Chapter 21
The funeral reception afterwards dragged on endlessly. The only thing that kept her going through those relentlessly slow-moving hours, had been the fact that she was on a mission. She listened very intently to every single word that was spoken during her conversations with the guests, and made a mental note about every seemingly meaningless comment regarding the connection between her parents’ deaths. Again and again, her eyes scanned the room, checking the physique of every man and the way they moved, acted, and behaved, to see if they could possibly be her attacker. “Are you looking for someone?” Luke had moved next to her unnoticed.
“Not really.” She shrugged and tried to think of a quick excuse. “It’s just… how do I describe this… it’s all so surreal to me right now. I return to L.A. after all these years and everything has changed from what I remember.”
“That can also be a good thing.” The fine lines around his eyes deepened slightly as he gave her a tender and slightly reserved smile. “Now you can experience the city afresh, and if you want, you can even reinvent yourself.”
She looked at him curiously. “You mean that I should start again from the beginning?”
“All doors are open to you, Mira.” His smile intensified. “Just know that if you ever want to talk or if you just want to go to the cinema, because you need a distraction of some sort – I am always here for you. As someone who would really like to be your friend.”
Mira blushed. Had it only been two weeks ago that she had contemplated going out with Luke? After what had happened between her and Connor, he still came across as very nice and attractive, but nothing more than that. That night with Connor had destroyed every possibility that had ever existed between her and Luke in one big blow and Mira couldn’t even bring herself to regret it.
“Okay, I understand,” she heard Luke say. Her hesitation had obviously given it away. His brows were furrowed as he looked at her more intently. “As I said, I could just be your friend if that is what you want. Even though I would hope that you don’t immediately disregard the other option. I can be extremely patient, if the wait is worth it.” He didn’t look excited, but he also didn’t look defeated. In all honesty, Mira was relieved that she didn’t have to feel guilty because of him, even though she knew that he had wanted a different reaction from her. Apparently, she was interesting enough for him to want to get to know her better, but not to the extent that he would be extremely disappointed.
“Mira, there you are,” a female voice interrupted their conversation. Ms. Philips stepped next to Luke and hooked her arm under his. “How are you feeling?” She looked at Mira curiously. “Oh, I am sorry, that was a stupid question.” Sarah Philips’ cheeks turned pink.
“It’s alright,” Mira said reassuringly. “I can imagine that it is hard to find the right words in a situation like this. I know what you are trying to say.” Mira still found it somewhat hard to address Ms. Philips by her first name. She still very much thought of her as being her father’s secretary and it somehow seemed inappropriate to talk to the older woman as if she was just an old friend. From the corner of her eye she saw that Suzanne was sneaking out of the room, so she excused herself politely. Others had also noticed that the hostess had disappeared and they were starting to say goodbye and leave.
Not a minute too early, Mira thought and waited until the last of the guests had finally left. She was just about to go upstairs to look after her sister, when Russell held her back.
“Everything is falling apart,” he said and stared directly into her face. “Since you came back, you have ruined everything.” He spoke with an obvious slur. How much alcohol must he have poured into him during the last few hours?
“Do not touch me. You are drunk,” Mira said and ripped her arm out of his extremely tight grip.
“And why shouldn’t I be?” He walked with decidedly strong steps towards the bar and poured himself another golden colored liquid. “I have built Dumont Ltd up to what it is today. I have worked my ass off for you and your spoiled sister.”
“Nobody doubts that,” Mira replied. Did it make any sense at all to speak to him in his current condition?
“Nothing was ever good enough for the both of you,” he then said. The whiskey had already disappeared down his throat. The way he was standing there, with his droopy shoulders and his head hanging low, he reminded Mira of a weak old circus bear trying to obey the orders of his master for the last time. “I have worked so incredibly hard. I have done everything I could to satisfy your sister just once. I have even,” he refilled his glass again and knocked that double back like a single shot, “made a pact with the devil.”
“You should go and lie down.” Mira needed a moment to identify the weird feeling that spread throughout her chest. It was compassion.
“With Satan, the prince of darkness himself.” She had difficulty understanding his last sentence, and barely managed to make out “prince of darkness” and “himself”. “And now I am the one who has to pay for it. They will throw me to the wolves, just like they did with Jack back in the day.” Mira’s heart skipped a beat. What was he talking about? She bit herself on her tongue trying not to scream. Dammit, dammit, dammit. She had to be so very careful right now, like she had never been in her entire life.
“Russell,” she said and quietly tiptoed next to him. “I am sorry that I have never told you how much I appreciate all the work you do for us. I am sure that Suzanne knows it too — that you are the one who did everything. I definitely do.”
“You really do mean that.” He tried to look at her face, but he only managed to gaze past her. “I know when a woman is lying to me,” he bragged. “I have always known when your sister laughed at me behind my back.” Oh no, please no, Mira thought. He sounded as if he was ready to melt into a big rant of self-pity, which was so very typical for any drunken man.
“It is never too late to change things. I am sure that if you speak to the police, then… you will be taken into the witness protection program,” Mira improvised and hectically thought about what to do next. Nothing. For now, it was only important to keep him talking, so she could find out as much as she could from him.
“Sure,” he sneered. His gaze came into focus for a second, but it immediately slid back into the drunken daze. “Then I’ll receive some designer shoes made of concrete. Or a bullet in my head like Jack.”
“Who killed my father?” Suddenly, Mira realized what his drunken moaning actually meant. Russell Forbes was not the one who had pulled the trigger. However, he knew or at least had an idea who had. Russell seemed to notice, despite his dilapidated state, what he had done, because he suddenly fell silent and stared speechless into the empty glass in his hand. He banged it down on the table so brutally that Mira thought the glass would break, before grabbing the bottle and putting it to his mouth.
Mira knew that he wouldn’t give her any more clues today. She pushed him towards the sofa and watched how his eyes closed immediately. “You cannot trust him,” Russell warned so quietly that she had to lean over him to understand what he had said. He stank like a whiskey distillery. Mira didn’t have to ask who he meant. This was her third warning about Connor today. Maybe she should think about why everyone kept saying the same things about him. Maybe not.
Never before had she felt such huge pleasure at ignoring a warning, as she had today.