Cherry Two

Part 21

Chapter 19

Throughout the return drive along California's scenic coastline, Calley waged war within herself. She'd agreed to keep secret the newly forged relationship between Robert and Alain, despite not fully accepting the hypothesis that "what Sonia didn't know wouldn't hurt her." Calley had posed the question a hundred times in her head: why should a natural interaction between formally estranged grandfather and grandson be so disturbing? Granted, the tragic death of Calley might have been avoided if it hadn't been for Robert's rampant hubris and thirst for revenge, but that was a quarter-century past. Surely today's older, mellower Robert Nameth wasn't the same man?

Calley looked down at the parcel on the car floor between her feet. Robert had given her an abundance of material about his daughter's case; all saved over many years and now relegated to history. News clippings, articles, photographs, police reports, each item meticulously documented and chronologically filed.

In fact she hadn't even needed to ask. It seemed Robert had been waiting for just such a moment when someone, not unlike herself, happened along with a burning desire to know it all. By divesting himself of the files, the ledger now closed on the stack of memories the man had forced himself to confront day by day. And once transferred to a new generation, he could finally initiate the process of starting to forget.

After negotiating a curve, Alain glanced across at Calley. "What did you think of Robert's place?" he shouted over the wind noise.

"I think it suits him," she shouted back. "Not big and flashy like Sonia's house."

"Instead of cars he now has sailboats. Did you see all the photos on his study wall?"

Calley smiled with a nod. At highway speed, talking with the top down seemed like too much work. Only in movies could convertible occupants converse in a whisper while the scenery flashed by and the wind barely fluffed their hair.

She'd taken to the Monterey Peninsula experience far more than sprawling LA. Despite parental divorce problems, it wasn't hard to imagine the idyllic, wealthy lifestyle Sonia and Calley had enjoyed during their childhood. Somewhat isolated, left alone too often by hyper-busy parents, the maturing sisters became closer and more self-indulged. When the drug scene reared its ugly head Calley was the one to fall victim, while younger Sonia maintained enough reserve to resist.

Exactly what had transpired in the Pebble Beach cemetery still confused her. Had it been a voice inside her brain? No, perhaps not a voice so much as a feeling—some transference of kinetic energy that manifested into an urgent message she shouldn't ignore. It felt like a confluence of many things were gelling into this critical moment. A pressing thing needed to be done before a window of opportunity closed.

The time was now, and only now.

***

Upon their late afternoon arrival back at Castellamare, the huge house remained deserted except for Rosetta the housekeeper, who fast explained in broken English that Keenan and Sonia were still downtown on department business. It seemed brother Kent had his own urgent business along the shoreline that would keep him there indefinitely while the wind made the surf break just so and there were girls to cheer him on.

Calley dumped her stuff on the bed then changed into a new Rio-cut bikini she'd bought in a Monterey boutique. Barefoot, she ignored the house rule, raided the kitchen, and headed for the pool deck.

"Nice outfit." Alain looked up from a lounger as Calley's minimally covered backside paraded by only inches from his nose.

"Oh, my goodness, you noticed," she said in sarcastic tone while seating herself across from him. "Here, have some cantaloupe."

Instead of taking it, he squeezed into the chaise beside her and let the girl feed him the melon with her fingers.

"Enough, enough," he spluttered as the fruit overflowed and trickled down his neck into his chest hair. As he munched his eyes searched her impudent face, framed in unruly auburn curls.

"Well... what are you thinking?"

"Can't a guy have any privacy?" he mumbled.

"Hmm, no. I tell you everything." A manicured finger tried to tidy up his mouth.

The chewing slowed followed by a swallow. "Then I can be personal. I was kinda' wondering if you were still a..."

"Go on. Still a what?"

"Virgin. Oh, Christ, now I've done it!"

Her other hand strayed down to the waistband of his shorts. "Why don't you find out?" she whispered with her mouth a scant inch from Alain's ear.

At first he just stared into her face. Of all the things a beautiful female could propose, this had to be the ultimate invitation. Yet absurdly the invitation had been there all the time; since the first moment they met. Something was wrong and made him hold back. Not chemistry—hell, no. Of the smattering of females he'd known, this one blew the lid off. Granted she was too young, but oh so ripe and eager. Here she lay, almost naked, eyes twinkling in the waning sunlight, issuing an open invitation to paradise.

"Well, are you going to kiss me or what?"

Melon juiced mouths came together as Alain rolled on top of the girl, feeling her sun-oiled skin slide against his. At some point the warnings became blocked by sensation rush. Testosterone flowed in deference to common sense. Warnings aside, Alain was lost at sea. He now sailed headlong into uncharted waters with the little head firmly at helm.

Whoop! Whoop!

The short "pull over" siren burst made Alain jump out of his skin. It was often the noisy way Keenan announced his arrival home in the unmarked cruiser.

As Alain and Calley scrambled on the sundeck, Keenan, ever the gentleman, held open the car door for his wife. The dusty Mustang convertible sat in the courtyard; solid evidence of the wanderers' return.

Sonia was first through the sliding doors onto the deck, unbuttoning her business suit top at the same time. "Oh, there you are. Been swimming?" She bent down and gave Alain a kiss, then the same to Calley.

"Umm, hi, Mom. We were just about to." Alain wondered if Sonia could smell Calley all over him.

"That's new. A bit daring isn't it?"

Calley smirked at Alain's adjacent discomfort. "No more daring than yours, Aunt Sonia. You look tired."

She seemed to collapse into one of the loungers as Rosetta's face appeared in the glass doorway. "Totally bushed. Bring me a Bloody Mary would you, Rosetta? You guys want something?"

Both Alain and Calley shook their heads.

"It's turning into a nightmare," Sonia muttered as she closed her eyes and shrugged off the grey top.

"What is?"

"Oh, nothing that concerns you, Calley. I'm trying to do a psychiatric profile on some degenerate asshole that should be vaporized, not studied. Keenan got me into it. Forget about work. So tell me what transpired up on the peninsula? Alain phones, yet never tells me much, do you, tightlips? I can read Kent, but not this one. He's so damn evasive."

Alain's eyes bored into Calley's face half knowing what she wanted to say. In the event she did spill the beans about Robert, would it be so bad?

How long will it be before Calley gets her way with Alain? And will Sonia and Keenen be any the wiser when she does? There's a secret reason why this should never happen and the parents know it all too well.

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