“Holly, wait a second—”
Billy stopped mid-sentence and everyone’s heads swiveled at the sound of the front door opening. Jack appeared. Looking like someone who had walked into his surprise party. At first, seeing the bewilderment and disbelief on his face, Holly feared he might turn around and go back out, drive away from Shoreham forever. But he came into the living room, strode straight up to her.
“So—what is everyone doing here?” he asked her. “You haven’t—”
“I had to, Jack. I had to—”
“You didn’t. Tell me you didn’t.” He put his hands on her shoulders. “Holly? Please. You know how important this is. You promised me.”
“I couldn’t let them think like that about you. I just couldn’t. I couldn’t let them get away with being so wrong about you.”
Jack spun away from her, dragged his hands down his face as if he were raking it.
“Fuck.” He shook his head, stared at the floor.
No one moved or spoke.
“Sorry, guys,” Anna finally spoke. “But I don’t get it. And don’t all look at me as if I’ve dropped a bomb or something because I’ve broken the silence. I don’t get why it’s such a big deal, why you’d have to leave Shoreham, Holly. What I mean is, OK, Jack, so you’re what? In some kind of witness-protection program? And now Billy and Henry and I know about it too. But it’s not as if we’re going to tell anyone. Why would we? Billy doesn’t want to lose the chance of seeing Katy if you left, Henry doesn’t want you to go, obviously, and there’s nothing in it for me to blab either. I mean, come on. Why do you have to go?”
“You wouldn’t be able to resist telling someone, Anna. I know you. It’s too good a story.”
“Holly.” She got up, came to where Holly was and stood right in front of her. “You’ve said a lot of things to me today, things I hope you don’t mean. Maybe you were right, maybe I was jealous of you and Jack. And maybe I did treat you like a sidekick when we were at school. But you know, your parents—and Henry too for that matter, and no offense, Henry, but it’s true—treated me like an airhead. They patronized me, not in a terrible way, but still, I knew what they were thinking. I wasn’t good at school, I wasn’t as smart as you—I bet they couldn’t figure out why you would be friends with me. But we were friends, Holl. And I am still your friend. And I wouldn’t trade you in for a good story. That’s not fair. If we’re all about setting the record straight about people today, include me in. I’m not as shallow as you think I am.”
“Oh, God, Anna. I’m sorry.” All of her righteous anger disappeared and Holly stepped toward Anna and hugged her. “I didn’t mean to accuse you of being shallow, I really didn’t. It’s been a crazy day. I’m so sorry for taking it out on you.”
“Oh, come on. This is very touching, but it’s not the point.” Billy stood up, began to pace around the room. He stopped behind Henry’s chair. “First of all, how do we know we can believe this story, Jack? You could have made this whole thing up. Gangs and the Mafia. Come off it.”
“Why would I make it up?” Jack looked up from the floor he’d been fixated on. “And how could I make it up, even if there were a reason I wanted to? I know you called the school I was supposed to have gone to, Henry. I know you both called the woman who is in charge of my new identity because she called me to tell me you had. How would I know you’d called that school unless the school had informed her—which they have to do in cases like mine?
“And there are gangs in London, Billy. It’s not all Wimbledon and strawberries and garden parties in Buckingham Palace. The Mafia does exist in London. And I was part of it all. I’m ashamed of it. I’m ashamed I went off the rails like that, but I have to pay for it every day of my life. I have to look over my shoulder the whole time. But I thought I could still have a life. I made a new life with Holly and Katy. I want to live that new life. Is that a crime?”
Holly went to him, put her arm around him.
“He deserves a new life, he deserves the same new life and happiness he has given me and Katy.”
“Are you saying they’re still after you, after this amount of time? That they’d really follow you to America if they found out you were here?” Billy pressed.
“I know of a case,” Henry spoke up, “where a Mafia informer was about to testify and he was in the courthouse, on the fourth floor, waiting to go down to the courtroom, and he had a guard, but the guard must have been paid off, because he left the room and when he did, a hit man went in and threw him out the window. It happened in New York, when I was living there. You’re never safe from those people. They make it their business to ensure you’re never safe.”
Billy looked chastened, but only for a second.
“None of this is the point, though, is it? The point is, you took Katy out for a drive at what? Two o’clock in the morning. And you can’t explain that away with anything to do with the Mafia, Jack. You did something entirely inappropriate.”
“That word again.” Jack sighed. “Inappropriate. She was awake. We went on an adventure. She loved it. If it’s inappropriate for her to have fun, I’m guilty as charged.”
“She must have been sitting on your lap to drive. It is inappropriate. You’re not her father.”
“I am so tired.” Holly could feel Jack’s whole body sag as he spoke. “I’m too tired to play games with you, Billy. I told Holly and I told Henry—I had a sister who died when she was very young, when she was Katy’s age. Amanda. One time she and I woke up in the middle of the night and got dressed and went to sit in our parents’ car and pretended to take a trip to France. Stupid make-believe, but she loved it. We used to have so much fun together. Was that inappropriate? Maybe I shouldn’t play Ping-Pong with Katy either. Maybe I need to be accompanied if I walk with her down the beach just in case I do anything inappropriate. Look, I’m sure some American shrink would say I’m recreating Amanda in Katy or whatever, and if everyone thinks that’s wrong, fine. I won’t do anything like that ever again. But at no point did I ever do anything inappropriate with Katy.”
“Of course he didn’t.” Holly shook her head. “Does that answer all your doubts, all your distrust and horrible suspicions? Are you all satisfied now?”
“I still want to know what all this leaving business is about,” Anna said. “I mean, you don’t have to leave now, do you? We can all go back to normal and promise to keep our mouths shut, can’t we? Right?”
What Anna said made sense; Holly dared to hope Jack would see it that way too.
“Jack?” She looked up at him. “Can we stay?”
“Maybe. But all this digging around has to stop. Are you going to stop, Billy?”
“What choice do I have?” Billy’s tone was petulant. “Anna’s right. It’s not in my interest for you to leave town.”
“I said this morning that I knew I’d regret making those calls, Jack.” Henry took a deep breath. “And I do. I only hope you can forgive me.”
“It’s not a problem, Henry.”
“What did the Mafia guys do? I mean, what did they do that you had to testify against them?”
“I’d really prefer not to discuss it, Anna.”
“I think we should go now.” Henry rose from his chair. “And leave Jack and Holly in peace. We’ve meddled enough in their lives as it is. I’m sorry, sweetie.” He walked over to Holly, leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “I’ve been an old fool and I apologize.”
“You should have trusted me, Henry.”
“I know, I—”
“How about a fishing trip tomorrow morning, Henry?” Jack put his hand on Henry’s shoulder. “I could use a trip in the boat.”
“Does that mean you’re not leaving?” Anna asked.
“Looks that way.” Jack gave her a brief smile; Holly’s heart soared.
“Of course we’ll go fishing.” Henry sounded relieved and grateful. “Nothing like a trip on the boat to clear the air.”
“Come on, Billy.” Anna motioned for him to join
her. “Henry’s right. It’s time to go.”
“Anna—you can stay here. I’m sorry about what happened before, I—”
“Holl—don’t worry. Like you said, it’s been a crazy day. And a long one—already. I’m exhausted. It’s time for me to get back to Boston.”
“Billy . . .” Jack blocked his path as he was walking to the front door. “Can we try to be more civil to each other? Isn’t it time we called a truce?” He held out his right hand.
“OK.” Billy shook it. “Whatever.”
Jack turned, rolled his eyes at Holly, mouthed “whatever” and smiled at her.
“Come over later if you want to, sweetie,” Henry said as he was walking out.
“I will.”
When they’d all left the house, Holly threw herself into Jack’s arms.
“I’m sorry, I really am, for telling them. I know I promised, but I had to. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” Jack stepped back, took her face in his hands. “But this doesn’t change anything.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean we’re still leaving.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t trust Billy, I don’t trust Anna.”
“But you said—”
“I know. I want them to think we’re not going. They have to think we’re not going. I want as much time as possible to elapse before they figure out we’ve gone. So I’ll go fishing tomorrow with Henry, and you and Katy can have coffee with him afterward, make everything normal, and then we’ll go—and that will give us at least a day’s start on them.”
“But what Anna said made sense, Jack. It’s not in Billy’s interest to force us out. Or hers, either.”
“It may not be in his interest now, but what about further down the line? When he sees how close Katy and I are and resents it even more than he does now? He could do anything, Holly. He wants me out of the country, out of your life.”
“He doesn’t want you dead, Jack.”
“Maybe he does. Or maybe he thinks I’m exaggerating. He’ll figure out a way to spin it so he can live with it, believe me.”
“Are you sure? I mean do you really think—”
“I have to leave. I told you before, you don’t have to come with me. It’s up to you, Holly. But I have to go. I can’t take the chance. It’s far too risky.”
“Mommy. Jack.” Katy was on the bottom step. “What are you talking about?”
“I was just telling Jack how happy we are that he’s part of our family. How much we love him.”
“He knows that already.”
“He needs to know it all the time, chicken. He needs to know we’re like wolves.”
“What are you talking about?” Katy’s cheek had a crease down it from her nap. She looked at them both with bewilderment. “How are we like wolves?”
Holly took Jack’s hand in hers. “Jack knows how. He’ll tell you.”
Chapter 23
The three of them stood on the road in the rain. Henry was about to turn left to go to his house, but he hesitated; Billy saw this and pounced.
“Do you really believe it, Henry? The Mafia, his sister, a new identity?”
“He told me about his sister before. He wouldn’t make something like that up.”
“And the Mafia?”
“Why not?” Anna felt as if it were the morning after a party and they all had to discuss what had happened the night before. “I mean, the Mafia exists everywhere, doesn’t it? But how did he get involved in it in the first place? He doesn’t look like a Mafioso.”
“I doubt that all Mafiosi look alike.” Henry knew he should go home, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to.
“It’s all very dramatic, isn’t it? It doesn’t really get more dramatic.” Anna hugged herself.
“It does fit,” Henry stated. “How else would he know we’d called the school? That McCormack woman being in charge of his new identity—of course, she wouldn’t say she knew him, would she? It makes sense.” He looked toward his house. “I feel guilty talking about it like this. I should go.”
“The only reason I didn’t trust him in the first place was because of Mr. Barrett,” Anna said to Henry. “Because of something he once said to me.”
“What did John say?”
“He said people smile when they lie. And Jack was smiling when he was talking about taking Katy out in the car. I know—it’s stupid, but I couldn’t help remembering. There was this Shakespeare quote it took me forever to remember—I only remembered it when I was walking out of the house now. How weird is that? Anyway, Jack wasn’t smiling in there just now.”
“What Shakespeare quotation?”
“It’s like ‘You can smile and still be a villain.’ ”
“It’s ‘One may smile, and smile, and be a villain,’ to be precise. Hamlet. John said that to you? Why?”
“He didn’t say the quote, but he said that people smile when they lie. I smile when I lie, I know. And I thought Jack was lying this morning because he kept smiling. But like I said, he wasn’t smiling when he was telling us his story.”
“No, he wasn’t.”
“And that’s proof he wasn’t lying?” Billy kept shifting his weight from foot to foot. He’d been uncomfortable in the house, but then everything about Jack made him uncomfortable, even that brief handshake. Henry was obviously going to believe Jack’s stories. And he couldn’t think of any way to challenge Jack now; he couldn’t call Eliza McCormack again; and it wasn’t as though he could pick up a phone and call Mafia headquarters in London.
“Billy, we should call it a day. We should stop this interfering. It’s wrong. Jack and Holly explained everything in there—at some risk to themselves. As you said to me before, we all make mistakes, we all do things we shouldn’t. He was wild in his youth, he is paying for that now. And he did the right thing by testifying. We should leave them be.”
“I’d like to know about this testimony. What the case was, how—”
“Stop it right now.” Henry put his hands up in the air. “I mean it, Billy. Leave it alone.”
“But his late-night drive with Katy—”
“I think we’re in danger of reading too much into things like that these days. I know I was concerned, but I can see it from Jack’s point of view. I can see how it could be perfectly innocent.”
“You can, Henry? Really? Because I’m not sure I can believe one word that comes out of his mouth.”
“Come on.” Anna tugged on Billy’s arm. “Calm down. Let’s get out of the rain. I’ll come back to your house, we can sit and have a coffee—I’ll need one before I drive back. You really do have to forget this, Billy. If you don’t, the Mafia might end up coming after you. Or Katy, now that I think about it. If they found out where Jack was, they might go after Katy to torture him even more. I saw this episode of Law & Order—”
“You really trust him, Henry?”
“I trust Holly, Billy. And yes, I do. I do trust Jack. He was entirely sincere in there. He deserves a chance. As I said before, we should leave them in peace. Have a good drive back, Anna.”
“Thank you.”
“And I truly am sorry if I acted in a patronizing way to you. But I don’t think John and Julia ever meant to.”
“I’m sure they didn’t. Don’t worry, Henry. Besides, I am pretty much of an airhead. It’s no big deal.”
“It is a big deal. They wouldn’t have wanted to hurt or offend you. Come see me next time you’re down, Anna. We can have a cup of coffee.”
“Will do.” She began to drag Billy away. “Goodbye, Henry. And don’t worry, I’ll calm him down.”
“Goodbye, Henry,” Billy said grudgingly.
Billy allowed himself to be led off by Anna while Henry turned, walked the two minutes it took to get to his house.
At least he was busy today. Taking Bones to the vet—he’d had an upset stomach that morning—buying groceries, stopping in on an old friend in town. Unusually for him, he was anxious to get
off Birch Point and into the “real” world. The whole business with Jack had been too much. The Mafia? A young man like Jack involved in the Mafia?
Well, worse things happen at sea. But then again, do they? What’s worse than Holly marrying someone who was in the Mafia? Someone who has been a criminal?
But I believe in rehabilitation. I can’t throw away my beliefs because the person rehabilitated is married to my granddaughter. Am I a “Not in My Own Backyard” type of liberal? Do my beliefs go only so far?
Yet it all felt so very much against what John and Julia would have wanted for Holly. And so very much against what he wanted for Holly. But love wasn’t in the business of adhering to other people’s expectations. Holly was in love with Jack, Jack in love with Holly. That’s all that really mattered. That and the fact that Jack had changed, that he’d come to his senses and straightened himself out.
Anna’s right, though—how does a boy like that get involved with the Mafia in the first place? What was his original identity? What was his name, I wonder? And what exactly did he do before he straightened himself out? What crimes did he commit?
Henry picked up Bones’s leash from the front hall table. The disappointment and anger in Holly’s eyes as she had asked, “Why, Henry?” had been a terrible thing to behold. He had let her down. And if he kept on distrusting Jack Dane, Holly and Katy might leave Birch Point forever.
“Come on, Bones. We’ve got to mind our own business from now on. Normal life resumes as of now. Which means there is no excuse for not going to the vet, old man. But I’ve got a special snack for you when you’re well again.”
Holly hadn’t called him. When he returned to the house in the late afternoon, there were no messages. Normally, if she came over and he wasn’t there, she’d write a note—but there was no note, either.
She’s punishing me. And I can’t say as I blame her.
He put the groceries in the kitchen, made himself a bowl of Campbell’s minestrone soup and a slice of bread and butter, and then went back into the living room and sat down with the last three issues of the New Yorker he hadn’t gotten to yet. As he read, he kept losing his place and had to start over again.
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