False Pretenses - Kathy Herman [62]
Pierce got up on his knees and looked into her eyes. “Why would you lie to me about something that important?”
“I-I was ashamed. I couldn’t bear for you to know the truth about me, that my father was a mean drunk … who abused me … every way you can imagine …” Zoe choked on the words and wondered if she had the courage to continue. Finally she added, “My mother knew but was too afraid of him to do anything about it.”
Pierce leaned back against the headboard, his gaze straight ahead, his arms folded across his chest. “I’m sorry, Zoe. That’s horrible. But you should’ve trusted me with it.”
“If that was the whole story, I might’ve. But there’s more. It’s all connected.” Zoe hugged her pillow tighter. “After I graduated from high school, I worked two jobs—one for a housecleaning service and the other for Walmart. I put as much space between me and my parents as I could for a couple years. The sexual abuse happened less frequently, but the violence escalated. I wanted to move out, but I couldn’t afford a car and rent. My friend Hannah knew the situation and let me move in with her without paying rent until I could get my finances worked out. But my dad went ballistic. He wanted me to come home. He came to the apartment drunk and carrying a ball bat. He threatened to hurt us. Hannah got scared and called the police.”
“Did you tell them he’d been abusing you?”
“No. I was too scared. And embarrassed. I didn’t want to end up in court, having to describe the awful things he’d done to me. But after that, Hannah said I needed to find somewhere else to live. So I looked for jobs out of state and took one in Alexandria, Louisiana as a live-in maid for a woman named Adele Woodmore. She was a widow with a huge estate. The position included a nice room, all meals, and a small salary. I was safe there. My parents had no idea where I was.”
“Did Adele know you by your real name?”
Zoe nodded. “My work references were good. I worked three years for the same two employers, and neither knew anything about my home life. It wasn’t until later I decided to change my name. I worked for Adele for six years. She treated me well and would have been happy for me to work there the rest of my life. But I was totally dependent on her. The small salary I made went mostly for a car and incidentals, and I would never have been able to save money to get out on my own. I really couldn’t support myself. It was depressing.”
“Are you rabbit tracking, or is this relevant?”
“It’s totally relevant. Adele wore a diamond ring—more like a rock—that her late husband had given her. One day when she was napping, I-I got the idea to take it off her finger and let her think she had misplaced it or dropped it. I knew she trusted me and would never suspect me. I couldn’t believe I was doing it. But I did. I took the ring.”
“Good grief, Zoe! What were you thinking?”
“That she was rich and would never miss it. And I could sell it and use the money to start a new life. I saw a chance to change my circumstances, and I seized it.”
Pierce shook his head, but didn’t say anything.
Zoe told him how she had convinced the police she knew nothing about the ring. How she had hidden the ring for six months in the pocket of a jacket she never wore, then sold it to a jeweler in New Orleans for fifteen thousand, split the money into three bank accounts to avoid suspicion, and waited almost a year to change her name.
“Why did you choose the name to Zoe Benoit? That seems a little random for a Texan.”
“It wasn’t random at all. I didn’t want to feel like white trash anymore.” Zoe felt her face burn, even now. “I wanted roots I could be proud of, and passing myself off as Cajun seemed perfect if I planned to stay in Louisiana. The first time I ever laid eyes on Les Barbes, I knew it’s where I wanted to live. And start my own eatery. It was a dream that kept building over time. So before I changed my name, I started reading everything I could get my hands on about the Cajun culture.