by V. K. Powell
A potential powerhouse of knowledge, cognition, and memory had once thrived in this casing. Was it possible to divine a person’s history from the shape of her head as phrenologists once believed? Macy imagined she could recreate a victim’s story through touch alone. The energy was profound and humbling, but her need to be so connected to her subjects had taken a toll. This time she vowed to maintain a professional distance and remain objective.
When she completed her scan of the braincase and viscerocranial bones, her hands were shaking. She couldn’t possibly glue the mandible to the cranium with her hands trembling like a detoxing alcoholic. A facial reconstruction required attention to minute details and steady hands. She could alter the facial outcome or completely destroy the skull with the slightest tremor.
She shivered as fear swept over her like a cold breeze. What if her refusal to connect emotionally had stifled her professional abilities along with her artistic muse? Her past failures danced around in her mind like skeletons. Maybe accepting this case had been a very bad idea. She secured the skull on a cork ring and slid out of her lab coat. At least she was back in the studio. Baby steps.
*
“Hey, Leigh, I’m so glad you called. A late lunch slash early dinner was perfect. Bo’s been home for three days and he’s driving me nuts. Time to fend for himself.” Hedy started talking when she walked into the small deli beside the police station, nodding at familiar faces from the cop shop, and didn’t stop until she sat down in the booth across from her. “Don’t ever get married unless she lives far away so you can have alone time. I’m sorry. That was as tactless as my husband.”
“It’s okay.” Her sister would rather bite her tongue than say anything to hurt another person. Kindness was her double-edged sword. That she’d said something insensitive meant she was truly stressed. “What’s going on besides too much Bo?”
“Your mind-reading thing is really sweet and I love that we’re so close, but it’s also a little freaky. You know that, right?”
She nodded, returning Hedy’s grin.
When the waitress walked away with their drink orders, Hedy’s eyes finally met hers and her smile faded. “We have to talk about Susan.”
“Hedy, please. You know how I feel about her.”
“Like it or not, she’s still our mother, and you need to know some things.”
Tension crept up the back of Leigh’s neck and her temples pounded. She couldn’t think clearly or objectively about Susan Bryce. She’d given birth to them, but she’d missed the important things that would’ve earned her the title of caring mother. “No, I don’t.”
“I love you more than anyone in my life, bearded Bo included, but you’re totally unreasonable when it comes to her. If you’d just listen, you might be able to get past it. Let your little sister help you, just once.”
“How is it so easy for you to forgive her?” Tears stung her eyes as another round of pain surfaced. “After everything she did, correction, didn’t do for us.”
“Because of you.” Hedy reached across the table and entwined their fingers. “You didn’t let me give up on anything—brushing my teeth, reading, learning math, making friends in school, and certainly not on love. You made me believe anything was possible.”
“I was naïve.”
“You were right…and you still are. You’ve just lost sight of that because you’ve been hurt again. And hurt compounded with no relief festers and infects everything.”
“Did you just call me an infected, festering sore?”
“Don’t deflect. I see through you, sister. Why do you hate Susan so much?”
“I don’t hate her. I just seriously dislike the way she treated us, and it’s hard to look at her without remembering that.”
“Maybe if you gave her a chance to explain.”
She couldn’t be upset with Hedy, ever. If she managed to work up a decent pout, Hedy defused it with her blazing smile or one of her stories about life with a long-distance truck driver named Bo. “I’m not sure I believe in the happy ending any more, Hedy.” She’d never said those words aloud and didn’t like how they sounded hovering in the air around her. She wanted to believe, had spent years encouraging Hedy to keep the faith, but now she needed something tangible she could hold on to. Words were no longer enough.
“You wouldn’t spout those annoying bumper-sticker slogans all the time if you didn’t believe some of them were true. People change, even Susan. And as for the happy ending, Gayle wasn’t the right woman for you. But when you find the right one, you can’t embrace love if you’re holding on to negativity.”
The tightness in her chest eased as the truth of Hedy’s words registered. She’d never thought of herself as a parent, but at this moment she couldn’t have been prouder. Her little sister had grown into quite a woman, and now she was getting a dose of her own medicine. “Okay…why is this suddenly so important, and what does it have to do with Susan?”
“I’m pregnant.” Hedy’s face glowed like when she’d passed her first algebra test in high school or won the head-cheerleader position, but deeper. She wasn’t that kid anymore. She’d turned into an adult, headed for motherhood, right before Leigh’s eyes.
“Preg…pregnant?”
“You do know Bo and I have sex, right?”
“Ewww…I mean when, how?”
“The how part is easier than the when, but we’ve been trying for years. Waited until after my first trimester to tell you. I threatened to castrate Bo if he leaked the news. He hasn’t said a word.”
She moved to the other side of the booth and hugged Hedy until she begged for air. “I’m so happy for you and so very proud.”
“Thanks. We’re both over the moon, really. Bo is like a kid himself. I can’t wait to see what kind of parent he’ll be.”
After placing their meal orders, Leigh forced herself to ask the question hanging over them like the sword of Damocles. “So, what does Susan have to do with your pregnancy?”
Hedy sat taller and squared her shoulders, assuming what Leigh called her fighting stance. “I want my child to know his or her grandmother.”
There it was: the turd in the punch bowl, the only bone of contention between her and Hedy ever—Susan Bryce, mother from hell. “You’ve got to be kidding. She sucked as a mother. Why do you think she’d be any better as a grandmother?”
“I want both of you to be part of my baby’s life. Family is important, especially to children.”
Leigh was suddenly light-headed, and her stomach churned like she might throw up. “I can’t believe you said that. Are you serious?”
“I’ve forgiven her…and we’ve been spending time together.”
“Why don’t I know anything about that?”
“Look at your reaction. Do you think I enjoy getting a smack-down every time I bring up the subject? I don’t need additional stress in my life right now. This pregnancy could get tricky because I’m not a young woman anymore.”
“You’re not that old. Is everything okay?” She placed her hand on Hedy’s belly, already protective of the life that grew inside her.
“Fine so far, but you can’t be too careful. I don’t want to fight about this anymore. Susan isn’t the person you remember. Just listen to what she has to say.”
“Why can’t you just tell me about these miraculous changes?”
“Because you wouldn’t believe me.”
She moved back to her side of the booth and took a gulp of water. “Come closer to believing you than I would her.”
“Some things you need to see and hear for yourself. Everything isn’t what it seems…and never has been.”
“What the hell does that mean? Stop being so cryptic.”
“Susan deserves a chance to speak for herself, and you deserve the truth.”
“Hedy, you know I’d do anything in the world for you, but I’m not sure about this.”
“Will you at least think about it? For me and the baby?”
She couldn’t imagine not being able to
see this child because of Susan—not being able to spoil her, read her nursery rhymes, or teach her sports any time she wanted. She’d dreamed of this day ever since Hedy and Bo got married. To have Susan Bryce jeopardize her dream was just another nail in the coffin of their relationship. The words almost wouldn’t come. “I’ll think about it.”
“Come home with me. Spend the night. Bo wants to tell you all about his plans for a play area out back. You know he’ll need your help.”
“Sure, as long as he doesn’t brag about how he knocked up my baby sister. Some lines should never be crossed.”
Chapter Seven
Leigh had spent most of the day with Hedy and Bo talking about the baby and all the plans they’d made for her, like a real family. She drove along Egret Lane enjoying the view of lakeside homes in full sunlight that she’d seen only in the hazy glow of dawn as she jogged. She’d hoped the winding drive through the country would help her understand Hedy’s request that she reconcile with Susan. So far she’d succeeded in avoiding the subject by counting farm implements, stubbornly refusing to give Susan Bryce one more second of her time. Real mature, Monroe. As she approached the cottage driveway, her cell phone rang. She debated letting the call go to voice mail until she saw Nate’s number.
“Miss me already?”
“Got a minute?” When Nate started talking without a smart-ass comeback, she knew it was business.
“Sure, what’s up?”
“Remember the kid you spoke to before you left yesterday?”
“Yeah?”
“He’s disappeared or run away.”
“And…? I’m suspended, remember?”
“I tried to talk with him after you left. He refused to give me his name, age, address, next of kin, anything. You know what that means.”
It meant that without proof of age and/or someone to take care of him the state considered him a dependent child, basically a runaway, and headed for protective custody. “What am I missing? What’s that to do with me exactly?”
“He kept asking to see you. Said you’d spoken and he would only talk to you.”
“Nate, you know how I hate to turn any kid over to CFS, but if I do anything work-related during this suspension, I could be fired.”
“All I’m asking is if we find him, maybe we could have a milkshake and chat, completely off the books. If you’re the only one he’ll talk to, you’re our best hope of finding out who he is and getting him back to his family.”
Nate knew she’d do almost anything to keep a child out of the legal system, sometimes to her own detriment. “How did he manage to disappear?”
“Collins and a uniform took him out for a burger, and the kid bolted. Hefty Collins didn’t have a chance. The uniform guy was in the restaurant. If I’d been there, I’d have caught him.”
She tried not to laugh. She’d always been the chasing component of their partnership and Nate the brawn. But this was no laughing matter. She’d been at this crossroads before—to walk the narrow path of proper procedure or to help a child. If she chose the latter, she could get into more trouble than even Captain Howard could help her out of. “Fine, what’s the plan?”
“Thanks, partner. When I find him, we’ll rendezvous.”
“Send out some feelers about missing boys fitting his description. Update it when you get new information. Check the airlines for a young kid traveling alone, and put the word out at the bus and train stations. He had to have gotten here somehow. And don’t let anybody know I’m involved in this. Do you understand?”
“Yeah, yeah, I know how to do my job…and keep you out of it. Don’t worry. I’m following your lead—help the kids, no matter what.” Before she could insist that she wasn’t the best professional example, Nate hung up.
As she drove up to the cottage, Macy’s wild locks and bundled frame came into view on the front porch. She sat forward in one of the Adirondack chairs, her back straight, arms wrapped around her as if for protection. Leigh imagined she could feel the heat radiating from her dark eyes as she neared. The reason became clear as she parked—Jack sat beside Macy chattering away and smiling like they were the best of friends. As if she didn’t have enough trouble getting close to this woman. Jack’s appearance would require more than a little explanation, which she didn’t have.
She approached slowly, hoping some witticism would present itself before she spoke. No such luck. Macy’s stare cut through her like a samurai sword on silk. One of the rules of her rental agreement was no kids. But it wasn’t like this was her kid. “What’s going on?” Lame.
“Good question.” Macy’s voice was an octave lower than usual and held the barely contained tremble of anger. “This young man has been waiting over an hour. Take care of it.”
She expected an exclamation point at the end of Macy’s order. She rose and closed the door behind her so quietly that Leigh flinched.
“She’s wound a little tight,” Jack said.
Leigh wanted to be angry. His appearance out of nowhere placed her in another professionally untenable position and put her at greater odds with Macy. But when she looked into his big gray eyes, she felt only compassion for a lost child. Though his methods were unconventional, his cry for help was no less genuine.
“Why don’t we walk down to the lake? You hungry? Thirsty? It’s been awhile since your prison break.” She smiled so Jack would know she was at least partially kidding.
“Yeah, a little…about the break…sorry. I needed to talk to you.”
“How did you manage to find me and get here all on your own?” Leigh offered him a seat on the dock while she went up and retrieved a couple of sodas, Cheetos, and three slices of cold pizza from the day before yesterday. When she came back down, he’d removed his shoes and was dipping his toes in the water.
“I told you I got skills. Finding you wasn’t hard. Your buddies were talking about you moving to Belews Lake, renting from an artist who used to build faces for the police, or something like that. Took a bit of research online to find Ms. Sheridan’s name and then a long cab ride and a few chats with the neighbors. And before you ask, I’ve got money. Didn’t rob a bank or anything. As a matter of fact, I haven’t done anything illegal, yet.”
Jack could’ve been a much older person. Kids these days were smarter and savvier in the ways of the world than in her day, but this one seemed head and shoulders above others she’d worked with. She waited for him to scarf down a piece of pizza before questioning him.
“This pizza is a bit rubbery. How long you had it?”
“Beggars can’t be choosers.” She elbowed him and took a bite of her slice. “Jeez, you’re right. So, why do you need to see me specifically? Any of the other detectives could help you find your father’s family. They’re all very good.”
“But you put yourself at risk to help a kid who needed you. That’s the kind of detective I want on my case.”
The same dilemma swirled through her head again—help this boy or follow the rules. The professional stakes were clear, but she wasn’t sure how, or if, helping Jack would affect her tenuous relationship with Macy. And it shouldn’t matter. If Macy would turn a needy child away, Leigh wouldn’t be interested in her anyway. She’d help Jack, no matter the consequences, but they’d have to reach an understanding first.
“I knew the story of the young girl you’re talking about, and she definitely needed help. I don’t know anything about you or why you’ve suddenly shown up here. If, and it’s a very big if, I agree to help, you have to be honest with me. Will you?”
“I’ll tell you everything you want to know, but only after I’m sure I can trust you.”
He made a good point. If she’d been in his shoes, she wouldn’t trust the police either. Actually, she had been in his shoes and had reacted the same way. One night when she and Hedy were home alone the police had come to their apartment. She’d lied to keep them out of foster care and her mother out of jail. Jack was smart to play it close to the vest.
“Wha
t do you propose?” She wanted Jack to feel he had some power in the situation. Often children ran away from home because they were kicked out, had intolerable living conditions, or someone died. The death of Jack’s father had obviously been his catalyst, but was there more?
“I’ll go to a foster home, for a while, so you can look for my dad’s family. I won’t cause any trouble, but I’ll expect regular updates. Otherwise, I’ll run away again.”
“And what do I get out of this?” It wouldn’t be much, but Jack needed to know he could trust her and that he also had some responsibility. As long as he was safe and off the streets, she’d go along with his quasi-plan.
“I tell you my dad’s name and stay put.” He stuffed the last piece of pizza in his mouth and chew-grinned, obviously pleased with his negotiating skills.
“I’d prefer to keep you out of the foster-care system, but if you won’t give me any more details, I don’t have a choice. You drive a hard bargain.” She tousled his blond hair and faked pushing him in the lake. “Deal.” For several minutes, they played back and forth like she and Hedy had done as children. When their laughter settled, she asked, “What’s your dad’s name?”
“Steven Temple.”
“Can I assume that’s your last name?”
“You could, but what do you guys say about assuming? Jack isn’t my real name either, so don’t get any ideas.”
“What makes you think your dad’s family is in Greensboro?”
“I heard him and my mom talking years ago about where they lived as children. Not sure what the big deal is, but nobody wants to say anything about his relatives or my mother’s. Makes me wonder if I’m adopted or something, you know?”
“Yeah, but don’t worry. I’ll find out what I can. Any idea when he might’ve lived here?”
“Maybe fifteen, twenty years, long before I was born.”
“Is there anything else that might be helpful? That’s not a lot to go on.”
“Not really.” His voice cracked. “We didn’t look anything alike. He was tall, brown hair and eyes, worked as a building contractor, just a normal guy.” The gray of Jack’s eyes turned dark as he spoke about his father. They’d obviously been close and the pain was still fresh.
