“Do you know Todd very well?”
“Not really. He seems friendly enough when we come into contact, but he likes to keep to himself.”
“What about Heather?”
“I knew her better. We weren’t best friends or anything, but we’ve been in each other’s houses a few times, mostly just neighborly stuff.”
“Did Todd and Heather have any physical altercations that you’re aware of?” He tried to just sound curious since this was way off the issue of the inheritance. She didn’t seem to notice.
“I never saw any, but the curtains were always closed when Todd was home, and he’s way too smart to take a fight outside where others could see. If I were her, I would’ve left a long time ago.” She paused. “You don’t suppose she knew she was getting an inheritance and thought she could make it on her own, do you?”
“I doubt that she knew about it. And if she did, I would expect she would’ve made sure we knew where she was.”
“Good point.”
JP gave her his card. “If you see her or the boys, could you please give me a call? Or if anything unusual happens at that house, I’d like to know.”
“You don’t think he’d hurt her, do you?”
“Let’s just say I have some concerns. But I’ve taken enough of your time and it appears as if you were on your way out.”
“It’s fine. I was just running to the grocery store.”
“Thank you, ma’am.” He started to step away and then turned in Colombo fashion. “If you don’t mind, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say anything to Todd about my visit.”
“No, of course not. There’s no reason for me to.”
JP walked to his car and sat there acting like he was on the phone until the woman drove away. Then he visited the homes on either side of the Lynch house. No one answered the door on the left. The couple on the right were retired and had lived in the neighborhood for forty-plus years. They told JP the Lynch family had lived there for about four years and told him a story similar to what he had already heard. Todd yelled a lot and the kids seemed intimidated by him. They were much more relaxed around their mother. Neither of them had seen any physical altercations between Todd and Heather.
He walked to a couple more houses in each direction, but didn’t obtain any more information, either because they didn’t know the Lynches, or because no one was home. The house on the corner at the end of the street, he soon discovered, was occupied by a couple, Andrew and Marilyn LaFiura, and their two children, a boy and a girl. Only Mrs. LaFiura was home, but she knew the Lynch family better than some of the others. Instead of posing as the investigator for the trust and estates attorney, JP decided to try the divorce angle. It made it easier to ask more questions about the children. It was risky, though, because if she favored one party over the other, especially the father, JP was unlikely to get much information. As it turned out, she did not think much of Todd.
“The middle boy, Drew, was best friends with my son Andrew, who was named after his father.” Marilyn gave a slight laugh. “We call our son Drew as well, but whenever the other Drew was around, we called our son Andrew. Actually, their Drew was named Drew, not Andrew, so it was only fair to call him by his name and use the more formal one with my son.”
“So you saw a lot of Drew Lynch?”
“Yes, he came here all the time and Andrew went to his house. Of course, I met the parents before I let Andrew go over there. I always do that. They seemed normal enough, and the boys have been growing up together. They moved here shortly after we did, so I’ve known them for, I don’t know, four or five years. Let me think. Andrew was three, or was he four? No, he was three. He recently turned eight. But they moved here in the summer. I remember because it was pretty hot. Yeah, I’ve known them about four years.”
JP thought she’d never stop talking, but he didn’t try to stop her. Even though she was mostly talking nonsense, she might say something that was helpful. JP was about to ask another question when she started talking again.
“I feel bad for Drew. You know they’re going through a divorce, right?” She waved her hand in the air dismissively. “Of course you do. That’s why you’re here, right?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “Heather left him six months or so ago. The divorce may even be final by now. My, how the time flies.”
When she finally stopped talking, JP asked, “You feel bad for Drew because of the divorce?”
“Yes, and no. He didn’t want to leave this neighborhood, but he’s better off with his mother. After a while, I only let Andrew go to that house when the father wasn’t home. They could play here any time, as far as I was concerned, but when Drew’s father was home, he expected the boys to be home too. I guess that’s good in some ways. You know, family bonding and all, but Andrew says they didn’t really spend the time together. So I’m not sure what his problem was. Andrew says the father is real mean. Andrew is afraid of him.” She quickly added, “So is Drew.”
“What did Mr. Lynch do to them?”
“He never did anything to Andrew. I wouldn’t have put up with that. I would’ve had him in court so fast, his head would spin. No one touches my children.”
“Did he do something to Drew?”
“Not that Andrew ever said, but he must have done something because he scared those boys. Andrew says he yelled all the time.”
Chapter 16
The Lynch Case
Sabre was on the road, making home visits to her minor clients, something she did almost every Saturday. She carried a case load of nearly 450 active cases. Most of those were in the review stages, so they didn’t require as much attention, but she still needed to visit the minors to make sure everything was okay. She had just finished her third visit when she received a phone call from her brother.
“Can you come to dinner tonight at Mom’s?” Ron asked.
“I don’t know. Why? What’s up?”
“I want to ask her about the boyfriend.”
“So do it already. You don’t need me.”
“You’re better at this than I am. Besides, it’s been a while since you saw Mom. You should visit her more often.”
“Enough with the guilt trip,” she paused. “I guess I can. JP’s in Pasadena on a case and I haven’t heard from him yet, but I expect he’ll be home late.”
“I’ll tell Mom. She’ll make us something good.”
“You haven’t talked to her yet?”
“No, but I will.”
“How do you know she isn’t going out?”
“She’s not. I’ll just tell her there’ll be one more for dinner.”
“Ron, you’re impossible. If she doesn’t feel like cooking, tell her I’ll take us out to dinner.”
Sabre hung up and drove to the foster home of the youngest Lynch boy, Evan. She hated that the boys weren’t all placed in the same home, but at least the two older ones were together, and it appeared that their home might have an opening soon. It was the best she could hope for. It wasn’t easy finding a placement for three or more at the same time. Foster homes were scarce, and finding two openings in the same house was a victory in itself.
Five-year-old Evan Lynch was a cute little towhead with a good disposition, but at the moment he looked sad. He sat on the floor in the room he shared with another foster child, playing with Legos. He had built a tower about a foot high.
“Great job. You’re good at that.” She touched it. “And it’s nice and sturdy. Do you have Legos at home?”
“Yeah. I had a lot at my dad’s house. He said he’d get me more if I came home with him.”
Sabre tried not to react to the father’s bribery attempt. It was, however, a good segue into her next question. She chose her words carefully so she didn’t give him false hope. She had learned over the years that if you asked kids what they “wanted,” they assumed you could get it for them. So instead she asked, “Did you like living with your dad?”
He shrugged. “I miss my mom. When can I go home?”
“Is she sick?”
“She needs some treatment, but she’s getting help.” Then Sabre added, “Did you have a visit with her yesterday?”
“Yeah. She came here and played with me. I cried when she left, but she wouldn’t take me with her. I promised I’d be good.”
Sabre’s heart ached for the little boy and her anger mounted against the parents. She didn’t know which one she was angrier at, the overbearing father or the druggie mother. She wished parents would put their children first before their own needs and desires. Why do they have children if they’re not willing to take care of them?
“Things will get better.” That’s all she could think of to say. Then she remembered she had set up a visit with his brothers. “How would you like to see Nolan and Drew?”
His eyes lit up, and his lips turned up at the corners in a hesitant smile. He nodded.
“I’ve made arrangements for you to go to the park with them tomorrow.”
A full smile crossed his face as he went back to his Legos.
~~~
When Sabre saw the other Lynch boys, she wished even more that an opening would come up soon so they could all be together. She spoke to the boys separately, starting with Nolan, the nine-year-old. He was average height for his age and had blond hair, but not as light as Evan’s. He was more sullen than the other two boys, and seemed to share some of his father’s temper, but for the most part he was well-behaved. The foster mother told her Nolan got into a fight with another boy in the home when he first came, but things had settled down and they pretty much kept away from each other.
“Are you doing okay here in this foster home?”
“It’s been alright. The foster parents aren’t mean or anything. They’re kind of nice actually. Bobby’s kind of a pain.”
“Who is Bobby?”
“He’s another foster kid. He’s ten, and he’s been here for eight months. He thinks he’s the boss around here because he’s been here the longest. But he says he’s going home next week. I can’t wait.”
“That’s what I heard. We’re trying to get Evan placed here if Bobby leaves. What do you think of that?”
Nolan looked pleased. “That would be good. Evan can be a pain sometimes. He would always butt in when I had friends over, but now I kinda miss having him around.”
“Are you and Drew getting along okay?”
“Yeah, he’s no problem most of the time. Besides, he’s smarter than me, and he helps me with my homework.”
“I understand you saw your father a couple of days ago. How did that go?”
“Alright. He asked us if we wanted to come to Pasadena and live with him.”
“What did you say?”
He hesitated. “I said I’d rather stay with Mom, and he got real mad. His face turned red, and he did this.” Nolan clasped his hands together and held them tight in front of him. Sabre wondered what that was about, but before she could ask, Nolan said, “Drew didn’t say anything right away. Then Dad looked at him and asked him again. Drew almost started crying, but then he said he wanted to live with Dad.”
“What did your dad do then?”
“He asked me again, like he was giving me a chance to change my mind.”
“Did you?”
“I told him I wanted to go home with him, but I don’t really. But you can’t tell anybody, because Dad will be real mad. Drew doesn’t want to live with him either. He told me later he was too afraid to say no.”
“But you both told the social worker yesterday that you wanted to live with your father.”
“I know, ’cause Dad said to tell her.”
“Why don’t you want to live with him?”
“He’s too scary.”
“Does he hit you?”
“Not really.”
“What do you mean, ‘not really’?” Sabre asked.
“Sometimes he gives us a swat, but it doesn’t hurt that much.”
“How does he punish you when you do something wrong?”
“We don’t do anything wrong around Dad. We just have to do what he says, and everything is okay.”
Sabre wanted to ask why he obeyed without question, but she was afraid it would sound like she was encouraging them to not listen to their father. Normal kids questioned their parents; why didn’t these boys? She wondered what it was exactly that made these children act the way they did, and why they didn’t want to live with their father. All anyone had ever reported was that he yelled a lot, but the boys seemed so afraid of him. She hoped JP came up with something that would be helpful one way or the other.
When she spoke to Drew, he gave her the same scenario, and couldn’t really express why he didn’t want to live with his father, but he was sure he didn’t.
Sabre called JP on her way to her last minor visit.
“Hey, kid. I was about to call you. I’m just leaving Pasadena. Can I take you to dinner tonight? Something romantic would be nice.”
“I’m sorry, JP. I just made plans with my brother. I didn’t expect you back until late.”
“It went quicker than I expected.”
“We’re meeting at my mom’s. I’d drag you along, but Ron seems to think Mom has a boyfriend, and we’re going to ask her about it. She may not want to tell us as much if you’re there.”
“No problem.” He didn’t want to show his disappointment, not about joining a family dinner, but that he and Sabre wouldn’t have some time alone. “I feel like I have one wheel down and my axle is draggin’ anyway. I’ll just go home and catch up on a little well-deserved rest.”
Chapter 17
Sabre rang the doorbell, and then started to use her key to open her mother’s door. Ron was there before she could get it open.
“Hi, Mom,” Sabre said, as she approached her mother to give her a hug. Her mother, Beverly, looked like something out of a 1950’s television sitcom, like June Cleaver without the pearls. She always dressed, combed her hair, and put on her lipstick before she made breakfast, and freshened up before dinner. She maintained that if you looked good first thing in the morning, you would feel better all day long. “Besides,” she would say, “you never know who might drop in on you.”
Neither Ron nor Sabre had picked up that habit, but in her adult life, Sabre did follow in her mother’s footsteps when it came to making her bed when she first arose and never leaving dirty dishes in the kitchen sink. Her mother convinced her that she would feel so much better if her room didn’t look messy every time she entered it. And if she fixed her bed first thing, she would have a feeling of accomplishment right off, making the rest of her day more productive. Sabre struggled with it during her teen years, and often had to spend hours on Saturday cleaning her room instead of going out and having fun. Ron, on the other hand, was always a bit of a neat freak.
“Thanks for coming, Sabey,” her mother said.
A familiar aroma filled the air, and Sabre sucked it in. “Mom, you made pot roast.”
“I know it’s your favorite, so when Ron told me you were coming, I ran to the store and got the roast and carrots. I already had potatoes.”
Beverly patted her daughter’s arm. “I’m sure you’re too busy to make it for yourself.”
“Too busy?” Ron said with a guffaw. “She’d have to know how to make it first. Sabre thinks her kitchen is for the sole purpose of making tea, and she uses an electric pot for that because she burned up too many teakettles.” He looked at Sabre. “Have you ever used that new stove of yours?”
Ron had been teasing her since she was born, and she had learned to not let it get to her. “Yeah, I used it once when I entertained the Pope. He never came back for a second meal. I wonder why.”
“I’m sure you’re a good cook, Sabey. I tried to teach you when you were young.”
“I know you did, Mom, but if you remember right, I usually got out of it. Ron was the one who learned t
o cook. Besides, I do just fine cooking for myself. It’s not as bad as Ron makes it sound.”
“I’m sure it’s not, dear.” Their mother sighed. “Ahh, it’s good to have you both here with me.”
As Sabre set the table, she felt a little guilty for not making the effort to spend more time with her mother. Their relationship had been a little strained ever since her teen years, and when her father died, it got worse. Sabre was busy, and her mother was very involved in her community, making lack of time a convenient excuse to not get together. A few years ago, Sabre made a greater effort and things had gotten better. Now that Ron was home again, she had kind of slacked off. Sabre was grateful to Ron for picking up the slack. It made it easier, but still, she needed to try a little harder.
Ron went to the kitchen with his mother, and they returned with the pot roast, vegetables, and hot, homemade rolls.
“It all smells so good, Mom.”
“Ron made the rolls,” she said proudly.
As they sat at the table eating, Ron caught Sabre’s eye and nodded his head toward his mother. She knew he wanted her to bring up the subject of the boyfriend.
“So, Mom, what’s new with you?”
“Nothing really.”
“How are you spending your days?”
“The usual, playing bridge and helping out at the women’s shelter. They’ve started a high-end thrift store, and the profit all goes back into the shelter. I’m volunteering there one day a week.”
“And how’s your bridge game?” Sabre asked. Ron was pretty sure it was bridge that had brought the man into her life, so she pursued it further.
“It’s been good. Shirley and I have been in a few tournaments, in which we did quite well.”
“Do you have any other bridge partners?”
“Just Millie. She fills in when Shirley can’t make it.”
“Are you meeting any new people at your bridge games?”
Beverly looked curiously at Sabre and asked, “Are you that uncomfortable?”
“What?” Sabre said. “No.”
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