Two for Flinching (17 page)

Snip.

“I know I did you wrong when I started seeing
Stella.”

Snip.
And a deep pull into my
scalp.

“Until I had Sarah, you were the best thing
that ever happened in my life.”

Snip.

“I’m sorry, Hannah. I hope you can forgive
me.”

The curtain was yanked away, the scissors and
comb dropping into their jars. Hannah finally spoke.

“That’s twenty dollars.”

***

“Why are you wearing a hat?”

“Huh?” I reached up to remove the Auburn
baseball cap, then pulled it back down. “I just am. How are things
with Cynthia?”

Melvin resumed his pacing, despair once again
filling his face. “Not good.”

“No?”

“We went out to dinner last night.”

“That’s a start. How did that go?”

“Not good,” he said again. He could really
cover the ground in my office. “She called me a bunch of ugly
words.”

“Can’t say I’m in shock.”

“What?” He stopped pacing, full of outrage.
“Why?”

“Melvin, you were cheating on her.”

“That’s all in the past.” He waved a hand, as
if he could simply dismiss his unfaithfulness. “She ended up
throwing a glass of wine in my face and storming out.”

“A little of that is to be expected.”

“I told her I was sorry.”

“It’s going to take more than that.”

“I told her a thousand times.”

“Keep at it.” I picked up my double
cheeseburger and took a big bite. The fries had grown cold. “It’s
not going to be easy.”

“I told her I had a lawyer—like you told me
to.”

“How did she take that?”

“She said she is going to take me to the
cleaners.”

“Uh huh.”

“How can you sit there and eat when I’m in
the biggest crisis of my life?”

“Because I’m hungry, Melvin. I heard Cynthia
was slowing things down.”

“Really?” He grabbed the lifeline like a
drowning man. “What does that mean?”

“It means she is having second thoughts.”

“Thank God.” He held his hands out to the
sky. “I still have a shot.”

“That doesn’t mean it’s over,” I quickly
added. “You have to keep apologizing, promise you’ll change, that
you’ll do whatever it takes. Keep pushing counseling.”

“Sure,” he said. “Anything.”

I pointed a ketchup draped finger at him.
“And never, never, mention that you know she is slowing the
divorce.”

His face twisted in confusion. “Why not? It’s
something we can build on.”

“Because, Melvin,” I explained, “if word got
out that I was slipping information to the other side, I’ll never
work in this town again.”

“Oh, right.” The metal stairs outside
creaked. “Looks like you got customers.”

“No.” I slid back the top drawer of my desk.
“I don’t think so.”

Starling came through the door first,
Fletcher easing in behind him. Starling’s overcoat was open, his
broad face angry. Providence’s coat was zipped up, his hands
staying away from his pockets. The right side of his parka dropped
a tad lower than the left. If his hand went into that pocket,
things were going to get ugly in the sock factory.

“Afternoon, Bird. Derrick.”

Fletcher nodded.

Starling shot a look at Melvin and shook his
head. For his part, Melvin did not wither. Starling said, “You
haven’t found the girl.”

“No.”

“Why aren’t you out looking for her now?”

“I’m eating lunch.”

“You need to find her.”

“Yes.”

“If we have to come back, we won’t be so
nice.”

“No.”

“Find her.”

“Okay.”

Starling snorted and pushed back through the
door. Fletcher shrugged before following.

“What do those two bozos want?”

“Evidently, they want me to find the
girl.”

“Evidently,” Melvin said. “Gimme some of
those fries.”

***

“Where are you?”

“Please, tell me you’re not in my driveway
again.”

“No, Beason. I’m at the hospital, actually
working a double.”

“I can certainly testify to your bedside
manner.”

“Couchside anyway.”

“What can I do for you, Madison?”

“Our last conversation didn’t go so
well.”

“You think?”

“Shut up and listen for a minute.”

“Okay.”

“I had fun the other night. You and I had a
chemistry that I haven’t shared with anybody in a long time.”

“Chemistry?”

“Shut up. I…think we should spend more time
together.”

“I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.”

“Why not? Because of Amber?”

“That is part of it.”

“Beason, you’re an idiot. You know that?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.”

“Even if Amber comes back, do you really
think you have a future together?”

“No.”

“Maybe you’re not as stupid as I
thought.”

“Thanks.”

“Amber is teaching Steven a lesson. As soon
as she thinks he has been punished enough, she’ll be back and have
him eating out of her hand. She was only using you.”

“I think I made out alright.”

“Better than with me?”

“Comparable.”

“Amber is insane. She has only cared about
one person for her entire life. Herself. Look at all the baggage
she carries around. You could never be happy with her.”

“I’ve got my own baggage.”

“No shit. That’s where I come
in—Tada!—baggage free.”

“I don’t know.”

“All I’m asking is that you don’t close that
door. Let’s see how everything plays out.”

“I can do that.”

“Good.”

“Madison?”

“What?”

“Have you heard from Amber?”

“Uh…no.”

***

“Why are you wearing a hat?”

“What’s wrong with my hat?”

“Nothing. Just in all the years I’ve known
you, I can’t remember you ever wearing a hat.” Randy was leaning
against the hood of his department issued vehicle, a Chevy Tahoe. A
pretty sweet looking ride.
Things had changed since I left.
“That’s a nice looking office you got there.”

“You should see the inside.” I popped the
door to the Jeep and dropped my computer in the passenger seat.
“What do you want?”

“Can’t a guy stop by and see his friend?”

“Sure.” I grinned. “As soon as you find
one.”

He laughed. The day had turned beautiful,
fifty degrees, clear blue sky, a breeze playing in the leafless
trees. Randy’s face turned serious. “I’ve got to admit, Beason,
you’ve got me worried.”

“Worried? About what?”

“Jeremiah. You come in asking questions about
an old enemy and it makes me wonder what is going on. I didn’t want
to get into it with Larry there. I know half of what you tell me is
bullshit, but one hundred per cent of what you say to him is.”

“Larry is a prick.”

“At least we can agree on that.”

I did a slow once over of the parking lot,
the woods beside it. Big Bird and Providence didn’t want trouble in
front of Sarah, nor in front of Melvin, so I had to believe they
would think twice of coming after me in front of a cop. Randy,
though, didn’t much look like police in his jeans and golf shirt,
driving the undercover sled. Aside from the Glock on his hip.
Prepare for what the enemy can do, not what you think he will
do.

“So,” Randy said, “what’s going on?”

“Adrian and Stella.”

Randy made a face. “What about them?”

“I’m looking for them.”

“Why?”

“My daughter asked me to.”

“Oh.”

“And I haven’t found them yet.”

“What’s that have to do with Jeremiah?”

“You ever hear about Adrian and
Jeremiah?”

Randy nodded. “I remember they had some
trouble.”

“Trouble ain’t the half of it. Adrian tried
to beat the hell out of him in the back of our car.”

“You broke it up, right?”

“Right.”

Randy thought about it. “You think Jeremiah
had something to do with Adrian’s disappearance?”

“Maybe.”

“And he took out Stella to get at you?”

I shook my head. “I doubt he knew who she
was. She turned into collateral damage.”

“Huh.” Randy kicked a rock, mulling it over.
“I don’t see it. We had video from the banks. Adrian went into
his—alone—and cashed it out. An hour later, Stella went to
hers—alone—and did the same. I hate to be the bearer of bad news,
but they left on purpose.”

“What if Jeremiah grabbed them on their way
out of town?”

“Be a hell of coincidence.”

“Yeah.”

“You got anything to back up this story?”

“No. Only that I can’t find them. Not a trace
of either one of them. Stella walked out of that bank and fell off
the face of the earth.”

Randy reached into his jeans and came out
with a pack of gum. He unwrapped a piece, popped it into his mouth
and replaced the pack. He didn’t offer me one. “I still don’t see
it.”

“You’re probably right.”

“One more question, Beason.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“What’s the deal with the hat?”

***

“Hello.”

“Hey. How is my little brother?”

“Not too bad,
big
sister.”

“Haha.”

“Erin isn’t here. I think she’s out with
another boy.”

“Duh. If I wanted to talk to her, I would’ve
called
her
cell.”

“Oh.”

“How’s my daughter doing?”

“Fine. She comes home drunk every night and
there’s always a new guy at the breakfast table.”

“That’s my girl. How about my niece?”

“She’s too young for all that.”

“Not for long.”

“Don’t talk like that.”

“Seriously, how is Erin working out?”

“She’s an angel. I couldn’t get by without
her. Any chance you can convince her to get her master’s? Maybe a
doctorate?”

“Only if you’re paying for it.”

“Sounds like the girl is out of luck.”

“You know what you could do?”

“Uh oh.”

“Find a woman. Sarah needs a mother.”

“Don’t we all.”

“Erin says she thinks you are seeing
someone.”

“Erin says lots of stuff.”

“Anybody I know?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“She’s not married is she?”

“I’m…between women right now.”

“Well, whatever you do, go
against
your natural instincts.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You always go for the blond with big tits
and tiny waist, a little on the wild side. The kind that drinks
bourbon and smokes cigarettes.”

“Bourbon?”

“Be honest, Beason, you’re type hasn’t worked
out too well for you. Ever.”

“Thanks, mom.”

“Speaking of mom, have you seen her
lately?”

“It’s been a while. The last time, it didn’t
go so well.”

“Get over it. She’s still your mother—our
mother. I’m way up in Huntsville and Gus is busy with work and the
kids.”

“And I’m not?”

“Not from what I hear.”

“I’m locking Erin in the basement.”

“You don’t have a basement. I’m worried about
dad. This is killing him.”

“I’ll go visit her tomorrow.”

“Good.”

“And I’ll tell her you’re doing porn on the
internet.”

“You’re an idiot.”

“You’re the second person to call me an idiot
today.”

“That’s all?”

“So far.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

“Why are you wearing a hat?”

“Why does everybody keep asking me that?”

“Because it makes you look like a moron. Even
when you were a little kid worshipping the ground I walked on, you
couldn’t pull it off.”

“Thanks, Gus.”

“No problem. That’s what brothers are for.”
Gus pushed back from his desk. The desk was covered by diagrams and
maps, road maps, geological surveys, others I couldn’t even begin
to describe. “What’s going on?”

“I got a call from your sister last
night.”

“Yeah. What did Lisa want?”

“She wanted to give me a list of
instructions.”

“She’ll do that. What kind of
instructions?”

“About mom. When was the last time you saw
her?”

“Sunday.”

“Sunday? I spent the afternoon with you
Sunday.”

“Uh huh. We went right after you left. Me,
Tonya, dad and the kids.”

“Why didn’t you ask I wanted to go?”

“Because I knew you wouldn’t want to. I
didn’t want to get into it with dad there. I figured it would upset
him.”

“Oh.” I felt a deep pang of guilt. Gus, busy
with his job and kids had found the time to visit our mother and I
had not. In a long time. “Well, I’m going over there now.”

“Bully for you,” he said. “You here looking
for a gold star or something?”

I shook my head. “I guess I just wanted to
know what to expect.”

“About the same.” Gus rocked back in his
chair and interlocked his fingers behind his head. “If you didn’t
wait so long you wouldn’t need an update before you visit your
mother.”

“What I don’t need is a guilt trip. The time
for that would have been last week. I told you I’m going
today.”

“What you need is a kick in the ass.”

“You going to give it to me?”

Gus grinned. “The last time didn’t work out
too good.”

“For either of us.”

He laughed, shaking his head at the memory of
us, him in his early twenties, me in my late teens, swinging at
each other in the front yard. “How is the princess?”

“Good. I just dropped her off at
preschool.”

“How is the search going for her new
mother?”

First dad, then Lisa, now Gus. I guess I
should have been glad so many people cared. I wasn’t. “I didn’t
know I was supposed to be on one.”

Gus had his head tilted to the side,
examining me. He suddenly shot forward in the chair. “You are such
a fucking moron.”