Page 32 of Final Cost

“What else did he do, Ravenna?”

Sad resignation from Ravenna as she reaches for the side table and hands something to Jeannie. “How much time do you have? I’ve got some pictures.”

Jeannie shifts through them, looking more and more disturbed. Then the camera zooms in for a close up, and it’s the picture I saw of Ravenna’s bruised face. The one Lucien said was from the time Ravenna’s tennis doubles partner accidentally hit her in the face with her racket.

“This is horrific,” Jeannie cries.

“Yes,” Ravenna says with a brave show of keeping her chin up.

“Did he also push you?” Jeannie says.

“Yes.”

“Punch you?”

“Yes.”

“Kick you?”

“Yes.”

“Emotional abuse?”

“Always.”

“Sexual assault?”

“Of course. Often.”

“Ravenna, was there no help available to you?” Jeannie asks.

“That’s the thing about Lucien.” Ravenna shudders at some memory. “A man like that? A billionaire? He does what he wants. People are property to a man like that. Who’s going to believeme? His investors? The hundreds of people he employees?”

Roman is out of his seat now, gesturing wildly at the screen and looming over Lucien. “How can you sit there listening to thisbullshit?”

Lucien barely spares him a glance. “They sent over the transcript this afternoon for comment. I knew what she was going to say. I just didn’t know how she was going to say it.”

“Jesus Christ,” Roman says, pivoting away. Then there’s a crash behind us. Startled, I glance around to discover that Roman has swiped Lucien’s desk clean in his anger. Daniel hurries over and throws a restraining arm around his back.

“Lucien’s got it under control,” Daniel says.

“This shit isnotunder control,” Roman says, throwing him off. “People will believe her. None of it’s true, but she’s ruining his life!”

“Shhh,” Lucien says, still focused on the TV.

“But Ravenna, did you ever go to the police?” Jeannie says. “The world is full of battered women. They don’t fake their own deaths to escape and disappear for years at a time.”

“I tried once or twice,” Ravenna says, her gaze sliding out of focus as she frowns at some memory. “Lucien had things hushed up. He knows people. He pays people. I don’t think people understand that when you’re dealing with this kind of wealth, there’s nothing you can’t make happen. No one you can’t buy off. Household staff. Police. Judges. A man like Lucien can get it done.”

“So you faked your own death,” Jeannie says. “But why then? If he’d been abusing you for years?”

“We had a party at Ackerley,” Ravenna says. “Lucien saw one of his guests talking to me. The man was a little drunk. He stood a little too close. Whatever. That’s no excuse. When the guests left, Lucien surprised me. I expected him to be in a rage, but he was calm. Icy calm. He said that I’d embarrassed him for the last time. And that’s when I knew. He was going to do it.”

A bark of bitter laughter from Lucien. “That’s the night I caught her coming out of the bathroom after a quickie with one of our guests—a man she’d just met—and told her I wanted a divorce.”

“I’d been saving my own money,” Ravenna tells Jeannie. “Putting it in offshore accounts in case I ever got the chance to escape. I’d wanted to save money for a little while longer, but I knew if I didn’t leave then, I’d never have another chance. He was going to hire someone to kill me and make it look like an accident. That would have been the smart move and Lucien is the smartest man I know. That way, he’d be free of me and wouldn’t have to pay me a big divorce settlement. My time ran out. So I got a fake ID. Went out sailing. Capsized the boat. It’s easy to do if you know how. And then I hid.”

“Where did you go?”

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