“Who knew you had a sense of humor?”
She smiles. “There’s my girl. Snappy as ever.”
Eleanor won’t sit without a proper invitation, so I wave at a bench. “Make yourself comfortable.”
“I will do my very best.” She slides over as if it’s the backseat of a town car: knees together, spine straight, hands folded neatly like white dinner napkins. After a brief pause, she explains her impromptu visit. “We received a report from the lawyer’s office.”
“About Billy?”
“Of course, Cassandra.”
Of course. There’s no other reason for her to be here. On the plus side, it has nothing to do with Marcus. I open my espresso and take a sip. It’s still hot. “Start with the good news.”
“The investigator—Mr. Martinez, the bearded gentleman with atrocious posture, you’ve met him—is excellent.”
“And the bad news?”
“Mr. Martinez’s understanding of Billy and the girl’s relationship differs from ours. It seems she wasn’t really stalking your brother, and he never reported her to campus security.”
“Yeah, I know. We already discussed this with DeFiore. Billy said Diana was needy, not that she stalked him. I mean, he didn’t use that word, specifically. Nor did he say anything to me or Nate about filing reports. We told Lawrence all of this. We also told Martinez before he went digging.”
“Well, Lawrence never told me. Neither did Billy. Like you, he’s always been less than forthcoming about his romantic life.”
I glance at my phone.
“I hope I’m not keeping you?”
“No, I’m good.” But she’s dragging this out, and I want her to get to the point. When I spoke to Haggerty, I made Diana sound unhinged. I mean, she is unhinged, but I may have overstated some of her actions. So I have to know ASAP if I need to backpedal, and if yes, by how much. “What else did Martinez find out?”
“The DA may be correct. It appears the girl wasn’t harassing Billy.” She pauses. “It looks more like the other way around.”
“Bullshit.” She cringes, less at my choice of words than my tone. “Sorry, Eleanor. But Billy has texts proving otherwise. They’re on his phone, which I assume the cops still have.”
“We were able to retrieve the texts. The girl did send several to Billy. However, it’s impossible to parse their meaning.”
“So, like most college relationships, theirs was volatile, melodramatic, and makes no sense to anyone else. Big fucking deal.”
“Mr. DeFiore is still going through discovery. Either way, he thinks it’s too risky to paint Billy as a victim.”
I sigh. “Again, Eleanor, I know. DeFiore has been saying this for months. You should trust his advice. I’ve been out of the loop so I can’t offer an opinion.”
“I disagree. You met the girl. You had dinner with her. You saw them together.”
It’s true. I met Diana Holly twice—once when she started dating Billy, and again near the end. Billy had described Diana as insecure, which I could see, but it wasn’t a deal-breaker. I liked her the first time she met our family, at an Italian restaurant in the West Village. It was June and warm out. She wore a crisp white sundress that could’ve come from my own closet and casual Tory Burch sandals. Her brown hair was cropped in a pixie cut, and her dangly earrings caught the light when she turned her head. All of us, even Eleanor, found her appealing. Maybe she was a little gushy, but to me, she seemed friendly and forthright. She knew about the foundation, and her questions were thoughtful. “Diana isn’t afraid of anything,” Billy said. “She reminds me of you.”
At the time, I was flattered, but this should’ve been a warning. If you have no fear, you have nothing to lose; you act recklessly and without restraint. But Billy was in the throes of first love. He and Diana were puppyish and adorable, holding hands and whispering. They seemed happy; and I was happy for them. Also envious, if I’m being honest. I hadn’t seen my brother that loose and unfettered in years. They laughed a lot, private jokes. I felt left out—of their relationship, of Billy’s life.
Our second meeting in November, was much less successful. Diana came to the Valmont, and everyone was there except Nate. Before we sat down to eat, I stumbled on her in the hall near the celebration room, inspecting our knickknacks and artwork. Seeing her hands all over my family’s possessions set me off, and when she held up a vase, I said, “That’s from the Ming dynasty. Not Pottery Barn.” I must’ve hurt her feelings because she stammered out an apology and ran off. Next thing I knew, she and Billy were putting on their coats. I felt awful about snapping at her, but she blew it way out of proportion, making him leave without even eating. She kept tugging on his hand, saying “Come on, Babe, let’s go,” which made her seem manipulative and childish, nothing like the savvy woman I met over the summer. When she and Billy walked out, I made a crack about her clinginess, which infuriated him so much he stopped returning my calls. I should’ve kept my mouth shut, but her behavior was creepy. She was exactly like he’d described her: needy and demanding, the kind of girl who’d go mental if a boy told her no.
*
“I’m sorry, Eleanor. Do you need something from me?”
“I’d like you to come home. Someone has to convince Billy to tell the truth, even if he’s afraid it will cast him in a bad light. Mr. DeFiore can’t build a solid case otherwise.”
“Billy has been interrogated by the police ad nauseam. If they can’t get him to tell the truth, what makes you think I can?”
“You were always so close. Remember when you were a little girl, you were afraid of the dark? Every night, you snuck into his bed, before Maeve carried you back to your own room.” She looks at me, narrows her eyes. “This went on for many years, longer than what’s proper. I should’ve stopped it, but I was grateful you found comfort.” She sighs. “You didn’t think I knew. Of course, I did. I’m his mother. I know everything.”
My stomach drops as if we’re in a plane that’s suddenly lost altitude. “Eleanor, we were kids. My relationship with Billy has changed.” The air is shallow. I try to breathe. “We’re not as close as we used to be.”
“You’re still his sister.”
“That’s why you drove all the way up here? To tell me to talk to Billy?”
“To impress upon you the difficulty of our situation. Not just with Billy. With his father as well. Lawrence’s stunt with the reporter cost us enormous goodwill. He’s insisting Billy take a plea, which is a terrible mistake.” She shakes her head. “Lawrence told Mr. DeFiore, without my knowledge, to go ahead and make a deal. Thankfully, the lawyer called me. I am, after all, writing the checks. But he’s since threatened to drop the case. Despite my initial reservations, I believe Mr. DeFiore can move us in the right direction, and I’m worried Lawrence will jeopardize our relationship with him.”
“Lawrence went behind your back?” I correct myself. “Of course he did. I’m sorry, Eleanor. I’ll help any way I can, but I don’t know if I can change his mind.”