The Gifted (20 page)

When Taylor ran up the stairs to her room, I followed her. Madeleine was asleep in the Taylor’s bed, so I took Taylor’s arm and drew her out into the hall. My heart was pounding. “We’ve never gone to bed angry at each other,” I said.

“I guess there’s a first time for everything,” Taylor said. She turned the door handle. “Jo, please wait until tomorrow to tell Dad about what just happened. He looked really tired tonight.”

When Zack came back from Margot’s, he came straight to our bedroom, where I’d been pretending to read a magazine.

“How did it go?” I said.

“Margot says we have to hire a public relations firm to handle this.”

“It would be a waste of money,” I said. “They’ll just tell you to get out in front of the story. First thing tomorrow call a press conference. Explain what’s happened. Be brief and be generous when you talk about Lauren’s contribution to the Racette-Hunter Centre, send R-H’s condolences to Lauren’s family, and ask the press to respect them in this time of grief. Then get out of the room – no questions. Margot should do it. The press won’t hound her. She’s pregnant and sympathetic.”

Zack rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, I’m neither pregnant nor sympathetic, but I’m the one on deck. As of this afternoon Margot is on enforced R & R. Her blood pressure is a little high, so her doctor says she has to take it easy until the baby comes. She’s pretty well out of the game until Christmas.”

“But she and the baby
are
okay?”

“They’re fine. Margot says the doctor’s just being careful because of her age and because this is the only baby she’ll ever have.”

“I’m glad Margot’s doctor is being cautious,” I said, “but
her absence will mean another hole in the Racette-Hunter working team. Zack, I don’t want all the extra work to land on your lap.”

“It’s not going to,” Zack said. “We’ve got Brock, Howard, Blake, and you and Ernest. Norine has some ideas about potential team members. I called her from Margot’s and she’s going to set up meetings with some of them tomorrow.”

“I’ve got an idea, too,” I said. “Why don’t you come to bed?”

Minutes after his head hit the pillow, Zack was asleep. His breathing was deep and even, and I was glad I hadn’t shared my burden of worry. There was trouble ahead, and at least one of us needed to get a good night’s sleep.

The next morning after I came back from taking the dogs to the roof garden, I crawled back into bed with Zack. “We need to talk,” I said. “Last night when I came down from getting Madeleine settled, Julian was leaving,” I said. “He and Taylor were by the door. She was in his arms.”

“So the vibes we picked up during dinner were for real,” Zack said.

“Yes,” I said. “Julian and Taylor were kissing and it was a serious kiss. I stayed on the landing until Julian left. Taylor saw me, and we quarrelled. I broached the subject of Julian’s sexual relationship with Lauren. Taylor said the only reason Julian had sex with Lauren was because Lauren was lonely and he felt sorry for her.”

“And Lauren felt sorry for Julian, so she gave him money.”

“Something like that,” I said. “He told her about the video and that he argued with Lauren because she was threatening to show it to Taylor.”

Zack raised an eyebrow. “Julian’s no dummy. Getting all the cards out on the table before we had a chance to talk to Taylor was a shrewd move. Jo, Why didn’t you tell me about this last night?”

“Because Taylor asked me to wait until morning. She thought you looked tired at dinner.”

Zack’s face softened. “She is such a good kid.”

“Agreed,” I said. “But our good kid is facing a big adult problem.”

“So what do we do?”

“Well, I know what we don’t do,” I said. “We don’t come down hard on Taylor, and we don’t forbid her to see Julian. From the moment I met Peter’s first girlfriend, I knew she was trouble. She was manipulative and far, far too experienced for Peter, but I handled the situation badly, and Pete was so angry I almost lost him. I learned my lesson. No raised voices. No ultimatums.”

Zack sighed. “So we just play it as it lays.”

“Unless you can think of something better.”

“It depends,” Zack said. “Would you think I was a jerk if I got a private investigator to check Julian out?”

“No. I’d think you were a father who’s looking out for his daughter. While your detective is checking out Julian’s life, have him look into the story about the teacher in La Ronge.”

I turned my pillow over and smoothed it. I’d had a restless night. Julian’s brief biography at dinner had evoked my sympathy, but it had also frightened me. If his Grade Ten teacher had been the beginning of Julian’s pattern of latching on to a woman who could give him what he needed, he was more damaged and perhaps more dangerous than we realized. “Another thing,” I said. “After Taylor goes to school, I’m going to get in touch with Kaye Russell. I think she owes us some answers about Julian.”

“You bet she does,” Zack said, and his tone was caustic.

As soon as she heard us in the kitchen, Taylor came downstairs. She was barefoot and in her robe. She poured herself a
glass of juice and joined us at the table. Her eyes were anxious.

“I told your dad about you and Julian a few minutes ago,” I said.

Taylor’s focus shifted to Zack. “And …?”

He held out his arms to her. “We love you. We trust you. And we’ll talk about this when you’re ready to talk.”

Taylor dove into his arms. “Thank you,” she said. She turned towards me. “Jo, I’m sorry I got mad last night, but when you get to know Julian, you’ll understand why we’re so important to each other.”

Kaye Russell was teaching until 10:30 so we agreed to meet at her office at 10:45. Mieka had phoned to say that Lena would be released later in the day, and that she’d stay at the hospital until then. That meant that after I drove Madeleine to St. Pius, I had an hour free.

When Margot called asking if I could stop by, her timing was perfect.

She answered the door in her pyjamas and she was wearing a pair of fuzzy pink slippers.

“I remember when you wouldn’t be caught dead without your Manolos,” I said.

Margot patted her belly. “The times they are a’changing. Come have a cup of tea with me and tell me what’s happening. But start with the good news. I could use some.”

I followed Margot into the kitchen and watched as she filled the kettle. “Lena’s coming home from the hospital around lunchtime,” I said. “Mieka is crazy busy with UpSlideDown and the opening of April’s Place, so Lena and Poor Pitiful Pearl will be spending the days with us till the end of the week. Lena could probably go back to school, but the doctor says better safe than sorry.”

“That seems to be the accepted medical protocol these days,” Margot said dryly. “I guess Zack told you I’m on
enforced R & R. Feet up, and no more meetings in my house. The doctor says I have to draw boundaries between work and leisure. For a lawyer who habitually put in sixteen-hour days, that’s a novel idea.”

“Please tell me the meetings aren’t going to be at our place.”

“No, you’re off the hook. The condos downstairs that are being converted into offices are apparently close to being ready. Norine’s having furniture and office supplies delivered today. You, Zack, and I are supposed to go down and choose offices when we have some time.”

“So we’ll be living over the store,” I said.

Margot laughed. “Look on the bright side. We’ll save on parking.”

When the chamomile had steeped, we took it into the living room. I always felt at home at Margot’s. Like our condo, it was an open-concept plan with a vaulted ceiling and skylights. Two storeys of light, hardwood, granite, and glass. But Margot had decorated her place herself and the effect was stunning: spectacular oversized rugs in shades of cream, ochre, and beige; soft pale leather couches and chairs, bronze lamps that cast a gentle glow; huge ornamental jars filled with dried grasses.

The fireplace was lit, and Margot and I sat in front of it on deep chairs of buttery leather.

As we sipped our tea, Margot surveyed the room. “I’m going to have to do some serious redecorating,” she said. “I never thought a baby would be living here.”

“You have plenty of time before your little girl starts throwing pureed carrots at the wall.”

“I can hardly wait,” Margot said. “I just wish Leland were with me to see the carrots fly.”

I took her hand. “I know it’s not the same, but by the time your daughter starts throwing carrots your condo is
going to be
SRO
. We’re all so excited about this baby – especially Zack. He’s never been around a newborn.”

Margot grinned. “Zack and a newborn: now that’s going to be worth the price of admission.” Her face grew serious. “I don’t know what I would have done without you two in the last few months. And I’m very grateful to you both for handling the fallout from Lauren’s death. I called Vince to tell him how sorry I was. Given the fact that he and Lauren were estranged, it was hard to know what to say.”

“It is,” I agreed. “It’s also hard to know what to do – not just with Vince but with the R-H working team.” A shadow of concern crossed Margot’s face, and I was quick to reassure her. “We can handle this, Margot. Zack’s all over it, and so am I.”

Margot sipped her tea. “Thanks. Those jackals that I fired from the Peyben board are waiting for me to fall on my face. As one of our former board members was exiting the Peyben office for the last time, he shook his finger at me and told me that focusing Leland’s company on community building was idealistic claptrap.”

“Well, it isn’t. Those jackals you fired may want to spend the rest of their lives locking their car doors, rolling up their windows, and looking the other way when they’re forced to drive through North Central, but Leland had a reason for changing the plans for The Village. He knew the people of North Central had to be a priority. Racette-Hunter is just part of the larger picture. You’re not alone, Margot. You and Declan have the support of the new board. And right across the hall, you have Taylor, Zack, and me.”

Margot’s cornflower blue eyes were serious. “Like a family,” she said.

“Right,” I said. “Like a family.”

Margot put her teacup back on its saucer. “Okay,” she said. “As members of a family, there’s something we have to talk about.”

I felt a shiver of apprehension. “Go ahead.”

“It’s Taylor. Declan is worried about Julian Zentner’s influence on her.” Margot cocked her head. “Do you want me to stop?”

“No,” I said. “Zack and I are concerned about that, too. Especially because last night Taylor told me that Lauren and Julian had quarrelled about the sex video. Apparently, Lauren was threatening to send the video to Taylor if Julian ended the affair.”

Margot whistled. “Wow. Declan says that Taylor is out of her depth with Julian. Obviously Declan is right.”

“Zack and I had been hoping that since the painting was finished, Julian and Taylor would go their separate ways, and we wouldn’t have to interfere.”

Margot put her feet up on the ottoman and gazed critically at her fuzzy pink slippers. “But Julian and Taylor haven’t gone their separate ways,” she said finally.

“No,” I said. “And that baffles me. The two of them worked together for weeks, and Taylor hardly ever talked about Julian. A couple of times they came downstairs and had lunch together, but usually Taylor did her homework and Julian leafed through an art magazine. Sometimes he talked to Taylor about an article he was reading, but it was all very casual.”

“But now Julian is front and centre in Taylor’s life.”

“He is, and I don’t get it. There’s a piece missing here.”

“I may be able to supply it,” Margot said. “Despite the lack of romance, Declan and Taylor are close. One of the things that drew them together at the beginning was that they both felt overshadowed by a parent. Declan felt that no matter what he did he would never measure up to what Leland accomplished, and until she painted
BlueBoy21
, Taylor felt the same about Sally.”

“And
BlueBoy21
changed that,” I said.

“Yes,” Margot said. “Taylor told Declan that when
BlueBoy21
sold for such a high price, she knew she could finally shake off Sally’s shadow.”

“I get that,” I said. “But what does this have to do with Julian?”

“Julian has apparently convinced Taylor that he is her key to making serious art,” Margot said. “He keeps trying to get her to watch the Sally Love documentary with him. Taylor is still refusing, but according to Declan, Julian is making a big deal about Sally’s comment that sex was the catalytic force in her art – that when she was in a relationship with an exciting partner, she had the juice to paint, and when she wasn’t, she dried up.”

“And of course, Julian is volunteering to be the exciting partner,” I said.

“He’s convinced Taylor that the energy she had when she was painting
BlueBoy21
came from him,” Margot said softly. “And Declan’s afraid that Taylor is buying his argument and Sally’s.”

I slammed my hand against the arm of the leather chair. “What a great legacy for a mother to leave her daughter,” I said.

Margot was pensive. “I’ve never once heard you criticize Sally.”

Taylor’s anger the night before was a fresh wound. “Well, I’m criticizing her now,” I said. “I loved Sally, but she really did believe that her talent excused everything. She used people, and when she was through with them, she walked away and left other people to clean up the mess.” I stood and started pacing. “For eleven years, I’ve tried to help Taylor realize her value. Then Sally sends a message from the grave telling her daughter that all that matters is her art and that she can’t make great art unless she has sex.”

Margot stood and put her arm around my shoulder. “To be fair, in the documentary, Sally talked about other sources
that powered her art – seeing the world, meeting all kinds of people, going to galleries and museums.”

“I know. When
The Poison Apple
was telecast, I wanted Taylor to watch it with Zack and me. I knew some of Sally’s comments would be troubling, and I thought we could give context to what Sally was saying.”