Jill is prepared for this and shoots back, ‘And they’ll wonder what took you so long– maybe they’ll think that you were keeping quiet about it to get money out of us. And we both know that’s true. I’ll tell them about your blackmail. Do you want to go to jail?’
They stare at each other for a long moment. Then Lara seems to capitulate and says, ‘For what it’s worth, I don’t thinkyouknew what was going to happen. I can’t believe that. I think it was Ted who sent that–monster.’ She gets up and carefully manoeuvres her heavily pregnant body away from the table. ‘Goodbye, Jill,’ she says, and exits the coffee shop without looking back.
Ted has requested that John meet him at the pond in Central Park. This is the end, and he’s also feeling like it’s the beginning, the beginning of their new lives, him and Jill. She will see. This is the right way to handle it. The only way.
He would love to be a fly on the wall at Min’s place right now. She must be enraged. Planning her next steps. Well, let her. They’re not afraid. They’ve done their due diligence.
He looks out across the pond. It’s a beautiful Sunday, and there are children sailing their remote-controlled sailboats. It reminds him of the day he stood here, almost a year ago, knowing that he had finally bested his older brother. He’s been through a lot since then, but here he is, still standing and worth a fortune, while his brother is at the bottom of the sea. He hears footsteps approaching and turns to see John coming toward him. Ted smiles. ‘John. Good to see you.’ It’s not his usual greeting, and John seems to notice.
‘You’re very chipper today. Any particular reason?’
He looks hopeful, Ted thinks. He will raise John’s hopes and then dash them cruelly. ‘Yes, as a matter of fact. The estate has been finalized, at last. And I am a very wealthy man.’
‘Thatisgood news,’ John agrees, reaching for a cigarette, smiling.
‘However,’ and Ted pauses while John lights his cigarette, ‘there’s been a change of plan.’
‘What do you mean?’ John says, blowing out smoke, his eyes alert.
‘We’re not going to pay.’
‘The fuck you’re not.’
Ted says, ‘We’ve decided to face the music, so to speak, take what comes. Because otherwise, we know it will never stop.’ He smiles at John. ‘You know what blackmailers are like. Once they start asking, they never quit. That’s no way to live.’
‘I never took you for a complete idiot, Ted, but I might have to change my mind.’
‘I know what I’m doing.’
‘What about the digital files that you used to be so afraid of?’ John asks. And then, as if it suddenly occurs to him, ‘Did you recover them?’
‘No. I’ve simply changed my perspective. Undoubtedly, it will all come out. But I’m no longer afraid of public opinion.’
‘Is that all you were afraid of, public opinion?’
Instead of answering, Ted says, ‘I know who it was.’
‘Oh yeah? Who?’
‘As if I’d tell you.’
John looks out across the pond, takes a long draw on hiscigarette. Then he turns to Ted and says, ‘Well, good luck, Ted. You’ll probably need it.’ And then he walks away.
Ted watches after him with a feeling of satisfaction. He turns back to the pond and breathes deeply. It’s a beautiful day.
Chapter Fifty-Five
KONSTANTIN HAD NOTslept well. He is not happy with the situation, not happy at all. He’d been delighted when he first watched those recordings all those months ago. The Westcotts had clearly been terrified, panicking when they knew they’d been caught on camera. And he’d been patient, all these months, waiting for the inheritance to go through. Their refusal to pay yesterday was a nasty surprise. He hadn’t seen any footage that indicated that they weren’t going to pay– they must have been off-camera when they’d discussed it.
His first thought was to send a couple of guys who weren’t afraid of violence to the Westcotts’ to get them to change their minds. It would have felt good. It might even have been effective. But he thought about it long and hard all night. As much as he wants the money and would like to have them roughed up, he wants to stay out of prison even more. Violence against Jill and Ted Westcott would bring a lot of attention. He decided it wasn’t worth the risk. He has other streams of income to focus on.
He knew the reputable news outlets wouldn’t pay. He considered selling the files to the tabloids. But he couldn’t do that as anonymously as he thought. They wanted acontract,for fuck’s sake. Fuck that. He’d hung up on them. He really doesn’t want to go to prison.
He decides to cut his losses, but the fuckers will be sorry.
Wearing latex gloves, he makes copies of the most damning files and puts them on four thumb drives. He prints four copies of a typed note explaining what the files contain and addresses three envelopes to the editors in chief of three major New York newspapers. He hopes they splash it all over the front page. He addresses a fourth envelope to the commanding officer of the 84th Precinct of the NYPD, which serves the Brooklyn Heights neighbourhood where the Westcotts live. Finally, he pulls on a dark hoodie and mails the anonymous envelopes from a mailbox in downtown Manhattan.
He looks forward to seeing the Westcotts ruined.