Page 77 of Den of Iniquity

“It sounds terrible,” I said at last.

“I’m sure it was,” Marisa agreed, “and it got worse once Tricia started using drugs. A lot of the time the only food Serena had was what she got at school. On weekends, she went hungry except for what she could find dumpster diving behind fast-food restaurants. During those years, though, there were people who took pity on her and who would buy her an occasional meal or slip her a bit of cash now and then. Given the neighborhoods they lived in, some of those folks were pretty dodgy themselves, including a guy who made his living creating fake IDs, mostly for illegal immigrants.”

“The one who created the Caroline Richards ID?” I asked.

“You’ve got it,” Marisa agreed, “but you’re getting ahead of the story, and it’s almost like history repeating itself. Like her mother, Serena ran away at a very young age. When she was arrested for prostitution a couple of years later, her mom bailed her out of jail, but that was the last interaction between them. Serena never saw Tricia again. Instead, because of Serena’s good looks, she moved to Seattle where she was able to sign on with an escort service, which eventually led to her meeting a guy who still, to this day, is a respected local businessman as well as a mover and shaker in King County politics. He was completely smitten by her and kept her asa side dish for a number of years, paying her rent and buying her groceries.”

“Did she happen to mention a name?”

“Eventually. She conveniently left his name out of the story the first time around, but I managed to pry it out of her. He claimed he loved her and said that when his kids were older, he’d divorce his wife and marry Serena. She believed him, of course, but when she got tired of waiting, she decided that if she got pregnant, maybe she could speed up the timeline. That plan backfired big-time.”

“Let me guess,” I said. “Instead of marrying her, he kicked her out.”

“That’s right. It’s also when she got in touch with one of her friends from the old days, the guy who provided her with a new identity. Then she went on dating sites looking for a possible daddy replacement, because she was afraid she wouldn’t be any better at raising a child on her own than her mother had been. Even so, she didn’t want to give up the baby and she didn’t want the child to grow up without a father. That’s the real reason she zeroed in on Jeremy. Apparently he looks a lot like her ex.” Marisa paused and let out a long sigh before adding, “The whole thing is completely heartbreaking.”

I couldn’t have agreed more. Aloud I said, “Suspicions confirmed then. Jeremy isn’t the father.”

“No, he’s not.”

“But he’s planning on marrying her. Does she even care about him?”

“Care about him?” Marisa said. “Yes. Love him? Probably not. She said she liked being around Kyle and his friends because they were so much closer to her own age. She told me she ended up making a pass at one of them, but Kyle saw what was going on. Shewas afraid he’d tell his father. Instead, he ran away and went to live with you. She says Jeremy has been so devastated at the idea of losing his family that she’s worried he might become suicidal.”

The idea of Jeremy possibly committing suicide gave me pause. Suicide is the kind of death that leaves families forever asking themselves where they went wrong and what could they have done to prevent it. But before I had a chance to say anything, Marisa charged on.

“So I made her a deal,” she continued. “I told her she’s welcome to come live with me. Between my divorce settlement and my inheritance, I’m in pretty good financial shape, but it’s no free ride. There are a number of conditions she has to meet. Number one—she has to go home and tell Jeremy the truth about all this because, if she doesn’t tell him, I will. Number two—she has to resume her original identity. I told her that her father died years ago. No one is looking for her anymore. That’s all over and done with. She needs to go back to being Serena del Veccio. That way she’ll have a real identity as opposed to a phony one. She’ll be able to get a passport if she wants to, and she might even be able to travel.”

“What’s number three?” I asked.

“Once Jeremy knows the truth about her and the baby, if they decide they want to stay in a relationship, fine. If they call it quits, then she’s welcome to come live with me, but as long as she’s living under my roof, she has to go back to school. She has to get her GED and start taking college courses. I told her that I’m prepared to take her in and look after her and the baby until she’s ready to be on her own, but if any of those conditions aren’t met, we’re done.”

“It sounds like you made her a hell of a good offer,” I said. “What did she say?”

“When she left the hotel in Portland last night, she said she wason her way home to Ashland to tell Jeremy. I told her to let me know what they decide. If she wants to come to Arizona, I’ll fly her down. Jeremy gave her a car to use, but she doesn’t have one of her own. I’m waiting for a call back, but so far she’s maintaining radio silence.”

Once Marisa stopped talking, it took a moment or two for me to respond. “Wow,” I said finally. “This is all really generous of you.”

“It’s not generosity,” she said. “It’s called looking after family.”

“But it’s also looking after my family,” I told her. “You may be giving Jeremy an opportunity to set things right with his wife and kids. So thank you for that.”

“You don’t need to thank me,” Marisa said. “Your efforts on behalf of your family have given me the answers for mine that I’ve been seeking for years. I’m the one who should be thanking you, and if Serena decides to take herself out of the picture, maybe Jeremy’s wife and kids will be able to forgive him.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” I replied. “Hooking up with Caroline Richards wasn’t the first time Jeremy strayed off the marital path, and I’m not sure my daughter is willing to give him another chance.”

“Well,” Marisa said, “that’ll be up to them then, won’t it.”

“Yes, it will,” I agreed. “Let me know what happens.”

“I’ll be in touch first thing,” she said, and that was the end of the phone call.

Right then Mel emerged from the bedroom wearing her plush bathrobe and with her wet hair wrapped in a towel.

“Who was that on the phone?” she asked. “And are you okay? You look a little off—like you’ve just had a shock of some kind.”

“I’ve had a shock all right,” I said, “and you’re not going to believe it.”

Chapter 36

---