Gotta Get Next To You (13 page)

Andrea gulped down a turkey sandwich at her
desk while reading regulations for a new program. The con-fusing
requirements threw another curve at her. After the morning she’d
spent, Andrea once again felt an urge to scream. The phone rang and
she snatched up the receiver in exasperation. She’d never get
through at this rate.

“Yes,” she said through clenched teeth.

“I know, boss lady,” Terri began in her best
diplomat’s voice. “But, uh, John Mandeville is here to see you.
Says he won’t take up much of your time.” She said the last
sentence in almost a whisper.

“He’s standing in front of you?”

“You got it.”

“Give me five minutes, then bring him
back.”

“Sure will.”

The first thing Andrea did was clear anything
from her desk that might attract his attention. No need to give him
a reason to get in clinic business. Terri knocked on her door just
as she finished.

“Here you go, Mr. Mandeville.”

“Thank you, dear,” John said.

Andrea waited until the door closed behind
Terri, then spoke. “So we finally meet.”

“Thanks for letting me barge in. I know how
busy you are.” He did not seem to mind her scouring look. “I’ve
wanted to talk to you for a long time.”

“I see.” But Andrea did not see at all.

“I know this is awkward. The circumstances, I
mean.” He still stood near the door. “I’ve heard nothing but good
things about what you’ve done here.” John waved a hand around to
indicate the clinic.

“It’s been a team effort.” Andrea said.

“Leadership makes the difference. It’s
obvious your staff respects you.”

“Thank you. Please, have a seat.”

Andrea studied him, trying to determine if
the man lived up to the myth. How many years had it been since
she’d last seen him? At least twenty, she mused. Charlene had taken
her on a trip to New Orleans and they’d met John at the Audubon
Zoo. Of course, she hadn’t known he was her father then. Ten years
old, Andrea had quickly warmed to the handsome man who’d bought her
a stuffed tiger and all the cotton candy she could eat.

He was certainly handsome in a rugged way.
John Mandeville had aged well. She searched his face for any
resemblance, any shared features. Except for a faint likeness
around the nose and chin, she had Charlene’s features. His eyes
were black and so was his hair, with just a touch of gray at his
temples. Realizing she was staring, Andrea cleared her throat.

“So what can I do for you?” she said.

“I was going to ask you that.” John tapped
the arm of the chair with his fingertips. “Anything you need here
in the way of equipment, just ask.”

“We have everything we need.”

“Health care is sky-high these days. Is your
budget okay? I have some influence.”

“The budget is fine. We’ve been able to
expand a bit.” He nodded. “You’ve got classes on nutrition and a
clinic for babies. Impressive start.”

“Thank you again.” Andrea wondered what he
really wanted. It was difficult to believe he’d shown up just to
heap praises on her. She was working up the nerve to ask outright
when he spoke again.

“Your mother is bragging about you. Charlie
is proud as can be, and so am I,” John said with a wide smile.
Andrea stiffened. “Charlie?”

He laughed. “Oh, I had a habit of calling
your mother that as a nickname. She didn’t like it too much,
though, still doesn’t.”

“Is that right?” Andrea said with an edge to
her voice. The tone of her question was not lost on him. “We’re on
good terms.”

“Hmm.”

“Andrea, I really hope we can get to know
each other.”

“Why?” Andrea tossed the blunt question at
him. “Because ...” He seemed to struggle for words for a few
moments. “I care about you. I always have, no matter what you might
have heard.”

Andrea continued to stare at him. Irritation
competed with curiosity. Curiosity won. “What exactly did you have
in mind?”

John lifted a shoulder. “I don’t know. We
could meet for lunch and talk.”

“Get to know each other over lunch,” Andrea
echoed. “I’m not saying I can be a father figure to you after all
these years. All I want is to know you better.”

Andrea’s chest tightened with emotion. “I had
a wonderful father.”

“Look, I didn’t come here to upset you.” John
leaned forward. “I was just hoping that somehow we could—”

“Sure. I could get to know Grandma Isabelle
and my half sisters and brothers. Let’s have a great big family
reunion.”

“You’re angry. I’d better go.” He stood.

“What about dinner? Say tomorrow night?”
Andrea gave a sharp laugh. “I’m sure your wife would be
thrilled.”

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

Andrea stared at him with a stony expression.
“I was sure you didn’t, Mr. Mandeville. I won’t sneak around to see
you the way my mother did.” She bit off the words as though they
tasted bad in her mouth.

“Of course not.”

“I’m not Charlene. And frankly, I know as
much about you as I care to.” Andrea stood also.

“Of course, this is sensitive for my family.”
John sighed. “But you’ve got it wrong. Charlene and I were two
wild, reckless kids who fell for each other.”

“I didn’t hear the word ‘love.’ ” Andrea
glared at him. “Or did I miss something?”

“Yes, we loved each other. Sometimes being in
love isn’t enough. I never disrespected Charlene. Never,” he
said.

Andrea stared into her biological father’s
eyes. She felt nothing, no pull, no connection. It was a measure of
the man’s arrogance that he could even face her after thirty years
of neglect. And that line about being in love with her mother was
just that, a line.

“I don’t believe you. Why should I?” Andrea
said in a cold voice. “You took the easy way out.”

“You don’t know the whole story,” he
insisted. “At least let me tell you my side.”

“Actions speak louder than words,” Andrea
snapped. “Or I should say inaction.”

John took a step toward her. “It’s not that
simple. We were both scared kids and—” He broke off and shook his
head. “I’m really sorry, Andrea, but I’m not a monster.”

“What do you want from me?”

“A chance. I know I should have done some
things differently.”

“So I’m a loose end you want to tie up to
soothe your conscience,” Andrea said, acid lacing her voice.

“Maybe,” John answered promptly. “Maybe it’s
be-cause the older I get, the more I regret what I did to you and
Charlie. But I really want to do whatever I can to help you. That’s
no lie.”

Andrea hesitated. He was her unfinished
business as well. “Let me think about it for a while,” she said,
finally.

“Here” He handed her a business card. “Just
tell my secretary your name and she’ll put you through.”

“I can’t promise I’ll call.” Andrea took the
pale blue card with embossed gold lettering.

“I understand.” John gazed at her for several
moments. “I can only imagine what you’ve heard about me over the
years. Of course, some of it’s true.” He wore a boyish grin.

“Well, I...” Andrea paused. He’d know she was
lying if she tried to say it wasn’t all bad. It had been.

John’s expression changed to one of
earnestness. “But I never, never did anything deliberately to hurt
you. In my own way I tried to protect you and Charlene. Will you
keep that in mind?” He held out his hand.

“Yes,” Andrea said softly. She put her hand
in his large one. He held it firmly for a few seconds before
letting it go.

“Thank you. Good-bye.” With a nod and a
smile, he walked out.

So much for wondering what Charlene saw in
him. John Mandeville was indeed an irresistible force. Andrea
stared at the card without really seeing it. She wondered if it was
finally time to talk to her mother about him, and if they were
ready after so many years.

Lee’s partner, Vince Jefferson, strolled into
his office holding a can of cola. He took a swig from it and
plopped down on one of the chairs facing Lee’s desk. Lee had the
Friday afternoon off from the clinic. He’d taken the opportunity to
catch up on two other investigations he and Vince were close to
wrapping up.

L & V Investigations was headquartered in
a modest four-story building in Harahan, a small bedroom town
outside New Orleans. The cozy reception area leading to their suite
held a desk with a phone and word processor for their part-time
secretary. Down a hall were two offices, one for Lee and one for
Vince. Another room the size of a large closet held a photocopier
and desktop computer. A combination fax machine, scanner, and
printer were on a table in the comer.

They specialized in background checks and
loss prevention, a fancy phrase that meant they helped businesses
keep employees from stealing them blind. But they were willing to
take on the occasional odd job, like the clinic investigation.
Especially since Lee’s check of John Mandeville had revealed deep
pockets. The ability to get paid played a large part in their
decision to take a case.

“So how’s the big undercover thing going?
Lots of nice cash flow will come from it.”

“Getting deeper than I wanted it to,” Lee
said. In more ways than one, he thought, remembering Andrea’s
smile.

“Like what?” Vince’s attention was split
between Lee and a report he scanned.

“From what I can tell, there’s been some
theft of funds. Food vouchers are missing, equipment’s been
‘misplaced,’ that kind of thing.” Lee frowned.

Vince dropped the sheet of paper he was
reading and shrugged. “About what we expected. Same old same old.
What business doesn’t have employees with sticky fingers?”

“Yeah, but this is a medical clinic with a
pharmacy Lee said.

“Oh-oh, drugs disappearing? Bad stuff, man.”
Vince shook his head.

“I don’t know for sure,” Lee added quickly.
“The records are such a mess it’s hard to tell.”

“That could be deliberate. How high up does
this go? Boss in on it?”

Vince posed the question as he would for any
case. Usually Lee’s response would have been routine and automatic.
Yet in this instance, the question caused his stomach to chum. He
cared about the answer—too much, in fact.

“I don’t think it involves the new director,”
Lee said.

“But you don’t know for sure. From what
you’ve told me, I bet it does.” Vince waved a hand.

Lee looked at him sharply. “What makes you
say that?”

“It’s a small clinic and he—”

“The director’s a woman. Andrea Noble.” And
what a woman, he mused.

“Whatever. She’s gotta see all these reports
herself, inventories and such. Am I right?” Vince pointed a
fore-finger at him.

“Probably. I’m not sure yet,” Lee said
hesitantly.

“Course she does.” Vince propped an ankle on
his knee. “Plus, it’s a small town and everybody knows everybody
else’s business. She’s in on it.”

“She doesn’t seem like the type,” Lee
mumbled.

Andrea worked long hours and was turning the
quality of patient care around in Bayou Blue. In fact, the clinic
was quickly gaining a reputation throughout Lafourche Parish
because of her. It wasn’t just the medical care; it was the time
she took to really listen to patients. She made them feel respected
and valued. All of this did not fit Vince’s view of the situation.
Why would she destroy the very thing she labored to save?

Lee shook his head. “I just don’t think so,
Vince. I’ve gotten to know the lady.”

“Crooks come in all shapes, sizes, and
colors.”

“She’s straight up on everything I’ve seen so
far,” Lee said.

“Exactly what have you found out?” Vince
asked.

“Not much more than what I’ve told you. The
place was in chaos from sloppy management, still is for that
matter. Andrea’s working like crazy to clean it up.”

“Is she, now?” Vince’s eyebrows went up.

“Yeah,” Lee said distractedly. “She puts in
twelve- hour days. She’s got the local politicians watching her
every move.”

Lee wore a slight frown as he gazed at the
view from his window. It wasn’t scenic like the countryside
surrounding Bayou Blue. The neighborhood contained an assortment of
fast-food restaurants, comer stores, and a shop that sold liquor
and discount cigarettes. Burglaries were common, and armed robbery
almost accepted as a given. There was very little in the way of
grass, just concrete and a few sickly shrubs. The drab surroundings
matched the views Lee and Vince held. Both had been cops and had
seen the nastiest side of life imaginable. What little good they
stumbled over seemed almost an accident. Maybe he was too cynical.
His ex-wife had told him that often enough. Still Lee could not fit
Andrea into such a dim picture of the world. In spite of his sour
outlook on human nature, something about her made the world
brighter. Lately he’d begun to believe that one person could make a
difference.

“Anyone working there could have taken
advantage of those screwed-up records,” Lee said.

Vince’s eyes narrowed. “Is she pretty?”

Lee looked at the folder on his desk. “Yeah,
you could say that.”

“So maybe her sweet face has you convinced
she’s innocent.” Vince’s thick black eyebrows went up.

“I’m looking at the evidence, period.” Lee
threw an irritated glance at Vince before looking away again.

“Uh-huh.” Vince’s terse response said it all.
“Brother, it’s time to shut it down and get out.”

“I don’t know.” Lee’s gut resisted the idea
of leaving Bayou Blue and Andrea behind so quickly.

“It’s a criminal matter. Give Mandeville a
full report and tell the local police about the missing drugs.”

“I’ve got to know more before I can give a
thorough report. Like I said, those records are really screwed up
bad.” Lee avoided Vince’s gaze.