THE GREAT PRETENDER Read online

  Reggie dropped his arms, depleted. “The question is: What do I do? How do I end it? Tell me what to do so that no one gets hurt and it all works out in the end.” He looked over at Franklin for a response. “Right now, I think I’d take all the advice I can get.”

  Totally amused by Reginald’s speech, Frank took a sip of Pepsi and looked him directly in the eye. “Which one do you want to be with?” he asked, starting on his second yucca-stuffed chicken sandwich.

  “What?” asked Reggie, taken aback.

  “Which one do you want to be with?”

  Reggie looked out the window onto Fontainebleau Boulevard. “I guess that would be a fair question, wouldn’t it?” After an extended pause, he said, “Tracy. There’s no life without her.” It was a lot for him to admit to anyone.

  Perfect, thought Frank, looking at Reggie. That’s just perfect.

  When he finally spoke, he said, “So it’s simple. You tell Renee the truth, and you tell Tracy nothing. It shouldn’t be that hard to figure out, Reggie.”

  “What about Denise?” Reggie said, pressing his thumbs into his eye sockets.

  Frank thought for a moment. “Work something out with Renee.”

  “What could I possibly work out with Renee beyond ridiculously brief visits while I’m in Orlando? I can’t bring Denise here…I’d have to explain her.”

  “Well, then, you can go up there from time to time to ‘oversee expansions’ or ‘oversee acquisitions’ and visit Denise that way.” Frank balled up his sandwich wrapper. He had devoured the sandwiches in record time.

  “Could I really do that, though? Denise is not even seven years old yet. I should be a consistent part of her life because she’s still so young, Frank. She needs me.” He smiled. “Right now I’m hearing her ask me how long she’ll have to miss me this time.”

  “I don’t see any other way, Reggie. How else do you think you can work something like this out?” Frank sat back in his recliner, full and content. Those were really good sandwiches, he thought.

  Reggie left the chair and stood by the window, deep in thought. Almost to himself, he said, “I called her this morning and she’s her usual self—she can’t wait for me to get back. How will she respond to the fact that I have a wife and two practically grown-up kids?”

  “Why are you worrying about Renee?” Frank asked. “Over the years, she’s been like clay. You can mold her to complement the situation.”

  After a long silence, Reggie turned and looked at Frank. Frank was absently stroking his mustache and looking at the television, where Dan Rather was reporting live from Capitol Hill.

  “Tell Renee and not Tracy, huh?” Reggie mused. “What if I tell them both?”

  Frank himself wondered how Tracy would react if she was told about Renee and Denise. He really wasn’t sure if she would leave Reggie or not…But he decided that it was something he would find out.

  “You can’t tell them both, Reggie, not unless you want to risk losing them both. If it’s Tracy you want, you’d better make damn sure you don’t tell her anything, because I’m almost certain that she’d leave you.” Frank didn’t think he wanted Reggie and Tracy to have problems. That would make his secret so much less satisfying.

  “But what if Tracy finds out from someone else? Like if Renee flips out and decides she wants to get up close and personal with my wife? I can’t have that happen, either, Frank. If Tracy has to find out, it has to come from me—it definitely has to come from me.”

  Frank stared at Reginald. Look at him—the almighty Reginald Brooks.

  When Frank finally spoke, he said, “Who says Tracy has to find out? Do I have to do all the thinking for you, man? C’mon, all you have to do is orchestrate it so that Renee isn’t upset with you. Make up a rock solid story, Reggie. Tell her you’re sick and you can’t go on hiding it…Or tell her your wife was missing for years and just showed up now out of nowhere.” Frank stared down at the coffee table, thinking. “Tell her…tell her you just found out you’re still legally married because your divorce never went through. Be creative.”

  When he finished throwing out his ideas, Frank looked over at Reggie, who had also sat down, listening intently to every word. He could see that Reginald meant what he’d said. He’d take just about all the advice he could get. He was determined to put an end to the charade.

  Reggie slowly ran his hand down the length of his face, mulling over Frank’s words. “Yeah…I think something like that would work, but it would have to be something really plausible. Renee may be gullible, but she’s no idiot.”

  “Well, at least now you have an idea of how it has to be. If she’s not upset with you, you’ll have a better chance of keeping her from contacting Tracy. You might even set it up so that she’ll end up feeling sorry for you in some way...”

  “Well, I have to come up with something fast because after this next trip, it’ll be a while before I head back up there.”

  This surprised Frank. His eyes bulged. “What? You mean you plan to do all this right now? Why the rush?”

  “The rush is for my sanity, Frank. It’s for Tracy. It’s for my girls. All these years I’ve robbed myself of being a regular part of their lives, and now one of them practically hates me for it. I just want to have a normal life with my daughters and with Tracy, you know? Whatever normal is.”

  “Okay. So when will you plan to be a regular part of Denise’s life? I don’t see how you think you can work this out so quickly without getting burned somehow, man.” After a lengthy pause, Frank added, “You just might have to tell them both.”

  “No way. Tracy would leave me if she knew, and you said as much not five minutes ago. Then what would I have? No, Frank. I can’t tell Tracy. I’m taking your advice…I just need to figure out a way to keep Renee on good terms with me when I tell her that I’m married. That way, there’s no reason Tracy and the girls would have to find anything out.”

  “So how exactly do you think Renee will react when you do tell her?”

  “All I need to do is come up with an ironclad story, just like you said, a believable one, and Renee will be handled.” After a pause, he said, “You know, the more I think about it, the more I realize that Renee is actually the least of my troubles. She really has always been like clay…If I continue to play my cards right, she won’t be a problem at all.” As he spoke, Frank saw him transform into the cocky, egotistical man that had gotten himself into this ridiculous mess in the first place.

  “Okay, so you don’t have to worry about Renee. What about your little girl? How are you gonna stop her from ending up like Olivia?”

  “Hell—I don’t know. When all is said and done, I think I need to work on my primary responsibilities before I worry too much about the secondary, don’t you? Besides, Denise is still young yet. There’s plenty of time.”

  “Nope. Like you said before, that little girl needs a father. How do you think you’re gonna feel when Renee finds another man and Denise starts calling him Daddy? I know that would piss me the hell off.”

  Reggie shook his head. “I’m the only man Renee sees. There won’t be another. After all these years, I can’t believe that you of all people don’t know that.”

  Frank put his hands up in resignation. “All right, all right…I guess you know best. But hypothetically, what if she does meet someone else? I mean, you aren’t gonna be around nearly as much anymore, right? Love or no love, buddy, a woman can get lonely and—”

  Reggie cut him off in midsentence. “Look, it won’t happen. I know Renee, and I’d bet everything I own that I’m it for her.”

  You’re that sure of yourself, huh? thought Frank. “Would you say the same about Tracy?” Frank watched him for a reaction. This was where he would have the most fun.

  Reggie stood in front of the window again, gazing out at traffic. His words were so low that Frank strained to hear them. “That’s part of the reason I want to stay home, isn’t it?” He paused. Then in a practical whisper he added, “Of course…I should
just admit it.”

  The look in Reginald’s eyes spoke volumes of truth: they were somber, his expression grave. Franklin didn’t doubt that Reginald loved Tracy. He’d kill for Tracy.

  Frank got up from the recliner and turned toward the kitchen before he smiled. He couldn’t help it. He smiled the wide, ear-to-ear smile that continued to melt the hearts of many women. This couldn’t be more perfect, he thought. From the kitchen, he called out, “Want a Bud?”

  “Yeah,” Reggie absently replied from his spot at the window. Reginald turned just as Frank returned to the living room with two Budweisers. He tossed one at Reggie as he slumped into the recliner. They sat in silence, sipping beer for quite some time, each preoccupied with his own thoughts.

  Finally, Reggie said, “I’m gonna head back to the office before Dana puts out an APB on me.” His stab at humor didn’t work. Neither man could laugh. He put his empty beer can on the coffee table and grabbed his keys.

  “So you’re sure you’re all right? I mean, you’re sure you’ve got all this stuff straightened out?”

  “Well, I’ve got another week or so to figure out what I’m gonna say to Renee. I hate to say it, but it looks like I’m going to have to sacrifice raising Denise for a while in order to salvage my relationship with Olivia and Valerie. Let’s face it…they were my first priority. If I have to choose—and right now I really need to choose—it’s definitely Tracy and the girls.”

  This conceited prick! When does he ever think about anybody but himself? “That’s a really fucked up way to look at it, Reggie. It’s not that little girl’s fault she wasn’t your firstborn.” Frank managed to keep the bitterness out of his voice. Shrugging, he said, “All right, buddy. Keep me posted.”

  “Yeah, I’ll call you. We’re thinking about having a barbecue on Saturday, so make sure you don’t plan anything, all right? And bring Theresa with you.” Reggie was out the door before Frank could respond.

  The almighty Reginald Brooks, Franklin thought again. Well, let the games begin.

  •

  Franklin suspected the day would come when the invincible Reginald would come tumbling, slipping, and sliding off his high horse. He recalled the night Reggie called him from Orlando, saying that he had unintentionally gotten a girl pregnant. Renee Jameson had refused to have an abortion, and although he tried, Reginald couldn't convince her otherwise. Renee had only been a warm body for him while he was on his brief stints working in Orlando, but before he could say birth control, she’d gotten pregnant. Then, taking Frank’s counsel, Reggie softened to the idea of being a father again. Frank convinced him to embrace the challenge of leading separate, clandestine lives.

  Denise Rose Brooks was born on March 11, 1998. By then Reggie had bought an illustrious town home and moved Renee into it. He told Renee that he’d move up to Orlando and they’d be a family—the first two weeks of every month. Renee didn’t like it, but what could she do but accept it? He wasn’t about to tell his wife about her, nor did he see a reason to let her know about his wife and kids.

  Frank chuckled as he remembered how he’d helped Reginald manipulate everything to perfection...

  First, Reggie went to his boss, Roger Roman, CEO of Hart-Roman, Inc., and proposed management of the Orlando division on a very absolute basis, personally overseeing the promotions for the Disney World account they had recently acquired. Despite the fact that Reginald had been the driving force behind landing Disney, it had not been easy convincing Roger that it would be beneficial to have him there as a permanent fixture. But in the end, Roger conceded.

  Next, Reggie simply told Renee that his moving to Orlando would come at the expense of having to spend the last two weeks of each month in Miami—for Hart-Roman.

  Finally, he told Tracy that Hart-Roman was offering him a significant stipend to spend the first two weeks of each month in Orlando as head honcho—an offer he simply couldn’t refuse. She hadn’t liked it at first, but reluctantly agreed.

  Roger leased him a luxury corporate apartment just off Osceola Parkway and allowed him a raise in salary to go with it. And that’s when Tracy calmed down; when she saw the increase on the direct deposit pay stub—which was nearly half of his actual bonus. She knew nothing of the funds Reginald had automatically sent to an account in Orlando to support Renee and Denise.

  Once she got used to the supplementary money, Tracy never complained again. Renee, on the other hand, did nothing but gripe about the situation. Over the years, she’d tried many times to get him to stop traveling back and forth, even for a few months, but of course, she never succeeded.

  Since Reginald had conferred with him before making any major decisions over the years, Frank often felt as though he were the one living two lives. In fact, he could even say he was partially responsible for Reggie getting himself into this catastrophic mess. But he sure as hell didn’t feel the least bit guilty about it—not the least bit guilty. He took pleasure in the fact that Olivia was likely closer to him than to her own father. Too bad Valerie didn’t feel the same way.

  Valerie, Frank thought. Now, she was a piece of work. She was a sly, scheming little girl, and Frank had a feeling that one day she would be big trouble for Reginald and Tracy. He pictured her getting caught shoplifting, or perhaps getting some poor guy charged with statutory rape. I’m surprised it hasn’t happened already, thought Frank.

  Now, Olivia was the total opposite. She was subtle, but woe was unto the person that pushed her too far. She was a tough cookie, and she pretty much kept to herself. The only thing Frank was certain of about Olivia was that she was head over heels for some idiot named Sean and her relationship with him came before anything else—including family. Frank noticed that the girl was totally oblivious to the goings-on in the household, and she really didn’t seem to care what they did or didn’t do.

  And who could blame the poor girl? thought Frank. Look how unstable that home’s been for the last ten years! It’s no wonder she seeks stability from a man. And it certainly didn’t take long for Tracy to find love in all the wrong places. Well, I’m just gonna sit back and enjoy the show, because the curtain is definitely going up.

  Frank reached for the telephone. He was finally ready to summon Theresa.

  Chapter 5

  Atlanta, Georgia

  Although he was tired and tempted to pack up and call it a night, Brent Stone continued doing what he was being paid to do.

  He’d been tailing the man since five o’clock that evening. It was now ten, and he was still unimpressed with his subject’s activities since landing in Atlanta.

  Brent knew this guy’s story. Rich, married chap—had money to burn. In his line of work, he saw it repeatedly, and this one was a textbook case; no more exciting than the rest.

  He parked his rental at the end of the block and made his way toward the house he’d seen his subject enter. It was an average-sized residence, nothing to write home about. The neighborhood wasn’t one that Brent would’ve guessed this guy would be visiting. It left much to be desired. Brent wasn’t going to stay long, anyway, only long enough to get a couple pictures, and then he would be on the next flight back to Miami. He wasn’t crazy about flying, despite the fact that his work usually required lots of it.

  He wanted to get the goods, compile the final report on this guy, present the information to his client, and return to his easier, less extensive cases. The ones where the poor, unfortunate chaps were of the average, working class and kept their mistresses local. Naturally, they didn’t pay nearly as well as wealthy clients such as this, but Brent preferred them nonetheless.

  Later, as his plane raced down the runway, Brent closed his weary eyes, thinking, She can hang him out to dry with these pictures.

  •

  Miami, Florida

  The following morning, Brent Stone was prepared to present his findings to his client. After telephoning her with this information, they agreed to meet at his office within the hour.

  When she arrived, her presence and
her beauty took Brent aback. He had never met her before, since their only contact had been by telephone. She had been forwarding all fees and expenses by messenger. She made all payments by check, drawn on a joint account, which she shared with her husband. Brent didn’t doubt that she was tying a noose around this guy’s neck with his own money.

  The woman walked into his office with rigid shoulders, wearing what appeared to be an expensive beige linen suit, high heels, and a broad-rimmed hat. Brent sensed she was deeply disturbed by her husband’s philandering. Unlike many of the wives he worked for, she seemed to be the type that was still emotionally attached to her husband. Usually, by the time they decided to hire a PI, wives had already disconnected themselves emotionally and only wanted leverage to use against their double-crossing husbands. Brent sympathized with them all, but he was cautious not to wear it on his sleeve. He remained aloof and delivered the news—good or bad—in the most professional manner possible. He had learned that it was the only way to survive in this line of business.

  They exchanged greetings and made small talk about the indigo décor of his office, while he positioned everything in the file as he would present it to her. Then he began.

  “As you know, we began official surveillance on March fifteenth. I’m going to go down the list, reading relative dates of activities and then the corresponding activity. Once I’ve completed that, I’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have.” Brent paused. “Are you ready?”

  The woman quietly cleared her throat. “Yes, Mr. Stone. I’m ready.”

  Brent slipped on his reading glasses. “Good. Then let’s begin.”