The Water Baby

by Roz Denny Fox

  Daisy remembered the day Temple had reeled off the list of foods his daughter liked. It’d been the morning after he’d blown the lights with his electronic arsenal. Daisy thought he’d been putting her on. She laughed. Apparently he hadn’t been. “Honey, I hate to admit to a kid that I don’t have a clue how to fix kiwi salad, but I don’t. Could you pick something else?”

  The blue eyes rounded seriously. “We aren’t dressed to go someplace fancy like my daddy takes me. Maybe you should pick, Daisy.”

  “Gee, thanks. Are you saying I know slobby places to eat?”

  “Sorry,” chirped the girl. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

  “You didn’t.” Daisy chucked her under the chin. “Hey, no long faces. I know this neat little fish place down by the water. We can eat out on the deck and watch the waves roll in.”

  “Fish and chips.” The blue eyes brightened. “Yum.” She patted her tummy.

  Daisy was struck suddenly by a similarity in Temple’s and his daughter’s smiles. Though slightly crooked, their smiles wreathed their faces, prompting an answering smile in anyone nearby. Daisy’s heart gave a little lurch. There wasn’t any future in torturing herself with such thoughts. Maybe with this mess finally winding down, her life would get back to normal. She tried to work up enthusiasm for “normal.” Try as she might, only a strange sadness surrounded her.

  Fortunately Rebecca didn’t seem to notice the change in Daisy. Having found her voice at last, the girl talked a blue streak while they sipped root beer out of fruit jars and waited for their fish. She talked about school and her teacher as if she’d attended yesterday. She told Daisy all about the doorman at the condominium in San Francisco, confiding that he gave her bubblegum, which annoyed Grandmother Wyatt no end.

  Daisy didn’t realize it, but she had formed some notaltogether-flavorable opinions of Temple’s mother.

  “What about your other grandparents?” Daisy blurted without thinking.

  The girl stared out over the ocean, a faint scowl marring her smooth brow.

  For a minute Daisy thought she wasn’t going to answer. The gap in their conversation widened. Thankfully, Daisy saw the waitress wending her way across the deck toward them. She had just served the officer who sat in a corner trying to be unobtrusive. Just before the harried woman reached their table, Rebecca murmured, “Daddy says I make them nervous. Granny Ila isn’t well, and Granddad Dwight can’t take care of her and me. I think they don’t want me there ‘cause I’ll see they’re sort of poor. So they send me presents on my birthday and at Christmas. Not the kind you play with. Glass things to sit on the shelf or dolls that’re just to look at. You know the kind I mean?”

  Daisy nodded. Her heart went out to Temple’s daughter. Among that crowd, she didn’t get to be a kid at all. Did Temple know how lonely Rebecca was? How astute? She thought not. There was a big lump in Daisy’s throat when she accepted their plates from the waitress.

  Both woman and girl ate every last morsel and giggled together about being too stuffed to walk. Daisy paid the bill, reluctant to leave this relaxing spot. She envisioned what it would be like to have a daughter like Rebecca to take shopping, to the movies, out to eat occasionally. There’d be Girl Scouts, dance lessons and trips to the library. They were buckled in the car and nearly home before Daisy called a halt to her daydreaming. What made her think she had what it took to be a mother? Mothers had to deal with bad times, as well as good. Tears, as well as laughter. No one gave lessons in motherhood. But still, Daisy thought she had what it took. Love and understanding.

  She’d no sooner pulled into her driveway than Corporal Randy Phillips dashed out of her house, Temple’s cellular phone clutched in his hand. “Holy moley, am I glad to see you two!” he shouted. “Talk to Mr. Wyatt.” The young police officer thrust the phone at Daisy through her open window. “He’s heard rumors about a run-in on the beach and he’s driving me nuts.”

  She accepted it gingerly. “Temple. Hello. You must be feeling better. What’s up?”

  “What the devil’s going on?” he roared. Daisy winced. Without waiting for an answer, he outlined in detail everything Daisy already knew about the little incident at the beach—how foolish she’d been to ditch her escort. What risks she’d taken. Et cetera, et cetera.

  “It’s over and we’re both fine,” she said. “Things were tense for a minute, but everything came out all right. The man’s in jail with the others. Don’t worry. You just get well,” she advised brightly.

  Officer Phillips arched an eyebrow when Daisy glossed over what had happened. “Do you like the flowers?” she added, glancing obliquely at the child who’d just unsnapped her seat belt. “Rebecca chose them herself. Here, why don’t you thank her?”

  That suggestion had the desired effect. Temple’s useless sputters smoothed to a low rumble as Daisy turned the phone over to Rebecca and climbed wearily from the automobile. Then she went around and helped the child out and led her up the porch steps and into the house. All the while Rebecca kept up a running dialogue with her father. In the kitchen Daisy stopped short. What had been wall-to-wall food and pots and utensils when she left—was it really only last night?—now looked spic and span.

  Surprised, she spun and pinned the corporal with a questioning glance.

  He shrugged. “I got bored,” he whispered so as not to interrupt the child who still chatted on the phone.

  “Wow! I’ll bet your wife loves you,” Daisy told him, her voice frankly awed.

  “I’m not married,” he mumbled. “I come from a big family, and I still live at home. My mom works, and she hands out lists every Sunday night. No distinction between males and females around the Phillips house. I hope you can find all your stuff. I guessed at where it went in the cupboards.”

  Daisy laughed, but sobered as she noticed Rebecca had clicked off the phone. “Uh, didn’t he want to speak to me again?” she asked, trying without success to hide her pique.

  “Nope. He said for us both to stay in the house until Grandmother Wyatt gets here. But I left Strayha in the car. I don’t want to leave him out there all alone.” Tears skimmed the big blue eyes.

  “Honey, I’ll go get Straylia—”

  “No. Daddy said you hadda stay inside, too.”

  Daisy pursed her lips. “Nonsense. But, Rebecca, what do you mean about your grandmother? You must have misunderstood. Grandmother Wyatt lives a long way away.” She recalled what Chap Denton had relayed about Temple sending her meal ticket home—which still made steam come out her ears—but now it looked as if he’d been right. Daisy just hadn’t thought it would happen so fast. “You’re sure he said tonight?” she asked again. “It takes time to make reservations and all.”

  “Grandmother’s gonna be here tonight,” Rebecca insisted stubbornly.

  “I can’t believe that,” Daisy said, snatching up the phone. “Did Temple give you his number at the hospital?” she asked Corporal Phillips.

  He shook his head and handed her the phone book to look up the hospital’s number. “I’ll go out and get her bear. Is there anything else you need brought in?”

  Daisy dug in her pocket and came up with the car keys. “Our bags are in the trunk. And thanks. Won’t Chap Denton love this,” Daisy muttered to herself as she dialed. After she was connected with Temple’s room, the phone rang five or six times, then bounced to the unit secretary who informed Daisy that a nurse had taken Mr. Wyatt to the lab. And afterward, he was scheduled for physical therapy.

  “But we just spoke with him,” Daisy informed her. “Besides, I thought he was on restriction. Please—this is important.” To which the secretary replied, “He’s been cleared from restriction. And nothing short of a death in the family is that urgent.”

  Not wanting to worry Temple, Daisy said she’d call back later.

  But it slipped her mind after she took the bags up to her room and walked into the mess. Her room seemed worse by daylight. Four model ships were all that had escaped vandalism. The ones
in the bottles that she loved best lay among slivers of glass. Desolate, she walked around and picked up a piece here and a piece there. She didn’t know where to even begin cleanup.

  Randy Phillips hovered in the doorway. “I can either entertain Rebecca downstairs or help you clean up her room so that she can play in there while we sweep up the glass. Oh, by the way—” he snapped his fingers and pulled a piece of paper from his pocket “—the workmen finished with your circuit breakers and wiring this morning. Mr. Matthews did his walk-through and left the bill.” Phillips looked away. “I always hate being the bearer of bad tidings.”

  Daisy reached for the bill, feeling nothing. What was one more blow? She had the money in her account to cover it, thanks to Temple, even though she intended to pay him back every cent. Never mind deducting money for child care; pride—and love—wouldn’t allow it. Goodness, but her life had been falling apart lately. She had a boat shot full of holes, no boarder to bring in money and now a humongous wiring debt that would take her into old age to pay back. But it was the loss of her family heirlooms that moved her to tears. “I appreciate your offer of help, Corporal,” she sniffed. “But shouldn’t you be back on the streets catching crooks— now that they’ve rounded up the ones who did this?”

  “Until they talk, the chief says we can’t be sure we’ve got them all.”

  “How about bamboo shoots under the fingernails? Just kidding,” she said, drying her eyes as she picked her way around the glass to put the itemized bill in her desk drawer. “Rebecca,” she called to the little girl, who was sitting quietly on the top step, playing with her koala bear. “How would you like to go downstairs with Officer Phillips and do some coloring? There’s a book and crayons in the kitchen drawer beside the sink.”

  “Okay, but I should change clothes before my grandmother gets here. She doesn’t like me to wear pants. Daddy always has me wear a dress when she visits “

  “I don’t think she’ll be here today, hon.”

  “But Daddy said “ The blond curls bobbed wisely.

  “It takes time to get a flight from the coast and make all the connections, sweetie. But I’ll tell you what. I’ll straighten the bathroom first, then your room. When I finish, you can take a bath and put on one of your pretty sundresses.”

  “Okay. Who made such a mess here?” Rebecca asked. “If I threw stuff around at my house, Maddy’d scold me good.”

  Daisy was glad Rebecca didn’t remember walking in on all the damage last night. “Sometimes people do bad things out of pure meanness, baby. You can tell Maddy all about it when you get home “

  “Oh, look—there’s your dog. Here, doggie,” Rebecca called as she scrambled after Pipsqueak. When she had the wriggling animal caught up in her chubby arms, she turned and beamed at Daisy. “Do I hafta go back home? It’s more fun at your house, Daisy. I’m gonna tell my daddy I want to stay here.”

  Daisy felt as if the air had left her lungs. Just imagine what Temple would have to say to his daughter about that suggestion—not to mention the hissy fit his mama would throw. Daisy checked her watch. It had only been ten minutes since she’d last called Temple. Meanwhile, she refused to worry about a meeting that would probably take place tomorrow at the earliest.

  She threw herself into cleaning the bathroom. When she finished, Officer Phillips and Rebecca were engrossed in a television program, so Daisy went to put the alcove to rights. After that, while the policeman and Temple’s little girl were outside playing ball with Pipsqueak, Daisy got two trash bags from the kitchen and, with a glass of iced tea, trudged back upstairs to start on her room. About midway through salvaging pieces of the ships, she stopped and called the hospital again. This time the doctor was in with Temple. Darn! She’d had no idea he’d be so hard to reach.

  Thereafter, calling completely escaped her. By six o’clock, the room looked almost habitable, even though she looked a sight. Dirt streaked her face, and grime covered her clothing. Plus, she was exhausted. Daisy had about decided to call it a day when Corporal Phillips and Rebecca ran upstairs asking if they could barbecue hot dogs out on the grill and eat them down on the dock for the evening meal.

  Daisy cast a jaundiced eye at the child. Rebecca had grass stains on both knees of the light pink pants, as well as on the seat. Dirt smudged her nose. Twigs from the bushes decorated her hair. But she had a glow about her Daisy hadn’t seen before. What the heck. If they were going to eat outside, there didn’t seem much point in bathing her now. Besides, it was only a couple of hours until bedtime—Temple had tried to keep Rebecca on an eight-o’clock schedule, like the one she’d been used to.

  “All right,” Daisy agreed slowly. “But I’m too grubby to eat. Let me grab a quick shower and change into clean clothes while you light the briquets, Corporal. Then I’ll come down and throw together a salad.”

  “Yippee!” Rebecca shouted. Daisy smiled as the girl chased Troublemaker back downstairs.

  True to her word, Daisy hurried. She discovered, when she went to get dressed, that she needed to find time to do laundry. She had to dig into the pile of things she’d earmarked for the ragbag. At least they were clean, although her chartreuse crop top needed ironing. It might even have shrunk, Daisy thought as she stretched it toward her waist. And tomorrow, she’d have to condition her hair. It was so frizzy from the high humidity, she twisted it into a topknot. However, her hair wasn’t quite long enough. Daisy felt the knot slip to the side as she made her way downstairs.

  Several tendrils were trailing over her ears before she had the lettuce torn for the salad. But her appearance was the last thing on Daisy’s mind when the doorbell rang. Carrying a full bowl of salad greens, she skirted the coloring books on the floor and jerked open the front door. A slender exquisitely dressed woman stood there. A woman whose pearl gray suit, gloves, hat, shoes and purse were perfectly matched. One whose professionally coiffed, champagne blond pageboy didn’t move, despite the ever-present gulf breeze. A breeze that was, if anything, growing stronger, judging by the swaying branches and skittering leaves

  The visitor’s cool blue gaze started at Daisy’s skewed topknot and passed swiftly to her toes. The hand she’d had outstretched when the door opened was withdrawn and now curled tightly around the straps of her leather handbag. “I must have the wrong house,” she said around a frozen smile. “I’m visiting—from San Francisco. I’m, er, looking for the Sloan residence. Sorry to bother you.”

  Daisy now saw something she’d missed earlier. An airport limousine idled in the driveway, its engine running. Again she’d underestimated the Wyatts. Temple’s mother—Rebecca’s grandmother—had plainly commanded a through flight.

  Hell’s bells and little fishes! Daisy grabbed for a tighter hold on the salad bowl.

  It slipped.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  THE BOWL HIT THE FLOOR and broke. Glass, lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers flew as high as Daisy’s head. She cried out as a piece of glass struck the top of her foot a slicing blow.

  “My dear!” Daisy’s visitor spun to see it all. “Mercy, you’ve hurt yourself. Here, let me help.” Snapping open her purse, the woman in the pearl gray suit pulled out a folded linen handkerchief and pressed it to Daisy’s wound. Blood oozed through the fine cloth.

  “Oh, you shouldn’t do that, Mrs. Wyatt. Blood’s a bearcat to get out of anything white.” Daisy caught the scent of an expensive perfume as her Good Samaritan flapped about.

  The woman stopped dabbing at the cut. “You know who I am?” She seemed confused.

  “Yes. You have the right house, Mrs. Wyatt. Your granddaughter is out back. We’re going to barbecue hot dogs. Please join us. If you’d like, go on through the kitchen, while I clean this up and toss another salad. It won’t take a jiffy.”

  “Hot dogs? Oh, my, no. I haven’t eaten one in years. They’re filled with nitrates, you understand. But… Rebecca’s here?” The blue eyes softened. “Is she really better? I’ve been so worried. And now this thing with her father. I shudde
r at the thought of spending a single night in this awful city, but I absolutely could not book a flight out until morning. And there’s a huge educational conference in Houston taking up all the better hotels. However, the travel agent assured me that she’s booked Rebecca and me into a nice one here. So I’ll trouble you for her bags.” She glanced about dubiously. “You have staff perhaps?” Straightening, she adjusted her suit jacket, and the chunky silver earring that peeked out from under her hair.

  In spite of the ever-widening circle of blood on the cloth and the drops beginning to puddle around her bare toes, Daisy laughed. “You’re looking at my staff. That’s me. Chief cook, bottle washer, maid and gardener. I’m not a great doctor, though. Do you think this needs stitches?” She knelt to inspect the deep cut.

  “Daisy!” Corporal Phillips called from beyond the wall that blocked her from his sight. “The briquets are ready. How are you doing with the salad?”

  Mrs. Wyatt skirted Daisy and marched across the living room to the kitchen door. “Young man,” she said briskly. “Your wife…” She turned back to Daisy with a puzzled frown. “I’m sure Temple said you were unmarried. Well, it doesn’t matter,” she said. “The lady of the house needs help. She’s bleeding.”

  His face as white as the ivory walls that flanked him, Corporal Phillips streaked past the woman. His weapon out and ready, he thrust her behind him none too gently.

  Mrs. Wyatt screamed. She clutched her throat, her eyes huge. “Mercy, a gun. Oh, Lord, it’s all true what the limousine driver said. This place is still a haven for pirates.” And she promptly fainted.

  The corporal saw her fall, but there was nothing he could do, because by then he’d reached Daisy. “Holy mackerel, what happened? I don’t know who to help first.” He peeked outside and did a quick check around. “Another intruder?”