Chapter 10
First, CC decided to talk to Pearl.
He came to Johnny''s Place, the cafe where Pearl worked as a waiter, soon after it opened. There was hardly a customer other than himself, and it suited CC.
He occupied a table in the corner, and, natural enough, Pearl the waiter approached him. His dark hair was dishevelled; and there was his braid, his apron, his kitchen towel, his eternal earring - phew.
"Morning, Mr Capwell."
"Good morning Pearl. Or shall I say, Michael? Or Mr Bradford, rather?
Pearl''s amicable smile did not fade. "Pearl''s the name," he informed CC. "I like it."
"Ok." CC leant back. "Would you sit down with me for a minute - Pearl?"
"Don''t think I should. Ready to order?"
"Come on, there''re no customers here yet."
Reluctantly, Pearl sat down.
"Strange," CC remarked. "You dated my niece, then got friends with my own daughter, and all the time I had no idea you were a Bradford."
"Maybe it''s not important," Pearl supposed.
He did not like to be reminded of Courtney; as to Kelly, the wound still had not healed. He was trying hard to let bygones be bygones. He''d just started paying advances to an Eleanor Norris, and he was really trying to and forget about the Capwell girls*; they just were not for him.
"Well, it''s your life," CC agreed. "Pearl, you''re a sensible young man, and you know everybody out here - I get the impression you''re actually friends with everybody. What can you say of Julia Wainwright?"
This, Pearl liked even less. When someone like CC suddenly started on compliments...
"She''s my friend all right," he replied. "A very good lawyer who never goes against her moral principles. And a very good friend, too. You can ask Cruz, or Eden, or Ma-"
"Maybe I will but now I''m asking y o u."
"Ok, then I''ve answered. Anything else? A cup of coffee?" Pearl started getting up.
"Why did she want a baby by you?"
CC''s words made Pearl sit back. For a moment he looked at CC openly, in a kind of genuine wonder. "Would you like a cup of coffee?" he said then. "You know the rules, either you order or I ask you to go."
"I will order. I''ve asked you a question."
"So you have, and an odd one; what of it?"
There was a pause, and then Pearl said, in huis own benevolent tone, "You know what? You are a very unhappy man, Mr Capwell. You think you know the strings and keep everything under control, but in reality you haven''t the slightest idea what the people around you are like."
It was one of few times the ''great CC Capwell'' felt at a loss. There was something about Pearl, or about his manner maybe, that made CC wonder if he was right, instead of flying into a passion and showing the insolent youth his place.
After all, Pearl always seemed to know what everyone in Santa Barbara was worth.
"Why don''t you tell me," CC muttered.
"I''ve told you. You don''t want to hear."
*
On his way to Julia''s, CC was turning the talk over and over in his mind. A singular person, this Pearl Bradford. CC could see why his children thought highly of this eccentric individual.
But what about Miss Wainwright? He couldn''t place her yet. A good friend for Mr Bradford, a good friend for Mr Mason Capwell... Was it natural to get pregnant by your good friends these days? When CC was young friends were friends and lovers were lovers.
*
Julia was not too surprised when she opened her door and saw the tall lean figure of Mr CC Capwell: Pearl had called, warning her CC might come to ask some unpleasant questions.
"Ms Wainwright?"
"Good morning," she said without a smile, stepped back and made a broad gesture with her right hand, inviting him in.
Not for the first time, meeting CC, Julia noticed how domineering he was; you couldn''t help feeling at once who the boss was here. Against her will, for a moment she, too, fell under this spell, and had to make a conscious effort to shake it off. ''Poor Mason,'' she told herself, ''to grow in the shadow of such a man, and to strive to be loved!''
Julia''s pregnancy started showing, and CC looked at her belly openly. This helped her. She walked past him.
"What brings you here, Mr Capwell?"
"I want to ask you some questions, Ms Wainwright, if you don''t mind."
It never sounded like a polite formula with CC. "Yes?"
"What do you want from my son?" His lower jaw went forward, his lips set in a haughty mask of contempt and displeasure. ''Poor Mason,'' Julia thought again.
She was not quite ready for this talk as she never wanted any hostility, least of all - between her and the Capwells. And she was not quite sure how she should be talking to CC now.
"Nothing that he does not volunteer," she said after a pause, trying to sound dignified but not too hostile, in her own turn.
"You''re pregnant, I hear."
"I am."
"And you''re saying it''s my son''s baby."
"It is. Now, if you have any questions concerning this, you''ll have to keep them to yourself. Or ask your son."
CC glared at her; well, this was easier, this left her no choice. "What do you want from my son?" he repeated with more force.
"Why don''t you--"
The doorbell rang. "Excuse me." Julia opened the door.
"Ms Wainwright?"
"Yes?"
"We''ve something to deliver you..."
Men in florist''s uniform started bringing in flowers. There were so many kinds in so many bunches, all different forms and styles, from exquisite bouquets to very simple ones. Julia counted ten. The men were placing them on her desk, on the floor, anyplace they could find.
"What is it?" Julia said, amazed.
"Mr Capwell''s present."
She closed the door slowly, and then met CC''s questioning look; she did not know what to think herself.
"Starting a florist''s business, Ms Wainwright?" CC said sarcastically.
"No thank you, I''m quite happy to be an attorney," she replied automatically.
Her eyes fell on a replica of her yesterday''s bouquet, and she saw a little envelope. "Let me see..."
The card read,
"Dear Julia,
I''m ashamed to admit I do not remember what your favorite vase looked like. So, in case you don''t find one like that among these specimens, at least you will have something to break the next time I make you upset. I am sorry.
Mason."
She smiled.
"P.S. I''m very busy now; there''s something happening, but you don''t need to know. I promise I''ll get back to you as soon as I can, to resume from where we left. I do not want any misunderstanding between us; please wait and don''t start hating me."
Julia put the card back. "So it''s about the vases rather," she said to herself. Now she could see the vases and pots were all different, too, intended to suit the style of the bunches in them. She shook her head: only Mason would do this.
"So, Ms Wainwright--"
The phone rang. Julia gave a laugh - for some reason, she felt much more relaxed now. "Excuse me."
"Mr Capwell? No, I''m afraid he''s not here - oh wait a moment. Which Mr Capwell do you mean?"
She handed CC the receiver. "CC Capwell," he said, just like his son several hours before. "What? Coming."
He turned to Julia. "Ms Wainwright, you will excuse me."
She shrugged her shoulders. To excuse him was one thing, to forgive for this attempt to interfere, quite another.
tbc
* talk about ironic! :) poor Pearl
Chapter 11
Mason left Julia''s house intending to ask Pamela a question or two. For instance, how could it happen so that the documents they had intended not to use against CC were still being used. Pamela swore she had no idea, but Mason did not believe her. It alarmed him. He had been determined to support his mother against his father, but now, looking at her as she was rolling her eyes, Mason could only think coldly that she was lying.
Using the papers they would not profit in any way, and she had known it. But the facts revealed could seriously damage his father''s reputation. Mason suspected this was exactly what Pamela wanted; he was aghast.
"Where are you going?" she asked him.
"To Dad," Mason said curtly. "I must try to undo the harm and help him out of this," he added icily.
But when he came to the Capwell mansion CC would not see him. Well, this was hardly surprising; but not the attitude of Eden, or Kelly, and Ted. None of them would talk to him. Now, this was strange, accustomed as Mason was to doors shut in his face. Little by little, Mason had to realize there were many more things happening than what he knew of. He shut himself in his office and started gathering the information.
By the end of the first day he had enough to see someone was deliberately drowning CC, attacking him in several ways. Mason could not tell who that enemy was, and it was scary; usually in the business circles you get to know such things if you are generous with your informants.
It was too obvious, though, than Mason''s own family had jumped to the conclusion - or had been led to believe even - that the one behind it was the black sheep, none other than Mason Capwell.
Mason cursed everything and dove into decyphering the mystery. The deeper, the more stunned he got at the mere venom of the unknown ill-wisher. The venom directed at both his father and at him.
If only they could unite their forces!
But the evil person seemed to know the situation within the Capwell family really well. CC did not trust his son, he never had. It was no time for him to learn to, now.
Mason was left to his own devices.
A few days passed, and suddenly Mason realized that what was happening was not limited to the court proceedings and the paper business. Not only CC''s mistakes and possible crimes; there was bribery involved, blackmail, libel and threats, and for the first time Mason saw it was complete destruction the invisible enemy was aiming at.
*
Mason let the nanny go; Matt was sleeping. Mason watched the little one for a while, his mind on the malicious schemes played out against the Capwells. He felt as if he were in the center of a global nightmare, and that a nightmare of a madman. The only person who''d not let him down now - he just needed to get to Julia, and the nightmare might stop scaring him so. A legal adviser, and a loyal friend - he needed her in both the roles. He needed a friend now that everyone had turned away from him; he could use legal help, too.
He dialed her number. "Julia," said he hastily, "I need your help."
"Mason?" she said, and her voice, so familiar, made him sigh with relief.
"Mason," she said, "you bastard, how do you dare to turn to me for help? I told you to get lost; I told you never to call me again."
Mason froze. It was no nightmare. It was an apocalypse.
The last time he''d seen her she''d told him nothing of the kind. He''d been holding her in his arms, enjoying the warmth of her body, the aroma of her hair, the feeling of security and serenity. The last words she said to him were not to get lost, but to take care.
"Ju- Julia," he stumbled. "What''s wrong? Let me come over, and--"
"Don''t!" she yelled. "Don''t you come close. If you disconnect now, I will never, ever talk to you again, you hear?"
Ironically, that was the truest thing she''d ever said today, Julia thought. The feeling of the cold knife blade on her neck made her shiver inwardly.
tbc
/Olga Lisenkova/
