Chapters (38)
- one
- two
- three
- four
- five
- six
- seven
- eight
- nine
- ten
- eleven
- twelve
- thirteen
- fourteen
- fifteen
- sixteen
- seventeen
- eighteen
- nineteen
- twenty
- twenty-one
- twenty-two
- twenty-three
- twenty-four
- twenty-five
- twenty-six
- twenty-seven
- twenty-eight
- twenty-nine
- thirty
- thirty-one
- thirty-two
- thirty-three
- thirty-four
- thirty-five
- thirty-six
- thirty-seven
- epilogue
The woman who emerged and waved us into her plush office looked as though she couldn’t possibly be more than forty-five years old though we knew she was over seventy. Her chestnut hair was swept into an elegant chignon, a few careless tendrils framing her ivory skin and amber eyes. She wore a perfectly tailored suit of deep brown silk shantung. I suspected it cost more than I made in six months. Bettina Hughes, the face of CNN’s breaking news, settled into her leather throne and clasped her hands on her desk. “I was very surprised to get your call, Mr. O’Shea. No one knows anything of my background in Alabama, and for obvious reasons I intend to keep it that way.” She glanced nervously at the closed door. “If you’re not here to extort me, why in the world would you want a meeting?”
“Ma’am, I’m an officer of the law,” Rick drawled. “I would never think of anything like that. My friend Ronni needs to ask you a few questions about your late brother, Chet.”
Bettina stiffened and inhaled sharply, her manicured hands twisting and turning before her. “I don’t know much about my brother. My mother took me from our home when I was very young. Chet grew up with my father, and I hardly knew either of them.”
“Did you ever hear from Chet as an adult?” I asked.
“He knew who I was, and he respected my privacy. He understood the last thing I’d want is for anyone to know the sad and sordid story of bedraggled CeeCee Wilson. I left CeeCee behind long ago. I have never looked back. My name is Bettina Hughes now.” She looked to the ceiling. “So yes, I had an occasional letter from Chet, but he kept my secret. I appreciated that, and communicated my gratitude via annual checks.”
“If you don’t mind my asking, Miss Hughes, how did you end up as one of the most famous news anchors in the country?” I glanced at Rick and hoped he hadn’t just gotten us kicked out.
Bettina smiled and said, “I came to Atlanta with nothing. Absolutely nothing, except a great body and a pretty face, plus a fierce determination to be somebody. It was through sheer luck I met a very powerful man who owned a television station and found me irresistible. He sent me to school, he paid my way, and he set me on a path that worked out rather well. Classic love story.” She paused for us to appreciate her sarcasm and met my eyes. “What is it you want to know about Chet?”
“I was wondering if you could tell me about his relationship with Violet Glenn Thompson,” I answered.