by Ingrid Thoft
“I’ve been trying to be in touch with her, and we keep playing phone tag.” Fina waited while he drank some coffee. “Do you know what’s going on with her and Gus Sibley?”
Jamie put the mug down a little too hard, and some drops dribbled over the side. “What do you mean?”
“I know they’ve seen each other recently, even though they both claimed they weren’t in touch. I’m always curious when people lie to me.”
Jamie stood up and got a paper towel from the dispenser hanging under one of the cabinets. Fina knew he was buying time, which was fine by her. It was always interesting to see what baloney people came up with instead of the truth.
“I have no idea,” he finally said. “I didn’t know they were in touch.” He came back to the table and cleaned up the spilled coffee before tossing the paper towel into the trash.
“Hmm,” Fina said, rotating her glass on the tabletop. “You sure about that?”
“I thought you weren’t going to give me a hard time.”
“I’m not. I haven’t mentioned your drug habit.”
Jamie opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a ringing phone. He grabbed his cell off the counter and glanced at the screen. “I need to take this,” he said, slipping out of the room.
Fina tried to listen, but he had moved to the living room and was speaking in hushed tones. Maybe the phone call was innocent, but people didn’t tend to lower their voices when confirming a dental appointment.
She got up from the table and brought her glass to the sink, guessing that she had worn out her welcome. There were breakfast dishes piled up and what looked to be stacks of mail on the counter. Fina was placing her glass in the drying rack when something caught her eye. Next to the refrigerator, tucked behind a tall jar holding cooking utensils, she saw the familiar NEU colors. It was an NEU travel coffee mug, and it looked very similar to the ones toted by Gus and Kelly the day before.
Fina reached out and picked it up. It was light—too light to contain liquid. She shook it lightly, and the sound it made resembled a baby’s rattle. Fina quickly pulled off the top and looked inside. The travel mug contained white pills, the same sort of pills that Matthew had described Jamie purchasing at the club in Central Square.
She did a quick mental calculation and put the top back on the mug and returned it to its spot next to the fridge. Fina grabbed her glass, squirted some liquid soap into it, and turned on the faucet. When Jamie came into the kitchen a minute later, she was busy washing her glass and placing it in the drying rack.
“I was just washing my glass,” she said, noticing his eyes glance toward the counter and the travel mug. “I brought mac ’n’ cheese and salad and bread. Like I said, you can freeze the mac ’n’ cheese. I hope it’s the kind your kids like.”
Jamie avoided her gaze.
“Sorry for bugging you about Gus and Kelly,” Fina said. “I’m just really frustrated.”
“Me too,” Jamie said, his posture relaxing.
Fina started toward the front door. “If you think of anything, let me know.”
“Sure. I will.”
“I’m not frustrated because I’m not making progress; I’m frustrated because I’m about to crack the case and I’m impatient,” Fina said, pulling on her coat.
“I’m glad to hear it,” Jamie said, looking anything but glad.
“I’ll be in touch.” She squeezed his arm before starting down the front steps. Jamie closed the front door, disappearing from view.
Fina could have asked him about the pills, but that would have meant blowing the element of surprise, and she needed every possible advantage.
The last thing she wanted was for Jamie to warn his dealer and his drug mule that she was onto them.
—
Fina pulled into a McDonald’s drive-thru and ordered large fries, a diet soda, and an apple pie. She needed a plan, and she developed her best plans on a full stomach. When her phone rang she’d made no progress on a plan, but was halfway through her fries. The number was marked “unavailable,” but private investigators don’t have the luxury of sending calls to voice mail.
“Hello?” she said, licking salt off her fingers.
“Could I speak with Ms. Ludlow, please?” a man asked.
“This is she. Who is this?”
“This is Dr. Morrison at the Portland Medical Center.”
“Oh, right,” Fina said, trying to cover her surprise. “What can I do for you, Dr. Morrison?”
“Well, I’m sorry to have to tell you over the phone, but Greta Samuels passed away this morning.”
Fina dropped the French fry she was holding back into the bag. “What? She did?”
“Yes. Your name was listed on the next-of-kin form. She was your aunt?”
“Actually, we’re not related, but I’m close friends with her niece.”
“Could you share the information with her niece?” he asked.
“Of course. Can I ask what happened? I just spoke with Greta a few days ago.” Fina could hear someone being paged in the background.
“It was an opportunistic infection. Unfortunately, these things happen, especially with patients who are older and not in generally good health.”
“I know she was waiting for a transplant,” Fina said. “Would that have made a difference?”
He paused for a moment. “It’s difficult to say.”
“Her niece was in the early stages of possibly becoming a donor.”
“If she was in the early stages, it wouldn’t have helped. The infection was very fast-moving, and obviously lethal.”
“I appreciate the information, and I’ll be sure to tell Greta’s niece.”
“Like I said, I’m sorry to deliver news via the phone,” Dr. Morrison said, “but there you have it.”
“Thank you,” Fina said, and pressed the end key on her phone.
She sat for a moment and stared out the windshield. She replayed her last conversation with Greta in her head and contemplated the conversation she needed to have with Risa.
Of all the outcomes Fina had imagined, this wasn’t one of them.
—
No sooner had Fina pulled out of the McDonald’s parking lot than her phone rang again. She pressed the speaker button and kept driving.
“Hello,” Fina said, sipping from her now flat diet soda.
“Fina, it’s Pamela Fordyce.”
“I was hoping I would hear from you,” Fina said. “What can you tell me about the Local Scholars program?”
“It’s a scholarship program that offers financial aid to local students who might not qualify for a scholarship otherwise. I didn’t realize Zack Lawrence was enrolled until I looked at the file again.”
“Why wouldn’t the participants qualify for a scholarship otherwise? Because they don’t have enough financial need or they don’t have the grades?”
“Mostly because they don’t have the grades to compete with needy students from other locations.”
“So what’s the point of the program? Why give aid to less-qualified candidates?”
“It’s a win-win for everyone,” Pamela said. “The university gives a leg up to local underprivileged students, and those students then return to their communities and are good PR for NEU.”
Fina was in a backed-up left-turn lane and for once wasn’t annoyed by the delay. Sitting through a few light cycles let her focus completely on the call. She was practically parked.
“Okay. I appreciate the information,” she said. Fina wanted to know as much as she could about Zack, but she wasn’t sure how this piece was relevant to her investigation.
“Why don’t you ask Kevin about him?” Pamela said.
“What? Why would I ask Kevin?”
“Because Kevin was on the scholarship committee when Zack Lawrence was admitted.”
“I don’t know if they know each other now, but they did at some point. Local Scholars is a small program. They must have had some contact.”
“Jesus,” Fina said, the wheels in her head turning.
“What’s this about? How is this related to the Liz Barone case?” Pamela asked.
“I’m not sure that it is, but I need to cover all the bases.”
“Does this implicate Kevin somehow?”
“Not necessarily. Is there anything else you wanted to tell me?” Fina asked, wondering how long Pamela would maintain her own claim to innocence.
“No. That’s it.”
“Okay. Thanks for the update,” Fina said. “Gotta run.”
Fina pulled over into a strip mall parking lot. She took a deep breath and considered her options. She wanted to hightail it to Kevin Lafferty’s house and accuse him of orchestrating the car bomb, but just as she valued the element of surprise, so did the police. If she tipped Kevin off, he could cover his tracks and derail the whole investigation. She knew better than to jeopardize a potential court case.
She sighed and picked up her phone. Cristian answered after a couple of rings.
“It pains me to make this call,” she said.
“You really know how to get a conversation started,” he said.
“I just want you to understand how hard this is for me.”
“I understand.” Cristian sounded distracted. “What is it?”
“Did you know that Kevin Lafferty was a committee member for an NEU scholarship program that Zack Lawrence was enrolled in? If you did, then my angst is for naught.”
She heard what sounded like a file drawer slamming shut on the other end of the line.
“I did not know that,” he said.
“Cristian, that’s a pretty solid connection, and I can imagine Kevin getting someone to do his dirty work for him.”
“Okay, I can see that, but why go after you?”
“Because Kevin doesn’t want his dirty secrets to come out,” Fina said, “and I kept pushing.”
“What? You think he killed Liz Barone?” he asked.
“I don’t know, but he has a colorful history of sleeping with NEU students and got at least one of them pregnant. If that becomes public knowledge, his role as a booster is going to be seriously jeopardized.”
“How do you know he got someone pregnant?”
“I read about it in Liz Barone’s correspondence. He had an affair with her back in the day.”
“He really has been keeping secrets,” Cristian said.
“Yes,” Fina agreed. “I haven’t mentioned it to her mother or husband, so mum’s the word. Ha!”
“And why does it pain you to tell me all this? You don’t like the guy.”
“Exactly, and I would like nothing more than to go over to Kevin’s house right now and tell him that I know about the scholarship program and his connection to Zack Lawrence.”
“Which you absolutely cannot do,” Cristian said.
“I know, hence the pain.”
“Don’t go anywhere near him, Fina.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
“Good. I’ll call you later,” he said.
Fina hung up the phone. It felt good coming clean to Cristian. Not as good as confronting Kevin would have, but good enough.
—
Fina pulled up to Risa’s house and emerged from her car only to be hit with a snowball. Jordan, Risa’s eldest, looked momentarily stricken until Fina reached down for a handful of snow and took off after him.
“You’re a dead man, Jordan,” she called out.
He ran around the yard as his friends laughed and cheered Fina on. She caught him and smooshed the snow down onto his bare head.
“It’s going down my back!” he yelped, grinning. He reached down and batted a scoop of snow toward Fina’s face.
She grabbed his shoulders and wrestled him to the ground. “Seriously? You want to do this with me?” she asked, laughing.
“I give up! I give up!”
Fina stood up, and he rolled onto his back. His friends gathered around him.
“You got beaten by a girl, Jordan,” one of them said.
“That’s right,” Fina agreed. “Don’t you forget it.” She climbed the front stairs, rang the doorbell, and opened the door. “Risa! It’s Fina!”
Risa appeared a minute later. “What happened to you?” she asked, taking in Fina’s slightly disheveled appearance. “Are you okay?”
“Jordan tried to ambush me, but I showed him who’s boss.”
“Are your clothes wet?”
Her clothes were damp, but Fina was hoping the visit would be brief and then she could head home and get in her cozies.
“I’m fine. I’m sorry to drop by unannounced,” Fina said, putting her boots in the boot tray by the door and hanging her coat on the coatrack. “Do you have a minute? There’s something we need to discuss.”
“I haven’t written the letter yet,” Risa said, heading toward the kitchen.
“That’s what I want to talk to you about.”
“Okay. Do you want something to eat or drink? I can make some tea or hot chocolate.”
“No, thanks. Can we sit down?”
Risa gave her a funny look and sat on the couch in the TV area. Fina joined her.
“I have some news,” Fina said. “Greta died this morning.”
Risa’s face went slack. “What?”
“It was very sudden. I spoke with her doctor, and he said it was an opportunistic infection. There wasn’t anything they could do.”
“I don’t understand. We just saw her a week ago, and she seemed okay.” Risa reached for a toss pillow and began pulling on the braided seam.
“I know. She was admitted to the hospital a few days ago, but when I spoke with her, she seemed fine.”
“You spoke with her?” Risa asked.
“She called me.”
“Why?”
“She wanted to speak with you,” Fina said, “but she wouldn’t tell me what about, specifically, nor did I tell her that you had decided against the donation. I was waiting until you wrote to her.”
“Why didn’t you tell me she called?” Risa asked.
“Because I didn’t trust her. I told her to have her doctor contact me, and if her situation was legitimate, I would pass the message on to you,” Fina said. “I wasn’t sure she was really in the hospital, and I didn’t want her to try to coerce you.”
“But maybe I should have spoken with her.”
“Why? There was absolutely nothing you could have done. I asked the doctor and he said that even if you were going to give her your kidney, she wouldn’t have gotten the transplant in time.” Fina touched Risa’s hand. “He also said that these types of infections can kill patients even after they’ve had a transplant. There’s just no way to know.”
Risa sat back against the cushions and braced the toss pillow against her chest. “Maybe I could have comforted her.”
“She didn’t want your comfort, Risa,” Fina said. “I’m not trying to be harsh, but what she wanted was your kidney.”
They were silent for a moment. “So that’s it?” Risa asked. “All of that, and it’s a moot point?”
“I’m sorry,” Fina said. “It’s a lot to wrap your head around.”
Risa swallowed. “I’m sorry that she died, but I didn’t really know her. Am I supposed to feel sad?”
“Not necessarily. If I were you, I’d be pissed.”
“Fina!”
“What? You went through all this rigmarole and then she drops dead? I’d be angry and relieved.”
“I’m
not relieved,” Risa insisted.
“Of course not,” Fina said. “You’re too nice for that, but don’t feel bad if those feelings creep in. You wouldn’t be the first person to feel conflicted about a blood relative’s death.”
They sat on the couch. The refrigerator started humming, and ice clanked around in the ice maker.
“Is Marty going to be home soon?” Fina asked. “I feel bad dumping this on you and taking off.”
“He should be home before too long. He’s—”
“Mom!” The front door banged open, and a hubbub ensued in the hallway.
“I’ll be plenty distracted,” Risa said. “You don’t need to worry about me.”
Jordan and his friends poured into the room, and Fina rose from the couch. “Call me if you need anything,” she said. Fina started walking out of the room, but feinted in Jordan’s direction. He started and grinned. Fina laughed and retrieved her belongings at the front door.
She was sorry that Greta had died, but she couldn’t deny that a small part of her was relieved that this chapter was closed, once and for all.
—
Fina swung by Scotty and Patty’s house since she was in the general neighborhood. Their door was locked, and rather than use her spare key, Fina rang the bell and waited. Haley appeared a minute later.
“Hi, pumpkin,” Fina said, giving her a hug.
“Hey. Aunt Patty isn’t here right now.”
“That’s okay. You’ll do,” Fina said, grinning.
“I’m taking care of Chandler, and I’m getting his dinner.”
They walked into the kitchen, where Chandler was lying on the couch, transfixed by the TV.
“Hey, dude,” Fina said, and gave him a juicy kiss on the cheek. He giggled, but kept his eyes glued to his show.
She pulled out one of the bar stools and took a seat. Haley was on the other side of the island, attending to the dinner preparation. She grabbed some pot holders and pulled a cookie sheet of chicken nuggets out of the oven. Once she’d arranged them on a plate, she popped a small dish of broccoli into the microwave and poured a glass of milk while the vegetables heated.
Fina looked at her and felt a small tug of pride in her chest. It wasn’t that Haley was doing anything most kids her age couldn’t do, but given her situation nine months ago, it was reassuring to see her behave like a normal teenager. In addition to the Shakespearean dysfunction of Rand and Melanie’s household, Haley had had few responsibilities and wasn’t expected to pull her weight in any way. Fina knew that Patty and Scotty’s kids were privileged, but they weren’t spoiled. They were being taught life skills and a concern and respect for one another that filled Fina with hope for the next generation of Ludlows.
