Gloria's Legacy

by Robin Alexander

  “Oh, baby, you’re talking my lingo. I think I’m starting to get turned on.” I jotted the doughnuts on my list.

  “And I want a chocolate milk.”

  “Damn, girl. You’re making me downright hot.”

  “Did you witness the trauma I went through yesterday?” Adrienne asked. “No talk of sex for a long time.”

  I nodded. “Okay, I’ll be right back.” I turned just as I got to the door. “When you say a long time…how long is that actually?” I dodged a pillow and went on my hunt for food.

  *******

  Mom and Dad arrived that evening. I stood ready to receive hugs and congratulations when Mom came sweeping into the room. Instead of a hug, I got her purse as she made a beeline for Adrienne. Dad handed me a gift bag and did exactly the same. They were kissing all over Adrienne and telling her how proud of her they were like I wasn’t even in the room.

  Then Mom got a hold of Kaia. Oh, the tears and cooing! Kaia, who normally screamed when I held her, lay silently in my mother’s arms, probably too stunned to utter a peep. Then Dad was holding her and Mom was hovering and telling him everything he was doing wrong.

  “I’ve held a baby before, Margaret,” he protested. “Actually, two.”

  “Speaking of.” I pointed at myself.

  “Oh, Hayden.” Mom pulled me in for a quick hug. “Now tell me, how did you decide on the name Kaia?”

  “It’s Hawaiian. It means water baby or something like that.” I shrugged. “Anyway, we liked it.”

  Mom nodded. “And Elaine for the middle name?”

  “Kaia Margaret didn’t have a ring to it.” I shot a glance at Adrienne.

  “Actually, that’s my mother’s name.” Adrienne came to my rescue, “which is something we should tell you about before we get to the island.”

  Dad piped up. “I thought you were going to name her Drew.”

  “We liked Kaia better.” I avoided Adrienne’s gaze. “Mom, have a seat.”

  Mom complied after she had plucked Kaia from Dad’s arms.

  I wasn’t sure how to begin, so I just blurted it all out. “Elaine is Adrienne’s birth mother. She’s staying with us at the inn.”

  Mom looked surprised and turned to Adrienne. “I didn’t know your knew your birth mother.”

  “I didn’t until recently.” Adrienne looked back at me, putting the explanation ball in my court.

  The whole sordid story about Stinslin and how Elaine and Kristen came to the island poured out. When I was done, Mom and Dad exchanged glances.

  “So you’re telling me that this man is still on the island and roaming free?” Mom said.

  “We have guards posted at the inn, and Colie is keeping a close eye on Stinslin until his contact with the feds can tie him to the crimes.” It seemed so simple to me, but as I explained it to my parents, it began to sound like some psychic version of Murder She Wrote. “We’re certain this guy is what Kristen claims he is. He’s come to the inn already looking for her.”

  “So let me get this straight. You’re going to take Adrienne and the baby back to the island with what you believe is a killer on the loose?”

  “It’s our home, and we’re safe there,” Adrienne said. “We have protection.”

  “I’ve come to understand why you want to live in such a remote place,” Mom began calmly as she looked at me and Adrienne. “But now you have a child—”

  “Which would be no safer in New Orleans, Margaret,” Dad interjected. “But this is a sticky situation. We could put you up in a hotel here in Nassau until Colie gets everything under control.”

  “With all due respect, I’m going home.” Adrienne’s voice was firm, and none of us was willing to argue.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The next day was pandemonium. A storm was approaching, and we were rushed to get back to the island. This was, of course, another arguing point that my mother seized upon. While it wasn’t a hurricane, it was a tropical depression and due to cross near the island. Being residents of New Orleans, my parents weren’t hip on weathering anything more than a thunderstorm.

  Our house had been built to withstand a category five hurricane, but there was no way in hell I was going to ride a storm out in it. But a strafing by a tropical depression that would pass on the opposite of the island was doable. We’d weathered many. Unfortunately, it meant a lot of work.

  When we arrived home, we were welcomed with a festive greeting. Kaia was the belle of the ball and actually seemed to accept her new digs. Even though she’d slept on the ride home, she didn’t protest when she was put down for a nap in her new baby bed.

  Adrienne and I stood wrapped in each other’s arms watching her as she slept. “I tried to imagine what it would be like to see a baby in that bed.” Adrienne sighed and rested her head against mine. “She’s home, we’re home…and I can see my toes.”

  “I can tell you this now, even when Hank had a knife to my throat, I wasn’t as scared as I was watching you in that clinic. I knew Shelby was capable, but still, I felt so helpless, and you were hurting so bad.”

  Adrienne held me as tight as she could manage. “We came through it, though, together. You were right by my side where I needed you.” Adrienne kissed me. “I really am sorry about the fight we had and for screaming at you during the delivery.”

  “Sweetie, you don’t have to apologize for any of that.”

  “The birth didn’t go according to any of our plans, but I’d like to think back on it and not remember telling you I wanted to bounce your uterus like a ball.”

  “But you didn’t say that.”

  “I didn’t?” Adrienne scratched her head. “I guess I just thought it then.” She smiled and shrugged.

  “Maybe you should lie down for a while.”

  Adrienne nodded. “I will, but I want to talk to Iris first.” She grabbed the baby monitor, and I followed with one last look at Kaia to assure myself that I hadn’t dreamed the whole thing.

  Iris was sitting at the bar checking off a list while everyone else gathered in the living room with coffee. She glanced up at us and grinned. “I have it all under control.”

  We knew the drill. The same scenario had played out often since I’d come to live on the island. Adrienne and Iris had dealt with it so many times they could handle it all in their sleep. But then, we didn’t have a killer prowling the island.

  “Has the staff moved the furniture out of the cottages?” Adrienne asked.

  “They’re doing that now,” Iris said. “Fortunately, the storm didn’t cut the guests’ trip short, and we don’t have to give refunds. We saw them off yesterday.” Iris tapped her pen on the board. “The generators are gassed up and have been tested. Jacob will keep a close eye on them if we lose power.”

  The last storm we had weathered blew the thatching and roof material off of every cottage at the inn. Because we moved the furniture, we didn’t lose any of it, but the cleanup and repairs took weeks. We also lost a freezer full of food because someone—me—hooked up the generator improperly.

  “Then we’re all set,” Adrienne said with a relieved sigh and joined the others on the sofa.

  I put a hand on Iris’s arm when she made a move to join them. “Hey, thanks for taking care of everything. Adrienne, me, the inn, all of it. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  Iris grinned. “Pray you never do, child.”

  As we joined the rest of our family, I heard Colie offering their guest room to my mom and dad.

  “Oh, no, that’s not fair.” Elaine moved out of her place in the corner where she’d been silently listening. “You should stay here with Hayden and Adrienne. Kristen and I can go to your place.” Elaine looked at Iris. “That is, if you don’t mind.”

  “Oh, no,” Mom protested. “Blake and I will stay right here on the sofa sleeper. Elaine, you and I can take turns getting up with the baby.”

  Adrienne watched the exchange, then spoke up. “I have to get up anyway to feed her.”

  Mom’s
eyes sparkled as she clapped her hands together. “No, sweetheart, you don’t.” She grabbed a package wrapped in brightly covered paper emblazoned with baby bottles and pacifiers. “We never did have time to have a baby shower like we planned. Now’s the perfect time.”

  Dad and Colie groaned, and so did I.

  Unbeknownst to me, although judging by the look on Adrienne’s face, she knew Iris and Mom had been working together on a secret import operation. Mom was shipping gifts, and Iris had been stockpiling them in lieu of the baby shower. As the gifts started piling up around where we sat, we learned that Iris had coordinated for Elaine and Kristen, as well. One of our staff had gone to Nassau and made purchases for them. Boxes and bags surrounded the couch and covered the coffee table. A cake was set up on the kitchen table, and more coffee began to brew. It was hell.

  I watched longingly as Dad and Colie retreated to the deck with beers in hand, while I tried to ooh and ahh over diapers and cute little outfits. I fought the urge to laugh as Adrienne tried to make sense of the breast pump that Mom was so excited about.

  “You can express your breast milk through this, and we can store it in the fridge,” Mom explained. “That way, you can get a good night’s sleep, and Elaine and I can take care of the baby.”

  “Oh, honey, now you can express yourself,” I said softly when everyone was ogling an outfit.

  She leaned in close. “Let’s take the baby and sneak back to Nassau.”

  *******

  Adrienne stayed long enough to have a piece of cake, then Kaia saved her by demanding to be fed. I grabbed a beer and sneaked onto the deck with the two traitors who left me to suffer.

  “What’s the news?” I asked Colie. I knew by his expression that something was up, and it had nothing to do with his distaste for the baby shower.

  “I was just telling your father we had a break in the Stinslin case.”

  I took a seat with a feeling of trepidation, afraid the news was going to be good and bad.

  “The young woman in the picture with Kristen was found dead in her apartment. My contact sent me a picture of her, and I verified that it was the same woman in the photo. Tyler Hernandez, my contact, and another FBI agent are on the way to the island, but they may be delayed by the storm in getting here.”

  “Colie, I love you, and I mean no disrespect, but why the hell are you sitting here and not arresting Stinslin?”

  He averted his gaze and scrubbed at his face. “One of my people tried to detain him and he got away.”

  “Has he left the island?” I nearly shouted.

  “No, he’s still here. I have all the means of escape sealed. The storm further assisted me in keeping the fishing charters clear of the island.”

  I hadn’t noticed until that moment that Colie’s normally pressed shirt was covered in sweat stains, and his pants and shoes were dirty. “You’ve combed the island and you can’t find him.”

  Colie nodded. “I’ve called the mainland. I was able to get a few extra officers to assist. They’re still searching with locals. I’ll go back out later, but I wanted to come by and tell you what was going on.”

  I started ripping at the label on my beer. “Does Kristen know about her friend?”

  Colie shook his head. “We haven’t told her anything, and she hasn’t been drawing anything, either. Iris seems to think that she’s been preoccupied with Adrienne and the baby.”

  “Does Elaine know?”

  “Yes,” she said softly as she came up behind me. “I heard it going through Iris’s mind today.” She took a seat next to me. “I think Kristen has been so focused on Stinslin that she might’ve missed what happened to Abby. One of us should tell her before she figures it out on her own.” Elaine looked at my father and smiled. “Yes, Blake, I really do read minds, and thank you kindly for the compliment.”

  My dad looked stunned as he blinked rapidly.

  “Perhaps when everything calms down this evening, you and Elaine could talk to Kristen. I know it takes away from your homecoming, but I believe it should come from one of you,” Colie said.

  I nodded. “I need to talk to Adrienne first, then we’ll all talk to Kristen.”

  Colie stood slowly and laid a hand on Dad’s shoulder. “Blake has a weapon.” Colie grinned. “I’m not sure how he procured it, but he’ll stay on guard here. I also have people around the grounds.”

  I looked up at Colie. “Are they armed, as well?”

  He winked at me. “I cannot deputize anyone, but if they’ve managed to arm themselves, I know nothing about it.”

  Elaine slipped back inside, leaving Dad and me alone on the deck after Colie left. His face held a slight flush. “What compliment did you pay Elaine?”

  “I thought that if Adrienne aged as well as her mother did, she was always going to be beautiful.”

  “Cheers to that.” I tapped my bottle with his and took a small sip before pushing it away. I didn’t want anything dulling my senses any more than my exhaustion. “You used to be a pretty decent marksman.”

  Dad smiled. “I still am, honey.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Adrienne’s eyes were filled with tears when I walked into the bathroom and found her leaning against the sink. “Honey, are you all right?”

  She nodded and sank into my arms. “I know about Abby. I heard your thoughts. Kristen told me a lot about her, and even though they’re no longer together, there are a lot of feelings there. Kristen is going to blame herself for Abby’s death because she’s the last person she visited before coming here.”

  “I don’t think we should put this off for very long. That’s one picture we don’t want her to draw.”

  Adrienne washed her face, blew her nose, and followed me into the kitchen. Elaine nodded as we walked in, and I knew she knew it was time. Kristen was helping Iris and Mom put the dishes away when I spoke up. “Hey, Kristen, why don’t you come sit down? I’d like to talk to you about something.”

  We all tried to keep our expressions neutral, but by the time we all sat, Kristen was fidgeting. “What is it?” she asked.

  Elaine put an arm around Kristen’s shoulders. “I don’t know how to say this without it coming out brusque,” Elaine began.

  “Just say it,” Kristen said, becoming more agitated by the second.

  Elaine exhaled a soft breath. “I’m sorry, sweetie, but Abby is—”

  The rest never escaped Elaine’s lips. Kristen let out a wail that awoke Kaia.

  I put a hand on Adrienne’s arm. “I’ll go, stay with your cousin.” Adrienne reluctantly nodded, and I went down the hall to the nursery as Mom settled next to Adrienne and rubbed her shoulders.

  I picked Kaia up and sat in the rocking chair. “It’s okay, my little love.” I held her tiny body against mine and rocked back and forth until she quieted. I’d read that babies really can’t see clearly, just blurry shapes, so the sound of your voice, your touch are what they respond to. I tried to calm myself and talk softly about the things in her room, describing stuffed animals and how when she slept they crawled into bed with her and licked her head, hence the cowlicks in what hair she did have. She stared back at me as though she understood every word, then eventually fell back to sleep.

  I had no experience with babies other than what I’d read in books. I’d never held one until they handed Kaia to me two days before, but it seemed like the most natural thing in the world to wrap her in my arms and snuggle her little body against mine. I knew that one day soon she’d test my patience and make me say stupid things like my mom said to me. I’m going to tear your butt up, or I’m gonna snatch a knot in your head if you don’t straighten up. But for now, my bundle of love made me feel peaceful and calm, even though an emotional storm raged just outside the nursery door.

  *******

  After I tucked Kaia into her bed, I went into the kitchen and found Adrienne, Mom, and Iris talking quietly. All looked as though they had been crying. Elaine and Kristen had retired to their room.

  “H
ow’s she doing?”

  “She’s distraught,” Adrienne said.

  “I gave her one of my muscle relaxers. It should help her relax and sleep.”

  “Mom, those things would knock a horse on its ass. I hope you gave her half.” She’d given me one when I pulled a muscle, and I slept for two days.

  “Hayden, you have dark circles under your eyes, and Adrienne should’ve been to bed hours ago.” Mom got up and handed me the breast pump. “I’ve cleaned it, now take it into your bedroom and see if Adrienne can pump out some milk. That way, you both can get a full night’s sleep.”

  Adrienne didn’t look so sure as she stared at the contraption.

  “Come on, Adrienne, let’s see if we can milk you.” I gave her a hand up.

  “My boobs are already sore,” Adrienne said once I closed the door to our room. “I don’t think I can use that thing.”

  The case alone looked scary, big and black with zippers all over, kinda like something a sniper would pack around. I opened several compartments and pulled out the instruction booklet. It seemed pretty cut and dried to me. “It says to relax and think about the baby. Also, you need to stimulate your nipples. I can do that part.”

  Adrienne climbed up on the bed and glared at me. “Get anywhere near my nipples right now, and it’s on, and I don’t mean in a good way.”

  I pulled out the two sucky things and inspected them. They certainly didn’t look complicated. “The lactation nurse said your milk was flowing well. You might not have any problems whipping out a gallon or two.”

  “I’m not a cow.” Adrienne propped herself on the pillows.

  “I’ll try it first, and if it hurts even in the slightest, I’ll be honest.”

  Adrienne rolled her eyes and gestured toward the milker. “Have at it.”

  I looked at the settings and felt if I were going to give her an accurate report, I should start at the highest level first. I set everything up and lifted my shirt. Adrienne watched in amusement as I stuck it to my stomach and pulled it away with a grin. “Nothing. See, no hickeys or bite marks.”

  Adrienne rolled her eyes. “The skin of your stomach is not as sensitive as my breasts right now.”