by Leslie Glass
Alison didn't grimace at this assessment of her. She'd heard him say it all before. She sighed because it was so difficult to talk to a person who'd been to law school and always thought he was right.
"What do you want me to do?" she asked, trying to focus and be good so he wouldn't be angry with her.
"I want you to stop drinking, okay?" he said more gently.
"Okay," she promised. That was not a problem. She could do without alcohol whenever she wanted to.
"And I want Lynn out of the house today." He ticked number two off his list.
"What?!" This order caused Alison to bolt right out of bed, even though she was shaking all over. She stood in front of him, swaying with a head rush.
"You heard me. I want you to fire her this morning."
"But why, Andrew? I thought you liked her." Alison was completely stunned. She almost forgot she was talking to a naked man. She too busy holding on to the bed.
"You're always telling me she's lazy. You had reservations about her capabilities all along. And you told me you think her friend is a murderer," Andrew said. "That's good enough for me."
"But what does that have to do with it?" she said numbly. She had no memory of saying those things.
"I don't want our household dragged through the press. I don't want to be involved. This is an order, Al. I mean it. Get her out of here."
"I can't fire her," Alison whined, finally letting herself collapse back on the bed.
Andrew got up and turned his back on her. "I have to get going, and you have to do it."
"But I can't, Andrew. The girls like her." She couldn't think of anything else to say. She was sick. She couldn't take the girls to play school. Damn! She had the flu, and he was walking away from her. She didn't like his naked back any more than his burgeoning belly. Shit! He went into the bathroom and closed the door.
Alison lay back against the pillows. Her head ached terribly. She'd forgotten all the times she'd said she wanted to get rid of Lynn. And yesterday she particularly hadn't wanted someone who looked like a killer taking care of her children. But that was yesterday. Since talking with Lynn and Leah last night, she didn't really feel that way anymore. She thought Lynn was a caring person, always there when she was needed. But Andrew meant what he said. Sometimes she could get around him, but not about something like this. She wanted him to be happy. She wanted to do the right thing. She closed her eyes.
She didn't know how much time passed before he came out of his dressing room, wearing a dark suit and tie, ready for the office. She opened her eyes and he still looked angry. "I mean it about Lynn. Do you want me to take care of it?" he said, raising the subject again.
"No, no. I'll do it." Alison thought she could be nice about it. Andrew could never be nice about anything.
"And nothing to drink today, okay?"
"It's no problem, honey." She had no doubt she could do without alcohol. Piece of cake. She would pull herself together, and never do coke again. She hated the stuff and needed some time off of it anyway. She'd call Derek. He'd give her his great vitamin drink that helped her recover, and she'd get well fast. Just a few minutes in bed, and then she'd get going. She made her plan and closed her eyes.
Andrew left without saying anything else to her. At seven o'clock the girls tumbled into her bed and woke her up. "Orange juice, Mommy," Jill said. Jill was the younger one. She had pretty dark curls and big blue eyes. She was going to be a knockout.
"Hi, babies," Alison said through an aching head.
"Where's Daddy?"
"He went to the office."
"Where's Lynn?"
"Isn't she in her room?" Alison stretched, patting for the dogs. Dogs still weren't there. She wondered why they hadn't come into the room when Andrew opened the door.
"Uh-uh," Jill said.
"She must be out with the dogs. Can you make our breakfast?" Jessica asked.
"Of course, I can," Alison replied pleasantly. But do I want to? she asked herself. "Oh, shit," she muttered, and hauled herself into a sitting position where she could see her children better. Jill was jumping on the bed. Up and down, up and down. Jumping was a new thing for her. It made Alison want to scream. She extricated herself from the sheets and went to the bathroom.
Water from Andrew's shower was splashed everywhere. She didn't know how anyone could make such a, mess. She opened her makeup drawer and found her container of Vicodin tucked away with the lipsticks and colored pencils. She took two and stuffed the little zip bag in the back. Then she staggered downstairs to make the girls their scrambled eggs. While they were eating, she called Derek for the vitamin drink she needed. It was only seven ten, and he didn't pick up. She called Jo Ellen Anderson, at the employment agency, and left a message to call her right away about finding a new girl. Lynn had to go. She had several cups of coffee and started feeling a little better.
Twenty-four
Remy felt like a thief as she slipped out of the Fifty-ninth Street entrance of the Plaza Hotel at six thirty a.m. She didn't know whether Wayne was up or not and didn't care. The boys were still sleeping, and after last night she just had to get out of there. She took no special notice of the jogger that paused in front of the movie theater across the street. She hurried down to the corner, grabbed a taxi on Fifth, and didn't talk to the driver as he cruised downtown, then turned east on Fifty-second Street. Lynn was waiting for her on the corner of First Avenue as she'd promised, and had the two dogs with her.
"What's the matter? What happened?" she asked as Remy paid and got out of the cab.
As usual, they were dressed alike, in sweatshirts .and jeans. They carried the same shoulder bags and wore similar Nikes. Floyd, the standard poodle, jumped up and Remy patted him. Roxie jumped as high as she could, and Remy leaned over to pat her, too. "I had a terrible night," she said after a moment.
"Did you have to sleep with him?" Lynn said. Remy knew that Lynn had once been fired from a job after a wife found out about her husband's advances to her. Lynn was particularly sensitive to the hazards of being a live-in.
Remy made a face. It wasn't that. She'd slept with Wayne Wilson many times before. She'd given him blow jobs, whatever he wanted, and didn't think it was a big deal. She didn't dwell on it too much.
"Well, did you?" Lynn couldn't stop asking that question.
Remy brushed it away. "Why did you bring the dogs? Now we can't go in anywhere. I need something to eat."
"Andrew locked them up last night, and they were crying. They wanted to go out, and I needed the excuse. What was yours?"
"Oh, I just left. Al right, I'll have a bagel. Wait for me."
The deli on First Avenue had a bench out front. At the moment no one was on it, so Lynn sat down while Remy went in for coffee and bagels. She came out in less than five minutes with two paper bags, and handed one over.
"Latte and Cinnamon raisin bagel for you, pumpernickel for me," Remy said. She sat down and pulled out her coffee first. She took a sip and grimaced. "Too hot. Okay, how are things with you?"
"Same old, same old. Alison got really crocked last night. She thinks I don't know what she gets up to—the three Ds. Derek wouldn't come over last night, and Andrew didn't show, either. So she was left with drugs and drink. I feel sorry for her."
"Yeah, well. Feel sorry for yourself. Things are very weird, Lynnie."
Lynn chewed on her bagel. "I still feel sorry for her. I can always do something else, get a new job. She's stuck there."
"You better start planning now. You're getting canned today."
"What? How do you know?"
"I heard Wayne talking to Andrew last night."
"Jesus, Remy. What did he say?"
"Well, I couldn't hear everything because I was in the other room, but 1 think Andrew was chewing him out for having me stay there." Remy tossed her hair back and started eating.
"Yeah, well, what did you expect? 1 wouldn't stay there with them for anything in the world, and I don't even want to ask how it is." Sh
e raised her eyebrows, asking nonetheless.
"He said Alison had to get rid of you because of the publicity."
"What publicity? Who cares about Alison?" Lynn laughed uneasily. "Why would Wayne tell Andrew to fire me? It's ridiculous."
"Andrew doesn't want any publicity. He wants us both out of the way, some antinanny thing. He doesn't understand that I'm in a special situation, that I'm not a nanny," Remy said.
"Yes, you are." Lynn had one dog on her lap and one at her feet. She occupied herself with them for a moment, then got serious. "Thanks for the warning, Rem, but I'm not the one in trouble. You are, too. You were there yesterday, and you're still there with him. I don't know what you're thinking, but other people are not seeing this as a good thing. Alison thinks you're in on it for sure. You need to get a lawyer, and you need to move out now."
"I didn't do anything wrong."
Lynn made a disparaging noise. "You're not listening! You're staying with him and his two children. You should think about that."
Remy tossed her hair again, then frowned. The jogger who'd been in front of the Plaza was now across the street by the newsstand. She hadn't studied him carefully, but she was sure it was the same guy. "See that guy over there?"
Lynn turned to look where she pointed.
"He followed me."
"Good Lord, Remy, are you sure?"
Remy nodded. "I saw him at the Plaza a little while ago. Wayne says he's being followed, too. The police came to his restaurant last night and talked to the chef, the sous-chef, everybody. He was on the phone with his friends all night."
Lynn stared at the jogger, who was busy reading the newspaper he'd just purchased. "They can tap the phones, you know," she murmured.
Remy took Lynn's hand off the poodle's collar and squeezed it. "Listen to me. It was horrible what happened to Maddy, but I was with Wayne in his restaurant. He was accepting deliveries, counting the boxes, when it happened. A lot of people saw us there. No one can pin anything on us, and I guarantee that he won't let anything happen to me. I can guarantee it."
Lynn's face was full of doubt. "You're sleeping with him, Rem, and you found her. It doesn't look good," she muttered, staring at the cop.
Remy had never admitted that. Now she shrugged. "So what? Derek was sleeping with her."
Lynn shook her head at this answer. "Did you stay in his room last night? The maids will know."
Remy shook her head no, and that was the truth. She never talked about this, but Wayne had his little habits, and losing his wife hadn't changed any of them. He liked to have someone hold his penis at night, massage and have sex with him— sometimes quite athletic sex—but he was never romantic in any way. Afterward, he always wanted to be alone so he could talk on the phone, or be on the Internet all night. Sometimes late at night, or very early in the morning, they used to cook little meals for each other and drink more wine, but that was it. If she'd held out any hope for his being more tender now that Maddy was out of the picture, she would have been seriously disappointed. She played with her hair, acting cooler than she felt about the whole thing.
"Are you really okay?" Lynn said as if she didn't buy the act.
"Everybody asks me if I'm okay. How can I be okay? I found a corpse." She was watching the jogger across the street, and didn't feel good about it. "And a cop is following me." She paused. "And I really liked him." She picked up her bagel and stared at it.
"Wayne?" Lynn pursed her lips. "Don't you like him anymore?"
"Let's just say the way he was talking last night opened my eyes. He doesn't care about anybody but Wayne, that's for sure. We're both kind of screwed," she said sadly.
"What do you mean?' ' Lynn said cautiously.
"Oh, I'm not getting any restaurant job now, and you better find someplace else to live."
The poodle tugged on its leash and Lynn looked anxiously at her watch. "I have to go back now."
"Why?" Remy finally started eating her bagel.
"Because they'll be worried," Lynn said seriously.
"They're going to fire you, idiot," Remy said angrily.
Lynn shook her head. "You don't understand. The girls love me, and Alison has already gone through too many people. She talks about firing me . all the time. It's a form of entertainment for her. But she won't ever fire me."
Remy shrugged. "All right, go back, then, but don't blame me if something happens. She lifted her hand and waved at the jogger. He turned away, pretending not to see her.
Twenty-five
Leah was waiting on the street in front of the Perkins house when Lynn headed back from First Avenue. Sitting on the curb between parked cars, she was wearing slippers and a fringed shawl. Lynn tilted her head, uneasy at seeing her there looking like some weird hippie without a home. The dogs raced toward her, but Lynn held back on their leashes. "What's - going on? What are you doing here?" she said anxiously when she got close enough to speak.
"I couldn't sleep. I thought I'd come over, but you weren't there," Leah accused.
Lynn tilted her head. "Get up. Don't you know the dogs do their business down there?"
"Where were you?" Leah stood up and brushed off her jeans.
"Walking the dogs. Roxie had to go out." Lynn glanced toward the kitchen door. "You didn't go in there, did you?"
Leah chewed on her bottom lip. "She really freaked out when she saw me. She started yelling at me."
"Well, I'm not surprised. First of all, you can't just walk into someone else's house totally unannounced. Also, have you taken a look at yourself this morning?" Lynn shook her head. "What's with the bracelets?"
Leah pulled her sweatshirt down over her wrist to hide them.
"Let me see them."
Leah backed away. "Don't crowd me. I didn't do anything. I was just looking for you." .
"You're not my shadow. You're not supposed to go in there when I'm not there. That's a big one, Leah. You could get me fired!"
"Well, it's not my fault you weren't there. I could punch you for that." She took a boxer's stance.
"Oh, great. Act loony tunes. That will really help." Lynn stepped away. Sometimes she just didn't get Leah. "Check yourself. You can't act crazy."
"She was going to hit me in front of the girls. She was scary."
"Look who's talking about scary. Go home," Lynn said, disgusted. "I'll take care of this."
"Don't tell Jo Ellen. You know how she is."
Lynn turned her back on the girl. "You always get me in trouble," she muttered. She twisted the leash around her wrist. "I'm pissed off. I really am. Don't come back today. I have things to do. Just beat it. You're too much trouble."
"Please, Lynn, I'm sorry. I won't do it again. I'm not trouble."
"I'm not talking to you." Lynn didn't care if Leah cried all day. She'd had it with hysterics. Then she girded herself for an attack from Alison— another nutcase. Her life wasn't easy. She didn't look back at her shadow as she entered the house through the street-level entrance.
As soon as she got into the kitchen, where the two little girls were still at the breakfast table, playing with their food and watching TV, Alison let loose. "Where were you?" she snapped angrily.
"The dogs were crying. I took them out," Lynn told her.
"For an hour? You took them out for an hour?" Alison's voice was shrill but a little slow.
"I'm sorry. I guess I lost track of the time." Lynn unhooked the leashes and let the dogs rush their mistress. "Girls, are you ready to go?" She wanted to act normal for them.
Alison patted the dogs as the children bolted from the table to get their things. No matter what the season, they had a routine. They went to a little day school not far away, and they liked it. If it wasn't raining, Lynn would walk them over. She started to follow them up the stairs to their rooms to get their backpacks. Alison didn't look good, so she didn't want to talk to her, but Alison had other ideas.
"You left the door open. Leah came into the house. That's not acceptable."
"I'm sorry."
"She came into this house. You're done."
"I'm sorry. It won't happen again," Lynn said.
"You're damn right it won't happen again. This is the end. This is it. You girls are a menace. I've had it with all of you. I don't want any of you in the house again. Take the babies to school and get out of here." She ranted on until she ran out of speed, then lurched out of the kitchen. Lynn wasn't expected to defend herself, and she certainly wasn't going to plead for her job under these circumstances. The Wilsons needed her more than she needed them. She'd been called a menace before, but it didn't mean a lot. She went up to the fourth floor to get the girls dressed in their little pink jackets.
"Want to say good-bye to Mommy?" she asked.
"Yea, yea, " Jessica said.
"Yea, yea," repeated her little sister.
"Okay, let's go find her."
No one had any doubts about where she was. They went down one flight of stairs to Alison's bedroom. The girls rushed into the room, while Lynn stayed outside the door. They did their good-bye thing for a few moments. Then the girls ran out, and Alison called to her. "Come in here, Lynn."
Lynn went into the room and was not surprised to find the usual mess. Alison's clothes and shoes from the night before were scattered about. Andrew's boxer shorts and socks were discarded on the floor beside the bed. There was a empty wineglass on the bedside table, and the pillows and bedding were in disarray.
"Are you okay?" she asked softly.
Alison had the dogs on the bed with her. "I feel terrible. I have the flu," she said.
"You want me to get you something at the store?"
"It's too bad, but you've left me no choice in the matter. There's nothing I can do about it."
"Let's not talk about it now," Lynn said softly.
"You can't stay here any longer. I put up with it as long as I could. You'll have to go." Alison's eyes closed, then opened halfway. She was having trouble staying awake.
"Okay," Lynn said. She could tell her boss was already into it. Alison must have come upstairs to take a pill. Remy had warned Lynn that this was coming, and Leah's walking in this morning gave Alison the excuse she needed. But the Perkins family had gone through so many nannies they had a reputation. Lynn knew that she'd put up with the yelling longer than anyone else, and she'd provided stability for Jessica and Jill. Still, she couldn't help worrying about what Jo Ellen would say.