False Front (18 page)

‘Why do you lock them up at night?’

‘Coons, foxes, skunks, weasels – they’ll all snatch up hens that wander too close to the fence after dark. Bite their heads off and leave the bodies there since they can’t drag that part through the wiring.’

‘Yuck. That’s disgusting.’

Lily slid a plate in front of Jake. ‘Hope Ricky’s big mouth doesn’t put you off your feed. And don’t forget, there’s more where that came from.’

‘Did you know that Lucinda was a champion milker? She got a blue ribbon at the competition at the county fair one year,’ Ricky said.

‘Really? Amazing the things she’s never told me.’

‘I wish I still had her here,’ Ricky said. ‘She was the hardest-working farmhand I’ve ever seen. And she was fearless. She’d walk out into the field and bring the meanest bull up to the barn to service one of the cows without blinking an eye. She’d put on the chain and lead him up as easy as a trained dog.’

‘You’re kidding?’

‘Nope. C’mon, you know her. Have you ever seen her back off from doing anything out of fear?’

‘You’re right about that. But she just doesn’t act like a farm girl.’

‘Well, she’s got a layer of smooth polish overlaying her roots – our grandmother up north saw to that. But if you dropped her out here and told her she had to earn her keep on the farm she’d do it and probably earn the keep of three or four others while she was at it.’

Jake scratched the back of his head. ‘It’s going to take me a bit to incorporate those images into my picture of Lucinda. But I can already see how they all fit together.’

‘Speaking of together, just what are your intentions regarding my sister?’ Ricky asked.

‘Ricky, how rude!’ Lily objected.

‘Ah, c’mon, Lily. You wanted to know, too. You’re just too much of a scaredy cat to ask.’

‘Scaredy cat? No, Ricky, I’m just polite.’

‘So, who looks after my sister, then? She has no dad to do that for her.’

‘I think your sister can take care of herself,’ Lily said. ‘She’s proven that time and time again.’

‘Still . . .’

‘Still, Ricky? Oh, you go on ahead and do your protective brother routine. If I try to stop you, you’ll just corner Jake out of my earshot and I’ll never get to know the answer.’

Ricky laughed and pointed his finger at his wife. ‘You see, I got your number, Lily. You want the question asked; you just want to act superior by not being the one who does the asking.’

‘I don’t need to ask, husband dearest. I am superior – I am the woman,’ she said with a grin.

‘See, Jake, if you get serious about my sister, you’ll have to try to never be alone with her and Lily. Either one of them alone is debilitating to our fragile male egos – but together, you’d best be wearing a cup.’ Ricky jumped up, put a hand on each side of Lily’s back, spun her around and planted a kiss on her lips.

‘Oh, cut it out, Ricky. You’re really going to spoil Jake’s appetite now,’ she said as her face flushed and her dimples danced.

He still held Lily tight when he asked again. ‘Enough fooling around, Jake. What are your intentions toward my sister?’

‘I think maybe you oughta talk to Lucinda about that.’

‘Jake, you know she won’t talk to me about it. Give it up.’

‘Man, she’s your sister, Ricky. If I start talking about her to you, she’ll never trust me again.’

‘Hey, I won’t tell her.’

‘Still, Ricky . . .’ Jake began, interrupted by the sharp ring of the telephone.

Lily pulled away from her husband, walked across the kitchen and picked up the receiver. After a moment, she said, ‘Martha, calm down. I can’t understand a word you’re saying.’ She paused for a moment and said, ‘Martha, you are not making any sense.’

Lily sighed and dropped her shoulders. ‘OK, Martha, don’t cry. Jake is right here. I’ll let you talk to him.’

Jake stepped over and took the receiver from Lily’s outstretched hand. ‘Yes, Martha. What can I . . .?’ Jake listened, his brow furrowing and his jaw tightening. ‘All right, Martha. I’ll be there as quick as I can.’

Jake hung up and turned to Ricky and Lily. ‘Seth’s acting crazy enough to scare Martha. I’m not sure what’s going on but I’m going to run over and check it out.’

‘You want me to go with you?’ Ricky asked.

‘No. Because of his attitude towards you, you may make matters worse. I’ll be fine. I think Martha’s probably overreacting.’

‘He’s my brother. I can go,’ Lily said.

‘That might be a good idea, Lily. But let me go over there alone. If it seems like you’re needed, I’ll give you a call.’ Jake shoveled a fork full of egg and bacon into his mouth, pulled open the outside door and, still chewing, said, ‘Wish me luck.’ A moment later the gravel was pounding the sides of Jake’s vintage Super Sport once again.

THIRTY-FOUR

‘
I
’ve found her,’ he said.

‘Where?’ she asked.

‘She’s back in New Jersey.’

‘See, I told you she’d be trouble. I told you she was going to try to destroy me. Her return to New Jersey proves that.’

‘Maybe she just wanted to get back to her roots,’ he argued.

‘Are you backing out on me?’

‘No. I’ll do what you want me to do but I doubt if she’s planning anything. If she wanted to cause trouble, wouldn’t she come down to Virginia?’

‘Ha. That just says she’s still afraid of me. That’s why she ran. That’s why she changed her name. But coming back east means that she is determined to make me pay as she promised all those years ago.’

‘I guess that means we’re still a go.’

‘Yes. Make it look like some sort of accident – but not an auto-mobile accident. That worked once. It won’t work again. Are you sure she’s in New Jersey? Are you sure she hasn’t moved on again?’

‘I called the phone number at her address. She gave her name on the voicemail message. She has to be there.’

‘In Trenton?’

‘Yes.’

‘Make sure this doesn’t come back to me.’

‘Don’t worry. There’s enough violence in northern New Jersey to cover up anything you want.’

‘Just eliminate her. And don’t let them suspect murder. That’s all I want. Where are you now?’

‘Seattle.’

‘When will you be in Jersey?’

‘Not until this evening. I couldn’t get a direct flight but I’m on the first plane out of here.’

‘How long will it take you to set it up?’

‘It depends on where she lives and if she’s living alone or with someone else, where she works and how much of a creature of habit she is. It’ll take some reconnaissance time.’

‘Don’t make it take too long. If she speaks out before you get to her, I’m ruined and I’ll give you up in a heartbeat to make a deal. I will not go to prison.’

‘Thanks for that vote of confidence. You really do make me sick. I can’t wait to get this job finished, get the rest of my money and scrub you out of my life.’

‘The feeling is mutual.’

‘And just in case that feeling takes you to the next step of hiring someone to eliminate me, let me warn you. I put what I call my insurance policy in the hands of my attorney. Don’t worry, I sealed it. He will only open it if something happens to me. If he does, he’ll read every detail implicating you.’

‘Aren’t you charming? I’ll call you with a number as soon as I get a new cell. When this is over, you can just go to hell – I’ll even provide the hand-basket.’

‘Boarding call, I have to run. It’ll all be over in a matter of days. Make sure you have the final payment ready. I want this wrapped up immediately. I need some R&R in the tropics where I can wipe out the memory of you over a bottle of rum.’

‘Yo ho ho,’ she said and disconnected the call.

THIRTY-FIVE

E
leven-year-old Charley Spencer slid out of bed early that morning. Her little sister Ruby didn’t stir when Charley looked into her bedroom. Her father was far away on a Doctors without Borders mission in Africa–Libya, she thought, but wasn’t sure she remembered correctly. Kara, the woman caring for them in her father’s absence, had been a constant in her life since her mother’s murder three years ago.

The sight of her mother’s body on the floor had begun to fade from her mind – the edges were no longer sharp but she could still envision the image like a blurred charcoal sketch. The one thing that continued to burn hot in her mind was the sound of Ruby sucking her thumb. That’s where she found her that day – pressed tight against their mother’s body, making that noise that still sent Charley close to panic.

Ruby was six years old now but when she was stressed she still reverted to her thumb. When Charley heard the sucking sound her heart raced, her mouth went dry and she had to force her breathing to stay smooth and regular.

Ruby was more prone to suck on her thumb when her father was away, making Charley feel guilty for her negative reaction to it. With Dad gone, Ruby needed her more but all Charley wanted to do was get as far away from her as she could when she heard that distinctive slurping.

This morning, however, Charley was the only person in their apartment making any sound and she tried to be as quiet as possible so as not to wake the others. She turned on the coffee pot and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and hair. When she emerged, she poured half a cup, added enough sugar to bake a cake and then filled the cup with half-and-half.

She went out onto the balcony overlooking the James River and sat down sipping her highly adulterated coffee. She was lost in the beauty below when Ruby stumbled out to join her.

‘I want coffee, too,’ Ruby said.

‘No you don’t. You’re too little for coffee. I’ll make you a mug of cocoa.’

‘No. I want coffee!’ Ruby pouted.

‘Ssshh. Don’t wake Kara.’

‘But I want coffee,’ Ruby said even louder.

Charley sighed. ‘OK. I’ll put a little coffee in your cocoa.’

The two girls went into the kitchen. Charley dropped a small dollop of coffee into Ruby’s hot chocolate and added a shot of half-and-half, then fixed a second cup of coffee for herself. She carried both out to the balcony and the sisters sat side by side watching the river flow. ‘I don’t like this, Charley,’ Ruby said, placing her mug on the table and pushing it away.

‘See. I told you that you’re too little for coffee.’

‘I want some cocoa,’ Ruby whined.

‘All right. I’ll go make you another cup. I’ll just be a minute. You sit in your chair and don’t go near the railing.’ In the kitchen, Charley fixed a fresh hot chocolate while keeping her eye on her sister to make sure she stayed firmly seated. She carried the steaming mug and set it down in front of her. ‘Careful now. It’s hot. Blow on it before you sip.’

Ruby took a noisy taste of her cocoa, set down her mug and smiled at her big sister. ‘Thank you, Charley. This is good.’

‘You’re welcome, Ruby. Now let’s sit and listen to the birds and the river for a bit.’ Charley was amazed that Ruby actually did as she asked. Baby sisters could really be aggravating and contrary and big babies. Charley suspected that Ruby was a bigger baby than most – and she knew why. They were both branded by their mother’s brutal murder.

Sirens disrupted their serenity. Charley leaned over the railing but could see nothing even though she was sure the sound was nearby. ‘C’mon, Ruby, let’s go see what’s happening.’

Charley led her sister out the door into the hallway and stopped. Across the hallway, policemen walked in and out of Mr Bryson’s apartment. Holding Ruby’s hand she walked up to the open door. ‘Is Mr Bryson hurt?’ she asked the first uniform she saw.

‘Go back into your apartment. We’re taking care of everything.’

‘But Mr Bryson? Is he OK?’

‘Do you live in this apartment?’

‘No.’

‘Then it’s none of your business. Go back to your apartment.’

‘But Mr Bryson is my friend.’

‘Your friend?’

‘He meets me in the lobby and gives me M&Ms and talks to me almost every day after school.’

‘Well, Mr Bryson can’t talk to you right now, little girl; go back to your place. OK?’

Charley just stared at him as he went into Mr Bryson’s apartment and shut the door. She hated it when someone called her a little girl. Ruby was a little girl. She wasn’t. ‘C’mon, Ruby, we’re going downstairs to see if they know at the desk.’

The two sisters rode down ten floors in the elevator and entered a lobby full of milling people and uniformed officers. She tugged Ruby toward the front entrance. Looking through the double glass doors, she saw paramedics busy over a body lying flat on the sidewalk in a pool of blood. She gasped. Ruby wailed and stuck her thumb in her mouth, sucking as if her life depended on it. Too late, Charley thought of her sister and how traumatic it would be for her to see the scene outside the building.

Charley dragged Ruby back into the lobby, ‘You don’t want to look at that, Ruby. Please take your thumb out of your mouth, please.’

Ruby looked up at her with big eyes and an ashen face and sucked her thumb even harder. Charley held tight to Ruby’s hand and went up to a uniformed officer. ‘Is that Mr Bryson lying on the ground?’ she asked.

‘You shouldn’t be down here. Where is your mother?’

‘My mother is dead – somebody killed her. Is Mr Bryson dead, too? Is that him on the sidewalk?’

‘Your mother is dead?’

‘Yes.’

‘Is she in your apartment?’

‘No.’ Charley thought that a preposterous question. Did he really think she’d be down here if her mother was dead upstairs? ‘Of course not. She died before we moved here.’

‘Where’s your father?’

‘He’s in Libya but that has nothing to do with anything. Is Mr Bryson dead?’

‘Who’s taking care of you?’ he said, crouching down to her level.

‘Kara.’

‘Where is she?’

‘She’s still asleep,’ Charley said, wiping the tears from her eyes. ‘Did somebody kill Mr Bryson?’

The officer paused for a moment. ‘Listen, let’s go upstairs and I’ll talk to Kara and she’ll know how to explain this to you.’

‘I’m not a baby. I know about people dying. My best friend is a police lieutenant. I’m not a stupid baby.’

‘I know you’re not a baby. But please, I don’t know how to explain this to you, and I don’t want to say the wrong thing, particularly in front of the little girl – is she your sister?’