“I don’t understand how anyone could do that.”
“Tell me about it,” she said. “I figured they’d get over it, but after a year of nothing, I flew back East because I was missing my boy so much and found their house sold and not one of the neighbors knew where they’d gone. I always regretted not going back right away, but . . .”
I said, “But?”
“My son has a powerful personality and I suppose I was afraid he would cause me to change my mind. He’s quite the force of nature.”
“Would your new husband have come with you?”
“He would have done anything for me. Although if he’d met with my son, that would have added fuel to the fire. He did fly home and helped me pull myself together when I realized that I couldn’t find my beautiful boy.”
I leaned back and said nothing.
“He insisted on hiring a private detective too.”
“No luck?”
“Oh sure. We found them, but they refused contact. When I persisted, my son threatened us with a lawsuit over harassment. He actually took out a restraining order.” Tears trickled down her cheeks. “I knew then I’d lost Tyler.”
“But you hadn’t.”
“Wish I’d found him sooner. Think of all the milestones in his life that I missed.”
“Why did you wait? Tyler’s almost thirty years old. He’s been living on his own for a long time now.”
“William became very ill. He just wasted away and I nursed him for years. I think I told you that this was his sick room. He liked the bay window so much. We knocked out the adjoining wall so he had two windows, the bay and the turret. He loved watching the street. After a long time, he just faded from life right here. He never lost his sense of humor or his kindness, though. When he went, I didn’t have the energy or time or emotion left for a search or for anything else really.”
I squeezed her hand. “You loved your husband a lot.”
“I did. And I love Tyler a lot. It’s hard for me to forgive my son for what he did to end our relationship.”
“I get that.” I wasn’t sure I would have been able to.
“The funny part of it was that William not only didn’t plunder my bit of money, he left me comfortably off. Except that I can’t get around or look after myself, I don’t have a worry in the world. For years I wished I’d had the chance to tell my son and daughter-in-law that face-to-face. But it’s too late. I’ve been cast adrift.”
Tyler’s parents had cast him adrift too. I was beginning to get an idea of what kind of family he’d come from. No wonder he loved Gram so much.
“That’s why I am so glad Tyler found you. He has a chance for happiness.”
“I guess so.” Tyler had let me down more than once, though. I suppose I had let him down too. And I had chosen my family over our future.
She must have read my mind. “Be patient with him. He’s a wonderful boy.”
Man, I thought.
“Yet he grew up in that home where there was no place for love or trust or forgiveness,” she said.
“They cut him off when he became a police officer.”
“He told me before he came out here. I only wish I’d learned that earlier. I would have been able to celebrate that milestone with him.”
I realized how lucky I was. My uncles hated the idea of me going straight, especially when the family business was doing so well. And Uncle Mick and Uncle Lucky had never even been arrested. Their hearts were temporarily broken over my legal lifestyle, but they never would have turned me away. Then when I began to see Tyler, I know they felt betrayed. A cop! Close to the family! The shame of it all. But they pulled themselves together and gave me their support. I never doubted their affection.
I reached over and squeezed Gram’s hand. I had a feeling she’d be like my uncles.
Tyler could be a challenge all right, and now I had a better idea why. But he also had been willing to step out in opposition to his parents and become a police officer. It was important to him and he didn’t let emotional abuse stop him.
I tried to imagine what kind of parents could cut their son out of their lives to make a point about finances or status. You’d need to be strong to stand up to them. Gram and Tyler were both strong. Tyler had stood by me, just like my uncles. So what was wrong with me that I couldn’t see past a few slipups? He wasn’t perfect. Neither was I.
I leaned forward and gave Gram a huge hug.
“Thank you!”
“Well, don’t count your chickens yet,” she said, clutching her drink. “There’s a few years left in the old girl before it all comes to you. I may run through it before I go.”
I laughed. “Make sure you do. It’s not about the house. I’m thanking you for being there for Tyler and not giving up.”
She sipped what was left of her tea and said, “I suppose I’ve just been around too many people who were out for what they could get.”
“Well, that’s not me. And it’s not Tyler either.”
She put down the cup and squeezed my hand with both of hers. “I know, my dear. I know that.”
I asked the question that had been bothering me for a while. “What about Zoya? Is she out for what she can get?”
She closed her eyes and sighed. “Poor hopeless Zoya. She’s just trying to survive in a hostile world. She’s devoted to me, heaven knows why. We don’t need to worry about her being out for what she can get.”
“We might need to worry that she’s badly hurt.”
“Oh, I hope not. I really rely on her every day. I need someone I can count on to be able to manage in this house. I can’t really get out for groceries or errands anymore. I need help to get to medical appointments. Zoya does it all. She’s a sourpuss, but underneath it all, I think she’s good-hearted. If she can’t work after this, I’ll get help for both of us.”
I wasn’t convinced about Zoya’s good heart, but there was a chance her injuries were from trying to keep Gram safe. I’d give her the benefit of the doubt.
“And Gus? What’s he after?”
“Gus? Nothing! He doesn’t even charge me for half of what he does. He’s a prince.”
Let’s hope so, I thought.
Shortly after that, Gram dozed off, perhaps a result of the soothing tea. I needed some thinking time anyway. A lot had happened. A lot more could happen. But every event on this trip had taken us by surprise. Some had been good. Gram, for instance. Although I’d heard tales of Grandmother Kelly and her legendary and possibly fictional skill at driving a getaway car, I’d never met her. I’d never had a grandmother. I wanted a share of Gram. She’d been a fabulous surprise. I still worried about what other unexpected thunderbolts the universe was waiting to hurl at us.
After a while, I began to feel stiff sitting in the chair. I dislodged Asta, who looked devastated. I stood up and had a good long stretch. I glanced around the room. Not as fussy as Gram’s own grand boudoir, but full of great stuff. I wandered to the desk in the corner and ran my hands along it. I traced my fingers around the lotus flowers on the red and white Ching dynasty ginger jar. That’s the problem with stuff. It makes you covet it. I love old artefacts especially Victorian, Edwardian and Art Deco. Maybe at some point in the future, this would all be Tyler’s, but life isn’t just about stuff. He was making a new start in Cabot. I should say another new start, because Harrison Falls had been a new start for him too. More important than his new start was Gram. She was a game changer. But what would happen now that they were reunited? Gram was in her mid-eighties. She was fragile. She had this amazing house in San Francisco. San Francisco, which was the place that had taken us twenty-four hours and three separate flights to get to. With the possibility of disrupted travel like we’d experienced, we couldn’t just be dashing back and forth whenever. Gram might not have “a worry in the world,” but Smiley had just bought a house that needed a lot of w
ork and I was saving everything for grad school. Cross-country commutes would be insanity.
Selfishly, I felt I didn’t want to leave my own family, Uncle Mick and Uncle Lucky and even, yes, Uncle Kev, grant me strength. I couldn’t just trade them in. And I wasn’t sure that Smiley and I would always be together. We had a bit of mending still to do before we were happily ever after or HEA, as I thought of it.
I gave myself a little shake. Our big problem wasn’t working out how Smiley (and maybe I) would be managing with Gram for the rest of her life, it was keeping her alive for the immediate future.
That would be considerably easier if Smiley ever returned.
* * *
I WAS DOZING in what had been William’s leather recliner, apparently drooling, and with Asta parked on my chest. Not a good look for me if the snort from the police officer was any clue.
My eyes snapped open to see Officer Martinez shaking with laughter. From the bed, Gram was snoring musically. Officer Martinez said, wiping her eyes, “Okay, your guy’s back with the Russian sleeper agent, but Gus claims never to have heard of him.”
Luckily Gram’s eyes popped open. “Did someone say my Tyler’s back?”
The cop said, “Lots of elderly people are fooled by fake relatives. How do you know he’s really who he says he is?”
I said, “Take a look at the two of them and then ask that.”
From the bed, Gram said, “Because I found him after being estranged for years.”
“Why were you estranged?”
“Ask his miserable parents. Now let’s get this show on the road.” Gram patted her hair and arranged the waves.
Tyler must have taken the steps two at a time because seconds later he practically flew into the room. Zoya was hot on his heels and pale as a hotel sheet. Asta launched herself at Zoya and danced around.
“What happened? Why are the police here?” Smiley pointed at Officer Martinez, who stared at him and then at Gram.
“Yeah, I do see the resemblance,” Officer Martinez said.
I answered Smiley. “Break-in number two. Destruction at the back end. Gus the handyman and his lookalikes are boarding up the damaged door.”
“But who was it?”
“No idea. He or they came in the back way. Gram heard them, but I was outside talking to the cop watching the house. The only thing is that Officer Martinez here says no one was actually assigned to watch this address, although the cop might have been real.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zoya’s knees buckle and it was just by chance that Officer Martinez and I managed to catch her before she hit the floor.
I said, “I think you should go to bed, Zoya.” We propped her up on the foot of the bed. I stared at her, worried.
Gram said, “Listen to them, Zoya, and don’t be such a silly goose. You need to let someone take care of you for a change.”
Zoya nodded and I couldn’t miss two tracks of tears running down her pale cheeks. Were they crocodile tears? No way to tell.
Zoya let herself be led away by me and Officer Martinez and Asta the pug, who managed to scamper in between our legs, just missing being stepped on. I was beginning to miss Asta’s shy phase. At the door of her room, Zoya said quite haughtily, “I em fine now. You leaf.”
I didn’t plan to “leaf.” “We don’t want you conking your head again. Get changed and into bed and then we’ll knock and check that you are all right.”
She opened her mouth with a halfhearted attempt to protest. I said, “Accept it. You’ll be sleeping with the door open and people will be checking on you during the night. That’s what happens after a head injury.” I should know. Uncle Kev had had more than enough of them over the years.
I turned and gave Smiley a look that was intended to make his blood run cold. “Nice of you to come by in good time.”
He blanched. “Our cab had a fender bender.”
“What? Who hit you?”
“No idea. Hit and run. We had to wait for a report and then get another taxi here. I tried calling.”
“Oh. I didn’t even check my phone. It was chaos here. Is Zoya going to be all right?”
“She wasn’t injured in the rear-ender although she did get hysterical. She refused to go back to the ER. At the hospital they said it’s probably a mild concussion after the head injury, but we have to watch for nausea and vomiting or changes to her pupils. One was a bit enlarged but it’s going back to normal.”
“I know the symptoms well. Don’t worry, Zoya. You’re in safe hands now.”
I wished I felt as confident as I sounded. Apparently I hadn’t fooled her. She said, “Ve are not safe. Novhere iss safe.”
“Tyler’s here. He’s a police officer. Officer Martinez is here. And Gus.”
She snorted. “Gus? You kidding, yes?”
I took her point. “He’ll make sure the back entrance won’t get opened. Tomorrow, we’ll have a new door installed. Maybe without easily breakable windows in it. And we’ve ordered a security system to be installed in the morning.”
“You’ve been busy,” Tyler said.
Zoya flopped onto the bed and curled up into the fetal position, still in her clothes. Asta jumped up and snuggled in. We left them like that. Door open.
In the corridor, with Officer Martinez eavesdropping rather obviously, I said to Smiley, “We can’t leave either of them here all night. It’s too dangerous.”
“Agreed. I’ll stay. They’re my responsibility.”
I glared at him as we walked back to Gram’s room.
He said, “You can relax at the hotel. It’s your vacation.”
“It’s your vacation too. And you paid for both of our vacations. On a practical note, do you really think I’m going to relax without you at the hotel where I was attacked? Don’t you understand that I’ll be worried about what’s happening here? I’ll decide where to be safe. I agree with Zoya. We’re not safe and we don’t seem to be safe anywhere. I do think we’re better off together.”
“That’s the spirit,” Gram said.
He said, “Stay here then. It will be easier for Gram. And we don’t know what other dangers there are at the hotel.”
I said, “One of us should stay here and the other one can go to the hotel, pack up and check out. At least we’ll have clothes and toiletries. I don’t mind—”
Officer Martinez responded to a crackling noise on her radio. She turned away and walked to the hallway for the conversation. When she returned, she said, “Sorry, I’ll have to leave you. Orders. Someone else will be coming by shortly.”
Smiley said, “Why don’t we stay here tonight and go to the hotel in the morning once the security system is set up here? Gus said he’s happy to be here whenever. There’s no point in you going out in the night alone.” He held up his hand before I spoke. “Even though you are capable of taking care of yourself. But we don’t really know what’s going on.”
I nodded. “Safety in numbers.”
He said. “Right. The stuff at the hotel is only stuff.”
“More important to protect Gram and Zoya.”
“Yup. There are lots of mattresses, plenty of towels, and if you want, you could even wash the clothes you’re wearing and get the rest in the morning. Or borrow something from Gram or Zoya.”
I thought I heard a muffled “Nyet!” from down the hallway.
“I guess we could take turns standing guard tonight.”
Smiley said, “I’ll be standing guard. I brought you to this. You get to sleep. Gram said there are sheets and towels in the linen closet off the upstairs hallway. There’s a drawer in the main bathroom with extras, toothbrushes, toothpaste, all that. By the way, Gram says you should sleep in the green room. Out of respect for your Irish roots.”
I figured the green room was the one to the rear of the second floor, next to Gram’s floral won
der. “How does she know about my Irish roots?”
He shrugged. “We’re talking about everything, catching up. Filling in the blanks. I told her all about you.”
“All about me?”
Again with the grin. “I may have left out specifics about your uncles’ line of work.”
“Oh, right, the independent businessmen.”
“Yep, the gift that keeps on giving.”
“And yet, I love them to bits and they’re part of the package.”
“I’m aware of it. But we’ll wait before we spring that part on Gram.”
“And when the time comes, we’ll lock up the silver and the bank books.”
“Leave it with me.”
I said, “Oh, wait, as we were talking about valuables, I realized that the home invaders didn’t take the sterling silver, just our feelings of security.”
“Well, they were after something specific.”
“Yeah. But they beaned Zoya with a valuable sterling candelabra and they left it.”
“Right. So not the usual MO.”
“Sleep on it. Maybe you’ll have an insight.”
I wish I could say I stayed up to keep Tyler company, like a good little fake fiancée, but as soon as I made up the bed in the green room, I was out like a blown fuse.
* * *
I WOKE WITH a shock and had trouble figuring out where I was. Somewhere green. The clock said seven a.m. I heard a familiar voice: Gus bellowing instructions. I made myself respectable and went downstairs and ended up inspecting the repairs.
“Ain’t nobody gettin’ past this,” Gus said, his arms proudly crossing his chest. “Nobody.”
I managed not to say, “Oh boy.”
What would Gram say when she saw the sheets of plywood blocking out the door and window to the backyard? It wasn’t pretty, but Gus was right—I couldn’t imagine anyone getting past it.
Gus said, “The boys gonna get bars for the windows inna rest of this floor.”
Bars? I told myself it didn’t matter what it would look like. It might be necessary.
Tyler nodded. He was good with bars on the windows.
The Hammett Hex Page 15