The Gifted

by Gail Bowen

  Zack rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, I’m neither pregnant nor sympathetic, but I’m the one on deck. As of this afternoon Margot is on enforced R & R. Her blood pressure is a little high, so her doctor says she has to take it easy until the baby comes. She’s pretty well out of the game until Christmas.”

  “But she and the baby are okay?”

  “They’re fine. Margot says the doctor’s just being careful because of her age and because this is the only baby she’ll ever have.”

  “I’m glad Margot’s doctor is being cautious,” I said, “but her absence will mean another hole in the Racette-Hunter working team. Zack, I don’t want all the extra work to land on your lap.”

  “It’s not going to,” Zack said. “We’ve got Brock, Howard, Blake, and you and Ernest. Norine has some ideas about potential team members. I called her from Margot’s and she’s going to set up meetings with some of them tomorrow.”

  “I’ve got an idea, too,” I said. “Why don’t you come to bed?”

  Minutes after his head hit the pillow, Zack was asleep. His breathing was deep and even, and I was glad I hadn’t shared my burden of worry. There was trouble ahead, and at least one of us needed to get a good night’s sleep.

  The next morning after I came back from taking the dogs to the roof garden, I crawled back into bed with Zack. “We need to talk,” I said. “Last night when I came down from getting Madeleine settled, Julian was leaving,” I said. “He and Taylor were by the door. She was in his arms.”

  “So the vibes we picked up during dinner were for real,” Zack said.

  “Yes,” I said. “Julian and Taylor were kissing and it was a serious kiss. I stayed on the landing until Julian left. Taylor saw me, and we quarrelled. I broached the subject of Julian’s sexual relationship with Lauren. Taylor said the only reason Julian had sex with Lauren was because Lauren was lonely and he felt sorry for her.”

  “And Lauren felt sorry for Julian, so she gave him money.”

  “Something like that,” I said. “He told her about the video and that he argued with Lauren because she was threatening to show it to Taylor.”

  Zack raised an eyebrow. “Julian’s no dummy. Getting all the cards out on the table before we had a chance to talk to Taylor was a shrewd move. Jo, Why didn’t you tell me about this last night?”

  “Because Taylor asked me to wait until morning. She thought you looked tired at dinner.”

  Zack’s face softened. “She is such a good kid.”

  “Agreed,” I said. “But our good kid is facing a big adult problem.”

  “So what do we do?”

  “Well, I know what we don’t do,” I said. “We don’t come down hard on Taylor, and we don’t forbid her to see Julian. From the moment I met Peter’s first girlfriend, I knew she was trouble. She was manipulative and far, far too experienced for Peter, but I handled the situation badly, and Pete was so angry I almost lost him. I learned my lesson. No raised voices. No ultimatums.”

  Zack sighed. “So we just play it as it lays.”

  “Unless you can think of something better.”

  “It depends,” Zack said. “Would you think I was a jerk if I got a private investigator to check Julian out?”

  “No. I’d think you were a father who’s looking out for his daughter. While your detective is checking out Julian’s life, have him look into the story about the teacher in La Ronge.”

  I turned my pillow over and smoothed it. I’d had a restless night. Julian’s brief biography at dinner had evoked my sympathy, but it had also frightened me. If his Grade Ten teacher had been the beginning of Julian’s pattern of latching on to a woman who could give him what he needed, he was more damaged and perhaps more dangerous than we realized. “Another thing,” I said. “After Taylor goes to school, I’m going to get in touch with Kaye Russell. I think she owes us some answers about Julian.”

  “You bet she does,” Zack said, and his tone was caustic.

  As soon as she heard us in the kitchen, Taylor came downstairs. She was barefoot and in her robe. She poured herself a glass of juice and joined us at the table. Her eyes were anxious.

  “I told your dad about you and Julian a few minutes ago,” I said.

  Taylor’s focus shifted to Zack. “And …?”

  He held out his arms to her. “We love you. We trust you. And we’ll talk about this when you’re ready to talk.”

  Taylor dove into his arms. “Thank you,” she said. She turned towards me. “Jo, I’m sorry I got mad last night, but when you get to know Julian, you’ll understand why we’re so important to each other.”

  Kaye Russell was teaching until 10:30 so we agreed to meet at her office at 10:45. Mieka had phoned to say that Lena would be released later in the day, and that she’d stay at the hospital until then. That meant that after I drove Madeleine to St. Pius, I had an hour free.

  When Margot called asking if I could stop by, her timing was perfect.

  She answered the door in her pyjamas and she was wearing a pair of fuzzy pink slippers.

  “I remember when you wouldn’t be caught dead without your Manolos,” I said.

  Margot patted her belly. “The times they are a’changing. Come have a cup of tea with me and tell me what’s happening. But start with the good news. I could use some.”

  I followed Margot into the kitchen and watched as she filled the kettle. “Lena’s coming home from the hospital around lunchtime,” I said. “Mieka is crazy busy with UpSlideDown and the opening of April’s Place, so Lena and Poor Pitiful Pearl will be spending the days with us till the end of the week. Lena could probably go back to school, but the doctor says better safe than sorry.”

  “That seems to be the accepted medical protocol these days,” Margot said dryly. “I guess Zack told you I’m on enforced R & R. Feet up, and no more meetings in my house. The doctor says I have to draw boundaries between work and leisure. For a lawyer who habitually put in sixteen-hour days, that’s a novel idea.”

  “Please tell me the meetings aren’t going to be at our place.”

  “No, you’re off the hook. The condos downstairs that are being converted into offices are apparently close to being ready. Norine’s having furniture and office supplies delivered today. You, Zack, and I are supposed to go down and choose offices when we have some time.”

  “So we’ll be living over the store,” I said.

  Margot laughed. “Look on the bright side. We’ll save on parking.”

  When the chamomile had steeped, we took it into the living room. I always felt at home at Margot’s. Like our condo, it was an open-concept plan with a vaulted ceiling and skylights. Two storeys of light, hardwood, granite, and glass. But Margot had decorated her place herself and the effect was stunning: spectacular oversized rugs in shades of cream, ochre, and beige; soft pale leather couches and chairs, bronze lamps that cast a gentle glow; huge ornamental jars filled with dried grasses.

  The fireplace was lit, and Margot and I sat in front of it on deep chairs of buttery leather.

  As we sipped our tea, Margot surveyed the room. “I’m going to have to do some serious redecorating,” she said. “I never thought a baby would be living here.”

  “You have plenty of time before your little girl starts throwing pureed carrots at the wall.”

  “I can hardly wait,” Margot said. “I just wish Leland were with me to see the carrots fly.”

  I took her hand. “I know it’s not the same, but by the time your daughter starts throwing carrots your condo is going to be SRO. We’re all so excited about this baby – especially Zack. He’s never been around a newborn.”

  Margot grinned. “Zack and a newborn: now that’s going to be worth the price of admission.” Her face grew serious. “I don’t know what I would have done without you two in the last few months. And I’m very grateful to you both for handling the fallout from Lauren’s death. I called Vince to tell him how sorry I was. Given the fact that he and Lauren were estranged, it was hard to know w
hat to say.”

  “It is,” I agreed. “It’s also hard to know what to do – not just with Vince but with the R-H working team.” A shadow of concern crossed Margot’s face, and I was quick to reassure her. “We can handle this, Margot. Zack’s all over it, and so am I.”

  Margot sipped her tea. “Thanks. Those jackals that I fired from the Peyben board are waiting for me to fall on my face. As one of our former board members was exiting the Peyben office for the last time, he shook his finger at me and told me that focusing Leland’s company on community building was idealistic claptrap.”

  “Well, it isn’t. Those jackals you fired may want to spend the rest of their lives locking their car doors, rolling up their windows, and looking the other way when they’re forced to drive through North Central, but Leland had a reason for changing the plans for The Village. He knew the people of North Central had to be a priority. Racette-Hunter is just part of the larger picture. You’re not alone, Margot. You and Declan have the support of the new board. And right across the hall, you have Taylor, Zack, and me.”

  Margot’s cornflower blue eyes were serious. “Like a family,” she said.

  “Right,” I said. “Like a family.”

  Margot put her teacup back on its saucer. “Okay,” she said. “As members of a family, there’s something we have to talk about.”

  I felt a shiver of apprehension. “Go ahead.”

  “It’s Taylor. Declan is worried about Julian Zentner’s influence on her.” Margot cocked her head. “Do you want me to stop?”

  “No,” I said. “Zack and I are concerned about that, too. Especially because last night Taylor told me that Lauren and Julian had quarrelled about the sex video. Apparently, Lauren was threatening to send the video to Taylor if Julian ended the affair.”

  Margot whistled. “Wow. Declan says that Taylor is out of her depth with Julian. Obviously Declan is right.”

  “Zack and I had been hoping that since the painting was finished, Julian and Taylor would go their separate ways, and we wouldn’t have to interfere.”

  Margot put her feet up on the ottoman and gazed critically at her fuzzy pink slippers. “But Julian and Taylor haven’t gone their separate ways,” she said finally.

  “No,” I said. “And that baffles me. The two of them worked together for weeks, and Taylor hardly ever talked about Julian. A couple of times they came downstairs and had lunch together, but usually Taylor did her homework and Julian leafed through an art magazine. Sometimes he talked to Taylor about an article he was reading, but it was all very casual.”

  “But now Julian is front and centre in Taylor’s life.”

  “He is, and I don’t get it. There’s a piece missing here.”

  “I may be able to supply it,” Margot said. “Despite the lack of romance, Declan and Taylor are close. One of the things that drew them together at the beginning was that they both felt overshadowed by a parent. Declan felt that no matter what he did he would never measure up to what Leland accomplished, and until she painted BlueBoy21, Taylor felt the same about Sally.”

  “And BlueBoy21 changed that,” I said.

  “Yes,” Margot said. “Taylor told Declan that when BlueBoy21 sold for such a high price, she knew she could finally shake off Sally’s shadow.”

  “I get that,” I said. “But what does this have to do with Julian?”

  “Julian has apparently convinced Taylor that he is her key to making serious art,” Margot said. “He keeps trying to get her to watch the Sally Love documentary with him. Taylor is still refusing, but according to Declan, Julian is making a big deal about Sally’s comment that sex was the catalytic force in her art – that when she was in a relationship with an exciting partner, she had the juice to paint, and when she wasn’t, she dried up.”

  “And of course, Julian is volunteering to be the exciting partner,” I said.

  “He’s convinced Taylor that the energy she had when she was painting BlueBoy21 came from him,” Margot said softly. “And Declan’s afraid that Taylor is buying his argument and Sally’s.”

  I slammed my hand against the arm of the leather chair. “What a great legacy for a mother to leave her daughter,” I said.

  Margot was pensive. “I’ve never once heard you criticize Sally.”

  Taylor’s anger the night before was a fresh wound. “Well, I’m criticizing her now,” I said. “I loved Sally, but she really did believe that her talent excused everything. She used people, and when she was through with them, she walked away and left other people to clean up the mess.” I stood and started pacing. “For eleven years, I’ve tried to help Taylor realize her value. Then Sally sends a message from the grave telling her daughter that all that matters is her art and that she can’t make great art unless she has sex.”

  Margot stood and put her arm around my shoulder. “To be fair, in the documentary, Sally talked about other sources that powered her art – seeing the world, meeting all kinds of people, going to galleries and museums.”

  “I know. When The Poison Apple was telecast, I wanted Taylor to watch it with Zack and me. I knew some of Sally’s comments would be troubling, and I thought we could give context to what Sally was saying.”

  “But Julian is the one supplying both the comments and the context,” Margot said.

  I pivoted to face her. “And he’s manipulating Sally’s words so that Taylor will give him what he wants – sex.”

  “What Julian wants is more than sex,” Margot said. “He’s feeding on Taylor’s insecurities about Sally. Julian is telling Taylor that if she wants to make the kind of art her mother made, she needs him.”

  “You’re sure about that?” I said.

  “Very sure. Declan agonized about breaking Taylor’s confidence, but in the end, he realized he had no choice. Jo, I think Julian is trying to convince Taylor that they can’t exist without each other.”

  “Romeo and Juliet,” I said. “Two against the world. Also two who died. That slimeball.”

  I was still boiling when I walked into the university. I crossed the atrium and down the hall that led to the fine arts department and found Kaye’s door open. She looked pale, and her hand seemed to tremble as she motioned me to the chair across from her. I wondered if there’d been lingering effects from medication she might have taken for her migraine.

  “Julian said you had a migraine yesterday.”

  “You saw Julian?”

  “Taylor invited him for dinner last night. Actually, that’s why I wanted to see you. Kaye, Zack and I aren’t happy about Taylor’s relationship with Julian.”

  Kaye’s face hardened. “Why? She’s painting better than she ever has in her life and it’s because of him. He has a great deal to offer her.”

  “And he’s putting a price on it. Did you know that Julian’s encouraging Taylor to have sex with him?”

  “It has to be someone,” Kaye said. “Why not Julian?”

  I felt my gorge rise, but I kept my voice even. “For starters, Taylor just turned fifteen. She’s still forming ideas about who she is.”

  Kaye looked at me blankly. “Taylor knows who she is. She has an incredible gift and she has you and Zack. Taylor will be fine. It’s Julian I’m worried about.” Behind the thick lenses of her glasses, Kaye’s eyes were huge and filled with pain. “I blame myself for the turn his life has taken. When I knew him first, Julian was sweet and hopeful and idealistic. The day I told him that it was unlikely he could succeed as a visual artist, I destroyed all that. It was as if he decided that if he couldn’t make art that people wanted, he’d become an object that people wanted. Now he sees himself as a commodity.”

  I was silent for a moment, collecting my thoughts. “Julian is a very disturbed young man, Kaye. You were supposed to be our friend. You were Taylor’s teacher. Why would you expose her to a boy with such serious problems?”

  “Because I knew he and Taylor could help each other.” Kaye put up her hand in a Halt sign. “You’re angry now, but hear me out. Julian
is not ‘a very disturbed young man.’ Except for the occasional beer, he doesn’t drink. He doesn’t do drugs. He’s not violent. Life dealt him a blow, and he took a wrong path. I believe we’re allowed to do that at nineteen.”

  “I agree,” I said. “But being kept by an older woman – that’s a pretty major wrong path – and his involvement with Lauren Treadgold—”

  She cut me off. “Julian was always selective. He’s probably had fewer partners than most undergraduates.”

  I was furious. “You mean Lauren wasn’t the only one? Taylor has just turned fifteen. What possessed you to offer her up to a man like Julian?”

  “I didn’t ‘offer Taylor up.’ You asked me to recommend a model. As someone familiar with Taylor’s work, I knew Julian was what she needed. She and I had agreed on a goal before she began the painting. She wanted to produce a competent piece that showed an understanding of anatomy. Of course, the piece she made went well beyond ‘competent.’ There was something in Julian that Taylor saw and responded to.”

  “His grief over the family he never had, the art he’ll never make,” I said.

  “Exactly, and that was the other reason that I suggested Julian. Taylor is a very young fifteen. You and Zack have protected her. If she’s going to make the kind of art of which she’s capable, she’s going to have to experience more, feel more. My hope was that Julian would awaken something in Taylor.”

  I counted to ten. “Her sexuality?”

  “Awareness of her sexuality will open up an entire range of feeling that Taylor still hasn’t tapped into.”

  “Because she’s a virgin. Damn it, Kaye, Taylor will ‘tap into’ that range of feeling when she’s ready. Forcing Julian upon her could have done irreparable damage.”

  “If Sally were alive—”

  “But Sally isn’t alive,” I said. “Luckily for Taylor, she wasn’t raised by someone who would never see anything more in Taylor than her talent. No one is more aware of my shortcomings as a parent for Taylor than I am, but from the time I brought her home I at least saw the whole child. Taylor suffered an unimaginable loss when she was four years old. She was a very damaged little girl when she came to us, but my children and I did everything we could to let her know she was part of our family. And, of course, Zack thinks the sun rises and sets on her. Taylor’s worked hard to become the girl she is today. I’m not going to stand by and let Julian ruin her life.”