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Chapter 14
A few days passed; nothing worth mentioning happened. Pearl phoned Mason
every night, but he had little to report. Elena was seen and photographed
while talking to various people; Mason looked at the pictures but recognized
none of the people in them.
So, in a few days Elena phoned Mason in his office. Fortunately, it was
afternoon and he was alone there, so he could talk freely.
“Hi Mason,” she said without preliminaries. “I just do not know what men find
in Eden.”
Mason smiled. “Want me to tell you? I’m her brother if you remember; but
okay, well, Eden is an attractive woman. Just as you are.”
“Yes,” Elena said giving little heed to his reply. “Actually what I wanted to say
is why men get obsessed with Eden. She’s not that bright or beautiful; if you
ask me, she’s really hysterical. Still, men would get crazy and blow up houses
in the mountains--”
“What are you talking about?”
“Why, don’t you remember. There was a woman you loved and a man you
loathed, and they went to the Capwells’ little house in the mountains to have a
romantic weekend, or not so romantic, and there was a man who was
obsessed with Eden and he arranged for this explosion because he thought it
was Eden with her lover. You almost lost the only woman you ever loved;
doesn’t that make you hate Eden?”
Mason grew pale. Elena knew far too much. She knew things she shouldn’t
have known, couldn’t have known.
He almost lost Mary due to that explosion, not because she was hurt so badly
but because Mark was, and as he was at death’s door Mary accepted his
proposal and married him right there in the hospital. How did Elena know –
how did she know who was behind it? How did she know about the accident
itself; Mason was sure Pamela had no idea about it?
“Why,” he said, trying to control his voice. “Eden had nothing to do with it.”
“Of course she had; I know from—But it’s not the point. Really; and an
explosion of a boat is much more picturesque than that of a mountain hut.
What I mean is that – why should people get obsessed with this Eden. It’s
much more natural if it’s with Kelly. Right, there was this carnation killer – and
then this unfortunate brother of her fiance, right – and--”
“I am not sure I understand,” Mason said slowly.
“No; and there was a time you used to think you did; you thought you
understood me better than anyone else in the world, eh?”
There was this short laugh so characteristic of Elena’s manner; now Mason
was sure she was playing with him, and the game was rather wicked.
“Ok, I do not understand you, I admit this; what do you mean?”
“Kelly, she’s so tender and beautiful, fresh as a daisy, isn’t she?”
Mason was thinking feverishly: had he made a mistake? Was Elena going to
attack Kelly instead of Eden?
“And now if Eden has Cruz, doesn’t Kelly have Jeffrey?”
“Are you jealous of Jeffrey, too?”
“Why should I be?”
“Elena,” Mason started, but she hung up the receiver.
He leant back turning the talk over and over in his mind. Of course he could
not understand the workings of the sick mind, it was high time he admitted
this; but she was playing with him, this was clear, and she counted on him to
pick up the clue. In the talk there was a logic of a kind, and there was one thing
that sounded absolutely illogical and insane, Mason told himself, dialing Kelly’
s number hastily.
He was in luck: it was Jeffrey, not Kelly, who picked up the phone.
“Oh hi, Mason!” he seemed glad to hear his brother.
“Jeffrey,” Mason said urgently, “where is Kelly?”
“Taking a shower – want to talk to her?”
“No, not really. Jeffrey, are you going on a boat trip or something?”
“Ah, yes, tonight; just how did you learn, because it’s a surprise I’ve prepared
for Kelly and even she does not know yet--”
“Don’t go.”
“Mason--”
“Jeffrey. Do not go. I’ve got a tip it’s dangerous.”
“Dangerous – what do you mean?”
“Jeffrey.” Mason paused. He did not want him to know too much; Jeffrey was
not Cruz, he was Mason’s younger brother. Just like Elena.
‘Too many siblings,’ Mason thought to himself. ‘Too many siblings spoil the--’.
He couldn’t think of a suitable completion rhyming with 'broth', and had to add,
in temper, ‘spoil everything.’
“Listen, brother,” he said aloud. “You saved my skin, remember?”
“Oh I--”
“Let’s say it’s my turn to save yours; I think from the same gang; you see
what I mean now?”
Jeffrey hesitated.
“Jeffrey?” Mason pressed.
“Yes. Okay, Mason. What shall I do?”
“Nothing; just keep by Kelly’s side and be on the alert. I’ll try to settle it. What’
s the boat called?”
“ ‘Juno’.”
“When were you planning to cast off?”
“Tonight at eight.”
“Was there to be anybody else on board but for you two?”
“No; I ordered a dinner and candles and flowers – Mason--”
“Please don’t ask me questions. I do not know what I am going to do about it. I
will take care of it; you take care of Kelly.”
Here Mason was cunning: he knew that if Elena chose to give him the clue he
would choose to go there alone. Elena was playing her cat-and-mouse game
with her own brother, and she knew it perfectly well what he was to her; so
Mason only had to trust his instincts and try to protect his sister from herself if
that was possible. If both their parents refused to be responsible for the
monster they had formed, well, someone had to take the responsibility.
A few days passed; nothing worth mentioning happened. Pearl phoned Mason
every night, but he had little to report. Elena was seen and photographed
while talking to various people; Mason looked at the pictures but recognized
none of the people in them.
So, in a few days Elena phoned Mason in his office. Fortunately, it was
afternoon and he was alone there, so he could talk freely.
“Hi Mason,” she said without preliminaries. “I just do not know what men find
in Eden.”
Mason smiled. “Want me to tell you? I’m her brother if you remember; but
okay, well, Eden is an attractive woman. Just as you are.”
“Yes,” Elena said giving little heed to his reply. “Actually what I wanted to say
is why men get obsessed with Eden. She’s not that bright or beautiful; if you
ask me, she’s really hysterical. Still, men would get crazy and blow up houses
in the mountains--”
“What are you talking about?”
“Why, don’t you remember. There was a woman you loved and a man you
loathed, and they went to the Capwells’ little house in the mountains to have a
romantic weekend, or not so romantic, and there was a man who was
obsessed with Eden and he arranged for this explosion because he thought it
was Eden with her lover. You almost lost the only woman you ever loved;
doesn’t that make you hate Eden?”
Mason grew pale. Elena knew far too much. She knew things she shouldn’t
have known, couldn’t have known.
He almost lost Mary due to that explosion, not because she was hurt so badly
but because Mark was, and as he was at death’s door Mary accepted his
proposal and married him right there in the hospital. How did Elena know –
how did she know who was behind it? How did she know about the accident
itself; Mason was sure Pamela had no idea about it?
“Why,” he said, trying to control his voice. “Eden had nothing to do with it.”
“Of course she had; I know from—But it’s not the point. Really; and an
explosion of a boat is much more picturesque than that of a mountain hut.
What I mean is that – why should people get obsessed with this Eden. It’s
much more natural if it’s with Kelly. Right, there was this carnation killer – and
then this unfortunate brother of her fiance, right – and--”
“I am not sure I understand,” Mason said slowly.
“No; and there was a time you used to think you did; you thought you
understood me better than anyone else in the world, eh?”
There was this short laugh so characteristic of Elena’s manner; now Mason
was sure she was playing with him, and the game was rather wicked.
“Ok, I do not understand you, I admit this; what do you mean?”
“Kelly, she’s so tender and beautiful, fresh as a daisy, isn’t she?”
Mason was thinking feverishly: had he made a mistake? Was Elena going to
attack Kelly instead of Eden?
“And now if Eden has Cruz, doesn’t Kelly have Jeffrey?”
“Are you jealous of Jeffrey, too?”
“Why should I be?”
“Elena,” Mason started, but she hung up the receiver.
He leant back turning the talk over and over in his mind. Of course he could
not understand the workings of the sick mind, it was high time he admitted
this; but she was playing with him, this was clear, and she counted on him to
pick up the clue. In the talk there was a logic of a kind, and there was one thing
that sounded absolutely illogical and insane, Mason told himself, dialing Kelly’
s number hastily.
He was in luck: it was Jeffrey, not Kelly, who picked up the phone.
“Oh hi, Mason!” he seemed glad to hear his brother.
“Jeffrey,” Mason said urgently, “where is Kelly?”
“Taking a shower – want to talk to her?”
“No, not really. Jeffrey, are you going on a boat trip or something?”
“Ah, yes, tonight; just how did you learn, because it’s a surprise I’ve prepared
for Kelly and even she does not know yet--”
“Don’t go.”
“Mason--”
“Jeffrey. Do not go. I’ve got a tip it’s dangerous.”
“Dangerous – what do you mean?”
“Jeffrey.” Mason paused. He did not want him to know too much; Jeffrey was
not Cruz, he was Mason’s younger brother. Just like Elena.
‘Too many siblings,’ Mason thought to himself. ‘Too many siblings spoil the--’.
He couldn’t think of a suitable completion rhyming with 'broth', and had to add,
in temper, ‘spoil everything.’
“Listen, brother,” he said aloud. “You saved my skin, remember?”
“Oh I--”
“Let’s say it’s my turn to save yours; I think from the same gang; you see
what I mean now?”
Jeffrey hesitated.
“Jeffrey?” Mason pressed.
“Yes. Okay, Mason. What shall I do?”
“Nothing; just keep by Kelly’s side and be on the alert. I’ll try to settle it. What’
s the boat called?”
“ ‘Juno’.”
“When were you planning to cast off?”
“Tonight at eight.”
“Was there to be anybody else on board but for you two?”
“No; I ordered a dinner and candles and flowers – Mason--”
“Please don’t ask me questions. I do not know what I am going to do about it. I
will take care of it; you take care of Kelly.”
Here Mason was cunning: he knew that if Elena chose to give him the clue he
would choose to go there alone. Elena was playing her cat-and-mouse game
with her own brother, and she knew it perfectly well what he was to her; so
Mason only had to trust his instincts and try to protect his sister from herself if
that was possible. If both their parents refused to be responsible for the
monster they had formed, well, someone had to take the responsibility.
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