Intaglio Publications

Excerpts

 Jaded Chapter One Excerpt - Author Jocelyn Powers 

“Ms. Wilhelm, there’s a Ms. Vasquez from Children’s Services on line one for you,” the female voice announced over the intercom.

The slender blonde sitting at the desk dropped the pen in her hand. “Children’s Services? Did you tell her we’re not family law and we don’t do pro bono?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Did she tell you what she wants then?”

“No, ma’am. All she said was that it was of utmost importance that she speaks to you.”

She rubbed her forehead in frustration. “Take a message, Mora. I don’t have time right now.”

Acquisitions litigation attorney Courtney Wilhelm got up from her desk and looked out the plate glass window overlooking busy Forty-second Street a few blocks west of the United Nations. She crossed her arms and took a deep breath.

She loved New York. The energy of the city and its people fed her drive for success. Her most important achievement to date was being named a partner at Rosewell and Clooney LLC. She was the youngest and only female partner at the firm. Her accomplishment so early in her career was something her father, Dr. Gunther Wilhelm, world-renowned cardiothoracic surgeon, was extremely proud of. Failure and disappointment were never options for Courtney where her father was concerned.

As the only child of a very successful, driven man, it was a huge weight to bear, but Courtney always stepped up to his expectations brilliantly. She was the valedictorian of her class at an exclusive private school. From there, she went on to earn an undergraduate degree in economics from Princeton, then on to Harvard Law School. She was president of the Harvard Law Review and graduated at the top of her class. She was every bit her father’s daughter. The good doctor raised Courtney with love and discipline, all in an effort to keep his ex-wife’s irresponsible and troubling characteristics from bleeding through to her.

Courtney’s mind drifted back to her most recent triumph for which the firm gave her high praise. The communications acquisition she negotiated in Switzerland was genius and gained the firm new business as the representing counsel for the newly created corporation. She savored the thought of the bonus she was due, but more important were the accolades that the senior partners and board of directors were sure to bestow upon her.

And when her father returned from Prague, she would hand him the copy of The Wall Street Journal with the article detailing the success of her labor. She felt as if she had the world by the tail and nothing could stop her.

“I feel like a little celebration,” she said aloud. She reached for the BlackBerry on her desk and found the number for Suzanne Dempsey.

Suzanne worked as an account manager for the PR firm hired to handle press releases for Rosewell and Cooney. The two women were occasional lovers, but neither seemed to be interested in forging a relationship that consisted of anything more than an expensive dinner with nice conversation followed by pleasant sex. Courtney usually preferred to go to Suzanne’s place. It gave her the option to leave anytime she wanted. When Suzanne came to her place, she tended to linger in bed longer than Courtney wanted. Her ego demanded she be the one to have the control and make the decisions—sex was no exception.

She made the call. Suzanne agreed to meet her for dinner at Arabelle on the Upper East Side. They would celebrate with champagne and caviar. Later they would go to Suzanne’s place where she would lavish in Suzanne’s perfect body and long red curls, then go home for a good night’s sleep. A delicious way to feed body and soul, she thought.

“Ms. Wilhelm?” It was the voice from the intercom again.

Courtney sat at her desk. “What is it, Mora?”

“Ms. Vasquez left a message. She said it was in reference to,” Mora paused, “your sister’s death.”

“Was that all she said?” Courtney’s voice softened at the mention of her sister.

“Yes, ma’am. I have her cell number if you would like to call her back.”

Courtney tapped her fingers on the mahogany desk for a few seconds while she thought things out. “What I would like is for you to track my mother down. The last I heard from her, she was in Cannes or somewhere on the Riviera. Anyway, start with her personal valet Jacque. He should know where Kaye is. You have the number, right?”

“Yes, ma’am, I have it.”

“When you find her, transfer the call to me immediately.”

“I’ll get on it right away.”

“Thank you.” Courtney sat back in her leather chair and considered the possibilities for the call concerning her half sister.

Marissa was the product of a reckless affair her selfish, social-climbing mother had with a member of the Spanish nobility. The Viscount de Alvarez was a handsome, dark-haired, single rogue of a man who Kaye Blanchard-Wilhelm met at a New York society party. Seeing money and a royal title, she sought to escape a loveless marriage and pursued the viscount with vigor, eventually becoming pregnant with his child. The viscount tried to deny the child was his, but through paternity testing, he was forced to acknowledge that Marissa was his daughter. He had no interest in playing the part of a parent and returned to Spain to escape the media. For a while, he sent money for the care and support of his daughter, but that too soon disappeared.

 Kaye and Gunther Wilhelm battled through an ugly divorce. Gunther was granted full custody of his only child, leaving Courtney with her father in New York City. Kaye globe-trotted through high society on the money from her family trust and divorce settlement with Marissa and nanny in tow. When Marissa reached school age, she was sent back to New York and was reluctantly taken in by Dr. Wilhelm. It was only for Courtney that he did so. He wanted his daughter to have supervised contact with her half sister, believing that at some point, Marissa would re-enter Courtney’s life. He would have total control over their relationship as children and see to it that Courtney’s life would proceed as planned without intrusion or negative influence from her mother’s mistakes later.

Courtney looked up at the grandfather clock across the room. It was 11:45. She had a lunch date at noon with her mentor and family friend Virginia Beckman. She never missed their dates. They were usually part lunch and part therapy session. Virginia saw the potential of the ambitious young woman as an intern with her firm and hired Courtney immediately after graduation. She worked under Virginia for two years watching and taking in the older woman’s technique for securities and acquisitions. When a position opened at the prestigious firm of Rosewell and Clooney, Courtney jumped at it with Virginia’s blessing. The two remained friends, and Courtney looked to Virginia for guidance and reassurance from time to time.

If she hurried, she could make it to Bar Americain on Fifty-second Street right at noon. She grabbed her suit jacket and the Dior leather bag from under her desk.

“Mora, I’m on my way to lunch. I should be back in an hour or so,” Courtney said on her way out.

The chunky middle-aged mother of two looked up from her computer screen. “Yes, Ms. Wilhelm. Oh, what shall I tell your mother if she calls?”

“Transfer the call to my cell. It’s paramount that I speak with her as soon as possible.”

“Will do, Ms. Wilhelm. Enjoy your lunch.”

Courtney stepped up her pace toward the elevator. She was never late for an appointment, regardless of what it was for, and had no tolerance for anyone who kept her waiting.

She arrived at the restaurant with two minutes to spare. Virginia was always early and would be waiting at the bar as was her usual practice. Courtney spotted her on a bar stool and waved. Virginia gave a warm smile and waved back. She picked up her glass and joined Courtney as the hostess seated the women at a table.

Virginia set her glass down and wrapped her arms around Courtney’s shoulders. “How are you, dear? It’s so nice to see you.” She gave her a small kiss on the cheek.

“I’m wonderful.” Courtney took a seat.

“I saw the article in the Journal. I must say you have surpassed me with your negotiating skills. Your ability to get the deal done was exemplary.” Virginia patted her former assistant on the hand and sat.

“I was educated by the best.” Courtney smiled back at the older woman.

 Virginia pointed a beautifully manicured finger in Courtney’s direction. “Don’t kid yourself. You have the intelligence and instincts. That’s why I hired you right out of school. I saw that hunger in your eyes.” She took a drink from her martini glass.

The waiter approached the table and welcomed the women, then took a drink order. Courtney asked for iced tea, and Virginia requested another martini.

“I don’t know how you can drink in the middle of the day.” Courtney peered over the top of the menu.

“When you’ve survived as long as I have as a litigator, a few drinks are needed to get you through the rest of the day, dear,” Virginia said with a wink.

Courtney shook her head and continued to peruse the menu.

The waiter returned with drinks and left with their selections.

“Have you spoken to my mother lately?” Courtney asked with a furrowed brow.

“No, why? Is there something the matter with her?”

“No, no. Strange, though, I got a call from Children’s Services this morning in regard to Marissa. Kaye is the next of kin. She’s the one they should be contacting.”

Virginia looked surprised. “What involvement would Children’s Services have in Marissa’s death? Your mother said she died alone in that nasty apartment.”

“I have no idea why they would be involved. It’s just odd.”

“Where is Kaye?” Virginia asked between sips of her martini.

 Courtney released a puff of air from her lungs. “I don’t know. She was somewhere on the Riviera when she called to tell me to send the bill for Marissa’s funeral to her accountant in Rome. That was five or six weeks ago. Quite the loving parent,” she said with sarcasm.

Virginia rolled her eyes. “Yes, Kaye always did portray the picture of motherhood with mockery. When did you last see Marissa?”

Courtney thought for a moment. “God, I would have to say it was maybe seven years ago. It was just after I turned thirty and only a few months into my position with Rosewell and Cooney.”

“I didn’t realize it had been that long,” Virginia pulled the olive in her drink from its skewer with her teeth.

“I bailed her out of jail one last time. Imagine, twenty-three years old and on her fourth arrest for drug possession.”

“That girl was always troubled.”

Courtney wiped the moisture from her glass of iced tea. “I tried to help her get on her feet, but she spent every penny I gave her on drugs and adamantly refused to go into rehab. It was too much to handle.”

“And all the while your mother was hiding in Europe.” Virginia shook her head in disgust.

Courtney brushed the hair back from her face with one hand. “Kaye was never any help. She washed her hands of Marissa when she sent her back as a child. I was all Marissa had.” She paused. “There wasn’t anything more I could do, and I was tired of funding her heroin addiction. So I did as my therapist suggested. I walked away.”

“Your sister’s death was not your fault, so stop blaming yourself. You can’t help someone who doesn’t want to be helped.” She covered Courtney’s hand with her own.

“I know, but I can’t stop the guilt. I should have been a better big sister.”

“You were in law school when Marissa got involved with the wrong crowd and ran away all those years ago. You couldn’t be held accountable for the actions of a seventeen-year-old with no real parental supervision. Anyway, she should have been Kaye’s responsibility from the beginning, not your father’s and the battalion of nannies she went through.”

“You’re right.” Courtney sighed. “As soon as I track down my narcissistic mother, I plan to dump Children’s Services on her. She can deal with this, I’ve done everything else.”

“So right.”

The waiter appeared with plates of food.

“Now shall we enjoy our lunch?”

 The conversation moved on to work and more pleasant topics, such as vacations and social events. When lunch was over, they shared a taxi back to their offices.

The yellow Crown Vic pulled in front of the building that housed the offices of Rosewell and Cooney. “Thank you again for lunch,” Courtney said with a hug.

“Anytime, dear. Let’s not wait so long to do it again.”

“Deal! Oh, will you tell Evelyn I said hello? I’ve been meaning to get over to see her new restaurant. Maybe when Papa gets back from his conference, we’ll plan a dinner. You must join us,” she said as she got out.

“I’ll give Evie your hello the next time I see her. She’s gone so much since the new place opened, I’m beginning to think I don’t have a wife.” She dismissed her comment with a laugh. “Dinner would be delightful. Call me.” She stood in the cool autumn breeze and waved as the taxi pulled away from the curb.

The glass door to the law firm on the twenty-fifth floor glided open in silence. Piped-in music filled the background of the reception area. Courtney whisked by the front desk on her way back to her office. She pulled out the BlackBerry in her pocket thinking she might have missed the call from her mother, but knowing full well that it wasn’t possible. She entered the private area of the firm where the offices of the partners were located.

“Mora, any word on my mother yet?”

The woman grunted. “I managed to speak with her valet, but he was less than helpful. He said Ms. Blanchard was in a remote location and not able to be reached at this time, but he would give her the message as soon as she was back in touch.”

Courtney felt the heat of anger roll up the back of her neck. “Such silly, stupid games. I have a mind to call him myself.”

“You might want to do that later. Mr. Rosewell wants to see you.”

She wiped her hand down the back of her hair. “I suppose you’re right.” She needed to be calm and focused around the senior partners. That was more important than her mother and her drama. She tossed her bag in a chair as she entered her office.

Her meeting with Mr. Rosewell was brief. He praised her once again for the job she did in Zurich and invited her to a dinner for the partners he was hosting at the private roof club at the Gramercy to celebrate. Once again, her pride swelled at the thought of a party in honor of her hard work.

She hurried back to her office after the meeting. She needed to call Suzanne and reschedule their date for Saturday. While she was sure the partners knew she was gay, she kept her private life private. She was most comfortable attending work-related events on her own. For the more important occasions, her father was often her escort. A twinge of disappointment struck as she picked up her cell phone to make the call; she would have to wait to enjoy Suzanne’s company another night.

Around the time the grandfather clock in her office struck three, Mora’s voice came across the intercom once again. “Ms. Wilhelm, your mother is on line one.”

“Thank you,” Courtney said in her most reserved tone. Inside, her nerves were jumping. Kaye was the most unpredictable and uncontrollable person in Courtney’s life. Even a simple conversation with her mother caused her anxiety.

She took a deep breath and released it slow and steady, then she picked up the receiver. “Hello, Mother.” Her voice was cool and monotone.

“Oh, hello, my darling. How are you?” As cool and unemotional as Courtney tried to be, Kaye was the opposite. Her voice was whimsical and full of cheer.

“I’m fine. Where are you?”

“Sardinia, darling, on the most fabulous yacht.”

“That’s nice,” she said unimpressed. “Listen, there’s a woman from Children’s Services who’s been calling me in regard to Marissa. What do you know about this, and why is she calling me? You’re her next of kin.” She thumped the desk with her fingers as she spoke.

“Oh, I spoke to Ms. Vasquez, she’s a lovely woman. Since I’m out of the country and unable to return anytime soon, I asked that she contact you.”

The heat was rising on the back of Courtney’s neck again. “What business does Children’s Services have with Marissa?”

“Nothing really. They were concerned about the welfare of some person they thought she was sharing the apartment with, but as you know, she was living alone. Now they want a signature for the release of the report.” She made an uncharacteristic pause in her sales pitch. “Courtney, darling, it really is no big deal. It’s nonsense for me to come all the way to New York to sign a few papers when you’re already there and can take care of this. You’re the attorney, darling, you understand these things.”

The attorney in Courtney wasn’t buying her mother’s sketchy explanation. Once again, she was thrusting her responsibilities on her daughter. “If this is no big deal, as you say, why can’t they fax you the paperwork?”

“If only it were that simple. You see, the state has required that a responsible party sign the release in person, and it must be notarized. I’ve already deferred my consent to you. Ms. Vasquez will need you to sign the papers as soon as possible, so this whole mess can be wrapped up.”

“You’re still not telling me everything. This doesn’t sound right. I want all the facts.”

“We can talk more about it later. I really must go, they’re holding dessert for me. Kisses, my darling, ciao.” The line fell silent.

“Mother, wait. I still have questions.” Courtney slammed the receiver into the base. “Damn her! Why can’t she take responsibility for her own problems just once in her life?” Her anger was directed more toward herself than her mother. She had come to know Kaye as a self-centered egomaniac who was very good at using people, and she was no different than all the other people her mother took advantage of.

She got up from her chair and paced across the center of her office. As she thought through her next move, she realized that from childhood, she was the only one Marissa truly depended on. It was clear that she would be the one left to close the books on Marissa’s painful life. As a child, her sister was forced to live in the shadows as the family’s dirty little secret. As an adult, she would continue to carry that burden wrongfully bestowed upon her to the grave.

She decided she would do right by her only sibling and put her to rest once and for all.

She reached for the intercom button. “Mora, may I have the number Ms. Vasquez left with you, please?”