Mercedes drove her car to downtown Orlando. There she found the familiar parking lot for Trans Con. She hadn’t been here since Liam died.
"Hello, Mrs. Burns. It’s been quite a while since you’ve visited us." The Security Guard said, "Would you please sign in?"
Mercedes asked the receptionist outside of Liam’s old office if there were any items of Liam’s left behind after he died. She led Mercedes to an empty conference room and had a janitor bring in a box labeled with Liam’s name.
She sat there a moment. Mercedes wasn’t at all sure why she came, or if she really wanted to be there. The truth, the whole truth, had to be uncovered. It could’ve hurt her before, but now it was hurting her unborn baby. She couldn’t bear it. She needed to know.
Sure enough, there were files. Files on *N SYNC members like Chris and Dani’s secret wedding, one that eluded to Joey having an illegitimate baby, a file that accused J.C. of using cocaine and then there was also a file on Lance. Mercedes put that aside. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to open that one.
There were letters, one post marked from Aspen, Colorado. "Dear Liam," it began. "...and I hope we can continue to count on your friend Lance to be discreet about our relationship and keep this secret from your wife, because I don’t want my husband to find out either!" Mercedes started to shake. Liam had been unfaithful, but moreover, Lance had hidden it from her.
The phone in the conference room rang. It continued to ring and ring...until Mercedes picked it up.
"Hello, Mercedes. It’s Norm Conroy."
Mercedes closed her eyes. This WAS a nightmare.
"How did you know I was here, Norm?"
"Oh, I have people in the office whom I asked to alert me if they saw you come in."
"So, you’ve been waiting for me to come for the files I gather?"
"Yes, I have. Curious, were we?"
"No, actually, I’m not curious. I just had a need to know."
"Have you gotten to the file on Lance yet?"
"No, I’ve been reading my husband’s mail." Mercedes said. Norm began to laugh. "You think this is funny, Norm?"
"From my point of view it is, Mercedes. Sorry."
"So, what’s your bottom line, Norm? What’s the purpose of all this? What do you hope to gain?" Mercedes asked.
"First, I think you better take a look at Lance’s file. It’s..." Norm chuckles, "...Very interesting."
Mercedes hesitates. Lifts the folder, and places it in front of her. With her hands shaking, she turns the manila flap and stares at a photograph of Lance. Mercedes tries desperately to hide the shock and revulsion that seeing the photograph brings to her.
She breathes deeply, before she says or does anything. The lightheaded feeling passes. She tries to think quickly.
"Well, Mercedes. What do you think of your MAN now?" Norm laughs. "This could damage a promising career."
Mercedes notices Liam’s Cuban cigars. And a book of matches. She hated that Liam would smoke them, but occasionally she would love the woodsy smell that they would leave behind.
Mercedes forced herself to look more closely at the photograph. There was a magazine on the nightstand next to the bed. PARIS MATCH If she could enlarge the magazine she might be able to come up with a date. Why? To discredit Liam and Norm? She already knew this was garbage. That WAS Lance, but she knew he was not actively engaged in a sex act with this man. The man did not appear to be a minor. He did have an odd tattoo and his hair was dyed purplish. Lance was drugged as one might surmise from his eyes being closed...she really didn’t know HOW she could prove it was a lie. But, inside she KNEW the photograph was a lie.
Now, she knew WHY Liam wouldn’t hesitate to try and discredit Lance, Joey and J.C. And why he would be willing to reveal Chris and Dani’s marriage. To make them stay with Trans Con or exact revenge against them. But, there were too many contradictions going around today. From the letters in the drawer Liam put forth that Lance wanted him and the baby "out of the way" so Lance could pursue a relationship with her. Here, he had a photograph that would cause people to suppose Lance was gay. There was a letter that shouted his love and devotion in the drawer, and another in this box that acknowledged that he had been unfaithful.
Mercedes head was spinning.
"Gee, Norm." Mercedes said. "Why are you bothering me with this shit today?"
"Why Mercedes I thought you’d be interested."
"You’ve caught me on a really bad day. " Mercedes told him, with definite understatement. "So, don’t mess with me. What do you want?"
"Whoa. You must really be feeling the pressure. Afraid that the world is going to find out the truth about Lance Bass?"
"Norm, my greatest fear is that someone will beat the shit out of you and I won’t be there to witness it. If this had been a photograph of Lance having some sort of sexual perversion with an under age teeny, then I’d be worried...but THIS? This is a joke."
"I think there are plenty of magazines that will find this particular photograph interesting...and pay for the privilege of printing it along with the info on Chris and Dani, J.C. and Joey."
"Do you? And just why do you think it’s any concern of mine?"
"Well, I just thought I’d hit you up first. I know how much you care for these guys, especially Lance. And you know I used to work in the legal records department of Trans Con. I happen to know you came into a lot of money when Liam died in that car accident."
"A lot less than what he would’ve made had I died during my miscarriage, Norm."
"Right you are. Now, why do you think Liam was so concerned about having such a big policy on you and the baby?"
"I think." Mercedes whispered, "I think it was because he was planning on me dying and framing Lance Bass for the murder."
"Oh as smart as she is beautiful."
"And just where do you fit in with all this, Norm?" Mercedes asked while rolling the cigar between her fingers.
"Dumb luck. I just happened to stumble over the files the morning after Liam died. You’d be surprised the strange combination of people who have tried to locate these documents."
"Let me guess...my sister?"
That surprised even Norm. "Impressive. Now, why do you think your sister would be interested in these things, unless she was aware that she was a beneficiary of your estate."
"I don’t know Norm. I’ve done well so far, why don’t you give me this one."
"Maybe you’ll find your answer if you look through the box a little more. There’s a certain letter that details a long-standing relationship between your husband and Victoria. After all, they had a lot in common."
Mercedes put her head down on the conference table. ’Yeah, they both wanted me gone.’ She knew she couldn’t take any more.
Mercedes picked up the box of matches and lit the cigar. She inhaled the smell. Her husband always said it was his one vice. The lying, cheating bastard.
Mercedes took the lit cigar and placed it in the box along with the hideous photograph and the letters. She then took the box and placed it in the trash bin.
To burn.
‘Just like you, Liam. Burn in Hell.’
"Are you still there, Mercedes?" Norm asked. "I’ve given you long enough to think about this. I’m ready to give you my asking price."
"You can ask for whatever you’d like. You don’t scare me, Norm. I have other issues that frighten me, but you blackmailing me or *N SYNC over the stuff in these files isn’t one of those issues. I need to ask you one question, Norm."
"I’m in a good mood Mercedes. Go ahead, ask me."
"What does my sister stand to gain with this blackmail scheme of yours?"
"Mercedes, your sister and I are NOT partners. She doesn’t even know about me and my connection to these files. But I know about her and she is in this for more than the money. If I were you, I’d be scared of that bitch. She won’t be happy until she reads two obituaries. Yours is one and Lance’s is the other."
With that Mercedes hung up the phone. She could see fire in the trash bin. As she left the room, the phone started to ring again. As she signed out and walked away from the building, Mercedes switched her cell phone back on and dialed 911. "I’d like to report a fire..."
Mercedes was exhausted, but she had more errands to run. One way or another she was going to try and figure this whole mess out.
Mercedes had to figure out what Victoria was up to and she had to warn Johnny about the blackmail scheme. Somehow, she had to protect Lance.
"Hey Sis, how’s it goin’? Lance has been anxious to get your call."
"Justin..."
"Yeah, hey he’s around here someplace trying to calm Meredith’s pre-show jitters. Let me see..." Justin scanned the backstage area, then raised his arm up in a puzzled motion. "You seen Lance?" he yelled to Tim Miller. ‘Wait a minute Babe, we’re looking."
"Justin..."
"Yeah, do you want me to just have him call you back? He was JUST trying your cell phone for like the past hour and a half. He’s gonna be so bummed that he missed your call."
"Justin, I’m drowning."
Justin’s eyebrows popped up, "What did you say?"
"I’m drowning, J. Please tell Lance, tell him..."
"Wait a minute, wait a minute. He’s here and he wants to talk to you." Justin started running like a mad man. "WHERE’S LANCE?" He yelled to no one in particular. "Where IS he?"
"Justin, tell him I’m SO sorry." Mercedes started to cry, "I’m so very sorry."
"Mercedes, STAY ON THE LINE. Talk to me, babe. What do you mean when you say you’re drowning. You’re scaring me here." Justin tried to remain calm, but visions of Lance’s nightmare came to him. ‘DAMN, Where’s Lance!?’ Justin pushed his way through to the back stage dressing rooms. He spied Chris, and frantically waved for him to come over.
"Justin, there’s so much. Liam and the files, and the babies..."
"Babies? What Babies? The baby you miscarried? Mercedes, we WILL find Lance. He’s HERE. HOLD ON!"
"No, they just CALLED it a miscarriage. Now what they want me to say..." Mercedes put her head down on the desk. "Is that I was never pregnant to begin with. My baby was murdered. "
Justin was panic stricken, "Oh Jesus. Please HOLD ON."
Chris gave Justin a puzzled look, "What’s going on?" he asked.
"Where the fuck is Lance?" Justin asked, his hand over the phone.
"He’s standing in the wing watching Meredith, she just went on."
"Shit...we have to get him ON THE PHONE NOW!" Chris tried to keep up with Justin as he took off like a bat out of hell.
Justin saw Lance and hollered, much to Tim Miller’s annoyance. "LANCE. PHONE. NOW."
Lance grabbed the cell phone from Justin, "Mercedes?"
"She’s really messed up." Justin said patting his hands on Lance’s shoulders.
"Mercedes?" Lance spoke into the phone. "Aren’t you on the airplane? You’re suppose to be on the 6 pm flight. Baby, what’s wrong?"
All Lance could hear was her crying.
"Talk to me, Darlin’, what’s wrong? Where‘s Lonnie?" Lance hurried away from the area he was in to find a place he could talk more openly to her and that he wasn’t disturbing the stage managers. Justin followed a discreet distance behind. By now, Chris had caught up to him as well.
"I’m so sorry. I left Lonnie at Dr. Westfall‘s office." Was all she could say.
Lance put his hand against the hallway wall, placed his cheek against it and spoke in a voice filled with compassion and love.
"I love you, too. Be, there’s...there’s so much."
"Just talk, baby. I’m listening."
"I need you." The tears started to flow again.
"I’m with you. God knows I’m with you right where you are, Baby."
"I’m sorry."
"Why do you say that?" Lance asked calmly. "You could never do anything Baby that you would need to apologize for."
"Yes, I could..." Mercedes voice cracked, and Lance could tell she was over the edge.
"What happened to make you so upset?"
"Liam used your pills."
"What pills, Darlin’?"
"The pills you were given for a migraine."
Lance had to think for a second, "The ones we found in the drawer at your house?"
"Ah huh."
"What did he use them for..."
’Oh Dear God, No.’
It came to him, like a flash of lightening. Of course, Liam used them to cause Mercedes’ miscarriage. Lance bashed his head against the wall. Oh Dear God. No. "Mercedes, the miscarriage."
"You KNEW?"
"I didn’t know what he used, but he told me..."
"HE TOLD YOU?"
"The night we had the big fight, he told me." Lance placed his hand over his face, "Oh God, Mercedes. I thought you’d never have to know."
"Did you...HELP him?"
"NO, of course not. OF COURSE NOT! God, Mercedes I loved you even then. I’d NEVER want you to be hurt, or ever hurt your baby."
"But, you helped him keep his cheating on me a secret didn’t you?"
"Oh God. Mercedes how did you...? I am so sorry. As soon as I figured out he was having an affair in Vail, I came home. Liam and I didn’t have any friendship left after that. I couldn’t tell you. You loved him so much and you deserved to think he loved you as much as you deserved to be loved."
"I can’t...I can’t even think right now Lance. There’s so much. I feel like I’m drowning in all these lies. I can‘t BREATHE."
Lance’s head was spinning. "Baby, Please. You’re frightening me. Tell me where you are!"
"The house in Orlando."
"Which house?"
"Mine."
"Damn, Baby I don’t want you in that house alone. Why did you give Lonnie the slip?"
"I had to gather some information. "
"I’m going to have Mike send him over to you, then I want you to leave there and go to my house. Stay with Lonnie. I’m dying here. I need you to be in my
arms. I’m scared Mercedes. Why aren’t you on the way back here? Why did you miss your flight?"
By this time, Mercedes was feeling pretty zoned out.
"I missed my flight?" She tried to think. "Yes, Dr. Westfall wanted me to have the abortion right away."
"WHAT? Mercedes, what?" Lance slammed the wall with his hand.
"He said if we did it tonight no one would ever need to know."
Lance slid down the wall until he crumbled on to the floor.Chris and Justin had been watching him and quickly rushed to his side.
"Mercedes...you wouldn‘t do such a thing." Lance asked in a small voice chocked with emotion.
"Dr. Westfall told me that I could just say that I wasn’t really pregnant after all. But, he did an exam and he said I was definitely pregnant."
Lance began to cry. "Please tell me you didn’t do it. PLEASE tell me you didn’t do it. PLEASE."
"Lance! Are you alright?" Justin and Chris tried to pick him up.
"This is all my fault. All my fault." Mercedes kept repeating.
"No Baby, this isn’t all your fault. It’s not all your fault. I should have insisted upon going with you. I should have protected you. I should have told
you the truth about Liam in the first place so you wouldn‘t have been hit with everything all at once."
"My baby was murdered." Mercedes sobbed and rubbed her runny nose over her sleeve. "Why couldn’t everything work out alright for our baby?"
"Did you have the abortion?" Lance asked as slowly and calmly as he could. Justin and Chris gave each other confused looks.
"I have to tell you about Liam’s files. Liam has all this garbage on you guys and he has this picture. He really would have done anything to hurt you. I
spoke with Johnny about them. He’ll protect you."
"DID YOU DO IT?" Lance screamed. "I don’t give a damn about Liam’s files! What did you do to our baby? TELL ME!"
"I love you, Be. PLEASE be careful. They‘re after us both." CLICK
"Oh my God. Dear God, Please." Lance was in a fetal position, the cell phone still against his ear. "Mercedes...MERCEDES!"
"Lance? Lance are you alright?" Chris asked him as he and Justin attempted to get him back up on his feet.
"Get Mike. We have to get Lonnie over to Mercedes’ house in Orlando. NOW!"
"I’ll get him," Justin offered. "You stay with Lance." He said to Chris. Lance leaned up, his face against the wall. His one arm up and palm facing
the wall. He was in so much pain, Chris could barely stand to see it.
"Lance, did I hear you ask Mercedes if she had an abortion?" Chris asked quietly, his hand on Lance’s shoulder.
Lance shook his head, "She couldn’t have. She couldn’t have."
Lance turned and pushed "*64" on the cell phone. "Answer the phone, baby. Answer the phone." It just kept ringing.
"Chris do you have your phone?" Lance asked.
Chris handed it to him. Lance dialed Johnny’s phone number while still trying to get through to Mercedes on his own cell phone.
"Johnny! Lance. Why didn’t you call me when you spoke to Mercedes?" Johnny explained that he had tried but Lance’s cell phone had been busy for the past
hour.
"What is going on?" Lance asked.
"Jesus Lance, Liam had this file and Mercedes torched it. The conference room at Trans Con was damaged by smoke. No one was hurt, but I think someone’s going to figure it out fairly quickly that Mercedes set that fire."
"Is Mercedes alright?"
"She was shaky."
"You saw her?"
"Yes, she came over to my office to tell me about the files and offered to make a substantial amount of cash available in case this Norm Conroy tried to black mail you. She was VERY concerned about you, Lance."
"Johnny, when you saw her was Lonnie with her?"
"No, she had managed to sneak out of the doctor’s office without Lonnie."
"And you let her LEAVE without Lonnie, in the shape she was in?"
Lance was pissed off and handed the phone back to Chris. "You talk to him. Tell him to get his butt over to Mercedes’ house in Orlando in case we have trouble getting through to Lonnie."
All this time Lance was keeping an ear on his cell phone, but Mercedes wasn’t answering his call. "Baby, please, please pick up the phone!" Lance murmured,
head against the wall.
