CHAPTER 32: THE NEED TO GET A FEW THINGS… STRAIGHT: PITTSBURGH EDITION Part 2

2323 OCTIGAN WAY

SEWICKLEY, PA

“Molly, come on already!” Jennifer called upstairs to her daughter, who seemed to be dragging her feet today. “Constance and I have a meeting to get to down at the Chamber of Commerce this afternoon. Now if you still want to go to the mall before then, you need to light a fire under your feet and stop schlepping!”

“Alright, Mom,” Molly sighed as she came down the stairs. “I’m just tired; it was a late night.”

Jennifer smirked at her daughter. “I swear I didn’t utter that sentence until my third year of college. Just what were you doing that caused it to be such a late night?”

Molly looked at her mother guiltily for a moment before responding, “Writing another program to dangle in front of Uncle Fred for another favor.”

“Molly,” Jennifer sighed, exasperated. “What favor do you want from your uncle this time? No doubt he is making Craig’s life all kinds of hell already and having fun doing it. So what has you so concerned now?”

“It’s just… Mom, I heard a rumor.”

“What kind of rumor?” Jen asked before they were instantly distracted by the doorbell ringing.

“I’ll get it,” Constance called from the bottom of the stairs. “Molly, you okay?”

“Yes… I mean, no… I don’t know,” she stuttered.

“Molly, whatever it is, we’ll deal with it. But you have to be honest with your mom and me. Okay?”

Molly nodded. “Yes, Aunt Connie.”

“Good! So let me get this door before I’m tempted to punch the person leaning on the bell. I swear it’s hard to find people with acceptable manners these days!”

As Connie moved off, Molly and Jennifer chuckled briefly. Unfortunately, their little moment of mirth came to an abrupt end at the sound of the raised voices in the foyer. Jennifer could see the moment Molly blanched in recognition at the voice, but couldn’t spare a moment to ask her daughter why she did.

“I don’t give a damn how busy she is! I need to see her NOW!” the male visitor demanded.

“I beg your pardon, Paul, but might I remind you that this isn’t YOUR house. You may make those types of demands within your halls, but not Jennifer’s. Besides, we’re due to see you down at your office in just a few hours. What’s so important that it couldn’t wait until then?”

“Jennifer ought to know that Mindy is pregnant.”

“Okay, your daughter is pregnant. I take it congratulations are most certainly NOT in order since she’s only what… fifteen?”

“Yes! She’s only fifteen!” Paul Cromwell stated as he came fully into the foyer with his wife and daughter in tow. “She just told us this morning since she began to show overnight.”

“I know that can be quite shocking, but why are you here? It’s not like you and the Taylors have ever been bosom buddies.”

“We haven’t, but apparently Justin was a lot more friendly with Mindy than either of them ever let on!”

Jennifer gasped at the implication of the man’s words. “Justin? Paul, you’d better not be accusing Justin of what it sounds like you’re trying to.”

“I’m not implying anything; just repeating what Mindy told us!”

“But that’s impossible!” Jennifer proclaimed, even while Connie shook her head, saying, “You do know that Justin is 100% gay, right?”

“Yes well, be that as it may, it didn’t stop him from screwing the Chanders chit. And apparently, it didn’t stop him from screwing my daughter either! Tell them, Mindy! Tell them what you just told me and your mother not half an hour ago.”

As the shivering young girl began to confirm what she’d told her parents, Molly narrowed her eyes. She listened to the words coming from Mindy, all the while noting the way she squeezed her eyes shut. Something about her story wasn’t ringing true, and yet… “She’s lying, Mom,” Molly said with all the conviction she felt within herself.

“How do you know? You weren’t there!” Mindy countered.

“Young lady, this doesn’t concern you…” Paul began, only to be cut off by Molly.

“I do believe it does when you are both trying to railroad my brother into something he couldn’t possibly have done.”

“Again, you weren’t there, so where are you getting your opinion from?” Mindy sneered in the teen’s direction.

“Aside from the rumors that you liked to date a specific older man right beneath your overprotective papa’s nose, there is also the little matter of math and science,” Molly said calmly before asking the one question her mom hadn’t gotten around to asking yet. “Just how many months are you, Mindy?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Oh, but you see it is. Because if you give the wrong amount of months, it’s going to be pretty easy to tell you where my brother was and what he was doing. So, are you sure that you want to stick to the slander you’re engaging in right now? Because I’ll tell you right now that I will make sure Justin knows enough to be able to file a lawsuit against you.”

“Molly?” Jennifer tried to soothe her so-obviously-belligerent daughter. She had a feeling that this what Molly was trying to tell her about before the Cromwells barged in there. Narrowing her eyes for a moment, she looked at Paul’s silent wife. “Lois, you’re quite quiet on the subject. Do you have a theory or opinion you want to share?”

The petite woman looked like she would rather have been anywhere but within Jennifer Taylor’s home. Shaking her head, she said, “I’m trying to reserve judgment so that a cooler head can prevail here, Jennifer.”

“Well that’s very diplomatic of you, and greatly to be admired, Lois. But that still doesn’t answer the question, and I can just about imagine with the set of your jaw that you don’t agree with this at all, do you?”

“It doesn’t matter whether I agree or not so long as the true responsible party is held accountable.”

“Interesting choice of words, Lois,” Constance said, smiling slightly. Based upon her own observations of Lois Cromwell, Connie didn’t think she was being as easily led by her daughter’s story as her husband was. The gleam in Lois’ eyes confirmed Connie’s suspicions; a look that not only Jennifer caught, but Molly did as well.

Turning her attention back to the girl who was barely older than she was, Molly asked again, “So Mindy, just how far along did you tell your parents that you were?”

“Almost seven months,” Mindy said quietly, with downcast eyes.

“Which would either be a lie or the truth, but neither would have featured my brother’s little swimmers. Well, that’s the case unless Craig went on a sperm-related scavenger hunt.”

“Molly?” This time it was Connie who answered for all of the stunned adults in the room. “First, I would like to say that was possibly the most abhorrent picture you could have painted for all of us, and a thought that would require several bottles of alcohol and a mental number two pencil to erase. However, if what you’re implying is true, then Craig…”

“That’s right,” Molly said through gritted teeth, her eyes never leaving Mindy’s. “Craig has been screwing Mindy. What I can’t quite work out is why she let that happen, and what she meant to do by implicating Justin in their schemes. And I swear, if you don’t spill all of the shit between you and my father, I’ll fuck you up right now!”

“MOLLY, language!” Each of the adults yelled, but the little teen was completely unfazed by their censure. She’d meant every damn word, which was evident by her slow descent down the long stairway of the foyer.

“You’d better tell us, Mindy, before I reach the bottom of the stairs, or I could just decide to cut out half the time by sliding down the banister. Because make no mistake, it’s either going to spill out of you voluntarily, or my fists will beat the truth out of you. Your choice,” Molly advised, even as she made ready to sit on the banister to make good on her promise.

Seeing this Mindy’s eyes widened, first in disbelief and then in fear. “Alright! It was Craig’s idea. He thought that Jennifer would support the child if it was Justin’s, while in the process disown him and go back to Craig where she belonged.”

“What?” Jennifer asked in shock. “That’s the most idiotic thing I’ve ever heard!”

“Definitely,” Connie concurred, but then she asked, “Which brings me to the question of why you agreed to help him, Mindy? What were you promised, or had you hoped to gain by getting pregnant with Craig’s child?”

“The life with Justin I’ve always wanted.”

“What do you mean?” Jennifer asked, confused.

“Craig said that although you and he would raise the baby, Justin and I would still be the parents on record. And as such, he promised that he would convince my parents and you to make Justin marry me, even though I haven’t reached the age of consent.”

“What the hell?!” Paul exploded. “You’re too damn young to even consider something like this!”

Mindy shrugged. “It’s what I would have wanted since Justin and I share a similarity that you don’t know about…”

“What is it?” Lois asked, already having a feeling that she knew what her daughter was about to reveal.

Molly laughed. “She’s a lesbo, regardless of the fact that she fucked my father.”

“Molly, language!” Jennifer said, even though there was no heat to it this time. She was too busy trying to absorb the fact that Craig had impregnated a girl not much older than her own daughter. She was fighting hard to keep the bile from rising up and choking her.

“You don’t seem too surprised by this, Lois,” Constance pointed out.

“I’m not. I’ve had my suspicions for quite some time,” Mrs. Cromwell stated softly, even as her husband continued to shake his head in denial.

“You can’t be a lesbian, Mindy! You’re too young to know that!” Paul stated.

“I beg to differ since my brother knew that he was before he even reached puberty,” Molly reminded everyone. “Although, I’m more apt to think that Mindy is Bi, instead of just plain lesbian. But then again, money and freedom are powerful motivators that often cause people to do things- or people- they wouldn’t normally do. Either way, Mr. Cromwell, to say that Mindy is too young to know what she wants, in essence, negates your own parenting skills since in a sense you’re calling her stupid. And it’s apparent that she’s far from that to have planned this all out with my sperm donor.”

“I hate to say it, Paul, but Molly is right. I shared the same opinion you have now until I realized that Justin knew from much earlier than he ever let on to me or Craig that he is gay.”

“And you just accepted it?” Paul asked incredulously.

“What choice did I have other than to lose my son? We’ve all seen what happened with Craig simply because he couldn’t move past whatever fantasy he built up in his head regarding Justin. Is the hell that Justin has been through the kind you would wish upon your own daughter based on something she can’t change about herself to suit your ideals? If it is, then you are not the man I thought you were.”

“So what does all this mean?” Lois asked, sadly. “It’s too late to terminate the pregnancy, even if that was an option.”

“That’s true, but in lieu of all the revelations of the past few minutes, I’d say that it really is up to all of you to decide,” Jennifer told them.

“But Justin…” Mindy began, only to be cut off by Jenn.

“Is in an openly committed relationship with Brian Kinney. And furthermore, they are co-parenting Brian’s son, and are in the process of possibly adopting Brian’s nephews, who were being raised in an emotionally abusive environment.”

“But you’re the baby’s grandmother!” the young girl argued until she noticed the aghast looks on everyones’ faces and the tell-tale snicker from Molly that she’d lost the argument based on biology. “Or you would have been if you and Craig hadn’t divorced.” 

“In theory, that may have been somewhat true had I stayed married to my ex-husband in spite of everything. However, that’s not the case.” At seeing the crestfallen look on Mindy’s face, Jennifer softened her stern tone. “I still may want to be a part of the baby’s life, but it won’t be as anything other than a favorite aunt, or even a godmother of sorts. And that’s only if you and your parents decide that you all want to raise the child yourselves instead of going the adoption route, Mindy, which you should think about very carefully. But I will NOT pay for Craig’s gross miscalculation about who and what I am… and I won’t pay for your wishful thinking either.”

“In that case, we’ll let you know what we decide to do…” Lois said, but this time it was Constance who interrupted her.

“Give me a call no matter what you decide,” she said, quietly.

“Connie?” Jenn looked at her friend questioningly, and what she saw almost broke her heart.

“That child didn’t ask for the games of entrapment Craig and Mindy decided to play. Nor should he or she have to suffer for them…”

“We would never hurt a child under our care,” Paul defended his family from Connie’s implication.

“I’m not saying that you would… or at least, not intentionally. The bottom line is that although Mindy willingly bought into Craig’s scheme, she was just a pawn in his most sinister game. Seeing the child could do two things to her psyche: either she’ll rise to the occasion and raise the baby simply because she loves him or her, or…”

“Or?” Mindy asked.

“Or she will grow to resent the child, whether meaning to do so or not. Whether a full-time mom or not, motherhood will change you, Mindy. Whether it’s for the better or worse is entirely up to you.”

“What do you mean by worse?”

“It’s hard to explain in mere words, but all I can say is that your life will change drastically. And while physically you wouldn’t have a choice in accepting the changes to your body, mentally is a different matter altogether. That’s something I’m sure your mother can attest to.”

“She’s right, Sweetheart,” Lois soothed Mindy. Then looking to her husband and daughter, she said, “I suppose we have a lot to talk about and some heavy decisions to make as a family. However, that will have to wait until Paul concludes his business with you all this afternoon.”

“Were you able to rush through the permits, Paul?” Jennifer asked.

“They should all be in tomorrow. The inspection is happening today. There was a scheduling conflict with our head inspector yesterday, so I called Armand today and set it up. I don’t anticipate any issues though. At first glance, the building is still structurally sound, and the former owner had improvements made to the property about two years ago, regardless of what the building was used for.” Paul had a slight look of distaste as he thought of the activities that must have gone within those halls.

Jennifer picked up on it right away and snickered. “I would imagine that it’s no different than what occurs in the brothels in the Midwest, with the exception of monetary exchanges. Honestly, I would have preferred my son engaging in such salacious activities there as opposed to some unsafe alley.”

“How can you be so calm about that, Jennifer?”

She thought a moment before answering. “I suppose it’s because I know that he wouldn’t have gone without Brian being there.”

“You still trust him, even after all that happened with Hobbs?” Lois asked.

“Implicitly. To tell the truth, after I’d calmed down about the situation as a whole, I’m glad that Brian was there in that parking garage. I shudder to think what could have happened if he wasn’t. And if you think about it, you will come to realize as I did that Brian was just as much a victim as my son. After all, he had to witness it.”

“You’re really okay with all of this, Jennifer?”

“Absolutely. And I have to say that Justin was a much better judge of character than I was when he picked Brian. There’s a good chance that had he been with my ideal- either girl or boy- my son would have been killed instead of rebuilding his life. Sometimes, just thanking God for the smallest mercies can lead to the most amazing circumstances.”

The Cromwell family left shortly after that statement. And while Connie and Molly went into the kitchen, Jennifer took a seat on the stairs. As so often of late, the question that kept running through her mind was if she would have changed anything about these most recent events that had befallen her family since Justin announced his homosexuality. Would she still have been as determined and self-assured to see Justin through all of this if Craig hadn’t forced her to choose between her marriage and the baby she’d nurtured from the time he was in her womb? Without regret or reservation, the answer always comes back ‘YES, I would have always fought for Justin’, regardless of whatever personal costs to myself. 

The funny thing, as she sat there, was that she didn’t feel as if she paid any price at all. Instead, she had her freedom to become the woman her father always knew she could; she had her own business and her best friend back; she was well-off even with having to fight Craig for what was due her, and she was finally growing up instead of being stifled based on Craig’s idea that she should just be as a stay-at-home wife and mother to give him the illusion of wealth and privilege. No, she was finally gaining the independence and autonomy she’d craved for as long as she could remember. But most of all, she had her family- both those she’d birthed and those she’d gained through Justin’s journey. There was no way she could regret a single moment of it.

“Jenn, we have to get to the hospital,” Connie ran screaming into the foyer.

“What’s happened?” Jennifer asked, getting to her feet in a hurry.

“The newest member of the family is about to make their appearance. Our Emmett’s about to become a father.”

HILTON GARDEN INN

ROBINSON TOWNSHIP, PA

All the way over to the new location of her mother, Lindsay fumed. How dare Lynette and Ronald allow Larry to treat her that way! And then for him to call her a piranha twat was just un-fucking-acceptable! But what was even more appalling to Lindsay was her inability to place the seeds of doubt into Lynette’s head about why Larry married her. Even now, she could picture Larry with his arm around Lynette as they stood there, making a fool out of her on the front doorstep of Ronald Peterson’s house. 

It was not to be fucking borne!

As she pulled into the parking lot of the Hilton, she resolved to get Nancy’s help in setting her life back to rights… please, IMMEDIATELY, and thank fucking you! Melanie and Brian needed to pay for every humiliation she had endured since Friday night. And if that restitution came in the form of a financial influx, then all the better. After all, they owed her for not calling the cops on them for essentially kidnapping HER son. 

It doesn’t matter that she was in the wrong for leaving him in the car. The bottom line is that Melanie should have been AT HOME waiting for her to return home on Saturday afternoon. But was she? NO! In fact the bitch had sold her house right out from under Lindsay. 

So, that said, Melanie owed her whatever money she had collected from that Harley-riding tartlet and that short-haired slut she fucked in college long before she met her. In point of fact, Melanie had not only a lot of apologizing to do, but some explaining to do as well. Like the fact that Shavonne Fuller was ever allowed between Melanie’s milky thighs in the first place. It would have been fine with Lindsay if Mel had simply used the belligerent black woman as a human dildo; the way Lindsay had done with her own affairs. But coming from Shavonne’s lips, it sounded as if there was more to that relationship than mere pussy-relief.

Practically stomping her way to the front desk, she requested that the clerk call her mother’s room to inform her that Lindsay was in the lobby. As she waited, Lindsay considered how to get what she wanted from Nancy. The problem was that her mother was Lindsay’s advisor in all the games she played with the people around her. Nancy never just simply agreed to a course of action without knowing up front what was in it for her. And therein lies the rub, because unlike the previous instances, Lindsay didn’t have ready cash or other currency at her disposal. 

Though having sex with Gardner, there was no way for Lindsay to miraculously end up pregnant again, due to her receiving her Depo-shot not even two weeks ago. She still would have been safe from unwanted pregnancy for at least three months, which was the amount of time it took for a normal menstrual cycle to ensue after cessation of the birth control. It still pissed her off that she had been warned off of going the same route with Judge Mathers, which is what she had already decided to do after speaking with Gardner early on Saturday morning. But shouldn’t the fact that he’s my half-brother count for something? After all, while she was being led to believe that she was a Peterson by birth, it turned out that she was actually denied all the rights and privileges knowing her real father could have afforded her. 

It was something she would have to think about just a little more, along with the proper way to approach the matter with Nathan. Perhaps she could use the fact that he’d been fucking many women within their social circle in exchange for personal favors. Surely, the judicial ethics board would frown at that. Maybe just the threat of exposure would encourage him to do her bidding, and order Gus returned to her care, along with the generous child support payments from both Brian and Melanie. She smiled at the thoughts running in fast-forward within her mind.

Mother isn’t the only one with an ace or two up her sleeve!

But then her smile dissipated as she remembered her own current lack of cash flow situation at the moment. All the money Lindsay had at her disposal at the moment needed to go towards her living expenses, beginning with bargain shopping at the fucking Big Q for her basic necessities. Once again, she cursed Mel, Brian, and Ted for their part in her enforced poverty. It wasn’t even like she could return to the bank to argue with the manager and make her demands with the threat of a lawsuit. Surely, because of the nature of her departure during the last visit, they would remember her. 

Which posed yet another problem… Lindsay remembered that Mel had once been bitching because access to records within the precinct had been split up, making it harder for her to pull information that was vital to one of her cases. By that reasoning, Lindsay realized that she could be in real trouble, even with Gardner greasing the right palm on her behalf. It didn’t help matters that Chief Stockwell had been indicted on bribery and a host of other charges. Hadn’t that Shavonne-bitch alluded to the fact that Lindsay’s early release on Friday evening was going to fall under the same close scrutiny they were currently undergoing? 

That was certainly NOT good news! She began to go through all of the men in her rol-a-dick that she’d slept with in order to garner a few favors of her own. Sadly, beyond Stockwell and another high-ranking official within the police department, she couldn’t remember any other time she’d done a cop. But if her mother had… Well, that would just be one more thing for Nancy Peterson to hang over her head.

“Lindsay, it’s about time you got here!” Nancy huffed, making her way to the hotel’s bar and grill area. She looked back briefly to make sure that her wayward daughter was following as she ought.

“It’s nice to see you too, Mother,” Lindsay responded wryly, before following in Nancy’s wake as she was expected to. Once seated in a far corner of the room, Lindsay began with her own attack. “And for the record, just how was I supposed to know where you were? My phone isn’t working any longer, courtesy of Melanie’s inherent nastiness…”

“Well that’s what you get for aligning yourself with the flea-ridden bitch in the first place!”

Lindsay heard her but went on as if Nancy hadn’t spoken. “And I’d only just found out from Lynette and that bastard, Larry after they forced me to remain on the doorstep. And let me assure you that they caused quite an unseemly display! It wasn’t until Da-erm-Ronald confirmed that you are staying here for the interim that I rushed right over here to see you.”

“Oh, and I could just imagine his glee at telling you that he’d put me out!”

“I don’t know if I would call it glee, Mother, but he certainly didn’t seem too broken up about it. He also said that he was divorcing you with the exact amount that you entered the marriage with. So...”

“So what?” Nancy asked acrimoniously in return. She rolled her eyes at the woman who had just placed her drink down on the table before the woman even had a chance to ask if they wanted something else. As she shooed the waitress off, Nancy took a large gulp from the tall glass of vodka, already hoping to drown out this conversation.

Lindsay, who had just finished taking a sip of the white wine spritzer she’d ordered, looked at her mother closely. “So how much does that leave you with, exactly?”

“Why do you need to know?” Nancy evaded.

“Because I wanted to see how much we would have to work with.” At Nancy’s puzzled look, Lindsay stated, “I’m staying in Gardner’s guesthouse for the time being and…”

“Well, that’s ridiculous! You should be staying in the main house. After all, you slept with him, didn’t you?”

Lindsay blushed before responding. “Of course, Mother. And I must say that he surprised me, so it was time well spent.”

“Apparently NOT, if you’re not in the main house where you belong.”

“He advised that it wouldn’t be the wisest course of action, considering that he is in the middle of a divorce from that she-wolf, Constance. And in regards to my own situation with Melanie, I agreed,” Lindsay lied. There was no reason to tell her mother that she had tried to get Gardner to reconsider and failed mightily. “Besides, we’ll be reviewing our arrangement once his divorce is final…”

“And what of your unfortunate mistake?”

“Pardon me? Mistake?”

“Yes, young Gregory, or George, or whatever-his-name is. I told you before you even did it that getting fat and pregnant was not a good idea. But no! You just had to have Brian Kinney’s baby, and now look at what you have… NOTHING! Except perhaps the lint in your pockets.”

“Well, I would imagine that you aren’t much better off for the moment,” Lindsay sneered back, before sighing. “Look, Mother, I didn’t come here to argue with you, or rehash our past incidents. I came to offer you a little help, in return for your ongoing advice until I get the situation with Brian and Mel back under control.”

“And just how do you plan to do that?”

“Have you heard from the private detective yet?”

“No. He called me yesterday to say that he had new information, but he never said what. Then when I asked him to bring me the file, but see Ronald for payment, he never showed up.”

“What do you mean?” Lindsay tried to tamp down her suddenly rising panic. She instinctively knew that whatever was in those packets, concerning Brian, Mel, and fucking Justin Taylor was vital to being able to control her situation again.

“Just what I said. When I tried to call Anthony Edmonds office to speak with him about his investigator’s lack of professionalism, I was put through to the answering service. I have no way of knowing if he’s even gotten the messages that I’ve left for him.”

“Well first thing tomorrow morning, I think you should pay a visit to his office. We need that information!”

Nancy nodded. “That we do, and for so many reasons that you don’t even know about.”

“What is it that you know, or at least, suspect, Mother?”

“I… I didn’t want to say anything until I had solid proof, but it turns out that Justin Taylor isn’t the gold-digger that you and that unfortunate friend of yours thought. He’s actually quite well-off on his own, and that doesn’t even include what he won in the verdicts of his case. Although he’s the Schickle heir on record, he was also left a sizeable fortune from his grandparents, which Craig Taylor had been siphoning from and is now being forced to pay back. Which means that you have a much more dangerous enemy than you know, Lindsay, since Justin Taylor isn’t going to be in the mood to spare you.”

“But that… I know what it said in the paper, but…”

“Trust me that what’s been printed in the paper as of yesterday, is only the tip of the iceberg barreling down on you, and everyone else who’s ever thought of him one-dimensionally.”

“But with Brian starting his own company…”

“There’s no way that he isn’t going to let Justin be involved in it, Lindsay, even if it’s just as a silent partner.”

“But that’s Brian’s business!”

“No. I suspect it’s BOTH of theirs.” Nancy reached across the table to pluck her fidgeting daughter on the knuckles. Narrowing her eyes, at the blonde, Nancy said through gritted teeth, “Now I will help you in any way I can, but in return, I want you to help me, Virginia, and Clara. We are being deliberately shut out of the Francesca Schickle’s wedding. I need you to finagle an invitation, and then take me as your second.”

“And just how am I supposed to do that?”

“I don’t know and I don’t care; just suck the right dick for once! We need to be there.”

Lindsay took umbrage at Nancy’s tone, but asked, “May I ask why the wedding of some useless chit is so important?”

“Because she’s co-heir to the Schickle fortune alongside Justin. Hammond can’t get to them, as Francesca has already told him that if he even tries, she’ll plaster his past with me and Clara all over the society. Not that they don’t probably already know, but some things just aren’t spoken of. It makes me think that she knows of… NO!... She can’t!”

“What?” Lindsay gasped in shock at her mother’s suddenly pale countenance. Reaching across the table to grasp Nancy’s hand, which was shaking uncontrollably, she said, “Mother, I can’t help if I don’t know it all. Now what has you so scared?”

“Not so much what, but who, Lindsay.” Nancy sighed. “We have to go see Joan Kinney.”

“Brian’s mother? Why?”

“Because although a low-lying heifer, she’s just as involved in this as we are. And it dates back to the days of her father; it’s the reason she was so determined that he marry you.” 

“Me? What do I have to do with anything?”

“There was a reason you went to Penn State, Lindsay. It was to meet Brian, but more importantly, it was so that Brian would have an introduction into Elite society.”

“But, as fucked up as it is, Brian now has that through Justin. So what does that have to do with anything?”

“Everything. Since her father’s will stated that Brian had to marry a woman of Joan’s choosing in order to gain access to his fortune. There’s a codicil in it stipulating how much of the estate was to be given to Joan.”

“But why is entry to the Schickle mansion so important at this juncture?”

“Because the will that Joan’s father, Alfred, left behind was left in Virginia’s care.”

“But that would mean…”

“Yes, Lindsay. Part of Brian’s blood is Hammond. Joan was born from Alfred Hammond’s first marriage, while Virginia was born from the second. While she inherited the family fortune, Alfred still made provisions for Joan, through Brian. Alfred, and my father never counted on Kevin Kinney disowning Jack at the time the will was made. My father was there as the witness who signed the document in front of their collective lawyer. Afterward, no matter how much Alfred and my father told Kevin he should reconsider, he never did, and Jack went about his life, so to speak. So Alfred and my father struck up their own deal to protect his… grandson and daughter. Should Brian live up to the family’s expectations in marrying a well-bred young woman, case-in-point, my father’s granddaughter, then the family fortune would be passed onto him.”

“And the will? What happened to it?”

“It’s still inside of the Schickle mansion within Virginia’s old rooms. It’s why we need to get it back. To either enforce it or destroy it.”

Lindsay sat thinking about all her mother had told her for a moment. If she could convince Brian… Well, one of the things she always loved about Brian was his ambition, and the fact that he was as money-hungry as she was. But Brian also wanted power, which was something Lindsay was now in the position to give him by way of Alfred Hammond’s will. “Mother, maybe this will all work out as it’s intended end after all.”

“Why do you think that? Brian is already so thoroughly entangled with Justin Taylor. I doubt that you will ever be able to separate them now since the young man is even more wealthy than Brian.”

“That’s true, but nobody knows Brian the way I do. Eventually, the fact that Justin doesn’t need Brian the way he needs to be needed is going to begin to rankle. And that’s where I will come in with this offer to gain Brian all his little heart desires.”

“And what is that exactly?”

“A way for him to rise above any and all things Jack and Joan Kinney stood for. Money is the ultimate vehicle for him to do that.” Lindsay smiled. “Let’s get your things, Mother, and get you into the guesthouse with me. I’ll need you close if we’re going to make this work!”

Nancy smiled at her daughter for the first time since sitting down. “You’re sure that Gardner won’t mind?”

Lindsay laughed. “Not at all, especially if it means a way to stick it to Brian and that little blond shit he’s so hellbent on fucking. That will be the first thing to put a stop to immediately. There is only ONE blond allowed to shine bright in Brian’s life… and that’s ME!”

THE SCHICKLE ESTATE 

SEWICKLEY, PA

(same time)

“Yes, Miss Frankie. I’ll have it opened in no time. I’m sorry it took so long to find the spare key,” the butler informed her.

“That’s quite alright, Jared. I can take it from here,” she said, as she took the dangling object attached to an old money clip from his hand. 

She examined it closely, looking for the initials ATH on one side of the object while moving towards the safe that was now exposed in full view. She’d had Jared and one of the handymen remove yet another of the fugly portraits of herself that Virginia had commissioned to be painted and hung on the wall. Poor wall! In all honesty, the painter had been kind, considering all of the ugliness of her mother’s personality, which was on full blast within the picture now laying on its side against the massive bed. Yep! This definitely belonged to Alfred Thomas Hammond. 

She turned back to the waiting butler for a moment. “I would imagine that it would have been hard to find since there was never a reason to use it before now.”

“And I take it that one has now surfaced?”

“Yes. Call it a hunch, or what my brother let slip in his chronic inebriation, but I just thought of something he said a while ago concerning Brian Kinney. It didn’t make sense to me that he would even know the name of Justin’s lover since my brother and our cousin were never close beyond the enforced interactions of family gatherings. But… well, my instincts are telling me that whatever is in that wall safe is what Hammond was alluding to.”

“I’ll leave you to it then, but…”

Frankie smiled back at the tall man, before assuring him, “Don’t worry, Jared. You’ll be the first person I tell if my suspicions are correct. I might need the backup.”

He laughed lightly in response. “Always at your service, Miss Frankie.”

As Jared departed the room, Frankie fingered the iron key in her hand. “Alright Mother, you bitch, let’s see what you and that bastard whose sperm contributed to your birth, have really been hiding…”