“Can I offer you something to drink?” I said to cover up. Hell, I’m an adult and so is she. Don’t know why I am slightly uncomfortable? I moved into the galley and opened the oversized frig. “I’ve got beer. I’ve got orange juice. I’ve got milk.”
Lindy looked at her daughter, “Ashley honey, would you like some orange juice?”
The girl looked up. “Sure.”
“Sure, what?”
The girl looked at me. “Sure, please.”
“Coming right up,” I said, glad to be doing something. I poured the juice, popped the cap on two Dos Equis and handed Lindy one.
Ashley took the glass with two hands and drank half of it. She set the glass on the coffee table and picked up the magazine. She had a sheen of wet across her top lip.
Lindy took a drink. I did too. She looked at me over the top of the bottle.
“So, about now you are probably petrified that we have come knocking on your door.”
I smiled. “Not petrified, but curious.”
She nodded. “So, what it is, is this is a huge city and yet when the perpetual party left for Powell, you are the one and only person I know here.”
“You don’t know me.”
She set the bottle on the carpet. “Yes, that is true.” She looked at me, and her eyes welled up.
Well, shit!
“So this is something that only a truly desperate woman with a child would do,” she said.
22
“Al Penny kicked me off the boat.”
“Al Penny?”
“He’s the guy that owns the Caledonia.”
“Why would Al Penny who owns the Caledonia kick you off his boat?”
She looked around. “Do you have a television she could watch?”
I shook my head, “Nope. No television.”
This information seemed to disappoint her.
“Do you like the magazine, honey?” she leaned toward the girl.
Ashley didn’t look up. “It has horses in it.”
“Mr. Jackson and I are going to go outside and talk a minute. I’ll be right back.”
This time Ashley looked up. I could swear her eyes looked old and tired. “Are you going to talk about my father?”
“You read your magazine, baby. I’ll be just outside.”
Ashley went back to her magazine.
Lindy looked at me. “Can we go somewhere to talk?”
I stood. “Out on the stern,” I said. “And it’s just Jackson.”
Leaving her blue bag by the couch she followed me, giving one last glance to the girl before she stepped outside.
We were sheltered from the wind by the big bay cruiser in the next slip.
I leaned against the rail and waited. She stood, one hand on the rail, looking out across the lake. She appeared to need a moment to collect herself, so I gave it to her.
Finally, she turned and looked at me. “Eight years ago, I was involved with a guy. A very powerful, very rich guy. His name was Don. He developed projects in Vegas. Shopping centers, single housing communities. He developed Quail Run, the golf community. I was a realtor, and he hired me to show the model homes. I was young and single, he was older and married. He treated me very well. Put me up in one of the luxury houses. Took me on what he called business trips. But usually it was just a reason to go to some high dollar place and party. He really liked showing off his success, and I liked being a part of it.”
She looked at me, almost defiantly, but her mouth twisted with pain, “In other words, Mr. Jackson, I prostituted myself to enjoy the good life. I didn’t think a thing about it.”
“Just Jackson,” I said automatically. I could do the math. “But then Ashley came along.”
She nodded her head, tearing again. “Yeah, and everything changed. As soon as he found out I was pregnant, he quit seeing me. He let me stay in the house, but I was never in the same room with him again.”
I folded my arms across my chest. I’ve been told that is a physical defensive sign. Probably.
“This is very interesting, but what does it have to do with you seeking me out?”
“He left us alone. I worked as a realtor and Ashley grew up. It was really quite wonderful.”
“But then?”
“His wife died. She got pancreatic cancer.”
“And he wanted his daughter?”
She nodded. “I don’t have any idea as to why. Up till then he hadn’t given her the time of day. But then, I was getting her ready for school when I saw the car pull up in my drive. Two men got out. I know them both. They work for Don. They were always around, like bodyguards. As soon as I saw them I knew what they wanted. While they were ringing the front doorbell we went out the back. We walked about five blocks, and I called Uber. We went to the airport, and I had just enough cash to get us to Phoenix.”
“No credit cards?”
“Just the one I used for work. A corporate card. I tried to use it, but he had it blocked.”
“Where did Dey come in?”
“We worked in real estate together in Vegas. We were both big party girls back then. She moved to Phoenix, and we stayed in touch. I called her from Sky Harbor and she picked us up. We were staying with her when she asked me if I wanted to go to a party on a yacht. So we ended up on the Caledonia.”
“We?”
“Al Penny had a stateroom with video games. Ashley was down there most of the time. I had put her to bed before you joined us.”
I thought about us being on the top deck, and what we were doing. Good thing Ashley didn’t have a midnight urge to come looking for Mommy.
“Just why did Al Penny kick you off his boat?”
“Because Dey has a big mouth. And the more she drinks, the bigger it gets. She told Al who I was, or more importantly, who Ashley was.”
“Why should Al Penny care?”
“Because he, and everyone else, is scared shitless of Ashley’s father. He didn’t become a big shot developer on his own. He had some really powerful friends. It’s well known his enemies end up in the desert.”
“Mob?”
She nodded.
“And you knew this while you were with him?”
She nodded again.
“But why me?”
“Because I could tell you were a good guy. While all the other guys were flexing and bragging, you weren’t. And, mostly, because the perpetual party is gone, Dey is gone with them and you are the only living human being I know in the State of Arizona. And I don’t have a penny to my name.”
“Not even Al,” I said. She looked at me blankly. As usual my humor was lost.
Ashley appeared in the doorway.
“I’m hungry,” she said.
Lindy looked at her and struggled with what to say.
I said, “Why don’t we all go down to the marina and I’ll buy lunch.”
23
The bar was empty. Maureen, the manager, was tending the convenience store. I saw her in the store as I ushered Lindy and Ashley into the bar and seated them at one of the round high-tops.
“I’ll be right back,” I said and went to see Maureen.
She was stocking corn chips on the shelf. She was talking to herself as I came in. She was a stocky woman in her fifties, with gray streaked hair. She wore khaki cargo shorts and a pull-over golf shirt with the marina logo on it. He skin was brown and beginning to crepe up from years in the sun. She wore bright orange boat shoes. She loved her rowdy shoes.
I made a noise, so she would know I was walking in. She turned.
“Hey Jackson.”
“Morning ma’am,” I said.
She looked at me, “I told you about that ma’am shit. My mama gave me a name and you can use it.”
“Yes mm….uh, Maureen. I’ve got a couple of ladies out there that are hungry. You suppose Bernard can rustle up some hamburgers?”
“The little shit had to go to the doctor. Why don’t people get sick on their own time? If they can get to the doctor, they can work.�
� She brushed her hair back. “I don’t suppose you’ve seen Eddie around.”
“Probably out fishing.”
“Well, if you see him, tell him to come tend bar and there are some lightbulbs out on A dock.” She turned back to stocking the chips. “You know where everything is. Fix your own burgers.”
“Okay.” I bit the ma’am off.
I went back to the girls.
“Guess what,” I said. “We get to fix our own burgers.” I looked at Ashley. “Would you like to help me cook? We get to have it our way.”
Ashley perked up. “Can I, Mommy?”
Lindy smiled. “Sure you can.”
“If you sit at the bar, you can watch,” I said to Lindy.
They slid off their stools and Lindy mouthed “Thank you”.
The kitchen area was separated from the bar room by a wall with a long, rectangular window, giving a long view of the kitchen.
Lindy slid up on a barstool, and Ashley followed me into the kitchen. The kitchen was pretty large. It had an oversized stainless-steel refrigerator. There was a matching freezer door that opened to the large cooler locker. Along the kitchen side of the window was a wide griddle. At the end were two deep fat fryers. Before he left Bernard had filled all the condiment trays. I fired the griddle, then opened the refrigerator and pulled three frozen hamburger patties. I handed them to Ashley.
“Okay, honey, hold on to these a minute so the griddle can get hot. Be careful not to touch the griddle, it’ll burn your fingers, and that hurts like the dickens.”
She took the burgers and stepped back from the griddle. I found the buns and went into the locker to find the sack of frozen French fries. When I found them I said, “You can put the burgers on now, honey.”
She happily turned to comply. The burgers were separated by thin squares of paper. She put the burgers on the griddle, paper and all. I laughed, dropped fries into the fryer basket and grabbed a spatula to salvage the burgers.
“We need to take the paper off first, sweetie.”
She looked at me, her eyes large. “You said to put them on.”
I laughed again. “You are absolutely right. My bad. I should have told you.”
She looked out at her mother. “He told me to, Mommy.”
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Lindy said. “You’re doing good.”
Once the burgers were sizzling I let her turn them with the spatula. I handled the fries. Too much potential for disaster for her. Once the meat was ready and the buns were browning, I pulled the buns and helped her dress them.
Mom wanted no onions or mustard. Ashley didn’t want tomatoes. I drug mine through the garden. We ended back at the round high-top. Lindy told Ashley it was the best hamburger she had ever eaten.
When we finished, I cleared the table, except for their Cokes and my beer. I walked the dishes back to the kitchen and put them in the sink. Them that cooks, don’t wash. I came and sat back down. Lindy was gazing out the window. Ashley was looking at me.
After a while the silence become cumbersome.
I looked at Ashley, debating. I finally decided that what-ever this is, she was a part of it.
“So, I still don’t know why you came to me.”
Lindy turned to look at me. “I truly don’t know. Except, like I said. You are the only one I know.”
“And, like I said, you don’t know me. I might be worse than what you are running from.”
She was steady, looking at me. She slowly shook her head. “No, I don’t believe that. Just watching you with Ashley, I know you are a good man.”
I shrugged, uncomfortable, “I don’t know what I can do for you. I can loan you a few bucks, if you need it.”
“I may,” she said simply. “I think right now, I need to be out of sight. I saw a spare bedroom, maybe you can put us up for the night?”
“Are we hiding from Daddy?” Ashley said, watching her mom.
Lindy looked down at the table, then at Ashley, “Baby, you don’t even know your father. He says he’s your father, but he sure as hell ain’t your daddy.”
Ashley’s big blue eyes looked at me.
I looked out the window.
Sucker.
“Maybe just for the night,” I said.
24
The wind had stopped, the sun was down, and Lindy and I were on the stern watching the light on the far mountains as the moon rose. The only sound was the soft lapping of the water against Tiger Lily’s hull. We had spent the afternoon teaching Ashley card games which she had blatantly cheated at. The girl didn’t like to lose. I tried to teach her checkers, but it was the same thing. She changed the rules, so she could jump sideways. This bothered her mother but tickled me. I’ve been known to change the rules and jump sideways. And the stakes had been considerably higher.
Ashley had showered in the oversized stall. She had been wrapped in one of my white tee shirts, in which she had delightfully paraded around. Her mother finally tucked her in bed. I was glad that I had that case of the domestics and had cleaned the stateroom.
I had fixed a scotch. Lindy was sipping a Dos Equis. I am a highly trained, world class, waiter, so I was waiting. The silence finally wore her down.
“You don’t ask many questions,” she said, without looking at me.
I shrugged.
“I really appreciate you letting us stay,” she said.
I shrugged again.
She was silent for several minutes.
Finally, she said, “His name is Don Newman. You ever hear of him?”
I shook my head, “Nope.”
“He’s a big-shot in Vegas.”
“So you said.”
“It’s funny,” she said, “he never went to the strip. He really didn’t like it. Said it was for suckers.”
“Where did he go?”
She laughed. “Hey, a question.” She took a drink, “He liked to go to Tahoe. Had a real mansion there. Five bedrooms. Giant great room with a stone fireplace that covered the entire wall. He’d fill the place with party girls, invited business types. Booze and food and a huge heated pool. Two large Jacuzzi’s, hold twelve people. It would get naked and crazy at night. One side of the big room there were two poker tables, and they were always full, night and day.”
“You join in the games?”
She shifted to look at me. “Would it bother you if I did?”
I smiled at her. “Not in the slightest.” Then I was sorry I said it that way. Sounded a little harsh, like I didn’t care about her. Which, so far, I didn’t.
She took another sip. “The answer is no. I don’t know if I would have. I’d played that scene before. Before he came along. But he didn’t want me with anyone but him. I had to be careful. If I spent too much time even just talking with one of the other men, he’d get jealous. So I always played it cool.”
“How about him?”
“What about him?”
“Was he exclusive to you?”
“Sometimes he’d tell me to go lie by the pool. That usually meant he would be entertaining another girl. But to answer your next question, no it didn’t bother me. I usually knew which girl it would be, and it wasn’t like I was in love, wanting to get married. I was just having fun. Hell, I usually felt sorry for the girl. Don was no stud. Five minutes and he was done.”
I chuckled, but she couldn’t see me.
“But when I missed my period, I knew the party was over. The funny thing is that I was on birth control. The label said it was 99% effective.”
“So Ashley’s a one percenter?”
“Yep.”
I lifted my drink and looked at it.
“You’re not drinking,” she said.
I stood. I looked out over the lake. It was beautiful. I leaned forward and poured my drink overboard.
“I guess it’s just not a drinking night,” I said. “I think I’m going to hit the rack.”
She looked up at me.
“See.”
“See, what?”
; “You’re a good man.”
I looked at her. The moonlight made her look very attractive, “What does that mean?”
She stood and moved her chaise over to the side, where it had been when we came out. “You’re not even going to make a pass at me.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. She was right. It hadn’t crossed my mind.
She stepped through the open door into my bedroom. “You have a big bookcase. You mind if I read awhile?”
“Help yourself,” I said.
The sky had that grey, pre-dawn light when I awoke. Lindy had left the light over the sink on. For a nightlight I supposed. Their door was slightly ajar. I stood outside the door and listened to Lindy buzzing. I assumed it was Lindy.
I went back to my stateroom and slipped on my trunks, then put on my swim foot and goggles. I went carefully down the ladder and dropped silently into the water. It woke me up, as it always does. I felt ambitious this morning. I started for the shore, well past the buoy, on the other side of the opening to the marina bay. I dug into the water, slowing bringing my rhythm up until I was effortlessly slicing through the water. I kept my ears tuned for the sound of the early ambitious fisherman, rumbling out to seek that early morning bite. I could expect them, but they wouldn’t expect me.
By the time I was back, hanging onto my ladder, I was sucking in deep gulps of oxygen. I waited until my heart rate came back to normal. Content to watch the silver morning mist rise from the deep water, with the golden morning light rising against the far maroon mountains. When I was back to normal, I kicked off and started another lap.
This time when I reached the ladder, Lindy was standing on the stern, wearing one of my tee shirts, drinking a cup of coffee. As I dog paddled I could smell it. It smelled delicious. She looked down at me, smiling.
“I found the coffee, hope you don’t mind?”
“Not if I can have some too.”
She turned away. “I’ll get you a cup while you dry off. How do you like it?”
“Creamer and sweet and low,” I said to her retreating back. In the unit I drank it black. I was getting soft. I hopped up the ladder and grabbed the oversized towel I had left on the chaise. I dried off, took the swim foot off, then stepped into the head, took a quick shower and brushed my teeth and hair. I slipped on dry trunks, my regular foot and a black tee shirt. When I came out, Lindy had a steaming cup of joe on the counter. The creamer and Sweet and Low were sitting beside the cup.
They Called Her Indigo Page 9
