All Is Forgiven Chapter 4
Perry walked through the door of the suite and stopped in his tracks. Taking in the sight, a smile began to form on his lips and love filled his eyes. There, in front of him was a truly beautiful picture. Della sat at the table, head down on one arm, the other flung straight out in front of her. It was apparent that she was sleeping…very soundly. Perry walked over to her and lightly brushed away an errant curl that had fallen across her face. The papers they'd been going over were strewn about…"organized chaos Della called it. Perry laughed to himself as he remembered what he had told Della only a half hour before. After staying up till almost sunrise, Perry tried to convince Della to go to bed. They had been up most of the night trying to find something…anything that would give them an answer or at least a clue to the mess their friends were in. The coffee that had been sent up to the suite hours before was cold and stale. Perry was going downstairs to bring back a fresh pot. He thought the break would do him some good. The Coyote Café was opened 24 hours a day…one of the many amenities the hotel offered. The more formal restaurant, Jaspers, was opened only for lunch and dinner but the little coffee shop was available to patrons around the clock.
Della declined the coffee and had given Perry a sleepy smile accompanied by a stifled yawn. She had told him she'd wanted to look over one part of the ledger again and that when he returned from his very early trip downstairs, she then would consider sleeping …only on one condition. Perry had smiled and raised a questioning eyebrow, silently demanding to know what it could be. Della's answer very tempting. She would go to sleep only if Perry would join her. Perry laughed and told her it was a deal. Bending down and leaving a soft kiss in her hair, he said he'd be back in a few minutes.
Perry bent down and picked Della up as gently as he could so as not to awaken her. Carrying her into the bedroom, he lay her down on the bed and covered her with the blanket. Placing a soft kiss on her lips, he started to back away. Della stirred a bit then opened her eyes. Fighting sleep, she looked up at him and asked drowsily, "Perry, what are you doing?"
Sitting down beside her, Perry tenderly took hold of Della's hand. In a very low voice he said, "I came back and you were fast asleep… I'm sorry darling, I didn't mean to wake you." Brushing his finger across her lips he whispered, "shhhh…. It's very early in the morning baby. All good little girls should be in bed. Go back to sleep. I love you."
"Hmmmm…I love you too. Remember our deal counselor?" Della's voice was barely audible and she had a hard time keeping her eyes opened. She reached up to caress Perry's face but exhaustion overcame her and her hand dropped heavily back onto the bed.
Whispering again, Perry said, "I remember sweetheart and I'll be right there." Perry slipped off his loafers and got undressed, leaving on only his undershirt and shorts. Going around to the other side of the bed, he slipped in beside Della, wrapping her up in his arms. Settling her as close to him as possible, he pulled the blanket around them. As he held the beautiful brunette in his embrace, he thought back to the meeting the day before. Suddenly, Lucas's words and the look in his eyes flashed before him. Perry felt his face flush…. his heart begin to race. He wouldn't have to ask Lucas if there was anything else he needed to tell him….He knew what Lucas would say….he knew the rest of the secret Lucas was keeping …and he knew that unless it was handled very carefully, it would hurt the people Perry cared about most in the world. He couldn't stand by and let that happen without doing everything in his power to stop it.
The afternoon sun came pouring through the windows of Perry and Della's suite. After getting some much needed sleep, the attorney and his secretary were back at work. Once again they were pouring over the ledger and land deeds of Lucas's business. Unfortunately, they weren't having much success finding answers. Della did come across some pages that looked different. They appeared to have been added to the original ledger. They weren't in the ledger that Lucas had taken from his safe. She had noticed that some of the entries appeared different too…the writing and the formation of the numbers were not the same as on the other pages. Perry, looking over the deeds, realized that some of the wording was different on one or two of the copies. Beyond that, nothing really stood out. It was as if the whole situation was one huge jigsaw puzzle with a hundred tiny pieces. Also, having remembered Lucas's secret, Perry was sure that he would now be able to find the answer to the puzzle. He was sure of something else.. He knew he would have to confront Lucas. Gwenn needed to know the rest of the story… the whole story. There would be one final piece left of the puzzle. Perry knew that whatever the outcome, Della would have to be told. He would have to find a way to tell her…to explain his part in the secret. He began to formulate a plan. He would take her away from here….maybe drive up to the Grand Canyon. Then he would tell her…quietly…calmly. He would tell her over dinner or maybe while they were alone …gazing up at the stars. He would tell her how sorry he was for keeping the secret and beg her forgiveness, swearing never to do it again. After all, there were no other secrets between them. Perry then had a thought which shook him to the core…what if Della couldn't handle the truth or worse…what if she couldn't forgive him? What if, after hearing his confession, Della lost all faith in him…what if she couldn't or wouldn't trust him…..and then the unthinkable happened…she left him? Perry face lost its color and he broke out in a cold sweat. He knew he would have to find a way to make this right. There would have to be a way for the truth to come out and to make sure his relationship with Della was not put in jeopardy. That was what mattered most….it was the only thing that mattered. He would have to approach this with great care. Della must never be hurt. Their love was strong, it could survive anything, even this…couldn't it?
"What's the matter counselor?" Della's soothing voice brought Perry out of his depressing mood. He didn't answer her immediately and she moved closer to him. She put her hand on his arm, keeping it there….letting him know she was waiting for an answer.
Perry removed Della's hand and brought it up to his lips, leaving small, soft kisses. He put his arm around her, bringing her into his embrace and holding her tight to him. Putting his face next to hers, he said quietly, "I'm fine darling." Breaking away, he met her gaze with his own. In a voice filled with reverence, he said, "my Della, do you know I would be lost without you…? I want you to know something Miss Street. No matter how crazy things get, no matter how busy we are, never think for a moment that I don't know how lucky I am. You're what keeps me going…. You're everything to me " Perry smiled at her. He bent low, ignoring the questions he saw in her eyes and kissed her deeply…passionately.. Breaking away he looked at Della and said, "How would you like to take a little side trip sweetheart"
"Do you have something in mind or do you just want to ride around Arizona?" Della asked teasingly
" No, my dear, I have very specific plans for us.. I thought we could drive up to the Grand Canyon. You know even though we have been here before, we've never taken the time to see it. I hear it's an amazing sight. I thought it would be something you would like to do. Perry raised his eyebrows, giving Della a mischievous grin... "and Miss Street it would give us a chance to be alone …hmmm?"
"I love when you make plans for us darling, you're always so creative. When do we leave?"
Perry took hold of Della's hand and led her over to the couch. Sitting down he slowly brought her into his lap. Rubbing her arms up and down, he looked at her and smiled. Speaking quietly he said, "I thought we could leave tomorrow or at the latest Thursday. I don't think getting a reservation will be a problem. We could stay a day or two and be back here late Saturday afternoon…just in time for Julie's dance recital. I overheard you promising her that we would be there and you know how I hate to disappoint a beautiful young lady. I just have to take care of something before we leave."
"Oh and what would that be counselor?" Della's voice was just as quiet, but there was no denying her sultry tone.
Keeping his voice even so as not to alarm her Perry said, "I want to call Lucas and set up a time to meet. There's something I want to talk to him about."
"Can't it wait until we come back?"
"It could but I want to take care of it before we leave. Now, why don't you go pack and I will make those phone calls." Perry looked at Della, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. With his voice low and full of promise he said, "If I play my cards right, Lucas will be able to see me right away. Then I will come back here and give you my undivided attention."
Picking up on the silent meaning, Della's voice matched Perry's. "Sounds good to me," She leaned forward and gave Perry a sweet kiss on the lips. Extricating herself from his gentle grip, she went into the bedroom leaving Perry to make the calls. Gathering what she thought they would need for their little adventure, she was struck by an unnerving thought. Something was wrong….something was off. Perry had been a little too quiet. He also had not been forthcoming for his reason about speaking to Lucas. As fast as the thought entered her head it was out again. Della scolded herself. "Come on Della, be a big girl…there's nothing wrong. You know him…he just wants to clear something up before you leave. Probably came up with something brilliant like always and doesn't want to say anything until he's sure he has all his facts straight….yes, that's exactly what it is….although not telling me is a little strange too. Just stop that now. He offered to help without batting an eye. Poor thing…he's so tired. Probably wasn't even thinking. Yep, this little jaunt is exactly what he needs…what we both need. I know him, we don't have any secrets. He'll tell me when he's ready. All he wants is to spend a few days alone together….and I have to admit it, that's all I want too." Della began to think of the two of them dining and dancing under the stars. A smile formed on her lips and she momentarily closed her eyes as she pictured the scene. As Della happily went about her tasks, she didn't see Perry's face as he hung up the phone from speaking to Lucas. She didn't see the worry in his eyes or his granite expression….the one he used in the courtroom. Della only knew that she loved this man with her entire being and she would do anything she could to take care of him and make him happy.
Perry Mason walked up the stone path of the Matthew's home and rang the bell. In less than a minute, the door was opened by Lucas himself. Ushering Perry into the house, he gave the lawyer a small smile. Leading him back to his study, he offered Perry the comfortable chair in front of the desk. Still standing, Perry asked, "where's Gwenn?"
Lucas noticed that Perry's voice was all business. He'd heard it on the phone not quite an hour before and it worried him. Usually Perry's voice was congenial….friendly. Now he was using his courtroom voice and Lucas was troubled. When Perry had called and asked to meet, Lucas instantly agreed. He assumed it had something to do with his problem. But now, with Perry standing in front of him, Lucas could tell that his friend had something else on his mind.
Lucas answered Perry quietly. "Gwenn's picking up the children, then she's taking them to the dentist. They'll be back in an hour or so. Do you want to wait? Maybe we could go pick up Della and bring her back so…"
Perry held up his hand to silence Lucas. Keeping his voice even, he spoke calmly but firmly. "Lucas, yesterday when we were leaving your office, do you remembering me asking you if there was anything else you wanted to tell me."
"Yes Perry, I do and I also asked you to leave it alone for now."
"I remember and normally I would. However something happened and now I have to advise you…implore you to tell Gwenn everything. You see Lucas, I remembered everything too. It came to me early this morning. Della and I were going over everything again and I noticed some discrepancies. It wasn't anything big but just enough to get me thinking.. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. So now that I remember, I'm here to tell you to come clean with Gwenn. Tell her the rest of the story…tell her the secret." Perry paused momentarily and then continued. "Lucas, you and Gwenn…you're our friends. Della and I….we value that friendship. So take my advice… for God's sake man, tell Gwenn now. At least let it come from you, before it gets out and she hears it from someone else…and believe me, she will. Eventually it will all come out anyway….One more thing, I'm taking Della to see the Grand Canyon. We're planning on leaving tomorrow morning. We'll be back Saturday afternoon …and yes we'll be at Julie's recital…we wouldn't miss it. At the thought of the recital, both men smiled. Perry then returned to the conversation. As I said, were going away and while we're away, I 'm going to tell Della everything. I'm going to tell her, then swear never to do anything like this again and to beg her forgiveness. I have to tell you, I'm not looking forward to facing her with this. She's going to be furious with me and she'll have every right. I just pray she will be able to find it in her heart to understand…and to forgive me."
"Perry…you can't." Lucas's face turned ghostly white.
"I have to. I should have told her when it first happened. Maybe if I had, it would be easier to get you out of this mess. We could have looked in another direction…dug a little deeper." Perry exhaled deeply then continued. "Listen Lucas, if you still want my help…our help, we'll do it. But now, it has to be on my terms and you have to be willing to do as I say. Think about it…you can tell me your decision on Saturday."
Lucas didn't hesitate. He answered Perry with a grateful tone in his voice. Alright Perry, we'll do it your way. I'll tell Gwenn everything….she's probably going to be furious too." Lucas sighed and rubbed his hands across his face. Then he looked back at his friend. "Perry, I know you're right. I should have taken care of this long ago. If I had maybe things would have been different. I was just trying to protect my family and I'll admit it, I guess I was scared. Thank you, Thank you for making me see what's important. Thank you for everything. When you tell Della, blame me. I was the one who wouldn't let you say anything so really the blame lies with me."
"Lucas, blame never does any good. Let's just take care of this the right way. I know it will make things easier and I'm sure we'll be able to get to the bottom of this whole miserable mess.
Now if you will excuse me, I promised Della I wouldn't be long. Take it easy my friend and I'll see you on Saturday."
The two men shook hands and a look of understanding past between them. Perry turned and left. Lucas sat down in his chair, thinking of the conversation that had just taken place. Leaning back, he closed his eyes, hoping and praying that the truth would settle this once and for all. He also hoped that it would bring a happy outcome for all of them.
Driving back to the hotel and to Della, Perry had those exact same thoughts.