THE TAINTED TRUST (Volume 2 of The King Trilogy)

CHAPTER 56

         Kerri opened the door almost an hour later. Conflicting emotions tormented her as she stared at the man she once loved with an intensity she could never forget.

"May I come in?" Brian asked with an awkward smile.

"Let's talk outside," Kerri replied. She stepped onto the verandah, a large wooden structure, painted gray and tastefully decorated with white wooden furniture and numerous hanging plants and flowers. "What did you want to talk about?" she asked, glaring into Brian's puffy and reddened eyes.

"Us," Brian replied, then reached for Kerri's hand.

Kerri withdrew her hand from his reach. "Let's walk," she said.

The two walked in silence along the sidewalk of the brightly lit and well treed avenue.

"How have you been?" Brian asked, attempting only to break the silence.

Kerri's lips tightened. "I'm sure you didn't come all this way just to ask me that. I'm also sure you don't really give a damn how I've been. What do you want, Brian?"

Tears appeared in Brian's bloodshot eyes. "I want us to try again. I miss you and I can't live without you any more."

Kerri caught a whiff of wine mixed with toothpaste. "Are you still drinking?" she asked, offering Brian an opportunity to lie.

"I haven't had a drink for days."

"What happened between you and that stripper?"

"I don't know what you mean. I'm not..."

"Brian, please don't insult my intelligence. The whole world saw the picture of you with her in The Times."

Brian looked away. "She's just a friend. Nothing more."

A deep and growing sense of revulsion enveloped Kerri as visions of the photographs in Visconti's report flashed through her mind. "Did you ever make love to her?" she asked, allowing Brian another opportunity to lie.

"No. I told you we're just friends."

"Where have you been living?" Kerri asked, offering him one further chance to lie.

Brian's eyes darted back and forth. "At Billy Maxwell's, one of my teammates. He's a defensive back. He has a house in Westhampton Beach."

The third lie turned revulsion to anger. "We're both wasting our time," Kerri said, then turned and marched toward Dennis's house.

"What did I say?" Brian asked, hurrying to keep up with her brisk pace.

"Nothing," Kerri hissed, refusing to look at Brian and quickening her pace.

"Bull-shit!" Brian shouted. He raced to catch up, reached around Kerri with both arms and held her against his chest. "What the hell did I say to upset you?"

The vile smell of wine, toothpaste and stale beer sickened Kerri. She struggled to break free. "You're a goddamned liar!" she screamed. "I can forgive you for your drinking, even for hitting me, but never for cheating and lying."

"What!"

Kerri ducked under Brian's grasp, then stood her ground and pointed an accusing finger at him. "There was a time when I worshipped you, Brian Pyper. You were everything to me. I would have given you anything. You abused that commitment, just as much as you abused your God-given talent."

"You mean you imagine that's what I did," Brian retorted.

"How can you stand there and lie about it? That's the worst transgression of all."

"How can you stand there and accuse me of cheating and lying?"

"Your breath smells of booze, you're living with Tina Desouza, and I know she's more than a friend."

"How can you be so sure? Did you have me followed?"

Visions of Brian and Tina in Visconti's photo album swam in her head. She didn't have him followed, Visconti did. "No, I did not have you followed."

"Can't we just forget the past? I love you, Kerri. Doesn't that count for anything?"

"Maybe you can sweep the past under the rug, but I can't." Kerri turned and headed for Dennis's house.

Brian made no further attempt to follow. "I'm never going to stop trying, Kerri," he shouted. "Eventually you're going to realize you belong to me."

Andrea had watched from the bedroom window from the moment Kerri left the house with Brian. She raced to the front door. "What happened?" she asked as Kerri entered.

"He can't accept that it's over. He really scared me. I saw that same look in his eyes."

"Where is he? Is he still out there?"

"He owns that black Jaguar out front."

Andrea opened the curtains no more than an inch and peered through the window. "He's getting into it now."

"Would you please tell me when he's gone?"

The telephone rang, causing Andrea to turn away from the window. "Would you get that, Kerri?" she requested. "I'll keep watching."

Kerri entered the den and lifted the receiver. "Hello," she said, still breathing heavily.

"We belong together, Kerri," Brian said in an ominous tone. "I'll follow you forever if I have to."

Kerri slammed the receiver down, then raced to the front door. "It was him," she said, then stepped in front of Andrea and yanked the curtains aside. She saw Brian in the front seat of his car, still holding the receiver of his telephone.

"What did he say?"

Kerri closed the curtains and turned to face Andrea, her face almost devoid of color, tears filling her eyes. "He said he's going to follow me forever. I'm really scared, Andrea. He lied about everything. He wouldn't even admit he's been sleeping with that stripper."

"Did you tell him about Louis's report?"

"No."

"Had he been drinking?"

Kerri nodded.

"Maybe I should call the police."

"No. Let's wait and see what he does. Maybe he'll just leave."

Both looked through the curtains to see the car pull away from the curb, then disappear around the corner.

Andrea turned to face Kerri. "I'm going to tell Miles when he gets home. I'm sure he's going to want you to get a lawyer. The sooner that man's out of your life, the better."

Kerri shook her head. "I can't afford a lawyer."

Andrea chuckled. "Don't worry about that. Brian will pay the bill, one way or another."