Eating a Star
Despite the smog, it was one of those bright days in Los Angeles when the beautiful, sensual movie actress Sharon Stone entered her favorite restaurant, the counter downstairs at the “Beverly Hills Hotel,” the “Fountain Coffee Shop.” She had been starting her days here for years, enjoying the relaxing atmosphere despite the presence of others from rock-and-roll and other movie stars to business people and moms with their kids. The “Fountain Coffee Shop” was an oasis where one could enjoy pancakes and coffee for breakfast or their forever special “McCarthy Salad” if one happened slept in and missed breakfast. While waiting to be served one could read any of many newspapers, from the “International Herald Tribune” and “New York Times” to the local such as the “Los Angeles Times.”
After breakfast because she loves the ocean, if she has time, Sharon often goes to Venice Beach to exercise or just to enjoy watching other people of all kinds from the svelte, tan beauties whose bodies are covered with as little fabric as possible for modesty’s sake that shows their cleavage and tight, thong-covered asses, many of whom roller skate through the bustling crowds, to others wearing gaudy clothes.
Sometimes she goes to Muscle Beach where the muscle-building hunks pump iron, their bodies covered with oil and dripping with glistening sweat. There are “still rings” and “balance beams” at Muscle Beach, and Sharon often works out on the rings, surprising herself that she can “stand” in the still rings.
In addition to loving the ocean, Sharon also loves to fly kites and sometimes goes to Malibu Beach to fly kits in the cool, Pacific breezes coming out of the Northwest with the sounds of crashing waves kissing the tan, sandy shore.
To give herself a special treat Sharon loves to go with a girlfriend for the day to “Beverly Hot Springs” that is a real hot spring bubbling up out of the ground. Inside the distinctive building one gets a locker, takes off all her clothes, and goes and sits in the hot spring. Here one can relax all her tight muscles and the tension of the day.
Having allowed the body to relax and become stimulated in the hot, bubbling water, one takes a plunge into a cold pool, shocking the body back to reality. Going back and forth from hot tub to cold pool continues until it is time to go for a massage. Sharon always signs up for a full body scrub and massage.
This isn’t just any scrub. According to Sharon they scrub you as if you are a farm animal. Once on the table the one giving the cleaning and massage scrubs one from head to toe. After the scrubbing, one is flopped front and back, having bowls of hot spring water out of a big bucket thrown all over her. Sharon says she thinks this is marvelous.
Having finished with the scrubing and rinsing with the hot spring water, the mesusse scrubs one with cucumbers that she grates in the room along with milk. She just throws the cucumbers and milk concoction all over one from head to toes. After sufficiently covered with the mixture the hair is washed first and the face is scrubbed, and then she stands one up and hoses one down with the hot spring water. After all this is done Sharon says you feel so clean with one layer of skin just ripped right off you.
After the scrubbing and washing are over, one goes back into the hot spring to soak and relax until it is time for the massage.
Sharon’s meusse for the day was Zoe, a “Greek” word meaning “life.” Zoe came up to Sharon who was sitting in the hot tub with her head leaning on folded towels back against the edge. Her eyes closed, and she was breathing very slowly, and with each breath Sharon’s breasts rose and lowered themselves in the water, her nipples and areolas standing out very crimson red from the heat of the water. Zoe came up to Sharon, but Sharon was so relaxed and lost in the warmth of the hot tub, she didn’t realize Zoe was there.
While standing there Zoe couldn’t help but notice Sharon’s beauty: her puckered nipples rising and falling with the up-and-down movement of her breasts nor the black triangle of Sharon’s pubic hair between her lovely legs. Even from this angle Zoe could see Sharon’s breasts and chest taper into a narrow waist and then flare out into rounded, well-formed hips that extended onto her firm thighs and slender, musclar calves.
Zoe saw, and what she saw she liked, and while standing there studying Sharon’s body, Zoe’s heart beat faster, and she began to breathe a wee bit faster and deeper. Zoe’s dark eyes took in everything, and in her mind she pictured herself with her hands moving all over Sharon’s body as she gave her a full-bodied massage.
With that image in her mind, Zoe cleared her throat to let Sharon know she was present.
“Ahummmm, Miss Stone.”
Slowly Sharon opened her eyes, and Zoe stared into Sharon’s beautiful blue eyes, looking like pools of greenish=tinted turquoise.
“Oh, I didn’t hear you come in,” said Sharon, she looking back into Zoe’s dark, Mediterranean eyes, her olive-colored skin, and wavy-dark black hair that was tied up into a round knot on the back of her head.
Sharon also didn’t miss Zoe’s lovely body clothed in tight-fitting, white shorts that allowed her to see the outline of Zoe’s pussy and a halter, white T-Shirt with “Beverly Hot Springs” emblazoned across the chest that was thrust out by Zoe’s large, firm breasts. She did not fail to notice Zoe’s nipples were obviously hard and erect as they pressed against the material of her T-Shirt. The T-Shirt also went just below Zoe’s breasts, showing the smooth skin of her midriff. Zoe had a silver bellybutton ring navel which, against her olive complexion, looked very sexy to Sharon. While taking this all in, Sharon wondered on one hand why Zoe’s nipples should be so erect and obvious, but on the other hand she knew within herself Zoe had become excited seeing her nude both during the scrubbing as well as now seeing her naked in the hot tub.
Deep inside Sharon responded to these ideas running through her mind, and becoming aroused herself,gooseflesh puckered around her crimson-pink areolas, and her nipples thrust forward hard and erect. Sharon also felt herself becoming wet between her legs.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, Miss Stone. You looked so relaxed, but I came to get you to give you your full-body massage,” said Zoe, accentuating the word “full-body.”
With images of Zoe’s hands and fingers all over her Sharon smiled up at Zoe and said, “Call me Sharon, Zoe. After all, you’re standing there seeing me completely naked, and you’ll be running your hands all over my body.”
“All right, Sharon, if you wish,” answered Zoe with a throatiness in her voice, and then extending her hand to help Sharon out of the hot tub, Zoe added, “Then let me help you out of the hot tub, and we’ll go into the room for your massage.”
At the touch of their hands, the two felt a warm, sensual current flow between them, causing their hearts to beat faster. And both Sharon and Zoe looked knowingly into one another’s eyes.
With Sharon’s hand in hers Zoe led Sharon into the massage room, having a slight smile on her impassioned face.
“Okay, Sharon, let’s get you up on the table. Lie down on your stomach. We’ll start on your back.”
Without answering Sharon crawled up onto the massage table that was covered with a clean, white sheet.
Sharon felt her full breasts press against the coolness of the sheet, and her body luxuriated in the tactile contact with the rest of her body from her head to her toes.
“Lift up your head, Sharon, and lay it on these pillow. Relax yourself, feeling any tension drain from your body. This should be easily done because of your soaking in the hot tub and your scrubing.”
Sharon did as Zoe told her and anxiously awaited her touch.
Zoe stood at Sharon’s head and poured a fragrant oil with aloe into her hands and rubbed the oil into the palms of ther hands and all over her fingers. Having done this, Zoe layed her stretched fingers onto Sharon’s ears and slowly began to message them gently, slowly circling them with the tips of her fingers from the outsides to her delicate earlobes. Zoe took Sharon’s earlobes between her thumbs and forefingers and gently massaged them, letting the sensation course through Sharon’s body.
“Mmmmmmm, Zoe, that feels so good. So relaxing. You have such a wonderful touch.”
Zoe smiled inwardly at Sharon’s words, glad that her touch was already having such an erotic effect on her.
From her ears Zoe moved her fingers over to Sharon’s temples and massaged them in a circular motion. This relaxed Sharon even more. From her temples Zoe continued down the sides of Sharon’s neck, circling and massaging the muscles as she descended towards her shoulders. With her tactile fingers on Sharon’s neck where her arteries are Zoe felt Sharon’s pulse in time with her heartbeat.
“Relax your shoulders, Sharon, while I relieve any tension you might be feeling,” Zoe encouraged as she massaged Sharon’s muscles that run from her neck to her shoulders, rolling them and gently pressing them with her thumbs. As Zoe did so, she felt Sharon begin to relax beneath her touch, and she heard an audible moan and heard Sharon inhale deeply with contentment.
“Oh,yes, Zoe. That’s it. Your touch is like magic,” sighed Sharon.
Zoe looked down at Sharon’s prone body, beginning at her head, past her neck, over her shoulders, down her curved back that had a beautiful indentation down the middle of her back. From here Zoe saw the smooth rise of her flared hips onto her round buttocks, not missing the crack between between her ass that met at the seams with her molded thighs that extended to her curved calves and dainty feet.
“She has such a beautiful body,” Zoe thought to herself, feeling herself becoming more sexually aroused, so much so she felt very wet between her legs. There was even a wet stain of her tight, white crotch.
“You have such a beautiful body, Sharon,” Zoe said as she poured the aloe oil onto her back and moved her hands down, working from the inside along her spine and outward to her sides. Zoe’s slippery, oily fingers worked Sharon’s back and side muscles, working her way down to her waist.
Upon reaching Sharon’s waist, Zoe opened her fingers and rested her hands on Sharon’s waist and gently squeezed, pressing her fingertips into Sharon’s supple flesh on her sides with her thumbs resting on her spine.
“How does that feel, Sharon?” asked Zoe in a soft, sensual voice.
“Mmmmmm, it feels wonderful, Zoe,” answered Sharon. Your hands are magic.”
“I’m glad you think so, Sharon, but if you think what I’ve done has felt good, this is going to feel even better.”
And as Zoe said this, she moved her hands from Sharon’s sides up the slope of her butt, kneading her flesh as she moved them enticingly up, over, and around the soft, but firm, globes of Sharon’s ass cheeks. Zoe moved her hands from the outside of Sharon’s ass to the inside until her fingerfips reached the seam between her ass cheeks. Once there, Zoe slid her fingertips between Sharon’s ass cheeks all the way down to the point where their creases meet the top of Sharon’s well-formed thighs. At the same time, Zoe spread Sharon’s ass cheeks and slipped the tips of her fingertips across the top of her anus.
Sharon shuddered under Zoe’s touch and tingled with sensual energy that had been building with the ongoing touch of Zoe’s fingers and hands.
“Oh, Zoe, that feels so wonderfully good. Your touch is very exciting,” Sharon sighed.
“I’m glad you think so, Sharon. That’s the purpose of a full-body massage,” Zoe added.
And as she spoke, Zoe continued to move her hands from her ass cheeks to Sharon’s thighs where she rolled her muscles, feeling them relax under her gentle but firm touch.
When Zoe reached Sharon’s inner knees, she poured more aloe oil and worked it into the sensitive cavities and worked it into them.
Sharon giggled gently. “That tickles, Zoe, but don’t stop. It feels so good.”
Zoe did as Sharon asked and continued to run her fingertips softly on and around the inner knees, but soon she moved on to Sharon’s muscular calves and to finish her backside, ending by rubbing Sharon’s pads and heels with her oily hands.
With erotic anticipation, Zoe said, “Okay, Sharon. Time to turn over onto your back.”
Without any reluctance Sharon, feeling quite comfortable, rolled over onto her back. Now Zoe could look at Sharon’s face and let her eyes follow Sharon’s luscious body that lay before her, knowing her hands would soon be all over her, every inch of her.
While keeping her in her sight, Zoe walked up to her head.
“Close your eyes, Sharon, and we’ll do your front now,” Zoe said.
Sharon closed her eyes and waited from Zoe’s touch.
Zoe placed her fingers onto her forehead and softly drew them back and forth, concentrating her fingertips on Sharon’s temples once more and circled them around and around.
Again Sharon sighed softly and felt herself relax even more under Zoe’s gentle touch, and she let herself drift inwardly to her inner self, noting her steady breathing.
Then in sequence Zoe massaged Sharon’s eyebrows, eyelids, and traced her fingertips softly around Sharon’s ears and gently massaged her ear lobes. From Sharon’s ear lobes Zoe slid her oily fingertips down and along Sharon’s cheek bones; on both sides of her nose nose, beginning at the top between her eye brows and down to her nostrils; and then Zoe traced her fingers around Sharon’s lips and on to her chin. Zoe then massaged the front of Sharon’s slender neck, noticing how her beautiful face and neck were framed by her softly, wavy, blonde hair. She looked at the indentation beneath Sharon’s larynx and how her clavicles led to her soft, round shoulders.
While continuing her massaging fingers, Zoe noticed how much the scrubbing had washed away all Sharon’s makeup, but there was a natural glow about her now, and she looked so beautiful. And Zoe loved natural beauty, the kind of beauty that lay before her in the person of Sharon.
As Zoe studied Sharon’s face, she moved her hands and fingers and massaged her shoulders once more, and as she did so, her eyes were locked onto Sharon’s beautiful, full breasts, and while looking Zoe slowly slid her splayed fingertips down Sharon’s sides, touching the edges of her full, round breasts and then gently traced them from the outside of her globes to her puffed areolas and nipples that were now hard and erect that Zoe made by her sensual touch.
When Zoe reached Sharon’s nipples, she took each between her thumbs and forefingers and tweaked and rolled them, feeling them getting even more hard as she continued her digital playing with Sharon’s nipples.
The sensual, tingling sensation Sharon felt as Zoe massaged her breasts coursed through her body, and she let out a slow, shallow, contented sigh of pleasure. It was pure pleasure Zoe was giving Sharon with her attentive hands.
Zoe played with Sharon’s nipples for some time before she cupped the fullness of her breasts in the palms of her hands, feeling their fleshy weight. As she did so, Zoe brought her hands together at Sharon’s cleavage and slid them between her breasts and onto her chest. Here she massaged Sharon’s ribs and flat stomach until her hands made their way onto her rounded hips and slightly puffy stomach that dipped into her bellybutton.
Zoe poured on more of the fragrant oils, aiming it right into Sharon’s navel, filling it to overflowing until the oil ran out of and down her abdomen towards the line of her dark pubic hair.
Zoe sucked in her breath at this point because she now couldn’t help but look fixiedly at Sharon’s silky, dark pubic hair, the triangle of her womanhood.
While taking it all in, Zoe felt so wet between her legs…so sensually aroused by this beautiful sight that lay before her. Her breathing became more difficult as she tried to keep her composure. However, she wanted to touch Sharon’s pussy so very much. It then dawned on her that Sharon had signed up for a full-body massage, so she thought that it could include Sharon’s pussy, too. In the back of her mind Zoe thought she might just try it and see what reaction Sharon made when she touched her womanhood. However, Zoe wanted to take it slowly to test the waters and see what reaction she would get from Sharon just by gently tracing her fingers along the hairy edges of her pussy.
With that in mind Zoe moved her well-oiled hands down over Sharon’s swelled hips onto her well-formed thighs, over her knees, and along her calves. From her calves Zoe worked on Sharon’s feet and toes, bending them gently between her fingers and sliding them between her toes. She also pressed her thumbs in the middle of Sharon’s foot pads while her fingers were on top of her toes and she gently massaged Sharon’s feet.
“Oh, Zoe, that is divine. You have me so relaxed with your talented fingers and hands,” Sharon moaned.
While Zoe massaged Sharon’s feet, she looked up between Sharon’s legs towards her pussy. She couldn’t take her eyes from gazing on the most intimate part of Sharon’s body.
Sharon still had her eyes closed, enjoying the afterglow of Zoe’s massage.
A thought kept running in and out of Zoe’s mind while these moments passed between her and Sharon, but she hesitated to make it reality. However, she was so HOT and wet between her tight, skimpy shorts she didn’t want this moment to be lost, so she thought she had nothing to lose in the mentioning of it.
Trying to keep her sexual excitement under control, Zoe gently cleared her throat and softly half-whispered to Sharon.
“Sharon, you know, all the time I’ve been giving you your massage a question has been going over and over in my mind.”
“And what might that question be, Zoe?” Sharon asked inquisitively.
“Well, in your movie ‘Basic Instincts,’ that one scene….” Zoe began.
“What one scene, Zoe?” Sharon asked knowingly to herself.
Hesitatingly Zoe went on “…you know the one. The one where you were being questioned by a group of men while you were sitting alone in a chair opposite them in that tight, white dress. You crossed your legs, and when you did, you deliberately swung your leg up and over your other, exposing your bare, hairy pussy. You didn’t have any panties on?”
“Yes,” Sharon answered. “What about it?” Sharon smiled at Zoe.
“Well, I was wondering. Did you know what you did, and was it deliberate without the director knowing you were going to do that?”
Sharon just grinned at Zoe. “What do you think, Zoe?”
“Honestly?”
“Why, of course, honestly, Zoe,” Sharon said, smiling flirtingly.
Zoe slowly spoke, “I think you didn’t wear panties on purpose and crossed your legs deliberately, showing off your hairy pussy. I’ve seen photos of it, and I must say each time I look at the photo I get so aroused and excited.”
Sharon continued to smile at Zoe. “Well, Zoe, I’ll let you keep your belief as to whether it was deliberate or not.”
Zoe looked deeply into Sharon’s blue eyes and smiled back.
Zoe accepted Sharon’s answer, but then she hesitated to take things a step further, not wanting to embarrass Sharon or herself but also not wanting to miss this immediate opportunity.
“Miss Stone…I mean, Sharon…could I ask you something else, something very personal?” Zoe asked hesitatingly.
Zoe looked imploringly at Sharon.
“What is it you want to ask me, Zoe? I’m curious,” Sharon asked.
“I think you are very beautiful, Sharon, and while I’ve been giving you your full-body massage, I’ve become so sexually aroused…looking at your lovely body and feeling your flesh beneath my hands and fingers.”
“And, so, what is it you’re saying, Zoe,” Sharon asked inquisitively.
Zoe swallowed before she spoke, ” Well, I’d love to have you spread your legs and let me see your pussy as I’ve seen it in the movie as well as your photo.”
With a raised eyebrow, David glanced at his friend as he waited.
“Obviously she’s going to learn the news now.”
* * *
The Cloisters
Grace walked through the Cuxa Cloister garden, taking in the fresh air and late morning sunlight in the hopes that they would somehow renew her spirit after it had nearly been torn apart from the experience of seeing Gabriel again after so long.
She sat down on a nearby bench and closed her eyes, remembering the feelings of yearning that had stirred within her when he had taken her into his arms. The look in his eyes when she accused him of having an ulterior motive for seeking her out, and that his talk of love was nothing but smoke and mirrors to confuse and trap her.
“He said that I couldn’t be more wrong. My God, why do I always have to feel like a lovesick teenager around him? Why can’t I just resist him and get on with my life?”
She felt a burning sensation behind her closed lids as her conscience intervened, whispering to her in a loving tone. “You know why. You know what you must do.”
Grace jumped as her cell phone rung, interrupting her thoughts. “Hello?”
She heard the sound of a man clearing his throat. “Darling, it’s me. David.”
She suddenly felt as if all her blood had turned to ice, her heart pumping in vain. She exhaled slowly. “David, you startled me. Thank goodness that you’re all right.”
“For the most part, yes.” He paused for a moment before he continued in a low voice.
“Grace, I… the events of the weekend have forced me to seriously consider our situation and what the future holds for us. You were constantly in my thoughts.”
She sighed, clutching the phone tighter. “I thought of you also. I was so afraid for you, and I felt incredibly guilty for not dropping everything and flying over there at the first opportunity.”
David clicked his tongue in disagreement. “No, you did the right thing by not coming. It’s a media circus here; I wouldn’t want you or Rafe to be exposed to such scrutiny.”
Grace brought a hand to her temple, trying to massage away the tension which seemed to reside permanently beneath the skin, flesh and bone.
“What else did you want to say?”
She heard him take a deep breath. “I’ve been thinking about what you said to me on the phone two nights ago. I couldn’t think of anything else. Amazing Grace…”
David bit his lip hard, hating the way his voice wavered.
“I have loved you since the moment I first laid eyes on you that day on the mountain, and I will love you until the day I die. Grace, I know how deeply unhappy you are, and even though everything in me screams to hold on, I couldn’t do that to you. You win, my love. I’ll give you a divorce as soon as I return.”
Grace clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound that threatened to escape the confines of her throat. She felt a mixture of shock and worry, but mostly relief.
Hot tears trailed down her face, ruining her carefully applied mascara.
“Joy at an impending divorce. How odd that must seem, but that’s how I feel.”
She sobbed quietly into the phone. “Oh, David. Thank you.”
A tear ran down David’s cheek as his voice hardened.
“There’s something that I want in return.”
Grace dabbed at her face with a tissue, a cold feeling growing in her stomach.
“Which is?”
David glanced at Liam, whose expression was unreadable as he stared back.
He returned his attention to the phone. “It concerns the masquerade gala. I don’t need to tell you how important this event is. I would greatly appreciate it if the decision to terminate our marriage is kept under wraps until after the party. This means that I’d like for you to perform a masquerade of your own, my dear. Pretend to be a loving wife, that’s all that I ask. Support me and stand beside me in the public eye.”
She considered his words and decided that it was a small price to pay for her freedom. One night of press coverage, playing a happy couple for the cameras.
“What could possibly go wrong?”
“All right, David. I’ll do it.”
“Thank you, Grace. This means a lot to me. I’ll ask the doctor to release me as soon as possible so I can come home, hopefully tomorrow…”
Grace’s eyes widened. “Doctor? Where are you now?”
“I’m in the hospital, darling. I was in pretty bad shape when I was found.”
The cold sensation in her stomach multiplied. “My God, what happened to you?”
“I don’t want to get into it again. I’m sure the news channels will show my press conference ad nauseum for the rest of the day. Where are you?”
Grace stood from the bench and began to pace. “I’m at the Cloisters. Something happened at the university and I needed to go somewhere where I could think.”
David frowned. “What happened? Was anyone hurt?”
Her teeth clenched as she glared at the phone before returning it to her ear.
“Yes. “I” was hurt beyond belief. I felt betrayed, disappointed that my husband would stoop so low as to have my office completely destroyed for certain items that weren’t on the premises.”
He flinched at the hot anger in her voice. “Poppet, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
At his words, Grace threw her head back and laughed bitterly. “You don’t? Maybe you should ask those apes that work for you what I mean. I’m as certain that you sent them on a search and destroy mission for the shirt as I am about my own name.”
He shuddered hard as his mind raced.
“Why would I do something like that, Grace? You told me that you burned it, so why would I be so distrusting and resentful of you to do something so malicious?”
She was silent, and David pushed on.
“Did you lie to me before when you said you incinerated the shirt?”
Her throat was as dry as a desert, but she managed to reply. “Yes.”
David ran a hand over his face. “Why?”
“Because I was afraid of you. I still am.”
“And what did you hope to gain from keeping these items that could send me to prison for the rest of my life? Or execute me if I’m sent to Texas for the trial? This isn’t a game, Grace. This is my life!”
Grace licked her lips nervously.
“All I wanted was security, some leverage in case you didn’t agree to a divorce.”
He leaned forward in the hospital bed. “Well, I have agreed to it and I give you my word that I will follow through. Please dispose of the evidence as soon as possible.”
She briefly thought of Mosely. “I’ll be rid of it by this time tomorrow, I promise.”
David heard a noise in the room and looked up to see Liam opening the door for the Scotland Yard inspector. He returned his attention to the phone.
“Good. I have to let you go now, Grace. I have one more favor to ask of you.”
“Yes?”
His eyes narrowed. “Wear your blasted wedding ring for once.”
* * *
David returned the phone to its cradle and directed his attention to the inspector.
“What can I do for you, Inspector Chambers?”
The portly man stepped closer to the hospital bed, his face pale.
“I apologize for interrupting your rest, Mr. Anami, but I have alarming news.”
David’s brow creased at the other man’s words. “Yes?”
“Your associate, Colin Westbridge, was found dead less than half an hour ago.”
David gasped in shock. “What? Oh my God! How did this happen?”
Chambers tilted his head, regarding Anami’s reaction. It seemed genuine.
“I will tell you, but first I must ask both of you a few questions.”
David’s gaze went over the inspector’s shoulder to rest on Liam, who was silent.
He met Chambers’ eyes again. “Go ahead.”
The inspector cleared his throat. “When was the last time you saw Westbridge?”
“Saturday afternoon.”
Chambers scribbled in his notebook. “He never confided in you about any problems, personal or financial?”
David shook his head. “Colin wasn’t exactly the type to open up to others in regard to his private affairs, and even if he was I would have been the very last person with whom he would have discussed them.”
Chambers raised an eyebrow. “Why, exactly?”
Liam spoke up. “Because he hated Mr. Anami as well as myself, Inspector. He deeply resented the fact that he had to sell his business to David, and he didn’t exactly keep his hostility toward us a secret. The man was a troublemaker, pure and simple.”
Chambers turned around, facing Liam.
“Let’s move on to you, Mr. Kilpatrick. You were seen arguing with Westbridge today in the cafeteria. Would you care to tell me what the two of you were discussing?”
Liam’s eyes darkened, flashed. “I’d be glad to. Colin approached me in his usual hateful manner and taunted me, saying that he knew the identity of the man who sent the death threat.”
The inspector’s eyes widened. “What happened next?”
The Irishman sighed. “Westbridge wanted money from David in exchange for the information, and I lost my temper. I asked him if he was the one behind it all, the hate mail and Cooper’s death. He just smiled at me, and I wanted to throttle him. I forced myself to cool down and I told Colin that I would pass the message to David.”
David’s eyes narrowed at Liam. “This is the first I’ve heard of this, Inspector.”
Liam looked back at David, his eyes apologetic.
“The opportunity never came up, mate. Believe me. All our energy was focused on the press conference. I was going to tell you when the time was right.”
David leaned back, his cloudy gray eyes meeting and warring with stormy blue. “‘When the time is right,’ you say. Now he’s dead, along with his secrets.”
Chambers was uncomfortable with the sudden tension in the air.
“Mr. Kilpatrick, where were you this afternoon?”
Liam studied the inspector closely.
“I was in one of the hospital offices, making phone calls. There is a nurse on duty who can verify that, Inspector, in case you’re making any assumptions. What’s more, there was a point when I called Westbridge’s home and spoke with him.”
Chambers wrote more notes. “About?”
Liam crossed his arms. “The conversation involved a business meeting that had to be canceled because Anami was missing. I called to ask Colin if it was possible to reschedule.”
“What time was this?”
Liam thought for a moment. “Five minutes past four. We spoke very briefly, and by the end of the call he sounded rather rattled.”
“By what, do you think?”
A wry smile appeared on Liam’s lips. “I have no idea. Inspector, it is quite obvious where this line of questioning is going, and you’re clearly wasting your time. I have been here at the hospital since 6:30 this morning, and I haven’t left. My presence here will be fully accounted for once you ask the staff, I’m sure.”
Chambers closed his notebook and returned it to his coat pocket.
“That won’t be necessary, Mr. Kilpatrick, since I know that neither you or Mr. Anami could have been involved. I received information a few moments ago about the state of the body and Westbridge’s home, and everything suggests that he committed suicide. The police found vast amounts of cocaine on the premises, his wrists were violently slashed with the same razor blade that was used for the drug, and there are witnesses in the building across the street that clearly saw him jump to his death.”
Liam snorted in disgust. “Well that’s a bit over the top, even for him.”
David looked at Chambers. “Poor Kitty. Was she the one to find the body?”
The inspector nodded grimly.
“Mrs. Westbridge returned home soon afterward to find several police officers surrounding the scene. She saw her husband, bloody and broken on the pavement.”
David shook his head sadly. “Thank you for informing us, Inspector.”
“I apologize again for bearing such news during your recovery. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye, Inspector Chambers.” Liam smiled as he opened the door for him to leave. Once the older man had left the room, Liam leaned against the closed door and whispered under his breath, “And good riddance.”
David stared at his heart rate monitor as he heard an incensed Liam sit once more in the chair.
“Can you believe the gall of that man? He knew all along that it was a suicide, but he singled me out for his twisted amusement! ‘Where were you at the time of the murder, Mr. Kilpatrick?’ As if this was some bloody cheap paperback mystery!”
He raised a hand to silence Liam. “What did Westbridge actually say to you?”
Liam loosened his tie, leaning back in the chair with a sigh. “He wanted to blackmail you, David. He said that he saw what happened to Cooper that night, and he wanted ten million pounds by tomorrow or he would go to the police.”
David was silent for a moment. “And what happened during the phone call?”
“I challenged him, threatened him. I knew that he was lying about seeing everything. No one could have possibly known such things, David. What I told Chambers was true; we did talk very briefly, and Westbridge was definitely afraid when the call ended.”
David frowned at his friend. “And then he slit his wrists and threw himself off a building.”
Liam shrugged nonchalantly, his eyes cool.
“After doing half the coke in South America? Apparently so.”
“Why would someone do that? Make a threat and then kill himself?”
Liam stood up and leaned over the bed, his face just inches from David’s.
“Who cares? That’s one less vindictive asshole that we have to deal with, mate. If he did indeed know something, as you said before, his secrets are dead now.”
David looked up at his oldest friend, and for the first time he felt as if he didn’t know him at all.
“That’s a rather cold way of looking at the situation, isn’t it?”
Liam pulled away and walked toward the door.
“Where Westbridge is concerned, it’s the only way. I certainly won’t miss the bastard, and considering the extremely ill will he had for us, neither should you. Now enough talk on this unpleasant subject; I’m going to seek out the doctor and see about getting you released tomorrow. Cheer up, man! We’re going home soon!”
He left the room, leaving David to stare at the door after him.
“Yes, but what will happen to home once we return?”
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