Betrayal (31 page)

“Ughhh …” Tallie hated to think about it. “It’s very confusing. She goes to trial on the embezzlement in April. I think she goes on trial for murder with the state after that, and I think the civil trial will come up in about a year, or before that. She’s going to be pretty busy next year,” Tallie said ruefully, and Max nodded. It was still nearly impossible for either of them to believe. “I can’t keep it all straight.”

The FBI, their forensic accountants, and Victor were continuing to put evidence together for the embezzlement to tighten the case, and they didn’t need much input from her at the moment. They had all her information. The murder trial didn’t involve her, except to testify to Brigitte’s phone call before she went to kill Hunt, and whatever she had said before that. And Greg Thomas was preparing
the
civil suit, which really only involved restitution, and getting back as much money as they could from Brigitte, but the civil trial was a long time away. Tallie talked to Greg Thomas about it regularly, but it was all still very distant. Both government entities were still hoping that Brigitte would plead guilty, but she hadn’t agreed to do so. She had entered a plea of not guilty at both arraignments and was sticking to it, but that could always change closer to the trial dates. For now, it was all hanging out in space somewhere. And to Tallie, closure seemed like a long time away. She longed for the day when the court dates and formalities would be over and they could put it behind them, instead of having it looming at them from the distance. Tallie was dreading all of it.

“She was such a fool,” Max said, as they went upstairs together after they ate. Max had gotten compassionate leave from summer school for a week for Sam’s funeral. And then Tallie would be on her own again. She was so grateful to have Max home now. “She completely destroyed her life,” Max said about Brigitte, “her work, her relationship with you, her career, her trust, her credibility. She’ll lose her home, she’ll be in prison for years … and for what? A bunch of clothes on Rodeo, some jewelry, a nice house? And she killed a man. She destroyed everyone’s life, even yours.”

“She didn’t destroy mine,” Tallie said thoughtfully, “but she certainly impacted it.”

“I’ll say. You wind up alone, minus a million dollars, and your boyfriend is dead.”

“Yes, he is. But he wouldn’t have been with me anyway. He was already with someone else.”

“But you worked together, and you could have wound up friends.
And
he had a right to a life too.” Max was justifiably outraged and had been since it happened.

“Yes, he did,” Tallie agreed. It was all very sad.

“What’s happening with the movie?” Max asked. “When’s it coming out?”

“Before Christmas. December fifteenth.” She had spoken to his office and the studio recently, and there was going to be a lot of hype about it being the last movie Hunter Lloyd produced. But with or without the hype, Tallie felt good about the film. It was definitely their best, and maybe the finest work she’d ever done. She hoped it did well, to honor him. And it would be nice too to make back some of the money she’d lost when she was embezzled by Brigitte.

“I’ll go to the premiere with you,” Max volunteered, and her mother looked pleased. “I’ll be on vacation then. Maybe you’ll get nominated for an Oscar again,” Max said hopefully.

“I doubt it, but it’s a date for the premiere,” Tallie confirmed, and the two of them got undressed and into bed together, snuggled, and watched a movie on TV. It had been a long day, but together it wasn’t quite as bad for either of them. But they agreed about how terribly they were going to miss Sam. He would leave a hole in their life a mile deep.

Chapter 18

BEFORE JIM LEFT
for Alaska, he brought both his boys to the house to meet Tallie and Max. He wanted Tallie to meet them, and she was impressed by how mature and polite they were. It was easy to see how devoted the three of them were to each other, and how close. They were a lovely family, and both were handsome boys. And Josh seemed older than his nineteen years. Max had finished summer school, and Tallie was amused to see that she looked bowled over by Josh’s good looks. He was a great-looking kid.

The two young people talked about law school. Josh admitted that he was torn between playing pro football and studying law. And it was clear from the comments he made which choice his father would have preferred. Jim was hoping Josh would choose law. It would bring him more in the end. A career in football was enticing but would be arduous and short-lived. And Jim liked hearing what Max had to say about it. For her, the choice was
clear.
Her grandfather had convinced her years before, and she was enjoying pre-law at NYU.

Tallie made them all lunch, and they sat in her garden, before Jim and the boys left to do errands. They were leaving for Alaska the next day. And by the time they left Tallie’s house, a budding friendship had been formed between the three kids. Josh told Max he’d call her before he went back to Michigan and she left for NYU. He had even invited her to come to one of his games in the fall. And both parents looked pleased when they said goodbye.

“Have fun in Alaska,” Tallie said to Jim as they left, and Max walked out to the car with the boys. “You’ve got great kids,” Tallie said in an undervoice, and Jim smiled. He liked hearing it, and he thought so too.

“So do you. She’s a lovely girl. And she’s a knockout on top of it. She looks just like you.” She was even taller than her mother, but there was a striking resemblance between the two. The meeting had been a success, and both families were impressed by each other. They were healthy, normal kids, in each case with a single parent who was entirely dedicated to them, and it had paid off.

After they left, Max commented on them to her mother, and she was obviously enthused. “They’re cool, Mom. And Josh is really cute. I like Jim too. And Bobby is really sweet.” She liked the way they obviously got along with each other, and had a relationship of mutual love and respect. “Can we really go to one of his games?” She liked the idea. “I could fly in with friends from school,” she suggested, and Tallie smiled. Josh and Max had definitely hit it off.

“Maybe. Let’s see what’s happening in the fall.” Tallie wanted to start reading scripts after the summer. She was looking for a new
project
since she had bowed out of the next picture when her relationship with Hunt fell apart, so she was open to new projects and ideas. She knew that the best way to recover from the trauma of the past months would be through her work, and she was anxious to get involved in something again. She had no idea how long it would take her to find the right script, and it might take a long time. She would be ready to start reading scripts soon. Despite everything that had happened, she already missed working since finishing the last film. And she knew there was also something else she had to do. She had to start looking for a new assistant, which was going to be a major adjustment after working with the same person for seventeen years. She didn’t even know where to start, or how she would trust someone again, but she needed the help.

Jim called her twice from Alaska, just to check in, and she was happy to hear from him. She didn’t say anything to Max because she didn’t want to give too much importance to the calls. He was just being friendly, and he was concerned about her, but she didn’t want to read too much into it. But she liked the idea of getting their two families together again. It had gone well when they met, and their children were so important to both of them that it was a major plus. She could easily imagine them becoming friends. She and Jim had a lot in common bringing up their children on their own.

By the time Jim and the boys got back from Alaska, Tallie had called two headhunters and begun the search for a new assistant. She had met several possibilities and didn’t like any of them. They were too forceful, too brash, too meek, or too wrapped up in the
Hollywood
scene. And she and Max had both been unnerved when one of the women who came for an interview looked strikingly like Brigitte, and even had some of her mannerisms and a similar voice. Max had commented that they must have had the same plastic surgeon, which made Tallie laugh. But she didn’t want another glamour-girl assistant. This time she wanted someone quiet and unassuming, who was down to earth. She didn’t want a debutante, a trust fund baby, an ex-actress, or anyone too showy, or too impressed by Tallie’s success. She wanted an unpretentious workhorse like herself. No bling.

The first interesting candidate showed up the day before Max went back to NYU, and she liked her too. She had studied English literature, and had put herself through school at night at UCLA while working as a nurse’s aide. She was bright, in her early thirties, and more recently had worked as an assistant to a well-known screenwriter for five years. The job had ended when the woman she worked for got married and moved to Europe.

She looked neat and clean, and she came to the interview in a plain white T-shirt, jeans, and high-top Converse sneakers. She was divorced and had no kids, and she was pleasant to Max when they spoke for a few minutes. She had a motherly, nurturing quality to her, which was helpful in that kind of job. At the end of an hour, Tallie suggested she try out in the job the following week. She explained that her situation with her previous assistant had come to a traumatic end, but didn’t go into detail. She suspected that the headhunter had probably filled her in. And Tallie realized that it was not going to be an easy task for someone new to step into Brigitte’s shoes. She had done a great job, and Tallie
was
used to her. Working with someone new was going to be a big adjustment.

“I like her, Mom,” Max commented after the woman left. They had both noticed that she drove a pickup truck, which Tallie liked too. No Aston Martin or glamorous cars. She was exactly what Tallie had requested, someone smart, capable, and down to earth. Her name was Megan McCarthy, and she had freckles and red hair that she wore in a braid down her back. And she knew a lot about the film industry from her previous job.

“I like her too,” Tallie said quietly. “We’ll see how it goes.” She didn’t want to get too enthused about her yet. And this time Tallie’s bookkeeping was not part of the job. Victor was handling all that for her, and was sending one of his bookkeepers to the house once a week to gather information and pay bills.

And for the rest of the day, after the interview with Megan, Tallie helped Max pack the mountain of things she was taking back to New York. And they went out for dinner at the Ivy that night. It reminded them both of Sam, and Tallie fought back tears as they sat down at the table they’d sat at for lunch with him the last time they’d been there. She missed him terribly, and so did Max. His absence was sorely felt. And Tallie still had to go through his things and empty his house and put it on the market, but she couldn’t face it yet. Amelia was still coming in every day and keeping things clean, although Tallie had suggested she look for a part-time job. She really didn’t need her now more than a few times a week, if that.

When Max went back to NYU, as a sophomore this year, Tallie started reading scripts in earnest, looking for her next project.
She
finally felt ready to think about it and go back to work. There were several she liked, though none she wanted to develop, but she was enjoying the process of sifting through them. Just doing that, she felt better than she had in months. It was distracting and fulfilling, and part of a healing process for her. Work always was, and had been, her salvation for many years, particularly at tough times.

The week after Max left, Megan came in and started organizing things for Tallie. She was unassuming and bright, and Tallie liked her. The two women were very much alike in some ways, and Tallie had far more in common with her than she had with Brigitte, who had been the exact opposite of Tallie. And after a week’s try-out, they had accomplished so much, and Tallie was so comfortable with her, that she offered Megan the job. They were both pleased, and when she told Max about it on the phone, during one of their lengthy conversations, she approved.

Life was slowly returning to normal, despite the enormous changes that had occurred. Three important people had disappeared from her life, Sam, Hunt, and Brigitte, but new faces were finally appearing, and Megan seemed like a good addition. And Tallie’s conversations with Max had become even more fun than previously. Max had taught her to iChat before she left, and they could see each other on their computer screens while they talked. It was fun for both of them and made Tallie feel that Max was right there since she could see her. Max teased her mother that she was becoming high tech.

When Tallie wasn’t reading scripts, she and Megan began sorting through Sam’s house together, and Megan proved to be a hard
worker
as they packed up his belongings, which was emotional for Tallie. Megan was gentle and sensitive about it, and knew when to leave her alone, and do other things, when Tallie came across items that upset or touched her, some of them things that related to her mother.

Tallie’s goal was to get Sam’s house emptied by the end of the year, and have it painted before she put it on the market. She didn’t want to rush and just tear the place apart, and it was sad putting away all the objects, papers, books, and mementos that had meant a great deal to her father, or reminded her of him. He had left everything he had in trust to Max, including the house. He didn’t have a lot, but it would be a nice nest egg for her one day, particularly once they sold the house. The money would be useful for her once she finished law school, which was several years down the line. And Sam had taken advantage of a generation-skipping tax by leaving it all to Max, and he knew Tallie didn’t need the money.