Chapter Seven

 

Pamela was still shaking when she made it out to her car. She fished her cell phone from her purse and quickly stabbed in Westmore’s number. Black Jack had told them everything would be taken care of, but she and Westmore were going to be left holding the bag on that agent’s death.

“Hello?”

“Honey, it’s me,” she said. “The FBI is snooping around.”

“I know. They don’t have anything, so don’t worry about it,” he said soothingly.

“They have something,” she retorted, shaking. She didn’t want to go to jail, and he’d promised her no one would ever find out. “They talked to my sister. I don’t know what she told them.”

“What could she know?” he demanded. “You didn’t say anything did you?”

“No!”

“Just go home. I’ll be there later,” he said. “I’m going to settle things with him. Go by the bank first and get the tapes.”

“Okay,” she said.

“Don’t get high, Pam,” he said. “I mean it.”

He had to be crazy. She needed a line or two to take the edge off. “Okay.”

“You’ve got to get clean before you become a liability to us,” he said. “It’s rehab for you and while you’re in, I’ll have time to square things with The Hatter.”

“Fine, whatever,” she retorted. Maybe she did need to get clean. She thought more clearly when she wasn’t high, and she’d need her wits with the fucking FBI snooping around.

“I’ll see you later, baby.”

“Later.” She ended the call and leaned back against the seat. She had to call her brother. He’d make sure she was taken care of no matter what.”

****

After her meeting with her designer, Veda decided to call it an evening. Her father and Anne- Marie were expecting her for dinner, but she wasn’t in the mood. What she needed was a drink and a woman to make her body melt.

She blew out a sharp breath and gripped her rosary’s medallion.

There was a brief knock on her door but before she could answer it was opening to admit Claude. He gave her a smile.

“Hi, Dad,” she said. “I’m just getting ready to go meet a possible vendor. It’ll be drinks and dinner, so I won’t be able to make it tonight.”

He frowned. “Veda,” he sighed her name. “I made you an appointment with a new doctor.” He held up a card. “He has experience in treating women with eating disorders.”

She took the card and dropped it on her desk. “I’ll put it on my calendar. Have you thought about the perfume?”

“I’m not changing my mind until you’ve been working with this doctor for six weeks,” he replied. “And as part of that stipulation, you need to start dating.”

“Dad, I’m never going to be straight,” she told him coolly. “So we’re going to have to renegotiate, but not tonight. I’m going to be late. I want to go home and change.”

His gaze swept over her. “Why?”

She smiled. She wasn’t picking up anyone tonight, but she was going to have a good time and dance Sabrina off her mind. “I might go out after.”

“With a woman,” he said gravely. “You need a man.”

“I’d have to get plastered first,” she said coldly. “I don’t do men because I don’t get off when I’m with them. I have to fake it. Now, a strong woman wearing a strap-on, that gets me off.” She grabbed her purse to the sound of her father making what sounded like a choking sound. She glanced at him to find an uncomfortable look on his face.

“I didn’t need to hear that part.”

“I think you did,” she said calmly. “And furthermore, I think you need to hear this part too. I like dominant women, who enjoy S&M.”

“Enough,” he said, his face contorted into a grimace.

“Once you get it through your head who I am, you’ll stop trying to shove men off on me. I’ll let you know how I like your shrink tomorrow. After I tell him all about my big gay lifestyle, you might need to find someone else because that part of me can’t be fixed.” She breezed out of the office angrily.

Veda expected her father to follow in protest, but he didn’t. She was glad he was taking the time to take that in. The man loved her and had always acknowledged her as his child even when her mother was alive.

Anne- Marie had been unable to have children and was frigid on top of that. She’d come out of it but was starting to regress again. Veda thought it was because the woman was a lesbian and trying to force herself to live a life she wasn’t meant to live, but who was she to judge?

The elevator dinged and the doors opened revealing the woman of her thoughts. Anne- Marie gave her a smile as she stepped out.

“Good evening, Veda,” she said congenially. “You’re looking fitter these days. I guess that personal trainer is working out.”

“He’s doing his job,” she said with a shrug. Anne- Marie had introduced them.

“Yes, you’ve lost some belly fat. It looks good on you,” she said reaching out to pat Veda’s stomach. “I’m glad you’ve finally started realizing that what you think about yourself is more important than what anyone else can ever say.”

“I’m getting there,” she said.

“I’ve tried to convince your dad to stop with the check-ups.” Anne-Marie gave her a sympathetic smile. “How are the new designs coming?”

“Fine. Madelyn and I did some work on them today. The fabrics we chose are divine. I’m crunching the numbers after my meeting tonight to see if we can afford them. I’d hate to give up some of those really girly fabrics. The look won’t be right without them.”

“Your father won’t mind if you go a little over budget.” She shrugged. “He’s always been permissive when it comes to you.”

“Not always,” Veda answered softly. “I’m going to be late for my dinner meeting.”

“You need other interests. You work too much,” Anne-Marie said and frowned. “You need a lover or some girls’ nights out.” She smiled. “You and Lyssi and Cinnamon should hang out more.”

She smiled. Cinnamon was her cousin on her mother’s side and had become a familiar face with Anne-Marie’s family when Veda was in junior high. “Good evening, Anne-Marie,” she decided to take the stairs down. Waiting for the elevator would only keep Anne-Marie talking. She didn’t dislike the other woman. She just wasn’t up for another lecture on her life.

****

Sabrina left work earlier than she planned with so much paperwork still to be finished, but she needed to talk to Pamela one more time. She parked in an empty spot in the apartment complex where Pam lived and cut the engine of her Mustang.

She had her own key in case Pamela was passed out or dying. Tonight she wouldn’t give a damn. The girl had burned her last bridge with her last night. The attack on Veda had been unacceptable and assured that Sabrina wouldn’t give her a dime.

She let herself in and almost tripped over Pamela’s shoes. “Damn, Pamela,” she muttered. The apartment was quiet and smelled of day old trash and vomit. The flat screen TV mounted on the wall was on and a video was playing in the DVD player. She headed for the stairs that led to the first floor where the bedrooms were located.

“Pamela?”

She didn’t get so much as a groan in response.

“I’m here with the check.” Still no response. She must be passed out.

Sabrina checked Pamela’s bedroom and found her sprawled over the bed in her bra and panties. She rolled her eyes and headed for the spare bedroom where the computer was. The bed was neatly made and the desk was in perfect order.

She crossed the room to it hoping finding the video footage would be as easy as that. She was surprised to find a small stack of tapes lying on the desk along with SD cards. She picked up the cases and found two labeled Daddy and Sabrina. The other two were porn flicks that she left put.

The phone rang and rang and rang and rang before she finally heard the groggy voice say, “Hello?”

She looked at the SD cards next to the cassettes wondering if the boyfriend had had the videos copied onto them. She looked at them and found them labeled.

“I’m not high,” Pam muttered. “I was feeling sick so I lay down for a bit… I left them out for you. I think I’m going to give my brother the copies we made in case something happens. Did you take care of things with Trigger? …A thousand? My sister’s supposed to be bringing me a couple of thousand… I’ll be waiting for you. Yeah. Love you too.”

Sabrina rolled her eyes and heard something fall. Pam groaned, and she surmised it was her. Then the phone rang again.

“Damn it. Hello?”

“We need to talk about your boyfriend.”

She’d put the phone on speaker? Why?

“What’d he do?” she demanded and Sabrina heard something rustling.

“He’s careless that’s what he did. Now, I can’t fix this. I’m going to have to let it play out, but I want you to get your ass up and get out of there. I’m taking you to rehab.”

“I can’t just leave, Wes.”

“You have no choice,” Charles snapped. “His luck has run out and you’re out of options.”

“What about Sabrina?”

“Forget about her for now,” Charles muttered. “I’ll be there in ten minutes. Be dressed and ready.”

“I can’t pack in ten minutes even for rehab.”

“Forget it,” he snarled. “Just be ready and bring all the footage with you. Do you have copies of that night?”

“No. I only have the originals. Wes’s making copies tonight, so I picked them up from the bank today.”

“Yeah, he fucked up big time. The Hatter or the Bureau is going to get him before the night is over.”

“Charlie you have to help him,” she begged. “He only got into this because of—”

“There’s nothing I can do now, honey. Hang up. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“Fine. I’ll be waiting out front.” She heard a groan and then peeing.

The toilet flushed. Sabrina took the three cards labeled insurance and headed back upstairs as water ran in the sink. She slipped out the door locking it behind her, glad the copies she had were the only ones there were.

Pamela wouldn’t be able to hold anything over her head and she wouldn’t have to kill her.