by Diana Orgain
I seized the moment to pull open the door. “Got to run,” I called over my shoulder, wiggling my fingers as I bounced down the steps without looking back.
My heart was racing. Laurie, Jim, and safety were the only things on my mind.
As soon as I was out of sight, I ran toward my Chevy. I glanced over my shoulder. Rich hadn’t followed me. I got into the car and started the engine as quickly as I could.
I locked the doors, just in case. An image of Rich running after me, trying to get in through the passenger side window, flashed through my mind. Something like you’d see in the movies. A quick check of my rearview mirror told me he’d already forgotten about me and was probably busy searching the house again.
•CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE•
The Sixth Week-Pushing
When I arrived home, I found Jim wearing my green flannel bathrobe. I laughed “What are you doing?”
Jim flapped his arms up and down in despair. “It’s the only thing that would calm her down.”
“Wearing my robe?”
“I read it online. I guess the robe has your scent on it. She feels like Mom is holding her when I’m wearing it.”
I kissed him. “You are so sweet! Anything for your little girl, huh?”
He nuzzled my neck. “Anything for my girls, big or little. I even vacuumed.”
Raising my eyebrows, I said, “Anything?”
Jim winked.
“I need you to look at something.” I pulled the reports from the diaper purse and handed them to him. He seated himself on the sofa to read the reports.
The phone interrupted his reading. It was Jim’s former client, Dirk Jonson. He wanted a follow-up meeting.
When Jim left for his meeting, I fussed around the house, carrying and rocking Laurie. I jumped on and offline, e-mailing Paula and doing research. On a whim, I asked Paula if she recalled any “Carol” from our high school class, since Mr. Creepy had gone to a Holy Rosary dance with someone by that name and met Brad Avery that night.
I wondered about background checks. Galigani said he’d run one on George. Maybe I could run one on Mr. Creepy.
I finally admitted to myself it was time to recruit help on the PI front. I dialed Galigani in the hospital.
“How’s your recovery coming along?”
“They’re releasing me today. The miracles they work with surgery!” He paused for a moment, then continued, “I got very nice flowers from my former client Mrs. Avery.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah. She enclosed a curious note.”
No!
“Curious, how?”
“She thanked me for sending over such a wonderful replacement.”
Relief washed over me. “That was nice.”
“Nice? I don’t remember sending you over there as my replacement.”
“You said. . You told me. . I went there to tell her you were dropping the case. .”
“Yeah. That’s what I thought.”
“But she thought. . she thought. . I let her think I was your replacement. That I was a PI because I want to start my own business and set my own hours to be with my daughter and I’m having fun and being challenged and she was ready to hire me, so I-”
“You let her think you were my replacement!”
I steadied myself for his wrath. “Yes.”
Galigani burst out laughing.
Instead of relief, I felt annoyed. I let him laugh a moment longer. When he didn’t stop, I said, “It’s not that funny.”
He kept laughing.
I played with the antenna on the cordless phone and waited him out. “Are you done?”
“I’ll just wipe these tears.”
“Ha ha.”
“Okay, let me guess, are you calling for a little guidance, a little help?”
“I was calling to see how you were doing.” We both chuckled. “I didn’t call for a little help. I need a lot of help.”
“Ah! Okay, you’re talking to an expert. And since you saved my life, I’ll give you a ten-minute consult on the house.”
“I might need more than that. I’m completely in over my head.”
“Why? Jennifer Miller was arrested last night.”
Air rushed into my lungs. “Arrested? Jennifer?”
“McNearny had a search warrant, they found the gun that killed Brad and Svetlana. They also found a supply of diazepam, the drug Michelle overdosed on.”
“And you know this how?”
He laughed. “McNearny and I were partners a long time. Loose lips.”
“But it doesn’t make any sense. How could Jennifer get rid of Brad, alone? She couldn’t lift him, could she?”
“Oh, I don’t know about that. Women can be pretty strong. And you know, ‘Hell hath no fury-’ ”
“Jennifer wasn’t scorned. She had scorned Brad.”
“Who told you that?”
“Well, Jennifer. She said-”
Galigani snorted. “Never, ever believe what a suspect tells you. If she didn’t think twice about shooting someone, you think it’s gonna hurt her feelings to lie to you?”
“Right. Right. Of course.” I paused. “Did McNearny tell you who the gun was registered to?”
I cringed, waiting for the answer. Galigani was silent.
“No, but I didn’t ask either. You want me to find out?”
I played with Laurie in her exercise gym. She could now push herself up onto her arms. I guess tummy time really does work.
I thought about my encounter with Rich. I’d overheard him complain about Jennifer. Something about her squealing? No, singing like a canary. About what? How had he known she’d been arrested?
The front door opened and Jim walked in.
“How’d it go?”
Jim grimaced and walked to the kitchen. He reappeared holding an unopened beer can and tapped it on the side. “I’m not sure. Pretty good, I think. They want me to put together a new ad campaign for them with a proposal for my services as an independent contractor. But it’s hard for me to tell if I’m wasting my time. I should probably be looking for a full-time job, instead of-”
“It sounds like a good opportunity.”
Jim opened the beer. “You think that because you’re such an optimist.”
I picked up Laurie and dangled her in front of Jim. “Ask her what she thinks.”
Jim laughed, scooping Laurie into his arms. “What do you think, pumpkin pie? You think it’s best for Daddy to get a real job with health insurance and benefits and vacation and all the things that provide security for you and Mommy or should Daddy try to land this consulting gig?”
I flopped onto the couch. “So do both. Keeping looking for a job and prepare the proposal for them.”
Jim took a swig of beer. “I’m stressed out about not bringing in a paycheck.”
The phone rang. I leaned over and grabbed it. Kiku’s voice filled the line. “Kate! The baby’s on the way! I’m scared and I can’t find George!”
Excitement fluttered inside me. “Are you sure?”
Kiku groaned.
“Okay. Yeah. That sounds pretty real. Hang on, okay? Jim and I will be right over.”
•CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO•
Labor Again?
I felt like an old hand at this mommy business. Of course, it’s totally different when you’re not the one in labor.
“Where could George be?” I asked.
Jim rolled his eyes. “Another birth that the shithead is going to ruin.”
We pulled up in front of Kiku’s apartment. She was pacing the sidewalk as we doubled parked.
She bent to pick up her overnight bag.
Jim popped out of the car and yelled, “Don’t worry about that. I’ll get it.”
Laurie began to cry. She had settled down when the car was in motion, but now that we had stopped, her howling had started again.
I moved to the backseat. No need to make Kiku sit next to a screaming child before she had to.
Kiku studied Jim. “You look like George.”
“He looks like me. I’m older,” Jim said through a smile as he picked up her bag and took her arm. “Have you timed the contractions?”
“Fifteen minutes.”
“We have time,” I said, feeling like a pro.
Kiku settled into the front seat and I rubbed her neck as Jim raced down the street.
We arrived at the hospital and checked Kiku in. They wouldn’t let Laurie into the room, so Jim and I decided to take shifts with Kiku.
We tried calling George on his cell phone. No answer.
“Why don’t you go home with Laurie and rest for a while?” Jim said.
“Really?” I asked, trying to stretch my neck.
“You look really tired, honey. Besides, George is my brother, so I should be here.”
“I’d like to be here, too. Let me see if Mom can watch Laurie.”
“Go home and rest, and if Mom can come to the house later, come back in a couple of hours. We’ll be here.”
I drove Laurie and myself home.
Where could George be? I tried his cell phone again. Still no answer.
As soon as I reached home, I unloaded the bucket car seat and breathed a sigh of relief that Laurie was asleep.
I napped for two hours, then awoke to Laurie’s hungry wails.
I selected a fresh Winnie the Pooh sleeper and got Laurie out of her grungy onesie and diaper, but before I could get a clean diaper on, she peed all over the changing table.
Nice.
“See all the fun stuff I’d miss if I had to go to the office every day?” I asked Laurie.
She cooed up at me.
“You’re going to have a little cousin soon,” I said as I cleaned her off and settled her into the bassinet. After I mopped up her changing table, I went to hunt down some food for myself.
The refrigerator was practically empty again. Who had time for shopping?
I glanced at the clock. Six P.M. No wonder I was hungry. When was the last time I’d eaten? I settled into our “nursing station”-anywhere on the couch, near the phone-and called Mom.
The paperwork I had taken from Michelle’s lay discarded on the coffee table. Jim hadn’t had time to review it. I picked it up as I left a voice mail for Mom.
The reports didn’t look any clearer to me now than they had earlier. I’d take them to Jim at the hospital, along with some dinner.
Thoughts of the taqueria near our house flooded my mind. Maybe I could pick something up on my way back to the hospital. I hoped Kiku had eaten. They don’t let you eat once labor has started.
To-Do List:
1. Help Jim find a job.
2. Find George AGAIN.
3. Figure out what Michelle’s reports mean.
4. Get more diapers for Sugar Pop. (size 1!!! No longer Newborn!)
5. Return overdue books to the library.
6. Exercise.
7. Stock up on pumped milk.
8. Ask doctor about pelvic pain.
Mom arrived a little after 7 P.M., dressed in a flowered skirt that clashed with the striped shirt she had on. “Darling! Kiku’s in labor?”
I nodded, appraising Mom’s outfit. “What are you wearing?”
“Festive, isn’t it? It’s my ‘salsa uniform.’ Hank and I are taking a class.”
“A salsa class? As in dancing?”
“Yes. Preparing for our cruise on the Mexican Riviera.”
“Is salsa a requirement?”
Mom winked. “To me it is!”
I drove straight to the taqueria down the street. When I left, Mom and Laurie were watching the Spanish language station, which had made me even hungrier for a burrito.
I ordered a carne asada taco for me and a chicken burrito for Jim.
What about poor Kiku? Suppose she hadn’t eaten?
I ordered a cheese quesadilla for her, just in case. Maybe I could sneak it past the nurse.
By some miracle of the parking goddess, I was able to park directly outside the hospital.
I tried George’s cell phone again.
No answer.
I dialed Kiku’s home phone number.
Nothing.
I knew he’d been evading the police, but now that they’d made an arrest, why go into hiding? I tried to ignore the bad feeling creeping into the pit of my stomach. Where was he? How could he miss the birth of his child?
I climbed the hospital front steps and made my way toward the maternity ward, clutching the food bag in my hands. It had taken all my willpower not to tear into the taco, burrito, and quesadilla in the car.
I asked the nurse at the front desk for Kiku’s room.
“She’s in room twelve. Let me see if she wants any visitors.” The nurse indicated some hard plastic chairs against the wall.
I sat and waited. When the nurse didn’t return in five minutes, I tore into my taco. I had salsa and sour cream dripping down my face when I felt a tap on my shoulder.
Jim laughed. “Geez, Katie, did you just get off a life raft?”
“Breastfeeding makes you really hungry,” I said, covering my mouth with my hand.
Not even talking was going to stop my chewing.
Jim nodded sympathetically, then looked hopefully into the white bag on the chair next to me. “So does labor.”
“Right! Like you’d know. Last time you practically slept through it all.”
Jim stared at me. “I did not!”
I laughed as I handed Jim his aluminum-covered dinner. “How’s Kiku?”
He tore into the chicken burrito. “Asleep. They gave her the epidural and told her to rest awhile. Any luck finding George?”
I shook my head.
“Typical,” Jim muttered through a mouthful of food. “This is good. What else did you get?”
“I got a quesadilla for Kiku.”
Jim raised his eyebrows, looking like a puppy asking for a bone.
“You can eat it,” I said.
Jim happily gobbled down the quesadilla. “We haven’t had Mexican food in a long time.”
I smiled, although my mind was on George. “Where could George be?”
Jim grunted. “Who knows? Flake!”
We sat in silence as Jim polished off the rest of my taco.
“You really were hungry, huh?”
Jim ducked his head. “Nerves, I guess.”
I leaned in to kiss him. “You’ve already been through this once, and this time it’s not even yours.”
He nodded. “You see any vending machines around? I’ll buy you a Coke.”
I stretched my legs. “I’ll go. I think I saw one on the way in.”
I wandered through the maternity ward in search of a soda machine. I peered through the window at the newborns. Laurie suddenly seemed so big to me. Her umbilical cord had fallen off long ago, she was holding her own head up, and she definitely didn’t need the swaddling. Not to mention she could pee all over her changing table!
My eyes welled with tears. My little girl was growing so fast!
I turned down the hallway toward a Coke sign. Something connected in my mind. The last time I had had a Coke was at Heavenly Haight. Brad and Svetlana had owned that together-that much I’d been able to gather from the reports.
The reports!
With my rush to eat, I’d left the reports at home on the coffee table.
I returned to Jim and handed him the Coke. “Do you think it’s strange that Jennifer worked first at El Paraiso, owned by Brad and Michelle, and then later at Heavenly Haight, owned by Brad and Svetlana?”
“Strange? Not really. If Brad liked her, and we know he did, then he probably moved her ‘job.’ Maybe people at El Paraiso were getting hip to the affair and he wanted her out of there or something.”
“All the owners are dead now.”
“Not all. Mrs. Avery owns everything now.” Jim said.
“You think Rich is also managing Heavenly Haight?”
Jim shrugged. “Don’t
know. Why?”
“Maybe George is hiding out there.”
“Forget about him, honey. What’s the use? We can’t force him to come to the birth of his child.”
“He may not even know she’s in labor.”
Jim snorted. “Why wasn’t he staying close to her, then? Why isn’t he picking up his cell phone? I know you like to hope for the best in people, and I don’t want to disappoint you, but my brother is a major loser, Kate, with a capital L.”
Thoughts of Brad dead in the bay flashed through my mind, followed by the image of Michelle sprawled in her living room.
“What if he’s in trouble?”
Jim pivoted on the plastic chair. “What kind of trouble?”
A nurse cruised by us. I stopped her with my hand. “How is Kiku doing?”
“Are you her family?”
Jim nodded.
“Let me get her doctor to speak with you.”
Kiku’s doctor, a tall Indian man with a very pleasant de meanor, assured us she was all right. He reported that despite all the efforts to assist in Kiku’s labor she wasn’t dilated past three centimeters. They had scheduled a cesarean for the morning.
We peeked in on Kiku, who was sound asleep.
Ah! The miracle of drugs.
Even though it was half past one in the morning, I convinced Jim to drive past El Paraiso on our way home, thinking that George might be there. All the lights were out. Not a single car in the parking lot.
“Let’s get home and look at those reports,” Jim said.
“Can we swing by Heavenly Haight first?” I asked.
Jim glanced at me.
“It’s on the way,” I pleaded.
No lights were on at Heavenly Haight. I asked Jim to get out and bang on the door anyway.
No answer.
Jim shrugged and made his way back to the car. “You want to check out the pier, too?”
“Yes, but it’s totally out of our way and I thought you didn’t care about finding him.”
Jim grimaced. “Of course I care. The bum is my brother, after all.”
The trip to the pier didn’t get us any closer to finding George. We headed home, only to find Mom sacked out on the couch and Laurie asleep in her bassinet. I shook Mom awake.
