Group, Photo, Grave (A Kiki Lowenstein Mystery)

by Slan, Joanna Campbell

  “You can’t start any earlier than eight,” said Clancy. “We have private homes behind us. We don’t need complaints from the neighbors.”

  “Eight is plenty early for me,” I said, after making a quick calculation. Starting that early would involve my getting up at 6:30 a.m. to feed the animals and do a few loads of laundry, before getting myself and my daughter ready for the day. Six-thirty wasn’t much earlier than my usual start.

  With that settled, I went back to the Stottlemeyer album. An hour later, I left the store in Clancy’s capable hands. “I’ll be back before six for the crop.”

  While Aunt Penny and Anya piled into my car, I gave Rebekkah one last hug for the day. “Call me if you need me,” I told her. “I think you’ll probably hear from Rabbi Sarah very soon.”

  Chapter 25

  I felt like a circus sideshow lying there on the examining table with Anya on one side and Aunt Penny on the other, but I’d asked for the audience, hadn’t I? While Anya practiced acting calm, cool, and collected, Aunt Penny was busily collecting pamphlets about pregnancy.

  “This gel will feel cold,” said the sonogram tech as she squeezed goop from a tube onto my belly.

  I shivered as she smeared it around.

  “Did you know that your blood volume will increase by 40-50% before you have the baby?” she asked, reading straight from one of the brochures. “And your bra cup will grow by one or two sizes?”

  “You should see her pregnancy underpanties,” Anya said. “They are so funny looking.”

  “Anya? Too much information,” I said. “Be nice to me. Someday if you’re lucky, you can wear my hand-me-downs.”

  “Yuck,” said the princess.

  The tech grabbed a flat-tipped wand called a transducer. It looked a bit like something straight out of a Harry Potter movie.

  “This emits high-frequency tones. When they bounce against the baby, we can read them as a picture. It’s the same principle as Doppler radar. Now watch the screen,” the tech said as she pressed the flat edge of the wand into the jelly. We all turned our faces toward the screen, although I had trouble seeing because of the tears in my eyes.

  They spilled over my face. The import of the moment hit me hard. Detweiler wasn’t with me, and I keenly missed his rock-solid presence. What if I saw something amiss? What if something was wrong with our baby? I hadn’t planned on getting pregnant. I’d taken none of the prenatal vitamins that might ensure our child’s good health. I couldn’t help myself: I started sobbing.

  “Mom? Does it hurt?” Anya was holding my hand and now she peered at me anxiously.

  “No,” I gasped.

  “You okay, Kiki?” Aunt Penny’s face creased with worry.

  “Emotional,” was all I could manage.

  The tech smiled at me and then at them. “It’s not unusual. This is exciting and scary, and her hormones are cranked up to their maximum levels.”

  That felt like I was given permission, so I really let loose. I thought about Dodie’s death, about missing Mert, about the responsibility of adding Erik to our lives. I also thought about the new financial pressures of owning the business—and how unprepared I was for all of this.

  “I’ll go get you a cup of water,” said the tech.

  “Mom? You sure you’re okay?” Anya repeated desperately. “Did you see something? Is something wrong?”

  “Noooo,” I wailed. “I’m just being a big baby.”

  The tech returned with a Dixie cup of lukewarm tap water. I gulped it down and yanked a tissue from the box she offered me.

  “Do you want to reschedule, Mrs. Lowenstein?” asked the tech. With her strawberry blond hair and freckles, she looked like an ad for wholesome living.

  “No. I’m sorry. Go ahead,” but as she reapplied the wand, I babbled on, unable to stop myself. “It’s…it’s…just so much happening all at once. My baby’s father just learned he has a son, who’s five, and that little boy is coming to live with us. And…and…”

  The tech started to move the wand around. An image appeared on the screen, but you couldn’t tell what it was. The edges wobbled as the tech tried to get a better angle.

  “And what?” demanded Aunt Penny. “I’ll help in any way that I can.”

  “Me, too,” said Anya.

  “How can you help me?” I whined. “Go into labor for me?” Mustering up my courage, I looked at the screen.

  “Ah,” said the tech. “See that? It’s an arm. Your baby is waving at you.”

  The tiny limb mesmerized all of us. My jaw flopped open. In the years since I’d had Anya, the technology had improved greatly. The tech had been right. As we watched, five tiny little digits waved at us.

  Temporarily, I had been distracted, but now I imagined those little fingers holding mine, looking to me for guidance. Right now, Anya held my hand, but soon I’d be juggling a babe in arms and a little fellow who might have tons of trouble adjusting to his new family.

  A little fellow, a boy.

  The image on the screen grew indistinct again. The tech’s mouth pursed with concentration as she moved the wand, almost as if stirring a pot. I guess she was trying to get the right angle, but it seemed like she was chasing shadows. Okay, so we’d seen fingers. What I really wanted was a full-body image of the baby, enough of a sighting that I could put aside my fears.

  What if something was wrong? How would we cope with a child with a disability? The wonder of it, the miracle, was that all those chromosomes and cells knew their jobs. They arranged themselves in a predestined order so that they could structure a human being. How could they be so tiny and yet so intelligent? What unearthly hand arranged them with such love?

  Surely the possibility of problems outweighed the likelihood of perfection! One in every thirty-three babies was born with a birth defect. That meant that 120,000 children were born annually with problems, and of these 3% were considered “major.”

  Would ours be one of the unlucky ones?

  Even if everything was hunky-dorey, A-Okay, would I be able to cope? I hadn’t slept much last night. I woke up worrying about the murder investigation, Detweiler’s trip, remodeling the store, and our new addition. Scratch that: additions, plural.

  How would Erik adjust to losing his mother and accepting me?

  I tried to hold back a sob, but I couldn’t. “I…I…don’t know anything about raising boys! I grew up in a family of girls! And now Detweiler is bringing back his son. And he’s five. I won’t know what to do! I know girls, but what do you do with a son?”

  “Tucson,” said the tech.

  “Tucson?” I repeated. “You’re suggesting we move to Arizona?”

  A gap-toothed smile appeared on that freckled face. “No, not Tucson. I said ‘two sons,’ as in congratulations, you’re definitely having a boy.”

  Chapter 26

  Early Monday…

  Los Angeles, California

  Detweiler woke up at 6:30 Central Standard Time and used the early hour as a chance to go down to the hotel’s fitness center and work out. After a hearty breakfast of eggs, two strips of turkey bacon, whole wheat toast, and black coffee, he showered and changed.

  Time seemed to drag as he waited for Lorraine to call and say that Erik was up and about. He texted Kiki several times but didn’t call. He knew she was trying to catch up on paperwork at the store. Between reading the USA Today slipped under his door and working Sudoku puzzles, he paced the floor. When the phone finally rang at nearly eleven, he had to calm himself before answering.

  “I’m sending Orson for you,” said Lorraine, after she politely asked how he had slept and if the accommodations were satisfactory. “He’ll meet you in the front of the hotel. Where he left you off last night.”

  “That’s kind of you, but if he’ll just drop me off over at a rental car agency—”

  She interrupted. “No need. Orson is at your beck and call. Didn’t he give you his card?”

  “Yes, but—” Detweiler started to explain that this situat
ion made him uncomfortable. However, once again, Lorraine derailed him.

  “Good. He’s actually on his way. I’d like to have a few words with you before you meet Erik. He went to summer camp this morning, which is what the counselor suggested. Keeping his life as normal as possible for as long as possible. I’m sure you’ll understand. After we have lunch and a chat, Orson will take us to pick Erik up. That way you can see his camp and meet his camp counselors. The camp is held at his regular school, so you can see the place. We’ll have to make a lunch appointment with his kindergarten teacher. As for tomorrow, I hope you like seafood!”

  With that, she said goodbye before he could respond.

  “Crud,” he snarled to the empty room. “She’s out-maneuvered me again.”

  Lorraine had this way of taking control and not pausing for breath so that he couldn’t get a word in edgewise without being rude. Once more she’d delayed his meeting with his son. Detweiler had a good mind to call her back and demand that he be allowed to see Erik, but in his head, he could see his father winking at him. “Son, there’s a reason people say that patience is a virtue. That’s because it is. See, it’s easy to run headlong into foolishness, just because you want to prove yourself, but a wise man bides his time. Shows his maturity. Allows other folks to set the pace so they feel comfortable.”

  His father had been right. Detweiler had seen his wisdom proven time and time again. In situations where other officers pressed the point, Detweiler stepped back, waited, and assessed his options. Taking his cues from others, Detweiler trained himself to respond to their rhythms, not his own. For this reason, his interviews were far more productive than those of his fellow officers.

  But being patient at work was one thing. This was his personal life. His son—the boy he’d wanted his whole life—was out there, somewhere. A small hot spark of anger flamed up inside him. Why couldn’t he see his boy?

  What was Lorraine’s game?

  She seemed to have her reasons for dragging her feet. But what were they? She’d set this transfer in motion. Why was she putting on the brakes now?

  Then he remembered what Kiki had said. This was exciting for him, yes, of course, but it would also be terrifying for Erik. First he’d lost his parents (or more correctly his mother and the man she’d married) and now he was meeting a stranger who would take him away from the life he’d known. Perhaps Lorraine Lauber really did have the boy’s best interests at heart. Perhaps she was only being cautious. Getting a feel for Detweiler, sizing him up before turning the boy over to this stranger.

  If so, he should thank her for her diligence.

  With that resolved, he calmed down. He would meet her for lunch. He’d hear her out. But no more delays. Reaching into the roll-aboard, he grabbed the backpack that Anya had chosen for her new brother. His fingers curved over the now-familiar lumps of gifts inside, and he paused long enough to center himself. Glancing into the full-length mirror, he straightened the collar on his shirt and smoothed the front of his navy blue jacket.

  Would he recognize Erik? Would the boy look like him? Or like Gina? Would it take him a while to feel comfortable with Detweiler? Or would they establish a bond quickly? What if the child didn’t like him? What if he couldn’t overcome the boy’s loss?

  His eyes grew misty, so he stepped into the bathroom, wet a washcloth with cold water, and wiped his face.

  Now the voice in his head was Kiki’s. She said to him, “It’s going to be okay. It might be rough going at first, but we’ll make it work. You’ll see.”

  “It’ll be okay.” He repeated and thanked his lucky stars that he’d found such a wonderful partner. With a quick nod to the mirror, he closed the door of his hotel room and started for the lobby.

  Chapter 27

  Using his cell phone, Detweiler snapped a photo of Cafe del Rey for Kiki. The outside of the building offered no clues as to the ambiance of the interior, but he knew that Kiki would enjoy the tiny white holiday lights sprinkled in the palm trees.

  The hostess clearly had been expecting him. She chattered happily, asking how he was enjoying his visit, as she led him past clusters of tables covered with crisp white damask clothes, sparkling glassware, candles, and heavy china. The deeper they went into the restaurant, the more glimpses Detweiler could see of the startling green-blue water. Even before they reached a bank of wall-to-ceiling windows, Detweiler could smell the tang of saltwater and see the masts of sailboats bobbing along. It was a magnificent sight, but again, one that a photo couldn’t capture.

  The hostess took him to a table set off by itself where a woman stared out at the water. The back of her carefully groomed hair gave no indication of her age. But her hands were freckled and gnarled and her skin on her neck sagged slightly.

  “Miss Lauber?” Detweiler said.

  She turned and smiled. The light glinted off the water, making it difficult for him to see her clearly. He judged her to be in her mid-sixties. Lorraine Lauber had never been a classic beauty, but she was a handsome woman with eyes of an undetermined color and beautifully highlighted blond hair. Her shake was firm and her gaze direct as she assessed him without trying to disguise her interest. In return, he looked her over. She was impeccably groomed and dressed in a simple black top and matching slacks of nice material. A gray shawl draped over her shoulders. Her jewelry was heavy, which meant it was probably real. From working around the well-heeled people of Ladue, he knew she was expensively attired. There was a casual attitude about her that said she had always had money. However, Lorraine spoke kindly to the waitress and thanked the bus boy as he refilled their water glasses.

  As he took a chair, Detweiler dropped the backpack he was carrying into one of the empty chairs between them.

  Her lips twitched in amusement. “Do you always bring your backpack? How long have you been a Superman fan? That’s the new version, right? Henry Cavell? Marvelous actor.”

  “It’s for Erik. All the women in my life insisted that I be the bearer of gifts. My fiancée Kiki, her daughter Anya, and my mother all had their own ideas. Anya chose the backpack. I hope he likes Superman.” Detweiler tried not to sound embarrassed. In truth, he was happy to be bringing gifts, but the childish packaging wasn’t his style. However, Kiki and his mother had assured him that Erik would love the backpack. And he trusted their opinions.

  Lorraine Lauber’s laugh reminded him of the music from the carillon in Luther Tower at Concordia Seminary in Clayton. The forty-nine bells rang out on special occasions and in the summer months. He counted it a special blessing if they happened to be playing as he drove by.

  “He’ll be delighted with her choice. I told him he was getting a sister. Many of his classmates have siblings, so he seems to think this might be a good thing. But he’s not entirely convinced. Now shall we order? Drinks first? And appetizers? I’m famished.”

  Letting her set the pace, he asked for a Bud Light while she sipped a Campari and orange. Deferring to her judgment, he let her choose a starter of flatbread with figs and goat cheese. The waiter rattled off the list of fresh catches. Detweiler selected the first dish offered. Honestly, he couldn’t care less what he ate. He was hungry for news about his son.

  “Tell me about your fiancée.” Lorraine smiled at him. “How does she feel about welcoming your son into her life?”

  “She’s delighted. Kiki is wonderful,” said Detweiler. “I think she’s as excited about Erik as I am. She’s very good with children. In fact, she’s expecting. Due in January. I’m missing the first sonogram. ”

  “A baby on the way and a daughter?”

  “Yes, Anya will be thirteen this month. A great kid. I’ve known Kiki and Anya for nearly three years, so I’ve had the chance to watch Anya grow. She’s thrilled about having siblings. Her best friend Nikki has a brother, and Anya envies her. I think the two girls are already counting on making babysitting money.”

  “Gina told me you have extended family in the St. Louis area.” Lorraine fiddled with the orange slice bal
anced on the edge of her glass.

  “My mother, father, and two sisters live just across the river. I have one niece, Emily, who’s Anya’s age. The two are great friends. Kiki’s mother and sister live ten minutes away from us, as does her motherin-law from her first marriage. We met after her husband George was murdered. But her motherin-law Sheila—George’s mother—has stayed close to Kiki and Anya. Sheila recently remarried my boss, Chief of Police Robbie Holmes.”

  “My, my,” said Lorraine. “You do indeed have family nearby. How lovely! Erik won’t grow up in a vacuum, will he? How are the schools there in St. Louis?”

  He explained that because Anya attended CALA Erik would be considered a sibling, and therefore, he was assured of a spot at the prestigious institution. “It’s pricy,” Detweiler admitted, “but I have money in savings that we’ll use for his tuition. Having him there at CALA will make life easier for all of us. There’ll only be one school schedule. One pickup and drop off time. One administration and their quirks to navigate.” He continued by explaining that CALA’s educational prowess was second-to-none in the area.

  “How about your home? Do you have enough room for another child?”

  The flatbread arrived. Detweiler was relieved to discover that “flatbread” was nothing more than thin crust pizza. The flavors of fresh basil and tomato topped with mozzarella were surprisingly delicious, even without a heavy tomato sauce. He’d have to tell Kiki about it.