Kane (27 page)

“She was already in the water when I got here,” answered Travis.

“That’s no excuse.”

“I was going to go out, but Travis stopped me,” said Nate.

“It’s a good thing he did.  Those waves would’ve eaten you alive,” I said, ignoring Nate’s crestfallen look.  “Travis, if something had gone wrong, do you think you could’ve done anything for Allison sitting here on the sand?”

“I don’t know.”

“Not good enough.  Could you have helped your sister or not?”

“No, sir.”

“It was my fault,” interrupted Allison.  “I—”

“Don’t interrupt when I’m yelling at your brother, Allison.  I’ll get to you in a minute.  Speaking of which, I still can’t believe you went out there alone.  If anything had happened to you …”

I hesitated.  Things weren’t going the direction I’d intended.  Granted, Allison had taken an unacceptable risk by surfing those waves alone, but I was also concerned that the other two hadn’t done anything to stop her.  Unsure how to proceed, I decided to fall back on an old standby.  I looked at all three and asked, “What’s the one rule about being a Kane that sets you apart from your thumb-sucking friends, the single thing I’ve insisted on from the time you were all in diapers?”

“Kane’s stand together, no matter what,” they answered as one, their response as reflexive as breathing.

I nodded.  “No matter what.  Not ‘unless something better is going on,’ or ‘unless you don’t feel like it,’ or ‘unless the waves are too big.’ 
No matter what. 
Allison, you screwed up by going out there alone.  And Travis, you screwed up by not dragging her back in—whether she wanted to come or not.  You may think I’m making a big deal out of this, but this is important.  It’s a tough world out there, and things go a lot better with family backing you up.  Now, I know some people, your mother included, think I’m overly hard on you three.  If I am, it’s because you’re the smartest, strongest, and most athletically gifted kids on the face of the planet.  As such, I expect a lot from you.  And if I have to boot your butts to get you operating at full potential, then that’s what I intend to do.  Is that understood?”

All three nodded.

“Another thing,” I went on.  “Seeing as how I have your attention, this seems as good a time as any to go over some other breaches I’ve been noticing.”

“Oh, joy,” said Allison, rolling her eyes.

“Don’t worry, princess.  I’ll make this quick.  And as you seem so eager to run your mouth, let’s begin with you.  Maybe you’d like to explain all the moping you’ve been doing around here lately.  Teen angst is one thing, but your behavior is in a class by itself.”

“You’ve been talking to Mom,” said Allison.

“Your mom and I never talk; we just pass notes back and forth,” I said, noticing that Nate had begun working on his nails.  “Of course we talk.  Now, answer my question.”

“Sorry my cheerfulness hasn’t measured up to your expectations, Pop.  Now that you’ve enlightened me on the wonder of my existence, I’m sure it’ll improve.”

“See that it does.  There’s more to life than hanging out in your room.  And while you’re at it, how about losing the attitude?  Don’t be such a wiseass.  It’s not an attractive trait in a girl.”

“Yes, sir.  No more sarcasm for me.  That’s charming only in the men of the family.”

“Right,” I said, deciding she had a point and to let that one go.  Instead I turned to my youngest.  “Nate, why have you been punching out all your little classmates at school?”

“They aren’t
all
little,” said Allison.  “He’s been working his way through the older kids, too.”

“Nate?”

“They asked for it,” Nate replied sullenly.

“Kid, like I told you, sticking up for yourself is fine, but too much of a good thing can land you in trouble.  You have to learn to get along with others.”

“Like you, Pop?” interjected Allison.

“Nate, I also hear your grades haven’t been that hot,” I continued, deciding for the moment to ignore Allison.  “Like all your siblings, you’ve been blessed with plenty of intelligence, so I expect you to excel in all of your academic endeavors.  From now on I want to see straight A’s.  Allison, you’ll help.  Make sure his homework is completed on time and go over anything he doesn’t understand.”

“Aw, Pop, ” Allison protested.

I turned to Travis.  “Speaking of school, what’re these calls I keep getting from the music department?  Have you been screwing up?”

“I … I don’t think so,” Travis stammered.  “Who called?”

“Petrinski.  He left another message on the machine last night.  Says he wants to talk to me.  Any idea what about?”

“No, sir.”

“I haven’t got time to be holding your hand, Trav.  Going into music was your choice, so if you’re going to do it, you need to give it your level best.”

“I’ll speak with Petrinski and—”

“I’ll take care of that myself, as soon as I get a chance,” I said, cutting him off.  “Meantime, keep your end of the bargain.  Now, one last thing.  Before your mom left, she expressed concern that during her absence you three weren’t going to flourish under my care.  I’m expecting a call from her around dinnertime, and I intend to calm her fears.  Okay?”

“We’re not eating out tonight, are we?” asked Travis in a transparent attempt to change the subject.

“Don’t worry, we won’t miss her call.  We’ll be eating at home.”

“Are you cooking?” asked Allison, also clearly trying to steer the conversation in another direction.

Yep,” I said, deciding to end my harangue and hoping I’d reached them.  “I’ll be whipping up something we haven’t had in a long time.”

“Sushi,” guessed Nate.

“Nope.”

“Jambalaya?”

“Naw.  We had that last month.”

“That southwestern dish you make,” Allison chimed in.  “Wild mushroom enchiladas with red pepper sauce?”

“Wrong again.”

“I know—linguini with clam sauce,” said Travis.  “I saw clams in the fridge.”

I’d stopped by the market on the previous evening to pick up several items I would need for the dinner I planned.  “You’re getting warmer.  If you had looked closer, you would’ve also noticed chicken, shrimp, and chorizo.”

“Paella!  We’re having paella!” Nate shouted triumphantly.

“All right!” said Allison.  “Is it okay if I invite Christy?”

“Sure,” I agreed.  “Maybe I’ll give Arnie a call, too.”

“Good idea,” said Travis.  “We haven’t heard much from him since he retired from the Force.”

I smiled.  “It’s having a new girlfriend that’s made my ex-partner scarce, not quitting the Force.  I barely see him at his house, either.”

“Can I help cook?” asked Nate.

“We’ll see.  Right now it’s time you rookies got to church.  That’ll be your mom’s first question when she calls.”

“Are you coming with us?” asked Allison.

“Not today.  I have some other things to take care of.”

“Like driving out to visit Tommy’s grave?”

Instead of answering, I started for the house.  “C’mon, let’s head on up,” I said.

All three children rose and followed, Callie in the lead.  Running to match my strides, Nate caught up with me halfway to the sea wall and took my hand.  Allison and Travis joined us a moment later.  I slowed my pace to allow them to keep up.

“Hey, Dad?” said Allison when we reached the deck.

I turned to her, once again struck by how much she had come to resemble Catheryn.  “What, Ali?”

Allison hesitated, seeming uncharacteristically at a loss for words.  Finally she spoke.  “We miss him, too,” she said softly.

Later that evening I stood at the kitchen sink, washing the last of the dinner dishes.  Arnie had dropped by around seven with his girlfriend, Stacy.  Christy had joined us for dinner as well.  I’d prepared a lot of food, including a rum-cake dessert, so there was plenty to go around, and the gathering turned into an enjoyable family meal with a lot of give-and-take table talk—reminding me of better times.  Even Allison seemed to enjoy herself for a change.  Catheryn called around nine, just after Arnie and Stacy had left.  My conversation with Catheryn was brief—most of her phone time being spent talking with the kids.  During the minute or two I did get with her she sounded tired and distant, but she said that the tour was going well and that she was enjoying her stay.

As it was a school night, Nate went to bed a little after that.  Allison followed shortly afterward, but twenty minutes later a sliver of light still leaked from beneath her door down the hall, and I could hear the staccato clicks of a computer keyboard coming from her room.  Travis and Christy were talking on the lower deck, sitting on the swing. After putting away the final pots and pans, I knocked on the door to Trav and Nate’s room.

“Nate?  You still awake?”

“Yeah, Dad.”

“Can I come in?”

“Sure.”

When Travis had left for college, Nate had moved from a small bedroom loft above the entry into Trav’s room, and he was sleeping in Tommy’s empty bed.  I entered without turning on the light.  “How’s it goin’, squirt?” I asked, sitting on the edge of Trav’s mattress

“Fine,” Nate answered sleepily from the adjacent bunk.

It hadn’t been that long since Nate had moved in with Trav, and I was struck by how small Nate looked in Tommy’s former bed.  “I’ve been wanting to talk to you about the other night,” I said.

“You mean about my nightmare?  What about it?”

“I don’t know, kid.  You tell me.  Your mom thinks there’s more to these dreams of yours than you’re letting on.  She’s concerned about you.  So am I.”

“I’ll try not to do it anymore.”

“You can’t decide not to have nightmares,” I said.  “Do you remember what your dreams are about?”

“No,” said Nate.

For better or worse, one of the things I’ve learned from my years on the Force is how to tell when someone is lying—or at least holding something back.  I’m not sure how I do it, but I’m never wrong.  With a feeling of sadness, I realized that Nate wasn’t being truthful.  I didn’t know why, and I didn’t know what to do about it.  “Is there anything you want to tell me?” I asked.

“No.”

“Your mom thinks maybe you should talk to somebody.”

“A shrink?  I’m not crazy.”

“I know, kid.  Having you go to a psychiatrist wouldn’t be my first choice, either.  But if something’s bothering you, it might help to get it out.”

“Nothing’s bothering me.”

“Okay.  But if there is, I want you to feel that you can come to me with it.  I want to help.  Sometimes things that seem like a big deal to somebody your age turn out to be not so bad when viewed in the light of day.  You know what I’m saying?”

Nate remained silent for several seconds.  “I understand what you’re saying,” he answered at last.  “I just don’t think you’re right.”

“Aw, hell, Nate.  You’re eleven years old.  Whatever problems you have right now are going to seem like nothing in a couple of years.”

Nate didn’t respond.

“That came out wrong,” I backtracked.  “I don’t mean that life is going to get worse as you get older.  Things
do
tend to get more complicated as you grow up, but there are plenty of good parts, too.  Falling in love, for instance.  And having a family, and making your way in the world, and going to college—things like that.”

“I’ll be fine, Dad.”

“Okay, Nate,” I sighed, again wishing Catheryn were home.  “Get some sleep.”

21

D
uring the following week, driven by the inertia of men and money delegated to the task force, the investigation plodded forward.  In my opinion, however, it moved no closer to finding the murderer, so upon arriving downtown at LAPD headquarters the following Friday it was with a sense of amazement that I noticed a long line of news vans again crowding the street, the lobby once more jammed with reporters.  Forcing my way through the throng outside, I joined Deluca near the first-floor civic auditorium.  “What’s going on?” I asked.

“Immigration picked up Domingos crossing the border last night,” Deluca informed me tersely.  “Snead called a news conference to make the announcement.”

“So much for putting our one-and-only suspect under surveillance.”

“Yeah.  C’mon, let’s go in and find out what kinda heroes we are.”

As I entered the auditorium, I noticed that temporary banks of auxiliary spotlights had been added to each side of a raised platform at the front.  In addition, since I’d last visited some months back, a thicket of microphones had sprouted like weeds from a podium in the center of the stage.

“Kane!  Deluca!”

I turned, spotting Barrello and several other task force members sitting in the back.  Following Deluca, I joined them, slumping into a seat beside Barrello.  “When’s this thing supposed to get under way?” I asked.

“Any time now.”