God Bless the Child
Chapter 9
Jim waited until Neil had finished his second plate of pancakes before asking him, “What’s all this about having a friend at the school?” His tone was conversational.
Neil swallowed his last bite before replying. “Uh, Ashton writes me sometimes. He likes it a lot.”
“He’s come a long way,” Jim commented. He looked at him steadily. “Are you part of the gang that Ashton hung out with? Because if you are, I have to tell you right now that there’s no way I can let you see him if that’s the case.” He didn’t think so—Neil hardly looked the type—but he had to be sure. He remembered how Dan’s old gang came back for him when he first came to Sleepyside, and how Dan almost slipped back into that life. Only six months ago, Dan had helped Ashton break away from the gang lifestyle. It was still a careful time for the boy, no matter how well he was doing.
“No! No way,” Neil said, so passionately that everybody believed him. He seemed to sense that more was expected, so he added quickly. “We lived in the same motel and we’d hang out sometimes. When he wasn’t hanging out with…them,” he finished weakly. He hated the gang Ashton hung out with—they were ruthless and unpredictable, often striking out for no apparent reason, just like—“He didn’t belong with them,” he said, unexpectedly.
“What makes you say that?” Trixie asked, curious.
Neil flushed, even the little girl was waiting for his reply. He wasn’t used to people hanging onto his words, or even giving him credit for having an opinion. “He…he’s not…mean,” he finished lamely. He was suddenly flooded with memories he felt completely incapable of expressing.
“Eric’s mean. He kicked me in the leg last week,” Katy said. She filled her mouth with pancake.
“What? Why did he do that? Did you tell Miss Lozano?” Jim exclaimed. Miss Lozano was Katy’s preschool teacher.
Katy remembered to swallow first. “Uh uh.”
Jim had forgotten the essential rule of talking to toddlers. If you ask a series of questions, they will only answer the last one. “Why did Eric kick you?” he asked patiently.
“Cuz I made him give the truck back to Kenny. It was his and he was crying.”
Trixie smothered a grin, thinking that the next step would be to buy Katy a red cape. She just couldn’t stand it when other people were unhappy. “How did you make him give it back?” she asked her small daughter.
“I said ‘give it back!’ And he did, then he kicked me.” She smiled at her father. “It’s okay. I kicked him back. But he’s still mean.” Katy shrugged in a world-weary way, reaching for another sausage.
Neil couldn’t help it—he let out a bark of laughter. He clapped a hand over his mouth, but relaxed when he realized that everybody else was laughing too.
“It’s not okay—next time that happens go tell Miss Lozano, all right?” Jim managed to sputter. Sometimes it was impossible not to laugh at some of the remarks that came out of Katy’s mouth.
Neil excused himself, heading for the bathroom he was directed to. As soon as he was out of earshot, Trixie and Honey told Jim what little they knew about the boy, describing how they found him.
“If we grill him with a lot of questions, he may just take off. I’ll take him to school with me and have him take a few placement tests for now,” Jim decided.
“You should talk to Ashton too,” Trixie put in, getting up and helping herself to more coffee.
“I will, but not right away. He has to know he can trust us first.”
“But don’t wait too long. There may be people who are worried about him, going crazy because they don’t know where his is, or if he’s okay.” Trixie’s voice was so solemn that Jim gave her a quick look.
“I won’t,” he finally said, standing up as Neil re-entered the room. He gave her a quick hug, saying to Neil, “Come to the school with me—we’ll work everything out. He lifted Katy as she ran at him, cuddling her into his chest. “And no more kicking people, tiger.” He kissed her and amended, “Well, unless they kick your first!”
***
In spite of herself, Joeanne Darnell was nervous. It’s not really a date—I’m just going to be part of a group that’s going to a concert, she kept reminding herself as the day wore on. Still, every time she remembered Dan telling her that she was in luck, that they had an extra ticket, she felt her face grow a little warm.
She leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes for a moment. She was horribly lonely, and like most people who find themselves in that state, she couldn’t forgive herself for it. She admonished herself for being ‘weak’, she reminded herself that she had family who loved her dearly, friends who missed her, old friends who were helping her out—she paused in her lecture, smiling at the thought of Trixie, Honey and Dan. Dan. Dan, whose eyes were as dark as her own, who had a kick-ass jaw and a lean, yet muscular body…it’s not really a date, she reminded herself again. She took an enormous swig of coke, wincing as she got the classic cold headache behind her right eyebrow. The phone rang and she welcomed the distraction until she recognized the voice on the other end.
“Hello Joeanne. How’ve you been?” The clipped tones of her ex law professor made her heart fall into her stomach. “Are you there?” the voice continued when she didn’t reply.
Joeanne dug the first two nails of her right hand into the palm of her left hand, pressing until her heart crept back up where it belonged. “What do you care,” she said through clenched teeth.
Silence. She would have thought he hung up except she could hear the faint sound of breathing. She was about to hang up herself when he spoke again. “I don’t want to be your enemy, Joeanne.”
She closed her eyes. “You should have thought of that before,” she said flatly. She was amazed at how much she still hated him. She thought about the obvious caring that existed between Dan, Trixie and Honey, knowing instinctively that Dan would lay down his life for his two friends without hesitation, and felt even worse, wondering why she ever hooked up with this pathetic excuse for a man.
“I didn’t call to argue with you, Joeanne. I only wanted to…” Joeanne cut off his patronizing tones, feeling as if she would scream.
“I’m not one of your little students anymore, Richard. What you did was so beyond wrong it sickens me to even hear your voice.” Her words were clipped and steely. “Don't ever call me again,” she hissed, hanging up the phone. It rang again almost immediately and she jerked it to her mouth. “Didn’t I make myself clear?” she snarled.
“Uh, Joeanne? It’s Dan.” Joeanne winced at the cautious sound of his voice, feeling like a first class jerk.
“I’m so sorry, Dan. I just got off the phone with my…with somebody I’d just rather not talk to.” Her body warmed when she heard his easy reply.
“Don’t worry about it.” There was a pause, then—“I guess asking how you are is a dumb question?”
Joeanne laughed. “I’m all right now. How are you?” Fine! she thought, then blushed at the teenybopper word.
“Well, I’ve got some bad news…”
Joeanne tensed. “About Sammy?” she asked, her voice tight.
Dan’s voice was quick and reassuring. “No. No, no—it’s about the concert tonight. It’s been cancelled due to illness.”
“Oh!” Her voice was so relieved she felt silly. “I mean, that’s too bad.” She heard laughing and started laughing herself. “No really. I was looking forward to it.” I was looking forward to seeing you! “Does Trixie know?”
“Yeah, I just got off the phone with her. But hey, she wants us both to come over for dinner at her house instead. We’ll drive Jim crazy playing jazz on the stereo and eat lasagna. How does that sound?”
It sounded so good that Joeanne was embarrassed at how gladdened she felt. “Sounds good,” she managed, clearing her throat. His voice was doing funny things to her, making her forget her vow not to ever get herself tied up into knots over a man ever again. Rationally, she knew that Dan was nothing like Richard, and most likely would not have done what he did. But her heart was afraid to let go, not letting her forget what happened to her the last time she gave herself to another person. She shook her head a little at her own foolishness. What are you so worried about anyway? There’s no way somebody that looks like that is going to be interested in somebody like me! She was too tall, she was quiet around people she didn’t know and, worst of all, she was a brainiac. Richard was always telling her she needed to lighten up, not offer her opinion so much, make more light-hearted conversation. More small talk. Joeanne sighed heavily. She loathed small talk.
“Is something wrong?”
Joeanne let out a little laugh. “No. Sorry—something just popped into my head completely unrelated.”
“Glad I’m not the only one who answers a question that hasn’t really been asked by the person I’m talking to.” Dan chuckled. “Know what I mean?”
She knew exactly what he meant and started grinning. “Or here’s one—have you ever remembered something really funny you heard earlier and started laughing for no apparent reason?” She chortled at his reply and they went back and forth for awhile, until Joeanne realized with a start how much time had gone by. “God Dan, I really need to get back to work if I’m going to be able to make it to Trixie’s,” she said regretfully. She hadn’t talked so much in a long time. She was able to convince him that she could drive herself, that she knew the way, and hung up.
It’s not a date, it’s just a group of friends having dinner together…She flipped open her notebook with a loud sigh, forcing her mind back onto the disturbing business of proving that a baby didn’t belong with his own mother for his own protection.
***
Dan stood in the shower for a long time, letting the hot water lull him into a state of complete relaxation. The phone conversation he’d had earlier with Joeanne Darnell was nothing short of amazing—in the past, he’d only felt that free with one other female, and that particular person was taken. So taken that he rarely allowed himself to even remember that she also happened to be beautiful. Ninety-five percent of the time he was successful, and as for the remaining five percent, usually reminding himself that Jim would remove his heart with a spoon if he ever tried anything worked.
He stepped out of the shower and started drying himself briskly. Trixie was one of the best friends he’d ever had—he would never risk harming that relationship anyway. He let his mind drift back to Joeanne. She was so damn intelligent, and all wrapped up in an unbelievably attractive package. Like Trixie, she didn’t seem to notice it, which made her even more irresistible.
Take it easy, man. Why are you thinking about this woman so much? She’s nice, she’s smart, she’s pretty—fine. Take her out a few times, have some fun, what’s the big deal? Dan slowly got dressed, perplexed at the way his heart seemed to be beating faster than usual, at the nervous way his fingers fumbled the buttons of his black dress shirt, wondering why a simple dinner seemed to mean so much.
***
Trixie was just closing the oven when the door leading into the kitchen opened. “Hey, the conquering hero returns!” she said, setting the timer for an hour. “Lasagna!” she said merrily, deciding that an evening free of worrying about her new case and her brother’s marriage was in order.
“Milk!” Jim rejoined in the same jaunty tone, hoisting up the gallon jug he’d snagged from the school cafeteria. He set it on the counter and pulled her to him, kissing her firmly. “It does a body good,” he joked, before lowering his mouth again.
“Boy, doesn’t take much to get you excited, does it?” Trixie gasped when she was finally able to come up for air. Before he could answer she drew his face down onto hers again, kissing him so deeply her knees went. “Now that does a body good,” she purred.
“Must you guys act like newlyweds in front of me?” Honey stood there, completely unnoticed, holding Katy’s hand. They had just returned from a walk in the woods.
“They always do that,” Katy said, her voice so matter-of-fact that the three adults laughed.
“Is that so?” Honey asked, ruffling her niece’s hair. Her tone was light, but her eyes were sad. Brian had called her cellphone several times that day, but she didn’t call him back. What for, so they could talk about how he thought she’d make a terrible mother? She suspected she wasn’t being entirely fair, but was too disconsolate to care. “What’s cooking?” she said, taking a deep breath.
“Lasagna,” Trixie replied, looking at her sharply. “The concert was cancelled, so Dan and Joeanne are coming over for dinner.” She grinned, adding, “I’d invite Mart, but he’s just so busy tonight!”
Jim laughed—he’d heard the whole story. “You know, I’d love it if those two got together. It would be interesting to see Dan finally lose his cool over a woman.” He remembered what a hard time Dan gave him when he first fell hard for Trixie, mostly because I was being such a complete and utter fool, and almost let her go, he thought ruefully. But still, revenge would be sweet. Saccharine sweet!
“It would,” Honey agreed as she unzipped Katy out of her jacket. “I have to admit it would.”
Jim and Trixie looked at her—her manner didn’t quite match her words. “Is there anything you’d like to tell us?” Jim asked.
Honey sighed. “Not really.” When they didn’t look away, she added, “I just need a little time out, okay?”
“Did you do something bad?” Katy inquired, her green eyes wide. In her experience, it was never the grownups who were sent to their room.
Honey laughed and picked her up, holding her close. “Yeah—I waited too long to visit my favorite niece!” she said, giving her an Eskimo kiss. She breathed in the comforting smell of little kid hair, truly understanding what the term ‘maternal longing’ really meant.
“As the Go-Go’s once said, ‘our lips are sealed’”, Trixie promised, giving Jim a look.
“Speak for yourself,” he muttered, then sighed when Honey turned beseeching hazel eyes on him. “I just want to help,” he said, Honey’s situation unbearable to him.
“Well, you can’t,” Honey replied, not unkindly. “Some things just can’t be fixed.” She set Katy down and slowly walked out of the room.
“This really sucks,” Trixie said simply. She got a head of lettuce out of the refrigerator and started tearing it apart, attacking the leaves with gusto.
“I have half a mind to give Brian a little visit,” Jim said grimly. Brian was his best friend, but if he hurt his sister he was going to have a hard time remembering that.
“Calm down, Underdog. Honey isn’t Sweet Polly Purebread, and Brian isn’t Simon Barsinister!” Trixie exclaimed, as she started chopping up radishes and cucumbers. “Besides, Brian’s coming to the school for the annual check up at the end of the week, which is a prime opportunity for some big time digging. By me—I don’t trust you not to lose your temper,” she finished firmly.
Jim was about to make a retort about her infamous temper, when he realized that she was probably right. “Maybe it won’t even be necessary,” he said hopefully, helping himself to a radish.
“I hope not.” Trixie said, scraping all her salad ingredients into a large bowl. Her voice was hopeful, but her blue eyes were troubled. “I really hope not.”
Chapter 10
Considering how the evening ended, Trixie was beyond glad that they all enjoyed the before so much.
Dan showed up in his usual black, prompting the eternal question, “Don’t you have any other colors in your wardrobe?” to which he replied, “Sure…denim!” He nodded in appreciation at the dreamy guitar sounds emanating from the stereo—music from his private collection that he had taped for Trixie some time ago. After a drunk driver killed his father one night while returning home from one of his studio sessions, Dan’s mother had been too grief stricken to ever listen to the music her husband had been recording in his free time ever again. Dan found the set of tapes among his mom’s belongings after she passed away, and considered them to be among his prize possessions.
Joeanne showed up right after, everybody amused that she too was dressed almost entirely in black.
“Don’t tell me it’s your signature color too,” Jim said, still privately reeling from how grown up Joeanne had become. She was a million miles away from the wiry little girl whose pigtails he once chopped off.
“Not really. This is just one of my ‘look at how grown up I am, you can trust me’ outfits I wear to work. I lost track of the time and didn’t have time to change,” she replied ruefully. She wondered how long it was going to take for everybody to stop treating her like a female Dougie Howser.
“Does it work?” Dan asked, secretly thinking how much the short skirt was working for him.
“Ve shall zee,” she replied, accepting the glass of wine that Trixie handed her. She looked down at the little girl who was studying her. “And this can only be one person!” She smiled with pleasure at the picture of health Katy made. After seeing Sammy fight for his life, it was like wrapping up in the world’s softest blanket to look at her. “She’s so beautiful,” she said, with the merest hint of longing.
Katy lifted her arms and Joeanne handed her glass to Dan, promptly picking her up. “You know, that’s what I love about little kids—they don’t spend a lot of time worrying about rejection. Remember how Sally was?” she asked Trixie, referring to her little sister who, at age 17, wasn’t really so little anymore. She settled Katy on her hip as she leaned her head contentedly on her shoulder.
Trixie smiled secretly as she recalled Dan making an almost identical comment. “I sure do,” she replied with a laugh, remembering the bold little girl who had befriended herself and Honey.
Honey laughed. “That was one cute little girl. Does she still have Bud?” Sally was so taken with Honey’s little black puppy back then, Honey ended up giving her the dog before they returned home.
“Believe it or not, yes. Bud’s 13 years old and still going,” Joeanne replied.
“Sure wish I could say the same about Patch,” Jim replied, referring to his beloved Springer Spaniel who’d died just last year. It was still hard for him to talk about, and he hadn’t yet been able to bring himself to get another dog.
“Yeah…I really miss that dog,” Trixie put in, hugging him. She would never forget the look on Jim’s face when they found him, not if she lived for a hundred more years.
Over dinner, Joeanne talked about her life on the Smith farm, speaking of Mary and Nat Smith with fondness. “It was wonderful living with them. I don’t think two kinder people have ever lived. Even after Dad got his own place, we always seemed to end up there for Sunday dinner.” She smiled at Jim and Trixie. “She’d be real excited to know I was having dinner with you.”
“We haven’t gone to visit them in so long. And we should—what a cook!” Jim reminisced, remembering the enormous dinners made only from food grown and raised on the farm. “Not that your cooking is bad,” he added hastily to Trixie. As if trying to prove his sincerity, he took an enormous bite of his lasagna and almost choked.
“Ha! Good thing you threw that in,” Trixie said mildly after ascertaining that the Heimlich maneuver wasn’t needed.
Joeanne grinned at the exchange. “That Mary is one smart cookie. Did you know she always knew the two of you were going to end up together?” Her eyes grew soft as she recalled the woman she had never successfully kept anything from for long.
“Really? That’s so cool—most of what I know about that time is from Mart’s book,” Dan said, interested. Ever since Katy was born, Mart had been writing stories for her about the adventures his sister got them all into when they were growing up. His first book told about Trixie and Honey finding Jim in his great uncle’s mansion, and the “series” went on from there. Dan was amused that he hadn’t even been introduced yet as a “character”, and Mart had already completed four books!
“Ah yes, the book. Mart and I talked on the phone for over three hours one night while he grilled me for information,” Joeanne recalled. The smile on her face when she looked at him made Dan feel like his lungs weren’t functioning properly. “Mary always says she’ll never forget the look on Trixie’s face when Jim came walking up the path,” Joeanne finished, causing a blush to creep over Trixie’s face. “I didn’t tell Mart that part,” she added unnecessarily.
“Isn’t that sweeeeeet?” Dan crooned, causing Trixie to kick him under the table.
“Do you still keep in touch with them?” Jim asked, giving Dan a ‘you should talk’ look.
“Oh yes. They’re like grandparents to me. Especially Mary—I always felt like I could tell her anything. She was a rock during my ‘Junior High Horrors’, I’ll tell you!” Joeanne made it sound like a Creature Feature.
“Junior High horrors?” Honey asked. Life had been good at Sleepyside Junior-Senior High for her. In fact, it was the first time in her academic life she ever felt at home anywhere.
Joeanne was surprised at the tightening sensation in her gut—she thought she had left those days far behind her. Days of being two years younger than everybody else, spending lunchtime in the library wishing she had a group to eat with… “Try being eleven in the eighth grade!” she said wryly, leaving it at that.
“Hello!” Jim said, raising his hand and giving it an ironic wave. “Been there!”
“What happened, did you get pushed into lockers or something?” Dan asked, interested. Jim never talked much about his past either. It sometimes seemed like he didn’t even exist before he came to Sleepyside.
“No, nothing like that. It’s just that most of the guys in my classes were interested in certain things, and I wasn’t. I mean I was interested, but not in the same way they were,” Jim replied, a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. “Let’s just say it was an awkward time and leave it at that!”
“Ohhhhhh,” Dan said, his eyebrows lifting in understanding.
The three women left Jim and Dan to load the dishwasher while they relaxed in the living room, quickly filling Joeanne in on what little they had turned up so far. “I’m sorry Jo—I’m mostly getting a lot of “how dare you’s” with a few “Deb deserves the mother of the year award’s” thrown in,” Trixie said, Honey nodding her head in agreement. Deborah Lewis’s brave-yet-strong act would never fool either one of them again, not after Trixie’s talk with the level headed nurse.
“If we could only get some physical evidence, I think the nurse’s testimony would be enough,” Joeanne said wistfully. “But so far, the doctor is baffled.”
“I know,” Trixie replied. “My ex college roommate works for the DA’s office in San Francisco—I emailed her for advice and she said the same thing about the evidence.” She smiled at the thought of Kerry, who had fulfilled her dream of becoming a district attorney. She wished she hadn’t moved so far away. “But she did suggest a concealed camera. Ceiling cameras can record a wide range of movement, and they can be easily hidden in hospital rooms.”
Joeanne nodded. “My Supervisor suggested the same thing and we were able to get a court order yesterday afternoon. It was installed early this morning.” She looked grim. “If, God forbid, Mrs. Lewis tries anything and we catch it on camera…” she didn’t need to finish the sentence.
“It sounds illegal,” Honey mused, stroking Katy’s curls as she climbed into her lap.
“Well, getting a court order for videotaping is a lot less complicated when the request omits sound. Judges don’t have to consider wire tap laws,” Joeanne explained.
Jim and Dan joined them and they dropped all talk about the case—by silent agreement all needing an evening free of unpleasantness. Honey leaned back in her chair, letting the conversation swirl around her, adding the occasional comment. She wondered if Brian missed her and if he was sorry for what he said. She couldn’t believe it had only been 24 hours since she left—her entire body ached with loneliness and the thought of another night without him was daunting. God get a hold of yourself—you slept alone for years, after all! Honey thought, feeling slightly ridiculous. She had never realized how accustomed she’d become to the physical aspects of sharing sleep with another person—and how empty it feels when it’s gone. She welcomed Katy’s warm weight, cuddling her niece closer.
“This music is so wonderful,” Joeanne sighed. She stretched luxuriously, clearly relaxed and even happy. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think it was Tim Mangan.” She grinned at Dan who was stretched out flat on the floor in front of the fire. “I meant to tell you the other day, you have the same last name as my favorite jazz guitarist.”
Dan sat up, a slow smile spreading across his face. “It is Tim Mangan,” he said, referring to the music.
Joeanne frowned. “How can that be? I thought I owned everything he ever did.” She shook her head. “Damn! Am I going to have to hit Ebay again?”
“You own everything he did?” Dan asked. He couldn’t understand how that could be—his father had never recorded under his own name, although it had been his dream. He was a well-respected studio musician who was paid for his sessions, but given no royalties. Before Dan was born, he’d even traveled with some of the bands when they performed on the road, but surely he wasn’t well known…
“Well, I mean I know what albums he played on and I have them all. Or so I thought,” she added ruefully. She lifted her hands and let them drop. “Hey, everybody needs a hobby!”
Trixie, Honey and Jim exchanged incredulous glances. Not only was this an unbelievable coincidence, it was revealing a part of Dan’s past that even Dan himself was unaware of. He was only eight years old when his father died, and his mother never talked much about her husband’s life in music. Dan knew that she blamed the lifestyle for his death—if he hadn’t have gone to a late night recording session, he wouldn’t have been killed. He had never pushed her, and after she died when he was 13, he made the decision to leave the past in the past.
“Is something wrong?” Joeanne asked when the room filled with silence. She searched her mind for anything offensive she might have said and came up blank.
“No, it’s just, well, you surprised me. You see, Tim Mangan is, was, my father.” Dan’s voice seemed loud in the stillness.
Joeanne’s jaw dropped. “He is? Really? I don’t believe it!”
Dan recovered his poise. “Think I’m making it up?” he joked, even though he was still incredulous at the idea of somebody actually being a fan of his father’s work.
“Well, no, but supposedly you died in that, um, accident too.” When everybody stared at her, she added, “It’s part of the official autobiography.”
“There’s an official autobiography?” Trixie asked. She glanced at Dan who gave a ‘never heard of it’ shrug.
“Oh yeah! And obviously, it’s wrong. Dan, I’m getting the distinct feeling that this is going to shock the c…” she thought of Katy and amended, “heck out of you, but there’s an official Tim Mangan website too. I go on it all the time—it’s for other diehards like me. That’s where I read about, well, what I said before.”
Dan jumped up. “This I have got to see. Will you show me?”
His face was so lit up with eagerness that it almost hurt her to look at him. She fought the urge to throw her arms around him, instead saying, “Sure. Of course; I’ll show you right now.”
“I’ll get my laptop!” Trixie cried and dashed from the room, returning only moments later out of breath with excitement. She had always thought it was a mistake for Dan not to find out more about his dad—she was gladder than ever that she had decided to throw the impromptu party.
They all gathered around Joeanne as Trixie placed the computer in her lap, watching as she typed in ‘http://barbln.cygnus.org/timmangan.htm’ “Look at that!” Dan said in amazement as a picture of his father phased into view with a menu list of options. “I can’t believe there are actually people who are interested in this.”
“Believe it, Dan. There’s even a few people from Australia who come here. We leave inspirational messages for each other, exchange recordings and even…” she broke off, suddenly embarrassed.
“What?” Dan asked. He studied her blushing cheeks, drinking in the scent of violets that clung to her slender body, and suddenly he didn’t care that he usually didn’t get serious over women. He didn’t care about anything except seeing her again.
Her heart slammed wildly at her rib cage, the expression on his face making her forget that she wasn’t going to get involved with anybody for a long time, maybe never. She finally remembered that he asked her a question. “I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but we debate about the music a lot, you know, which work we like best and why, and stuff like that.” She let a smile widen on her face. “In a way, we even debate about you,” she said with a mischievous look at Dan.
“Me? What do you mean?”
“Oh, every few months or so the question gets raised again: is his music better after he had a family, or was it better before?”
Jim laughed. “Are you serious?”
Joeanne blushed again. “You all probably think we’re crazy, don’t you?”
“Not me. I found a Lucy Radcliffe fan site a few years ago and I go there all the time,” Trixie confessed.
Dan wasn’t listening—he was too busy clicking on the different options. He clicked on the list of titles and was stunned as the song and album titles seemed to go on and on. “Wow, look at all of this!” His voice was proud as he noticed all the well know groups his Dad had played with. “And you have every one of these?” he asked Joeanne.
“Yep. Some I bought, some I traded and some I recorded off of jazz stations. My college radio station got so tired of me calling in requests they threatened to send me a bill,” she said cheerfully. She cleared her throat, adding casually, “I’ll have to play some for you, sometime.” It won’t really be a date, I’m just being nice. Oh who are you trying to kid! Joeanne gazed at Dan for a moment, wanting with every cell in her body to lean over, put her hands on his face and kiss his mouth. She saw in the sudden darkening of his eyes that he would like that, too.
And both of them, at the same time, turned away.
Trixie noticed the silent exchange, and it took every ounce of willpower she possessed not to make a teasing remark. She wondered why Dan and Joeanne were expending such large amounts of energy fighting their obvious attraction and was thankful yet again that she was married and didn’t have to play those kinds of games.
Then she frowned; she had a good idea why Dan was fighting it. She understood too well how the death of Dan’s parents had influenced him, how deeply rooted Dan’s fear of loss was. It’s interesting how two people can go through the same kind of trauma and be affected so differently, she mused. For Jim, the loss of his parents was manifested in the form of over-protective worry, what Trixie privately thought of as ‘mother bearcubitis’. Before she fully understood this, it used to drive her absolutely insane when he would beg her to be careful.
“Where did this come from?” Joeanne asked, indicating the music playing with a tilt of her dark head.
“Apparently, my dad recorded it in the months before he died. He wanted to be a solo artist, and I think he could have been if…” Dan broke off, his mouth tightening as he thought about the careless individual who, with one wanton act, destroyed an entire family. “If he hadn’t have died.”
“God, the people on the board would have an attack if they heard this. It’s so good, Dan.”
“I’ll make a copy for you if you like.”
“Would you?” Joeanne breathed, starry eyed. Dan wondered if there was anything he could ever refuse this woman and doubted it.
“Sure,” he managed. He felt Honey eyeing him and was thankful that unlike Trixie, he wasn’t prone to blushing.
“Sure,” Jim whispered to Trixie, making her smile. She leaned into him and whispered back, “I wouldn’t make too much fun if I was you, Big Daddy Jim!” She wasn’t the only Bob White who was amused at the way a certain little girl had her father completely wrapped around her finger. It was probably just as well that she didn’t realize that everybody was also enjoying the sweet and soft side of her own personality that had emerged since Katy was born.
She was spared Jim’s reply by the faint ringing of her cellphone coming from her purse. She rose from the sofa, leaving Dan and Joeanne glued to the computer as she walked over to the table by the door, quickly answering it.
“Trixie? It’s Meggie.” The young woman’s voice was anxious and Trixie could hear the sounds of hospital pages in the background.
“Oh my God, what is it?” she gasped, causing everybody to look at her with concern. She closed her eyes at the reply.
“I’m not sure. Something’s wrong with Sammy.”
Chapter 11
They all wanted to go, but somebody had to stay behind. Katy decided it in the end when she threw her arms around Honey’s legs, tearfully begging her “not to go yet, Auntie!” It was easy to see that although she didn’t understand what was happening, she was frightened of the change in mood.
Promising to call Honey as soon as they knew what was going on, they all gave the little girl reassuring hugs before piling into Jim’s Tahoe, making it to the White Plains hospital in record time. Joeanne spoke to the attending on duty and was able to find out that Sammy had what appeared to be a seizure, but was now holding his own.
“This is your fault!” Deborah Lewis screamed as soon as she saw Joeanne getting off of the elevator. She rose from her chair in the waiting room, standing in front of them. “If my son was at home, if he wasn’t being kept from me…” She noticed the doctor entering the room and walked away, practically throwing herself at him. “What’s happening? What’s wrong with my child?”
Joeanne felt an icy sensation low in her stomach. Could there possibly be any truth to the woman’s statements? Was she, Joeanne, the cause of Sammy’s current condition? What if she was wrong? She went very still, unconsciously letting out a little moan. Strong fingers twined through hers and she gripped Dan’s hand tightly, unable to deny how right the feeling was even through her misery.
“She’s full of crap,” Dan whispered, easily reading her expression.
“Dan’s right,” Trixie hissed. “It’s part of her act.” Jim looked slightly sick at the thought of it all just being a performance.
The simple statements were enough to bring her back to herself. “Thank you,” she whispered. She reluctantly released Dan’s hand, walking over to where the doctor and Mrs. Lewis stood. “How is Sammy?” she asked, her dark eyes serious.
The doctor looked at her with thinly veiled contempt. “He’s going to be fine. When the nurse responded to the call button, he was shaking uncontrollably. We were able to stabilize his condition and now he’s resting comfortably.” As Joeanne sighed with relief, he turned to the distraught mother. “You need to get some rest, Debbie. I know you don’t like to hear it, but you really need to go home.”
Mrs. Lewis smiled bravely. “You know I can’t bear to leave him. Can’t I just catnap in the waiting room until he wakes up?”
The doctor laid a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry this is happening. I’ll do everything I can for your little boy.” Unlike you his expression seemed to say as his gaze raked Joeanne. With his dark hair shot through with silver and gray eyes, he looked like the ultimate authority figure. Joeanne almost felt like a naughty child, and swiftly reminded herself again that she had a professional right to be here.
He waited until Mrs. Lewis had walked to a nearby chair before speaking. “Anything else?” he asked coldly.
Joeanne straightened. “There damn well is. I’ll need a full report on what happened this evening, and you know it. May I remind you, doctor, that you are under court order to cooperate with the Attorney General’s Office?” She kept her tone icily professional.
“Fine,” was all he said. He started to walk away when Joeanne stopped him. “Doctor Uniat, I only want what’s best for Sammy. I know you don’t believe that, but it’s true.” There was something in her voice that got through to him and he softened slightly.
“I know you believe that. I want it too, but I have to wonder if keeping a mother and son apart is the answer,” he responded. “Especially after what she’s been through.”
Joeanne knew that attacking Mrs. Lewis would get her nowhere with this man. “What do you think is wrong, doc?”
Doctor Uniat sighed. He wasn’t a bad person, only an old fashioned one. Like many older doctors, he found the whole concept of Munchausen by Proxy too fantastic to be real. “He has all the symptoms of having a seizure, but none of the usual causes. We’re running more tests and monitoring him regularly.” He shook his head, clearly frustrated. “This has been the damndest case I’ve ever worked on—there’s effect, but no cause.”
Oh there’s cause all right, and her name is Deborah Lewis! Joeanne thought, but said nothing. She wasn’t about to have that unsuccessful conversation again. “Can I see him?”
“Not tonight,” he said, his manner not unkind. “He’s resting, and the nurses are keeping close watch on his vitals.”
“Please keep me informed,” she said, gratified when he nodded, shaking hands with her before walking away. She rejoined Dan, Trixie and Jim, who were standing as far from Mrs. Lewis as they could get without actually leaving the room.
“We heard,” Trixie said before she could say anything. “At least he’s okay.”
“For now,” Joeanne said blackly. She felt the beginning of tears and ruthlessly pushed them back.
“I wish there was something I could do,” Jim said, recognizing all too well the suppression of emotion playing itself out in Joeanne’s face. He’d seen Trixie do that many times over the years, and it never failed to rile his protective instincts.
“Me too,” she replied shakily. “But thanks just the same.” He’s still the guy who wouldn’t let me be alone in the woods, she thought, feeling a slight warmth break up the ice that had formed over her heart ever since Trixie took the call.
“Whew, now that it’s all over, I feel like I could just collapse,” Dan said, watching enviously as Jim put his arm around Trixie, pulling her into him, wishing he could do the same with Joeanne. He no longer thought he could just ‘take her out a few times and have some fun’. He was through kidding himself about that. What he wasn’t sure of was what he intended to do about it. It was obvious from their phone conversation that she was just out of a bad relationship, and that would no doubt complicate the matter.
“It’s not over,” Joeanne said softly, pushing the button for the elevator. A single tear escaped and she swiped at it impatiently.
“I need to find Meggie and let her know what’s going on,” Trixie said as they entered the elevator. “Plus, she said she had something important to tell me.”
“Did she see anything?” Joeanne said, her voice rising with excitement. Her mind was already leaping ahead with the possibilities. The elevator stopped in the emergency lobby and they got out.
“I don’t know, she didn’t…” she spotted Meggie’s boyfriend talking to the nurse behind the counter and walked over to him. “Andy—where’s Meggie?” She could tell by the tense expression filling his normally affable face that something was wrong.
“Meggie’s just got a few bumps and bruises,” the nurse behind the counter said soothingly. “She’ll be with you in a sec.”
“Oh no! What happened?” Trixie cried. Before the nurse could reply, Meggie appeared, walking out of one of the exam rooms. She held an icepack to her swollen jaw, her long brown hair spilling over her shoulders. “Hey,” she said, lifting the icepack and giving a tired shrug. “Ellen says I’m fine,” she said to Andy as he reached her side. He took her free hand and said nothing, his face registering his unwillingness to continue the argument in front of a roomful of people.
“What happened?” Trixie asked the young girl, giving her shoulder a squeeze.
Meggie looked around nervously for a moment. “Is there somewhere we can go?” she said urgently to the nurse.
“I’ll keep everybody out of Exam 2 for as long as I can, honey,” the attending nurse said sympathetically. She had the wildest hair Trixie had ever seen, it made her own curls seem sleek by comparison.
Trixie sighed as they all trooped into the little room. Yeah, this is real inconspicuous! She thought miserably, but she simply didn’t have the energy to make an issue out of it. It was probably too late anyway.
Meggie shut the door and faced the group. “I didn’t see Mrs. Lewis do anything to Sammy,” she began, knowing that this was what was uppermost on everyone’s mind. “I finished my rounds and thought I’d check on him. I saw Mrs. Lewis at the end of the hall, talking to some man.”
“With dark hair?” Trixie asked on a hunch, remembering the head that had poked into the room the first time she visited.
“Yes!” Meggie exclaimed. Five pairs of eyes looked at Trixie in surprise, five mouths opening at once and bombarding her with questions. The din was incredible.
Trixie held up her hands. “Guys! I saw the back of a head for one second!” She quickly explained what happened.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Dan muttered.
“Go on, Meggie,” Trixie urged. “Then what?”
Meggie touched her sore jaw. “I went into Sammy’s room. I figured if one of them came in, I could just say I was a volunteer.” She broke off, glancing down at her uniform. “After all, it’s not a lie. I am a volunteer. I peeked into his crib and he was making these sounds. These awful sounds,” she repeated, her voice rising. “I could tell he was having trouble breathing. He was trembling all over too. I was so scared! I hit the call button and then all of the sudden somebody grabbed me from behind.”
Trixie noticed the growing expression on Andy’s face and felt sorry for him, wondering if there would ever come a day when she didn’t carry residual guilt from some of her own adventures. “Somebody?” she asked, ignoring the brief flash of pain from her quick trip down Bad Judgement Lane.
“A man’s voice said something like ‘can’t you all just leave her alone?’ and then he slammed my face down on the crib. I must have blacked out for just a second because next thing I knew, I was lying on the floor.” She looked at her boyfriend for a moment, clearly wishing that he didn’t have to hear this for the second time. He looked stonily back at her and she sighed before continuing. “I tried to see who it was, but all I saw was the back of a head leaving the room.” She looked significantly at Trixie. “A dark head.”
“I don’t like this at all. This man is involved somehow, and everybody concerned with this case needs to watch her back.” Dan began to pace in the small room, almost tripping over a small metal stool in his path.
“His back too,” Joeanne put in, with a glance at Dan.
Dan shook his head. “I didn’t come to the hospital that day. There’s no way Mister Dark Hair can know I’m involved.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that. We’re sticking out like a sore thumb all grouped together like this,” Trixie contradicted. She took Jim’s hand before continuing. “Everybody in this room needs to be careful until we find out who this guy is.” She made sure her voice had a lecture-free tone. “Meggie, I appreciate what you did. You probably saved Sammy’s life. But don’t do anything by yourself anymore, okay? You should have asked one of the nurses to go in with you.”
“You shouldn’t have gone to that floor by yourself in the first place!” Andy threw in. Meggie’s sense of adventure was one of the things he liked best about her, but he was starting to see the dark side of it.
“Andy, not again!” Meggie begged, frustrated. She looked at Joeanne, a gleeful look flitting over her face. “And anyway, I’m not sorry because,” she reached into her pocket and carefully pulled out a handkerchief wrapped bundle, “I found this on the floor, underneath the crib. I made sure not to touch it with my hands.”
Joeanne carefully unwrapped it, gasping at what she saw.
“Oh my God, Meggie! This might be it.
This might be the piece of physical evidence we need!”
She carefully laid the object down and impulsively hugged the young girl.
Tomorrow I’ll be able to get a
hold of the video tape and we’ll just see about Mrs. Lewis!
“See! Aren’t you all glad I went in there now?” she asked unwisely.
“You were lucky this time, but what if he did more? What if he had a knife or something?” Andy’s voice was rising as it became clear to him that she wasn’t taking what happened seriously. At least, not as seriously as he was. She stood there looking at him, and she looked so beautiful he couldn’t stand it. “If you think I’m going to hang around and wait for you to be killed, you’ve got another thing coming!” he burst out, lunging for the door.
“Arrrrrrrrrrrgh,” Meggie moaned as the door closed behind him. “I’m sorry,” she apologized to the room in general. “He’s just a little upset. He came down here to pick me up and, well, I guess it is a little upsetting to find your girlfriend looking like she just went a few rounds. But man, it’s not like I plan on these things happening! I was on that floor because my supervisor actually asked me to take something to the head nurse up there. And when I saw them by his room, I had a bad feeling about it. But it was the right feeling!” She ran out of breath, clearly frustrated.
“It sure was,” Joeanne said. “But Andy’s right about one thing—it could have been worse. I’m so thankful it wasn’t.” Meggie was the same age as her sister; she felt her heart constrict at the thought of Sally attacked by some strange man. One Darnell is enough, she thought, her jaw clenching. She forced herself to relax, knowing she couldn’t afford to fall apart. Not now. Not ever.
“Amen to that,” Jim added. He gave Trixie’s hand a squeeze. “I’m speaking from experience when I tell you that he’s just worried about you, that’s all.”
“I know,” Meggie said, her face unhappy.
Trixie could feel Bad Judgement Lane calling to her again and ignored it. It’s a waste of time to beat yourself up over the past. What was, was. “Just learn from the experience and move on, Meggie.” At the girl’s nod, she continued lightly, “And I don’t know if this will make you feel any better, but I know just how you feel. I used to have a boyfriend just like that!”
“Really?” Meggie asked. “Oh boy. What did you do?” She smiled back at the older woman, glad that she wasn’t angry with her too.
Trixie let her smile turn into a grin. “I married him!”
Everybody laughed merrily as Meggie looked by turns horrified, guilty then resigned.
“Oh, I needed that!” Joeanne gasped between chuckles.
I know what I need, Dan thought, schooling his expression into something a little less obvious.
“Droll, very droll,” Jim said, doing his best Fred Flintstone impersonation. He pulled Trixie into a loose hug. “She’d be lost without me,” he sighed, knowing that the exact opposite was more likely true. He couldn’t help wondering about the mysterious dark-haired man and only felt better after mentally chanting ‘she’s always careful’ several times.
Joeanne carefully placed the bundle into her purse. “I need to get this to a lab right away, but I don’t want to use this hospital.” Considering everything that’s happened, I better use the company the Attorney General’s Office always used, Joeanne silently decided. She felt a surge of savage elation—for all she knew, the key to Sammy’s personal safety might finally be in her hands.
“I’d feel a lot better if you’d let me go with you,” Dan said, ignoring the look he could feel from Trixie’s direction. He kept his voice neutral. “After what Meggie’s been through, I don’t think it’s a good idea for any of us to be alone.” To his surprise and relief, she readily agreed.
“Don’t want to set a bad example for the kid here!” she said, shooting Meggie a teasing glance. She was glad to see the girl took it in stride, even giving her a rueful nod. She knew that wasn’t the only reason she agreed and felt her face grow a little warm. She was disconcerted to realize that she wasn’t entirely sure what was making her the happiest—knowing that she might finally have the last piece of the puzzle or that she was going to be spending more time with Dan.
***
She turned down the offer of a ride, but not the security escort, and headed for the parking lot, knowing he’d be waiting for her. As mad as Andy ever got, he would never leave her stranded. She sighed, wondering what she was going to do. She liked Andy a lot. She suspected she may even love him, but she didn’t want to think about that. Her best friend Sarah teased her about it enough as it was. Her shoulders slumped as she realized that she was most likely due for another lecture when she told her about what happened. Can I help it if she couldn’t come to work today? It’s not my fault she caught a cold!
She finally spotted Andy’s jeep and was relieved to see that he had calmed down considerably since he left the hospital, wearing a sheepish expression she was familiar with. “Thanks Jeff,” she said to the burly guard who’d walked her to the parking garage.
“You see that man again, you come and get me, you hear?” he said.
“Mmm hmm,” she muttered, the pain in her jaw radiating all the way to the top of her skull. She thought of what her parents would say when she got home and wondered if running away to join the circus was a viable option.
I’ll be more careful from now on, she vowed to herself, but I’m never giving up mysteries. Not in a million years!
Note: Trixie Belden® is a registered trademark of Random House Books. These pages are not affiliated with Random House Books in any way. These pages are not for profit. All stories copyright © Mary, 2007 - 2012. All rights reserved.