Gloria waved her arms dramatically. “Oh yes, you came to my rescue after my daddy died. And I should be forever grateful.”
“Can the two of you just stop this?” Bob said. “I swear to God. Or maybe you should just fight to the death. I don’t know that I even fucking care any more.” He turned to leave. “I need to make a call to Galen. There’s something I forgot to ask him about.”
“Galen, Galen, Galen,” Gloria said. “Maybe you should marry him.”
“Damn it, would you knock it off? Galen’s been a great help to us.”
“Oh, I forgot,” Gloria said. “He’s been swell.”
“He’s putting a fortune into our pockets is what he’s doing, letting me in on this deal,” Bob said. “If you don’t want us to be millionaires, just say the word.”
That shut Gloria up, at least long enough for me to make my entrance.
“I have a proposal,” I said. All eyes turned to me. I think they were a little stunned, and embarrassed, that I’d been a witness to their squabbling.
“What might that be?” Bob asked.
“I’ll take Jeremy for a couple of days.”
Gloria said, “Take him where?”
“First, away. I’ve got him packing his bag now. Your number-one concern is Jeremy’s security. Instead of trying to make this place safe so he can stay here, it’s easier to take him someplace else.”
Bob was nodding. “That’s not a bad idea.”
“The whole country knows he’s in Promise Falls. Why not let them keep thinking that? You’re all big enough to look after yourselves.”
Gloria looked unconvinced. “I don’t know. I don’t like letting him out of my sight. I didn’t know this was what you were thinking.”
“I’d take good care of him.”
Gloria set down her wine glass. “Okay,” she said. “I guess it would be okay. I better go help him get ready.”
I held up a hand. “Like I said, he’s on it.”
She looked hurt. “He might forget something.”
“He’s doing great. If we’re missing something, we’ll pick it up on the way.”
“Where will you go?” Bob asked.
“I’m thinking about that. Maybe we’ll do a road trip, keep moving.” I looked at Madeline Plimpton. “You have my number if anyone needs to get in touch.”
She nodded, then said to her niece, “I guess you two can go back to Albany.”
“We can hang in for a few more days,” Gloria said. “It’s always lovely spending time with you, Madeline.”
Whatever stuff Jeremy had, it all fit into his backpack. He dumped it into the trunk of my Honda, which was still parked on the street. He was about to get into the front seat when his mother came out of the house. We’d already said our goodbyes inside, but evidently it wasn’t enough.
She threw her arms around him and pulled him close to her.
“You be good,” she told him. Over his shoulder she said to me, “You take good care of my boy.”
“You bet,” I said.
Gloria put her mouth to his ear and whispered some sweet nothing. I decided to give them a moment of privacy and got into the car. Jeremy joined me in the passenger seat fifteen seconds later. His face was flushed red with what I guessed was embarrassment.
“Have to go by my place first to get a few things,” I said, keying the ignition.
“Like a gun?” he asked.
“Like socks and underwear.”
“Oh. Don’t you carry a gun?”
“Sometimes.”
“My mom got one.”
“Terrific.”
“She got it during the trial. Actually, Bob bought it for her. Because we were getting so many death threats.”
“Did your mom take any lessons in how to use it?”
Jeremy shrugged. “Bob told her all you have to do is point it and shoot it.”
“Where’s that gun now?”
“When we got here, Mom was keeping it in her purse, but that freaked out my grandmother. She made her put it away. It’s in the kitchen drawer right next to the knives and forks. I took it out the other night and was looking at it when they were all in the living room.”
“Is it loaded?”
Jeremy nodded. “It wouldn’t be much good if someone broke in and it didn’t have any bullets in it.”
If the car hadn’t been moving, I’d have closed my eyes while I sighed. It was just as well I was getting the kid out of that house for a while.
“Where do you live?” he asked.
“Downtown.”
“This town’s kind of the pits, isn’t it?”
“It’s seen better days. Some people say it’s on the comeback. We’ve got a new mayor. Actually, he was the mayor a long time ago, and now he’s back in office. Maybe he’ll make a difference.”
“I heard my grandmother talking about him. She said he’s got shit for brains. She said he used to hire underage hookers. Is that true?”
I nodded. These days, it didn’t seem to matter what someone said or did. They’d still get elected.
We drove on in silence for another couple of miles. I glanced in my rear-view every few seconds. A black van had been riding along in my wake for the last few blocks.
“I’m just up here,” I said. I pulled over to the curb in front of Naman’s Books and the van continued on up the street.
“You live in a bookstore?” Jeremy asked.
“I live over it.”
I’d had to move out for a few months, but now I was back. Naman’s place had been firebombed by some racist nutcases last year when unfounded fears of a possible terrorist invasion had gripped Promise Falls. I wasn’t sure Naman could make a go of it again, but he was back in business, and I had my old apartment back.
“We can leave your stuff in the car,” I said, opening the door. Once Jeremy was out, I locked the Honda and led him to a door that fronted onto the sidewalk. There was a small sign on it that read: Cal Weaver: Private Investigations.
“Wow, just like in the movies,” Jeremy said.
I unlocked the door, revealing a set of stairs going up. I extended an arm. “You first.”
When we reached the top, there was a second door to unlock, and then we were in my apartment. A combined kitchen and living area, a bedroom off to the back. The whole place was smaller than his grandmother’s foyer.
“Jesus, you actually live here?” Jeremy asked.
“It’s not much, but it’s pitiful,” I conceded. I pointed to the fridge. “Help yourself to a Coke or something.”
He opened it as I went into the bedroom. I kept a small travel case in the closet. I threw it onto the bed, opened up a couple of dresser drawers, and begin filling it with clothes.
“There’s no Coke,” Jeremy called out. “But there’s beer. Can I have a beer?”
“No.”
“This is going to be a real fun couple of days.”
“You know what? Make us some sandwiches.”
“Do what?”
“In the fridge, down below. I bought a bunch of stuff yesterday. Sliced ham, roast beef. There’s a fresh loaf in the cupboard. Or if you want tuna, there’s a tin in there, some mayo in the fridge. Something to eat now, and then some we can put in a cooler and take with us.”
“Can’t we just stop at McDonald’s or Burger King when we’re hungry?”
“No.”
I went back into my bedroom. I finished putting in enough clothes for three or four days. Then I went to the closet, reached up to the top shelf, and brought down the case that held my gun. I wasn’t that worried I was going to need it, but you never knew. Finally, I grabbed a small cooler I often used when I was on a surveillance job to keep bottled water and snacks fresh.
I zipped up the overnight bag and brought it and the cooler into the main room.
“How’s it going?”