Conflict of Interest

by Nancy Taylor Rosenberg

  “He told me the same thing,” Leah said, giving her mother a sheepish look. “The fact that you would even consider helping Dad shows what a great person you are. I’m sorry for the way I’ve been acting since we came home. I know Dad spoiled me for a reason. The more he did for me, the less guilty he felt. By making a fuss over me and buying me everything I wanted, I thought he was the greatest father on Earth. He wasn’t even doing those things for me. He was doing them for himself. Even if he hadn’t been embezzling or gambling or whatever, I know now that a good parent doesn’t raise their children that way. A person is never going to get everything they want in life. A kid needs to learn to handle disappointment as well as success.”

  Joanne felt tears forming in her eyes. Something remarkable had occurred during the past two days. She envisioned Elizabeth Decker at her son’s bedside, a child she had been certain was dead. Arnold Dreiser, a handsome, intelligent, and appealing man seemed to genuinely care about her. But those things were external. The most important thing was her relationship with her children.

  What Joanne had been fighting so hard to achieve had finally happened. Inside the small space of the car, there was an overwhelming infusion of love. And it wasn’t just Joanne’s love for her children. It was Mike’s love for his mother, combined with his love for his sister. And it was Leah’s love for her brother, as well as her love for her mother. Whatever disparaging comments the children had made regarding their father, Joanne didn’t sense any bitterness. They had all reached another level of understanding and acceptance. Whatever Doug had taken away, Joanne was reclaiming. No matter how her relationship with Dreiser progressed—or how many years her former husband spent in prison—Joanne, Mike, and Leah had finally merged again as a family.

  EPILOGUE

  Saturday, March 10, 2001, 5:30 P.M.

  JOANNE, ARNOLD, Mike, and Leah had just finished packing the last box for the move. Eli was sitting on the front porch by himself finishing off a bottle of champagne.

  Dressed in shorts and a tank top, Joanne flung open the screen door, then marched over and snatched the plastic glass out of his hand. “Don’t get drunk,” she said, her hands on her hips. “You’ll set a bad example for the kids. Not only that, the party isn’t supposed to start until seven. You bailed out on us two hours ago.”

  “Hey,” Eli said, stretched out in the recliner with his arms over his head, “you invited me to a barbecue. No one said I had to work all day for a few hotdogs and some cheap champagne. Where did you buy this stuff? Kmart? I’m not even certain it’s champagne. Why didn’t you just buy a case of beer?”

  Joanne blew her bangs off her forehead. ‘We’re not having hotdogs,” she said. “Arnold bought steaks.” She took a sip out of his glass, then wrinkled her nose. “You’re right,” she told him. “This stuff is awful. Run down to the liquor store and pick up some beer. We’re going to trade off taking showers. I’ll make certain there’s some hot water left if you hurry.”

  “I should have left for Bali two weeks ago,” Eli grumbled, pushing himself to his feet. “After I spent two years tracking down your ex-husband, you talked the DA into dismissing the child-stealing charges.”

  “Doug received a fifteen-year-prison sentence,” Joanne told him. “He’s still facing charges in other jurisdictions. His attorney thinks the other cases will tack on another five or six years. I did it for Mike and Leah, Eli. You were wrong about the money, by the way”

  “How so?”

  “Jorge Baudelaire, the person responsible for the offshore account, turned out to be an honest man,” she said, smiling. “We don’t know how much wall be left after the money Doug took or gambled away is reimbursed, but whatever is left will go into a trust for the children. That is, after we pay the taxes.”

  “Amazing,” Eli said. “How did you manage that? Weren’t you divorced when Doug made that deal with Forrest Hoyt Technologies?”

  “Nope,” Joanne said. “The divorce wasn’t final until a few months ago.”

  “What about the Decker case?” Eli asked. “I stuck my neck on the line, and the guy wasn’t even dead. When I passed myself off as an officer at the jail, I took a big chance.”

  “You got paid,” Joanne said, uncertain if he was joking or serious. “I wish I had an extra twenty grand in my bank account right now. For all I know, that might be all that will be left of the fifty million. If you don’t stop complaining, I’ll report you to the IRS.”

  “You’re something else,” Eli said, tousling her hair. “I should send you a bill for watching your kids last week, let alone all the house hunting I did for you. That’s a nice little place you bought. Living a few blocks away from Dreiser should get things rolling in the right direction. Maybe I’ll see a wedding ring on your finger the next time I come back to the States.”

  Joanne threw her arms around his neck, kissing him on the cheek. “You’re the best, Eli,” she said. “Mike and Leah had a wonderful time last week. With the house torn apart for the move and the pressure of Tom Rubinsky’s trial, not having to worry about the children was a life-saver. Mike wants to be a detective now. Leah has been trying to talk Arnold into buying a boat. They loved spending their spring break on the Nightwatch.”

  “They’re good kids,” Eli said, a hint of sadness appearing in his dark eyes. “What’s going to happen to Tom? in a way, I feel sorry for him.”

  “Eighteen robberies,” Joanne said, arching an eyebrow. “I don’t feel sorry for anyone who participates in that many crimes. Doug was a criminal, but he didn’t commit crimes of violence. Kennedy might offer him a deal, but I doubt if he’ll consider anything under fifteen years.”

  Eli started down the steps to go to the store. Joanne trailed after him.

  “What’s in Bali?” she asked. “Why don’t you hang around, settle down? Arnold offered you a job with his law firm. You can’t keep running forever.”

  Eli knew where Abby lived, that she no longer taught school. He knew her new husband was a dentist. He even knew their mortgage payment, that Abby drove a BMW and had learned how to play golf. In the first few years after he’d left Washington, he would dial her number from a pay phone from time to time just to hear her voice. Things were too sophisticated today. He couldn’t afford to take such a risk. When his computer sleuthing had revealed his former wife was shopping on-line for baby furniture a few weeks back, Eli had been plunged into a paralyzing depression. For three days straight, he had remained in his bunk staring at the ceiling. He had told himself it was over. But in the back of his mind, there was always a glimmer of hope. Once he’d learned that Abby was expecting a child, he had to face reality. At his darkest moment, Joanne had paged him, pleading with him to take the children off her hands during the week they were out of school for spring break.

  “You better get ready for your guests,” Eli told her, opening the door to the Toyota.

  “Elizabeth and Ian Decker cancelled,” Joanne told him. “Ian’s scheduled for an operation on his kidney tomorrow. They may have to remove it.”

  “Is he going to be all right?”

  “The doctors assured Elizabeth he’ll make a full recovery,” Joanne said, leaning against the car. “I guess a person can get by fine with only one kidney They couldn’t operate until they cured the infection.” She paused and then added. “Oh, before I forget, a single woman is coming to the party, I hope you brought some clean clothes.”

  “Now you’re turning into a matchmaker,” Eli said, scowling. ‘I’m leaving town next week.”

  “You said that two weeks ago, remember?” Joanne said, winking. “Anyway, I didn’t have anything to do with it. Arnold bet me a thousand dollars that you’d cancel your trip because of this lady. She must be someone from his office.”

  “You folks are nuts,” Eli said, backing out of the driveway. He suddenly heard a loud crunch. A silver Volvo had turned into Joanne’s driveway as he was backing out. He got out of his car to survey the damage.

  The other driver exited h
er car at the same time. Eli was dumbstruck, certain he was hallucinating. A tall, shapely woman, wearing a sarong dress and high heels, walked over and bent down to check out her front bumper. “It doesn’t look that bad,” she said, without turning around. “This is a rental car. I’m glad I decided to take out the insurance.”

  Eh felt woozy. It had to be the cheap champagne. Even her voice was the same. The woman turned around and smiled, two deep dimples in her cheeks. The headlights of the Volvo made it difficult for her to see Eli, but Eli could see her perfectly. “Abby,” he said. “Tell me I’m not dreaming?”

  “Elliot,” the woman said, rushing over to him. “Is it really you?”

  Eli folded her into his arms. “I thought you were dead,” Abby said, pushing him away. “Where have you been? Why didn’t you call me, at least let me know you were safe. My God, all these years…”

  “I’ll explain everything to you later,” Eli told her. “They threatened to kill you because of what I saw. I loved you too much to let anything happen to you.”

  Abby began crying. “Why didn’t you take me with you?”

  “I’ve been living at sea all these years,” Eli said. “Every six months, I have to change my name. I can’t work at a regular job, open a bank account. I can’t even vote. They killed an attorney general, Abby.”

  Eli reached over and tenderly wiped the tears off her face. “Where’s your new husband?”

  “We split up six months ago,” Abby told him. “How did you know I got married?”

  “Forget it,” Eli said, his heart soaring. Then he remembered the baby furniture, and frowned. “But you’re going to have his baby Did the guy hurt you or something? If he did, I’ll…”

  Abby placed her palm on his chest. “Calm down,” she said. “Randy didn’t hurt me. What made you think I was pregnant?”

  “I have your credit card number,” Eli answered, still reeling with disbelief. He caught a whiff of her perfume, the same as always. “I can track almost everything you buy over the Internet. You ordered baby furniture two weeks ago.”

  “It was for my sister, Martha,” Abby said, wrapping her arms around his waist. “I never stopped loving you, Elliot. I don’t even know why I married that stupid jerk. All he wanted to do was play golf and drink martinis. I was hurt and lonely I would have been better off alone. I don’t think he loved me any more than I loved him.”

  “Why did he marry you?”

  “Who knows,” Abby said, looking down. “I think he just wanted someone to go to parties with him. He made me quit teaching, then he hardly ever came home.”

  The time for talk was over. Eli swept her up in his arms, carrying her around to the passenger seat of the Toyota. Abby began giggling. “Where are we going? An attorney named Arnold Dreiser paid for my airline ticket. I’m supposed to meet him here tonight. He represents an exclusive private school in Santa Barbara. He said they’re looking for a new headmistress. I have my master’s degree now.”

  Eli laughed with joy, depositing her into the seat. He’d create a new identity for Abby just as he had for himself. There was risk involved, but if Abby still loved him, somehow they would make it work. They’d go to the islands, Europe. People said New Zealand was a nice place. A lanky leg remained outside of the car. “Best legs in the universe,” he said, stroking the smooth skin of her thigh. “Baby you’ve got the only student you’ll ever need.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Abby said, grabbing hold of his shirt and pulling him closer. “And who is that, pray tell?”

  “Me,” Eli said, circling around to the other side of the car. When he realized Abby’s rental car was blocking the driveway, he stepped on the gas and drove across the lawn.

  Having already taken their showers and dressed, Dreiser and Mike were sitting shoulder to shoulder on the front steps. “Did you see that?” Mike yelped, placing his hands on top of his head. “Eli drove his truck across the lawn. Mom is going to have a cow. She said we had to leave everything in perfect condition.”

  Arnold draped his arm around the boy’s shoulder. “Trust me,” he said. “Eli will pay to take care of the yard. That was Abby, pal. You aren’t going to see your friend Eli for the rest of the night. I think he and Abby are going to have their own party on the Nightwatch.”

  Mike’s eyes lit up. “You mean we really did it?” he asked. “The lady in the pictures was the woman Eli left with?” When Dreiser nodded, the boy became tense. “You aren’t going to tell him I went through his stuff, are you? I wasn’t really snooping, I promise. I was just trying to find a deck of cards. When I found this drawer full of pictures and letters, I was curious. In the pictures, Eli looked so happy. I just thought if we could find his girlfriend, he might cheer up.”

  “You did good, Mike,” Dreiser said, standing and stretching. “All we needed was her name and the city she lived in. Finding people these days isn’t that difficult, and the picture of her standing in front of that school helped a lot. Now go get the sack of coals and the starter fluid. We’ve got to get this show on the road. There’s some hungry people coming.”

  Leah walked out on the porch and twirled around in her new strapless dress. “How do I look?”

  “Beautiful,” Dreiser said. “Like a million bucks.”

  “Are you sure this dress doesn’t make me look fat?”

  “You look as skinny as a rail.”

  The girl disappeared back into the house. Joanne darted out in a low-cut pink top and a pair of white pedal pushers. “How do I look,” she said, fingering her hair.

  “Beautiful,” Dreiser said, glancing over at Mike. “You look like an angel.”

  “Man,” Mike said, dumping the coals into the barbecue pit, “you’ve got this girl stuff down pat.”

  Dreiser smiled, squirting starter fluid on the coals, striking a match, and watching as the flames leapt into the sky. He thought of Jake and wished his son could have been standing beside him. Then he reminded himself that Mike might be thinking the same thing about his father. Life didn’t always work out the way a person expected, but at that very moment, life was good.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I WOULD like to express my gratitude to the many people, angels, family members, doctors, and heaven-sent muses for providing me with the strength and inspiration to tell this particular story. Attaching names to all who have helped me would be impossible. The underlying issue in this novel—the plight of the mentally disabled within the criminal justice system—seemed to be of such great significance that the majority of this book was written in tremendous pain. I am now almost completely recovered, and eager to begin my next project.

  To my agent, Peter Miller: Thank you for your friendship and support of my work since the publication of my first novel. Mitigating Circumstances. To my wonderful family here in California: Forrest Blake Skyrme; Jeannie Skyrme; Rachel Skyrme; William Taylor; Jean Taylor; Nick, Mark, and Ryan Taylor; Sharon and Jerry Ford; as well as my incredible mother, Ethel Laverne Taylor. To my Omaha family: Chessly Nesci, James Nesci, and Jimmy Nesci; Amy and Mike Hightree. To my Dallas family: Gerald Hoyt and Barbara Skyrme, as well as Remy Skyrme. To my Colorado family: Linda and John Stewart. To my extended family in Santa Barbara: Pauline, Joann, Ann, Carol, and Virgil. For all the technical support and inspiration from John Paul Thomas and Jean Barnett of SDSI Business Systems, my partners in the Fight to Write enhanced CD-ROM and book soon to be released. To my former editor and friend, Michaela Hamilton, in New York, as well as my present editor, Peternelle Van Arsdale. To my present and former assistants, Irene, Alex, Alexis, Mary, Chris, Geranamina, and all the others who have assisted me, I may not know your name, but I appreciate everything you have done on my behalf.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Nancy Taylor Rosenberg is the author of six New York Times bestsellers. A former police officer, she has worked for the Dallas Police Department and the Ventura, California, Police, and served as deputy probation officer in Ventura County, where she was assigned to court services. She live
s in Southern California.