Dani nodded.
He looked at the probation officer. “You may take Danielle and her parents into my chambers before you return her to the cottages, Miss Spicer.”
The probation officer nodded and got to her feet. We rose also. “Thank you, Your Honor,” Gordon said.
The judge nodded and we followed Miss Spicer through the door behind the dais.
3
__________________________________________
The judge’s chambers consisted of two small rooms, the smaller his clerk’s, the larger belonging to the judge himself. Miss Spicer led us into the larger office. One wall was covered with law books, on the others were photographs and framed diplomas. A neat desk and several chairs completed the furnishings.
“Make yourselves comfortable,” Miss Spicer said tactfully. “I have to go to my office for a few minutes. I’ll be right back.”
When the door closed behind her, Nora turned to Dani. “You look thin. And why didn’t you wear that pretty dress I sent you? What kind of an impression do you think that made on the judge? He’ll think we don’t even care enough about you to dress your properly. Where did you get those terrible things? I never saw them before.”
I watched Dani. A curiously tolerant patience came over her face. She waited until Nora had finished her outburst, then a faint note of sarcasm came into her voice. “This isn’t Miss Randolph’s School, Mother. I have to wear what all the girls wear. They give you the clothes.”
Nora stared at her. “I’m sure if you’d asked them, they would have allowed you to wear your own things. Probably they do that because most of the other children haven’t anything of their own.”
Dani didn’t answer. I took out a cigarette. She looked at me. I threw her the package and she caught it deftly.
“Dani!” Nora’s voice was shocked.
“Oh, be quiet, Nora!” Old Mrs. Hayden’s voice was annoyed. “You can stop acting now, there’s no audience. You now she smokes. I asked you to stop her enough times. But you said you didn’t see any harm in it.”
She looked at Dani. “Come here, child.”
Dani walked over to her. “Yes, Grandmother.”
“Are they treating you all right?’
“Yes, Grandmother.”
“Getting enough to eat?”
Dani smiled. “More than enough. I’m not very hungry though.”
“You have to eat to keep up your strength. We can’t have you getting sick on top of everything else.”
“I won’t get sick, Grandmother.”
“Is there anything I can send you?”
Dani shook her head. “No, thank you, Grandmother.”
The old lady kissed her forehead. “You do as the judge says, Dani. Be a good girl and cooperate and we’ll have you out of here in short order.”
Dani looked up at her and nodded. There was a strange wisdom in her eyes. As if she knew better than the old lady what was going to happen to her. But she didn’t say anything.
Instead, she turned to me. “Do you still own that boat down at La Jolla?”
I shook my head. “No, Dani.”
“Too bad,” she said. “I’d have liked to go out with you again.”
“Maybe we will someday, Dani. When you get out of here.”
She nodded and I could see that she didn’t believe that either. “One of the matrons told me that she saw a picture of your wife in the paper. She said she was very pretty.” She looked into my eyes. “The paper said that the reason she didn’t come out with you was because she’s going to have a baby.”
“That’s right, Dani.”
“When?”
“Very soon now,” I said. “The doctor thought it would be better if she didn’t travel.”
A sudden smile cross her face. “Then it’s true what the papers said? I’m glad.”
“It’s true.” I smiled back at her. “Did you think she’d have any other reason for not coming?”
Dani glanced at Nora out of the corner of her eye. Nora was applying her lipstick in apparent boredom over our conversation. “I don’t know,” Dani said in a low voice. “At first I thought she wasn’t coming because she hated me.”
I laughed. “Where’d you get that idea?”
Again the side glance toward Nora. “I don’t know. It was just an idea.”
The door opened and Miss Spicer came back into the room. Through the open door I could see the figure of a matron waiting. “You’ll have to leave now, Dani.”
“Okay,” Dani answered. She tamped the cigarette out in an ashtray and kissed me. “‘Bye, Daddy.”
She kissed her grandmother and then walked over to Nora. Nora put her arms around her. She looked into Dani’s eyes. “You know I love you, don’t you, Dani?”
Dani nodded.
“Better than anyone else?”
Again Dani nodded.
“How much, dear?”
I could see that they were playing a game they had played many times before. Whether it really meant anything to Nora or not I couldn’t tell.
“The most, Mother.”
Nora glanced at me to see if I had heard the answer. I laughed. Dani turned and looked at me, her eyes startled. There must be something to this thing called telepathy because I was sure she knew what I was laughing at. She turned and kissed her mother. “’Bye, Mother.”
Nora looked at me. Her face was flushed and angry. She started to say something but bit her lip and remained silent.
“While you’re all here,” Miss Spicer said smoothly after she closed the door behind Deni, “I was wondering if we might arrange our appointments. It would expedite maters.” She went behind the desk and sat down. “Could I come out and see you tomorrow afternoon, Miss Hayden?”
“Thursday would be better,” Nora said. “The servants would be off and we’d be alone. We would have time to talk.”
“It would be more helpful if the servants were available,” Miss Spicer said. “I’d like to talk with them about Dani, too.”
Nora looked at Gordon. “I don’t know.” She hesitated. “I don’t particularly relish the idea of discussing my affairs with the servants. It seems to me that they have nothing better to do than gossip as it is. You wouldn’t learn anything from them.”
“It’s my job to find out as much as I can about your daughter, Miss Hayden. You may be sure that I’ll be most discreet.”
Nora looked at Gordon again. He nodded. She turned to the probation officer. “Could you come tomorrow morning?”
“The afternoon would be better. I have an appointment at Miss Randolph’s School in the morning.”
“Wednesday afternoon then,” Nora agreed petulantly. “Two o’clock.”
“Two o’clock will be fine.” Miss Spicer looked at Nora’s mother. “Is Thursday good for you?”
The old woman nodded.
“Nine o’clock in the morning too early?”
“I’m up early,” the old woman replied.
Miss Spicer turned to me. “When would be a good time for you, Colonel?”
“Anytime. You name it.”
“I don’t know your plans, Colonel Carey,” she said. “I know your wife is pregnant. I wasn’t sure whether you’d want to return to Chicago and come back again for the hearing. I can make it at your convenience.”
I had purposely waited until the hearing was over, hoping that my staying might prove unnecessary. But there was no purpose in waiting any longer. I knew I was going to stay. I’d have to call Elizabeth that afternoon and tell her I wasn’t returning as planned.
“I’ll be here, Miss Spicer,” I said. “You pick the time.”
“Thank you, Colonel Carey. Four o’ clock Friday afternoon at your motel?”
“Good.”
“Then we can leave now?” Nora asked.
“Just one thing more, Miss Hayden.”
“Yes?”
“The judge asked me to get your permission to obtain a transcript of the divorce proceedings between you and Col
onel Carey.”
Nora exploded. “This is utterly ridiculous! I can’t see any reason for prying into my past. Why, Dani was just a baby when the divorce was granted.”
“The court is entitled to any information that is relevant to the welfare of your daughter. I think you should make it available. They have the right to subpoena such court records, you know. Wouldn’t it be easier to cooperate?”
“Are you threatening that you’ll keep my daughter until you obtain those records?” Nora asked in a freezing tone.
Miss Spicer wasn’t in the least intimidated. She looked at Nora calmly. “I’m not making any threats at all, Miss Hayden,” she said quietly. “I’m just informing you of the powers of this court. If you have any concern for the welfare of your daughter you’ll do everything you can to cooperate. Am I stating it correctly, Mr. Gordon?”
“You are, Miss Spicer.” Harris Gordon turned to Nora. “Dani has been made a temporary ward of the court. That means their power over her is absolute. I suggest that you grant your permission.”
“I thought you were supposed to be my attorney!” Nora said angrily. “But all you did in court was agree with the judge. Now you’re agreeing with this—this woman! Must I stand here and be humiliated like this? Do we have to remain in this idiotic court? What do they know about dealing with our kind of people, after dealing with the sort they normally have here? Can’t we appeal to a higher court or something?”
“Dani is a minor. This is the only court in which she can legally appear.”
Nora glared at him, her eyes flashing anger. “In that case, what the hell do I need you for?”
“I didn’t call you, Miss Hayden,” Gordon said in a quietly dignified manner. “You called me. I’ll withdraw anytime you want me to.”
Nora looked at him for a moment more, then turned away. “Oh, the hell with it! Do whatever you like. I don’t give a damn!”
She stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind her.
Gordon turned to the probation office. “I apologize for my client. This whole wretched business has made her overwrought.”
“I understand, Mr. Gordon.”
“I have a transcript of the divorce proceedings in my office. If you’d care to stop by anytime I’ll have it ready for you.”
“Thank you, Mr. Gordon.” Marian Spicer got to her feet. “I guess that will be all for now.”
We turned and started out the door. The old lady went first, Gordon followed, then I. The probation officer’s voice called me back. “Colonel Cary, may I trouble you for just a moment?”
I turned and walked back to her. “Yes, Miss Spicer?”
She gave me a slight smile. “I’m glad you’re staying, Colonel. And I’m sure Dani will be very happy, too. She was very concerned that you might not be able to.”
“It’s the least I could do. Even a complete stranger would find it hard to walk out on a child at a time like this.”
She looked at me peculiarly for a moment, then her eyes fell. “I guess so, Colonel.”
My former mother-in-law was waiting in the backseat of the Rolls when I came out. She beckoned to me and I walked over. “Where’s Nora?” I asked.
“Gone,” the old lady said. “She’d left even before I came out.” She glanced down the road. “Where are you parked?”
“A few blocks down.”
“Get in. We’ll drop you there.”
I got in and the big car rolled majestically out into the traffic. “Did you call Sam Corwin?”
“No. I thought I’d call him this afternoon.” I looked glumly out of the window.
“You seem depressed,” she observed shrewdly. “Is there anything Miss Spicer told you that she didn’t tell us?”
I glanced to her. “No. What reason would she have for doing that? She merely said that Dani would be pleased to learn that I’m staying on.”
“So that’s it. You haven’t told your wife yet?”
“No.”
“You think she might be upset?” the old lady asked. She didn’t wait for my reply. “I’m an old fool. Of course she’d be upset. I would. Expecting a baby any day and being home alone.”
The big Rolls pulled over to the curb. It was a lot more than that, I thought. Like whether we had enough money for me to stay on.
“Is there anything I can do to help? Perhaps I could talk to her and tell her how important it is that you do stay.”
I shook my head. “No, thanks. I’m sure Elizabeth will understand.”
I opened the door and got out. The old lady leaned toward the door. “Call me this evening. Let me know if you’ve learned anything.”
“I will.” I watched her car move on and then I got into mine and drove back to the motel.
It was just about noon when I put the call through. “Hi,” I said. “Had your lunch yet?”
“Of course,” Elizabeth replied. “How did it go?”
I started to tell her about the coroner’s inquest but she stopped me. “I just finished reading about that in the papers. What did they decide about Dani?”
I kept it as brief as I could. Then I told her about the letter. When I finished there was a silence. “Elizabeth,” I said, “did you hear me?”
“I heard you,” she said. Her voice was very low.
“Are you all right?” I asked.
“I’m all right,” she said. “I never felt better in my life. I enjoy being by myself. I suppose you want to stay out there until next week?”
I took a deep breath. “I would like to if it’s all right with you.”
“What more could you expect to accomplish?” she asked.
“If I leave now, Dani will think I’m running out on her again.”
“But you didn’t run out on her before!” Elizabeth said. “Didn’t you explain that to her?”
“I did,” I said. “But she’s still a child. I don’t think she half understood.” I reached for a cigarette. “She’s depending on me.”
“So am I,” Elizabeth said. “How do you think I feel? With all the neighbors looking at me and asking how you are? They read the papers the same as I do. They know that you’re seeing her every day!”
I knew who she meant. “That’s stupid.”
“Is it?” she asked. “Are you sure that Dani is the only reason you’re staying?”
“Of course, I’m sure,” I shouted. “What the hell other reason would I have?”
“You wouldn’t be worried about those letters just on account of Dani,” she retorted. “You’ve already told me there was nothing more they could do to her. The law protects her. It’s Nora you’re trying to protect. You’d see that if you only took the time to be honest with yourself!”
I heard the connection break at the other end of the line. I flashed the operator and told her that I’d been cut off, then I heard the telephone ringing.
“Hello.” She sounded as if she’d been crying.
“Elizabeth,” I said. “I’m sorry. I’ll make arrangements to come home.”
“No, you won’t,” she sniffed. “You’re going to stay there until the while damn business is settled.”
“But—” I protested.
She interrupted. “No. No, you’re going to stay there and get it out of your system. When you come home I don’t want anything haunting you. I want a whole husband back, not the guilt-ridden ghost of the man you were in La Jolla.”
“But what about the money?” I asked.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “Your V.A. check just came in. That’s a hundred and forty bucks, enough to keep us a week. And I can always get a couple of hundred for my ring if I have to.”
“Elizabeth,” I said in a wondering voice.
I heard her sniff. “What?”
“Elizabeth,” I said. “I love you.”
4
__________________________________________
The Scaasi-Corwin Galleries had their own building on Post Street, not far from Gump’s. It was a narrow old-fashioned build
ing sandwiched in between two larger ones, with a brand-new front of Mediterranean brick. The entrance was through a heavy glass-paneled door, just to the side of a small showcase set in the brick like a picture frame. In it, like a jewel on blue velvet, was a small abstract sculpture in welded bronze, glowing red and gold in an amber spotlight. The artist’s name was in small black letters on a white card, the lettering on the door was respectable gold leaf.
SCAASI-CORWIN
TOKYO, SAN FRANCISCO, NEW YORK, LONDON, PARIS.
I opened the door and went in. A young man with a neatly trimmed Vandyke stepped forward and in an accent matching his English-cut clothes, inquired, “May I be of service, sir?”
“I have an appointment with Mr. Corwin.”
“That’s the lift on your left, sir. The offices are on the fourth floor.”
“Thank you,” I said and walked over to the elevator.
The door opened as if by magic as I approached. “Fourth floor, please.”
“Fourth floor,” the operator repeated, closing the door. “Thank you, sir.”
I glanced at the operator and almost immediately began to feel ashamed of my sixty-dollar, three-button threads. Even the elevator boy wore an English-cut suit.
I stepped out into a lushly appointed reception room. Behind the desk was another Vandyke.
“I have an appointment with Mr. Corwin.”
“Your name, please?”
“Luke Carey.”
He nodded. “Thank you. If you’ll take a seat I’ll see if Mr. Corwin is free.”
I sat down and picked up a copy of a magazine from the free-form table in front of the couch. It was Réalités. That figured. But in French. So I could look at the pictures.
I turned the pages. There was a picture of Brigitte on a boat in St. Tropez. I studied it. Any magazine that had a picture of Brigitte in a bikini couldn’t be all bad. A shadow fell across the page. I looked up.
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