Stealing Time

Anton shook his head some more. 'She gets distracted.'

'How would you describe that behavior?' Jason took a notebook out of his briefcase and opened it.

'It's damn difficult is what it is. The woman doesn't pay attention to what she's supposed to be doing and gets herself in trouble. I think she got kind of depressed when she found out she couldn't have children.'

'What do you mean?'

Anton glanced at his companion again. Jason looked at him, too. The man started nibbling on his thumbnail, didn't say a thing.

Jason prompted. 'You were saying—'

'She wanted children, couldn't have them. You heard me.' He said this angrily, as if the infertility were Jason's fault.

'Was this an area of conflict for you?'

'What does that mean?'

'Do you fight about it?'

He looked surprised. 'Fight, with Roe?' He laughed.

'What's funny?'

'Didn't I tell you how much time I have to spend trying to help her, nursing her damn injuries? I give her everything, anything she wants, and I take

so

much shit from her.' He shook his head. 'She wanted a baby, I got her one. What more could I do?'

'Do you ever get mad enough to pop her one?'

'Hell, no. I don't hurt her. She hurts

me.

Look at this whole thing she's—'

'You think she somehow engineered this?'

Anton shot him a look, raising his hands to his face.

'You mean these injuries could be self-inflicted?' He seemed interested in the theory.

So did his buddy, who now spoke for the first time. 'Could be that.'

'Shut up. Marc.'

'She has some burn scars on her arms,' Jason prompted. Anton shook his head, didn't want to talk about that.

'They look as if they must have hurt her pretty bad.'

Anton clicked his tongue. 'I shouldn't have brought her here. Now she's an exhibit, on trial. That has nothing to do with this.'

'Who knows? Maybe the two are connected.'

'What are you, some kind of shrink?'

'Yes.'

'What!' Anton exploded. 'Now I'm talking to a fucking shrink? I thought I was talking to a doctor. I shouldn't have to put up with this. Somebody kidnapped my baby.'

'Since there aren't papers for the baby, I gather the police have widened their investigation. They're looking for the birth parents now,' Jason murmured.

'I know.' Anton shook his head some more. 'Isn't this something?'

'What's the problem about telling them?'

'I don't deserve to suffer like this. I've given this woman everything. Do you know what her family is like . . . huh? You know where she comes from? These people are primitive. They didn't have a pot to piss in.'

'Where did you meet?'

Anton's chest puffed up. 'At Yale.'

'She must be pretty smart to go to Yale.'

'I wouldn't marry a dummy, would I?—This is my brother, Marc,' he said suddenly.

'Hi,' Marc said to Jason. 'Heather's smart as a whip,' he added helpfully. 'She's not just a dumb Chink.'

'No one ever implied that. You told me there are some problems in the marriage, though, and Heather has scars on her body. Let's not beat around the bush here. Either she scarred herself, or someone else has been burning her repeatedly.'

Anton looked at his brother, then dismissed it. 'She fries things in hot oil. You know how they like fried food.'

'You told me she's been depressed, you couldn't have children.'

'I said she couldn't have children. But she was

not

depressed. She lives in luxury, gets everything she wants. I gave her a baby, didn't I?'

'Do you think she might have killed the baby because it wasn't hers?'

'No, absolutely not ... I don't know.' Anton lowered his voice.

'Is there anything else she might have done with the baby? Do you think she might have given him to someone, a family member, a friend—'

Anton interrupted. 'Not possible. Her family is in California. She doesn't have any friends. I can't think. . . .' Miserably, he sought help from his brother.

Marc leaned over and gave him a reassuring hug. Anton pushed him away roughly. 'Get off me.'

'What other options do we have? How about the baby's biological mother?'

'No, she doesn't even know about—' His face purpled. 'I've had enough of this.'

'Well, thank you for talking with me.' Jason rose from his chair and put his notebook back in his briefcase.

'What do you think you're doing? Give me that.'

'Come on, Anton. Let's not fight with a doctor.'

'He's a shrink. The man's a fucking shrink.'

'Yeah, so what can he do?' 'Without your help, not much,' Jason told them. 'What about my wife? What did she tell you?' Anton was nearly in tears.

'Oh, she's still unconscious. She hasn't said a thing yet,' Jason told them.

CHAPTER 23

M

ilton Hua was not back from work at the restaurant when April Woo finally returned Nanci's call, soon after ten

P.M.

'Hey, Nanci, I got your message. What did you do, go and move to Long Island?' April demanded when Nanci picked up on the first ring.

'April, oh God, thanks for getting back to me so soon. Yeah, Milton has his own restaurant now. We bought a house in the suburbs, can you believe it?'

'Sure, I believe it. Food any good?'

'You know it is.' Nanci's voice dropped. 'April, are you at work?'

'I have time for you, Nanci. We go back a long way. So there are big changes in your life, huh? You two breeding yet?'

'What?' The question startled her.

'Just wondering if you've started a family.'

'Oh, that.' She twisted the phone cord. 'Funny you should ask that. No, not yet. You know Milton. He had to have every

i

dotted, every

t

crossed, money in the bank, the whole bit before he'd commit to family. How about you, married yet?'

'No, but I've been promoted. I'm a sergeant now.'