Sins of the Fathers

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Current Episode

Previously on Sins of the Fathers
--- Rosa asked Viola to live with her, and Viola gave Rosa Luc's pills
--- Felix told Rosa that the man watching her house was one of Luc's "cutthroats"
--- Felix wanted to confront Luc, but Rosa made him promise not to
--- Hasting secretly struggled with his attraction to Tiffany
--- Clay and Miranda carried on a top-secret romance
--- Trey wooed Tiffany and planned to become Carmine Falls' next mayor

the Sidarus gates

"Don't bother," Rosa had hastily told Luc's new valet when he'd wanted to announce her. Funny, so much had changed that she was now a stranger in the house where she'd grown up. But that was a good thing, in her opinion. She shoved open the door to Luc's office and found him sitting in his desk, reading the morning paper.
"Ah," he said, looking up, "my Rosa. 'Fair art thou, my bonny lass'---"
"I'm not your anything, so don't quote Shakespeare to me."
"That wasn't Shakespeare, love. It was Burns, but I don't suppose they taught you that in medical school."
"No," she replied as she rushed to his desk, "they didn't. But they taught me some other things." She dropped a bottle of pills on his desk. "Look familiar?" she asked.
"It's some sort of medicine," Luc said.
"I wouldn't call this medicine. I would call this a drug, and a very powerful one at that. I got the lab results today."
Luc gave her a questioning look.
"Want to guess what's in there?"
"I'm not a doctor, Rosa. I couldn't possibly guess."
"Oh, you couldn't possibly? I think you could. It's an opiate, Luc. A single dose of it is strong enough to kill a small child, and considering Viola barely weighs more than a child, she shouldn't have been taking them."
"Was she taking them?"
Rosa glared at him. "I think you know more about that than I do."
Luc shook his head. "It's tragic, watching your child deteriorate so. I had no idea she'd stooped to this. Have you gotten her off of them, then?"
"Viola's not on these or any other pills right now, no thanks to you."
Luc opened an ebony box, pulled out a cigar, and lit it. After a drag, he said, "I don't understand what you're implying, darling. Why are you so angry with me?"
"You gave her these pills!" she screamed, hoping that the force in her voice would knock the self-satisfied expression off of his face. "You wanted to turn your own daughter into an addict. What kind of a monster are you?"
"I never gave her those, Rosa."
"It's too late for that. She told me everything."
Luc smiled. "Viola never tells anyone everything. No, Rosa, she's not like you."
"You don't know me," Rosa said.
"But I do. Everyone does, my love. You are charmingly transparent. For example, I can see right now that you aren't really here to yell at me about your sister's drug habit. After all, what can I do about it? I didn't create it." He leaned forward and gave her a close look. "Now," he said, "why are you really here?"
"Isn't this reason enough?" she said with a glance to the pills.
"Well, it might be if I had supplied them, which I didn't. But then again, I have no influence over Viola anymore. You've seen to that, so why should you confront me? No, you think you have some sort of evidence, that these pills prove something, and you want to threaten me with them. Am I right?" Rosa's gaze faltered, and Luc laughed. "Yes, that's what I thought," he said. "So what is it? What do you want from me?"
"I want you to leave me alone," Rosa said quietly.
"But I have, haven't I? What more can I do--- move out of town?"
"You know what I mean. Quit..." She floundered looking for the right words. "Don't..."
"Yes? Name it, and I will do it. Anything to make you happy, my love."
"I know," she said, looking him directly in the eye, "about the man watching my house last night. And I want him to stop it."
"Someone was watching your house? Why didn't you call the police?"
"Because I know he works for you!"
"Who is it? Do you think someone might be stalking you? If one of my employees is making you uncomfortable, I will put a stop to it."
"No one's stalking me."
"But you said he was lurking around your house, and when was it? When did you say?"
"It was last night, as you well know."
"But what time?"
"Around midnight, Luc, but don't act like---"
"That certainly is suspicious. Don't be afraid, Rosa, just tell me who it was, and I will terminate them immediately."
"I don't know who it was, okay?"
"If you don't know, then how do you know he works for me?"
"Because I do."
"Well, something must have given you that idea. Something, or someone."
"See?" Rosa pointed at him. "You know what I'm talking about!"
"No, my love, I don't. I'm just trying to help you."
"You're trying to get me to tell you--- damn it!"
"What?"
"I'm just going to leave."
"I haven't asked you to, Rosa. Don't you know I love you? I always have, and I've always wanted the best for you."
"You never wanted the best for me."
"I didn't?" Luc asked. "Not when I brought you into my home, raised you as my child, paid for your education? All those years, I never loved you?"
Rosa felt her stomach leap, and she swallowed hard to retain control. "I," she stammered, "I thank you for all of that. I will never be able to repay you."
"I don't want you to. Your happiness is payment enough."
Rosa wavered, and with her last ounce of resolve, she said, "I'm not going to do this." She turned to go.
"Darling?" Luc stopped her retreat. "Take these with you." He casually tossed her the pills and went back to reading his paper.
Rosa looked at the pills for a moment, started to speak, but then turned to the door.
"And if any more strange men come around your house, my love, please call the police," Luc said. "We can't be too careful, 'my bonny lass'."

****************

Aron's house

Kara blew on her hands as she waited for Aron to answer his door. The cold of the morning had caught her by surprise, and she'd forgotten her gloves. She rubbed her ears, which were getting a little numb. Finally, Aron greeted her with, "Kara, how nice to see you."
"I'm glad you're home," she said as she stepped inside.
"Oh, I'm always here on Friday mornings. I put the finishing touches on my sermon."
"How's it coming?"
"Oh," he smiled. "Not so good today. You wouldn't have anything profound to say about Zacheus, would you?"
She shook her head as she sat down in an armchair near his desk. "Aron," she said as she opened and closed her hands to increase blood flow, "don't you turn your heat on?"
He blushed. "No, um, is it cold?"
"Well, I can see my breath. Here, I'll set your thermostat for you."
"No," Aron said as he reached out to stop her, "I'll get you a sweater."
"No, I'm fine with the one I have, but don't you want to turn your heat on?"
"Well..." He looked down at the floor. "I'm trying not to. We're, uh, we're a little over budget at St. George's."
Kara smiled. "Oh, Aron, and I'm sure the shelter never goes a day without anything. I'll give you some extra money for the rectory."
"No, no, Kara, you have the baby, and--- well, where is Zach?"
"Someone at the store is watching him. And he would be furious if he thought I was letting his favorite uncle freeze to death."
"No, Kara, it's really not an imposition. It, um, it keeps me from getting lazy."
"Well, can't I make a donation?"
"To the church, of course. I'd rather you didn't make a donation to cover my personal expenses."
She sighed. "We will agree to disagree," she said. "For now."
"Thanks." Aron smiled as he sat at his desk. "So what brought you over?"
"Oh, I just wanted to chat. Do you have any tea?"
"Um, no, I don't think so."
"I should've brought some from the store. Hot chocolate?"
"No, I don't have that either."
"Coffee?"
He smiled and shook his head.
"Aron! Don't you have anything here?"
"No, I'm afraid I don't, Kara. I'm not very good at all that."
"All what? Grocery shopping?" She laughed. "I think you need a wife."
"Oh no," he said, "I've never been very good at that either."
"I know from what you said about..."
Aron looked down. "Yes, that's true."
"Oh, Aron, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bring her up."
"No, it's all right."
"Well, have you seen her?"
"Um, no, no I haven't."
"If you don't want to talk about it---"
"No, that's not it. There's just nothing to say. She's living with her sister Rosa right now, and that's a very good thing, but I haven't seen her yet."
Kara nodded. "Okay. Well..."
"Well, how are things with you?"
"Good. Things are... good."
"That's good."
"Actually, um, Aron, I'm feeling really strange right now because I want to talk about something, and I'm not sure how to go about it."
"We can talk about anything, Kara."
"I know, you're so great to me, and I keep telling myself that it's normal to bring it up because here you are my best friend and all, but it's kind of weird because, well, you're a..." She gestured toward him.
"A family member?"
"No. I mean, well, of course you are that as well, and maybe I shouldn't discuss it with you because of that, but no. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I feel a little weird talking about it with a priest."
"Oh. Well, I can understand, that, I suppose. But you know I'm just a regular person. And I'm your friend."
"Of course you are. And that's what I keep telling myself. And besides, you counsel people, don't you? Marriage counseling and that kind of thing?"
"Do you and Hasting need counseling?"
"Oh no. I mean, maybe we do, but I don't think he'd be in for that. No, I'm just here on my own."
"All right," Aron said soberly. "Well, I think you know that anything you tell me will stay between us."
"Good. I knew that, yes, but it's good to hear it."
They looked at each other for a minute, and Aron said, "Are you having doubts about your marriage?"
"Me? Oh no, it's not me."
"Is something going on with Hasting?"
She frowned. "Um, I don't know."
"All right."
"See, I don't know if you know this, but I really wasn't sure about marrying him."
"Yes, well, I knew you waited, um..."
"Yes, I was eight months pregnant. I never thought I would be in that predicament. I mean, I'd always thought that if I found myself in such a situation, I would get married right away. And Hasting wanted to, but I really had doubts. Because, you see..."
"Yes?"
"He has this problem with fidelity. I don't have that problem, so I don't understand it, and it just hurts my feelings."
"Well, I can see why."
"So I waited to marry him because I wanted him to prove to me that he's capable of being faithful."
"And he did?"
"Oh, yes, he was wonderful. He is wonderful. I really have to say that Hasting is a wonderful husband. But..."
"Yes?"
"Lately he's... distant."
"Emotionally?"
"All of it."
"Oh," Aron said, "I see."
"We haven't... We haven't been together... in that way in... weeks."
He nodded.
"Am I embarrassing you? I know it's weird."
"Kara, I really do hear problems of this kind a lot."
"Good. I mean, not good that people are having problems, but you know what I mean."
He smiled and sat back in his chair.
"So do you think I should be worried about it?"
"Well, I don't know. Is there a reason maybe? His job is very stressful."
"It's never affected him this way before."
"I know his partner was shot."
Kara winced. "Yes," she said, "she was."
"What's the matter?"
"Nothing. In fact, Tiffany's doing much better now."
"And what do you think about that?"
"I think it's wonderful, of course. Medicine today is..."
"Yes?"
"The truth is, Aron," she said with sudden forcefulness, "the truth is that I really hate Tiffany sometimes. I know I shouldn't, but I do. She monopolizes all of Hasting's time. And even when she's in the hospital, I know he's just thinking about her. And she encourages it! Really, she does. I've seen the way she looks at him."
"How does she look at him?"
"Like she's starving. You wouldn't believe it."
"And you worry that Hasting feels---"
"I worry that he wants her. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get into this. But he's so... curious. That's what it is; Hasting's just curious. And I think she plays on that. And you know what's strange about it? I think being away from her has just made it worse. Since she's been in the hospital, I've felt more insecure about it than I did before."
"Well," Aron said. He folded his hands across his chest and tilted his head up towards the ceiling.
"You didn't really want to hear any of this, did you?"
"No, that's not it. I'm just trying to organize my thoughts. So... so you're concerned that maybe Tiffany has something to do with why you and Hasting haven't been together?"
Kara thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yes, I suppose that's it, even though I haven't put it like that before."
"You're worried that... Hasting is attracted to her?"
"Oh, I know he's attracted to her. I mean, she's attractive; I can tell that. But I'm worried... I guess I'm worried that maybe he's not sleeping with me because he's..."
"With her?"
"Well, no, that's impossible. She's been in the hospital, and I honestly don't even know that he's been to see her. I don't worry nearly as much about him sleeping with her--- although I don't want that, of course. I worry that he'll... you know."
"Develop feelings for her."
"Yes! Yes, that's it exactly. That he already has feelings for her, maybe. That being away from her has made him realize how he feels." She sighed. "What do you think, Aron?"
"I think that doesn't sound much like Hasting."
She smiled and said, "No, no it doesn't. He always wants what's in front of him. So maybe I'm just overreacting?"
Aron nodded. "It's a difficult time for everyone," he said. "It's normal to take things more seriously."
"Yes, I'm sure that's it." She reached over and pat his hand. "Thank you, Aron," she said. "Sometimes I don't know what I'd do without you."
He smiled. "I feel the same way, Kara," he said. "I really do."

****************

Clay's building

Clay pushed Miranda off of him and fell back on his bed. "Whoa," he said, "you are wild today."
She shrugged. "Whatever," she said as she collapsed next to him.
He reached over and loosely clutched a handful of her hair. "What do you want to do tonight?" he asked. "I mean, besides..."
"I don't know." She absentmindedly ran her hand across his chest. "Pizza."
"Yeah, we can get pizza if you want, but what do you want to do?"
"Whatever," she said. She bounced off of the bed and reached in her backpack for a piece of candy. "'Dinner and a Movie' is on." She walked to the window and peered out.
"TV?"
"Yeah, we can watch TV."
He sat up and said, "Don't you ever want to go out?"
She froze but didn't look at him. After a moment, she shrugged and said, "I can't get into any clubs. No I.D."
"There's other places to go. We can go out to eat."
She turned to him with a smirk. "Oh, so you're, like, asking me out on a date?"
"Yeah," he said, "you know a date. People have them."
"When did you decide you wanted to be people?"
"Come here." He reached out one long arm and pulled her to him. She gladly sat on his lap, straddling him. "I want to take you out somewhere," he said softly. "It's not a big deal."
She kissed his neck.
"Yeah," he said, "that's good, too, but sometimes I want to hang out somewhere besides my bedroom. It would be--- Whoa!" He flinched as her teeth sank into him.
"Sorry," she said.
"It's cool. Look at me, though." He leaned back on the bed and put his hands on her face. "No more of that for a minute," he said.
"Okay."
"So I'd like to take you somewhere outside my apartment tonight."
She rolled her eyes. "And you know that's not happening."
"I think it is."
"It's not, unless you want to... if you don't want to hang out with me anymore."
"No, I want to---"
"If we go out and your dad finds out about it, then you know we're over."
"Why would he find out? He lives across town."
"Clay, like five people live in this city. And your dad talks to all of them."
"You're freaking out now. There are lots of places my dad would never see us, and even if he did, he's not gonna tell me what to do."
"Whatever. You know he would go crazy if he ever thought we were together. Can't we just..." She leaned into him and kissed him.
He pushed her away. "Yeah, you know I like that," he said, "but I want to go out with my girlfriend, okay?"
She jumped off of his lap. As the color drained from her face, she bit her lip and said, "You have a girlfriend?"
Clay frowned at her but didn't answer.
She reached for her backpack. "Whatever," she said. "You know, what is she, like, some college girl? Her parents probably know your parents and it's all cool and---"
"Miranda!" Clay stood and grabbed her arm.
"No," she said, shaking him off. "Just let me go, okay."
"No, listen---"
"Stop it, Clay! I'm serious. Have fun with your girlfriend."
"Miranda," he said, "you're my girlfriend."
She dropped her backpack. "What?" she asked.
"Yeah," Clay said, "I meant you."
She swallowed hard. "Oh," she said. "Sure."
He smiled. "You thought I had some other girl?"
"Whatever."
He pulled her to him and stroked her hair. "We've been hanging out for a year, now. That makes you my girlfriend. I mean, that's what I've been thinking."
"Yeah," she said softly, "I guess so."
"It's cool?" he asked.
She nodded against his chest.
"And see, I'd like to take my girlfriend out with me."
"Yeah, um, yeah, I get that. But things are different with... us."
"Look, what's the worst thing that could happen if people find out we're together?"
"Your dad---"
"My dad might be mad at me, but chances are he'd care more that I've been sneaking around on him than anything else. He's not gonna tell me what to do. So... are we on for tonight?"
"A date, you mean?"
"Yeah."
"Okay," she said, "we can go out. But..." She looked down at the rumpled bedcovers. "First, can we..."
Clay smiled and gave her a quick kiss. "Yeah," he said, "it's cool." He pulled her onto the bed.

****************

Trey's surprise locale

Tiffany sat in the passenger seat of Trey's BMW. She felt odd, like she was playing a role, going undercover for the force. Good-looking men in expensive cars didn't pick her up for dates. They didn't whisk her away and make her close her eyes so they could surprise her. No, she had to be dreaming. She'd wake up in a moment and be in her room at the hospital, and no one would be there with her. It would all be just the---
The car ran over a pothole, and Tiffany felt a sharp pain in her shoulder.
"Sorry about that," Trey said. "When I'm mayor, I'll make sure all of these roads are repaired."
"All of them?" Tiffany asked. "All the roads in Carmine Falls?"
"Sure, it can't be that hard to monitor."
"You should go some of the places I've been. Some neighborhoods in this town--- I don't think there've been any repairs in years."
"Well, those will be fixed, too. Everyone should get equal treatment."
"You make it sound awfully easy."
"Compared to juggling my client load at the firm, I'm sure it is. Bevins has just gotten lazy."
Tiffany bit her tongue. She wanted to say, "I don't think anyone with that last name is lazy," but she didn't. No, no sense bringing him into this night, her first real date in... well, pretty much ever.
"Here we are," Trey said, and she felt the car glide to a stop.
"Can I open my eyes now?"
"Not yet." She heard his car door open and close, and a moment later he was beside her. "Okay," he said as he helped her out of the car.
She opened her eyes. "Oh," she said. In front of her was an exquisite house, complete with a curving wrought iron gate and carefully groomed garden.
"What do you think?" he asked.
"It's, um, it's really pretty, Trey. Whose is it?"
He smiled but didn't answer. "Come inside," he said. He took her hand and led her through the little gate and up a brick walkway. "Look," he said, pointing to the numbers on the door, "1-2-3-4. Isn't that great?"
"Mmmm hmmm," she said.
He pushed the front door open and they stepped inside.
"Is this--- whose is this?" she asked as she looked around the bare living room.
"Let's walk around," Trey said. He led her from room to room, and Tiffany was startled by how lovely each was. Beautiful hard wood floors, lush wall coverings, even delicately carved moldings--- it was a fantasy house. At last he led her into a walled in patio that ran across the back of the house. It's floor-to-ceiling windows offered them a perfect view of Narcissus Lake. "Just a moment." Trey opened a closet door. "Great," he said, "I knew they'd have it here." He wheeled out a cart holding several covered dishes and a chilled bottle of champagne. Before she could even comment, he returned to the closet and retrieved two folding chairs. "Sorry about the chairs," he said. "They were the only kind that would fit in my car."
She lifted the tops of the dishes to reveal lobster, steak, asparagus, new potatoes, and bread. She looked back up at him in astonishment. "Where did you---"
"I called the Sahara. They brought the food over."
"That's pretty good service."
"Well, I'm a regular. I don't cook, you know."
"Yeah," she said. They looked at each other for a moment. Tiffany had no idea what to say. Her first truly date-like date in her entire life, and he'd supplied a gourmet meal and a gorgeous, private view. "I guess I'm over not getting asked to the prom," she thought.
"After you," Trey said, indicating her folding chair.
"Oh." She sat down and watched him to make sure she remembered proper etiquette. "If only I'd listened to my mother all those years," she said.
"What's that?"
"Oh, nothing, just... How did you do all this?" she asked.
"It wasn't hard. Nothing is if you set your mind to it."
She smiled. "Yeah," she said, "yeah, that's true."
"Well," Trey said, "shall we?"
"Wait a minute, I really want to know. Whose house is this?"
"After we eat."
"No, I'm dying of curiosity."
"All right," he said, "I'll tell you, but first..." He poured their champagne. "Let's toast."
"You love those toasts, don't you?"
"Untoasted alcohol is wasted. So let's see," he said as he handed her a glass. "What shall we... I know. To the future."
"Sounds good to me." She raised her glass to meet his and took a tiny sip. "Okay," she said, "now talk."
He laughed. "Well, if you must know... It's my house."
"Your house?"
"Yes, I bought it. It's more mayoral than my condo, don't you think?"
"Um, I guess, but why?"
"That's really why. When I see this house, I think, 'That's where a mayor lives.' It's perfect, you know. Just missing one thing." He took her hand.
"Furniture," she said.
"Well, yes, it needs furniture, but imagine it had furniture, what else would it need?"
Tiffany looked around. "A dog?" she asked.
He laughed. "No. Wait a minute," he said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, black box.
"What is that?" Tiffany asked.
"Open it," he said as he placed it on the table in front of her.
She picked up the box and carefully lifted the lid. "Oh my God," she said.
"Don't you like it?"
"Yes," she breathed, "but it's... a ring." It wasn't just a ring, though. It was the biggest diamond ring she'd ever seen, bigger, even, than the one Clayton had given her mother when Tiffany was just a little girl.
"You're looking at it like it's a bug."
"No, it's just, um, this isn't what I expected from tonight."
"What isn't?"
"The ring, your house, everything."
"What did you expect?"
"Movies maybe, some quick sex."
"Well," he said, smiling, "I'll be happy to oblige after supper, but, uh, I don't like it quick."
She amazed herself by blushing. "Trey," she said, "what does all of this mean?"
He winked. "You're a detective, dear. Figure it out."
She looked around at the beautiful house and then took another long look at the ring in her hand. "You're asking me to marry you?" she said with total disbelief.
"You've got it," he said. "Tiffany Watts, will you marry me?"

Come on--- you know you want to!

Next Episode
--- Tiffany gives Trey an answer
--- Miranda tries Clay's plan
--- Felix and Rosa talk about the future
--- Hasting confronts Tiffany