadn’t known what Jack would think of her now that the excitement of the scene at the hotel was over. Last night she’d been dressed in expensive clothes, her makeup had been perfect, she knew she’d looked amazing. But it seemed that Jack was even more taken with her now that she was in his house, fresh out of the shower without any makeup on and nothing but his goofy robe on her body.

She decided that it was safe to relax and let out a small sigh. A nutritious breakfast would do her good. She’d been so tense for so long that having an ordinary meal with a couple of nice people would do her a lot of good. She pulled the robe tightly around her and walked over to the kitchen.

—Let me see that, she said to Jack and took his hand from the cold water.

—It’s not bad, he said.

She patted it dry with the sleeve of her robe.

—You’ll live, she said, and she was sure his eyes remained on hers for longer than was normal.

She took the kettle off the stove and made the coffee while Jack finished the eggs. When everything was ready the three of them sat at the table and ate. April hadn’t enjoyed food that much in a long time. It was so simple and hearty, she could almost feel it nourishing her body.

—Jack? she said as he bit into a thick piece of bread.

—Yes?

—What time was it when you found me?

—About five. Why?

—I’m just trying to figure out what I’m up against.

—What do you mean?

—I called my kids’ boarding school when you two were out.

—You didn’t say where you were, did you?

—No, but I couldn’t talk to my kids. Their security file had been amended at five twenty-one this morning.

—By who?

—Kit Kingsley. The wife of the senior partner at the firm.

—Jesus, Jimmy said. So you’re saying that within twenty minutes, your husband had his partner and his partner’s wife working against you?

—They also had two security details at the hotel before we could even get out, Jack said.

They both looked at April. She put down her coffee and looked back at them, worry in all three faces.

—Just who exactly is your husband? Jack said.

—I don’t know. I honestly don’t.

—Well, it looks like you’ve gotten yourself into a whole lot of trouble, Jimmy said.

—He works for a law firm, she said. Kingsley, Wellington, Prentiss. Last night they were trying to impress some pretty important political clients.

—Kingsley, Wellington, Prentiss? Jimmy said.