+1+
“To be clear”, Emile says as he drives my car towards the hospital, “I told you it was not Mrs. Ginger and it was not the kids.”
”I think I’m losing it. I can’t believe I went after an old lady and children.”
“I’m starting to think it was a good thing you were fired.” Emile adds.
Emile’s phone starts blaring. We both see its Kylie so he puts it on speaker.
“Kylie.” Emile says, “I just heard about your mom. Mr. Prince and I are on the way to join the search team.”
“…I’m worried about Daddy”, her voice breaks at the end.
“What’s wrong?” Emile asks.
“…. he’s…on the balcony. He won’t come down.”
Emile whips the car around and takes a shortcut to Cherrywood Villas. Kylie is waiting out in the driveway with Lydia. Both girls look panicked and Lydia is on the phone with her Dad, seemingly giving him play-by-play. The kids all look to Emile the minute he steps out the car.
“Should I call the police?” Kylie asks.
“No”, Emile says, “Let me see what I can do. Paris stay here with the kids.”
“Okay.” I say turning to face the teenagers.
Lydia has her hand wrapped around Kylie’s. Paxton is out back with his feet in the pool. They were kids. Normal kids and I’d turned them into little villains.
I clear my throat.
“Kylie…I’m sorry. I know this isn’t appropriate but I have to know. Did you girls have anything to do with the fire? You can tell me. I know about Mrs. Ginger and the lighters.”
“No”, Lydia speaks up, “I mean we snuck out and went to the arcade but that was it. Mrs. Ginger caught us and brought us home.”
“That’s all?” I can tell she is holding back.
Kylie looks at me, “We…convinced the security guy to turn off the gate cameras so no one would know we snuck out. My mom is always using the gate cameras to track me. I didn’t mean for him to get fired.”
No one ever says ‘no’ to the Days.
“I’m confused. Kylie why did you call Sera the night of the fire.”
“I didn’t”, Kylie says getting rightfully annoyed with me.
“Your number was in her phone. See”
I show her the incoming calls on Sera’s red iPhone.
Kylie squints at the call.
“That was the night of the fire, right?”
“Yes”
“That couldn’t have been me. I didn’t have my phone. I was grounded. That’s why I ran away. My dad had it.”
In that moment everything disappears except Kylie and those last few words.
“Your Dad had your phone?”
“Yeah. I was grounded.”
“Your father…dialed my wife the night of the fire. He knows her personal cell phone number. He dialed it from…memory? ”
“I guess”, she says handing the red phone back.
I turn back to my car and grab some items from the trunk. Then I walk into Day’s house uninvited. Cortland Day’s fucking house. It was in the same impeccable condition it had been in during the cookout. Absolutely nothing out of place. I jog up the stairs and turn into the master bedroom. The only thing out of place in the bedroom is a bottle of hard imported vodka on the nightstand. The doors to the balcony are thrown open. Day is standing there with is back to me. He’s undone. Barefoot in a wrinkled white shirt and gray shorts. Emile glares and motions for me to go back in the hall.
In a calm voice Emile says, “Cortland. Why don’t you come join the search with Kylie and me…”
Day turns to face Emile but his eyes quickly land on me. His blonde hair is messy with noticeable hints of gray. The lines around his eyes are creased and worn.
“You”, Day slurs pointing at me, “You must have thought my life was so perfect. I saw how you looked at the photos in my office that first day. The way you looked at my family and house. You must have thought it was perfect.”
Dominant
Submissive
How could I miss this?
“You’re submissive, Day”, I say stepping further into the room, “The day you met my wife at the bar something sparked in you. You’re like me.”
“Really. With this bullshit now?” Days says.
“All this time I thought you tried to kill me but you couldn’t have. You like to please. You find value in service. You turn anger into achievement. You could never kill me. But Skylar could. Skylar is the one who is really in charge. I should have seen it the day she pushed Seraphina down the stairs. Sky is the one in control. She’s a dominant woman. She doesn’t back down. Sky would do anything to stop a threat to her family’s reputation. I know because that’s what Sera would do.”
“Paris”, Day said solemnly.
“I know about the meeting you all had discussing my murder. The fire was Sky’s idea wasn’t it? It was Sky’s idea to trap me in my office and burn the building down. It was her idea to make it look like I set the fire and died in it.”
Day backs up against the balcony. His eye are rimmed in red and he nods.
“Sky just…always wants things done her way. Everything always has to be just so. We could only be friends with the right kind of people, we had to dress a certain way, we had to buy a house in this ugly mass market neighborhood.”
“Day.” I say and it comes out empathetic.
“Sky was so upset. You were going to ruin everything she worked so hard for. Landow told us your wife wasn’t a citizen. He told us he had connections in the new administration and could get her deported if she started asking to many questions”
“Landow? Carver Landow was there? Hollins didn’t mention that.”
Day nods.
“Sky called Landow for backup after the Hollins left. She thought he should know.”
“Why?”
Day laughs but it sounds defeated.
“You don’t know half of it. Last year Carver told me he was planning on switching parties and wanted to run my gubernatorial campaign. We’ve been planning my campaign all year. I eventually had to tell him about the embezzlement. He told me to get someone else to work the books and sign off on the audit. He suggested someone young and green. Someone…submissive who we could easily manipulate.
Landow said he knew the perfect
guy. He said it was his Mistress’s unemployed husband. I didn’t know what he meant
by Mistress of course. He said she was kind of slow, so he could trick her into
thinking he was doing her a favor."
“That bastard played Sera.”
Sera had begged him to consider me for the job after he casually mentioned it. She’d been giving him free sessions to pay him back for the favor. It hadn’t been a favor at all. It was a set up.
“Carver was wrong about you, Paris. You kept asking to questions and not doing what you were told.”
I was barley processing this new information.
“Who actually set the fire, Day?”
“I don’t know”, Days says sounding defeated, “Carver and Sky left together to carry out the plan. They were the most able. I was to chickenshit to go. Sky got the idea to steal Lydia’s’ car so our cars wouldn’t be traced.”
I sighed. Of course there was no proof of this because the cameras were down.
“Was Josie involved?” I ask.
“No. We couldn’t trust her. She works for the sheriff.”
“Fuck.”
Day smiles a little, “Paris this is your fault. You made a huge mistake when you told Sky about the embezzlement. I kept this from her for years because of how she wants to control everything. You can’t negotiate with Skylar. She’s been prepping to be a governor’s wife for years. You threatened her dream so she convinced us you had to die.
When Carver and Sky left I decided to run. My plan was to hide out in Florida. I went to get Kylie…then I realized she had snuck out. Skylar made me take her cell phone--so my baby was out there somewhere and I couldn’t reach her.
I started drinking. I stood out here on this balcony. I was feeling low. I took Kylie’s cell phone and –“
“You called my wife. You called Sera.” I finish.
He looks down.
“Yeah…we’ve been having an affair.”
I look at him head on. I don’t know if it’s anger or jealousy that is fueling me, “You’ve been fucking my wife, Day?”
I should have seen it. The way he’d been so protective of her in his office. How he’d gone after her after the glass incident. How she kept going out of her way to dress up when we were around him.
“N-n-n-o. It was...an emotional affair. We didn’t sleep together. When she handed me her business card the whole concept seemed so wild but I was curious. I called her from my office phone and we talked. We’d both been to Miami and it took off from there. She was having a hard time adjusting to Harrison County. I gave her some tips for dealing with the social politics.
I like her. She’s is so relaxed and open about all sorts of shit. Then I saw those videos. God, that fucking accent. She’s funny and shy. Not caught up in status like most people in my life are. She’s just really unapologetic and she seemed lonely.”
“Sera should have never talked to you.” I tell him, “For fucksake you’re married.”
“That’s what she said when we kept running into each other at the gym. We were at the gym at the same time that whole week—I mean it was nice being with someone who actually works out and isn’t in it for the outfits. She said she liked me –but me being married was a problem.”
“It’s a big fucking problem.”
“I told her my marriage was basically a façade. Sky and I haven’t been happy for years. I’ve always wanted to leave Harrison County and get into real estate but Sky’s family never approved and they financially support us. The only reason I even started embezzling money was because I was tired of taking money from Sky’s family.
My parent’s divorce destroyed me. I didn’t want that for Kylie. I figured we could stay together until she was eighteen. We just had to make it three more years.
I told Sera all of this and she…listened. She told me how rocky your marriage was. She seemed drawn to the stable life I’d had and how I supported my family. There was something between us.”
“That’s why you invited me to your cookout.” I realize, “You had feelings for her?”
“Maybe we weren’t going to fall in love but we were happy when we were together. Sera is demanding and controlling like Sky…but in a way that works for me. You are always talking down and not appreciating the best thing in your life. I hated that. Maybe I took my jealously out a little on you at work. “
I am still seeing red.
“This is my career Day.” I say in a deceptively calm voice, “You fucked with my career because--what? You wanted my wife to give you a rim job and sit on your face? Did a small part of you think with me dead you could fucking have her?”
Damn it Sera.
Fuck No wonder she’d been so horny. Not even Hidalgo could fuck that desire out of her. She couldn’t stop thinking about the man she could never have.
Day’s eyes begin to redden.
“I called Sera after Landow and Sky left to kill you. Sky tracks my phone so I used Kylie’s. I begged her to come see me but she wouldn’t. Then I remembered the phone you lost during the fight.”
“What about it?”
“I unlocked it. Sera’s birthday. I stated scrolling through your pictures and e-mailing them to myself.
I close my eyes. Those pictures Alexxa had taken of me years ago were on Sera’s red phone.
Day continues, “I told her
‘I have Paris’ phone. There is some sick shit on here. Please come see me or I’ll put them all over the internet.’”
That was the call that sent her running back to town. She was trying to protect me.
“She was in Manhattan when you called, Day.”
“I didn’t know that. She got here quick. I thought she was going to yell at me. Instead she started rolling a blunt. Then she said
‘You clearly fucking needs this.’”
It made sense. The lighter she’d purchased at the gas station. Sera hadn’t set the fire with it. She’d bought it because she’d taken Sven’s pot and planned on getting high with an anxious Day.
“She started helping me back my clothes.” Day continues, “We smoked a little. It was really good shit. I felt like I was in college again. Letting loose. Getting intense with someone. The whole time she told me about how she’d left a bad relationship as a teenager and she wanted to help me leave too.”
‘Sky is a bully’, is what she said.
It sounded silly. I thought it was just her English. Then she explained,
‘A bully’, she said, ‘is a Dominant who doesn’t understand that power and control is a gift. They take selfishly.’
‘I’m not some battered woman.’ I said because that was what she was making me feel like.
‘No one said you were. But this kind of control is toxic and you need to leave.’
‘Come with me. You, me and Kylie. We can all start over in Florida.’
She flashed that smile of hers.
‘I told you I couldn’t stand Miami.’
‘Maybe you weren’t with the right person’, I told her, ‘Picture it. House by the water, we can go on early morning runs, I build a real estate empire and you can be the cool stepmom. We live in paradise. No Sky or Paris trying to force their ideas on us”
I made the mistake of mentioning you. She said
‘Cortland, You’re not going to post those pictures are you? Paris has very little shame about our lifestyle but those pictures are private. People are judgmental and he’s worked so hard for his career.’
‘I won’t post them’, I said that but I’m not sure if I meant it.
We kept packing and I started to realize what she had on under that coat. I’m so dumb. I thought she’d worn it for me. Once I was all packed we kissed. It started off as barley a kiss but we were high and started making out on the floor. That’s when Sky walked in.
‘I left the car in Lowell County so if—“
Sky stopped talking when she noticed Sera. Sky looked panicked. I don’t think Sera even really noticed how frazzled Skylar was. She was too busy trying to put her coat back on.
‘We have to kill her’ Sky said and grabbed a switch blade off the nightstand.
Sera tried to run but Sky was faster. They started fighting. Sky kept screaming at me to help but I just stood there. Sera eventually got lose and ran to her car.
‘Sky’, I’d warned as she made her way downstairs, ‘Leave Sera alone. She has no idea what you were doing. She won’t put it together.’
Sky let out a loud frustrated scream.
‘We can’t be sure. You ruin everything. Just like you always do. Were you getting high with her? Cort, I knew you were stupid but you can’t be this stupid. How could you have that slut up here with Kylie in the house--”
‘Maybe if you paid attention you’d notice Kylie snuck out again.’
That gave her pause because Sky has to know where everyone is at all times.
‘You go find Kylie. I’ll take care of that bitch. If anyone asks--- we were both looking for Kylie okay.’
‘But—‘
‘Shut up. This is your mess’, she said, ‘I’m just cleaning it up.’
Sky grabbed a bigger knife from the kitchen, got into her minivan and drove off. “
I could easily picture Sky’s hulking minivan chasing Sera’s tiny Tesla into the night. Sky had lived here for 15 years. She probably knew all the backroads. It had been raining hard that night. Sera probably saw an opportunity to run Sky off the road---and took it.
I imagined Sera crawling out of her car in the pouring rain. I could see her standing on the road and looking at the upturned blue minivan. She probably pushed the window down and saw Sky upside down and seemingly lifeless.
Sera probably thought no one would believe she was the victim. Not after the fight at the cookout. Not if people found out she was an unhappy wife and sex worker having an affair with Cortland Day. Sera had pulled herself together and walked to the diner in the pouring rain. She called the one person who would always protect her.
She called me-
“Sera called me from the Diner and told me what happened”, Day continues, “I told her it was good that she’d staged it like a drunk driving accident. Then she asked me to come get her and tow her car out. I couldn’t because Kylie had come home and was asking for her mom.
Sera kept calling me from the diner because you wouldn’t pick up. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that you were dead.”
“I wasn’t dead and neither was Sky.”
Day nods, “Sera and I kept seeing each other. We had this secret between us and it made us closer. The crazy thing is I felll in love with Sky again. Being able watch and take care of her without all those impossible demands and expectations was peaceful. I could buy her flowers without her critiquing them. I could sit with her for hours without her yelling or berating me about something. Now she’s awake and I don’t know what she’s going to do but it’s not going to be good for me. So…”
Day turns back to the railing.
I let it all sink in and then I start laughing. Emile looks horrified
“What the fuck, Day. What is with this fucking suburban nightmare? You are all going down for this. “
Day moves closer to the railing. “My whole life has been a fucking lie. I told Sera to get out of this town, I told her she was too good for it. It would crush everything unique about her. It’s time for me to do the same—“
I lung towards Day before he can shift his weight over the balcony. Emile shouts but I get a grip on Day’s wrist and snapped the handcuffs I’d retrieved from my car around his wrist and the railing. Day sink down on the balcony. I cuff his other wrist and he sits there defeated.
“That is not protocol”, Emile says.
“Well it worked”, I fumble for my phone and head downstairs.
‘Where are you going?” Emile asks.
“I need to warn Sera. Sky was
trying to kill Sera before she went in to the coma. I think she’s trying to
finish the job.”
I keep dialing as I head out the house. I blow past Kylie and Lydia and drive
at top speed out the subdivision. I redial until Sera finally picks up.
“What”, Sera answers, “Why are you—“
“Where are you ?”
“I’m with a client.”
“Day told me everything. Sky is missing. I think she’s coming to kill you.”
“Paris I can explain—“
“Not now. You need to get home. They were all in on it but Skylar and Landow actually set the fire. They tried to kill me.”
“…What?”
“Landow’s been involved since the start. He’s dangerous”
“…I’m in his house right now.”
“Sera get out—“
“Okay I’m….Shit. What the fuck…What are you…”
“Sera?
There is nothing but silence.
+++
Rainer pulls up to the Landow’s house at the same time I do. I’m glad she was able to make sense of my rambling emergency call.
I dart towards the house but a platoon of deputies holds me back.
“My wife is in there. I need to get in there.”
“We have this.” Rainer says, “We have a negotiator coming down from Hartford. From what we can tell Landow is holding Sera and Sky.
“Skylar Day is not a victim. Sky and Landow set the fire. They were trying to kill me. I was in the building but I escaped.”
“What? You lied about your alibi? I knew it.”
A uniform hands Rainer a phone. She reluctantly puts it on speaker.
“Landow this is Rainer. What’s going on in there?”
“We’re good”, Landow says.
“Shut up”, I hear Sky Day’s sharp voice, “Sheriff Rainer This is all a big misunderstanding.”
“Let’s negotiate”, Landow says.
“We are not negotiating”, I cut in.
“…is that Paris Prince?” Skylar says sounding confused. Guess no one told her I was still alive.
“Yes, Sky. It is.”, I take the phone, “Will you talk to me? Landow? Come on we’ve done business together for years. I always gave you the best appointment times. Good discounts. Let’s talk. Let me in the house.”
“I’ll talk to him”, Landow says, “Just to him.”
I look at Rainer hoping she will let this fly.
“I can’t Paris. You are barley a lawyer let alone a cop”, Rainer says.
“Please. My wife is in there. Please. It’s me they want.”
Rainer looks at her watch. It was still early morning rush hour. It could take awhile for the negotiator to arrive on scene.
“Fine.”, she shouts orders into her radio and the officers let me walk in.
+2+
I follow the sounds of ragged breathing into the living room. Sera is on her knees dressed in Carver Landow’s preferred outfit of choice. A leather mini skirt with a corset, fishnets and garters. She’s handcuffed to one of the vents and Landow is pointing a bright pink gun at her. I realize Landow must have stolen the gun from our house.
A weary Sky is wearing a pair of scrubs and struggling to hold herself up against a bookshelf. She is clutching a pistol that she has clearly never used. Out of the corner of my eye I spot Josie Landow cowering under the table.
“Carver don’t hurt Sera”, Josie tries, “Put that gun down. Whatever happens I’m sure we can fix it.”
“I can’t give up the governor’s mansion now.” Landow says.
“Both of you shut up”, Sky says looking around the room, “Paris if you had just died we could have all move on in peace. I could be planning The Fourth of July weekend gala instead of dealing with this.”
Sky points the pistol at Sera
“You know I thought you would understand”, Sky says looking at Sera, “I thought you of all people would understand.”
“I understand you’re a crazy bitch”, Sera snaps.
Sky frowns.
“I’m not crazy. But everyone says that. When you’re rich and pretty you can’t have any real problems. You’re just emotional. Neurotic. Overbearing. They love to call us name.”
Sera rolls her eyes.
“Sera”, Sky’s smile is companionable, “Sweetie. I am your future. I know you. We marry young to these smart ambitious men. We give up the freedom and independence of our 20s to put them through college, grad school and law school.
Then minute we have a career or ambitious of our own it gets put aside for their careers. Our evenings are filled with their events, our friends are his work friends. We get relegated to the wives…the Skybirds.
I put 16 years in. I earned a chance to be a governor’s wife. To finally have a platform and a little bit of real power. But you two ruined it.”
“Day was the one embezzling”, I point out, “He did that to himself.”
“You talk too much”, Sky says. She smiles hopefully at Sera then she turns to Josie, “You get it, Josie? Right? How many jobs did you work so Carver could study? You waited and waited until he reached his career goal to have kids and you ran out of time. You gave and gave for 27 years and then he starts fucking this dirty tramp”
Sera looks at me and then at Sky who is still rambling. Sera does it again and I realize Sera wants me to tackle Skylar Day. Sky is frail and disoriented. I can easily take her and wrestle away the pistol. I can end this.
“You’re right”, Sera says distracting Sky so I can make my move, “I spent my twenties following Paris around. I went from a bad ass wild partying ex-marine to a poor underappreciated Harvard housewife. I had a job I loved at this tiki bar and I gave it up so he could go to grad school. I whored myself out to pay his credit card bills. I’ve worked myself to exhaustion for him. A few months ago I had it all. A dream condo in SoHo, a successful businesses, parties every night and closet full of clothes. I had the life I used to dream of. But I gave it all up to move here with all this fucking bullshit town “
Sky smiles and I ready myself to pounce.
“See”, Sky smiles, “I knew you would totally understand why we have to kill him—“
I run up behind Sky and knock her down. The gun flies out of her hand and goes cascading across the floor. Josie crawls from under the table to help me hold Skylar down.
“How could you”, Skylar screams at Sera.
“Because we’re not the same”, Sera says. “I don’t regret any of that shit. It wasn’t a sacrifice. I love Paris. I chose to follow him. I chose him because he has always shared his dreams and successes with me. I’d do it all over again for him.”
“Now”, Sky screams at Landow, “Kill them all. Do it now. We can still make this work Carver. Do it NOW.”
Landow picks up the pistol and points it at me.
“Carver, no”, Josie says, “Carver.”
“Now”, Sky demands.
Carver sets the gun down and holds his empty hands out to his wife, “I just wanted—“
Two loud successive shots end Landow’s final thoughts. Blood sprays on the wall behind him. Mrs. Landow screams and scuttles back under the table as her husband’s dead body thuds to the floor. There are two bullet holes lodged in his forehead. I look up and see Sera is holding the small red gun she always keeps in her travel case. The quick release handcuffs are laying by her side. She looks away from Landow and aims the gun towards her next victim
Skylar Day
I throw my body in front of Sky. Sky cowers behind me. Sera motions for me to move.
“No”, I manage to say while keeping a shield around Sky.
The door burst open and the deputy’s rush in. Sera drops the gun.
“She shot him. She killed Carver.” Sky screams.
I can’t tell how much of her hysterics are real and how much is an act.
In the melee I grab the pistol Landow had put down and put it in his dead hand. Rainer storms in and surveys the scene.
“What the fuck happened in here?”
+3+
U.S Attorney Blair Cartwell picks up my half burnt dossier and unceremoniously drops it into an evidence container. Rainer stands up relieved this past tumultuously 12 hours of bargaining and negotiating is over.
“Okay Mr. Prince”, Cartwell says laying out some final documents, “By signing this whistle blower agreement you are agreeing to testify in federal court for all future litigation involving the U.S Government vs. Harrison County. “
I flip through.
“Does this include full immunity for how I obtained the information?”
“Yes”, Cartwell says much to Rainer’s chagrin.
I sign dutifully. Cartwell had also requested the laptop I’d use to find the abnormalities but it hadn’t surfaced. I feel pretty certain Hollins destroyed it.
“Is the dossier enough to indict the supervisors for embezzlement?” I ask.
“Honestly”, Cartwell says, “Most of the documents you managed to save only indict Armitage and Hollins, Sr. With one being dead and the other being an elderly dentist-- I don’t know if charges will be bought up.”
“What about the others. The recording from the Hollins has it all. I typed up a transcript.”
Rainer and Cartwell share a glance.
“We couldn’t find a recorder or transcript in your car”, Cartwell divulges.
“Someone must have stolen it in all the commotion. I bet it was Hollins you should--”
“Fraud clearly took place but we have no way of tracing it to the board or proving they knew the invoices were fake. There is no paper trail which is a problem in itself. It’s negligence at most. Day was running the ship so we might have a better case against him.”
“What about conspiracy murder.” I push, “They were all there when Sky and Landow decided to burn Old Town Hall down. “
Cartewell shrugs
“I’m a federal prosecutor. I’ll leave that mess to the local authorities.”
Cartwell gathers the dossier and leaves.
“Well?” I turn to Rainer.
Rainer sits down across from me.
“Day says he was drunk when he talked to you. He’d taken a lot of pills and was delusional. He says he doesn’t remember telling you that. The Hollins are only speaking through their lawyers who have nothing to say. If they all conspired to set that fire. No one is cracking.”
“So…what now?”
“We found burnt clothes and accelerant
in Carver Landow’s garage. Josie remembers Landow being out the night of the
fire. He lied and said he was at a…small kink bash? She said he was in a lot of
pain afterwards. When the examiner took him in—they found poorly treated third
degree burns down his arm. All signs
point to Carver Landow as our arsonist.”
”Oh, come on”, I volley, “He didn’t do it alone.”
“We have no proof. In a few hours the DA is going to bring murder and arson charges against Landow. Landow wanted to run Day’s campaign, when he found out you were stirring trouble he tracked you down and tried to kill you.”
“That’s weak. What about Sky. It was her idea”
“Sky says she doesn’t any memories of the past month. She said she doesn’t even remember getting to the Landow house. She thinks Landow kidnapped her.”
“Rainer. You know that’s not true.”
“Well, neither was your fake alibi. There have been too many lies and this is the best I can get. Look Paris I didn’t just come here to watch you make nice the feds. Bruno, Lee and Hollins all put in for retirement. With Day officially on a leave of absence--this county needs someone to run. I have the power to reinstate you. You want in?
“I do. I actually do want to
in.” I say realizing that this feels right, “Let’s see. If I recall correctly
we can set up emergency elections to fill the empty spots. I’ll need to talk to
the communications team. Mrs. Ginger is probably beside herself. I should head
back to the office if I’m free to go.”
“You are. And whatever you do please stay out of trouble.”
“I’ll try.”
+4+
I jog out of the police station and nearly run over Seraphina sitting on the steps.
After the deputies stormed in Sera had been transfixed by Landow lying there dead. She’d run her finger along his pulse points. A bit of his blood had gotten on her hands. She’d flicked it away and rolled her eyes. Once they realized she’d killed Landow Sera was arrested per protocol. While they were leading her away I pretended to hug her and whispered.
“You need to look upset” I whispered to her, “It was self-defense. Okay. It was self-defense. Tell them he was pointing the gun at you. That’s what you tell them.”
I’d been taken to a separate interrogation room. I refused to talk until Rainer got a federal prosecutor on the phone. Blair Cartwell drove down from the local office and I negotiated a nice immunity deal for myself and in exchange I told everything I knew.
“You okay?” I ask Sera.
She nods looking dismissively out at the parking lot, “Carver tricked me. He pretended to be mine. He pretend his wanted to submit to me. He just wanted to use me to humiliate his wife.”
“Please tell me that’s not why you shot him.”
She turns to look at me.
“Landow tried to kill you in that fire. He tried take you away from me. He had to die. No one can take you away from me. Sky should be laying in the morgue next to him. You won’t be able to protect her if I run in to her again.”
I ignore the chills running up my arm and put my lawyer hat on.
“Are they charging you?”
“No. I did what you said. I told them he was pointing the gun at me. Apparently Josie backed it up.”
Sera runs her hand through my hair and leans in for a kiss. I back away from her touch.
“I knew Day was your type but fuck Sera. How could you not tell me?”
Sera looks down.
“I didn’t mean for it to happen. I just felt a pull. He needed me. I couldn’t tell you because I knew you’d be disappointed in me. I’d let it get so far. I’m sorry.”
“You can’t fuck with married people like that, Sera. We have rules. We don’t cheat. Was he really worth breaking them for?”
Sera looks at me and I can see the unrest in her eyes.
“He was just so perfect. There is nothing more beautiful than a submissive that doesn’t realize they are a submissive. He needed a real Domme. He needed me. I loved nurturing his submissive side. Giving him task, rules and little punishments whenever we could sneak away. It was so subtle he didn’t even know I was doing it. Sky was a bully. That’s why she and Landow got along so well. Skylar was crippling him—“
“You should have told me.” I said with a sharp tone I didn’t know I had.
She looks away again.
“I know. I think we kept trying to convince ourselves we just wanted to be friends. Deep down I knew he was exactly what I’d want in a partner. Successful, older, popular, charming, funny, sweet, a little bit of a nerd, sensitive, athletic, responsible and excessively submissive.”
“It’s over now”, I tell her, “I don’t know what is going to happen next but I don’t want you anywhere near him.”
She nods then leans in to kiss me again. I pull away.
“I’m…not ready.”
“You can’t leave me.” Sera says she means it as an order but it comes out so soft.
“I just need some time.” We sit for a few more minutes trying to figure out our next steps.
“I thought you might need a ride.” I look to my right and see Emile coming up the steps. Sera and I both stand relieved.
“Emile, what are you doing here?”
“This is the biggest story in town and you are my insider. Also…what are friends for?”
“Thank you.”
“No problem. Maybe we can talk about pitching this story to publishers. We open on your first day in town…”
+5+
Viola Moritz steps aside and lets me places the spray of blue and white roses by her husband’s engraved granite memorial. Seraphina wipes a smudge away from the surface and steps back to let Viola arrange the flowers to her liking
“These are so beautiful” Viola says, “He’d like these.”
“I’m glad.” I say.
“We got him. Al”, Viola says triumphantly to her husband, “You give Landow…. hell for what he did to do you.”
Mrs. Moritz accepts a handkerchief from Sera and turns to me.
“Mr. Prince I’m so glad you decided to stay on as a supervisor. I’m surprised you didn’t take the Chairman position.”
“I was offered but Josie has a much better pulse for the community. She’ll keep us all in shape. Emile and Mr. Mancini will do the same until we can have elections.”
Mrs. Moritz bristles at the mentions of the wife of the man who killed her husband, “Well thank you both for coming out.”
I want a minute alone with Al so I let Sera walk Mrs. Moritz back to her car.
I turn pensively back to the gravestone. A slight wind blows through and pushes a blue rose out of place. I pick it up and adjust the arrangement. The palm of my hand feels warm on the cool stone.
“Looking good, Al.”
+6+
6 weeks later
Cherrywood Villas is quiet at 2pm in
the afternoon. The front door to the Day house is wide open and my steps echo
as I enter the empty house. Day soberly makes his way out the kitchen holding a
moving box. He is in shorts and I can see the flashing ankle monitor secured to
his leg. With the help of his high-end lawyer he’d taken an Alford plea last
month citing that if there had been enough evidence he could be found guilty of
embezzlement. He’d received 10 days of jail time and 10 months of floating probation.
Hollins, Bruno and Lee quickly made similar
deals to put the matter to rest. Their wives were also charged but it didn’t
stick. By the end of the July they had all quietly moved out of state.
Al’s murder and the arson was place squarely on Carver Landow.
The only real justice had been the countless front page articles detailing the small town scandal…but as the summer came to a close even those had quieted down in favor of the bigger bombastic national stories.
“Is Kylie here”, I ask Day instead of saying hello.
He sets the box down, “She’s already down in Florida with her Grandma—checking out the high school.”
“Is Sky still in rehab?"
Day nods. I’d tried to get charges pressed against Skylar but she insisted she had no memories from the first part of the summer. Those who knew about Sky’s part in the arson and murder opted to keep quiet. To avoid scrutiny her family hid her away in a fancy rehab facility to cope with the “alcoholism” that had caused her car accident.
“The facility has a location she can transfer to in Miami…I guess whatever comes next we’ll do as a family. I think…we’ve learned that we deserve each other.”
I let my guard down a little.
“You don’t owe her anything, Day. If it’s not working get out.”
Day weakly smiles and puts more tape on the already taped moving box.
“Paris when you walked into my office and stuck out your hand I thought, this little five foot four shit thinks he’s so smart. I thought, he isn’t going to be any trouble. He’s going to do what we say and leave in a year. I didn’t think you’d take everything for me.”
“Sorry.”
“No you’re not.”
“I’m not. Look Day, I’ve been thinking about Landow picking me as the scapegoat. The timing was good, right? It really worked out that the former supervisor died a few weeks before the audit. Makes you wonder how many people Landow tried to kill in that office.”
“No comment”, Day says.
“Just…one more thing.”
I open the door and wave to the car. Day looks at me suspiciously but steps back when Seraphina steps in looking so fucking innocent in a very short floral sundress, pin curls and full face of soft glowy makeup.
“Sera”, he says his hands self-consciously going to his hair. The gesture takes decades of his age, “I—“
“I came to apologize”, she says, “Sometimes I self-sabotage. I shouldn’t have pulled you down with me. When I was with you I did the worse thing a Domme could do. I lost control. No submissive ever makes me do that.”
“You really shouldn’t say things like that”, Day says and I’m shocked I didn’t pick up on the tension between them before, “Seraphina listen to me. You don’t want to be a politician’s wife. Run before it crushes everything that made you worth blowing my life up for.”
“Cort, if you think I consider myself a politician’s wife, maybe you don’t know me at all. But if you do get a divorce…call me. We could have some fun together. And we could make Paris watch.”
Day sucks in a deep breath. His discomfort puts a very pleased smile on her face. He fucking loves that.
“I’m sorry if I hurt you Sera”, Days says, “I wish we would have handled things differently. And Paris?”
“Yes?”
“Fuck you.”
“Same.”
Day grabs the moving box and heads out to his car. He backs out and almost hits the ‘Open House’ sign stuck in the manicured grass. Once his car is down the driveway I turn to Sera.
“What was that? How can you want to see him? He tried to kill me, committed a federal crime and tried to get you deported.”
“He has potential.”
“Sera, he’s a republican.”
Sera peers up the stairs where this whole mess started and then look out the window at the backyard. It was one of my rare afternoons off now that I was triaging the county and setting up the special election.
I hadn’t had time to sleep but I made time to start marriage counseling. Sera and I were working on building trust back into our marriage. With the loss of that trust our D/s relationship had abruptly ended. The county became my priority. With all the special meetings, town halls, media interviews and court dates Sera had given up working to focus on supporting me.
Rumor had it this was Day’s last day in town so I took a rare break to make my peace with him. I felt like Sera was owed the same. I’d taken intimacy off the table while we were in counseling but that was starting to change. Especially after seeing her in that dress.
“Without all that ugly bland furniture this is actually a nice house.” She stands by the back door, “I like the backyard.”
“We cannot afford this place”, I say because I’d already looked at the asking price, “but we could do some remodeling at our place. Maybe get a pool.”
This seems to peek her interest
“Really?”
“I mean you’d have to start working again for us to afford it. With all the oversight and auditors watching the budget I won’t be getting a raise for a very long time.”
Sera comes back over to me, “Are you okay with me working again?”
“Yes. If you trust yourself to stay in control.”
“I do”, She says, “I am always in charge. No one is ever going to make me lose control again. ”
“Except maybe me.”
Sera slides her finger under my chin, “Not even you.”
Sera wanders into the backyard and I follow her.
“I bet Aria and the girls would love a pool.” Sera says, “Maybe we could have parties and invite people over?”
We go out and explore the Day’s perfectly manicured patio. It was a mild end of summer day, this was the most time I’d spent away from work and there was one conversation we hadn’t had.
“Seraphina, we haven’t really talked about the future future. I mean do you want to stay in Harrison County.”
“At first I wanted to leave. But watching you and Josie keep everyone together changed my mind. I’ve always wanted a home plus the teen advisory board has all these ideas I said I’d help with. Also Josie needs help with her new apartment and Emile really wants to start a book club. I guess I’m starting to like it here. I want to stay for now.”
“Are you sure? The U.S Attorney offered me a job in their fraud department. I can pick anywhere to start.”
Sera shakes her head. “This is a good place to start your journey to the White House. The starting line can be right here in Harrison County.”
I nod. When I first started this job I had already drafted a twenty-one year plan to get myself from local board supervisor to the oval office. The summer had been a false start. This was the real starting line.
“I’m ready for this if you are?”
“Let’s do it.”
Epilogue