Private Lives

by Karen Young

  “Here, Jesse!” Elizabeth opened her arms and Jesse flew into her embrace. She was swept up and held tight as Elizabeth hurried through the door toward the private office of the funeral director. Ryan silently congratulated her for arranging the escape plan beforehand. He wished she’d been able to whisk Jesse away before the child saw her father.

  Ryan stepped directly in front of Austin. “Nice of you to drop by,” he said with a tight smile, taking a firm grip on his ex-client’s elbow and steering him out of the room. The maneuver was accomplished so smoothly that Austin couldn’t shake Ryan off without drawing attention to himself. Behind them, the funeral director began the business of soothing the crowd, urging people back to their chairs. After an awkward moment or two, they were indeed picking up the threads of their conversations. Hysterical outbursts were probably not uncommon at a funeral, Ryan thought with grim humor as he frog-marched Austin, sullen and scowling, to the front door.

  Once outside, he let go of the sleeve and brushed his hands together as if ridding himself of something distasteful. “Don’t bother signing the register,” he told Austin with disgust. “I’ll take care of it. And I’ll be sure to tell Curtiss you paid your respects.”

  “What do you think you’re doing, Paxton?” Austin jerked the sleeves of his jacket into place and straightened his tie.

  “I’m attending the wake and funeral of a woman who, until a few weeks ago was a damn good employee to LB and J. As a partner, it seemed the decent thing to do.”

  Austin’s mouth thinned in a sneer. “You don’t give a shit about Gina. You’re here to play bodyguard to that bitch Liz.”

  “Liz doesn’t need a bodyguard, but it looks like Jesse might.”

  Austin hesitated a beat, then his gaze slid away from Ryan’s. “I don’t know what that was all about. I’m thinking somebody’s working on her, trying to poison her mind against me. I’m not going to stand for it and you can tell the bitch that.”

  “Such an idiotic accusation doesn’t deserve an answer, Austin, but do you honestly think Liz would stoop to do something like that? She’s never done anything except what’s best for your daughter. You should be grateful.”

  “Yeah, well, how’s it best that a kid is kept from seeing her father? Especially after her mother’s been killed in a car accident.”

  “And under normal circumstances, I’d agree with you. But you saw Jesse’s reaction just now. And it’s the second time it’s happened. Actually, the only two times she’s seen you since the accident, she becomes hysterical. You want to tell me what that’s all about, Austin?”

  “How the hell do I know? She’s traumatized from the accident, I guess. If I got a chance to talk to her, I could probably calm her down. The problem is, nobody will let me get near her,” he added bitterly.

  “Maybe she would calm down and maybe not. But it’s out of your hands for the present. Look, I’m not your lawyer, but I’m giving you good advice, Austin. Stay away from your daughter right now. Abide by the terms of the restraining order and let things settle down.”

  Austin’s smile was hard. “Yeah, you’d like that, wouldn’t you? Stepping aside would leave the door open and make it even easier for Liz to grab my kid. Do you think I don’t see what’s happening here? You’re suddenly tight with her, your kid’s practically living over there and you want me to believe you’ve got my best interests at heart advising me to just step aside, be a gentleman and sign over my kid’s life like she was a pet cat that I don’t want anymore. What’s with you, Ryan? That’s nuts, man.”

  “It would be nuts if I thought you were sincere in what you’re saying,” Ryan said quietly. “But there’re too many unanswered questions about the accident and too much bad history is bubbling up, Austin. I’d get a lawyer if I were you and play it very quiet right now.”

  Austin looked at him suspiciously. “Was it you who sicced that homicide cop on me?”

  “If you mean Steele, the way I heard it is he’s following up on something he heard in the ICU. And if there’s nothing there, you have nothing to be concerned about.”

  “Then I don’t need a lawyer, do I?”

  Shaking his head, Ryan turned to go back inside. “Suit yourself.”

  Twenty-One

  Elizabeth walked into her kitchen and found Jennifer pouring brewed tea into a tall pitcher and Jesse standing beside her holding a sleeve of plastic cups. “What’s up, you two?”

  “We’re making iced tea to take outside to the patio.” Jennifer dropped a few slices of lemon into the pitcher, set it on a tray and picked it up. “Did you know Megan was here? Get that thing with the pink sugar in it, would you, punkin-pie?” she told Jesse, who did as asked and put the artificial sweetener on the tray. “Detective Steele already carried out the ice bucket.”

  “Detective Steele is here?”

  “Uh-huh. He came with Lindsay and Megan.”

  Lindsay and Megan? Elizabeth had been struck by an idea for a book this morning and had gone directly to her office after breakfast. Besides herself and Jesse, only Louie had been in the house at the time. Louie, to her eternal gratitude, was almost a fixture since Gina’s death a week ago. He’d practically appointed himself housekeeper, nanny and best friend and since Jesse needed all the support they could muster, Elizabeth had welcomed his presence.

  Jennifer looked over the tray with a critical eye. “Okay, do we have everything?”

  Jesse reached for sprigs of mint which lay on the table and put them on the tray. Jennifer gave her a smile. “Whoa, can’t have iced tea without mint, huh?”

  Jesse agreed, solemnly moving her head from side to side.

  Elizabeth went to the window. Outside on her patio, seated around a metal table in lawn chairs, were Lindsay, Megan and Shepherd Steele. Then her gaze lifted beyond the patio to the gazebo. She felt a little jolt of pleasure. Ryan sat on the glider with Louie. They seemed to be having a deep conversation. “Are we having a party?” she asked, bemused.

  Jennifer grinned. “No, but we will if you say the word. Louie and I were going to keep Jesse occupied while you worked, but then Lindsay called and said she and Detective Steele had something to tell you and then when they got here, Megan was with them. Naturally, Jesse wouldn’t let them disturb you. She’s like a little tiger guarding your door while you’re holed up in your office. I guess you’ve told her when you’re working you don’t want to be disturbed…or something. And boy, she can say a whole lot without making a sound. Right, punkin-pie? Then next, my dad came to pick me up, but when I told him who all was here, he just sort of stuck around.”

  Elizabeth felt a tug on her shirt and looked down into Jesse’s face. “What is it, sweetheart?”

  Jesse looked longingly at the group on the patio, then back to Elizabeth. Seven days since Gina’s funeral and still Jesse refused to talk.

  “She wants you to come outside with us and not go back to work,” Jennifer said as if Jesse had spoken. Jesse nodded, her eyes pleading.

  Jennifer was as skillful at interpreting Jesse’s speechless communication as Jesse was in doing it. Elizabeth had spoken to a pediatric psychologist who’d advised her to wait awhile before seeking professional help. “Give her some time. Be patient and loving,” had been her advice. “She’ll probably come around. She hasn’t just lost her mother, but she was actually in the accident. Added to that is the fact that the parents were separated and the family unit newly broken. Jesse might have survived all that, but you’ve told me the situation was somewhat chaotic. Frankly, I’d be surprised if the child didn’t exhibit some unusual behavior.”

  “Can you break for a while, Liz?” Jennifer was at the French doors leading to the patio with Jesse, who was torn between wanting to go with her mentor and idol or staying with Elizabeth.

  “I’ll do better than that.” Elizabeth went to the door and opened it for Jennifer. “I’ll take the rest of the day off. Besides, it’s Saturday. Is that okay, sweetheart?” She looked down at Jesse, who, with a pleased smile
, tucked her hand in Elizabeth’s and went with her out onto the patio.

  The entire group looked up as one when she appeared. “Hey, it’s Liz. And refreshments!” Lindsay jumped up and cleared a scattering of papers from the tabletop so that Jennifer could set the tray down. Steele rose quickly to offer her his seat. Megan did the same. There was a definite sense of flustered welcome in the lot. Had her appearance been so unexpected, Elizabeth wondered with a little spurt of irritation. It was her house, after all. Now that she’d discovered a gaggle of guests, wasn’t it reasonable she’d join them?

  “Jen and Jesse fixed iced tea,” she said dryly.

  Lindsay rubbed her hands together. “Iced tea, great. With lemon and mint, yet. Lovely. You can hang out at my place anytime, Jen.” She looked down at Jesse, who was tugging on her shirt. “Oh, what’s that you say, Jesse? You helped, too?”

  Jesse took one of the mint leaves and went to a pot on the edge of the patio where the herb grew, lush, green and fragrant.

  “You grew the mint?” Lindsay grinned. “Cool.”

  Jesse went pink with pleasure. Archie ambled up, tail wagging, and bumped against her knees. Then suddenly, he gave a joyful bark as Cody appeared, slipping shyly through the backyard gate. Jesse’s face brightened and followed Archie to greet her little friend.

  “Will she talk to Cody?” Lindsay asked, watching them.

  Jennifer picked up the pitcher, ready to pour. “Nope, but they still have a lot of fun.” With her eyes on the two little kids, she worried her bottom lip. “I think Jesse wants to talk, but she’s afraid to. All we need to do is figure out why.”

  Steele smiled. “You think you can do that?”

  Jennifer began pouring iced tea. “I don’t know, but I’m working on it.”

  “You must think we’re a thoughtless bunch,” Megan said to Elizabeth in her quiet voice a few minutes later. “Here we are descending like a swarm of locusts and on a Saturday, too. Did we do much harm, interrupting your work?”

  “Not at all,” Elizabeth said politely. “But your days off are far more precious, I would think.”

  “What could be better than this?” Megan waved a hand indicating Elizabeth’s yard with its tasteful landscaping. “The water garden with the goldfish is especially nice. I love the sound of water trickling over those stones. So restful. You have a beautiful place here.”

  Elizabeth smiled. “Thank you. I like it.”

  “Perfect for Jesse to grow up happy and untroubled.”

  Elizabeth’s smile faded a little. “If Austin can be reasoned with.”

  “Or removed from the picture altogether. That’s definitely Lindsay’s plan and I understand from her that you’re just as determined.”

  “We can’t turn Jesse over to Austin,” Elizabeth said fiercely. “It would be a travesty.”

  “And that’s why we’ve all descended on you this morning. Lindsay’s found some interesting stuff and she’s roped me into the project, as usual.”

  Elizabeth looked at Lindsay. “About Austin?”

  “About Austin.” Lindsay reached for her cell phone. “Wait’ll you hear.”

  Elizabeth sat in the chair that Steele vacated for her and waited while Lindsay punched a few buttons, looking intently at the read-out. Apparently the cell phone was a state-of-the-art product that functioned as a telephone and a small computer. As Megan said, Lindsay had vowed to dig into Austin’s past to see what might turn up. After being around her for only a couple of weeks, Elizabeth had soon realized that, once on a mission, Lindsay was like a dog with a bone. And nailing Austin Leggett was her mission.

  As she waited, Elizabeth couldn’t resist looking across to the gazebo. Ryan and Louie made no effort to join the group on the patio, but as if he sensed her watching, Ryan turned his head and saw her. His smile was slow and seductive, rich with an intimacy that took her breath away. She quickly reached for the glass Jennifer handed over.

  Not missing the moment, Lindsay said, “Ryan’s banned from our discussion. He’s agreed that he can’t have access to our research. Although he’s champing at the bit to get involved, he was Austin’s lawyer and he’s bound by ethical considerations whether he likes it or not.” She flashed a smile. “His loyalties have changed, but I don’t think that would cut much ice with his ex-client.”

  “Hardly.” She took a taste of tea, barely hearing Lindsay. She’d avoided being alone with Ryan since the night of the kiss, but she hadn’t been able to avoid seeing him altogether. Nor had she been able to blank out thoughts of him that popped up, sometimes when she was at her computer, sometimes while going about household routine. Sometimes in the middle of the night. He’d been very thoughtful in driving Jennifer over often after school, but he didn’t come inside. The only reason he was here today, she suspected, was that Louie had waylaid him.

  “Okay, I’ve got a few names of women who figure in Austin’s past.” Lindsay scrolled through the material she’d put in the data base. “First one, Kristin Jordan. I got her name from a paralegal who worked closely with Gina.” She looked up at Elizabeth. “Did you ever hear Gina mention Kristin?”

  Elizabeth thought back. “I think so, but only vaguely as nothing comes to mind. Was she someone in his past?”

  “Not in the distant past as in before Gina, if that’s what you’re asking. According to my source, he was fooling around with Kristin while living with Gina. Anyway, Kristin didn’t want to talk other than to tell me that Austin was a real piece of work. She had nothing nice to say about him, but denied he’d ever been violent. So—” she pushed a button to scroll to the next name “—dead end there. Olivia Barton.”

  Elizabeth frowned. “Olivia is…was Gina’s hairdresser, wasn’t she?”

  “Uh-huh. And she was Austin’s, too. I noticed his spiffy hairstyle at the hospital and thought at the time that it was every bit as good as anything our makeup staff at the station did. She was also very talented in the sack.”

  “He was involved with Olivia?” Elizabeth asked with a look of astonishment.

  “Yes, ma’am. And she, unlike Kristin, was much more forthcoming. She seemed genuinely sorry for the affair after I told her about Gina’s accident and death. Said she always felt real guilty as Gina was a nice person.” Lindsay paused with a better-late-than-never look, then added, “But not guilty enough to end the affair…until Austin coldcocked her one night. It happened at the San Luis Hotel in Galveston, she told me. The rendezvous was an idea Austin cooked up.” She stopped and veered off her report. “He did this often. He’d get his eye on a woman, then begin a seduction campaign that had to be pretty expensive. He’d arrange dinner at an upscale restaurant, or he’d spring for a trip. For instance, he took Olivia on a junket to Las Vegas. Anyway—” she was shaking her head “—on this particular night, they called room service and ate in. According to her, they had a little too much vino and got into an argument over Gina, of all people, if you can believe that. Next thing Olivia knew, she was on the floor and seeing stars, he slapped her that hard. She thinks she was actually out for a moment or two. Unfortunately, she didn’t report it to the cops. She left, called a friend of hers who is an EMT, he checked her out, said she didn’t have a concussion, and Olivia vowed to steer clear of Austin Leggett. Which she has done ever since.”

  “We might get a statement from the EMT,” Steele said, making notes in his notebook with a pen.

  “You need one of these, Steele,” Lindsay said, leaning over to show him the tricks her cell phone computer was performing.

  “Yeah, and I’ll get one when the Homicide budget gets as cushy as yours at WBYH,” he said dryly. Then, without looking up, “What else do you have?”

  “You’re welcome,” Lindsay muttered, making a face. But she did as he asked and scrolled to the next name. “Patricia Ellis.” She looked up at Liz, who shook her head with a blank look. “Patricia is our best bet, boys and girls. Along with Erica, that is.”

  Steele looked up. “Who’s Erica?”

>   “I haven’t gotten to her yet,” Lindsay said.

  “Then why did you mention her?”

  “Because she—oh, never mind. Where was I?”

  “Patricia Ellis,” Steele said evenly, showing her his notebook.

  “Anytime you two get ready,” Megan said, smiling, “Elizabeth and I are listening.”

  Lindsay shot Steele a wicked look, then went back to the subject at hand. “Okay. Austin knew Patricia before Gina ever came into the picture. He was actually engaged to her right after law school. They were deep into plans for the wedding and suddenly she broke it off. She went into seclusion—” Lindsay made quotation marks with her fingers “—or something for a month. Word put out by her family was that she was recovering from the emotional trauma of it all. But her maid of honor said she was hospitalized with a broken jaw that had to be wired until it healed.”

  Elizabeth was leaning forward, her drink clasped between both hands. “Please tell me she pressed charges.”

  “Indeed, she did.”

  “About time,” Megan muttered.

  “But it’ll be a miracle if we can get our hands on it. Maude Kennedy would have found it for the custody hearing if it still existed.”

  “Could Austin’s father have pulled some strings to have it destroyed?” Elizabeth asked.

  “Nothing’s ever destroyed,” Steele said. “He could have influenced a judge to seal the file.”

  “Or…” Lindsay sent a thoughtful look at Ryan, still talking with Louie. “Maybe this is where Ryan could be useful. If Curtiss Leggett thought we’d gotten hold of those records, I wonder what his reaction would be?”

  “I could mention it to Ryan,” Steele said, “in the course of my investigation. And if he feels compelled to mention to Austin’s old man that some of the kid’s past transgressions are cropping up, I wonder what the fallout would be?”

  “Ooo, Detective Steele, that’s so devious.” Lindsay grabbed his pen and scribbled something on a napkin. “I like it. I like it. I’ll enter it into my data base.”