Hi Everyone:

I am pleased to publish two chapter, 15 of my novel, RAPE. After reading the chapter, I hope you will comment. As you know, your comments and suggestions influence my revision. If you missed any of the previous chapters, check the archives.

          I also encourage you to visit my website:  joshswritingroom.com/ where you will find, a short story. You can also check out my e-published novels. If you find one to your liking, you can purchase it from Amazon.com, or from Barnes and Noble. You’ll find links on the website taking you right to it.

PATH TO A PARDON,

THE EINDHOVEN STRATEGY,

& PALM BEACH STYLE.

 

As I publish each new chapter, the previous chapter(s) should be archived, so you can easily catch up.

For those who prefer, here is an encapsulated version of the previous action:

 

PREVIOUSLY: RAPE

Prosperous executive, Gary Sanders, has an appointment at the home of Julia Walsh, the reigning Empress of Palm Beach. Julia’s niece, Oscar winning actress, Miriam West, is visiting and has jewelry to insure.

Miriam accuses Gary of assault and rape. Chief Moore shows Gary a close-up of her facial cuts and bruises. They await the lab report.

Gary’s wife, Carol is furious. Due to a Gary’s past, Carol believes him guilty. She moves him into the guest room.

Attorney, Joe Flaherty advises him not to hide, flee or talk. Reporters who publish stories favoring the actress surround Gary’s home and office. His children are harassed at school and Gary loses his clients and his major companies. Neighbors and friends shun Gary and his family.

Prior to Gary’s arraignment, lawyer Flaherty sends P.I., Jim Bosley to investigate, and then visits Carol. When he arrives, he finds her parents have arrived and plan to take her and the children back to Boston. He tries to persuade her to stay.

 A January court date is set. After posting $50,000 bail, Gary returns home, & Carol tells him that she and the children are going to Boston to live with her parents.

After cleaning up his office, Gary stops at a Palm Beach Pub. As he walks to his car, a Miriam West fan assaults him.

A neighborhood committee offers up to $15,000 to help Gary sell his home if his family leaves Palm Beach within 60 days.

P.I. Bosley interviews the maids at the Walsh mansion and learns that Consuela was fired the previous week. He concludes that reporter; Miguel Gonzales is already looking for her.

Miguel’s editor helps him find an address for Consuela, but according to a neighbor she has gone to visit her mother in San Antonio.

 

 

 

CHAPTER 15

 

 

Rose Arista frowned, as Consuela pushed the vegetables from one side of the plate to the other before moving them to the middle and starting the silly game all over again, letting everything get cold. It’s the same as yesterday, and the day before that, and even before that, in fact for the entire week. She hardly eats a thing, this child who always enjoyed a great appetite. “Consuela, stop playing with your food. Eat it while it is still warm!”

            As a child, Consuela had been chubby, full of energy, running around the barrio with the other children, so full of life. Now, look at her! She can hide behind a broomstick.

            “Consuela, do you hear me? I cook all your favorite vegetables. Please eat them.”

All day she is so sad, stays in her room, she does not call any of her friends, and she sleeps too much. It must be a man. She says she is on vacation, but something is wrong. I see it; I feel it in my bones. Always before she love her job, now she won’t even talk about it. Perhaps she runs away, but from what? Does she come here to hide? If she is hiding, is it because she does something wrong? Consuela has always been a good child; maybe not perfect, never in bad trouble.

“Consuela, did you get fired?” What causes such unhappiness? This must be the fault of a man. She has never had luck with men. She gets that from her father’s side of family. I always did well with the muchachos. Pobrecita.

“Consuela, has some hombre taken advantage of you? Did he hurt you? Talk to me!”

What can I do to help her? This cannot go on. She stooped and took the plate away. When she returned from the kitchen, her daughter had not moved; she took a seat next to her unhappy child and placed a hand on her thin face.

“Consuela, listen to me! I am your mother; you know that I love you. Whatever it is that puts you in this unhappy state, you know I am on your side, speak; make me understand. Between us there have never been secrets.”

“Oh Momacita, if only it were that simple, then I tell you, but this is not easy to explain. I am not certain I understand it myself, so how do I explain it to someone else?”

“Try! Otherwise it will eat you until it drive you out of your mind.”

Consuela attempted a quick smile. “I think that I am already a lobo loco.”

Rose took her daughter’s hand and held it in both of her own. “Take a deep breath my child, and tell me!”

Consuela inhaled deeply and shut her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, her mother’s brown simpatico eyes were inches away. “You know that for the last five years I’m working at the home of Julia Walsh, she is a good woman and has much wealth.” She watched as her mother nodded and patted her hand. “Everything is fine until her niece, Miss Miriam, comes to visit. Oh Momacita, she is a beauty, an actress, and a devil. I try to help her and now—and now. . .”

“Go on Consuela; you will feel better once you tell me.”

“I try to be nice to Ms. Miriam because I can see she is much troubled. Before she comes to visit, she has a big fight with a man in Hollywood. I hear her talk on the phone begging him to forgive her, but he hangs up on her. Ms. Miriam, she throws things and cries many tears. She does not speak of this to me, and I do not ask, but I can tell she is like a spoiled child, crying because she has done something wrong and she expects everyone to forgive her and give her whatever she wants.

“Then, Miss Julia, she asks a friend to come see her niece. He is a fine man. He has much stature. Miss Miriam, all morning she is drinking. I look in her eyes, and I see trouble ahead. I do not see him come, but I see him leave and now Miss Miriam is more angry than I ever see her. Oh Momacita, it is so unjust that now Miss Miriam puts me in her wild scheme to bring him down. I don’t understand how Miss Julia allows this. I have done nothing wrong. I try to help her. She cut herself. I clean the wound. I do what Miss Miriam wants. Now, I am sent away. This is not just,” she declared, as the tears began to flow. Consuela put her head in her mother’s lap and sobbed.

She felt her mother’s small hand smoothing her hair. She closed her eyes tight in a vain effort to keep the tears from cascading and again pictured herself saying goodbye to Miriam West in Fort Pierce; saw herself picking up the suitcase and reaching for the door of the Cadillac.

Once again, she heard the she-devil remind her not to speak to anyone about what happened. Telling her, she’d receive a check each week as if she still worked, to consider this a paid vacation, and that when Miss Miriam completed her triumph everything would be the same as before. As Consuela gently closed the car door, the woman grabbed her thin wrist through the open window. With surprising strength, she pulled her close, imprisoning her and with fire in her eye spoke in a low voice, “If you do not keep your mouth shut I will send someone to shut it for you! Comprendo?”

Not trusting her voice, she had nodded, pulled away from Miss Miriam’s grasp, and made her way into the nasty smelling, run-down bus terminal.

Now, Consuela choked back a sob, rubbed her wrist, and decided not to tell her mother about the crazy woman’s threat. She lifted her head, allowing her mother to wipe her tears with a tissue the old woman produced from her sleeve. “I have just one question to ask, my daughter.”

“Yes Momacita?”

“Did the man see you?”

“No, I stay in next room. The door only little bit open. I see him, but the bedroom is dark. I think he don’t know I am there.”