Brutality

by Ingrid Thoft

  “No, he didn’t.” Bobbi massaged one of her shoulders with her hand.

  “This may seem like a weird suggestion, but I know an amazing massage therapist. The last thing you need is physical pain on top of all of this.”

  “Is he a miracle worker? That’s what I need.”

  “He kind of is,” Fina said. “Tell him that I sent you, and he’ll give you a discount.” She wrote Milloy’s contact information on a piece of paper and tore it off. “You won’t regret it.”

  “Thanks,” Bobbi said. “I may need to schedule extra sessions when I get your bill.”

  “Yeah. I’m not going to send you a bill,” Fina said.

  Bobbi shook her head. “You’ve worked hard and did what you said you would. You should be paid.”

  “Oh, I’m going to be paid, but not by you—by my father.”

  “But Liz’s death wasn’t connected to the lawsuit.”

  “Maybe not directly, but the lawsuit played a role,” Fina said. “My dad is going to make plenty of money on the lawsuit. He can eat the cost of the investigation.”

  Bobbi cried some more. After a few minutes, she seemed to catch her breath. “Thank you, Fina.”

  “You’re welcome. Let’s get together soon. We can talk some more about this or something completely different if you like.”

  Bobbi nodded.

  “I told Jamie that I have resources if he decides to get some help,” Fina added.

  “Okay.” She was silent for a moment. “Did Jamie know that Kelly attacked Liz?”

  “I don’t think so. I haven’t asked him, but I don’t think that he was holding on to that secret, too. He had enough lies and misery to manage.” Fina reached over and squeezed Bobbi’s hand. “I can hang out for a little while if you’d like the company.”

  “Thank you, but no. I’m okay.”

  They stood and embraced. Fina could feel the wetness from Bobbi’s cheek on her own neck.

  “I’ll talk to you soon,” she promised.

  Fina left the room and wound through the hallways to her father’s office.

  “Great. The gang’s all here,” she said. Carl, Scotty, and Matthew were sitting at the conference table.

  “Speak of the devil,” said Scotty.

  Fina frowned.

  “We just heard that you were the target of the car bomb,” he said. “I knew it!”

  “Woo-hoo! You were right,” Fina said, leaning her butt against the credenza. “Who told you?”

  “I heard from one of the detectives on the arson bomb squad,” Scotty said. “So it was that guy Kevin Lafferty?”

  “He didn’t attach it to the car, but he was behind it,” Fina said.

  “Is that the man who was here the other morning?” Carl asked. “The one going berserk?”

  “The very one,” Fina commented. “He really couldn’t stay away from me.”

  “That was an expensive car, Fina,” Carl said, peering at her.

  “Cost of doing business, Dad.”

  “Not my business.”

  “Are you referring to the business that includes a multimillion-dollar suit against NEU? The case that I brought to the firm?” she asked. “Why don’t you just count the car against my finder’s fee?”

  Carl scowled. “You’re not getting a finder’s fee.”

  “Nor am I replacing your SUV,” Fina said. “Nor will I be charging Bobbi Barone for the investigation.”

  “Since when?” Carl asked.

  “Since I solved the case. Turn on the TV. I bet they’re covering it.”

  Matthew reached toward Carl’s desk and picked up the TV remote. He turned it on and flipped through the channels until he found the local news station. It was the tail end of the weather report, which was calling for snow, snow, and more snow with a little ice thrown in for variety.

  The anchor took over from the meteorologist and described an oversized truck wedged under a bridge on Storrow Drive, which was causing a major traffic jam. After a teaser about the Celtics, he announced in solemn tones that a person of interest had been brought in for questioning in the attack on a Hyde Park woman. The story was brief, and Fina filled in the details for Carl and her brothers.

  “Well done, Sis,” Matthew said.

  “You helped,” Fina said, punching him playfully on the arm. “You, too, Scotty. I especially appreciate how cool the two of you were under pressure.” She grinned.

  “The car was on fire,” Scotty protested.

  “Yeah, I know,” Fina said. “I was there, remember? I’m the one who got burned.”

  “Back to the bill,” Carl said. “I thought we agreed that I would foot the bill if her attack had something to do with the lawsuit.”

  “It does have something to do with the lawsuit,” she said, “but I don’t want to fight about it right now. Let’s just bask in our victory.”

  “We have too much work to do to bask,” Carl said, turning his attention to a file in front of him.

  “I’m off, then.”

  Fina left the office and walked back in the direction of the meeting room where Bobbi had been. The room was empty, so she left the office and headed west on the Mass Pike.

  She was in a good mood and wanted to share it.

  —

  Frank and Peg weren’t home, and neither was Risa, so Fina called Patty. She wasn’t home, either, but she suggested Fina wait for her at the house.

  Fina stopped and got a frappe on the way. She let herself in and lay down on the couch to watch TV until Patty arrived. She slurped on her drink and channel surfed. Fifteen minutes later, there was a sound in the front hallway.

  “Patty!” Fina called out. “I’m in here.”

  She heard footsteps, and then Elaine appeared in the doorway. She was holding a book of fabric samples in her arms.

  “Oh,” Fina said. “I thought you were Patty.”

  “No. I’m not.” Elaine dumped the book onto the counter and marched over to the couch. “Turn that off.”

  “What?” Fina took a long sip through her straw. “I’m watching it.”

  “Turn it off!” Elaine yelled. Her face was red, and she was shaking.

  Fina turned off the TV and sat up. “What is going on?”

  “What have you done to your brother?”

  “What?”

  “Your brother, Josefina!” Elaine hollered. “What have you done?”

  Fina stood up and started to brush past her mother. “The right thing. That’s what I’ve done.”

  Elaine reached out and grabbed Fina’s arm, digging her fake nails into her flesh.

  “Oww!” Fina yelled. “Let go!”

  “No. Not until you explain yourself.”

  Fina pulled her mother toward her. “Let go or I’ll break your wrist.”

  Elaine released her. “I don’t even know who you are. I can’t believe I raised a child like this.”

  “Like this?” Fina shouted. “Like this?” She took a step back from Elaine. “You raised a pedophile, that’s who you raised! A man who molested his own daughter!”

  Her mother sneered. “That’s disgusting, Fina!”

  “I agree, but it’s true. Rand is a pedophile. He should be locked up in jail.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Elaine insisted.

  “Of course you don’t. Nobody tells you anything, and why would they? You only believe what you want to believe. You live in your own little fantasy land.”

  “You’re lying.”

  “About your son, the monster? Sorry, it’s all true,” Fina said.

  “Stop it!” Elaine yelled, covering her ears with her hands. “I don’t want to hear any more lies!”

  “Then stop listening to Rand, Mom. He molested Haley, and he was going to molest Karla’s girls, too.”r />
  Elaine’s face scrunched up. “What did he ever do to you to deserve this treatment?”

  “He didn’t do anything to me,” Fina said. “It’s all the other women in his life who’ve suffered.”

  “You are a liar. I can’t stand the sight of you right now.”

  Elaine strode out of the room, and the front door slammed. Fina massaged the red marks on her arm and grabbed her things. She couldn’t stand to be there one second longer.

  —

  Milloy massaged her feet as she lay on the couch. They’d eaten Chinese food and were watching a show about people who lived north of the Arctic Circle. Sure, it was good to know how to hunt your own food and chop your own firewood, but why do it if you didn’t have to?

  “I think I’ve started World War Three,” Fina said during a commercial.

  “You couldn’t keep it a secret forever,” Milloy said. “The truth would have come out eventually.”

  “Not like that,” she said, rubbing her forehead. “That was not a great move on my part.”

  “It’s unhealthy keeping those kinds of secrets. You’ll all be better off now that she knows the truth.”

  “She’s never going to believe it,” Fina said bitterly.

  He shrugged. “There’s nothing you can do about that.”

  Fina’s phone rang. Milloy muted the TV and handed it to her, glancing at the screen. When Fina saw that it was Cristian, she let it go to voice mail.

  “You two have a fight?” Milloy asked.

  “Hardly.”

  He looked at her, waiting for her to elaborate.

  “He wants to date,” Fina said. “Exclusively.”

  Milloy looked surprised. “What did you say?”

  “I didn’t say anything. I was too surprised to answer.”

  “Do you want to date him exclusively?”

  Fina closed her eyes. “What I want is for you to rub my feet. Can we just do that right now?”

  “Of course,” Milloy said, and turned the volume back up.

  Fina listened as a woman described preparing a scrumptious meal of moose heart and caribou muscle. “These people are crazy,” she said, opening her eyes.

  “Some people might say the same thing about you,” Milloy said, smiling.

  Fina nodded and grinned sheepishly. “You’re right. Some might.”

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Although writing is a solitary pursuit, I couldn’t do it without the hard work and support of many people.

  Thank you to all the readers, booksellers, and librarians who have embraced Fina and the rest of the Ludlows.

  Helen Brann, thank you for your unwavering support and advocacy.

  Davenie Susi Pereira, Catalina Arboleda, Allison Walker Chader, and Lauri Bortscheller Nakamoto have been amazing readers and cheerleaders throughout this process.

  Greg Nakamoto, M.D., and Matthew Bio, Ph.D., let me pick their brains about all things medical and chemical. They provided critical details, and any mistakes are my own. Thanks also to Matina Madrick for coming through in a pinch.

  I am so lucky to work with the wonderful teams at Putnam and Penguin Random House. Katie Grinch, Christopher Nelson, Lydia Hirt, Kate Stark, Alexis Welby, Mary Stone, and Meaghan Wagner have been wonderful, and as always, Ivan Held has provided a supportive home for Fina. I pity the writers who don’t have Christine Pepe for an editor. She is insightful, always makes Fina better, and always makes me laugh.

  Mary Alice Kier and Anna Cottle have worked their butts off to get Fina to Hollywood, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

  A huge thank-you to my family: Kirsten Thoft, Ted Nadeau, Zoë Nadeau, Ella Nadeau, Escher Nadeau, Lisa Thoft, Cole Nagel-Thoft, Arden Nagel-Thoft, Erika Thoft-Brown, Chris Thoft-Brown, Owen Thoft-Brown, Sophie Thoft-Brown, Riley Thoft-Brown, and Sharon Padia Stone. Your enthusiasm means the world to me.

  My mother, Judith Stone Thoft, and my husband, Doug Berrett, have more than earned this book’s dedication. My mom’s keen eye and thoughtful feedback are essential to my writing, and everything in life—from book brainstorming to trips to the ER—is more fun with Doug. I couldn’t ask for a better partner.

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