Delia handed the inspector the copy of Abby’s e-mail and repeated the story she told us. When Delia said she was unable to remember the names of the men who might have fathered her child, Inspector Haczkewicz’s eyes were questioning, but she didn’t press the point. Twenty-seven years is a long time and, as Delia emphasized repeatedly, the sexual encounters had been casual. Having satisfied herself that Delia’s memory on that point was a dry well, Inspector Haczkewicz moved along.
Zack had no difficulty convincing her to authorize a search for a missing person. Although there was no evidence of foul play, Abby Michaels’s actions revealed a woman whose state of mind was fragile, and Debbie Haczkewicz had seen enough frozen bodies to know what a prairie winter can do to the vulnerable.
Zack had been concerned that Debbie might stick at the possibility of granting temporary custody of Jacob to the Wainbergs, but it was she who introduced the possibility. “Why not?” she said. “Abby Michaels made her intentions clear in the note she left in her son’s car seat, and it’s not as if Child Services is overrun by desirable foster homes.”
Zack handed the Inspector his camera. The photos from the concert were on display. “Take a look at these,” he said. “I’ve put them on a flash card for you in case you have to justify your decision later.”
Debbie Haczkewicz’s gaze moved from the images on Zack’s camera to Delia. “The physical similarity between you and Abby Michaels is persuasive,” she said. “But let’s cover all the bases. If you and Zack agree, I’d like to take a DNA swab.”
“Fine with me,” Delia said.
Debbie nodded. “Good. Given the fact that you’ve been cooperative and relatively forthcoming, there shouldn’t be a problem getting a court order granting you temporary custody.” Zack handed her the flash card and she dropped it in her briefcase. “The fact that it’s Sunday and the weather is godawful may slow us down, but I’ll do my best.”
Zack and I saw the inspector out. She reached for the doorknob, and then turned back to Zack. “Leo sends his regards. He loves Japan, he loves teaching English, and he loves his new girlfriend.”
Zack grinned. “A happily-ever-after ending,” he said.
“For Leo, yes, but not for me,” Debbie said. “Sapporo is a long way from Regina. I want my son to be happy, but I want him to be happy closer to home.”
When Zack and I came back into the kitchen, Delia was snaking her scarf around her neck. She stopped when she saw Zack. “So what are our chances?”
“Pretty good,” Zack said. “Deb seems convinced that granting you and Noah temporary custody is the right course of action, and when she makes up her mind, she’s a bulldog.”
Delia gave the scarf a final toss. “Okay, I’ll go back to the house and wait for the call.”
“Are you still planning to take the girls to the concert this afternoon?” I asked.
Delia raised her eyebrows. “You don’t think the school will cancel because of the weather?”
“Not a chance,” I said. “Lutherans are a hardy bunch.”
As she calculated her options, Delia was thoughtful. “Noah and I will drive the girls,” she said finally. “We need to be there – especially now.” With that, she headed for home, leaving behind the lingering scent of her signature Chanel No. 5 and many, many questions.
I asked Zack the big one first. “Is all of this really a surprise to you?”
“Believe it or not, it is,” he said. “And ever since Delia dropped the bomb, I’ve been trying to figure why she didn’t tell me at the time. As you’ve pointed out more than once, Delia and I are joined at the hip.”
Zack began clearing the table, handing me the dishes to rinse and stack in the dishwasher.
“And you never suspected anything?” I said.
“No, and Delia was back that Christmas. She stayed with Noah. I remember thinking Ottawa must agree with her. When we were in school, she was always kind of grubby, but that Christmas she looked great – new haircut, nice clothes, and her skin had cleared up.”
“Delia has beautiful skin.”
“She didn’t when we were in school. She ate crap – well, we all ate crap – anyway, she was always kind of spotty, but that Christmas she was a knockout.”
“Hmm.”
“Why the ‘hmm’?”
“That kind of physical change often means a woman’s in a serious relationship.”
“You don’t believe Delia was sleeping around, do you?” Zack said.
“No,” I said. “Neither do you and neither does Debbie Haczkewicz, but Delia made a decision about how she handles this part of her past, and she must have reasons.”
Zack handed me a bowl. “Delia always has reasons. I just wonder why she didn’t tell any of us. She must have felt isolated. Supreme Court clerkships begin in early September and end in September of the next year. Abby was born on September 29. Being pregnant, giving birth, and establishing a stellar legal reputation – that’s a lot to handle on your own.”
“Delia pulled it off,” I said. “She deserves credit.”
“She does. And to be honest, I don’t know how much help any of the guys in the Winners’ Circle would have been if Delia had told us she was pregnant. All we knew about pregnancies was to avoid them at all costs. Blake was the only one who was geographically close to Delia. He was in Toronto, but Kevin was in Calgary, Chris was in Vancouver, and I was here, slaving away for Fred L. Harney.”
I wiped the countertop. “I always meant to ask you about that. How come you didn’t article with one of the five-star firms? You graduated at the top of your class. You must have had offers.”
“You bet I did.” Zack poured the soap into the dishwasher and turned the dial. “Paraplegics are highly desirable. A lot of big firms like to have a cripple they can wheel out to show how enlightened they are. But I didn’t have a year to waste being poster boy for the so-called differently abled. I knew how to research points of law, and I knew how to prepare memoranda of law, what I didn’t know was how to actually
“Fred was heavily into the sauce when I articled for him. But even drunk he was one hell of a lawyer. I learned more sitting with him in court than I learned in three years in law school. That year he was blacking out a lot, and my job was to go to court with him and remember what happened.”
“People didn’t notice he was drunk?”
Zack shook his head. “Nah. Fred was a pro. Never slurred; never stumbled; never lost his train of thought. Flawless performance. Couldn’t ask for better representation, except for those huge gaps in his memory. That’s where I came in. When court adjourned, we’d go back to the office, and when he sobered up, I’d tell him what the Crown said and what he’d said. And here’s the wild part. Fred would critique the performances – both the Crown prosecutor’s and his own. It might not have been a five-star law firm, but I was getting a master class in the law. Sometimes, when I’m facing a jury, I can still hear him. ‘Don’t stint on the smouldering rage,’ he’d say. ‘Convince the jury that only the utmost effort of will is keeping you from erupting at the vast injustice that has brought your client to this sorry pass.’ ”
Zack raised his hand, palm out. “Enough tripping down memory lane,” he said. “Time for us to get to work. You have papers to grade, and I am not prepared for court tomorrow morning.”
Willie and Pantera led the way to the office Zack and I share and took their places beside us as we settled in. I picked up an essay; Zack opened his laptop, found what he was looking for, and sighed. “This is worse than I thought. Ms. Shreve, if you’ve ever had a hankering to see your husband step on his joint, be in Courtroom B tomorrow morning.”
I circled a misspelling of Afghanistan on the student’s title page and kept on marking. “Smoulder with rage,” I said. “If the jury’s waiting for you to erupt, maybe they won’t notice that you don’t know what you’re talking about.”
It was the kind of morning I like best. We turned on the gas fireplace and moved methodically through the piles of work in front of us. When Debbie Haczkewicz called, Zack gave me the high sign. A judge had agreed to hear Delia and Noah’s petition at noon. The news was good, but as Zack headed off to change, the glance we exchanged was tinged with regret. Once again, external events were intruding on our small and pleasant world.
After Zack left to meet with the Wainbergs, I put a pan of bacon in the oven, and the dogs and I hiked across the yard to let Taylor know that toasted BLTs were on the way.
