“Hi, Rob, it’s Bailey. I need to talk to you about the case.”
“Ms. Warfield. Hi. Thank you for calling.” Detective Casey sounded relieved. “I’ve been wanting to speak with you.”
“Listen, this isn’t about the other night….”
“I’m sorry. I—”
“No, no. There are more important matters at hand. Let’s put that away. It didn’t happen.” Bailey was happy to save face for herself and for him. If she hadn’t needed an ally, however, she would’ve made him the sorriest man on earth.
“Okay. Good…. good. What’s up, then?”
“Do you know anything about Chief Bruno’s life when he was police chief in Kennebunkport?”
Detective Casey was silent.
“Rob?”
“Wow. You’ve done some good detective work, Bailey,” he said, this time stunning Bailey into silence.
When she didn’t reply, Casey went on. “It’s okay, I know everything. I know you guys didn’t buy Bruno’s story about what you saw, and I know you’ve been doing your own investigation. Olivia told me the whole story. And it sounds like you’ve done great work. I didn’t buy his story either, and I’ve been conducting my own inquiry. It sounds like we both got to the same information.”
Olivia?
Bailey had, as they say, a moment of clarity. It all made sense now. And, suddenly, she was even extremely happy that he had pushed her away.
Casey continued. “So, you know then that Blackbeard is Bruno, and you know that he’s willing to cross anyone for the right price. He’s dangerous. I’d rather you all let me do the police work from here.”
“Bruno is Blackbeard?” Bailey realized Saul had only skimmed the surface, and that they were indeed way over their heads. That self-serving, narcissistic, evil bastard, she thought.
Bailey agreed to back off and let Casey investigate the chief. None of them were equipped to handle Bruno or the mayor, she realized.
“Could you do me a favor, though, Bailey?” Casey asked. She thought he was going to ask for her silence about their little encounter, which she’d understood as a given. But he wasn’t going there.
“If your guy—Saul was it?—gets anything on Blackbeard, let me know. He must have some decent contacts to have gotten that much. We need all the good detective work we can get. Just promise you’ll pass everything on to me and let me handle it from now on.”
Bailey agreed. Her next call was to Olivia. She had never phoned her before, but now she felt like she needed to connect with her. Maybe it was guilt, maybe there was a grudging respect—she felt certain that Rob had refused her because he was smitten with Olivia.
Olivia suggested they get together for yoga and have brunch afterward at Early Girl. They set the date for Saturday morning. After hanging up the phone, Bailey worried that she and Olivia alone could get awkward. She might blurt out something inappropriate or, worse, be unable to hide her guilt. Best to invite Coco and CJ as well. Fortunately, Olivia thought that was a great idea, so it was settled. They’d reconvene and catch up. And decompress with some much-needed yoga.
Yoga, like long-distance running, is about a thousand times easier when it’s done with friends. So, even though Bailey, Coco, CJ, and Olivia had taken dozens of classes at Asmita Yoga together, they’d only just started doing so as friends. Suddenly they were stronger and more flexible than they’d ever felt in their lives. They finally understood the “energy flow” their too new-agey and slightly loony instructor couldn’t stop talking about, and, for once, in their warrior poses they felt like actual warriors. The only shred of self-consciousness they had was about what they wore, all having deliberately tried to outdo the others while they were getting dressed.
CJ, as expected, was better put together than them all; Bailey’s outfit was the most expensive, of course; Olivia looked cute and doll-like but unremarkable; and Coco made sure nothing she wore looked remotely like it could’ve been purchased in the eighties. But they put such energy and intensity into the class and they were all so drenched in sweat and feeling gross by the end that it didn’t really matter. While working on inversions—when students are told to pair off and do headstands against the wall—the four grouped together, held each other up, and encouraged each other enthusiastically. Neither Coco nor Olivia had ever had much luck holding a headstand for more than a second, and had always kicked up awkwardly, but with CJ and Bailey’s assistance and reassurance, they were flawless. All four were euphoric and starving after they showered and changed. So it was a good thing that Early Girl was close by.
Brunch in Greenwich was like brunch anywhere else except it was white. White people, white tablecloths, white napkins, white servers, white omelets, and the whole thing made Coco very nervous. She grew up in an ethnically diverse neighborhood, but it was at brunch that she was always reminded of her color since it was everywhere, as if she’d stumbled onto a sinister secret society.
The restaurant was a mélange of rustic bookshop meets twee cake shop. It felt more like Vermont than like Connecticut, especially on this, the first really cold day of the season. Coco wasn’t sure if the mismatched chairs were actual antiques or modern furniture distressed to look old. The furnishings didn’t fit with the stark white, so it was clearly an effect the restaurant’s owners were going for. The man sitting outside holding a dachshund on his lap seemed rather out of place as well. Coco didn’t think the pairing of the man and his dog was odd so much as the fact that man and dog were wearing matching gingham scarves. The way the man handled the shaking dog’s anxiety was also peculiar. He reached over to the kiosk in front of him, took out a brochure that had MASSAGE written on it in large letters, and began rubbing the dog’s back with the brochure, saying “there, there.” Coco looked on in amusement until her gaze was broken by a tap on the shoulder.
“Hey,” Bailey said as she air-kissed Coco’s cheeks hello. Coco, always the fast dresser, had gone ahead of the others to reserve a table while CJ and Olivia, sharing Olivia’s car, had stopped at Starbucks because Olivia absolutely had to have a venti caramel macchiato. CJ had scolded her for being so gauche as to bring her own coffee to brunch.
“As soon as they start serving caramel macchiatos, I won’t need to. In the meantime, I just did yoga, so I deserve one,” Olivia declared. So off they went, telling the others they’d arrive shortly.
Coco was surprised to see Bailey already. “I figured the others would’ve gotten here long before you,” she said. They were seated by the hostess who, not liking that their whole party hadn’t arrived, refused to smile and practically threw menus at them as they took off their coats.
“Oh no, I’m never late for anything. In my business you can’t be, yet everyone is. I’m convinced it’s why I get all the good interviews: I show up. Also, my bosses know they can count on me, so I always get sent out on the important jobs,” Bailey replied.
“Ah, makes sense now. I think you and I are probably a lot alike. We’re both so driven. People like us would never even dream of being late; it’s not in our nature,” Coco said.
“Even as a kid I was always on time for stuff.” Bailey read her menu as she spoke.
“So, are we going to talk about Graham in front of Olivia and CJ, or am I still keeping this to myself?” Coco asked.
“No, I want to talk about him, definitely, but I thought I would wait until everyone is here. Oh, but did I tell you I met Gertie Whitmore this week?” Bailey said, suddenly animated as she tossed her menu on the table setting next to her.
“Really? I’m surprised you didn’t already know her. What’s she like?” Coco asked.
“The best! I like her so much. I met her at an event, and she invited me to her house for brunch the next day.”
“Ooh, exciting. I loved all of those Toxic Tonya movies…. Oh, and I loved her in that Woody Allen film.… I bet she’s got one of those L.A. pads people out here always dream about, swimming pool overlooking the valley, right?”
“Not overlookin
g the valley, but it was a cool place with a sixties vibe. She’s simply one of the nicest, funniest, most wonderful people you’ll ever meet. She’s really smart, has such great people around her. She said she’d be coming to New York in the next few weeks, so we’re planning on getting together. You’ll meet her, she’s amazing. We totally hit it off. I felt like I’ve known her my whole life,” Bailey gushed.
Coco didn’t know what to make of Bailey’s sudden adoration for Gertie Whitmore, or why she’d brought it up after Coco had asked about Graham, but Coco chalked it up to that thing that happens sometimes between women. It’s like you’ve been best friends your whole lives even though you just met. Coco understood—it was what had happened to her when she met her college roommate, Winnie. They were so close, people assumed they were lovers. They weren’t, but they remained friends, sisters almost, to this day.
“Yep, sometimes it just happens in an instant,” Coco said.
“Yes. Yes, it does,” Bailey replied, seeming a little lost in her thoughts. She snapped back to attention when she saw Coco looking over her shoulder at the café’s entrance.
“Sorry. There’s CJ,” Coco said as she waved toward the door, making sure he saw them.
“Honey, have some decorum. You’re waving like you’re hailing a taxi,” CJ said as he kissed them both hello and whipped his hat off his head. “Whew, it’s getting cold out there. Feel my fingers, aren’t they frostbitten?”
“Where’s Olivia?” Bailey asked.
“Oh, I told her she wasn’t allowed to bring that mocho-choco-lata-yaya thing in here. I said they didn’t allow outside food or drink, but the truth is I hate Starbucks. I can’t even stand to look at those cups, so I didn’t want her to bring it in.” He suddenly turned to Bailey. “I know you just came from yoga, girl, but you have a glow like you just got laid.”
“Oh, I could say the same about you, darling. We all have that post-yoga flush. It’s better than sex sometimes.” Bailey laughed.
“Oh, you must be out of your mind!” CJ said. “Or you seriously need better lovers.”
Coco laughed. “I think the key is a combination. Good sex with someone who does a lot of yoga.”
“True that,” CJ agreed as he looked at the menu. “What’s good here?”
“Speaking of…. Did you call Malcolm?” Coco asked him.
“Nooo-ah,” CJ replied like a child whose mother has asked him for the fifth time to clean his room.
“CJ! C’mon!” Coco replied.
“Oh yeah, little Malcolm. How’s that relationship going?” Bailey said as she made air quotes around “relationship.”
“Ugh, don’t ask! It’s a disaster.”
“Oh, you didn’t hear?” Coco said.
“No! Tell me,” Bailey insisted.
“I almost outed him at work when I so nicely brought him cookies from Good Boy Bakery. Now he isn’t talking to me,” CJ said. “How was I supposed to know he was still in the closet?”
“Mmm, Good Boy. I love that place,” Bailey said.
“It’s not serious, he’s just a guy,” CJ said.
“Oh, so now he’s just a guy?” Coco asked.
“Yes, dear,” CJ said. “Sometimes a girl just likes to go for a ride.”
“I don’t care, we need him. Call him, make up, and pretend you like him.”
“Well, on that front, I’ve got some news for you two,” Bailey said. “This thing has gotten complicated. Rob, uh, Detective Casey, is back on the case. He actually never left it but didn’t want to tip his hand to his colleagues, so he didn’t let us know either. Chief Bruno is up to his eyeballs in this.”
Coco’s and CJ’s mouths dropped open.
“Get the fuck out.” CJ looked worried now.
“No joke. But look, Casey wants us to lay low. He thinks it could be dangerous if we start poking around. Olivia and I told him we’d draw back.”
“Wow, okay. Well…. look, Casey may not want us involved, but CJ can’t just drop Malcolm,” Coco insisted. “That might be suspicious too, if we’re being watched. And you never know if Malcolm might accidentally provide some information even if CJ isn’t digging for it.
“Besides, I think there’s a little more than just information gathering and humping going on,” Coco said slyly. “Call him and apologize, damn you.”
“Fine. I’ll call him tonight. Are you happy now, Miss Cranky Pants?” CJ said.
“I’m not cranky,” Coco rebutted.
“Oh, you have on a big ole pair today,” CJ insisted. “I saw you smirking when the instructor was reading her little prayer-poem thingee.”
Coco rolled her eyes. “Sorry, I hate that shit. I go to yoga to stretch, not for church.”
“Amen to that,” said Bailey, without a hint of irony. “I guess you guys missed my shirt,” at which she pulled the buttons of her chemise apart to reveal a baby-doll tank top that read KEEP YOUR DOGMA OUT OF MY YOGA!
Coco shrieked with laughter. “Awesome.”
Just then CJ looked up from the table. “Here comes Mother Earth,” he cracked.
And sure enough, walking toward them was Olivia, looking like a hippie Eskimo. She wore an oversize parka with an enormous hood that was part embroidery, part Arctic fox, and 100 percent excruciating. But on her head things got worse. She wore a baby pink woolen earflap hat with what looked like fake braids coming down the sides.
“I can’t tell if she’s incredibly chic or homeless,” Bailey scoffed.
“What’s with the getup, Nanook of Nantucket?” Coco asked.
“Ugh, this? I’m such an idiot. All of my really warm winter stuff is still in storage. This was the only thing in the closet that wasn’t garden wear or golf clubs. I think it was my aunt Toby’s from the sixties. It’s the warmest thing I could find in the house,” Olivia replied.
“Shame she was a flower child and not a mod; that could have been a really sharp outfit,” Bailey said.
“Right!” Olivia laughed. “Sorry I took so long out there. I had to talk to the nanny. Simon was fussy today, so she put me on the phone with him. We’re not eating yet, right?” she said as she glanced at the table.
“This isn’t brunch conversation,” she said as she nibbled a mini muffin from a basket the busboy had just set down, “but I got him all dressed and was running out the door and saying good-bye when he poops in his diaper, so I had to change him again —she’d just arrived and I didn’t think it was fair to start her day with that. Then as I was trying to get him dressed, he kept crawling away like a madman—he’s fast, that little guy. So I put on Barney to distract him, but when I got up to leave, he threw a tantrum because he wanted me to watch with him, and then I felt guilty the entire way over to yoga. Ah, kids. Don’t have them,” she said.
“I don’t know how anyone has more than one,” CJ said.
“Sam’s mom had six!” Coco said.
“Oh my!” Olivia gasped. “That just seems…. unbearable. Where is he in the family? Oldest, middle…?”
“Youngest,” Coco said. “His mother is a saint, six kids and she fucked up none of them.”
“Speaking of Sam, if you don’t mind my asking, what’s the deal with you two? You’re married, right? Are you thinking about kids?” Olivia asked.
“Not married, actually. But we’ve been together for about ten years. Funny you should mention it, because Sam really wants to get married, and has been bugging me a lot about it lately. I’ve been fighting it, though. I may give in, but I really hate that ceremony and party stuff, so that’s my big sticking point,” Coco said to a table full of rolling eyes. “What?”
“I told you in Philly, girl, you’re just using that as an excuse—a lame one, at that—to not get married. If he was the one for you, it wouldn’t matter how you do it,” CJ said.
“I agree,” Olivia declared.
“Me too,” Bailey said as she fidgeted in her seat. It seemed like the subject of marriage made her uncomfortable too. “When I get married, I won’t care how it�
�s done.”
“Now you’re thinking about getting married?” Coco asked.
“I don’t know, I’m just saying. I have to start thinking about it—at thirty-seven I’m becoming extinct,” Bailey told her.
“Wait! Stop the presses. Is there a man attached to all of this?” CJ said.
“Well…. I might as well tell you. Yes.” Bailey confessed. “I’ve been seeing someone off and on for a while, and it’s just started getting more serious.”
“Is it someone famous? I bet it’s someone famous. Am I right?” Olivia asked.
Bailey smirked imperceptibly, more of a cringe. “I’ve been seeing Graham Shore for about a year, and it’s been getting pretty intense. I think he could be the one.” She beamed.
“Holy Brat Pack, lady!” CJ exclaimed.
Bailey continued. “I know it’s weird. I met him when I was doing a TV story on David E. Kelley. Graham was one of the interviews I had lined up. He was so funny, told me some great stories and some touching personal stuff—he was terrific. I could tell he was a guy who saw what he wanted and took it.”
“How do you mean?” Coco asked her.
“Well, he asked me out as he was walking out the door. Usually they get your number from a publicist or someone. The fact that he asked me before he even left the room and in front of everyone was so different and so bold. It was really sexy,” Bailey said.
“Sounds like it,” said Olivia, clearly someone in love with love.
“Well, he didn’t try anything that night. But over dinner we just knew. We had this mad, crazy connection and just stared into each other’s eyes; he held my hand, and we both knew. He said that since his divorce he hadn’t met anyone like me and hadn’t connected this way with anyone, ever. Every time he talks about the future it’s always what ‘we’ will be doing. He even started to clean out his house anticipating my moving in with him. Then ‘we’ went shopping at Williams-Sonoma, and he told me to pick out what I liked since I will be the one using everything,” Bailey said. “Either he’s in love with me or I’m his new chef.”
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