“If you knew I was cheating you all along, why the loving attention? Why the kisses? You should despise me for trying to swindle you. Or were you just trying to throw me off?”
“I was curious to watch you con me, and honestly, it was fun unsettling you. I knew you’d hate going to that No Moss party, though you really surprised me when you ran from it. And I thought you’d pass out when you saw your vase on my desk. But make no mistake, I’m very much attracted to you—it wasn’t all a ruse.”
So his interest in me had been real. I wondered if it would be helpful. “Well, I’m very much attracted to you, that’s for sure.” I raised my chin proudly. “What happens now?”
“I’d say the possibilities are vast. I could call the police, I could have Udo kick your ass, or I could take you to bed.” He let a sly grin creep across his face. “Why don’t we sit and talk about it, Ms. Frank.” He motioned to the sofa, and we sat down, not too close.
I was in a precarious position. I could weave a new web of lies, or I could just kick the whole mess to the side and tell the truth. Under Alejandro’s guarded but still-somewhat-warm gaze, I opted for the truth. I doubted I could manage much else.
“My name isn’t really Dee Frank—that’s just what people call me in New York. My real name is Dee Kirkland. I grew up here in Los Angeles and spent my youth as a thief, con artist, and forger. I’m really sorry I tried to swindle you. Believe me, I didn’t want to do it. But I. . .”
He held up a hand to stop me. “Thank you for telling me the truth. It’s a rare thing when people do that.” He picked up a folder of papers from the coffee table by the sofa and handed it to me. “My private investigator already told me this. He also told me that the woman calling herself Bonnie Gleason really is your mother, Beatrix Kirkland. And your so-called cousin, Vance Geiger, is a small-time grifter you’ve known for years. So I imagine you hired him to protect you.”
As he laid out the facts of my life, my mouth fell farther and farther open. Alejandro must certainly have hired the man who’d visited my New York shop, and he may have hired the people who pulled the record of my birth parents just before Elle did. But he clearly hadn’t hired Vance, because he thought I had done it. That meant that Vance wasn’t part of the investigation.