Nutcase (21 page)

Mona threw her arms around me. “I wish you could see the look on your face!” she said.

I shook my head as if to clear it. I saw Jay standing behind Mona, along with a couple of men I recognized from the fire department. He gave me a warm smile. Beside him, Elizabeth Larkin, her hair now a flattering reddish brown, winked at me. I was immensely relieved to see her looking so healthy. “What’s going on?” I asked.

“We decided to throw a party to celebrate your new office,” Mona said. “Elizabeth and I spent all day yesterday picking out new furniture.”

I gazed about the room, stunned by the changes. An overstuffed sofa and two chairs in a rich chocolate adorned the newly painted reception room. Plump pillows in an array of fall colors brightened the area, and a distressed coffee table held the latest magazines. The lamps, wall art, and decorative objects tied it all together and gave the room a sophisticated flair.

“Do you like it?” Mona asked. “Elizabeth and I wanted it to be perfect.”

“It’s gorgeous,” I said.

“Wait till you see the rest.” She led me into my office where a mahogany desk and matching credenza shared space with other tasteful furniture.

“How did you manage to do all of this so quickly?” I asked.

“We would not have been able to pull it off had everyone not done their part,” Mona said.

Someone tapped me on the shoulder. A smiling Liam handed me a glass of champagne.

“Congratulations, Kate,” he said and kissed me on the cheek.

I was so touched that I had to fight back tears. “I don’t know what to say.”

My mother leaned close and whispered in my ear. “Just say thank you.”

“Yes, thank you,” I managed.

The door opened and Thad stepped inside holding a potted plant. He looked uncomfortable. “Mona told me she was throwing a little party for you,” he said, “so I brought you this.” He glanced around the room. “Nice office.”

I took the plant. “Thank you, Thad,” I said, albeit a bit formally since I hadn’t completely forgiven him. I knew I’d get over it eventually, and we’d find another reason to disagree. Mona handed him a glass of champagne.

“I don’t know if you’ve met everyone,” I said. I introduced Jeff and they shook hands. Finally, I presented Elizabeth. I had the pleasure of seeing Thad blush. “You look fabulous,” he told her.

“Thank you, Dr. Glazer.”

Jay pulled me aside. I noticed he was holding a soft drink. “I’m really happy about your new office, Katie,” he said, “but the guys and I need to get back to the station.”

I smiled at the two men next to Jay. “I can’t thank you enough,” I said, getting used to the words. They shook my hand, congratulated me, and started for the door.

I followed Jay into the hallway as the other men pushed the button to the elevator.

“Um, Jay?”

He looked at me, and I noted the deep lines of fatigue on his face.

“Do you still want to meet with Evelyn Hunt tomorrow?”

He raked his fingers through his hair. “I forgot about that.” The elevator opened. “I’d like to hold off for now,” he said. “I’ve sort of got my hands full.”

The elevator doors opened, and they stepped inside. I waited until the doors closed before going back into my office. Even though I felt discouraged that Jay would not make the next appointment with Evelyn, I understood his reasons.

For the next hour, we sipped champagne and sampled Arnie’s hors d’oeuvres. I suspected I would put on five pounds before the day was over. Several people from the other offices stopped by, including the bank president and the attorney who’d come to my rescue.

Jeff pulled me aside a few minutes later. “I have to go,” he said. “I’m meeting someone at my office to discuss a partnership.”

“That’s good news!” I said.

He smiled. “Look, I sort of cleared the air with Mona when she called to invite me to your party,” he said, keeping his voice down. “I’m hoping she and I can be friends.”

“Me too,” I said, “since the two of you are my favorite people.”

He gave me a quick hug before leaving.

Although I’d had a lot of fun, I was glad when the party started breaking up. I’d eaten so much that all I wanted to do was go home, put on my pajamas, and think about my new office. My mother and aunt cleared away the paper plates while Arnie covered the leftovers.

Finally, it was just Mona and me. “I think it went well,” she said.

“I can’t believe you pulled it off.”

She smiled. “Everybody parked behind the building.”

“You bought the furniture?”

“Elizabeth paid half. She’s filthy rich like me. She also came up with a great idea on how I could make a real difference in this town. She got so excited thinking about it that she plans to join in. We’re going to raise money to build boys and girls clubs in a number of neighborhoods. We’re also going to donate money to the police department so they can hire extra personnel. Our goal is to stamp out gang activity.”

“That’s wonderful!” I said.

“Elizabeth knows the governor, and he’s behind us. Also, I came really close to sleeping with the mayor right after Mr. Moneybags died. I think I can convince him to help.”

I laughed. “You’re something else, Mona,” I said, “which is why I love you.”

“I love you, too, Kate.”

chapter 15

I arrived at my office early the next morning so I could move my files from the old cabinet to the new credenza behind my desk. I walked through the rooms that had been freshly painted, carpeted, and filled with tasteful furnishings, and I had an urge to pinch myself to see if I was dreaming.

It was sort of intimidating to be surrounded by such luxury. My patients were going to expect me to be a better psychologist. I was going to have to read more trade journals and sign up for at least one conference each year.

I opened the bottom drawer in my desk and reached for a notepad advertising Zoloft so I could jot down my ideas. Drug salespeople left Thad tons of such pads, not to mention pens, and he passed them on to me, not questioning that I insisted on taking an even number when he offered them. I also had exactly thirty-six pens in my stash. While I realized that number was divisible by three, an odd number, I found comfort in knowing it could be divided by two as well. I suddenly realized that if I stopped talking to Thad for good, I would lose out on the freebies.

Mona arrived as I was sitting at my desk enjoying a cup of coffee. She came in and sat on my new sofa. I could tell something was wrong.

“Bad news,” she said. “There was a shooting in Ricky Perez’s neighborhood late last night. A member of a gang called the Bloods was killed in a drive-by. The police suspect the shooter is someone from the Thirty-Eight Specials. They’re the ones who recently moved into Ricky’s neighborhood. Mrs. Perez said Ricky hasn’t eaten or slept in two days. She thinks he knows something, but he isn’t talking.”

“He probably does,” I said, “seeing how the baseball bat had his fingerprints all over it.”

“Police questioned him about the bat. He told them it was his bat, but that he hadn’t seen it in a while.”

“That’s convenient,” I said.

“Do you think he did it?”

“Like I said, the evidence is incriminating as hell.”

“Mrs. Perez and her daughter swear he is being framed. His mother kept him home from school today, but she couldn’t get off work so he’s with Mrs. Perez. She asked me to see if you could talk to Ricky.”

I hesitated. I wasn’t so sure of Ricky’s innocence. “How is Father Demarco?”

“He’s still critical, but he’s going to be okay. Police were finally able to question him late yesterday. He claims he never saw his attacker, and he did not open the door for anyone that morning. He thinks whoever did it was hiding in the church, just waiting. Father Demarco suspects the person who assaulted him was from the Thirty-Eight Specials because he was making trouble for them. He pushed for his congregation to band together and help him take action against gang violence.”

“Father Demarco sounds like a brave man,” I said.

“Yes, but look what happened. The police departments in this city need more staff, and they need personnel who are knowledgeable about gangs. That’s where Elizabeth and I come in.”

“I’d say you found your cause,” I told her.

She nodded. “Oh, and get this,” she said. “Elizabeth has this hunky bodyguard. I’m thinking I should get one, too.”

I arched one brow. “Do you feel like your life is in danger?”

Mona grinned. “No, but I could pretend. I could cut words from a newspaper and mail menacing notes to myself.”

We both laughed.

“Will you at least talk to Ricky?”

“For you? Yes.”

 

 

 

Evelyn Hunt led me into her office and invited me to sit down. “I’m sorry Jay couldn’t make it,” she said, “but I’ve read about the fires in the newspapers. How are you handling it?”

“It’s not easy, but what can I do? It doesn’t make sense that someone would target firefighters. I suppose the answer to your question is that I take it one day at a time.” Finally, I told her about Mandy.

“Do you think Jay is cheating?” she asked.

“I don’t think so, but they say the wife is the last one to know.”

“Have you accused him?”

“I’ve hinted at it.”

She looked thoughtful. “Do you know other firefighters’ wives?” she asked. “Someone you could talk to who shares your concerns about her husband’s safety?”

“I sort of backed off from those relationships after Jay and I separated,” I said. “But I know the wives talk among themselves and offer each other support.”

“Perhaps you should renew some of your old friendships,” she said.

“It isn’t easy for me to talk to the wives. I know some of them struggle with being married to a firefighter, so I hate to confess my fears and add to their burden.”

“Who
do
you talk to?” Evelyn asked.

I told her about Mona.

“But your friend Mona isn’t married to a firefighter,” Evelyn said, “so she isn’t going to know what it feels like. If you had a small support system in place, you would be able to talk to somebody who
does
know what it feels like.”

“I’ll think about it.”

 

 

 

I was still pondering Evelyn Hunt’s words when I arrived at my office, where Mrs. Perez and Ricky were waiting. Mrs. Perez made a small fuss over the new decor, but I could tell she had more on her mind than my fancy furniture. I invited Ricky into my office and closed the door.

He was dressed in jeans and an Atlanta Falcons jersey with the number nineteen on it. “I didn’t know you were an Atlanta Falcons fan.”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

“Which player is number nineteen?” I asked.

“What?” He blinked at me.

“You’re wearing number nineteen,” I pointed out.

He shifted on the sofa and avoided eye contact. “I don’t remember. I guess I have a lot on my mind.”

“I heard about the baseball bat, Ricky.”

His eyes flitted about the room. “The police act like it is some big deal that my fingerprints were on it,” he said. “I told them it was
my
bat. My grandfather bought it for me when I was in Little League. Of course it would have my prints on it.”

“But it doesn’t explain why it was at the site where a priest was beaten, does it?”

“I don’t know how the bat ended up there,” he said. “I haven’t played baseball since I was maybe fourteen. I could have lent it to somebody. I don’t remember.”

“Your grandfather bought you a special bat, and you don’t know what happened to it?”

He gave me an odd look. “Who said it was special? It was just a regular baseball bat like you can buy anywhere.”

“I figured it was special because your grandfather bought it for you.”

His eyes filled with tears. “I’m sick of all these questions. You’re no different than the police.”

“You’re not required to answer my questions,” I said. “You aren’t even required to be here. Why
are
you here, Ricky?”

“Because of my mother and grandmother. And because of my attorney,” he added.

“Oh, right. Your attorney wants me to go to court for you. Even if I could, I don’t think you’d want me to, because I think you’re lying. You’re lying about Father Demarco, and you’re withholding information about a murder that took place last night in your neighborhood.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Here’s what I know,” I said. “I know there was a young man who was an honor student and dreamed of becoming a doctor. I know he got the crap stomped out of him three weeks ago by a gang called the Thirty-Eight Specials. I know there was an old priest who was viciously attacked for making a lot of noise against this gang, and that you were closer to that priest than most people. You would have known how to get in and out of that church, you would have known where to hide, and you would have known when he was most vulnerable.”

Ricky buried his face in his hands.

“You’re in way over your head, Ricky,” I said.

He looked up. “What you don’t know is what it’s like living in my neighborhood,” he said. “Say somebody hurts your mother or your sister or your girlfriend. Are you going to call the police?” He gave a grunt. “The police don’t even want to come into our neighborhood.”

“So you’re saying the guy who was shot to death last night hurt mothers and sisters and girlfriends?”

“I’m saying he may have deserved exactly what he got.”

“What did he do to your sister, Ricky?” I asked. I could see that I’d caught Ricky off guard with my question.

We both looked at each other but said nothing.

Finally, Ricky held his head up. “This guy that got shot last night?” he began. “Well, the cops would take him in, and the next thing you know he was back on the street again. And even if a young girl was to go to her parents, which doesn’t often happen, do you think she’s going to point a finger at a Bloods member in a police lineup or testify against him in court?” he said. “She would know better.”