Secrets of the Spiral Tower (21 page)

“Thank you, Tony. I guess you surmised that I like Bloody Mary’s, huh? I’ll be out in a couple of minutes.”

Turning and closing the door Tony thought,
I want to spend the entire morning here
.

In a couple of minutes, Willow, wrapped in a white terry cloth robe, joined Tony in the kitchen.

“Tony, I had a spectacular night of dancing. I hope I didn’t keep you out too late. It kind of reminded me of a few times in New Orleans on Bourbon Street.”

“Admittedly, that was quite different from most of my evenings. It was absolutely delightful. And this morning is looking good, too. I would love to take a trip below the Mason-Dixon Line. I’ve never been farther south than Washington D.C.”

“That’s an idea Tony. You should make a trip to Vicksburg and we could drive to the Crescent City. You know after Hurricane Katrina, some said New Orleans would never come back. Much still has to be done, but the City and entire region thrive off of professional football. Now that the Saints are a Super Bowl winner, everything is showing signs of recovery.”

Willow leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, then on his lips.

“Why don’t we go to my bedroom?”

“But you’re so fresh and clean. Could I take a couple of minutes to shower, also?”

“Surely Tony, I’ll turn on TV and wait for you.”

“I’ll only be a minute. I don’t want you to get side-tracked by that TV.”

“I’ll only watch the news, so no chance of being distracted.”

Tony finished his shower in record time and walked to the side of the bed. Willow had removed her robe and was only slightly covered by a sheet. She was positioned in the middle of the bed with pillows under her head and on both sides. She reached up with open arms as Tony leaned down to meet her.

It was three hours later when Tony was awaken by police sirens coming from the street below. Looking at the clock on the night stand, he realized it was ten o’clock.
I
really should call my office and let them know I’m not coming in today
. 

As he moved, he apparently woke Willow who asked, “What time is it?”

“Ten o’clock.”

“Ten o’clock? I’ve got to get to my office by noon.”

“Aw,” Tony said, “Let’s play hooky today.”

Willow rolled to her side of the bed and placed her feet on the floor. “I can’t do that. I’ve got a deadline.”

“Okay then. I’ll get up and make the coffee.  I noticed you have eggs and bacon in the fridge. How about I make you a good breakfast?”

“I usually eat a very healthy breakfast, but considering the way my head feels and the amount of energy we expended, I probably would be better off eating a large, unhealthy breakfast. I cook one for myself ‘bout once a month.”

“Do you like your eggs scrambled or fried?”

“If we’re going to do it, let’s do it all the way. Make my eggs fried with crispy edges.”

“Will do. Take your time.”

Ten minutes later assorted cooking sounds drew Willow to the kitchen. “That bacon smells delicious.”

“I’ll fry your eggs now and butter the toast.”

“Thank you. I’ll pour us a cup of coffee. Do you use sweetener and cream?” 

“Yes. I like my cream-flavored coffee.”

Laughing, Willow said, “So do I.”

As they finished their second cup of coffee, Willow told him she needed to get ready to go to the office.  “I must tell you that I had a wonderful time. Thank you.”

Tony thought,
that sounds like my welcome is up
.

“Go fix your hair. I’ll clean up the kitchen and let myself out.”

Willow leaned over, kissed him on the cheek, and said, “Thank you. I’ll call you next week. Maybe we can go out again.”

“That would be nice. I look forward to hearing from you soon.”

Willow left the kitchen headed for her dressing room, stopped momentarily and said, “Be sure to lock the door.”

That afternoon, Willow arrived at her office at one fifteen. That was very unusual and out of character. Her M.O. was always to be on time if not a few minutes early. But today she was late. No big deal. She pressed the on button for her computer, but before the screen lit up, her desk phone rang. She recognized the number as coming from John’s desk phone.

“Hello, John. Sorry I’m late.”

“No problem. But, we do have a much bigger problem.”

Willow detected some anger in his voice. “What’s the problem?”

“Why don’t you meet me in the conference room? We need to have a private conversation. I’m sort of afraid my office is bugged.”

“Bugged? By whom? Why?”

“Meet me in the conference room in five minutes.”

“Do I need to bring anything special?”

“No. I just need to let you in on a problem and get your thoughts on a resolution.”

“Yes sir. I’ll be there in five.”

Willow arrived at the conference room four minutes later. She took a seat at the end of the long table and in less than a minute, John entered. Willow said, “Good afternoon, Boss. What’s the deal?”

With a strained look on his face, John took a seat to Willow’s right. In a low deliberate voice he began, “That damn Michael. He called my wife and told her vicious rumors about the two of us.”

Willow sat up straight on the edge of her chair and asked, “What?”

“He told my wife that we are planning a rendezvous under the guise of a professional trip to China. She cornered me and we had a huge argument. I stormed out of the house slamming doors and drove around for about an hour. When I returned, we had a very frank discussion about how talented and professional you are. And, the only thing that calmed her down was for me to cancel our trip.”

“Cancel the trip?”

“Yes. I need you to make all of the arrangements for us to handle the project via teleconference.”

“Boss, I hate to hear this. You have been such a great mentor to me and given me great latitude in my service here.”

“Willow, I recognized your potential and have never been disappointed.”

“Don’t worry I’ll take care of the teleconference. I’m just sorry you have to go through so much stress for no reason.”

“I love my wife and don’t want to lose her. Admittedly, I’m guilty of a few indiscretions in my younger days, kind of like the lyrics of the song, ‘Yesterday When I was Young.’ But, I haven’t strayed in thirty years.”

“We’re all guilty of things in our younger days that cause us pain in our later lives, don’t worry. We’ll make the China deal work.”

“Thank you, Willow. I knew I could count on you.”

“What about Michael? Is there anything I need to do?”

“No. I called and fired his sorry butt. I promised him I would let other ad agencies know about his unprofessional actions. After I do that, his chances of getting a job will be slim to none.”

“Maybe I should file an assault charge against him, just for the record.”

“That’s up to you. You do whatever your heart dictates.”

Willow returned to her office and began putting the pieces of the teleconference together. Two weeks later, the conference occurred and was a smashing success. Mr. Lim was so impressed that he extended the contract for another full year

“Mr. Lim and John, the agreement will have to be presented to a congressional subcommittee and the FDA,” Willow explained. “Approval by both groups is necessary before any products can be sold in the U.S. With persistence and good luck, we should be clear to move forward in six months. I don’t forsee a problem. Do you John?”

“No. I agree. We should be able to pull a few strings. I’ll put one of our lobbyists on the trail.”

“Thank you,” Mr. Lim said. “I look forward to our continued good working relationship.”

 At the end of the third year, the Chinese cosmetics were the largest sellers in the world.  Part of the agreement was a clause, whereby Willow would receive one-tenth of one percent of the profits as long as the products were on the market.  Willow filed an assault charge against Michael, but rather than prosecute him, she chose to have a permanent restraining order placed on him.

The success Willow enjoyed with this contract propelled her up the corporate ladder. When John retired, Willow moved into the CEO’s position. Over the next few years she became known in the advertising world as the “wonder woman.” Seemed like everything she touched turned to gold, except in her personal life.

Chapter 19

Throughout her professional life, Willow was known by peers and superiors as a hard-charging, take-no-prisoners type of person. She never shied away from an argument, and was always up front and forthright when defending her point of view. There was little room for her personal emotions to influence her decisions. She saw everything in two colors; black and white.

No gray shadows were ever cast upon her actions. This situation with Charlotte Keady, imaginary or not, had brought her personal emotions to the forefront. She felt strong, emotional ties to Connor and didn’t want to charge in and damage their relationship. She felt as though she had been deceived by Connor, but that was due to her emotional attachment to him. She was churning inside and knew sooner or later she must get the question out in the open: Just who is Charlotte Keady, and what is Connor’s relationship with her and possibly the young boy Hector mentioned?

All night she dosed off for a few moments, then suddenly awoke, as if being shocked by an electric impulse, each time finding Charlotte occupying her sub-consciousness.

Standing in front of the east-facing picture window, Willow opened the curtains only slightly, letting the sun’s rays enter the room. She was fearful of waking Connor if she opened the curtains more than a couple of inches. Fear was a strange sensation for her because she had never been fearful of anything in her life. Fearless is a trait her daddy taught her as a young girl while working in and around the Mississippi River tow boats and barges. She was always respectful of the dangers, but was able to conquer those dangers by sizing up a situation and developing a plan of action before moving forward. This time, confronted with her emotional attachment to Connor, she wasn’t able to plan the outcome. She, on one hand, was torn with the thought of angering Connor, and on the other hand, was pulled with a very strong feeling to know the facts.

After spending another restless night, Willow sat facing a slight opening in the curtains, head in hand. Deep in thought, she massaged her forehead and temples. She was in what could best be described as, a hypnotic trance, unaware that Connor had quietly walked up to her within arm’s length.

“Are you okay?” Connor asked, softly.

Suddenly Willow returned to the present moment. “Yes. I’m just reflecting upon my life, things I have done and things I regret having done.”

“I thought you had forgiven yourself and me for our foolish acts.”

“I don’t think I can ever forgive us until I do all I can to right the wrong.”

“Just what do you mean by that? Are you having a crisis of conscience thirty-five years later?”

“Connor, it is never too late to confess and atone for your sins. I guess this is as good a time as ever to discuss our secret problems.”

“What are you talking about? Have I done something …..?”

“Connor, you know our childhood secrets have never left my mind. They have been parked on a back road, but never out of my mind. When I was so involved in my career, I didn’t let my past take center stage. But now those memories are up front.”

Connor pulled up a chair next to Willow. “Just what are you thinking?”

“Okay, here goes.” Willow said, taking a deep breath and then proceeding. “I’m pretty sure you won’t agree with me, but it is something I’m hell bent on doing. I know there will be consequences.”

“Consequences? What are you talking about?”

“Here’s my thought. I want to go to our secret cave, remove all of the jewelry we stole, and return it to the rightful owners. Plus, I want to pay the owners a current appraised value. That way, I can feel that the financial losses the owners bore have been adequately recovered.”

“Are you completely crazy? Don’t you realize we could be headed to court, prosecuted, and sent to jail? That isn’t something I want to do, I can assure you.”

“Okay, then. I’ll take full blame and you won’t have to get involved. But it is something I must do.”

“Yeah, if you do follow through with this crazy notion, I’ll totally deny any involvement. Then it would be your word against mine.”

“Don’t worry, Connor, I’m a big girl and I won’t implicate you. I’ll take the full brunt hit.”

“Questions will surely arise as to how you were able to pull off those robberies all by yourself. I’m certain there are people around Vicksburg who remember how tight we were and want to implicate me. But, if you finger me, I’ll continue to deny any knowledge and involvement.”

“Connor, you do realize this is very difficult on me, but is something I have to do. But, as Daddy always said, ‘If it ain’t difficult, the rewards aren’t very high either’.”

“How are you going to break this news to your family? Especially, Rupert.”

“That, too, will be difficult. I want to shield Daddy if I can.” 

“That’ll be impossible. You know the
Vicksburg Post
will run with the story. I can see the headlines now, ‘Thirty-Five Year Old Unsolved Heist is Solved’. This could even get national attention. Since the robberies were not solved for such a long period, NBC could add this to their ‘Dateline Special’ series and title it ‘The Thief Confesses.’ You might become a TV star.”

“I don’t want any publicity. All I want is to clear my consciences and reimburse those who lost money because of my foolish, childish acts.”

“I’m sure the statute of limitation has run out, so you may not be prosecuted in criminal court, but you certainly will be tried in the court of public opinion. This could have a far-reaching adverse impact on McKenzie Towing. You need to think this situation all the way through. Here’s a thought. I could go to the cave, retrieve the jewelry, give it to you and you could take it to an independent appraiser. Then, you could mail the jewelry and money to the rightful owners.”

“Certainly, that’s a possibility. But our other secret will be much harder to solve.”

“What now?”

“I want to exhume our baby and have a proper burial for him.”

Connor fell back in his chair. “Now this is beyond any degree of sanity. You know that you and I could be accused of murder, tried, and put in jail. There is no statute of limitation on murder. I will not have any part of this. And, I totally forbid you to go any farther in this regard.”

The conversation made upset Willow.

“You’re going to forbid me? Who are you kidding to think you can forbid me to do anything? I’m telling you what I will do. Just as soon as I get to Vicksburg, I’m going to the cave and get the action moving. Now, you can come along or stay behind, whatever suits you.”

“Damn, Willow. You’re intent on destroying me, but I’ll kill you before I allow you to reveal these secrets.”

Standing up and assuming a defensive posture, Willow asked, “Kill me? You’re threatening me? I think it is time for you to get out of my sight before I kill you. All these years Daddy has taken care of you and now you are threatening me. You sorry ungrateful bastard, get out of my room!”

Connor shook his head, dumbfounded.

 Thinking this would be a good time to bring up Charlotte Keady, Willow asked, “Did you and Charlotte have a child? Is this something you conveniently forgot to tell me?” 

“Willow, I’m sorry for what I said, but you hit me with a ton of bricks. My whole life flashed in front of me. And, as far as Charlotte is concerned, she hasn’t been a part of my life in five years. She and the child have disappeared.”

“Disappeared? How convenient. What have you done to them?”

“Nothing. We just parted ways.”

Then you’re not denying you had a son with her? Okay, well, it doesn’t matter. Just get out of here. I’m calling the bellman and leaving immediately.”

“Are we flying back to Vicksburg on your jet?”

“I am. You’re not. Get back the best way you can. Just get the hell out of my sight now.”

“Will you call me when you get to Vicksburg?”

“I doubt it. I’ve got a lot of things to sort through and I know where you stand. I think this is the end of our relationship.” 

“Get out!”

Connor quickly dressed and out the door he went.

When the door shut, Willow checked to make sure it was locked. Realizing that Connor had a room key, Willow called the front desk and asked Gloria to come to the suite. In a couple of minutes, there was a knock on the door.

Willow asked, “Who is it?”

“It’s Gloria.”

“Great, Gloria, come on in. Thank you.”

“Willow, is something wrong?”

“Yes, Connor and I just had a very bad fight. And, I sent him away. I’ve got a couple of things to do, but didn’t want to be here all alone. I’m afraid Connor will return unexpectedly.”

“Not to worry. I’ll stay here and call for reinforcements if necessary. I’ll alert the bellman to stop Connor in the lobby if he shows up.”

“Thank you, Gloria. I’ve got to write a letter. Will you have some breakfast sent up? Hope you will join me.”

“Yes Ma’am. I’ll do that.”

Willow sat at the beautiful, ornate Mexican writing table and penned the letter.

Dear Woody,

I have enclosed an envelope with a personal letter addressed to you that must remain unopened, unless I become the victim of an untimely death. If that should happen, heaven forbid, please open and take to the proper authorities and please follow the instructions carefully. This is my way of correcting some of the stupid mistakes Connor and I made during our young years. If Daddy is still living, do all you can to prevent him knowing about the wild things I did.

Give Anne and Olga a hug for me every day.

Thank you so very much.

Love to you, Cuz.

Willow

She put that letter aside and began writing the second letter.

Dear Woody,

I’m writing this letter after having a knockdown-drag-out fight with Connor. I feel my life is in danger. I know you have no knowledge of what I’m about to tell you. We were spoiled kids and our quest for thrills drove us to take actions that became increasingly dangerous. We both knew what we were doing was wrong, but the adrenaline rush pushed us on and on.

I don’t think you know about the secret hiding place in the National Military Park. Conner and I hid out there many hours when we were growing up. As you are aware, there are many caves in the sides of the bluffs. Conner and I found one cave near the Fort Hill area, just to the west of the spiral tower. After we discovered a cave that was in remarkably good condition, we furnished the cave with a gas lantern, flashlights, candles, canned food, and water, and of course, a bed. It was set up just like an apartment.

Connor and I spent many hours, especially during the summer months and watched some spectacular thunderstorms move across the Mississippi River. During my senior year in high school, we began having sex several times a week. You can imagine what happened next. During a rain storm on Thanksgiving eve, I announced to Connor that I was five months pregnant.  Connor went berserk and started yelling and screaming. He insisted I get an abortion. I told him I would not get an abortion and planned to carry the baby to term. He became so violent that, even in a driving rain storm, I ran out of the cave headed for the spiral tower.

Our dirt path was slick as glass and as Connor chased and caught me, we slipped and rolled about 50 feet downhill winding up in a patch of blackberry briars. I told him to leave me alone, but he dragged me back into the cave. We were wet, cold, covered with mud, and scratched and bruised from head to toe.  We sat in the cave for what seemed like an eternity, not speaking. But probably within ten minutes, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my lower stomach and began to bleed. Then, just as quickly as the pain hit, I miscarried the baby.  There we sat, a pitiful sight, scared to death, not knowing what to do. I told Connor I needed to take the baby out to the hospital, but he flatly refused to let me leave.

I asked what he wanted to do and he said we should bury the baby in the cave.  I told him I didn’t want to do that, but he finally convinced me that was the right thing to do. So, I wrapped the baby in a beach towel and laid him beside me on the bed. Then I said, “We need a coffin if we’re going to leave the baby here.”

 Connor suggested we use one of the old army ammunition cans in Daddy’s barn to bury the baby. He left to get one and I cut up a beach towel into small pieces to make the baby a bed. When Connor returned, we dug a shallow grave and buried the baby. We placed a limb cross on the grave.

When I got home that night, I slipped in the back door and went straight into the bathroom. I took a shower, cleaned up my mess, and placed my blood stained clothes in a strong plastic bag. The next day, I took the bag to the cave and haven’t been there since.