by Kathryn Shay
“It’ll spoil today for them,” Suzanne put in.
That was true. And it was apparent by their actions that the girls needed their parents’ love and supervision. Vanessa made a split-second decision which was very uncharacteristic of her. “All right, you have until tomorrow morning to inform them. Then I call each of your houses.”
“Shit.” The one named Marcy stormed off.
Suzanne said, “Come on, Kassie.”
“Go in without me.” When they left, the young girl turned to Vanessa. Her eyes were browner than chocolate and her dark hair hung down her back almost to her hips. Her expression mutinous, she raised her chin. “I already knew who you were.”
“I know who you are, too.”
She bit her lip. “Don’t do this to hurt my grandfather, please.”
Shock shot through Vanessa. “I would never do that, Kassie. Actually, I’d never intentionally do anything to hurt your grandfather.” Not now at least. “But I’m the adult here, and I have to deal with this.”
“Do you know who Marcy Leone is?”
“The name rings a bell. But no.”
“Her dad’s the firefighter who went cray-cray last year and tried to burn down his cabin with their aunt in it.”
“I didn’t make the connection.”
“You could take it easy on her.”
“I’ll do whatever I can to help. But Kassie, I can’t let this go. With her or you.”
“I can take it on the chin.” Unsaid, she heard, like everything else. The kid had had a rough time. “But Marcy’s still hurting.”
“What would you suggest?”
“You really want to know? I heard all you do is give people a hard time.”
“Insulting me is no way to get my help.”
A small smile. Then, “Maybe you could find a way to get her to open up more to her counselor. She’s still seeing Dr. Shaw, but she told me she doesn’t tell her the truth.”
“Hmm. Maybe I can talk to her mother when I call, without giving away what you told me.” She focused on the girl. Briefly, she wondered if the clothes she had on were bought with Chase. “What about you, Kassie? You’ve had a horrendous year.”
“I’m up front with Dr. S. Stupid not to be.” She glanced at the building. “And I’m trying not to do anything to hurt him. He’s sad alotta time.” She lifted her palms. “This was stupid.”
“Why did you do it?”
She rolled her eyes. “Because when Marcy started talking about her dad not being here, I got mad that my dad isn’t. We were supposed to move back to Rockford, then he died.”
“I’m sorry. But if you’re honest with your grandfather, I’m sure you can work this out.”
“I hate disappointing him.”
“Parents and kids disappoint each other all the time. The lucky ones get to kiss and make up.”
Kassie must have noticed something in her tone. “You got kids?”
“Yes, one daughter.”
“Have you disappointed her?”
“More than you could ever imagine.”
Kassie whistled. “Wow. Did you make up?”
“I’m trying now. But she isn’t as willing I am. I guess I hurt her too much.”
“I wish I’d been better with my dad.” Tears glistened in her eyes. “Now I don’t have a chance.”
“Then let’s both learn from that. Seize the moment now with your grandfather. And I’ll try harder with my daughter.”
Her dark brows knitted together. “I don’t get it. Grandpa thinks you’re a bitch.”
For some reason, that made her laugh. “I guess I can be. I’m working on that, too.”
Kassie said, “I’ll tell him. I promise. You can call and check tomorrow.”
“I will, Kassie.”
“Okay. ’Bye.”
* * *
When Holly and Joe walked into the fire academy, Joe scanned the area. “I don’t see your mother.”
“I hope I’m not too late.”
“Let’s at least ask.”
They headed to the other side of the room where Chief Talbot was talking to a group of men. “Hey, Chief.”
“Joe.” He smiled at Holly. “I’m glad to see you here.”
“Thanks. I was hoping to find my mother.”
“She’s here, but I don’t see her inside.”
“See who?” Kassie came up to them.
“Joe, Holly, this is my granddaughter.”
“Hello, Kassie.”
“Who are you looking for?”
“The mayor.”
Kassie flushed but said, “She’s outside. At least she was when I came in.”
“I’ll go check.” Holly walked toward the door, glad to be away from Joe. Every second with him was tempting her to go back on her refusal to have a relationship with him.
The mid-May day was bright and beautiful, but not quite as beautiful as the way her mother’s face lit up when she saw Holly. Suddenly, Holly and was very glad she came to this picnic. It was another baby step in forging a better relationship between them. Crossing the grass, she came up close to her mom. Impulsively, Holly leaned forward and hugged her. When was the last time she’d done that?
When they drew back, her mother’s eyes were moist. Geez!
“I wasn’t sure you’d make it,” Vanessa said in a hoarse voice.
“I almost didn’t come. I’m sore all over.”
“Let’s sit over here.” She touched the top of the picnic table. They took benches opposite each other. “Did you get hurt, Holly?”
“No, I went to a gym this morning.” She rubbed a knotted shoulder. “I’m trying to get into better shape.”
“I should do that, too. What made you delve into exercise?”
“It’s a long story. You know Joe Santori?”
“Yes, he’s the firefighter who helped get Mom and Dad out of the house and then was with you at the hospital.”
“He also lives next door.”
“Oh, that’s right.”
“I bumped into him last week and got to talking to him about building up my stamina and strength. He offered to take me to his gym. He was coming over here, too, so we rode together.”
“Did you have fun at the gym?”
“Only in that it will make me feel better, eventually.” She smiled, remembering the bulletin board. “But truthfully, they have classes in ballet and yoga there too, and I think I might be happier doing those things. I can’t decide.”
“Hmm. Give it some thought. You took ballet when you were little, remember?”
“Yes. You had a heck of a time getting all my hair in a bun.”
Her mother’s eyes turned bleak. “Those years were more precious than I knew.”
Reaching out, Holly took her hand. “Mom, let’s not dredge up the past. We’re starting over now.”
“Then I guess it would be all right if I asked you about the idea that popped into my mind.”
“Of course.”
“Would you want to take a yoga class with me?”
Chapter 10
* * *
“Yes, Senator Keeler. I understand. But I can’t get away for that length of time.” Chase tried to keep his voice calm.
From all the way across the city, the man’s huff filtered through the airways. He was their New York State senator and was in hot water these days. “Why not?”
“For one thing, I’m going to the Buffalo conference on harassment and bullying in a week. I’m on some panels and I’m giving a session. But mostly, senator, my two grandchildren live with me.”
“Can’t their mother or father take over?”
Chase’s heart twisted in his chest. “My son died nine months ago.”
Someone came to the door, piercing the gloom that statement brought on. Vanessa. He motioned to her to come in.
From the phone, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know that.”
“So you’ll have to get another fire chief for the Albany conference. I can give you recomm
endations.”
Vanessa seated herself in front of the desk as he ended the call. Instead of focusing on the hurt that ambushed him at the mention of his son, he focused on her. It had been nine days since they’d made love on the couch in her office, and the searing feel of her against him still coursed in his blood whenever he saw her. “Hi.”
“Hi.” A frown. “Who didn’t know your son died?”
“Keeler, our district’s senator. He wanted me to do some high-level training for three weeks out in Albany.”
She pointed to the phone. “I...I wish I’d had the insight and sensitivity to turn down those kinds of requests when Holly was young.”
Inordinately grateful that they weren’t going to fight, he lazed back in the chair. “Thanks for saying that.”
“And for the record, Keeler is not liked in the state senate. He’s a bully. And now there are questions about some campaign fraud.” Her brow furrowed. “Rumor has it he’s on the verge of resigning.”
“Somebody told me you got approached by the GOP to take his place if he’s found guilty or if he resigns.”
“I’ve talked to them. But it would be a big change for me, one I’m not sure I want.”
“So, Holly came to FAN. I saw her go out to talk to you.”
Now her eyes lit like the green in fire. “Yeah. My time with her was great. But let’s table that for a minute. I have something important to discuss with you.”
He nodded.
“Before Holly showed up, I was feeling bad she wasn’t there so I went outside. Your granddaughter was off to the side of the house with two other girls, partially sheltered by a few trees. I could see them, though.”
Something niggled at his spine, telling him he wasn’t going to like this. “What were they doing?”
“So she didn’t tell you.”
“Tell me what?”
“They were drinking from a flask. I took it away. It contained alcohol.”
Now his jaw dropped. He thought they were making progress. “What did you do?”
She explained how she’d stopped the drinking, confiscated the flask, and how she’d told the three of them that she intended to call their parents. “But I gave them a chance to tell you and the others what they’d done before I called.”
He was surprised. “Kassie didn’t tell me.”
“Huh. I believed her when she said she would. She was very protective of...your feelings. She was the one to suggest I wait. So I’m surprised she didn’t come clean.”
He thought back to the weekend. “I had a thing with the Kiwanis on Saturday night, so there was little time to talk in between that commitment and FAN. Sunday was my sister’s birthday, and we went out on her boat until dark.”
“I tried to phone you Sunday, but didn’t leave a message.”
“Maybe she was too tired to face...” Oh, shit. “I didn’t read her journal entry either night. She probably wrote about it in there.”
“You mentioned the journal before.”
“I find out a lot about what’s going on with her that way. Damn it, why did she do this?”
“Kids drink, Chase. One time, when Holly had a date with Linc, she came home with alcohol on her breath. She said she was experimenting. Besides, didn’t you as a kid?”
“A time or too, I guess. You?”
“I plead the fifth. There’s more, though, to why she drank. She stayed and talked to me. I asked her why she drank and she said that seeing all those families together made her sad that her father wasn’t with her.”
“That makes sense.” He glanced over her shoulder. “It made me sad, too.”
“You should tell her that.”
“What was her mood like?”
“Mostly, she was worried about disappointing you.”
I am disappointed. And hurt, though I can see where she was coming from.”
“You’re lucky she was worried about how this would affect you. It means she cares.”
“Vanessa I—”
His assistant Patty had come to the open doorway. “Oh, I’m sorry, Madame Mayor. There was nothing on your schedule, Chief, so I thought you were alone. I must not have been at my desk when you came in, Madame Mayor.”
“No worries, Patty. What is it?”
“Someone’s out here in the office who’s very insistent on seeing you. I told her to make an appointment, but she sat down and said she wasn’t leaving until she talked to you. She’s been here a while.” Patty shrugged. “City Hall is public space.”
Vanessa stood. “We can talk more about this subject later if you want.”
“Thanks for what you did with the girls.”
With one last look, filled with a I wish I could help you more sentiment, she turned, walked to the door—and literally bumped into another person who appeared at the entry. Chase had a quick flash that the woman looked vaguely familiar. Her shoulders hunched, her face was gaunt and her clothes were shabby, but beneath all that, he thought he recognized her.
“Come in and sit down, ma’am. You can tell me why you insisted on seeing me, though I have to say I don’t appreciate the trouble you gave my assistant.”
Vanessa left as the woman sat. “I’m sorry, Chase. I was desperate.”
As soon as she spoke, the pieces fell into place. A full-faced woman, dancing at her wedding. Her stymied expression when her daughter was born. And how she looked with a needle sticking out of her arm one day when Chase walked into the house unannounced.
Scott’s ex-wife. Kassie and Colette’s mother.
“Hello, Nancy.” He gathered his composure, his self-containment, when what he wanted was to shout at her. “This is a shock, to say the least.”
“It must be. I didn’t call because I was afraid you wouldn’t see me.”
He wasn’t sure how he would have handled her return. “What do you want?”
“I-I heard about Scott’s death.” Her voice was sad, but he’d seen her fake a lot of emotion in the past. “I’m sorry. I was...somewhere I couldn’t leave.” That was vague. “How are Kass and Collie?”
“Is that why you’re here?”
“I wanna see them.”
His hands gripped the desk chair. He didn’t even try to hide his horror at the notion of her seeing the kids. “Absolutely not. You signed away your parental rights so you wouldn’t have to pay child support, and you’ve missed years of their lives.”
“I feel bad about that.”
“The answer is no.”
She sighed, looked down and wrung her hands.
“I’m sorry if that makes you feel bad.”
“I think about ‘em all the time since I got sober.”
He wanted her out of here. “The girls are fine with me.”
She raised her face, and there were tears in her eyes. “Please, Chase. Gimme another chance.”
He stood. “No. I’d like you to leave right now and never come back.”
She worried the strap of her purse. “I came from California.”
“And?”
“If you’re gonna make me go back, you’ll have to pay for my plane ticket. I used up all my money to get here.”
Reaching inside his desk, he took out his personal checkbook. “Okay, are you still using our last name?”
“Yeah.”
Bending over, he wrote the check. Looking down he asked, “How much?”
“Ten thousand dollars.”
His head snapped up. Nancy was standing straight now, shoulders back, her head held high. Her eyes had turned cold. Ah, now he got it.
She’d come to fleece him for money.
* * *
Preoccupied with thinking about Chase and Kassie, Vanessa took the elevator down to her floor and entered her office.
Betsy stood. “Did things go well with the chief?”
“What...oh, that was personal business.”
Betsy lifted a brow. Vanessa noticed how perfectly her makeup was applied. “Is that wise? After the exposé in the Sentinel?”
“It wasn’t an exposé, but you’re right in any case. We’re not having private meetings if we can avoid them.” She felt uncomfortable discussing this with her assistant. “What do I have next on my schedule, Betsy?”
Now the woman’s chin came up but she recited Vanessa’s appointments. Once in her office and sitting behind her desk and in front of the computer, Vanessa called up the research she’d done on arson. She was delving into the articles when Betsy came to the open doorway. “There’s a call for you that I don’t know what to do with.”
Insistent people must be on the move today. “Who is it?”
“The caller won’t give his or her name. I can’t even tell whether it’s a man or woman.”
She asked, “Did they say what it’s about?”
“The cause of the fire at your parents’ house.”
“Go ahead and patch the person in. And Betsy, stay on the line. I want your opinion of this.” And a witness.
“Yes, ma’am.”
When the phone buzzed, Vanessa picked up the receiver. “Mayor Jordan.”
“I know the cause of the fire at your parents’ house was arson.” A tinny, echoing voice spoke. “Check into Truck 8’s smoke-eaters. Their current activities and their backgrounds. A lot’s going on behind the scenes.” The unmistakable sound of a phone hanging up followed.
Betsy was back in seconds, her eyes rounded in surprise. She sat down in front of Vanessa. “That was weird.”
“Very weird.”
“I know the fire’s being investigated by the fire marshal, but you mentioned all his reports say the cause was inconclusive.”
“That’s right.” Vanessa shook her head. “Who in the hell was that person? And why the tinny voice and echo sound?”
“A friend trying to conceal his identity?”
“Or somebody trying to cause trouble.”
“Could be.” Betsy sighed. “He or she used the term smoke-eater.”
“Yes, it’s an old term from before firefighters’ SCBA masks were invented. No masks, so they ate smoke.”
