by Ingrid Thoft
“You’re going to shoot me?” Rand asked.
Fina shrugged. “You said we should get this over with.”
Her oldest brother was handsome like all of the Ludlow men, but he didn’t have Scotty or Matthew’s warmth. Standing five feet eleven with thick, wavy hair, he had full lips, like the other Ludlows, but didn’t smile often.
Rand walked into the room and looked around as if he owned the place. He examined the pictures on the wall and ambled over to the windows overlooking the harbor. Fina stayed close to the door.
“What do you want, Rand?” Her pulse had quickened and her stomach flip-flopped.
“Why don’t you redecorate the place? It looks the same as when Nanny was alive.” He was wearing a light gray suit and a dress shirt, but no tie. He was tan, his dark skin contrasting with his straight white teeth.
“What do you want, Rand?”
“I want to come back. I want my life back. Miami has been fun, but I’m getting a little tired of the sun. I miss the seasons. I love New England in the fall.”
“You’re lucky you’re not in prison.”
He glared at her. “I was never going to prison.”
“Well, you need to go back to Miami.”
Rand chuckled. “No, I don’t think so. I talked to Dad, and he wants me back in the firm up here. I’m being wasted on our clients down south.”
“You don’t like the satellite Ludlow and Associates that Dad created for you?”
“I want to be here.”
“I don’t care what you want. I don’t want you anywhere near Haley—or any child, for that matter, but right now I can only take care of Haley.”
Rand walked over to her. He stood so close, she could feel his breath on her face. “Looks like you got in another fight.”
For an instant, she thought she might actually throw up on him, so intense were her feelings of anger, disgust, even fear. She took a deep breath and leaned closer to him.
“Go back to the beach.”
He stepped around her and reached for the doorknob. “I don’t know what trick you have up your sleeve, but it’s not going to work.” He opened the door and was gone before she could respond.
Fina dead-bolted the door, walked to the couch, and dropped down onto the cushions. She wiped at the sheen of sweat that had broken out along her hairline, and after a moment, she placed the gun on the coffee table.
Now all she needed to do was conjure up a trick.
• • •
Fina pushed Rand to the back of her mind, to the compartment labeled Nasty, Immoral Criminals, and pored over the materials from Emma and Hal, which arrived shortly after Rand’s departure. She could only hope that the information might yield a lead, and after almost two hours of reading, her efforts were rewarded.
“Can you meet me somewhere?” she asked Cristian over the phone.
“I’m in the middle of something.”
“It’s important, and it won’t take long.”
“Is Haley okay?” There was giggling in the background.
“Yes, she’s fine. This is about Denny Calder.”
“Why don’t you give Pitney a call? I think she’s at the office.”
Fina held the phone away from her face and took a moment to try to swallow her annoyance. It didn’t work.
“I don’t want to talk to Pitney,” she said loudly into the phone. “I want to talk to you. Since when has a woman gotten in the way of your job? You never let Marissa do that.”
There was a bumping noise on the other end and a pause before Cristian came back on the line. “Calm down.”
“I’m calm, but I have a lead on the guy who attacked me, and I’d appreciate a little more interest on your part.”
“I know this is an adjustment for you, as much as you deny it.”
“What? You’re changing the subject.”
“I know you like having my full attention, but maybe things are changing.”
“I can’t have this conversation with you right now,” Fina said.
“Fine. Tell me about the lead. Either that or we can meet up later.”
Fina exhaled loudly and rested her head against the back of the couch. “I can’t meet up later. Denny Calder’s sister-in-law used to work for MetroWest Janitorial Services.”
“And?”
“And up until eighteen months ago, MetroWest held the contract with Heritage Cryobank.”
Cristian was quiet for a moment. “How’d you get this?”
“I just did a really deep background on Denny and his nearest and dearest.”
“You know we don’t have the resources. Not on an assault case.”
“I know, I know, but now that you know, could you look into it? Maybe do something about it?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Thank you.”
“What are you going to do in the meantime?” Cristian asked.
“Nothing you need to worry about,” she said. “Go back to enjoying your afternoon delight.”
He snorted. “Bye.”
“Bye.”
Fina disconnected the call. What was her problem? Did she want Cristian for herself? Or maybe she just didn’t want anyone else to have him. Christ, she was turning into a Lifetime movie.
She stowed the files from Emma and Hal in her bag, grabbed her shoes, and rummaged in the kitchen for a snack. A cold soda paired with a couple of Nutter Butters would hit the spot.
Her to-do list seemed to be packed with possible confrontations, and she wasn’t looking forward to crossing them off her list.
• • •
Fina was tired of driving, but she didn’t have a choice. Things were unraveling—or falling into place, depending upon your point of view—and she couldn’t afford to take a break.
It was around dinnertime when she got to Juliana’s house in Swampscott. Fina rang the bell and rocked from one foot to the other while waiting.
“I’m surprised to see you,” Juliana said, leaning on the door. She was dressed down in jeans and a fitted T-shirt. Her bare feet showed off her pedicure.
“Can I come in? I’ll be brief.”
Juliana shrugged. “Sure.”
Fina followed her to the kitchen, where some vegetables sat on the counter, a peeled cucumber on a cutting board. Juliana picked up a large glass of white wine and took a sip. She didn’t offer Fina a glass.
“I assume you’ve heard Danielle’s announcement,” Fina said.
“Haven’t we all?” Juliana chopped the cucumber quickly and efficiently into thin rounds.
“You don’t want her to be a philanthropist? It will be great for the city.”
Juliana used her knife to guide the cucumber pieces into a bowl. She picked up a red pepper and ran it under the faucet. “I would like her to show a little respect. That’s what I would like.”
“To whom?”
“To me, and to the other women who have been running the charities in this city for years.”
“Why does that matter?”
The knife made a crunching noise as it dug in around the stem of the pepper. “I don’t know,” Juliana said softly.
Fina watched her work for a moment.
“I know that Hank was calling you to tell you about his insurance physical and the genetic tests that were done,” Fina said.
Juliana stopped midchop.
“I’m not sure why he’d be talking to you instead of his current wife, but I think he got some alarming news and was confiding in you.” Fina tapped her fingernails on the countertop. “How am I doing?”
Juliana put down the knife and took a long pull from her wine. “I don’t know as much as you think I do.”
“Tell me what you do know. He had the routine physical and what?”
“He got back test results and he thought they were
wrong, so he had the tests run again.”
“And got the same results?” Fina asked.
“Yes.”
“What tests?”
“He didn’t tell me.”
“C’mon, Juliana.”
“I swear. He did not give me the details. He was upset, though, and had scheduled appointments with some specialists. And he was extremely angry.”
“Why angry?”
“I don’t know, but my sense was that heads were going to roll.”
“Why would he tell you some things and be so evasive about others?”
“I don’t know, and who says I wanted the details?” She shrugged.
“But why listen at all?”
“Because you can’t be married for twenty-four years, share a child, and then just detach from each other. We were entangled. We always will be.”
“And you probably didn’t mind that he was confiding in you instead of Danielle.”
A smile emerged at the corners of Juliana’s mouth. “I can’t lie. It was satisfying to think about the smug look on her face and knowing that he was telling me his troubles on the side.”
“Right. Well, thanks for the information.” Fina walked to the front door. “Good night, Juliana.”
Fina walked to her car and inhaled deeply, drawing the salty tang of the air into her lungs. She liked the taste of the ocean on the breeze, and she needed it; this case was leaving a bad taste in her mouth.
• • •
Fina pulled up to Risa’s house an hour later and turned off the engine. She’d had a lot of weird conversations in her life, but this promised to be one of the strangest. And the saddest. Nobody liked to think that their spare parts were their best assets.
Risa opened the door wearing what looked like cashmere loungewear topped with a long cashmere sweater with a drape collar. She looked surprised. “Hey, Fina. Is everything okay? It’s kind of late.”
“Yeah, but I wanted to talk to you if you can spare a few minutes.”
“Sure. I was just losing brain cells in front of the TV.”
They walked into the family room attached to the kitchen, and Risa steered her toward one of the couches. The TV was turned to a real estate reality show. “Marty’s not around?” Fina asked.
“No. He’s in New York on business.”
Fina really didn’t want to have this conversation without Marty around to pick up the pieces, but it was a little late to change course.
“Do you want a drink or a snack?” Risa asked.
“No, thanks.”
“Okay, now I know something is wrong.” Risa sat down next to her on the couch.
Fina smiled and turned to face Risa. “I went to see Greta Samuels yesterday.”
“In Maine?”
“Yes. I took a little road trip because something was bugging me about the situation.”
“Are you telling me we’re not related?” Risa’s forehead wrinkled with concern.
“No, no, you’re related, but her motives aren’t as pure as we’d hoped.”
“She wants money,” Risa said, her shoulders drooping.
“Actually . . .” Fina winced. “She wants your kidney.” She braced herself as if expecting a blow.
Risa’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Greta has kidney disease, and she needs a kidney.”
Risa opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. She opened it again, but nothing came out.
“That was my reaction,” Fina said. She reached over and squeezed Risa’s hand. “I feel terrible about this.”
“Why would you feel terrible? Do you want my liver?”
“No, but I feel like an organ broker. I never would have pursued this had I known her endgame.”
Risa sat back against the couch cushions. “I can’t even wrap my head around this.”
“To be fair, she claims that she wants to have a relationship with you regardless of the kidney situation.”
“Do you believe her?”
“I don’t know what to believe. She may want both: a relationship and a kidney.”
“How sick is she?”
“She’s on dialysis. She looks crummy, but from what I understand, dialysis can keep her alive for a while.”
“Dialysis is supposed to be miserable,” Risa said, looking into space.
“Maybe, but that’s not your problem.”
“But I could possibly save her life.”
“Possibly, or you might not even be a match. Or you might decide that you want to keep your spare kidney for yourself.”
“Or for my kids. What if one of my kids needs a kidney someday and I’ve already given mine away?”
“That’s a valid consideration.”
Risa pulled her sweater tight around her middle and was silent.
“I think you need time to digest this,” Fina said. “You don’t have to make any decisions right away.”
Risa nodded. “This is surreal.”
“You have to do whatever works for you and your family.”
Risa looked at her with a wry smile. “Which family?”
“This family,” Fina said, looking around the room. “The family you’ve built with Marty.”
“But she’s my blood relative, too.”
Fina waved her hand in the air. “I’m finding that argument less compelling these days.” She stood. “Whatever I can do, just let me know.”
Risa walked her to the door and gave her a big hug. “Thanks, Fina.”
“I’m not sure why you’re thanking me.”
“You’re a cool head when I need one. I appreciate your support.”
“Of course. Keep in touch.”
Fina returned to her car but didn’t feel relieved.
It was a sad state of affairs when the easiest thing on your to-do list was a conversation about organ donation.
• • •
Was it wrong to break in to her parents’ house? Was it even breaking in? She was related to the owners, after all, generally welcome there if she was willing to pay the entrance fee of unrelenting criticism from Elaine. Fina could have walked in like it was a regular visit and tried to run her covert op right under her father’s nose, but Carl was suspicious. He wouldn’t believe she was just coming by to say hello.
Fina sat out in her car for a couple of hours, leeching off the neighbors’ Wi-Fi, waiting for her parents to turn in for the night. She didn’t even need them to be asleep; once they were ensconced in the master suite upstairs, there was no need to venture down to the first floor. They had a wet bar in their sitting room along with a giant TV. Elaine would probably get in bed and read a trashy book, and Carl would stay up watching a game, too distracted to pay much attention to anything else.
Honestly, it was breaking and entering for dummies. Fina silently closed her car door, snuck up to the side door, and spent a few minutes picking the lock. The tricky part would be disarming the alarm, but she was fairly certain that Elaine only cycled through a few codes; she claimed she couldn’t remember them if they changed too often. Truly a burglar’s dream house.
Once inside, Fina punched Haley’s birthday into the alarm pad, which elicited a blinking red light. Ryan was next, but equally unsuccessful. Worried she’d only get three tries, she decided to skip Teddy and go for Chandler. She had a fifty-fifty chance, and if she was wrong, she’d have to make up a story that would satisfy Carl. Her hand hovered over the keypad and then punched in her youngest nephew’s birthdate. The pad flashed green.
Fina tiptoed to her father’s office at the other end of the house and took stock. She knew the safe was a lost cause; unlike Elaine, Carl changed the combination frequently and didn’t share it with anyone. Instead, Fina took out a penlight and started quietly rummaging through the file cabinets. There had to be someth
ing that wouldn’t appeal to the average thief but would hold value within the family.
Fina was surprised how little time it took to find a suitable candidate. She slipped out the way she had come in after resetting the alarm.
That wasn’t so hard.
She should do it more often.
A good night’s sleep eluded Fina, and the drive to Framingham the next morning was too long; it gave her too much time to ruminate. Haley still required a bodyguard, but that risk was insignificant compared to the damage Rand’s return might cause. Fina needed to neutralize Rand while not completely antagonizing Carl. And what was the deal with Cristian? Was he really serious about this woman? Fina had assumed that he was done with traditional marriage after his own imploded, but maybe she’d misread him all this time.
Fina drove through the pillars and parked. She pulled Renata’s folder out of her bag before climbing the stairs to the front door. The living room was empty, but she could hear loud classical music through the door. It took a few tries of the doorbell before Walter appeared in the room. Fina stepped to the side so as not to spoil the surprise.
He was wearing a pair of khaki pants and a sweater that had patches on the elbows. He looked professorial with a book in his hand as he answered the door.
“I told you I wasn’t done with you,” Fina said, stepping forward.
Walter sneered and started to close the door.
“You’ll want to hear what I have to say.” She held up Renata’s file. “Trust me.”
“I should call the police. This is harassment.”
“Harassment, tenacity. It’s so hard to tell the difference, but by all means, do whatever you feel is necessary. I’m a fan of law enforcement.”
Walter folded his arms so the book was tucked under one armpit. He studied the elaborate stone pattern under his feet before casting the door open. Fina followed him to his office, where he sat down behind his desk, rigid as a sentry.
“Where’s Lucy?”
“Not here,” Walter responded tersely.
“This will be brief, because you don’t need to say anything,” Fina said. “I think you’re a fraud.”
Walter scoffed.
“Please, act indignant. I find it entertaining.” Fina made a tour of the room, gazing at the bookshelves and peeking behind the love seat. “Even if you got rid of the files, you’re screwed. The proof is in the pudding, so to speak. You know, the offspring.”