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A couple of questions for Dr. Lucas, Gideon, Eva, Corinne, Magdalene, Christopher & Marriage


Agordon817

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I doubt Gideon said anymore than he was just having dinner with Corinne to Arnoldo and letting him make of that whatever he wanted to in light of what he witnessed between Gideon & Eva after the concert. Gideon doesn't strike me as someone who lies to his friends other than maybe withholding which could be a form of lying by omission I suppose.

 

Hi Mrsmajessick,

I read your posting and for the most part I agree. There is only one question that I would ask of you and everyone; which Nathan was the reader seeing? Were we seeing the highly organized and calculated Psychopath or the disorganized frenetic Sociopath? The first visit Nathan makes to Gideon makes sense, but the second visit doesn't make sense at all. Nathan got the short end of the stick the first time around and like you said was probably escorted out of the building, ok. The second visit is what gets me. Anyone who was cold and calculating would have had a better plan than to just hang around outside in hopes of finding his intended victim. Let's also remember that the Crossfire building has the video and surveillance equipment on the premises.Why would Nathan put himself at risk of leaving behind evidence that could link him to any of his crimes? What do you think ?

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Good points well made as always, GiGi.

 

I think Nathan may fit more in the Sociopath box only because it takes into consideration environment and I'm starting to think Nathan developed a hatred for women after being abandoned by his mother. He takes "mommy issues" to the 10th degree. And, he's also a reactor - Eva was about to tell her mother so he reacts by killing her cat to scare her. So, this leads me to believe that if he got sloppy, making a second visit to the Crossfire may have been a reaction to another event. What I mean is Nathan appeared desperate to leave the country - could he have been on the run from hurting women and was about to get caught someplace else?

 

I think his second visit to the Crossfire may have been to leave one or more of those pictures of Eva for Gideon so he could look at it and dwell on it. Thus making him want to get rid of Nathan - in Nathan's mind by giving him the money he requested - boy was he wrong. Nathan didn't count on a part of Gideon being an even better psychopath over protective of Eva and highly motivated by revenge (remember Gideon's dreams seem to suggest he retaliated against his abuser).

 

Your #6 up there is curious. I almost think Gideon didn't plan to kill Nathan until after he attacked Cary - also a reaction by Nathan since he hasn't gotten his way with either Gideon or Stanton. But, I can't forget that Nathan was once a rich kid so he knows how these people work and that no one wants this to become public. He's desperate and this causes him to make mistakes and become careless.  Much like Ted Bundy, over confidence is usually these sickos down fall. I bet Nathan was arrogantly raping other women someplace else, maybe even killed one or more and was on the verge of getting caught. Maybe the police will reveal that (if it's true) in EWY? And, that would open the pool of suspects. Maybe one of his other victims' family member found out it was him and followed him to NY or a surviving victim herself. I'm not saying that Gideon didn't do it, because I think he did, but the police would have to consider more than just him.

 

It's not been reveal where Nathan came from prior to being in NY? Is he really on the run?

 

What I also wonder about is if neither Stanton nor Gideon planned to give Nathan the money did they think that he would just leave? Did Gideon think smacking him around in his office would be enough to get rid of him? And did he and Stanton plan together to not give in to his demands? Maybe Gideon was waiting for information from an investigation to come back from where Nathan had been previously been staying? The more questions I have the more that come up.

 

I love reading everyone's response. It's kind of making June 4th not seems so far off. Oh, and please forget me for my horrible grammar and run on sentences - English is my fourth language and I'm still learning the written form.

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I doubt Gideon said anymore than he was just having dinner with Corinne to Arnoldo and letting him make of that whatever he wanted to in light of what he witnessed between Gideon & Eva after the concert. Gideon doesn't strike me as someone who lies to his friends other than maybe withholding which could be a form of lying by omission I suppose.

 

Boy does Gideon withhold information, even from people he cares most about. It's part of the rigid shell he built around himself to protect the wounded boy inside. But his defenses are too rigid and dysfunctional, because he's been unable to open up and trust. And at times, the withholding of information has risen to the level of lying by omission.

 

This pattern of refusing to open up and lying by omission kept driving a wedge between Eva and him, and nearly destroyed what they had. But his love for her repeatedly gave him the courage at times to try opening up, though usually out of fear and desperation every time she pulled one of her runners. 

 

Even Corrine recognized that Eva had gotten Gideon to open up. The night she met Eva at the Waldorf dinner, Corrine told her, "He tells me you've inspired him to start opening up. I'm grateful to you for that."

 

Sylvia keeps saying Gideon has room to grow. I'm looking forward to seeing him really opening up to Eva in Entwined. She now knows the absolute darkest deepest secrets he has. Secrets he feared would make her run away forever. Instead, she came back to him. What a great lesson in the rewards of honesty and trust between two people who love one another.

 

Getting back to Arnoldo, I agree with you that he didn't tell Arnoldo a thing, instead leaving his friend to jump to the wrong conclusions. Gideon desperately needed Arnoldo to assume he'd left Eva because everything counted on Gideon's cover story, the cover story whose purpose was to negate his motive to kill Nathan.

 

Here's some more fun speculation: did Arnoldo later end up gossiping to Corrine about the whole mess, words to the effect of "Eva kissed her rock singer ex boyfriend in an alley outside a concert we went to. Gideon caught her red-handed. He beat the guy up, and he told Angus and me to throw her in his limo and drag her away. Good for him having us get her out of his sight. Far as I know, that's the last he had to do with her. I think it's over between them, and I'm glad. Because she hurt him badly."

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Hi LN Cronan,

No. I don’t think that Arnoldo ended up gossiping to Corinne about the whole concert mess. After all who is Arnoldo anyway? Yes we as the reader are told that Gideon and Arnoldo are friends but we aren’t given any information to the effect that Gideon and Arnoldo are best friends or even close friends for that fact. The one thing that I would be sure of is; seeing the effect that Eva had on Gideon (both the good and the bad). In Reflected In You pg 150 we read; “Only you Arnoldo,†he said dryly….Arnoldo smiled; it was the knowing and slightly mocking smile one bachelor gave to another who’d been caught by a woman.†I am almost left with the feeling that any socializing had done in the past with women, were at business functions and charity events. I almost think that this may be one of the few times that Gideon is out spending time with a girlfriend and their friends. It is strictly a fun, relaxed social gathering. So I don't think that Arnoldo plays that big a role. If Arnoldo had met Corinne, then surely he saw how differently he must have acted. Gideon talked about how he couldn't spend time with Corinne and couldn't spend the next. I would think to a friend, close or casual would have been able to see the difference between Eva and Corinne. Night and day! :)

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Hi everyone,

I was just thinking about some of things that people have been posting and something struck me as odd. I just want to state for the record that I don't believe that Gideon killed either person yet. Yes, I know, many people won't agree with me, but my money is on the dark horse! I think Gideon may be many things, but murderer isn't one of them. Fingers crossed! :) Some other readers had stated they thought that Gideon killed his abuser. Well if Gideon killed his abuser and Nathan what does that make him? How many homicides does one person need to commit before they are labelled a serial killer? Any thoughts?

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Good points well made as always, GiGi.

 

I think Nathan may fit more in the Sociopath box only because it takes into consideration environment and I'm starting to think Nathan developed a hatred for women after being abandoned by his mother. He takes "mommy issues" to the 10th degree. And, he's also a reactor - Eva was about to tell her mother so he reacts by killing her cat to scare her. So, this leads me to believe that if he got sloppy, making a second visit to the Crossfire may have been a reaction to another event. What I mean is Nathan appeared desperate to leave the country - could he have been on the run from hurting women and was about to get caught someplace else?

 

I think his second visit to the Crossfire may have been to leave one or more of those pictures of Eva for Gideon so he could look at it and dwell on it. Thus making him want to get rid of Nathan - in Nathan's mind by giving him the money he requested - boy was he wrong. Nathan didn't count on a part of Gideon being an even better psychopath over protective of Eva and highly motivated by revenge (remember Gideon's dreams seem to suggest he retaliated against his abuser).

 

Your #6 up there is curious. I almost think Gideon didn't plan to kill Nathan until after he attacked Cary - also a reaction by Nathan since he hasn't gotten his way with either Gideon or Stanton. But, I can't forget that Nathan was once a rich kid so he knows how these people work and that no one wants this to become public. He's desperate and this causes him to make mistakes and become careless.  Much like Ted Bundy, over confidence is usually these sickos down fall. I bet Nathan was arrogantly raping other women someplace else, maybe even killed one or more and was on the verge of getting caught. Maybe the police will reveal that (if it's true) in EWY? And, that would open the pool of suspects. Maybe one of his other victims' family member found out it was him and followed him to NY or a surviving victim herself. I'm not saying that Gideon didn't do it, because I think he did, but the police would have to consider more than just him.

 

It's not been reveal where Nathan came from prior to being in NY? Is he really on the run?

 

What I also wonder about is if neither Stanton nor Gideon planned to give Nathan the money did they think that he would just leave? Did Gideon think smacking him around in his office would be enough to get rid of him? And did he and Stanton plan together to not give in to his demands? Maybe Gideon was waiting for information from an investigation to come back from where Nathan had been previously been staying? The more questions I have the more that come up.

 

I love reading everyone's response. It's kind of making June 4th not seems so far off. Oh, and please forget me for my horrible grammar and run on sentences - English is my fourth language and I'm still learning the written form.

 

Hi Mrsmajessick,

You bring up some really good points too! Something in the scenario that Sylvia laid out for the characters doesn’t add up. You are absolutely right! What’s the deal between Gideon and Stanton? I remember in the first book, Eva was having a discussion with her mother when she found out that Gideon had gone to see Stanton to discuss the Nathan situation and what was being done to tighten the confidentiality arrangements. Now all of a sudden, during the second book, when so much is going on, we the read hear….crickets! Nothing! Nathan is busy trying to blackmail everyone and anyone he can get access to and no one says anything to Eva. Why? Who the heck was keeping track of Nathan’s whereabouts? I understand that Gideon has a vested interest in keeping Eva safe, but what about her mother? Is this the first that Monica is hearing about Nathan or has she, Stanton and Clancy been covering this thing up for longer? Sylvia doesn’t write anything about this, so the reader is left to wonder.

I get that Eva sees her mother as breathy, fragile and vulnerable, but she herself states that her mom is a man-eater and that she gives as good as she gets, so why can’t she be a viable suspect?

I think that Gideon smacked Nathan around for fun and because he deserved it! Think about it for a second; in walks this punk with some photos and/or video of him brutally raping and torturing a very young Eva and he must have been proud of himself(for recording his crimes and getting away with it). After all, he was never made to atone for any of his crimes. As far as he was concerned, everything was ok. No cops were ever called therefore no crimes were ever committed. Every time Nathan opened his mouth and blurted out a threat, the people around him would throw money at him to get the problem to go away. Nathan learned that every time he threatened someone, he would get money. It is sort of like “Pavlov’s Dog Theory†but with a sick and twisted man and extortion payouts.

The story gets good because our young, thick headed Nathan didn’t expect to encounter our big, strong, virile and VERY ANGRY Gideon. I think Nathan went in with the notion that the wealthy prefer to sweep ugly things under the carpet (that’s what he has learned in his life) and the best way to do that is to throw money at the problem (that’s what was constantly being modeled in Nathan’s life until his father finally had enough and washed his hands of him). But instead, he wound up being Gideon’s punching bag! Surprise! I would have LOVED to be a fly on the wall to see the utter shock and horror on Nathan’s face when he was being pummeled!

What I don’t get is; where was the communication between all of these characters when Nathan appeared? During the second book, Eva’s mother mentioned that by the time Stanton had decided to pay Nathan off, the poor lad...dare I say scumbag…died….well was actually killed. So what made Monica and Stanton decide to pay Nathan off? Did Nathan have some kind of time limit on his extortion demands? I really hope that Sylvia sheds some light on the matter. Thus far, this reader isn’t able to connect the dots. What does everyone else think?

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Omg im going through withdrawels here i miss my gideon i luv all ur ? And theories i look forward everyday and as fae as gid tell arnaldo i dont think he said anything just went there for diner snd i have to admit it bothers me to no end he chose corrine i hste her i want gid to fight with her and cut all ties hopefully it will happen

 

Hi Valgirl,

I don't think that Gideon chose Corinne. He was just using her as a cover. I don't know if that helps at all, but I think Gideon and Eva will find their way in the end. Otherwise I think there will be a huge outcry from Sylvia's fans and huge public protests if Gideon and Eva don't wind up together. :)

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GiGi has got me thinking about fight in Gideon's office. How badly -- or not -- did Gideon rough up Nathan that first time. Did Gideon maybe land one good punch and then with a supreme force of will pull himself back and decide: not here, not now. I'm going to come up with a better way to get this guy. Or at least restrain himself knowing that if he beat Nathan to a bloody pulp right there in his office, he'd have a lot of explaining to do when Nathan crawled (or was carried) out of the building.

 

Think about what Eva saw in Gideon's office shortly after he'd attacked Nathan there. One of the couches knocked a few inches out of line. A single couch pillow on the floor. And just a small amount of blood on one of the cuffs of the shirt Gideon had thrown into the laundry hamper of his office bathroom, a smear so small Eva mistook it for lipstick. (Remember, she came charging into the office because she'd just seen Corrine downstairs, leaving the building looking like she'd had a nooner with Gideon.)

 

I think about what Angus said to Eva as she begged him to stop the brutal fistfight between Gideon and Brett, "He knows when to stop, Eva." So Angus, who's known Gideon since grade school, has witnessed Gideon being able to shut down his violent side like turning off a switch.

 

And what Detective Graves said to Eva about Nathan's death, "Barker was taken out by a single stab wound to the chest. Right in the heart. Would've taken no more than a minute. No defensive wounds and he was found just inside the door. My guess? He opened the door to Cross and it was over before he could blink."

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I agree with you LN Cronan. I also think Gideon killed Nathan and I think he was controlled and percise with a single stab wound to the heart. Had Nathan been stabbed repeatedly then I would cast a side eye at Gideon because that wouldn't fit in with his controlled demeanor. I'd read a book a few years back in college entitled "When Women Kill" and it talked about how women were more passionate about killing someone who hurt them; that is to say they are more likely to stab their attacker multiply times or empty the clip if they shoot them. All the foreshawdowing that takes place prior to Nathan's death leads us to Gideon.

 

And, while it is not really clear, I was the one who suggested that perhaps Gideon also killed his abuser. If not killed him then his dreams make it sound like he retaliated in a violent manner. Even Gideon is afraid Eva will run away if she knew his dark side. And, I think his dark side is really dark. If he killed his abuser and Nathan then in fact that would made him a serial killer, but this is a romance novel and through suspension of disbelief we (the readers) are suppose to look at this as an Alpha man doing what an Alpha man does - takes care of his woman and all those who would go up against him.

 

Now in real life if he was our boyfriend and we found out he killed two men - well I would find the nearest police station and live there until he was behind bars. But, this is great fiction so I think we may have to over-look the part of him being a possible psychopath and see it has a form of justice. I know, doesn't sound right to me either, so I guess we'll have to wait until EWY comes out.

 

I'm hoping in EWY that we see that to some degree Gideon, Stanton & Monica were in communication with one another. I think Gideon probably was the one who convinced them to go ahead and pay Nathan off knowing that was never going to happen because Gideon already had designs to get rid of Nathan permanently. I think this was just another ruse for the police to follow that leads nowhere.

 

I would be surprised as all get out to find out Monica did it. She just strikes me as the nervous kind and I would imagine it takes a lot of force to stab someone in the chest deep enough to kill them with one blow. Woud Monica be able to excert that kind of strength?

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I agree with you LN Cronan. I also think Gideon killed Nathan and I think he was controlled and percise with a single stab wound to the heart. Had Nathan been stabbed repeatedly then I would cast a side eye at Gideon because that wouldn't fit in with his controlled demeanor. I'd read a book a few years back in college entitled "When Women Kill" and it talked about how women were more passionate about killing someone who hurt them; that is to say they are more likely to stab their attacker multiply times or empty the clip if they shoot them. All the foreshawdowing that takes place prior to Nathan's death leads us to Gideon.

 

And, while it is not really clear, I was the one who suggested that perhaps Gideon also killed his abuser. If not killed him then his dreams make it sound like he retaliated in a violent manner. Even Gideon is afraid Eva will run away if she knew his dark side. And, I think his dark side is really dark. If he killed his abuser and Nathan then in fact that would made him a serial killer, but this is a romance novel and through suspension of disbelief we (the readers) are suppose to look at this as an Alpha man doing what an Alpha man does - takes care of his woman and all those who would go up against him.

 

Now in real life if he was our boyfriend and we found out he killed two men - well I would find the nearest police station and live there until he was behind bars. But, this is great fiction so I think we may have to over-look the part of him being a possible psychopath and see it has a form of justice. I know, doesn't sound right to me either, so I guess we'll have to wait until EWY comes out.

 

I'm hoping in EWY that we see that to some degree Gideon, Stanton & Monica were in communication with one another. I think Gideon probably was the one who convinced them to go ahead and pay Nathan off knowing that was never going to happen because Gideon already had designs to get rid of Nathan permanently. I think this was just another ruse for the police to follow that leads nowhere.

 

I would be surprised as all get out to find out Monica did it. She just strikes me as the nervous kind and I would imagine it takes a lot of force to stab someone in the chest deep enough to kill them with one blow. Woud Monica be able to excert that kind of strength?

 

Gideon's motive for killing Nathan wasn't revenge, it was to save Eva's life. Therefore, I can't see him killing his own abuser. I can, however, see him ruining the guy's life.

 

But I think you are on to something about Stanton and/or Monica being involved somehow in Gideon's plot to deal with Nathan. Why else would the police be investigating Stanton every bit as aggressively as they have been Gideon. Could be that in Entwined, we're going to see some big plot twists involving Eva's mother and stepfather.

 

Plus, I'm pretty sure that in Entwined, we're going to learn much more about Gideon's abuser. It wasn't until near the very end of Reflected that he finally started talking to Eva about what happened. But that conversation didn't last too long and it barely scratched the surface.

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I agree that if Gideon killed Nathan he did it because he feared that Eva life was in danger .

But could Monica some how be involved, maybe she didn't physically stab Nathan but could she have got Clancy to do it for her.

And Nathan would have opened the door thinking that who ever it was either Clancy Angus Gideon or Stanton was bringing the money he demanded.

I think Gideon's abuser Gideon would make his life destroy him but I don't think he physically kill them.

I think Vidal sr is somehow involved maybe not as the abuser but did he allow it to happen, was it someone who had been effected by Gideon's father and had lot money and somehow wanted revenge.

I am sure that Sylvia will have lots of twists and turns in entwined with you. It is a romance story and not a crime story after all.

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GiGi has got me thinking about fight in Gideon's office. How badly -- or not -- did Gideon rough up Nathan that first time. Did Gideon maybe land one good punch and then with a supreme force of will pull himself back and decide: not here, not now. I'm going to come up with a better way to get this guy. Or at least restrain himself knowing that if he beat Nathan to a bloody pulp right there in his office, he'd have a lot of explaining to do when Nathan crawled (or was carried) out of the building.

 

Think about what Eva saw in Gideon's office shortly after he'd attacked Nathan there. One of the couches knocked a few inches out of line. A single couch pillow on the floor. And just a small amount of blood on one of the cuffs of the shirt Gideon had thrown into the laundry hamper of his office bathroom, a smear so small Eva mistook it for lipstick. (Remember, she came charging into the office because she'd just seen Corrine downstairs, leaving the building looking like she'd had a nooner with Gideon.)

 

I think about what Angus said to Eva as she begged him to stop the brutal fistfight between Gideon and Brett, "He knows when to stop, Eva." So Angus, who's known Gideon since grade school, has witnessed Gideon being able to shut down his violent side like turning off a switch.

 

And what Detective Graves said to Eva about Nathan's death, "Barker was taken out by a single stab wound to the chest. Right in the heart. Would've taken no more than a minute. No defensive wounds and he was found just inside the door. My guess? He opened the door to Cross and it was over before he could blink."

 

Hi LN Cronan,

I read your posting and I think for me something doesn’t add up. The whole incident of Nathan being stabbed in his hotel room doesn’t add up to Gideon committing the murder. If we think about for just a minute, Nathan got into a fight with Gideon earlier. There was enough violence and force for Gideon to draw blood. I find it very hard to believe that Nathan would tell Gideon where he was staying or even for him to open his hotel room door to invite Gideon in. Let’s remember that Nathan has gotten a taste of Gideon’s violent side. Any man with an ounce of self preservation wouldn’t have opened the door. He would make arrangements to pick up the money in a well populated area, where there are lots of avenues for escape, people to manipulate and get help from. Is the reader supposed to suspend his/hers’ belief and say….â€that’s ok; you punched me in the face, but hey bring the money over to my hotel room. It will be nice and private and then you can really beat me up…NOT!†Why would any sane rational person/or person who had just gotten into a fight earlier invite that same person (who inflicted violence on him earlier in the day) back to a quiet, private location? It just doesn’t make sense to me. Nathan may have been nuts but I don’t think that he was suicidal….would go a second round with the same guy who punched him earlier. I think there would have been a million other ways to collect the ransom.

As to the second point, you are absolutely right. Think about how Eva found Gideon after the fight. Pg. 37 states; “His hair was damp, as if from a recent shower, and his neck and upper chest were still flushed, as they became when he exerted himself physically.†The book didn’t state that Gideon took a shower. I don’t think that one punch to the face would have been enough to cause that kind of bodily response (Gideon’s damp hair, the flushing of his skin etc.). That takes quite a bit of physical exertion, especially for a man who is very physically fit. I think that when Nathan showed up, maybe he said or did something to set the fight off and then boom ….the fight began. I think the Gideon probably punched him in all the areas that wouldn’t be visible to the naked eye and would inflict maximum pain (maybe a few punches to the solar plexus, one or two to the kidneys and a couple to his back). Then when everything is said and done….BOOM…Gideon lands one well placed punch right across Nathan’s jaw, blood spurts and Nathan goes flying….straight into the couch, which gets knocked back and the pillow gets jostled. I think in that way, no one can even say that Gideon touched him. There was no visible evidence on Nathan’s face, which is what the video camera would have picked up. The way in which Nathan could have exited the building could have been explained away in a million different ways and Gideon would have had the support of his security team to back up his story(unruly intruder entered the premises, tried to get rough with the owner and had to be forcibly restrained, etc.). Whose word is they going to believe; Gideon’s or some potentially violent trespasser? Sylvia mentioned in her books that Gideon was trained in boxing and I think mixed martial arts.

You made the point about Angus stating that “Gideon knows when to stop.†I would argue that a school yard fight is a far cry from slaying live demons. I don’t know if I buy the argument that Gideon could say, “Ok, one punch is enough for me to get my point across, to sufficiently scare you and then figure out a way to keep you away from Eva and plot your murder…†Gideon most likely landed more than one punch, but I agree with you, he knew when to stop (and not pummel the guys’ face/because that would leave behind evidence and link Gideon to him) and didn’t kill him in his office. That would hard to explain to the police when he was supposedly so carefully planning Nathan’s demise. What does everyone think?

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I agree with you LN Cronan. I also think Gideon killed Nathan and I think he was controlled and percise with a single stab wound to the heart. Had Nathan been stabbed repeatedly then I would cast a side eye at Gideon because that wouldn't fit in with his controlled demeanor. I'd read a book a few years back in college entitled "When Women Kill" and it talked about how women were more passionate about killing someone who hurt them; that is to say they are more likely to stab their attacker multiply times or empty the clip if they shoot them. All the foreshawdowing that takes place prior to Nathan's death leads us to Gideon.

 

And, while it is not really clear, I was the one who suggested that perhaps Gideon also killed his abuser. If not killed him then his dreams make it sound like he retaliated in a violent manner. Even Gideon is afraid Eva will run away if she knew his dark side. And, I think his dark side is really dark. If he killed his abuser and Nathan then in fact that would made him a serial killer, but this is a romance novel and through suspension of disbelief we (the readers) are suppose to look at this as an Alpha man doing what an Alpha man does - takes care of his woman and all those who would go up against him.

 

Now in real life if he was our boyfriend and we found out he killed two men - well I would find the nearest police station and live there until he was behind bars. But, this is great fiction so I think we may have to over-look the part of him being a possible psychopath and see it has a form of justice. I know, doesn't sound right to me either, so I guess we'll have to wait until EWY comes out.

 

I'm hoping in EWY that we see that to some degree Gideon, Stanton & Monica were in communication with one another. I think Gideon probably was the one who convinced them to go ahead and pay Nathan off knowing that was never going to happen because Gideon already had designs to get rid of Nathan permanently. I think this was just another ruse for the police to follow that leads nowhere.

 

I would be surprised as all get out to find out Monica did it. She just strikes me as the nervous kind and I would imagine it takes a lot of force to stab someone in the chest deep enough to kill them with one blow. Woud Monica be able to excert that kind of strength?

 

Hi Mrsmajessick,

I read your comments and I agree for the most part. There is one basic problem for me though. If you or any of the readers got into a fight with Gideon, saw his violent side and got a taste of how physically brutal he could be, would you open your hotel room door to him, knowing that there wasn’t going to be any way for you to protect yourself or anyone around to help you? I think a majority of the readers might just say no. I know I would. Crazy or not, I would find another way to collect the cash. My earlier experience with Gideon would have shown me that he can twist a situation any way he wanted to and I would be s*****d!

After I stopped rolling around on the ground from laughter about the serial killer boyfriend bit, I agree. You make a valid point. I realize that this is supposed to be a romance novel, but it may have the potential to turn into a dark comic. Gideon Cross, beautiful, wealthy business mogul by day and serial avenger by night. Able to slay pedophiles and extortionists, with a single punch or stab wound to the heart. Really?! All kidding aside, you are right, the more that I try to come up with arguments for why he didn’t commit these crimes the more I begin to realize that could be a huge reason why Gideon is so afraid of Eva finding out about his dark side. Hmm?

As far as the Monica thing, you know and everyone knows my position. I think that she is the only one that Nathan would have opened the door for. Maybe she got him to open the hotel room door with the promise of a payout. She was the only nonthreatening looking person out of the bunch. Maybe she got him to open the door and then stepped aside where someone else stabbed him in the heart (maybe Stanton, Clancy or Gideon). I think that for the first time since Nathan’s death she wasn’t fidgety or nervous. The only thing that she was trying to ensure was that everyone had a solid alibi. The constant phone calls to her daughter, etc. stopped after the murder. Why would they stop unless she knew something? Those are just my thoughts. What do you think?

P.S. I hope everyone takes my comments with a grain of salt. I absolutely love Sylvia's books. I think that we are dissecting everything to smitherines which actually helps to pass the time and gives us an opportunity to let our imaginations run freely. :)

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I agree that if Gideon killed Nathan he did it because he feared that Eva life was in danger .

But could Monica some how be involved, maybe she didn't physically stab Nathan but could she have got Clancy to do it for her.

And Nathan would have opened the door thinking that who ever it was either Clancy Angus Gideon or Stanton was bringing the money he demanded.

I think Gideon's abuser Gideon would make his life destroy him but I don't think he physically kill them.

I think Vidal sr is somehow involved maybe not as the abuser but did he allow it to happen, was it someone who had been effected by Gideon's father and had lot money and somehow wanted revenge.

I am sure that Sylvia will have lots of twists and turns in entwined with you. It is a romance story and not a crime story after all.

 

Hi ShazScott1980,

I think you make some really interesting points. For me common sense would dictate that before someone opens up their hotel room door, they would look out the peephole. I would think that Nathan would have done the same or at the very least yelled through the door asking who it was. So your thought about Monica being involved somehow would make sense to me. If Nathan saw Monica or heard her voice, it would put him at ease and he probably would have let his guard down just enough to open the hotel room door and get himself killed because he wouldn’t have been expecting it.

I can hardly wait for June to come. It will be so interesting to see if anyone’s theories will come to fruition. It’s ok though, if I am wrong I am sure there will be many ladies telling me I told you so. That’s ok. I want to believe the best for Gideon and don’t quite think that he is capable of that level of violence. After all it is like you and others have said. This is a love story and not a crime story. :)

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I'm like you, GiGi, I can't wait until June just to laugh at how off or spot on some of our theories are. It's all just a bit of fun to pass the time and I hope others are having just as much fun as I am.

 

I think Nathan was desperate for the money. On the flip side of everything you could say why would he even approach Gideon at the office with all the security around? Why would he be so bold as to return a second time after being beat/hit by Gideon? Why all the running around? Why not just approach Eva directly and let everyone know he could get to her.

 

Remember Nathan is crazy and more than likely would not react in a normal way to danger - sociopaths have a decrease fear of danger - it's part of how they are able to do what they do.

 

If his intent was to scare Gideon or Stanton or both into giving him the money by attacking Cary he would have expected one of them to show up and deliver. So, being an arrogant SOB he would have opened the door to either Stanton or Gideon feeling like he had the upper hand.

 

And, I think the constant phone calls stopped after the murder because Monica felt the danger was gone. Although I need to go back and re-read to make sure. I believe Monica was calling up until the police notified them about the murder - if she stopped prior to that, then that is most curious.

 

What you guys were saying about Vidal Sr. I agree. I think he does whatever Elizabeth tells him to do. From the description of him in the book, it appears he's one of those men so happy to have a trophy wife he does whatever she tells him to do - no questions asked. LOL.

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This is so much fun, swapping theories. GiGi put it well, "I think that we are dissecting everything to smitherines which actually helps to pass the time and gives us an opportunity to let our imaginations run freely." Keep us all amused and hooked until June 4.

 

These are romance novels, not crime novels. But in every novel, the protagonist(s) faces some sort of challenge/battle to win (in happy endings) or lose (in tragic downfall endings). Both Bared and Reflected end happily with Gideon and Eva reconciled. In each book, the battle to be won for both involves crimes past and present (child rape, stalking, extortion, murder). So they are crime novels too.

 

Some of the latest theories that clicked with me: 

 

ShazScott1980 is right, I think, that Nathan would have opened the door to anyone he thought was about to pay him: Monica, Stanton, Clancy, Angus, even Gideon.

 

Here's an additional theory for the pile: what if Gideon simply let himself into the room with a master key? He owns the building. And we know he regularly resorts to using an elevator master key to corner Eva when he needs to talk to her and can't get her alone any other way.

 

mrsmajessick makes an excellent point about Nathan being desperate for money. He was a rich kid completely disowned by his father.

 

Chiara is on to something too, I believe, about Nathan's ultimate goal was to get Eva. Nathan trying to get Gideon to drop Eva as damaged goods. And as Nathan beat Cary with the bat, he said words to the effect of "keep your hands off her" (meaning Eva: remember, some of the gossip sites speculated Cary and Eva were more than roommates).

 

Throwing out two theories for discussion, both involving what did Nathan plan to do if he got both the money and Eva? Keep in mind, both involve his crazy, sick thinking, not reality:

  1. Drag her away somewhere, maybe even out of the country, having enough money to be able to control her into staying with him?
  2. Exact his revenge for her ruining his life by raping her again, killing her, and then using the money to flee the country?
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I know that I am probably sounding like a cheerleader..

but I  enjoy and appreciate the different points of view and opinions here..

 

I think that Gideon will have some kind of financial disaster and that Eva will come to his rescue financially. I imagine that Eva's 5 million dollars has grown exponentially under Stanton's watch.

 

This is just a "feeling" I have and I really don't have solid basis for thinking this way... LOL!

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I'm going to throw this into the mix.

In Bared to you Eva says that Nathan was lawfully punished

Then in Reflected with you the last time she saw him was in a court room eight years ago.

Anyone else think that Nathan has been in prison .

And now out he sees Eva life is good she's dating a billionaire loved by her family and he just can't stand that her life is good when his isn't disowned by his rich father what does he have but to cause pain to Eva and extort money from her family.

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I'm going to throw this into the mix.

In Bared to you Eva says that Nathan was lawfully punished

Then in Reflected with you the last time she saw him was in a court room eight years ago.

Anyone else think that Nathan has been in prison .

And now out he sees Eva life is good she's dating a billionaire loved by her family and he just can't stand that her life is good when his isn't disowned by his rich father what does he have but to cause pain to Eva and extort money from her family.

 

Possibly juvenile detention. Your post got me rethinking my supposition that everything was quietly handled in civil court with a confidential agreement that amongst other things had Nathan's father paying $5 million in damages to Eva (well, to Eva's mother on behalf of Eva, who was still a minor.) But an agreement like this wouldn't need Eva's presence in a courtroom: if both parties agreed, a judge would simply sign off. A juvenile criminal case, however, would involve hearings in a closed courtroom. And the entire criminal proceedings would be kept secret. 

 

BUT .... doing a little math, I wonder whether the last time Eva saw Nathan wasn't at his sentencing hearing, but rather, at a hearing on whether he should be continue to be held civilly as mentally ill dangerous once he reached adulthood.

 

The present day Eva is 24 years old. When she first told Gideon about being raped as a child, she said Nathan was two years older than her and she was 10 the first time. That makes Nathan 12, maybe pushing 13 then. The rapes continued until Eva was 14, when she had the miscarriage and an emergency room examination revealed vaginal and anal scarring, trauma signs of ongoing sexual abuse that involved repeated forcible rape. Nathan would have been 16 years old, maybe even recently turned 17 by then, old enough to be prosecuted as an adult in many jurisdictions. But also under age 18, and so possibly being handled in juvenile court instead. Criminal proceedings would fit the bill of "lawfully punished."

 

Nathan was murdered Thursday night and his body was found Friday morning. Friday evening, the police showed up at her apartment, and among the questions they asked her was when was the last time she saw Nathan. "Eight years ago" she told them, and though she didn't tell them where, she said to herself, "In a courtroom"  Subtracting eight years, that makes Eva 16 and Nathan 18 at the time of that courtroom proceeding.

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ShazScott1980 I also thought about the possibility of Nathan having been in prison. But, right before he shows up no one seems to know where he is. Somewhere, Eva says something to the effect of him being out there breathing the same air. And, when Gideon goes to see Stanton to find out what's been done to keep all this under wraps there's no mention of where Nathan is presently. Gideon asks Eva if Nathan's ever shown up and she says no. I got the feeling from this that no one knew where he was and that meant he wasn't in prison.

 

When Eva says she hasn't seen Nathan in eight years "in a courtroom" that doesn't surprise me, the wheels of justice move slow and it sometimes takes several years before the defendant has a court hearing. He was probably in juvey jail then and may have been sentenced to stay there until he turned 18. Which makes me wonder where has he been all this time? No doubt the publicity surrounding Eva & Gideon is what brought him out wherever he was holed up.

 

But, it still doesn't make sense to me why Nathan wouldn't just go after Eva - he's gotta know that she walked away with a big chunk of his father's money. Seems like he would have loved to torture her some more and get what would have been his inheritance if he wasn't such a sicko jerk. Nathan has no way of knowing how deep Gideon's love for Eva is - hello - they've only been together for two weeks and they were seperated for four days during that time. What makes him think Gideon would pay him millions of dollars to protect Eva's secret - afterall it really has nothing to do with him. And if it came out, well he'd just look like a man who dated a rape survivor - what's the problem with that. He says in his own speech everyone is either the victim or knows someone who's been molested or raped.

 

Unless Nathan is really dumb, he had to know going to a short term boyfriend wasn't going to be a successful venture and he got beat up for it. HA.

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I've got a theory about Nathan's attempt at extortion ...

 

Eva became fodder for the tabloids as soon as she started dating Gideon. The existence of sexually explicit photos of her (especially if they were taken in a way that did not clearly show she was underage) would be incredible tabloid fodder, embarrassing Gideon as well as her socialite mother, Monica, and Monica's rich husband, Stanton. Remember, the child rape was all a secret. It would be all too easy to convince the tabloid sleaze that Eva was some sort of .... well I'd use the word that starts with an "s"

 

Nathan, the disinherited former rich kid, went after both of the extremely wealthy men in Eva's life: her billionaire boyfriend and her financier stepfather, figuring both would be willing to (and could afford to) pay him millions in exchange for making sure the photos never saw the light of day.

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