Emerald's Secret

CHAPTER 14 - WARNINGS

At that same moment, Emerald Ciano sat at her dressing mirror, sifting through her jewelry box, deciding which earrings to wear at the evening's dinner. She had spread a glorious green dinner gown across the bed behind her.

Big C entered the room and crossed to her. He took her hand and kissed it. She smiled at her husband.

"Is his name really Dupree?" her husband said.

"What?" Emerald's smile tightened.

Big C took a tiny digital recorder from his pocket, thumbed a button, and they heard Greg's voice saying, "Did you stop dating cops after you dumped me, Emerald?"

And they heard Emerald's voice: "I never dumped you ..."

Big C switched off the machine and dropped it onto the dresser.

Emerald's smile wavered, but she pulled it back into shape.

Her husband said, "He's supposed to be some fag named Dupree. Here with his parents and his sister. But he's really a cop, ain't he."

"He was a cop back in Montana," Emerald answered smoothly, "but that was nearly ten years ago now. He quit the force and moved away. Homosexuals don't do very well in those little cowboy towns—"

"What did you mean, you 'never dumped' him?"

Emerald hesitated barely a fraction of a second, then her smile widened. "I never dumped him 'cause I never dated him, you big sweetie. He helped me with my schoolwork – he probably had a girlfriend-girlfriend crush on me, and I probably wouldn't have graduated high school without his help – but he's gay, Teddy!"

She took both her husbands in her own. "If I had wanted Greg, I wouldn't have stayed in Montana when he left. And I wouldn't have met you and fallen madly in love – for the first and only time in my whole life."

Big C studied her face. She appeared totally earnest. He bent down and kissed her lips gently. Then he picked up the recorder from the dresser and held it out to her.

"You might like to hear what his family has to say about you. I don't think his sister likes you very much."

He turned to go.

Emerald stared at the micro recorder as if it might bite her.

Big C stopped at the door. "You gave him some good advice about staying away from you. I hope he takes it. And if it turns out that he is a cop, and I catch him snooping around my casino, he's shark bait."

When her husband had left the room and shut the door, Emerald pressed the Play button.

After Greg had given his report to Terry on the Fitness Center search, he went searching for his parents, to begin the next stage of their mission. He found them on the beach, and with them was Irving.

"It's time for golf, boys and girls!" Greg said to his parents when he joined them. To Irving, he said, "Can you be our fourth, Handsome? Or aren't you allowed to mix business with ... pleasure?"

Irving's face indicated he did not want to mix anything with Gregory Dupree – and certainly not anything Gregory might consider pleasure.

At poolside, Emerald Ciano's shadow fell across the book Teresa Dupree was reading. Terry looked up to squint into Emerald's face, shading her eyes from the glaring sun with one hand.

Emerald said, "Aren't you Greg ... Dupree's ... sister?"

"If you're looking for Greg, he's on the golf course."

"I'm looking for you, actually. You know, we have excellent stables here, and beautiful equestrian trails. Can you ride with your injured foot?"

Terry smiled. "I can ride even with no feet at all."