“Where will you send them to school?” Shasta asked.
Leonie’s jaw tensed.
“Where did you go?” I asked.
“Millburg. But I stopped when I was in third grade. Now I do everything online.”
“Otherwise you’d have to drive three hours each way,” Leonie said.
“That’s a lot,” Regina said.
“It’s better like this,” Leonie said. “You can go at your own pace.”
“Hurray for my own pace.” Shasta twirled a finger, tossed back her wine, and reached for the bottle.
Leonie snatched it away. “No more. Eat something.”
“I’m not hungry. We’ve had the same thing for like two weeks straight.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry for you, that must be so hard.”
Thunder boomed.
“Excuse me,” Regina said. She pushed back from the table and left the room.
“So, Clay,” Shasta said. “How’d you get that scar?”
“For God’s sake,” Leonie hissed.
“No, it’s fine,” I said.
I told the window warehouse story.
“Badass,” Shasta said.
“Thanks, but really it was just stupid.”
“Do you want to see mine?”
Before I could respond she propped her foot on the table and pulled up her sweatpant leg, exposing her shin. The newly grown flesh was pinkish and raised.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“No, I like it,” Shasta said. She grinned. “It’s the most interesting thing about me.”
“Stop that,” Leonie said. “Right now.”
“Or what?”
With a grunt Leonie shoved Shasta’s leg to the floor, startling Bowie.
Mother and daughter glared at each other.
Jason cleared his throat. “Maybe you need a breather, kitten.”
“Fuck you,” Shasta muttered.
“What did you say?” Leonie demanded.
Silence.
“Apologize. Now.”
“I apologize, Jason,” Shasta said.
Regina came back, looking sheepish. “Sorry about this. But: Can I borrow something from you? It’s a lady issue.”
Shasta stood up. “I got you.”
“Thanks.”
Bowie trotted after them as they crossed into the living room and started up the stairs.
Leonie said, “I’m sorry you had to see that.”
I said, “It’s fine, really.”
I heard Regina’s voice. Bouncy, child-like.
I love your necklace.
“Here’s my advice,” Leonie said. “Don’t have teenagers.”
“We’ll try,” I said. “But I’m not sure how we can avoid it.”
“Just kill them the night before they turn thirteen. Go into their rooms and put a pillow over their faces.”
Jason said, “I’ll get dessert.”
Chapter 38
We got free of the Clancys, thanked them for their hospitality, and dashed to the car through the sheeting rain.
Regina slammed the passenger door and flopped back. “Family values.”
“How’d you do?”
“I was in Shasta’s room for less than a minute. I didn’t see anything connected to Nick.”
“What’d she say about the necklace?”
“Gift from a friend.”
“Not a boyfriend.”
“She said friend, I didn’t press,” Regina said. “You saw how she tried to discourage us from buying. Think she knows about the scam?”
“Or she hates it here because it’s been a miserable childhood.”
“All that power play stuff with her mother? I’m pretty sure she knows.” Regina paused. “I feel for her.”
“Me too.” I started the car.
With no streetlights and few stars, visibility was limited to ten feet, and I crept along, following the reflection of the headlights against the rusted guardrail.
“How ’bout that cave painting Beau showed us?” Regina said.
“Awe-inspiring,” I said. “I didn’t realize he was an artist, too.”
“Oh yeah, a regular fucking Renaissance man.”
I laughed. “Priorities for tomorrow.”
“For me, it’s Shasta.”
“Agreed. We need to speak to her away from her parents.”
“Bright ideas on how to go about that?” Regina said.
“She’s gonna leave the house at some point,” I said, “to ride, or to walk the dog. We stake her out and ‘happen’ to run into her.”
“Didn’t you do that already?”
“Ha ha ha. Are you done?”
“Not on your life. Continue.”
I said, “We strike up a conversation with her. Keep it light. If she seems open, shift it to growing up in Swann’s Flat, her social life. Then we try to guide her to Nick.”
“We can’t come on too strong.”
“Definitely. If we can’t find a way to get there, we tee her up to try again. ‘Could you swing by the hotel later? We wanted your opinion on something.’ ”
“You sure that’ll work?”
“She’s a teenager,” I said. “She thinks her parents are idiots. Two adults, wanting to know what she thinks?”
Regina nodded. “We also need a typewriter sample from Beau.”
“Let’s see what he says about tomorrow and figure out how to proceed.”
“And Al? Do we trust him?”
“I can’t see him being the one to harm Prado, but I’ve been fooled before.”
She said, “I thought it was strange, him preemptively defending DJ Pelman. Something to ask Jenelle about.”
“Bright ideas for that?” I asked.
“Watch and learn.”
Jenelle Counts had inverted the dining room chairs on tables and was sweeping up.
She said, “There’s some soup left, if you want it.”
“I’d love a glass of wine,” Regina said. “It’s been a long day.”
“White or red?”
“You choose. And a glass for you. For your trouble.”
Jenelle smiled. “I won’t say no.”
“Why don’t you go on and shower?” Regina said to me. “I’ll be up in a bit.”
I saluted. “Good night.”
“ ’Night,” Jenelle said. Happy I was leaving.
I phoned Amy from the landline.
“We’re here and we’re fine,” I said.
“Thanks for letting me know.”
“Kids okay?”
“Great.”
“Are you okay?”
“Anxious, but I’ll survive.”
“I’ll check in as often as I can.”
“Thanks, honey. Good luck.”
“I love you, Amy. So much.”
“I love you, too.”
I showered and dressed for bed. Rolling out the sleeping bag, I sat to type up my notes.
Over the sound of the rain I could hear Jenelle’s belly laughs drifting up through the floor. It reminded me of how rapidly Regina had established rapport with Amy.
More than a childhood in musical theater. A gift.
The phone rang. I set the laptop aside and lifted the receiver. “Hello?”
“Hey hey,” Beau said. “Good news. Just spoke to my dad. I had to twist his arm, but he agreed to hit the brakes on the other deal.”
“Dude. You’re the greatest.”
“Only the best, for the best,” he said. “He’s gonna meet with the lawyer in the morning. They’ll draw up the preliminaries. All goes well, he should be home midafternoon, and we can sit down and get this done.”
“Thank you.”
“Glad it worked out. Leaves us some time for a morning activity.”
“What’d you have in mind?”
“We could head up to the old sawmill,” Beau said.
“She’ll love that.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do. Seven thirty at the hotel?”