The China Doll (16 page)

"You really don’t want to start that,"
Richard said solemnly.

Michael put up his hands. Pushing Richard’s
buttons wasn’t as much fun for him as it used to be. "How long has
that been going on?"

"Four months."

"And Zainab’s still living with you?"

"Not after today unless I completely
misunderstood her last night."

"Uh, well, I guess that’s for the best. Now
you can, um...be with Sophie. At last."

"I don’t want to be with Sophie."

"Isn’t that why you’ve been seeing her on the
side for so long?"

"It was never going to be permanent."

"You’re right—you do win. You’re a much
bigger bastard than I ever was. You’ve had us all thinking you were
a nice guy this whole time."

"I am a nice guy," Richard said defensively.
"But I’m not stupid. I’m grateful enough to be a wonderful
boyfriend but terrified enough to make a lousy husband. Zainab
deserves better."

"So why not just let her go, without screwing
around?"

"You’re really not qualified to lecture me,
you know."

"Actually, I am. Okay fine, I made out with
someone once, but just so Miranda would catch us. And I realized as
soon as she was gone what an idiot I was. Once I had her, I didn’t
step out on my wife, and please don’t BS me that this is different,
because you know it’s not."

"It’s not."

"So what are you going to do? Do you want to
be with Zainab or not?"

"I do, but I don’t want to screw it up."

"I think you’ve already covered that,
actually."

"Then I’m screwed."

"No," Michael said slowly. "You just have to
swallow your pride and fix it."

"Is that all? Got any tips?"

"I’m working on it."

"Work harder. She’s seeing Jessie’s
therapist, you know?"

"Yep, she told me. So how else is your life
screwed up?"

"Let’s just leave it at that for now.
Jessie’s the one who really got the booby prize last night."

"What happened?"

"Do you remember my Uncle Tom?"

Michael shuddered. "Yeah—he was a piece of
work. I always wondered how he ended up with Josie." He shrugged.
"I just assumed it was the money."

"Congratulations—you have something in common
with my mother."

"I’m sure she’ll be pleased. She was always
so fond of me. So how did good old Tommy score the beautiful
Josie?"

"Rape, beating, pregnancy—you know, the usual
in our family."

Michael’s mouth gaped open. "Are you
sure?"

"Yes, and not just because that would-be
Sherlock Holmes laid it out for us. I remember. She was always
covering up—sunglasses, long shirts, long skirts, pants—even when
it was hot. And she was terrified of him. She never wanted to leave
Jessie alone with him."

"Good that he died then."

"She killed him."

"Excuse me?"

"That was the centerpiece of last night’s
little party, but...it was what my mother thought. All along. She
hired someone to find it out. She never thought to ask me. And then
I could have told her. She didn’t kill him for the money. She
killed him to protect Jessie."

"How do you know?"

"Michael, if I tell you, you have to swear to
me that you won’t tell a soul."

"Richard, I’m not keeping anything else from
Miranda." Richard raised his eyebrows. "But since I know you don’t
think there’s a chance in Hell that she’ll ever be with me again,
why don’t you just tell me anyway?"

~~~

It was the end of spring in 1994.
Twelve-year-old Richard was supposed to be doing his geometry, but
he figured he deserved a little TV time for having to do homework
when it was so nice out. He had just turned on the TV when he heard
knocking at the door. He stood up. Had Olga forgotten her key?

He gasped. Josie was clutching Jessie to her,
and they were both crying. Josie’s lip was bleeding, and she had a
black and blue mark on her face. Jessie had big fingerprints on her
upper arms and a goose-egg on the side of her forehead as if she’d
fallen.

Richard closed the door as they walked in.
"It’s okay, Jessie. Everything’s okay now," Josie said as
convincingly as she could as she stroked her little girl’s pretty
blonde hair. She looked at Richard. "Do you think you can get us
some ice?"

Richard got an ice pack out of the freezer.
Josie put it on Jessie’s head. The little girl shrieked, but kept
it on after her mother kissed her.

Richard got some water for Josie and some
juice for Jessie. Josie’s hand trembled as she drank it, but she
thanked him. "Josie, did Uncle Tom...?" He didn’t finish the
question. Josie pressed her forehead into Jessie’s so that her
reddish hair covered them both. Richard gingerly moved her hair
away so he could see their faces. "Josie, we have to call the
police," he said gently. "He might have really hurt you. And
Jessie."

Josie looked up and pulled Jessie’s head
closer to her chest. "Richard, do you know who Tom had lunch with
yesterday? The chief of police. The chief was thanking him for all
his contributions to the charity last month. I don’t think they’re
going to help us."

Richard took a deep breath. "I think you two
should sit down."

Josie moved painfully to the couch. "I can’t
stay long," she said as she sat down and adjusted a quieter Jessie
on her lap. "I have to go before Tom finds us."

"Where are you going?" he asked as he rubbed
Jessie’s back. She cried out. Richard pulled back, afraid.

"Oh, Richard, I’m sorry." She comforted
Jessie again. "He hit her back too."

"Josie!" Richard thought that if only he’d
done his math homework that night he could have stayed in that
nice, logical world. "Where are you going to go?"

She turned to Richard and looked at him as if
she were trying to decide something. She blinked away the few
stubborn tears that had escaped. "I’m going to take care of this.
I’m going to make it so that he can’t ever hurt Jessie again."

"What are you going to do?"

She shook her head. "I’m going to do what I
should have done a long time ago." She heaved a small sob, putting
her hand to her mouth. She looked at her daughter, and then looked
at him. "Richard, I need you to do something very grown up for me,
alright?"

"What is it?"

"I need you to watch Jessie for me. For the
whole weekend. I’ll come back on Sunday night, but I need you to
keep her here until then."

Richard had already babysat Jessie a few
times, but never overnight. "Josie, I don’t know how..."

"Please, Richard," Josie said desperately.
"She’s toilet-trained, and she’ll eat anything you put in front of
her. And she knows how to be quiet when you tell her it’s really
important." Josie smiled bitterly. "Please, please—I can’t do this
if she’s not being taken care of."

"Alright," Richard said, more nervous than
reluctant. "And you’ll be back on Sunday night?"

"I promise," Josie said, smiling with relief.
Then her face grew more serious. "But there’s something else, and
it’s very important."

"What is it?"

Josie took a deep breath. "If Tom comes, you
have to hide her." She closed her eyes. "You
can’t
let him
take her."

"Josie, I think I should call my
mother..."

"No!" Josie shrieked. Jessie whimpered again.
Josie clung to her daughter. "No, no, no—please. Don’t tell your
mother." She took a moment to collect herself. "Richard, your
mother doesn’t like me very much—"

"I’ve noticed," he said quietly.

"—and she isn’t going to believe me if I tell
her what...happened." She bit her lip. "Or she isn’t going to care.
Most people don’t," she whispered.

A bruise was starting to form on Jessie’s
pale little face, and she still clung to her mother. "I believe
you," he said quietly.

"Thank you," Josie said. She wiped her tears.
"Then please believe me when I tell you that Tom can’t find her,
and if you tell your mother, she’s going to tell him. Just for the
weekend, please?"

The logic of what she was saying was
inescapable, and even then Richard was very logical. He nodded.
"Okay."

"Thank you," Josie whispered. She kissed
Jessie. "Sweetie, Mommy has to go right now, okay?"

"No, Mommy, don’t leave me!" Jessie cried,
holding onto her mother’s neck.

"Baby, I’m going to be back, okay? I promise.
But I just have to go right now for a little while. Richard’s going
to take care of you, okay? And you like Richard, right?"

Jessie turned to Richard. She blinked her
pretty grey eyes at him, and nodded.

Richard held out his hands, and then Jessie
crawled over to him. She rested her head on his chest. Richard
stroked her hair, careful not to touch her back. She sobbed a
little. "Hey, don’t cry. You know what? I think we can have some
ice cream later after Mommy leaves, how does that sound?"

"Strawberry?"

"Strawberry."

"Okay," she said. "But I want to watch TV
first."

Josie smiled, and looked seriously at Richard
again. "Thank you so much," she said as she stood up. "Jessie,
sweetie. One more thing. You have to do everything Richard says,
okay? I mean it—no ice cream unless you listen to him."

"Okay, Mommy."

Josie kissed her one last time, smiled at
Richard and ran out.

Good as his word, Richard brought Jessie into
the kitchen and dished out some ice cream for the both of them.
They had just started digging in when there was a knock at the
door. A knock Richard recognized all too clearly. He picked up
Josie in one arm and the ice cream in another. "I think you’re
going to eat this upstairs." He quietly, quickly went up the
backstairs in the kitchen and opened one of the spare bedrooms. He
heard the knocking again. "Jessie, listen to me. You stay in here
and eat your ice cream. And you be very, very quiet, no matter
what. And if you do that, I’ll give you some more, okay?" Jessie
nodded obediently, then Richard closed the door. He locked it,
putting the key on a bookshelf at the other end of the hall.

He ran down the stairs, and took a deep
breath before he opened the door for his uncle.

Tom was tall, thin and blonde like his sister
Lucy. But instead of Lucy’s icy exterior, Tom faced the world with
something that could only be described as a contemptuous leer. He
looked at his nephew, now just about his height, in the eye. He
took note of his unusually disheveled appearance. "Where is my
wife?"

Richard had to restrain himself from asking
if he even cared about his daughter. It didn’t matter—he already
knew the answer. "She’s not here," Richard said honestly. "I don’t
know where she is."

Tom pushed past Richard. "Where’s your
mother?"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

"Watch your mouth," Tom said
threateningly.

"Sorry, sir," Richard said. "I have no idea
where my mother is tonight."

"Don’t you still have a baby-sitter?" Tom
asked scornfully.

"She stepped out to get some groceries."
Great
. How was he going to hide Jessie from her all weekend?
"She should be back any minute now."

"So she’d tell me that she hadn’t seen Josie
either, I’m sure?"

"I’m pretty sure she hasn’t, but you’ll have
to ask her when she comes back."

"Maybe I will." Without asking, he walked
into the kitchen. He looked at the table. "So, Richard, did I
interrupt something?"

Richard stood tall. "What do you mean?"

"The ice cream, the shirt. Do you have
company?"

"Yes," Richard said, just as honestly as
before.

Tom turned around and smiled. "Really? Well,
I’d like to meet the young lady if you don’t mind."

"Actually, I do."

Tom pushed Richard. He caught himself before
he could fall. "Is your company my wife?"

"You’re out of your mind," Richard said
calmly. He knew his uncle could easily overpower him, but he was
doing a quick calculation of everything he could use in the room if
he needed to. "She’s not here."

Tom grabbed Richard’s shirt collar. "Then
where is she?"

"I don’t know."

"I think you do, you little twerp." Tom
pulled tighter, and Richard felt like he couldn’t breathe.

The phone rang. "You’d better let me get
that," Richard managed. "It might be my mother." The phone rang
again before Tom released his nephew. Richard massaged his neck,
then picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Richard, it’s me," Josie said. She sounded
less teary. "Is he there?"

"Yes," Richard said calmly.

"Are you alright? Is Jessie alright?" The
panic began to return to her voice.

"Just fine. I was just sitting down to a bowl
of ice cream."

"Okay. Let me talk to him."

Richard held out the receiver. "I think it’s
for you."

Tom grabbed the phone. "Josie! Where the Hell
are you?" Silence for a moment. "What are you doing there?" Pause.
"Are you serious?" He nodded and smiled. "That’s more like it.
Fine, I’ll be over in a few hours." He hung up. "I guess you were
right. She wasn’t here."

"Where is she then?" Richard tried to hide
how much he wanted to know.

"A little romantic getaway." Tom smiled.
"Finally coming around."

"Good to hear."

"Richard," Tom said mockingly. "I know you’ve
always had a little crush on her, but it’s time to be a big boy.
She’s my wife."

"She must really love Jessie."

Tom sneered. "Whatever it takes."

Something fell upstairs. Tom looked up, then
smiled at Richard. "What do you know? You have company after all.
Better get back up there before you lose your nerve. But here’s
some advice from your Uncle Tommy; make sure she does what she has
to do, even if she needs to close her eyes while she does it."

"Is that what Josie does?"

Tom smiled and leaned in. "Not anymore." He
stood up. "Do tell your mother I said hello."