The Bad Daughter

by Joy Fielding

  “Thank you.”

  “Where are we going?” Robin asked her sister.

  “Same place we were headed before this little episode of True Confessions. Fasten your seat belts, everyone,” she said, channeling Bette Davis in All About Eve. “Looks like we’re in for a bumpy ride.”

  * * *

  —

  They arrived at an isolated stretch of land on the outskirts of Red Bluff less than ten minutes later. Melanie got out of the car to open a wooden gate, then turned the car onto the wide dirt path inside the wire fence that ran along the treeless perimeter of the property. It was the polar opposite of the lush farmland along the Sacramento River. We might as well be on the moon, Robin thought, although she understood why tourists might find it fascinating. This place gives new meaning to the phrase “wide-open spaces.”

  A bright orange barn stood to the right of the path, a small log cabin to the left, surrounded by dry yellowing grass everywhere she looked. A rusty old Chevy was parked to one side of the cabin, a shiny Harley-Davidson on the other, leaving no doubt in her mind whose property this was.

  “Everybody out.” Melanie turned off the car’s engine and opened the door.

  The smell of horses instantly invaded Robin’s nostrils, causing her to sneeze three times in quick succession.

  “This way.” Melanie strode purposefully toward the barn.

  “You going to tell us why we’re here?” Alec asked as he and Robin trailed after her.

  In reply, Melanie pointed past the barn to the field beyond.

  Robin brought her hands to her forehead to shield her eyes. Even with her sunglasses on, the light was almost blinding, there being no shade to provide even minimal protection from the blistering sun. In the distance she saw two men on horseback, their gaits measured and in complete sync. “Is that Landon?” Robin asked, straining to find something familiar in the black-filled outlines of the men’s faces.

  “It is,” Melanie said, a surprising but unmistakable trace of pride in her voice.

  “And the man with him is Donny Warren?”

  “It is,” Melanie said again, the pride lingering.

  “What’s going on?” Alec asked. “Who’s Donny Warren?”

  The riders turned in their direction, one of them waving. “A friend of Landon’s,” Melanie said. “He’s been teaching him how to ride.”

  Robin had read reports that animals—dogs and especially horses—could be an effective tool in the treatment of autism.

  “He called while you were with McAllister, said Landon was with him and that I shouldn’t worry.”

  “Very interesting,” Alec said.

  Robin sensed something in her brother’s tone that made her uneasy.

  “Correct me if I’m wrong,” he continued, confirming her worst fears, “but didn’t Cassidy tell the sheriff that there were two men in Dad’s house the night of the shootings, and that both men were tall and muscular?”

  “Alec…,” Robin warned, although the question wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

  “Just asking,” Alec said with a sly smile.

  The men on horseback drew closer, their faces emerging from the shadows. Beneath the wide-brimmed hat he wore, Landon was grinning from ear to ear.

  Robin thought it was the first time she’d ever seen her nephew smile.

  Melanie was also smiling, albeit faintly, a sight almost as rare.

  “Hold on,” Alec said, his eyes narrowing. “Are you fucking this guy?”

  Melanie’s head snapped toward her brother.

  “You are,” Alec said. “You’re fucking him.”

  “Shut up,” Melanie said.

  “Melanie’s got a boyfriend; Melanie’s got a boyfriend,” he taunted.

  “I’m warning you…”

  “Don’t get me wrong. I think it’s terrific,” Alec said as Donny Warren jumped off his dark brown horse, removing his hat and walking toward them. “Hypothetically, of course, if someone hated her father and Tara enough, she might enlist the help of her lover and son…”

  “Shut the fuck up.”

  Robin sneezed.

  “God bless you,” Donny Warren said as he approached, pulling a tissue from the pocket of his jeans and offering it to Robin.

  “Thank you.”

  “I’m Donny. You must be Robin. I think I saw you the other day on the side of the road.”

  Robin nodded. “Nice to meet you.”

  “And I’m Melanie’s brother, Alec,” Alec interjected, extending his hand and wincing as Donny shook it. “Whoa there, cowboy. That’s some grip you’ve got.”

  “Sorry.” Donny took a step back, and Robin saw that in profile his face was less intimidating than it appeared full on. There was a softness, even a twinkle, in his coal-black eyes. And despite the intense heat, he looked entirely comfortable in his deeply tanned skin, his checkered shirt unstained by sweat. A man at peace with himself and his surroundings, she thought. Robin couldn’t imagine him killing anyone.

  Then she remembered he’d served two tours in Afghanistan.

  “I was explaining that you’ve been teaching Landon how to ride,” Melanie said, watching as Landon dismounted from his dappled gray horse.

  “Yeah. He’s a quick learner. He did great today. Didn’t you, Landon?”

  Landon looked toward the ground at his feet, still holding tight to the horse’s reins.

  “It’s very generous of you,” Alec said, “to spend so much time with Landon.”

  “Well, I like the kid. And we both like horses and motorcycles,” Donny said. “Plus I grew up with a brother with learning disabilities, so it’s really no big deal for me. You want to come inside for a drink?”

  “I think we better be heading back,” Melanie said.

  “Sure,” Donny said. “Anytime.” He glanced at Landon. “I’ll take those, partner,” he said, lifting the reins from Landon’s hands.

  “Come on, Landon,” Melanie said.

  “Nice meeting you,” Donny said to Robin and Alec as they turned to leave. “Same time tomorrow, Landon? You, too,” he said to Alec, “if you feel like going for a ride.”

  “Just might take you up on that,” Alec said, smiling at Melanie.

  “If somebody doesn’t shoot you first,” came Melanie’s quick reply.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  The call came the next morning.

  “Robin?” The small voice vibrated with enthusiasm.

  “Cassidy?” Robin responded.

  “Guess what? The doctor says I’m ready to be discharged.”

  Robin looked toward Blake, who was sitting at the kitchen table, answering his email on his laptop.

  “What?” he asked with his eyes.

  “The doctor says Cassidy’s ready to come home,” she whispered. “That’s fantastic, sweetheart. Did he say when exactly?”

  “He said you can come and get me anytime. Now, even. I mean, if it isn’t too much trouble.”

  What do I do? Robin wondered. This wasn’t her home anymore, and Melanie wouldn’t take kindly to Robin making a decision like this on her own. But Melanie wasn’t here, and she couldn’t very well tell the child she’d have to think about it and call her back. “Of course it’s no trouble,” she said. “We’ll be there as soon as we can.”

  “Robin…”

  “Yes?”

  “Can you bring me something to wear? I was wearing pajamas when…you know. And they got kind of ruined…”

  Robin pictured a child’s pajama top shredded by bullets and soaked through with blood. “Sure. We’ll go to the house and get something.” The police tape had been removed from around her father’s mansion, but the thought of returning there, of seeing the blood that covered Cassidy’s bed like a blanket, made her stomach lurch. “You know what? This is the first good news we’ve had in a while and you deserve something special. We’ll stop at a store and get you something new to wear.”

  “Really? There’s this awesome shop on Main Street called Trendsetter
s. I love their stuff.”

  “Anything in particular?”

  “No. You pick.”

  “Okay. I’ll do my best. We’ll see you soon.” Robin hung up the phone as Blake closed his laptop. “Melanie’s not going to be happy.”

  “Is she ever?”

  “She hates surprises.”

  “She hates everything. You going to call her?”

  “No,” Robin said. “The day is young. Why spoil it so early?”

  “You’re learning,” said Blake, with a smile.

  Melanie had been in a bad mood when she woke up, and it had only worsened as the morning progressed. It reached its peak when Alec decided to tag along with her and Landon to Donny Warren’s ranch. “What?” he’d said. “I like horses. And your lover invited me.” Melanie’s only response had been steely silence. They’d left about an hour ago, and Robin wasn’t sure what time they would be back.

  Melanie had refused to comment further about her relationship with Donny, saying only that he’d told Landon he could call him whenever he was agitated and felt like going for a ride, either on horseback or on the back of his motorcycle. Apparently Donny suffered from insomnia as a result of his time in Afghanistan, so he had said that Landon was free to call him anytime, day or night. “How do you know he suffers from insomnia unless you’ve been spending the night?” Alec had asked. The daggers that shot from Melanie’s eyes gave new meaning to the phrase “if looks could kill.”

  “You don’t have to come to the hospital with me,” Robin told Blake now.

  “You don’t want me to come?”

  “That’s not what I’m saying.”

  “What are you saying?”

  Robin took a deep breath. “I want you to come.”

  * * *

  —

  Trendsetters was a small, upscale boutique located on Main Street between an old-fashioned hardware store and a modern hairdressing salon, directly across the street from the gold-domed clock tower. The shop was relatively new, having opened sometime in the last five years. “I don’t know,” Robin said, surveying the off-the-shoulder tops and short skirts on the mannequins in the window. “All these clothes seem a little too old for Cassidy.”

  “Let’s have a look.” Blake held the door open for her.

  A young woman approached even before the door was fully closed. She was in her early twenties, tall and slender, with waist-length brown hair and makeup that was several shades too orange for her complexion. Her eyelashes were so laden with mascara that Robin wondered how she managed to keep her eyes open. “Hi. I’m Miranda,” she said in greeting. “Can I help you?”

  Robin took a quick glance around the brightly lit store. It was nicely laid out, with clothes hanging along both sides of the wide room, and three tables containing a variety of folded items running up the center. At the rear of the shop, a salesgirl was sharing a joke with a customer whose headband-secured bouffant blond hairdo was reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland. “I’m not sure,” Robin said. “We’re looking for something for a young girl. Your stuff seems a little, I don’t know, maybe too mature.” She noted that Miranda was wearing a loose-fitting lime-green top and a pair of yellow-and-green-patterned shorts that were for sale on the first table.

  “Oh, no,” Miranda said quickly. “We get lots of teenagers in here.”

  “She’s twelve.”

  Miranda looked unconcerned. “What size is she?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Is she tall, thin, heavyset…?”

  “She’s shorter than me, around five feet three or four, I guess. Kind of delicate-looking, weighs maybe ninety-five pounds soaking wet. She’s twelve,” Robin repeated, as if this said it all.

  “Sounds like a size zero. What sort of style does she like?”

  “I have no idea. She just said that she likes your stuff.”

  “Really? Who is she? If she shops here, I probably know her.”

  Robin hesitated. “Her name is Cassidy.”

  Miranda’s eyes widened, despite their many coats of mascara. “Are you talking about Cassidy Davis?”

  For a second, Robin considered lying. But how many Cassidys could there be in a city the size of Red Bluff? “Yes.”

  “Of course I know Cassidy. She’s in here all the time. Loves our clothes. How’s she doing?”

  “Much better. She’s actually being released…”

  “That’s so great,” Miranda said without waiting for Robin to finish the sentence. She pivoted toward the back of the store. “Tiffany, did you hear that? Cassidy Davis is getting out of the hospital.”

  “Are you kidding?” Tiffany squealed in response.

  “The little girl who was shot?” her customer asked, turning around so that Robin could see her face.

  Not Alice in Wonderland.

  Shit.

  “Terri Glover,” she said, her heart sinking as the woman approached. Terri Glover was the most notorious busybody in Red Bluff. “Nice to see you again. It’s been a while.”

  “Yes, it has. And I traded in a Glover for a Norris two years ago, so it’s Terri Norris now. How are you?”

  “I’m okay.”

  “Well, considering the circumstances,” Terri said. “I can’t believe what happened. The whole town’s in shock.” Terri reached in her purse and removed her cell phone, punching in a series of numbers while she spoke. “But it’s fabulous news about Cassidy. You must be so relieved.”

  “I am. Wait—what are you doing?”

  “I’m just going to tell Grant, my husband. He’s a reporter for the Tehama Today section of the Redding Record Searchlight. It’s included in the Sunday edition of the paper. You must read it. Yes, hello,” she said into her phone. “Can I speak to Grant Norris? It’s important.”

  “No. Please don’t do that.”

  “Put your phone away,” Blake said.

  “Who are you?” Terri took several steps back, holding her phone close to her chest.

  “This is Blake Upton, my fiancé.”

  “Well, nice to meet you, Blake. But it’s a free country.”

  “Please, Terri,” Robin began, “I’m sure you understand what a difficult time this is—”

  “And I’m sure that you understand that this is the biggest thing to happen in Red Bluff in years. People have a right to know.”

  “Look, Terri,” Robin said, fighting to maintain control when what she really wanted to do was punch the woman in her stupid Alice in Wonderland face. “I would consider it a great favor if you would keep this quiet, at least for a couple of hours, until we can get Cassidy home. The last thing she needs right now is to be hounded by a bunch of reporters.”

  Terri looked from Robin to Blake, then back to Robin. She returned the phone to her ear. “Grant,” she said, “I’ll have to call you back.”

  “Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

  “Guess a few hours won’t make much difference. Tehama Today doesn’t come out till Sunday anyway.”

  “Thank you,” Robin said again, eager now to get out of the store. She turned back to Miranda, whose eyes were open so wide that her lashes appeared stuck to her eyebrows. “Do you think Cassidy would like what you’re wearing?”

  “Are you kidding? Cassidy would love this. And I’m pretty sure we have it in her size. Yep,” she said, locating both the shirt and the shorts on the display table. “Here they are.”

  “Great.”

  Blake insisted on paying for the items, and they hurriedly left the store. Robin turned back briefly and saw Terri already talking on her phone.

  * * *

  —

  They arrived at the hospital half an hour later, having stopped at Walmart to pick up underwear and a pair of Crocs.

  “This is so cool,” Cassidy exclaimed from her bed, clutching the lime-green top and the patterned shorts to her chest. Her hair was brushed away from her pale face and secured behind both ears with matching butterfly barrettes, making her look even younger than her twelve yea
rs. “I love everything.”

  “We’re glad,” Robin said. “I was afraid they might be a little too…I don’t know…”

  “Oh, no. They’re perfect. Did you pick them out, Blake?”

  “No, they were Robin’s choice.”

  “The salesgirl was wearing them,” Robin explained. “Miranda.”

  “Oh, Miranda. I love her. Didn’t you love her?”

  “She was very helpful.” Robin handed Cassidy the bag from Walmart. “Some underwear and a pair of green Crocs. I hope they fit.”

  Cassidy withdrew the panties from the bag, laughing as she turned them over in her hands. “They’re kind of gross.”

  “Gross?”

  “Mommy always used to buy me thongs.”

  Of course she did, Robin thought. “Oh. Well, I guess we can stop and get you some of those.”

  “It’s all right. I have lots at home. I can get them later.”

  Robin and Blake exchanged worried looks.

  “No, it’s okay,” Cassidy said. “Sheriff Prescott was here before. He said that he’d go with me whenever I felt ready.”

  “There’s plenty of time for that,” Robin said. “I wouldn’t rush it.”

  “No, it’s important,” Cassidy insisted. “Sheriff Prescott said the sooner, the better. He said that maybe if I’m back in the house, I might remember something. Something important.” She smiled, as if trying to reassure them. “And I can pick up my clothes when I’m there.”

  “Well, we can talk about that later,” Blake said. “What do you say we get you home first?”

  “Okay.” Cassidy pushed back her covers, swiveling gently around and swinging her bare legs over the side of the bed. She paused for a second to take a deep breath before looking up at Blake. “Could you help me?”

  “Sure thing.” He was instantly at her side, holding on to her waist as her feet touched the floor.

  “Do you need help putting these things on?” Robin asked.

  “Maybe.”

  “I’ll wait in the hall,” Blake said.

  Robin undid the ties at the back of Cassidy’s hospital gown, noting the large bandage wrapped around the child’s upper torso. Dear God. “There’s a bra in the bag. Nothing fancy,” she said, hearing Melanie’s voice twist through her words. “I wasn’t sure what size you are.”