Part 12 Christmas day eve

Nickie caught up with Beth in front of the tree in the early afternoon. "I hope you don't mind but I looked at the photo album."
Beth turned to her, "No, I do not mind. Do you have questions about the last picture? The one that has me in white dress and flowers around my head standing on the porch outside of the master bedroom?"
"Yes, I was wondering what that meant?" Nickie was wondering who Beth was really married to. There was some kind of reason that she did not want to know that he was married when she slept with him. Not that the knowing her best friend was sleeping with him did not upset her either.

"That happened when I first met him several years ago on the beach near the lighthouse. We had a special ceremony acknowledging our love to each other. He knew I was married but he wanted to be connected to me in a different ceremony. That is why he would not sleep with you in that room. He does not take anyone to the master bedroom except me. He has been faithful to me in that way," Beth said quietly.

"Oh," was all that Nickie could say. She thought how weird that sounded having a ceremony to declare your love with a lover. Nickie's phone started to vibrate and she walked away to take the call. "Yes, Tom, what is it? No, John has been at the hideaway all this time. No, he has not left. I was with Richard all the time while we were in Italy. Why, what has happened? Oh, my did she survive? Oh, when did this happen. Oh, I see. Yes, I will have John call you as soon as possible. Bye."

Beth looked up when she came back, "Trouble?"

"Looks like we all have alibis for this one. Where is John I need to tell him first."

"Tell me what," John asked when he walked into the room with Chris.

"John, I am sorry to tell you this but Francesca died last week, after she was interrogated in Italy by the Polizia. Tom wants you to call him as soon as possible. It first looked like a suicide but due to the circumstances surrounding this mess they are looking into her past."

Beth had moved beside him when she heard the news, "Are you alright? Is there something I can get you?"

John looked at her and smiled, "No, sweetheart, you are the only thing I need. This saddens me but it does not surprise me either." Then he walked over to Nickie to get the phone to call Tom. Before she gave it to him, "you have not left the compound have you?"

He looked a little surprised, "No, I haven't. I have been by Beth's side this whole time."

"Good that is what I told Tom," she responded and gave him the phone.

Nickie walked over to Chris to give John some privacy. But not before hearing, "so everything was taken care of wasn't it?"
Chris was thumbing through Beth's photograph when he saw the last one and looked quizzically at her. Nickie and Beth just laughed.
"It is a long story," Nickie laughed.

John came back in the room, "well, I guess we should all day here through New Years. They are still investigating it and with us all out of sight we are not bringing up any alarms for once. Looks like all charges were dropped against me in the financial fraud case, since it looks like Overmeyer was framing me."

Nickie looked over at Beth but there was not a reaction from her. John handed the phone back and asked Chris if he wanted to shoot some pool. So they left.
Nickie took the chance to ask, "What was he talking about the financial fraud case they had on him?"

She said quietly, "I do not know. I knew that he moved some money around before we went to New York but I never really knew about his money or how we had money. I have my own money won from the cases against the Jason and Chuck during the first trial, something to do with civil cases. So I use my money and since I have been married, I just ask him for money if I need it. He told me not to worry if I was asked. Just to remember we own everything we have and there is no money elsewhere."

Nickie just looked at her, "Do you believe him about the money?"

Beth answered, "Yes, we don't pay any mortgages; most of the stuff was bought before I came. I think he is on the up and up. There is no reason for me to think anything else. Why, what are you thinking?"

"It was just a weird statement, it must have been the cover he was under while he was working with Overmeyer," Nickie said.

"Well, for me I am not going to doubt him, I have had enough trouble in my life."

Nickie agreed outwardly. But she still wanted to know. Then as she thought about it if she made trouble for John then Beth would end up with Richard, and she really wanted to sleep with him again. So she decided to leave it alone at least for now. Her phone vibrated again, it was Richard. She told him about Francesca, he seemed shocked by it. Then he asked for Beth. He never talked about them on the phone. She turned and gave Beth the phone.

"Hi, yes it was a lovely gift. Yes, she looked at it. I did explain about the dress and the ceremony. I know you slept with her. No, I am not mad at you. She chuckled, Yes, I know you have a big drive. I should be able to see you when I get back. That would be nice. I don't want to spend a night at the lighthouse yet. I would love it if you would take me back there. I love you too."

Nickie took the phone to talk to him, but he had hung up. She laid it down thinking, "so he told you that we slept with each other?"

"That is why your blog didn't upset me the way you thought. He tells me everything about all the women he sleeps with between the times I see him. Partly, I think as a confession and partly to make me jealous."

"Everything?"

"Yes, every detail. You see if I hadn't been in seclusion here when you came back from Italy he would have called from the master bedroom and told me while you slept in the spare bedroom. It is like his confession. But just think if I hadn't been in seclusion you would not have gotten so close to him. I had no problem with you going with him, because I trusted you. Now I know I shouldn't when it comes to men."

"It just doesn't seem fair that he is going to tell your every detail."

"Oh, I think it is. I seem to remember you watched with Bambie when I was with Sam on the Harley. Which are worse words or watching?"

Nickie laughed, "But that was fun you were having a good ride on that Harley!"

They both laughed, "Yes, I had a lot of fun that night. I didn't know I had an audience either."

Chris and John walked in, "What is all the laughing about?"

"Oh, just remembering a fun time we had on one of the trips," laughed Nickie.

"Well, we were just told an hour until dinner. So we better go get dressed for dinner," John told them.

Beth smiled, "An hour is just about right for dressing. Then as she past Nickie and undressing too."

Nickie chuckled, then walked right to Chris and their room. They dressed in their holiday dresses that the staff had laid out for them. Beth had a red dress with off the shoulders white fur at the top and around the cuffs. It was very flattering dress for her. John was drooling when she put it on. She handed him a handkerchief, laughing. Nickie had a red dress also. Hers was more scarlet going from one shoulder down leaving the other shoulder bare. Then there were stars that were cut out along her waist across her waist. It was very flattering and she walked confidently in the room. Dinner was scrumptious. Santa is always the life of the party. Beth and Nickie both were able to sit on his lap and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. After dinner they went in the area where the tree was to sing songs and have some hot chocolate. There was also dancing. When Nickie saw Chris dancing with Beth she tried to get John to dance. He was a little rusty on the fox trot but they made it through it. They ended up back with their own partners. John was a much better dancer with Beth more than he had been with Nickie. Later Nickie mentioned this to Beth. "Well, I can only surmise why it happened, is that the last woman he was with besides me tried to have his family killed, even though you were not trying to seduce him, he had read your blog and you look very nice in that dress."

The ladies excused themselves to go freshen up. Beth guided Nickie to a sitting area. "I need to tell you something. I am remembering the night of the attack. I want to share something that only you can know. Not anyone else, promise me this?"

Nickie said, " I promise."

"Nickie, the baby I lost, it was Richard's."

"What," Nickie exclaimed.

"This past summer/fall time when John went off for two weeks and I had no clue where or why, we had been trying to have a baby sister or brother for Hunter. It was right near the time that I would be ovulating and he was gone. I called Richard and he met me in Denver then we flew to the cottage together. During the two weeks we hardly came up for air. It was near the middle of the week that I just felt pregnant. I shared that with Richard and we spent the remaining days celebrating it. I arrived home about two hours before John. He never knew I had left. We spent the rest of the day with each other. So when the doctors told me I lost the baby I knew he thought it was his because it could have been. But what I haven't told you is... I don't know how to tell you. I really think that Richard knew of the attack."

Nickie said, "No. Why would he hurt you?"

"I think he thought they were going to attack John and not me. He arrived while they were attacking me. I couldn't see him but I heard his voice shouting, "No!" Jason and Chuck just laughed. One restrained him while the other raped me. I heard him sobbing. They repeatedly raped me. Then Chuck began kicking me in the head and the stomach. I heard him yelling that "she is pregnant stop kicking her." He covered me because I was half naked when the paramedics came. I remember hearing that they told him I had lost the baby and they thought I should have a hysterectomy but he told them to fix me as best as they could. He took me home against the doctor’s wishes. That night after you left he made love to me again and again. It was like he was trying to get me pregnant again. If it had not been Richard I would have thought I was being raped again. He was rough and his language kept getting rougher with me. Nickie, I found something of yours in the bathroom that night, your prescription for the pill, a half month from November and the December one. Were you missing them?"

"Oh, my I haven't been taking it since I had the fight with Chris at the lighthouse. I totally forgot to take them! Oh, my I could be pregnant," Nickie exclaimed.

"I think he took them at first because he so wanted us to be pregnant together. Then I think when I lost the baby he set you up. Tell me if I am wrong, but was he the gentleman of your dreams that first night? Did you look back when you went to the other room wanting him to say, "stay with me?" That first night he made love to you, was the third time he muttering something like, "bitch you deserve this, and as he moved, was it with a force and he said, "here it is, you f.....ing c..... you deserve this?"

Nickie cried, "Yes, I was so shocked he was saying that. Then he would be the sweetest man to me. He only did that if we did it more than twice in a night. I had no clue you were starting a family with him. I wouldn't have slept with him if I knew you were having a baby. I feel so bad."

"He never said those types of things until after he heard Jason and Chuck saying that to me. That night it was like he snapped when he was making love to me and he started yelling those things at me. When I just laid there and no response from me he snapped out of it and apologized to me. Nickie, I think you were covering for a few hours in Italy for him. He was conned by Francesca when he was in Italy. I told you he tells me who he sleeps with. She used another name but the move he talked about. I had seen her use it with John. I knew who it was. If you want to have him and his baby tell him you covered for that time he was gone. He will fall head over hills for you. “

“What do you mean that you saw her make the same move with John? You watched them?”

“Do you remember me saying earlier today that Richard had been faithful to me by not sleeping with someone in the master bedroom? Well, after our Italy trip and Francesca was going after John. She would send him provocative e-mails, she would send pictures of her in lingerie and in the nude. I found out by accident one day when I arrived home earlier than expected from a trip. There was this email in full picture on his laptop in his office. The house was quiet, the help was off I guess. So I went up to the bedroom expecting to find John. Which I did with Francesca on top of him in my bed, they had left the door open. They didn’t hear me snap a picture of them on my phone. He looked like he was having fun. I had not seen that smile for so long. I went back downstairs and vomited in the bathroom. I heard him come down and yell to her to wait for him. That he just needed to check my flight. When he walked into his office and saw me in his chair I thought he was going to crap in his pants. Oh, but he was naked standing in front of me. I put the monitor towards him and said, “So are you keeping this as your screen saver?” He stammered. I told him to go back up to the room and f…. her because he was not going to have the chance again. He did it two more times, once in my shower and the second at my front door before she left. When he came back in I had a picture of the three of us on his laptop as a screen saver. I told him if he ever wanted to see his son grow up that he better not ever have a woman in my home or bed again. That is why that whole wing was gutted the next day and we stayed in the spare bedroom for a couple of months. Actually, John slept there by himself for a month. Then I started sleeping and only sleeping next to him. I felt that he had enough of sex in that one day to last for awhile. We were just starting to get back together when I went on that trip that his lovely girlfriend had masterminded. “

“That is why you had your front door replaced? I had wondered. I don’t know what to do. I am not sure if I want to be with Richard, Tyler, or Chris. I am so confused. What should I do?”

“If it was me I would tell Chris you want to have his baby and have some fun. If you find out you are pregnant then you can pick which man you want to be the father. Part of me felt satisfaction that John thought the baby was his when I knew it was Richard’s just because what he did to me in my house with Francesca. I will not be surprised to find out that he had something to do with her death because she took away his child from him. Be oh so careful with him. He is fragile. That is why I made sure he knew that I couldn’t have a baby now. The doctor told me I was having another miscarriage when they did the hysterectomy. It would kill him to know he had lost another one. I knew by telling him he probably would not want me again, it opened it for you if you want to be with him. I think it is time to go back to the party."


"I think so too. I just might take your advice with Chris tonight. To cover my tracks so to speak will you have lunch with me in the town. I think I will have some more questions about all this."

"Sure. I would appreciate this conversation stay between us. I have forgiven John for what he did since we have been here. I see the smile when he makes love to me now.