Indigo Slam

by Robert Crais

  It was Richard Chenier.

  He said, 'You think it's over, but it's not.'

  Then he hung up.

  I took a deep breath, then went back to the grill and turned the salmon. It dries quickly if you don't watch out.

  I could have called Lucy, I suppose, but, as before, I did not. Before, it would have felt like tattling; now, to call her would have given him more weight in our lives than either of us wanted him to have.

  I drank the Budweiser and ate the salmon, sitting on my deck in the liquid night, listening to the coyotes singing against the stars and the black cutout shapes of the mountain. Late that night I fell asleep there, thinking how very lucky I was that she loved me and no one else.

  As Pike said, we could always kill him later.

  * * *

  CHAPTER 38

  That same night, Clark Hewitt told his children of his cancer, and of his limited time on this earth. He later told me that Teri and Charles had taken it the hardest, but that Winona had borne up the best. I hurt for Teri, but I was glad to hear that she had not denied her pain. I thought of it as progress.

  By Tuesday of the following week, Clark had printed one hundred million dong for Nguyen Dak and his fellow revolutionaries. His fee was $250,000 in U.S. currency. He was paid with hundred-dollar bills, none of which were counterfeit. Clark checked each bill to make sure. I guess he's sensitive to such things.

  The federal government requires you to pay taxes on all income, even income derived from illegal activities like counterfeiting, but Clark had no intention of splitting his money with the feds. His children needed it more than the national debt, the welfare state, or the military-industrial complex. I agreed. I called a friend of mine who is a bank manager, and asked for her assistance. Normally, banks are required to report any cash transaction greater than ten thousand dollars, but I had once helped my friend's husband out of a very bad jam, and now my friend was only too happy to return the favor. She set up a trust account for Clark's children with me as executor, and together we distributed the money in a variety of conservative equity and bond fund vehicles. No report to the government was filed.

  Clark offered to pay me, but I refused.

  Clark had less than four months to live, and, after carefully weighing the few options available, decided that his children should attend a resident boarding school. Clark asked if I knew about such places, and I said, 'Why don't you have Teri look into it?'

  He did, and, after some initial reluctance, Teri researched boarding schools with the same zeal with which she had researched private investigators. She already had her GED, but there's more to learn in school than books.

  The following Sunday the five of us drove to a place called the Rutgers Boarding Academy in Ojai, California, an hour and a half northwest of Los Angeles. We took their Saturn. Clark sat in the front with me, and Teri, Charles, and Winona sat in the back. Charles said, 'Can I drive on the way back?'

  Teri said, 'Don't be stupid.'

  Teri appeared somber on the way out.

  It was a beautiful, clear day, and the ranches and farms we passed were green from the spring rains. The Rutgers Academy was in the foothills, and as we turned through the gate and made the long drive toward a cluster of modern buildings, Clark said, 'This is very pretty.'

  Winona said, 'Yeah.'

  Charles said, 'Do we get to shoot guns?'

  Teri leaned forward between the front seats and stared at the approaching buildings. Maybe she knew more deeply than the others that, if they agreed, this would be her home for the next few years. I said, 'Well?'

  'They have stables and horses.'

  'Uh-huh.' Three girls about Teri's age were walking roan horses along a bridle path.

  There's supposed to be tennis courts and a pool.'

  'I'm sure they'll show us.'

  The headmaster was a soft-spoken man in his fifties named Adamson. I had phoned ahead, and he was waiting to show us around. He wasn't waiting alone. An attractive plump woman he introduced as Mrs. Kennedy was with him, along with a couple of sixteen-year-old students, Todd and Kimberly.

  We introduced ourselves, and Mrs. Kennedy said, 'Why don't I show Winona the horses? Would you like that, Winona?'

  'Yes!'

  Kimberly was there to show Charles around, and Todd was there for Teri. Todd said, 'I can tell you anything you want to know about this place. I've been here since I was ten.' Todd looked like Robert Redford, young.

  All three Hewitt children went in different directions, and Mr. Adamson said, 'We have a strong peer support program here. They're in good hands.'

  Clark said, 'I have a lot of questions.'

  'That's why I'm here, Mr. Hewitt. Why don't you and I go inside and discuss your situation.'

  Clark went inside with Adamson, and I did, too, but I didn't stay long. I had already discussed Clark's situation with Adamson, as I had discussed fees and contracts. When Teri had first suggested the place I checked it out thoroughly both through the state and on my own. I am not the World's Greatest Detective for nothing.

  The Rutgers Boarding Academy had a fine academic reputation, and was known as a safe and nurturing environment. Adamson had a doctorate in education, was married with three children, and had been elected Colorado Teacher of the Year twice before assuming headmaster duties at Rutgers. His record was impeccable. There had never been a charge of any adverse nature filed against the school, or against any of its teachers or employees.

  I left Clark to ask his questions and went out into the courtyard and breathed the clean mountain air. A group of kids were sitting in a circle beneath an oak tree that looked five hundred years old, talking and laughing. Parents walked with other kids around the grounds, going to or coming from cars. They probably thought I was a parent, too. I liked this place, but what I liked didn't matter a lot. What mattered was whether or not it was right for Teri and Charles and Winona.

  I couldn't see Winona or Charles, but I saw Teri. She and Todd walked out of the stables toward the three girls with the horses. Todd introduced them. The three girls smiled at Teri, and Teri smiled back. They talked for a few minutes, and then the three girls continued on, and Todd and Teri turned toward a group of buildings I figured were classrooms. Todd said something, and Teri laughed. Todd laughed, too, and Teri pushed him. Then they both laughed.

  They disappeared into the buildings. A little while later they reappeared and joined me at the car. Todd said, 'Anything else you want to know?'

  Teri told him that she didn't think so, and thanked him for showing her around.

  'Anytime.' When Todd grinned, he flashed deep dimples.

  Teri and I stood together by the car, waiting for the others. I said, 'How do you like it?'

  She chewed at her lip. 'It's okay.'

  'That guy's kinda cute, huh?'

  She turned red and adjusted her glasses.

  'Will you come visit us?' She was scared. If I was her, I would probably be scared, too.

  'You bet I will. As often as you want.'

  She chewed the lip some more, and then she slipped her hand into mine. I gave it a squeeze. 'You're going to be okay, Teri. You're going to be just fine.'

  'I know.'

  END OF INDIGO SLAM