Who Shot the Bitch Troll?

Chapter 10

Carrick

I pick up the phone on the first ring. Grace and Mia are out, shopping I think. Mia feels that she needs a whole new wardrobe because she starts school on Monday. I don't see why. She already has two closets filled with clothes. However, Grace wants to indulge in the hopes that she will become more enthusiastic about this later endeavor. She was just barely interested in the books we purchased at the bookstore yesterday.

"Grey," I say briefly.

"Grey, this is Flynn," says the other voice, in clipped tones. "Can you talk?"

"Yes," I reply. "I'm alone in the house. What's wrong?"

"It's Lincoln," he says. "Clark thinks that he has enough circumstantial evidence to charge him."

"He can't," I answer. "He's bluffing. He may be able to call in him in for another interminable interview, but he has nothing. Lincoln has an airtight alibi and there isn't a shred of proof that he hired a hit."

"He believes that there is a connection between Christian and the divorce," he replies. "He is trying to connect the dots to make out a case that somehow the murder is tied to the divorce. He may not have any evidence, but he's got a boatload of motive."

"God damn his instincts!" I swear. "If Lincoln ties Christian to the divorce then he will be able to tie him to Elena's lifestyle. There's no way of tying him to the murder, but it will be devastating publicity for him."

"I can only think of one way to shut Linc up about that," he answers. "You could offer to defend him against all charges."

"Why the fuck would I want to do that?" I ask, infuriated. "Linc posted bail for the man who subsequently kidnapped my daughter and nearly killed my daughter-in-law and her unborn. Let's not even get into the original charges that put him behind bars."

"Would you prefer that he tell everyone that seven years ago he caught your twenty-one year old son having a BDSM affair with his ex-wife?" Flynn asks. "Do you want that salacious story out there?"

"Does he know the nature of the affair?" I ask.

"Yes," he replies simply.

"I'm guessing that I don't want to know how you came by that information," I sigh. "And I'm always guessing that you know that it's accurate."

"You are a very good guesser, Grey," he says. "You are caught between a rock and a hard place. Christian and Ana will be in Aspen for the week, which will get him out of the line of fire and keep him out of this particular loop."

"Is Taylor with him?" I ask.

"No, Taylor is in Las Vegas eloping with Mrs. Jones," he replies. "They will be back on Monday night."

"Good," I say. "When will Price be back in California?"

"Also, Monday night," he says. "They have to get the girls back to school on Tuesday. He is prepare to take a business trip anytime that he is needed."

"What about . . . ?"

"Don't worry, that situation is under control," he says.

"So then all we can do is sit tight," I reply.

"What about Lincoln?" he asks.

"He can rot in hell for all I care," I answer.

"Do you want him to drag Christian down with him?" he asks.

"No," I say with a sigh. "I'll hold my nose and make sure that he doesn't have any legal problems."

"You know Grey," Flynn comments. "I hate this is much as you do. I am bending all kinds of ethical rules, but after all the suffering that Christian has been through and all of the progress that he's made, I don't want him back to square one."

"I couldn't agree more," I reply. "Much as I loathed Elena and a part of me thinks that she got what she deserved, I'm very sorry that she was murdered."

"I'll be in touch," he answers and hangs up.

I really don't like the idea of having to defend Lincoln, but it is obviously the lesser of the two evils. At any rate, at least I know that he is innocent. The greater difficulty is going to be explaining to Grace and Mia, why I will if to do this. I don't want to have to give them any of the unsavory details of Christian's past. Especially since I would be defending Linc to avoid that from happening.

I cannot even begin to imagine how disturbing it would be to both of them, especially Grace who has been berating herself for months for not protecting him from Elena, the pedophile. Elena, the Domme, would probably be impossible for her to reconcile. And it would open up a whole world of questions about how he has lived his life up to this point.

Mia idolizes her brother, so I can't even imagine what such a revelation would do to her? And Elliot? Well, who knows how he would read it? He spent years surreptitiously teasing him with all kinds of suggestive remarks about being gay. What would he make of the idea that his younger brother was into this whole alternative lifestyle.

No, Linc must be pacified and kept silent at all costs. The Lincolns have hurt this family enough. I will figure out some way of explaining it to them if I have to. The only thing that I have going in my favor is that I know that I would be defending an innocent man, the scum of the earth, but innocent nonetheless.

Melissa

After the husbands leave with the girls, Ana and I settle ourselves in from of the roaring fire in the great room. Without being asked, Ryan brings in a load of logs.

"I thought that you were looking forward to skiing, Ryan?" asks Ana.

He gets an odd look on his face.

"I thought that I would give Sawyer the opportunity to get out," he replies. "He's so often inside with you at home."

"That's very kind of you, Ryan," she replies. "I know how much you enjoy the slopes."

Ryan bows his head and makes his way towards the office by the door to give us some privacy.

"That was odd," she comments puzzled.

"Not really," I say with a laugh. "The girls gave him quite a run for his money on he trip over from the airport."

"Oh, dear," she replies. "Christian doesn't want us 'fraternizing' with the staff, so to speak."

"I would hardly call it that," I answer. "It was more like the third degree."

"Poor Ryan," she muses. "He usually stays with Mrs. Jones, soon to be Mrs. Taylor, at the house."

"Oh, that's where Taylor is!" I say. "He's off getting married. Chris and I were surprised that he wasn't here since it seems that Christian likes to keep him close at hand."

"He also wants to keep him happy," she replies. "Christian is a rather high maintenance employer and both Taylor and Gail work long hours. They are also separated for days at a time. Once Taylor finally decided to pop the question, Christian and I offered to send them off to elope, wherever they chose, in this case Las Vegas.

"They are getting first class treatment from the airline seats to the largest suite at the Bellagio. Since I have no idea when they are going to get another chance like this tone away from us, I wanted to make sure that they had the best of everything. I can't even imagine what either of us would do without them."

"They've been living together for the past few years," I say. "What made them decide to finally tie the knot?"

"It was actually Taylor's seven, almost eight-year old daughter Sophie," she explains. "As you know, we refinished the space above the garage as apartment for them, to give them some privacy. In doing that I furnished a bedroom for Sophie. However, Taylor's ex wouldn't let her have overnight visits unless they were married. She actually sat them down and asked her father to please marry Gail."

"That's too much," I reply. "She sounds like a little spit fire."

"Actually, she's a shy little thing," Ana comments. "But since the divorce, Jeannine, Taylor's ex, has been trying to keep them apart. She's remarried. Nevertheless, Sophie loves her Daddy very much and wants more time with him, not less. Besides, she also likes Gail and she wants her father to be happy."

"I hope that we get to meet her one day," I say.

"So do I," Ana replies wistfully. "It really has been beneficial for Christian to connect with his biological father, and to get a more sympathetic portrait of his birth mother. Carrick and Grace will always be his parents, but knowing the origins of his birth had made him feel less 'defective' than he used to."

"It's tough on Chris to know that Christian is son, but he is never going to view him as his father," I say. "The greatest difficulty is that Christian looks so much like Ella. I have to admit that I was a little concerned when we were married that I would always be competing with this ideal romantic heroine from his youth."

"I think that you have been marvelously understanding throughout this whole situation," replies Ana. "I know that it hasn't been easy on you and the girls."

"But in some ways, the girls do make it easier," I explain. "You see that are very honest and have a natural curiosity about everything. In trying to explain things to them, it brings us to a greater understanding. Even Sarah, who is very astute for her age, is still trying to solve the conundrum of a real parent versus a birth parent versus an adoptive parent. I know that our earlier discussion about step-fathers in your life was painful, but it has given them a new frame of reference or context to consider things."

"I suppose that Chris has always wanted a son?" she asks.

"I think that it is natural that all men went sons," I answer. "Especially when they have created their own companies. They want to pass along the leadership of the company to a family member, along with their. Don't get me wrong, Chris wouldn't trade any of the girls for a boy, but I think that he is a little jealous of Christian. You know, for getting a son on the first try."

"I hadn't thought of that," she says.

"Well, Chris didn't want to tell you until we knew how the weekend was going, but I really would like to share with you that I'm pregnant again, after almost eleven years," I reply. "In fact, I'm due a couple of months after you."

"That's wonderful!" Ana smiles. "Do you know the gender yet?"

"No," I reply. "I am worried because the doctor wants to do an amniocentesis in a few weeks because I am over forty. He's afraid of potential health issues."

"Would you do anything different if there were?" she asks.

"Absolutely not," I answer vehemently. "We believe that all life is sacred and that God doesn't make mistakes. This child is a blessing. If it were left up to us, we wouldn't even have the test done, but the doctor refused to take the case unless we agreed to the test."

"God doesn't make mistakes," she says thoughtfully. "When I first discovered that I was pregnant, I was afraid that it was too early, that we weren't ready. And Christian was furious."

"You wouldn't know it now," I say in surprise.

"No, not at all," she says. "Now it's impossible to imagine what life would be like if this little guy wasn't coming along."

She pats her stomach and then looks up in surprise.

"Wow!" she says in awe. "I actually just felt the baby kick. I have been feeling him move for a few weeks now, but never kick."

"Wait a couple if months," I say warmly. "You'll be able to see him move and shift around. I always found that when I was moving around, the baby slept. But when I would sit or lie down, that's when she would go into action. Katie, our little athlete was the worst. If you're already feeling movement like that, chances are that will be an active little one also."

Ana beams.

"I'm so glad that I can talk to you about this," she says. "I really haven't had anyone else to talk with. My Mom was so young when she had me and she lives so far away. And none of married friends are married or pregnant yet. And Grace, even if she is a pediatrician never carried a child, even though she always wanted to."

"Well," I say. "That is one of the reasons that we are so pro-life. Can you I,agile how it would have been if Ella had aborted, or for that matter Mia and Elliot's mothers. There are so many childless couples who are dying for children."

"Yes, I know," she replies quietly.

Seeing that she is becoming pensive, I toss another log on the fire and get my book from my room. When I return, Ana is also reading. We spend the afternoon in companionable silence, reading and enjoying tea and cookies served by Mrs. Bentley. She is pleased to have people in the house. Apparently Christian and Ana don't use the house very often.

Around five o'clock, after it has gotten dark, the skiers return from a grand day on the slopes. As usual, all three girls are talking at once. Christian and Chris look relaxed, with bright eyes and rosy cheeks. As is his habit, when Christian greets Ana, he gives her a kiss and lays his hand on her belly.

"Hey, Blip," he greets her stomach. "Did you have a good day with Mommy?"

The look on his face is priceless and Ana grins at me.

"Ana!" he says in wonder. "Did he just . . . ?"

"Greet you?" she finishes. "Yes, he did."

He looks at her in awe.

"He did it again!" he exclaims excitedly. "Do you think that he knows that I'm his father?"

"I'm sure that he does," she says softly.

"That is, like, so cool!" says Sarah. "Do you think he'll kick us?"

"Girls," I say in a cautious voice. "I am sure that Ana doesn't want all of you going over and testing that theory. Let's observe a few privacy boundaries."

"I know three girls who just got very hot and sweaty outside," interrupts Chris. "I thin that it's time for showers and a change of clothing before dinner."

"Just pile up the dirty clothes in the basket in your room," says Mrs. Bentley. "I'll launder them so that they are fresh for tomorrow. And I'll have cocoa for you when you're done."

"Yes, ma'am!" replies Emily eagerly as she charges off, followed by her sisters.

"You don't need to do that," says Chris.

"I don't mind," she answers, with a smile. "And it will buy you a few minutes peace before the onslaught begins again."

The four of us laugh. I can't help but think how comfortable that we have all become with one another. Ana smiles over at me softly. I know that she wants father and son to develop some kind of relationship. At the moment, it's friendly more than familial, but that's okay. Sometimes friends are easier to get along with than family.