Blue

by Danielle Steel

  She finally fell asleep around two a.m., and got up early to help herself to a cup of coffee. She had just sat down to drink it, when Kevin Callaghan called her. He thought she was in New York, where it was eleven-thirty, and was shocked when she said she was in L.A., and then he apologized for calling her so early.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked her.

  “I came to see my father for the weekend. He’s got Alzheimer’s, and I haven’t seen him since…” Her voice trailed off, and he understood.

  “I’m sorry, Ginny. I met him once a long time ago. He was a great guy. He was a handsome man, too.”

  “Yes, he was,” she agreed, and then Kevin got down to business.

  “I’ve got some information for you. I called a pal of mine in the police department. A woman, actually—she’s a lieutenant in sex crimes. Basically, this is a two-prong issue. First, you have to go to the cops, and they’ll investigate it, and then you have to deal with the archdiocese, the church. But if the police are satisfied with the investigation, and believe Blue is telling the truth, they’ll handle the church for you. And very frequently, there are several reports about one priest, so they may already have some leads on this guy who molested Blue. Most of these guys have molested many kids over a period of time, not just one. They have great access to young kids, and the sick ones take full advantage of it.

  “The first thing you have to do is call the Child Abuse Unit, and they’ll get the investigation going. They’re part of the Manhattan district attorney’s office. The Child Abuse Unit handles these investigations that involve priests. So you and Blue have to go down there and start the ball rolling. But for now anyway, you don’t have to confront some angry old priest at the archdiocese. The cops will do it for you. And apparently, the church is taking some very tough positions with the cover-ups, so you may get some real cooperation from the archdiocese. It’s certainly worth a shot, and I would report the guy immediately. Screw him, after what he did to the kid, and probably other boys. I’ll text you the phone number of the Child Abuse Unit.”

  “Wow,” Ginny said, in awe of what he had learned so quickly. “You’re good, Callaghan. I’m impressed.” But she’d always known he was that good, which was why she’d called him. She had great respect for him as a reporter.

  “What are you going to do now?”

  “I need to talk to Blue. Do we need a lawyer?”

  “Yes, but not yet. First you need the police to investigate it. If they think it’s a good case, they’ll press charges, as in any sex crimes case. If they won’t press charges, you can bring a civil action against the archdiocese, but you’d have a much weaker case. What you want is for the Child Abuse Unit to go to the DA and prosecute him. And you can file a civil suit, too.”

  “I wonder how traumatic this would be for Blue,” she said cautiously.

  “Probably no more than what he went through. And it might make him feel better to have someone go after the guy, and validate what he’s saying. It’s even worse when people don’t believe the victim, or hush it up. And that happened too much in the beginning. Now that this situation has been blown wide open, the Vatican is telling the churches to cooperate, and not protect the perpetrators. They used to just move them around from church to church and hide it.”

  “Do you know a lawyer who handles this stuff?”

  “No, but I can find that out, too. I’m sure there are some good ones. Give me a couple of days on that.” He had done an amazing job so far at getting information for her. He was as outraged by what had happened to Blue as she was, and it touched her. “How long are you here for?”

  “Till tonight. We’re taking the red-eye back to New York. We came out on Friday. I have to get Blue home. He can’t miss school, or he won’t graduate in June.”

  “He’s a lucky boy to have you on his team,” Kevin said admiringly.

  “I’m lucky to have him, too,” she said softly.

  “Do you have time for lunch? Or are you too tied up with your family?”

  “I should spend time with my father—that’s why we’re here. But I could probably go out for coffee. The trouble is, I’m in Pasadena, I’m not in the city.”

  “I’ll come out there if you want. I know a great place for croissants and cappuccino. What do you think? I’d love to see you.”

  “Me, too,” she said sincerely, and she was grateful for the research he’d just done for her, and so quickly.

  “It’s eight-thirty now. How about if I meet you at ten-thirty?” He told her where the restaurant was—it was only a few blocks away from where Becky lived.

  “I’ll be there,” she said, and told Becky when she walked into the kitchen half an hour later. “I won’t be out long. I’d just like to see him for a little while, for old times’ sake.”

  “Of course,” Becky said good-naturedly. “Do you want to have him here? You’re welcome to.”

  “I’d rather meet him at the restaurant. That way he can’t overstay, and I’ll just leave and come back here. How’s Dad today?”

  “About the same. He didn’t want to get up. I’m going to wait until Lucy comes and see if she can get him moving. She’s better at it than I am, and he listens to her. He’s too used to me—he just says no if he’s tired or not in a good mood.”

  Ginny went to see him a little while later, and then she left at ten-fifteen to meet Kevin. She told Blue she was going out to see a friend, but he was busy with Lizzie and didn’t mind. He was feeling totally at home with Becky’s kids, and they liked him and had welcomed him warmly, which touched Ginny.

  She walked into the restaurant at precisely ten-thirty, and Kevin was already there. He was impossible to miss. He was the tallest man in the room by several inches. He put his arms around her and hugged her the minute he saw her.

  “It’s so good to see you,” he said with a voice full of emotion. He didn’t tell her that he still missed Mark every day and wished he could call him. He still couldn’t believe he was gone.

  They chatted for half an hour about his work, the last woman he had gone out with, her most recent trip for SOS/HR, and her next one, and they talked about Blue.

  “I really hope you press charges against this guy,” he said to her, and she could see he meant it.

  “I’d like to,” Ginny said honestly, “but I’m going to leave it up to Blue. I don’t want to push him, if he doesn’t feel up to it. It’ll take a lot of courage for him to face that priest again in a trial.”

  “He may regret it all his life if he doesn’t. Someone has to stop those guys. They can’t just keep moving them around to protect them.” She agreed with him, and they talked of other things again, and he looked genuinely happy to see her. “I wish you came out here more often,” he said wistfully. He had missed her, too.

  “Call me if you come to New York,” she said as he paid for their cappuccinos, and they got up to leave. She had to get back to Becky’s. She wanted to spend time with her and their father before she left that night.

  Kevin walked her to her car, and promised to call her with the name of a lawyer experienced in cases like Blue’s. Then he hugged her for a long moment. “Take care of yourself, Ginny. He wouldn’t want you out there risking your life.” Her eyes filled with tears and she nodded, unable to speak.

  “I don’t know what else to do, Kev. There was nothing left. At least now there’s Blue. Maybe I can make a difference in his life.” It was all she wanted to do now.

  “I’m sure you already have,” he reassured her. It was an emotional moment for them both.

  “Maybe we can get something out of it for him. That would be great for him to have later on.”

  “Talk to a lawyer about it, and start with the Child Abuse Unit. My friend says they’re great.” She thanked him again, and a few minutes later she waved at him and drove away. It had been so good to see him, and she was sorry she had waited so long, but she hadn’t been ready until now. And Blue had been the catalyst to make her see him again.
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  They spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool. Her father slept the day away. Even Lucy couldn’t get him up. Ginny spent a few minutes with him when he was awake, but he had no idea who she was this time and didn’t recognize her, or even mistake her for her mother. It was painful to see him that way, and he was sound asleep when she and Blue left that night after dinner. She kissed him gently on the cheek, and walked quietly out of his room with tears running down her cheeks. She doubted that she’d see him alive again, but she was glad she had finally come to see him. Becky had been right to insist.

  Alan and Becky and their children stood outside the house and waved as they drove away. Ginny was quiet on the way to the airport, and Blue was pensive. He had never spent a weekend like it with a normal family, with a father and mother and children, people who liked being together and treated each other well. No one was on drugs, no one had hit anyone, and no one they knew or were related to was in prison. They had everything they wanted, even a pool in their backyard. It was like a dream come true for him. It had been a fairy-tale weekend for Blue and had been a gift to him.

  “I like your family, Ginny,” Blue said softly.

  “So do I sometimes.” She smiled at him. “Sometimes they drive me a little crazy, and my sister can be a little tough, but she means well.” They had finally warmed up to him, even Alan, who had played water polo with him in the pool. Their prejudice about his background slowly melted away throughout the weekend as they got to know him. Even Becky said he was a good kid and meant it. And he and Lizzie had promised to text each other every day, on Ginny’s phone till she left, and she was thinking of getting him his own, but hadn’t gotten around to it yet. Lizzie wanted him to come back soon, or to visit her aunt in New York so she could see him. Ginny had even promised to come to L.A. again, although she still couldn’t see living there anymore.

  It was dark in the cabin as the plane took off on the late flight, and Blue took Ginny’s hand and held it.

  “Thank you for the best weekend of my life,” he said to her, and then laid his head back against the seat. He was asleep half an hour later, and she covered him with a blanket and then went to sleep herself as they flew east. She had done what she had come to do. She had seen her father, and whispered goodbye as she tiptoed out of his room.

  Chapter 10

  Blue and Ginny landed at JFK Airport at six-fifteen on Monday morning, and took a cab into the city. They were at her apartment shortly after seven. She made him breakfast while he showered, and he left for school on time. He had slept for the entire flight. He had a quiz that morning that she’d helped him prepare for, and he had his interview and audition at LaGuardia Arts the next day. They had a busy week ahead of them. She had to go in to the SOS/HR office to discuss her next assignment. And at nine o’clock that morning, she called St. Francis’s Church and asked for Father Teddy. She apologized for not knowing his last name, and said she had moved away a few years before, but was back in the area, and wanted to see him again. She said he had been just wonderful when he counseled her. The young priest she spoke to was very pleasant and knew immediately who she meant, and agreed that he was a terrific priest and a great guy.

  “I’m sorry to tell you, though, that he transferred to Chicago last year. But any of us would be happy to talk to you, if you like,” he offered helpfully.

  “Thank you so much,” Ginny said, feeling slightly guilty for lying to a priest, but it was for a good cause. “I’ll come in sometime soon. Do you know how I could get in touch with him? I’d just like to say hello and let him know how things turned out after I last saw him.”

  “Of course,” the priest on the phone said kindly. “He’s at St. Anne’s Church in Chicago, and I’m sure he’d like to hear from you. We all still miss him here.”

  “Thank you so much,” Ginny said again, and hung up. She wanted to see him for herself. She could fly back and forth to Chicago in a day. She wanted to get a sense of the man who had abused Blue. She believed Blue, but she wanted to see just how treacherous Father Teddy was.

  And after that, she left for the SOS/HR office, and spent the rest of the morning discussing her next assignment with Ellen Warberg. It looked like it was going to be India this time, although nothing was definite yet. Ginny was due to go out again in early June, so she had a couple of weeks left before a final decision was made about her assignment. Syria had been a possibility earlier, but it was too dangerous there now. And Ellen said they might send her for only two months this time, which was briefer than usual, but they were trying to rotate workers more frequently in the riskier areas, and keep assignments shorter, which suited her because of Blue. Because her next post wasn’t definite yet, she had no advance reports to read, and left the office empty-handed with no homework to do, which gave her more free time for Blue.

  That night, they talked about his audition the next day instead. He was going to play Chopin, and had been able to spend a little time practicing on a piano at his school. He also had some other things in mind, if they wanted more current material. He was excited and scared, and he got a text from Lizzie on Ginny’s phone saying that she missed him and hoped he got home okay. He was pleased to hear from her and sent her some music to download from iTunes.

  Ginny got an e-mail from Kevin with the name of a lawyer, but he asked her to call him so he could tell her about him. She called as soon as she went to her room that night. She didn’t want Blue to hear the conversation. She didn’t want to distract him before his interview the next day.

  “He’s your guy,” Kevin said when she called him. “He’s an ex-Jesuit priest. He’s an expert on canon law, and spent four years at the Vatican in their legal office. And these cases are his specialty. I spoke to two attorneys today, and they said he’s the best, and he’s in New York.” His name was Andrew O’Connor, and Kevin had gotten his office number, his e-mail address, and his cell phone. “Let me know how it works out. Did you call the Child Abuse Unit yet?”

  “I’m going to talk to Blue tomorrow after his audition at the music and arts school. We’ve got a lot going on this week.”

  “Keep me posted,” Kevin said. He sounded busy, and a minute later they hung up. She had everything they needed now—a referral to the police, a lawyer—and she was hoping to go to Chicago on Thursday to get a look at Father Teddy. Thanks to Kevin, it was all falling into place.

  —

  Blue was tense the next morning at breakfast, and Ginny went with him on the subway to LaGuardia Arts. The high school was in the midst of Lincoln Center, and Blue looked anxious as they walked into the building. It was an impressive place, and hordes of young people were moving through the halls, talking and laughing on their way to classes. It was exciting just being there. And there were notices about auditions for special events posted on bulletin boards around the school.

  She and Blue went to the front desk and explained that they were there for an interview and an audition, and the receptionist looked startled at first since there were none at that time of year, then she called someone in the admissions office and smiled warmly at them.

  “We’ll call you in a few minutes,” she told them, and they sat down to wait. Blue looked like he was about to bolt out of the building. Ginny tried to distract him, and finally the woman called his name, and sent them to the admissions office, where a young woman chatted with Blue and told him about the school. She said she had gone there herself, and it had been the most fantastic experience of her life. She worked in an orchestra at night now, and in the admissions office three days a week.

  She asked him what had drawn him to music, and he told her how he had taught himself to play the piano and learned to read music, and she looked impressed. Ginny thought the interview went well, and they led him away for his audition without her, while she waited for him in the lobby. She had been told that the audition would take two to three hours, and had brought a book to read while she waited. She didn’t want to leave the building in case he needed her, and when he
finally came back to her, he looked exhausted, with a dazed expression.

  “How did it go?” she asked him, trying to seem calm and encouraging, but she had been nervous, worrying about him and hoping it was going well. The audition was a lot of pressure he wasn’t used to.

  “I don’t know. I played the Chopin for them, and then they asked me to play some other stuff that they picked. There was a piece I’d never played before, Rachmaninoff. After that, Debussy, and then I played some Motown. I don’t see how I can get in here.” He looked at her hopelessly. “I’m sure everyone who goes here plays better than I do. There were four teachers in the room, and they made a lot of notes,” he said, still looking anxious.

  “Well, you did the best you could. That’s all you can do.” They walked out of the building into the May sunshine. They had told him he’d be notified in June. They wanted time to consider their decision, and evaluate if he’d fit in, and if his skills were strong enough to make him eligible, since he had had no formal training. They had also told him there had been nine thousand applicants for 664 places. Blue was convinced he’d never get in, but Ginny tried to be optimistic about it, as they hailed a cab, and she got him a sandwich before she dropped him off at school. He had a math quiz that afternoon. He was under a lot of pressure these days, but in six weeks he’d be finished. She hated to leave New York before he graduated, but there was nothing she could do, unless her assignment got postponed for some reason, but it didn’t look that way. If there was a problem in one area, they would just send her somewhere else.

  When Blue got home that night, he seemed depressed about the audition, and he looked so tired that she decided not to talk to him about going to the Child Abuse Unit, and wait another day.

  She finally brought it up after dinner on Wednesday, and she told him everything she’d learned from Kevin and said she was going to Chicago the next day to see Father Teddy herself.