Closet Confidential

by Maffini, Mary Jane

  She made eye contact with the tall, dark-haired police officer who’d been assigned to guard her. Of course they knew each other from work. He was expected to guard her from me at this point, apparently. I recognized him in the crowd of milling officers at Bakker Beach. He didn’t seem to recognize me. I thought that was a good thing.

  His name was Officer DeJong, but Pepper called him Roger. As in “Go ahead, Roger. You can take a coffee break. I need to talk to my friend in private. She’s okay.”

  From the intense look on his face, I figured he probably carried a torch for our Pepper. He was a bit too young and she was too married, and there was the matter of his bad mustache, but I was happy that someone beside her misfit friends appreciated Pepper. He flushed, too, when she spoke to him. He said, “I’ll be right outside. You just have to call for me.” He shot me a look, equal parts unfriendly and suspicious. I supposed that was in case I turned out to be a danger, being a magnet for murder and all. Didn’t bother me. I was happy she was guarded by someone who took the job seriously.

  I said, “And speaking of squirming bundles, Jack still has Little Nick. Oh, Pepper, don’t try to sit up.”

  “Why is Little Nick with Jack?”

  “Come on, Pepper. I said not to sit up. Now look.”

  She leaned back and closed her eyes. If anything, she was even paler than before. I wouldn’t have thought that was possible.

  I said, “They say you have a concussion and a hairline fracture, so please don’t make any sudden movements. Don’t you want to get out of here and back to Little Nick?”

  “Answer the question.”

  “Jack has Little Nick because you dropped him off at the bike shop. You had something to do. I believe that something was to go looking for your husband who was under the impression that he was in danger and that he might be putting you in peril as a result.”

  “That can’t be true.”

  “It was. And I guess it still is.”

  “I mean about the baby. The bike shop? With all that dust and grease? And sharp objects? Oh my God.”

  “If it’s any consolation, that’s the best part of all of this. First of all, Little Nick is getting valuable work experience in the sale of high-end European bicycles. And he and Jack are bonding.”

  “He can’t stay there.”

  “I believe they’re now at my place where they’ll be simulating normalcy in case child protection workers drop in.”

  “What’s he going to eat?”

  “Sally is dropping by with supplies. Little Nick’s in good, if somewhat eccentric, hands.”

  Pepper was lying there, eyes closed. “Jack should have his own kids. He’s made for fatherhood. Did you ever think of that, Charlotte?”

  “What difference does it make whether I think of it? What happened at Bakker Beach, Pepper?”

  “I can’t remember anything. I can’t even recall being there. I don’t even know if it’s true I was found in my vehicle.”

  “It’s true all right. I found you there, unconscious, locked in, bleeding.” I didn’t mention that the shiny new red crossover vehicle would be somewhat worse for wear between the cops breaking into it and the blood from Pepper’s injury. The Monahans get very attached to their cars, and I didn’t want to make Pepper feel any worse. “Do you remember driving around town looking for Nick?”

  “No. They told me I may never remember what happened. That happens in head injury cases. So where the hell is Nick? Why hasn’t he come to see me?”

  This was going to be tricky. “We don’t know where he is, Pepper.”

  She opened her eyes and fixed me with a poisonous glance. “What do you mean, we?”

  “I don’t. And the police don’t. But he was at the beach.”

  “He couldn’t have been.”

  “His squad car was there. This is hard for me to ask, but does Nick ever hit you?”

  She sat up, jerking her arm sideways and sending a glass of water plummeting to the floor. “Are you out of your freakin’ mind, Charlotte Adams? What kind of dumb-ass question is that?”

  Officer DeJong shot back in the room so fast I knew he’d been listening at the door.

  “A legitimate one.”

  “Are you insane?”

  “I had to ask.”

  “You did not have to ask that. Nick didn’t do this to me. You know how you can tell that Nick Monahan doesn’t hit his wife?”

  “How?” the young cop said. I swear he had a spasm in his jaw.

  “Because he’s still freakin’ alive. That’s how. You should know that, too, Roger.”

  I was glad to hear her answer. But I didn’t have the heart to say that I hoped like hell Nick was still alive.

  13

  Hang all jackets—even suit jackets—together in color order. Do the same with pants, skirts, and shirts. Discover new combinations and new outfits without spending a cent.

  I left the hospital after Margaret arrived to spell me off. To my surprise, Tierney showed up at almost the same moment, keen to talk to me.

  “We’ve found your car. Abandoned in a downtown lot.”

  “Great. Was Nick—?”

  “Nope. No sign of him anywhere. Don’t worry. We’ll find him.”

  “So is my car here?”

  “We’ll need to keep it until forensics has a go at it. We need to know who was in it. If it was Nick, there will be traces. Someone else, same thing.”

  “But—”

  “Sorry. That’s the way it goes. I don’t imagine they’ll keep it all that long. This is a serious case, though, and we’re not taking any chances. Maybe you can borrow one or rent one for a couple of days. I’ll take you home now.”

  He gave me a minute alone with Margaret. Margaret is the least demonstrative person I know, but even she managed to produce a hug. “I’m glad to come in and stay with Pepper. I couldn’t sleep anyway. Frank is off with every other cop in town trying to find Nick,” she said in the hallway as I prepared to leave. “They’re all badly shaken by this.”

  Officer DeJong gave us a look that said he didn’t trust either one of us as far as he could throw a gurney.

  “I’m not surprised. One cop’s been attacked and another one is missing. In a small force like this, they must be reeling.”

  “No one will be booking time off until they find him.”

  “Fingers crossed, Margaret. Take care of Pepper. I don’t think she realizes how bad this looks for Nick.”

  She nodded. “I sure hope he didn’t do it.”

  I wasn’t under any illusions that Tierney’s offer to drive me home was romantic in any way. He wanted something. I figured I knew what. As we drove, I tried a preemptive strike. “She doesn’t remember anything. She got very angry at the suggestion that Nick might have hit her.”

  “I heard.”

  “You heard how? Oh. I knew that Officer DeJong was a spy. I believe that she doesn’t remember. And I also believe that Nick wouldn’t hit her. So the point is, who did?”

  Tierney kept his icy blue eyes on the road ahead. “You may be surprised to hear that we, the police that is, are asking ourselves the same thing. And we are also wondering if a man who supposedly never hit his wife tried to kill her, would she find that too traumatizing to remember?”

  I fought back tears. What the hell? Pepper and Nick’s marriage was strange at the best of times. Why was I feeling this way?

  “Want a tissue?” Tierney said.

  “I do not need a tissue.” I sniffed. “I am fine. A bit tired. And worried.”

  “Probably hungry, too. Do you want me to order you a pizza or something else?”

  “No thanks. I have stuff in my freezer.” I didn’t mention it was all variations on the ice cream theme.

  “Just asking. When this is all over, we’ll try our dinner out again. If you’re still speaking to me.”

  “Maybe you won’t be speaking to me.”

  “I will be,” he said.

  Jack and Little Nick were asleep on
my bed, both making soft guzzling noises. Sally had dropped off enough equipment for a squad of babies. A portable crib, toys, formula, bottles, diapers, baby wipes, a couple of new soothers still in the package. Even a book and a little music box that played a lullaby. That must have been what knocked Jack out. I moved Little Nick to the portable crib that was taking up quite a bit of space in my bedroom. He continued to sleep angelically as I tucked him in. He had a lovely clean baby smell so I figured Jack must have managed to give him a bath. I checked the bathroom, and the puddles on the floor and water droplets all over the walls confirmed that. Never mind. It had to be done. I tiptoed back through my bedroom and covered the exhausted Jack with a cozy quilt before I ambled into the kitchen to forage for food.

  To my surprise, I found some. Sally must have tossed in a bag of groceries as well because I spotted eggs, milk, orange juice, and salad fixings in my fridge along with what looked like a whole chicken, uncooked. I found cereal, jam, and wheat bread elsewhere. That was enough to fool any snoopy child welfare worker.

  Truffle and Sweet Marie followed me into the kitchen and stood there with their legs crossed. When I took them out, they barked at me to let me know that the new state of affairs with a baby in the house didn’t suit them in the least and I’d better make other arrangements on the double.

  “It’s purely temporary,” I said. “Get over yourselves.”

  I guess it worked because they stopped barking at me and turned their attention to my neighbor’s silky black cat.

  Back inside, they settled down on the sofa in a sulky fashion as I rummaged through the freezer. Luckily Jack had been too occupied to steal the rest of my New York Super Fudge Chunk. Two tubs remained. The perfect late-night dinner. The other stuff would keep. I guess the faint scent of chocolate must have awakened him, because he stood yawning in the entrance to the little galley kitchen as soon as I popped the top off one. He scratched his bed head and said, “That little guy is pretty good company.”

  I filled him in on Pepper’s status, handed him one of the tubs, and opened the other. I got a second spoon from my silverware drawer and savored the cold metal and its contents.

  Jack said, “I think Truffle and Sweet Marie will come around and get to love him.”

  “I hope they won’t have to. If all goes well, Pepper will be home soon and Nick will show up and tell us who did this.”

  Jack plunked down on the sofa and stuck his spoon into his ice cream. “If you say so. By the way, your mother called,” Jack said.

  I joined him. “Speaking of not good.”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t talk about her that way. She is your mom. I wish I still had my mom. Remember all the good times we used to have when my parents were alive?”

  “Do I ever. I’ll never forget all the delicious meals your mom served your misfit friends. Your parents were wonderful. And the reason I remember them so well is because I was here in your house every chance I got. You had a home. Your mom was a mom. Your dad was a dad. My dad didn’t exist, and my mother instructed me to call her ‘Esme’ from the time I could talk.”

  “I guess so. But still, she’s your mom.”

  “Trust me. I know that. I do love her, but I’m not so sure I like her. I don’t know if there’s much I can do about it.”

  Jack said, “Whoa.”

  I said, “My memories. Don’t get me wrong. I love to meet Esme in New York or London for an afternoon of shopping or in Florence to do the Uffizi. But it’s not exactly a normal relationship. If she’d put in an order for a daughter, I wouldn’t have been the result.”

  Jack’s the best listener. So relaxed and calm and as a rule nonjudgmental.

  I continued. “It doesn’t matter. I have Truffle and Sweet Marie for unconditional devotion, provided I do what they say. I was never allowed to have a pet. I have wonderful friends, even if they’re a bit nuts sometimes. Especially you, Jack. You’re the best friend a girl ever had.” I glanced over to see if he appreciated the sentiment. But of course Jack was snoring softly. I resisted the urge to whack him with one of my designer pillows.

  Maybe I should have asked him what my mother had wanted before I went on my tirade. Too late now.

  I made my To Do list, left Jack flaked out on the sofa, crawled into bed, and slept until Little Nick woke up screaming at three. Truffle and Sweet Marie were startled into barking long and loud. Jack slumbered on.

  “Man.” I yawned as I staggered back upstairs after walking the dogs in the morning. “I don’t know how parents cope. Did you get back to sleep, Jack? Silly question. Of course you did. You snored all night.”

  “Mmmf,” he said. He was balancing little Jack on his hip and squinting at the can of formula. “I think he misses his mother.”

  “Don’t we all? I think I’ll find out what’s happening there.”

  Before I could check with the hospital, Sally called. “Oh boy. Have you seen the news yet today?”

  The news would mean Todd Tyrell, my least favorite announcer, and my answer to that question was always the same: “No.”

  “Don’t turn it on.”

  “What?” Sally has had a crush on Todd Tyrell since we were fifteen. She never misses Todd on television and expects me to share her enthusiasm. She always thinks I should watch him. “Why not?”

  “Oh boy.”

  “Is it Pepper?”

  “They’re exaggerating on the news, but it’s not good.”

  I slumped on the sofa and rubbed my left temple. “What’s happened?”

  “Apparently there’s bleeding on the brain. They’re doing their best, but it’s worse than yesterday.”

  “Bleeding on Pepper’s brain?” I must have yelled that because Jack was at my side immediately.

  I thought back to my conversation with Pepper when she’d sat up straight after being told to keep still. Did that contribute to this?

  I whispered, “What’s the outlook? Does Benjamin know?”

  “He says it’s guarded.” Sally’s voice was breaking.

  “Guarded?”

  “Could go either way.”

  “My God. That’s terrible. I can’t believe it. I’ll go over.”

  “Don’t bother. They won’t let anyone who isn’t a close relative in to see her. She’s in ICU. Charlotte?”

  “Yes,” I whispered.

  “Take care of yourself. This is awful for you, too.”

  I croaked, “What about you?”

  “I’ve got a houseful of kids to keep my mind occupied. You’d better keep your brain busy, too. And tell Jack he can drop Little Nick off here for the day or until Nick the Thick shows up. What’s one more?”

  I glanced at Jack. “All right. But I’m not sure he’ll be willing. In fact, I don’t know if he’ll give him up without a fight.”

  “Whatever. We’re all here in play central and the door’s open. Well, we’ll open it if he knocks.”

  I filled Jack in on Sally’s call and watched his face fall. I decided to bite the bullet. I took a deep breath and turned on WINY news. “Let’s see what they’re saying officially.” As usual, Todd Tyrell’s giant teeth filled the screen and his grating voice scratched at my brain. I shuddered.

  “And update on the crime wave sweeping our community—”

  “Just the facts, you jackass,” I said bitterly. “If you try to make entertainment out of what’s happened to Pepper, I will go over there and make you eat those teeth.”

  Jack said, “Are you talking to the television set?”

  Little Nick said nothing.

  Pepper’s wedding photo flashed across the screen. She was beautiful, shining, white veil flying high, strapless wedding dress revealing toned shoulders and arms. The best day of her life if you went by her face.

  Todd Tyrell’s face returned.

  Police are continuing to comb the woods on the outside of Woodbridge for Nicholas Monahan, a third-generation Woodbridge police officer. Monahan, who was demoted this year from his position of acting detective, i
s considered a person of interest in the attack on his wife, Detective Pepper Monahan. Detective Monahan is clinging to life at Woodbridge General Hospital. Stay tuned to WINY for breaking news.

  A shot of the woods and police officers combing the area flashed across the screen.

  I pressed mute to dim the sound as the phone was ringing again.

  Tierney.

  “Don’t watch the news,” he said.

  “Too late. Why didn’t you let me know what was going on? Is Pepper clinging to life?”

  “I’m letting you know now. The next twenty-four hours will be crucial. We’re all rooting for her.”

  “Me, too.”

  “I know this is hard for you, when you reconnected and everything.”

  “Yes. What about Nick? Is there any sign of him?”

  “Nothing. Nowhere.”

  “Connor?”

  “Yes.”

  “I thought of something. Nick couldn’t have walked out of there.”

  “We had already thought of that. The main road is busy enough so that he would have been seen.”

  “So either he’s still in the woods. Or he hitched a ride. Or—”

  Nick’s handsome face flashed across the screen. This shot was from the wedding album, too. He also looked happy. Maybe to be getting married. Or being Nick, maybe from squeezing one of the bridesmaids.

  Tierney didn’t let me finish. “That’s right. But don’t think about that stuff. We’re hoping to find him.”

  “Alive, you mean.”

  “That’s the plan. It looks like he was in your car.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “We found traces.”

  “Well, actually, he was in my car. He stopped me yesterday—was it only yesterday?—and pretended to give me a ticket. He got into the passenger seat briefly.”

  “What?”

  “He—”

  “I heard you, actually. That’s so far removed from procedure that it caught me by surprise.”

  “I told him it wasn’t the way to do it. But it might explain why you’d find a strand or two of his hair and maybe fingerprints.”

  “Maybe.”