Time and Trouble (35 page)

Tell me about it, Billie thought. And, she suspected, Emma was having precisely the same thought with the same inflection. Sophia
’
s voice dripped self-pity. She obviously thought her story was unique.

“
Arthur would never let me take Wesley away. That
’
s his son. His. If I left, I
’
d have nothing. And how would I find another husband at this age? I
’
m doomed.
”

“
He hits you, and you said it
’
s getting worse. This is very bad,
”
Billie said.
“
Very dangerous. Go to a shelter. Get away.
”

“
I can
’
t. You don
’
t understand. You
’
re young.
”

Billie knew it was no use if it wasn
’
t Sophia
’
s idea. Time to move on.
“
What happened to your disability claim?
”

Sophia shrugged.
“
Just my luck. Somebody took movies of me when
…
Well
…
I was moving around. Ruined my whole chance.
”
Billie, eyes wide, glanced at Emma, who actually came close to a smile.

The damned tape had worked, then. Obviously the insurance company caught something she hadn
’
t. Incredible! So she wasn
’
t the screw-up queen yet. Not completely.

“
The point is, I don
’
t want her to come home,
”
Sophia said.

“
Penny? Not return? But you hired us to
—”

Sophia shook her head.
“
He
’
s worse than ever, and I think, if she comes home
—
he
’
s so angry with her now, so very angry. I
’
m afraid he let me hire you because he wants her where he could do her harm. They had some kind of face-off, accusations were made, but see, he always was unfair to her because she wasn
’
t his. If she comes home, I
’
m afraid he
’
ll hurt her. Maybe worse.
”

“
But,
”
Billie said,
“
she
’
s still in high school. What will she
—“

“
I have no other options.
”

Nor did Penny now, thanks to her.

“
Especially now that there
’
s no hope of the disability, I have no earning capacity.
”
Her phrase sounded practiced and she seemed resigned to, even welcoming of, the role of victim. And she didn
’
t seem to wonder who else might be injured by her passivity.

“
Penny,
”
Billie said.
“
If she shouldn
’
t come home, where should she go?
”

“
This boy? Maybe she could stay with him until she
’
s on her own. It
’
s not ideal, but whose life is? Certainly not mine. All I ever wanted was to live like a normal, ordinary person, and look what
’
s happened. One bad thing after another.
”

“
But it
’
s February. In four short months she could graduate, have her diploma. You don
’
t want her on the street, do you?
”

“
Of course she doesn
’
t want her daughter on the streets,
”
Emma said.
“
Mrs. Redmond suggests that Penny remain where she
’
s gone. Win-win. They can both have what they want.
”
Emma flashed Billie a warning glance. Parent-child workshops were not one of the services they provided. Then she turned to Sophia Redmond.
“
Or are you saying you want to end the investigation?
”
she asked.

“
Oh, no. Don
’
t stop. Arthur
—
he wants to find her, too, for bad reasons, but he
’
ll pay. You have to find her. Just don
’
t tell him. Let me know she
’
s safe, and tell her to call me, please. I can explain everything. She has to understand how we
…
how everything got so bad. Will you?
”

Billie nodded.

“
And when you call me, don
’
t say if you found her. Don
’
t say where she is. Just say you
’
re ready to report, and I
’
ll come here. Arthur
…”

Billie nodded again.

“
She has to understand,
”
Sophia repeated.

That was fine with Billie. If only she herself understood.

Twenty-One

Despite his embarrassment at having
been an idiot there, Stephen left the Marshalls
’
house smiling. Sunny was the right name for her. He was amazed how his mood had improved since he
’
d rung her bell. Good thing Penny had made him park halfway to the next neighborhood. He wouldn
’
t want her to see the grin he felt forming and reforming on his face. She
’
d be too eager to make fun of it because she
’
d understand it. All the same, Penny could take lessons from that woman. Should. It wasn
’
t just that Sunny was beautiful, which she was. She was good as well, she had a way of making you feel special. She was
…

He heard his thoughts and laughed at himself. A crush like a kid in junior high. A crush on a happily married mother of three. Great going.

Whatever. He
’
d met Sunny Marshall and now he knew what he wanted for himself, what he would look for from now on. A healthy, sunny woman, the opposite of the unhappy, clinging types he attracted.

He speeded his pace, past the Redmonds
’
, toward the corner. There was still time for sunset on the beach. He
’
d check out of the San Geronimo house for a few days, be by himself. Penny would understand, or she wouldn
’
t. His life didn
’
t have to be revised just because a teenager misunderstood it.

When he turned the corner, he saw the hearse gleaming in the afternoon sun and felt a jolt of relief. He hadn
’
t fully trusted it to be where he left it. Things seldom were with Penny Redmond.

He loved the car
’
s size and color, a slick wash like transparent layers of sunshine laid one upon the other, with mother-of-pearl as the adhesive. What a buy it had been. He couldn
’
t figure why people were so squeamish about its former function, but maybe if they weren
’
t, the retired cars would sell for what they were worth, and he wouldn
’
t have been able to own one. He opened the door.

She wasn
’
t there. No note, no sign of her.

He slammed the door and looked around. Nothing. Nobody. He wheeled and kicked the tree at the curb. Where the hell would she go? She, who was afraid to let the car be visible from her parents
’
house. She who said she had nowhere else to go but his house, his room, his bed, his life.

He took five slow, deep breaths because he
’
d been told it was a technique that helped regain perspective. Maybe he was jumping to conclusions. What if while she had sat here she thought things through and decided
—
as he himself had suggested
—
to make peace with her parents? Maybe something had finally clicked in her brain, like common sense.

That had to be it because it was the only possibility. There was nowhere else to go in the middle of a residential neighborhood.

He locked the car, pocketed his keys, and walked back toward the Redmonds
’
. To make it official, discuss dropping off her stuff tomorrow. He felt his leg-irons being unlocked, and he walked briskly, lightly, back to the white Victorian.

A scowling man with a thin, old-fashioned moustache answered the door. So her father was home from the houseboat already. Stephen had imagined him larger, less slickly dapper, more contemporary. This man looked out of place. The moustache didn
’
t go with the beer bottle in his hand, and his posture and expression made Stephen think this wasn
’
t the man
’
s first drink of the day.
“
Ah,
”
the man said with a nod.
“
Finally. I
’
ve been waiting.
”

Just like Penny to assume he
’
d figure out where she was and stop by. To think she could do whatever she pleased, be as irresponsible as the urge of the moment, and leave tracking-down, retrieving, and mopping-up to others. He followed her father into a large room, all flowery patterns and flounces. He didn
’
t know what it was about the place, but it made him nervous. Trying too hard, maybe. Reminded him of his parents
’
house, only fussier.

“
Hot as hell, isn
’
t it?
”
the man said.
“
Weather freaky as hell lately. Must be that El Ni
ñ
o shit. Shouldn
’
t be this hot in February. Whole world
’
s falling apart.
”
He sounded slightly muzzy.

Stephen nodded agreement although he found the temperature perfect.

“
You must like it, though,
”
Mr. Redmond said.

“
Yes, sure do.
”
What was going on? How could he get to the point and get away
—
and where was Penny hiding herself?
“
I
’
m heading for the beach from here, I like it so much.
”

The man stared at him blankly.
“
Stinson,
”
Stephen said to fill the silence.
“
Or maybe Limantour, at Point Reyes.
”
Where the hell was she?

“
What are we talking about? It
’
s back here,
”
the man said, and Stephen followed him into an old-fashioned kitchen.
“
What do you think?
”
His gruff voice and attitude didn
’
t go with his appearance, either.

“
It
’
s a very nice kitchen.
…”

“
What the hell you talking about? Or is your mind still at that beach you
’
re so eager to get to? You said we could talk.
”

“
I
’
m sorry, sir. Talk about what?
”

“
The job. The stain on the wall, the flooring
—
the whole thing. Upstairs bath is fixed now. No more leak
—
but the estimate you gave my wife is ridiculous.
”
He peered at Stephen intently.
“
Isn
’
t that why you
’
re here?
”

“
I don
’
t think so.
”

“
Water damage? You
’
re the contractor, aren
’
t you? We talked this morning. You said you
’
d come over and we
’
d talk.
”

“
No, sir, I
—”

“
Then who the hell are you, barging into my house under false pretenses?
”

“
You asked me in, Mr. Redmond. You are Mr. Redmond, aren
’
t you?
”

Arthur Redmond squinted at Stephen.
“
Damn,
”
he said.
“
Then who are you and what did you want?
”

“
I wanted to speak with Penny.
”

“
Ha!
”
The sound was mirthless.
“
Go ahead, then! If you can find her. And if you do, tell her to give us a call, too. Hasn
’
t been seen in these parts for some time. Ran off with a lunatic. Why do you want her? Who are you?
”
He drained the can of beer, and in one smoothly practiced move, tossed it into a lined trash can, opened the refrigerator, and took another out. He didn
’
t offer Stephen one.

“
I
—
I
’
m a friend,
”
Stephen said.
“
I thought
—
Are you sure she isn
’
t here?
”

“
You think I
’
m hiding her? Lying? You want to search the house?
”
He laughed his hard bark again, then said,
“
Go ahead. Look for little Penny. Maybe you
’
re right, maybe I misplaced her and she
’
s under the couch, or in the fridge. I
’
d ask the wife, but she
’
s never home now that she isn
’
t crippled anymore.
”

“
Excuse me?
”

“
You aren
’
t married, are you?
”

“
No, sir. No.
”

“
Good for you. Trust me
—
it
’
s nothing but trouble. Women are impossible to start out with and then they go rancid with age. Happens fast, too. And their kids make it worse. Especially kids that aren
’
t yours. Penny didn
’
t have any friends except the crazy who abducted her, so who are you?
”
He peered at Stephen with the over-bright intensity of the slightly drunk.
“
Do I know you?
”