Secrets (32 page)

Because he's going to be a very big star next year, when the show goes on the air.

Would you say that it could be a hindrance to him to have a wife in her condition?

Objection!

Overruled. Please answer the question, Mr. Wechsler.

It could be, but I don't think

Thank you. They cut him off and Bill closed his eyes. There was no hope. They were going to send him to prison. They were painting a portrait of a man who wanted to get rid of his wife, who hated her, who hated her addiction, and wanted her out of the way at all costs so he could pursue his career. It sounded more like murder one again than manslaughter, although they were resting their whole case on the theory of a crime of passion, that he just couldn't take it anymore, and had killed her.

Bill's agent took the stand next, as Mel took a seat next to Gabby and squeezed her hand. She looked up at him with troubled eyes, and leaned close to him as they listened.

Would you say Mr. Warwick loved his wife? the defense attorneys asked, and the prosecution immediately objected.

That's conjecture, Your Honor.

Sustained. Rephrase your question. MacNamara looked annoyed. They were all a bunch of spoiled, badly behaved movie stars and he had no patience with any of them. But the important thing was how the jury felt, and there was no reading their faces.

Did Mr. Warwick ever tell you he was in love with his wife?

Frequently. He was crazy about her, and he said so.

The prosecution looked annoyed, and Mel glanced at Gabby, but she was staring straight ahead, willing all of her strength to Bill, with no thought of malice or jealousy toward Sandy.

Was he bothered by her drug addiction?

Of course, he was worried about her all the time. He wanted her to go to rehab programs but she wouldn't go.

Would you say he was angry at her?

No. Never.

Would you say he felt that his career was threatened by her?

No. I kept telling him to get rid of her, that she would destroy him, but he wouldn't hear it. He was always there for her. He hoped she'd clean up. Even when he was in New York, on location, he called me all the time, wanting me to find her, to see how she was.

And how was she?

I don't know. I could never find anyone who knew where she was. She had pretty much disappeared into the drug scene even before he left. They were already separated then.

Did he see her when he got back?

I don't know. He didn't tell me.

Would you say he wanted to get rid of her?

No. Not in that sense. I think he may have wanted to divorce her, but it never got to that point. I think she was too messed up for him to pursue it.

Have you ever seen Mr. Warwick lose his temper?

No, sir.

Have you ever heard him threaten anyone?

No, sir.

Thank you very much.

The prosecution took over, and they couldn't shake Harry's testimony. He was terrific, and Bill smiled at him as he left the stand. He wanted to stand up and kiss him.

It took three more days to call all their witnesses, including Sandy's parents, who appeared for the defense, but they were barely coherent from the shock of what had happened. And it was obvious that they had disapproved of her and given up on her a long time before Bill had. They talked about a difficult childhood, and an uncontrollable girl; who had run away from home several times in her teens, and dabbled in drugs off and on long before she met Bill, or began acting. And they felt that the pressures of her work had been the last straw. They had felt she was doomed from the beginning.

Bill's own parents had called him halfway through the trial, but their call was typical of them. His father sounded disappointed and accusing, and his mother cried on the extension. They made no offer to come west, and Bill wasn't even sure afterwards if they believed him innocent of Sandy's murder.

But the worst day of all was the day that Bill took the stand himself. They asked him all the questions he had dreaded, and tried to make the relationship sound ugly and sordid. They tried to enrage him by painting her as promiscuous, and they made it sound as though he had only married her to use her to get work, and then cast her aside when he got himself a big part on Manhattan. They made it all sound so seamy and they pushed him and pushed him and pushed him until he couldn't take it anymore, and he broke down on the stand and sobbed, holding his face in hands, unable to stop the tears, as he thought of the girl he had once loved, and all that had happened since then. It wasn't at all what they said, and he had looked dismally at the prosecutor, with tears rolling slowly down his cheeks, when he was finally able to speak again, and his voice was hoarse with the pain that had been inflicted on him.

Don't you understand?' The reporters were sketching him furiously, and what one saw now was the raw core of the man, the naked soul of the man who had loved a woman called Sandy. I loved her.

People have killed people they love before, Mr. Warwick. The prosecution was relentless, but the defense had objected then, and they had asked for a recess in which Bill could regain control. But he had broken down again that afternoon, and as Gabby glanced at the jury she prayed that they were feeling sorry for him. It was almost impossible not to. But their faces registered nothing.

On Friday morning, the judge instructed the jury. They had to feel, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Bill had killed Sandy. They had to be sure of it, based on the testimony they had heard, and not based on any emotional interpretations. If they convicted him, sentence would be set in thirty days, by the judge, and they were not to be affected by what the sentence might be. They were only to determine his innocence or guilt, based on the presentation of the defense and the prosecution. Bil's own testimony had been deeply moving and he had broken down several times, but even that wasn't supposed to sway them. They were only supposed to deal with the evidence, the bullet wounds, the absence of the gun, their relationship such as it had been re-created for them, and whether or not they felt Bill had killed her.

He called a recess after that, and the jury was led to the jury room, as Bill stood in the hall with his attorneys, and Gabby hovered nearby. There was no one there for her, and she suddenly missed Jane ' and Zack ' and Mel ' she wished that they could be there now. Mel was waiting for news in his office. And all they could do now was wait. They knew it could take several days before they heard. The attorneys had warned them of that. The jury was going to take as long as they had to.

The defense team lingered in the halls, making conversation in which Bill didn't participate. He couldn't keep his mind on anything, except the verdict.

He was talking to Gabby quietly, when the bailiff came out and asked everyone to come back inside. The jury had reached a verdict, and the defense attorneys looked worried. They had been conferring for less than an hour, and that was usually a bad sign. It almost always meant a guilty verdict, and was usually in cases where the defendant was clearly guilty of the crime. They had hoped to create far more doubt in the minds of the jury.

Court is in session. All rise. The judge emerged from his chambers, buttoning his robe, and he sat down, as Bill clutched the arms of his chair unconsciously, and the jury filed in. They still wore no expression on their faces. They were like masks. No one looked satisfied or pleased, or sad, no one smiled at Bill, or gave him any encouragement at all. Gabby felt tears sting her eyes, suddenly realizing the full force of what was happening. If he was found guilty, he would be led away then and there ' for Bill Warwick, it would be all over ' for a long time anyway ' and for her ' but more importantly, for him. He could spend as long as eleven years in prison.

Ladies and gentleman of the jury, have you reached a verdict? Gabby was coming to hate the formalities, the words that meant nothing to them, but on which Bill's whole life rested.

We have, Your Honor.

And what is it? She squeezed her eyes shut, afraid to hear, and Bill was white as a sheet as he watched them.

We find the defendant not guilty, Your Honor.

The defense attorneys grinned and Bill stared, as the judge looked down at him. You have been acquitted, Mr. Warwick. There was a terrible sob from behind him as he leapt from his chair and rushed through the gate to find Gabby. She flew into his arms and he held her there, the two of them crying, as the lawyers smiled, and the jury filed out. The judge rose. And it was over.

They called Mel from downstairs, and Gabby told him the news through her tears. Bill was still too shaken to talk to anyone, and she apologized for him. He congratulated them both, and there were tears in his own eyes, as he hung up the phone. He had told Gabby to have Bill call him when he felt ready.

And the news item announcing the verdict was much smaller than the item describing his arrest, but he wasn't bitter about it. He was just relieved. They called Zack and Jane that night, and Jane cried at the news. And Mel told Sabina when he called her in Paris.

Little by little the word spread, and Bill felt as though he was slowly returning to the land of the living. He had never been certain of the outcome. It had been the most terrifying experience of his life. And now suddenly, he was left with the mundane pleasures of real life ' jogging with his dog in Malibu, shopping at Safeway, watering his garden, taking Gabby out for a hamburger at Mike's, he could even think about furnishing his apartment because he wasn't going to prison. And there were more important things to think about too. Like his job, and their future.

How about coming east with me now? I think we both need it, she suggested and they agreed that they needed another week or two to catch their breath. It had been a terrible strain. And he helped Gabby bring two enormous bags of her things from her apartment. They made no formal arrangements, but he wanted her to move in with him. They had been through so much together, he almost felt as though they were married, but he didn't want her to rush into anything. She had a lot to think about now. She was part of an important show, her career was going to take off, and she had been through a lot with him. There was always the possibility that she would never want to see him again after it was all over. But she showed no sign of it. She brought all of her plants from her apartment, groomed Bernie every day, helped Bill set his place to rights, and she always seemed to be fixing things up, and making them homey. And she had just finished moving the furniture around for the second time, when she turned to Bill, and gently asked:

When are you going to face the music? She didn't want to push him, but he might as well know where he stood with Mel. It had been a week since the verdict came in, and Bill had done everything to avoid calling.

What music, sweetheart? He frowned, pretending to ignore her. I liked the couch better the way you had it a minute ago. I saw some great lamps downtown yesterday, by the way. I thought we could pick them up tomorrow.

Never mind that she wagged a finger at him and you know exactly what I mean. You were supposed to call Mel. And don't ask me Mel who. Mel Wechsler.

He grinned sheepishly. I figure I got lucky once, twice may be too much to ask of my karma.

Wouldn't it be better to know?

No. I'd rather go buy lamps with you.

Don't be so chicken. She forced him to call Mel that afternoon. But his secretary said that he was meeting with the networks and wouldn't be back in the office again until Monday. Bill reported it to Gabrielle and she laughed. Well, you got a reprieve.

They had a lovely weekend, relaxing and lying by his pool, they had dinner at Mike's once, and he took her to Ma Maison on Saturday night to finally celebrate their victory. And Mel returned his call on Monday morning. He didn't say anything much on the phone. He just asked him to come in that afternoon. And Bill thanked him again for appearing at the trial, and promised to be there.

What did he say?

That he's tripling my salary, you're all fired, and I'm the star of my own one-man show starting this season.

She laughed. Bill was in such a good mood these days. The thousand-pound weight was off his back, and he was happy. It had been a terrible time for him, but it was all over. Poor Sandy was finally laid to rest, and he could go on with his life now.

I'm serious, what did Mel say?

He said to come in around three o'clock. That's the time he likes firing people best.

You're impossible. Can I come?

No. It's one thing to have you watch me dragged off to prison ' but losing my job I can do alone. And he didn't invite you.

Okay. I have some shopping to do anyway.

New hiking boots? he teased.

No. Believe it or not, I need some clothes before we go to Newport. I thought I'd drop in at Giorgio.

You? The Queen of Army Surplus?

Just don't tell anyone.

Your secret is safe with me, princess. He swept her into an embrace worthy of a musical in the 1930s, and dropped her rudely on the couch as she laughed. He was in such good spirits that he wasn't as depressed as he might have been about losing his job. He hadn't lost his freedom, that was much more important. And it had been a good year on the show. He really couldn't blame Mel for letting him go. The scandal was really a violation of all their agreements, and he knew it.