"Home. It was a mistake for me to come here in the first place.' Tyler said, ' can't blame us for ... T She turned on him, furious. ' since I arrived, I've been met with nothing but suspicion. You think rcame here to take some money away from you. Well, I didn't. I came because I wanted to find my family. I ... never mind.' She returned to her packing. _Tyler said, ' is Frank Timmons. He's a private detective.' She looked up. ' what? Am I being arrested?", ma'am.
Julia, Stanford obtained a driver's license in San Francisco when she was seventeen years old.' 174 : stopped. ''s right. Is that against the law?", ma'am. The point is ' point is'- Tyler interrupted -'that Julia Stan- ','ford's fingerprints are on that license.' She looked at them. ' don't understand. What ... T Woody spoke up. ' want to check them against your fingerprints.' Her lips tightened. '! I won't allow id" you saying that you won't kf us take your fingerprintst ''s right." not?' Marc asked. Her body was rigid. ' all of you make me feel like I'm some kind of criminal. Well, I've had enough! I want you to leave me alone.' Kendall said gently, ' is your chance to prove who you really are. We've been as upset by all this as you have. We would like to settle it." She stood there, looking into their faces, one by one. Finally she said wearily, ' right. Let's get this over with.".". Timmons ..
. `:4<3" Tyler said. '.' He took out a small fingerprint kit and set it up on the table. He opened the ink pad. ', if you'll just step over here, please.' The others watched as she walked over to the table. He picked up her hand and, one by one, pressed her fingertips onto the pad.
Next, hepressed them onto a 175 piece of white paper. '. That wasn't so bad, was itt He placed the drivees license next to the fresh fingerprints. The group walked over to the table and looked down at the two sets of prints. They were identical. Woody' was the first to speak.
"They're ... the ... same.' Kendall was looking at her with a mixture of feelings. ' really are our sister, aren't yout She was smiling through her tears. ''s what I've been trying to tell you.' Everybody -was suddenly talking at once. ''s incredible ... !" all these years .. ' didn't your mother ever come back ... T ''m sorry we gave you such a bad time.' Her smile lit up the room. '? s all right.
Everything's all right now.' Woody picked up the fingqrprint card and looked at it in awe. ' God! This is a billion-dollar card.' He put the card in his pocket. ''m going to have it bronzed.' Tyler turned, to the group. ' calls for a real celebration! I suggest we all go back to Rose Hill.' He turned to her and smiled. ''ll give you a welcome home party. Let's get you checked out of here.' She looked around at them, and her eyes were 176 shining. It, s like a dream come true. I finally have a family!' Half an hour later they were back at Rose Hill, and she was settling into her new room. The others were downstairs, talking excitedly. ' must feel as though she's just been through the Inquisition,' Tyler mused. ' has,' Peggy replied. ' dodi know how she stood it.' Kendall said, ' wonder how she's going to adjust to her new life." same way we're all going to adjust,' Woody said dryly.
"With a lot of champagne and caviar.' Tyler rose. ', for one, am glad it's finally settled. Let me go up and see if she needs any help.' He went upstairs and walked along the corridor to her room. He knocked at her door and called loudly, "'s open. Come in.' He stood in the doorway, and, they stared silently at each other. And then Tyler carefully closed the door, held out his hands, and broke into a slow grin. When he spoke, he said, ' did it, Margo! We did it!"
Chapter Fifteen
He had plotted it with the ineffabl& skill of a chess master. Only this had been the most lucrative chess game in history, with stakes of billions of dollars - and he had won! He was filled with a sense of invincible power. Is this how you felt when you closed a big deal, Father? Well, this is a bigger deal than you ever made. rve planned the crime of the century, and rve gotten away with it. In a sense, it had all started with Lee. Beautiful, wonderful Lee. The person he loved most in the world. They had met in the Berlin, the gay bar on West Belmont Avenue. Lee was tall and muscular and blond, and he was the most beautiful man Tyler had ever seen. Their meeting had started with, ' I buy you a drink?' Lee had looked him over and nodded. ' would be nice.' After the second drink, Tyler had said, ' don't we have a drink over at my placet Lee had smiled. ''m expensive.' 181 [email protected] ' expensivet ' hundred dollars for the night.' Tyler had not hesitated. ''s go.' They spent the night at Tyler's home. Lee was warm and sensitive and caring, and Tyler felt a closeness to him that he had never had with any other human being. He was flooded With emotions he had not known existed. By morning, Tyler was madly in love. In the past, he had picked up young men at the Cairo and the Bijou Theater and several other gay hangouts in Chicago, but now he knew that all that was going to change. From now on, he wanted only Lee. In the morning, while Tyler was preparing breakfast, he said, ' would you like to do tonightt Lee looked at him in surprise. '. I have a date tonight." Tyler felt as though he had been hit in the stomach. ', Lee, I thought that you and I ...", dear, I'm a very valuable piece of merchandise. I go to the highest bidder. I like you, but I'm afraid you really can't afford me." can give you anything you want,' Tyler said.
Lee smiled lazily. '? Well, what I want is a trip to St. Tropez on a beautiful white yacht. Can you afford thatt ', I'm richer than all your friends put together.' 182 '? I thought you said you are a judge..", I am, yes, but I'm going to be rich. I mean ... very rich.' Lee put his arm around him. ''t fret, Tyler. I'm free a week from Thursday. Those eggs, look delicious.' That was the beginning. Money had been important to Tyler before, but now it became an obsession. He needed it for Lee. He could not get him out of his mind. The thought of him making 16-4e with other men was unbearable. rve got to have him for my own. From the age of twelve, Tyler had known that he was homosexual.