The List (48 page)

By the time he hung up, Carol had a fresh pot of coffee ready.

“How would you like it?” she asked.

“Milk and sugar, please.”

She led him into the living room and offered him a seat on a mauve-and-cream-colored sofa that faced a picture window overlooking the backyard. Renny immediately noticed two pictures of Jo on the wall. One was an oil portrait painted when she was about six and the other a formal photograph from her high school graduation. He could see the sparkle in her eyes at age six; she really hadn't changed very much.

Carol noticed Renny's interest in the pictures. “Would you like to see some photos of Jo's growing-up years?”

“Would that be OK with you?”

“I need to focus on happier times myself. Let me get a couple of albums.”

They sat next to each other on the couch. She began with the naked baby pictures and walked him through diapers, swing sets, bike rides, birthday parties, and early school days. There were even a few pictures of Jo's father. Renny could see the depression that sat on his features. He started to comment but stopped.

“Tell me a story from her life during this time.”

Carol thought a moment. “Well, when she was three, I used to rock her every night before putting her to bed. She would curl up in my lap with her favorite blanket, her ‘B' she called it, and suck her thumb. Children love repetition, and I would sing the same song to her several times each night. Then I'd ask her, ‘Do you know Mommy loves you?' and wait for her to say yes. One night I took the question a step further. When she said yes, I asked her, ‘Why does Mommy love you?' She was quiet for a moment, took her thumb out and said, ‘'Cause,' and popped her thumb back in its place. It was the most profound statement of the why of love I'd ever heard. She knew I loved her not for what she did or didn't do or for what she could give me or do for me, but for the simple fact that she was my daughter. It made me understand the love of God for us.”

“Like John 3:16?”

“Yes, but at a personal, intimate level. And that's Jo. Since she was a little girl, she has always had the ability to show others the nature of real love.” Carol started crying quietly and took a tissue from a box on the coffee table. “It's OK for me to cry like this. I'm not sad; I'm glad for her life and her influence on me and others. I know she's touched you, and you'll never be the same.”

Renny didn't trust himself to speak, so they sat in silence until Carol regained her composure. “Come with me. I'll let you see Jo's room.”

She led Renny down a short hallway to a corner bedroom. It was decorated in white with a border of bright, cheerful flowers and matching trim around the windows. To allow the most light possible, Jo had chosen shutters instead of curtains. When Renny and her mother entered the room, the shutters were open and the room was almost startling in its brightness. The Star of David Mrs. Stokes had given her hung by a string in front of a windowpane. There were two closets. The larger was filled with clothes and shoes, the smaller with boxes, books, and albums.

“These will give you a more complete glimpse into her life. I know she wouldn't mind you looking through them. If you'll excuse me, I need to be alone for a while.”

“Jo won't care?”

“No. I know how she feels about you, Renny.”

Renny sat on the floor and pulled out the nearest box. It contained papers from a high school English class. One assignment required the students to describe an embarrassing incident in their life. Jo wrote about the first time she drove alone in her mother's car. She turned the wrong way down a one-way street and ended up stopping in the middle of the road when she came face to face with a local policeman's vehicle.

There were awards, projects, poems, letters to her mother, and more pictures, including two framed photos of Jo with her dates to the junior and senior proms. Both of the guys looked taller than Renny. Too tall for Jo.

Renny read almost every word and examined every piece of memorabilia. In a way, he enjoyed himself, but he also felt moments of sadness because she was not with him to enrich his discoveries. By the time he stretched and stood up, it was lunchtime.

Going out to the kitchen, he found Carol looking in the refrigerator.

“Not much to pick from,” she said.

“May I take you out for something?” Renny offered. “We could eat on our way to the hospital.”

“That sounds like a good idea. I called a little while ago, and the nurse on duty said we could see Jo earlier than we thought.”

“How was she?”

“‘Stable' was the word she used.”

“Let's go somewhere you and Jo like,” Renny said.

“That's easy. There's a small Japanese place not far from the hospital.”

The restaurant was not ornate, but Renny quickly discovered why they enjoyed it. The two cooks prepared fried rice, vegetables, fresh meats, and seafood on large griddles in front of the customers. While they were working, the cooks juggled the cooking utensils and carried on a light banter with the patrons.

“Jo loves anything with a teriyaki flavor,” Carol said between mouthfuls of steaming fried rice.

“I bet she uses chopsticks.”

“Yep, down to the last grain of rice.”

“I wish we could take a meal to her.”

“I'll check the hospital guidelines for bringing her food from outside. I know she would love to have some.”

At the hospital, Carol went first while Renny sat in the waiting room near the elevator. After about fifteen minutes, she came out, and Renny washed his hands and put on the protective gear.

There was a little more color in Jo's cheeks than the night before.

“Mom said you two have been at the house since this morning,” she said.

“Yes, she showed me some naked baby pictures and told me an interesting incident or two from your childhood.”

“Uh-oh.”

“I want to buy you a new blanket.”

Jo laughed weakly. “I still have my B. Did you see it? It's in a plastic bag in the closet.”

“No, but I enjoyed going through your keepsakes. I hope it was OK for me to learn all your secrets.”

“Now that you've found out about my thumbsucking, I have nothing else to hide.”

“Everyone should be so pure.” Renny resisted the urge to reach out and hold her hand. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired and weak. My hip hurts where they did the bone marrow biopsy.”

Renny noticed some red dots on Jo's arms. “What are those spots?”

“They're called petechiae, caused by bleeding under the skin due to my low platelet count. They developed before I received the transfusion last night.”

“Do they hurt?”

“No. It's like a little bruise, but there's no pain. Now, tell me about Georgetown. What happened?”

“OK.” Renny sighed. “If I know about your thumb, you have a right to know about my foibles. I'll begin at the end.” Renny told her about the sting operation orchestrated by the members of the List and the consequences of his failure to pass the loyalty test. “From our lunch in Charlotte to the meeting in Georgetown, Layne played his role like a Shakespearean actor. I never suspected anything.”

“What about the probation idea? Are you going to stay with it?”

“I've probably broken probation already since I'm AWOL from the inn. After leaving the meeting with my tail between my legs, the old desk clerk gave me an envelope by mistake. It contained a memo from Roget to LaRochette with a general summary of everyone's financial information. They have already transferred the money from your family's account and Bart Maxwell's account. It looks like it landed with LaRochette and Roget.”

“That's not surprising.”

“I made a copy of the sheet and arranged for the original to reach LaRochette. Then, all I wanted to do was leave the inn. I went out the window, down the fire escape, and drove most of the night back to Charlotte. When I woke up, I talked with your mother, found out what had happened, and flew up as soon as I could.”

“What would the others think if they knew LaRochette took the money from the two accounts?”

“Frankly, I don't know that they would care.”

Jo closed her eyes for a few seconds. “Oh yes. You didn't tell me what happened at LaRochette's house the other night. Was it Friday night? It seems a lot longer ago.”

“OK. He has a huge place on a large tract of land near Debordeau. Roget was also there. We talked about offshore banking, and LaRochette lectured me about the importance of unity and devotion to the cause. After my neck was in the noose at the meeting, he told me it had been an attempt to warn me, but it would have taken a bigger sign to get my attention. Let's see….” He paused. “There was one other thing that happened.” Suddenly, Renny's hands grew clammy, and he felt sick to his stomach.

Jo, who had been listening through half-closed eyelids, pushed herself up in the bed and opened her eyes all the way. “What's wrong? You look as pale as I do.”

Renny continued slowly, “LaRochette keeps the List in his library. After we discussed bank issues, he talked to me about becoming custodian like my father and told me the book itself can be a source of power to help people.”

“That's not right, Renny.”

“I'm afraid that's not all. At his suggestion, I put my hand on the place where I signed and released the power of the List toward someone special to me. You came to mind.”

“When was this?” Jo asked sharply.

“About eleven, I guess.”

“What happened when you did this?”

“I saw your face in a frame, and it disappeared in a flash of light. I didn't tell LaRochette who I'd thought about, but he said they had been touched by the power of the List.”

Jo closed her eyes. “Renny, that's when I first felt sick.”

Renny clenched his fists. “But how, but what—I didn't want you to get sick. That wasn't in my mind.”

Jo looked at the ceiling. “You didn't know what was going on, but there could be a connection, a curse.”

Renny stood. “If I thought I'd done something to hurt you, if I did something to cause this”—he waved his hand toward the stark room— “I'd ask God to let it fall on me!”

“No,” Jo said quickly. “That's not the answer. Slow down a second.” She closed her eyes again for a moment. “OK. Please come here.”

“I am here,” Renny said, his eyes downcast.

“No, come right beside the bed.”

“But—”

“Just come here and take my hand.”

Renny cradled her left hand gently in his right one. Her pale hand was almost as white as the sterile glove that covered his.

With eyes closed, Jo said, “Father, I ask you to release Renny and me from every evil thing connected with the List. I forgive Renny for anything he did without understanding the consequences.”

Renny leaned over and buried his face in the sheets.

Jo continued, “Please heal me and do not let evil triumph over me or Renny. In Jesus' name, amen.”

Renny was able to choke out an amen.

Jo withdrew her hand from his and stroked his head. “I love you, Renny. No matter what's happened or will happen, I love you.”

There was a knock at the door. Renny jumped up and took a step back, wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

Jo said, “Come in.”

It was Anne. “Sorry to interrupt, but you need a rest.”

Jo nodded. Renny gave her a long look and left the room.

At the sight of Renny's face, Carol asked, “Are you OK?”

“Better than I deserve,” he said grimly.

Anne opened the door to the isolation unit. “Carol, we need to let Jo rest for a couple of hours. Come back later. I'll promise you a longer visit then.”

“I'm sorry,” Renny said as they went down in the elevator, “I took almost all the time.”

“Don't apologize. I think your presence will help get her well as much as anything else.”

Renny looked away. If she only knew.

He was silent on the trip back to the house. As they pulled into the driveway, he said, “I'll stay here when you go back to the hospital. I want you to have as much time with Jo as you can, and I'd rather be here than in the waiting area.”

“OK. Make yourself at home.”

Inside, she showed him a guest bedroom on the second floor. It was directly over Jo's room.

“You can stay here. If you need anything, let me know.”

“Thanks.” Renny shut the door and put his suitcase on the bed. Taking off his shoes to avoid making noise, he started pacing back and forth across the room. He quoted Psalm 23, but it didn't have the power of the previous night. He worried, fretted, analyzed. Nothing happened. He felt he was under a huge brass bowl and nothing could go up or come down. He stared at the ceiling, longing to break through the plaster into the heavens, but his prayers and thoughts didn't go any higher than the top of his head.