Pushing Up Bluebonnets

'You're talking about the family hostility?' Kate said.

Simone lifted her head, met Kate's gaze. 'I take it you're the shrink.'

Kate nodded.

Simone slid down in the chair, her legs crossed at the ankles. 'This isn't about what goes on here. This is about JoLynn. Ask away.'

'What can you tell us about her?' I said.

'All sweet on the surface, but might be an act,' she answered.

'Really? How do you know?' I said.

Simone started twisting a strand of her parti-color hair—a mix of reds, purples and browns. 'She won't talk to any of us except to smile and say hello and goodbye. Her room looks like a convent closet. But obviously someone didn't like her because she's lying in a hospital half dead.'

'Maybe it wasn't JoLynn that this somebody didn't like. Maybe she learned something while living here that made her a target,' I suggested.

'You mean she found out something about us?' Simone laughed. 'Ooooh. Something evil lurks in the hearts of the Richter clan. Something besides self-serving arrogance.'

Kate said, 'You sound like a very bright girl. Insightful. Are you in college?'

'I start at U.T. the end of the month,' she said. 'Some stupid freshman orientation. I know how to get around. Why do I need an orientation?'

Kate ignored the attitude. 'You like photography. Do you plan to do something with that?'

'If Mom and Uncle Elliott will get off my case, yes. Everybody has to work for the company. Well, not this girl.'

Even though she still sounded insolent, Kate was getting her to open up. Yup, Kate was good at that, so I shelved my impatience and let her continue.

'Sounds like you know a lot about your family. You mentioned they're self-serving. Who's the best at that?'

'That's easy. Big daddy, of course. Dear Uncle Elliott. When the rest of us weren't worshipping him enough, he found someone else to kneel at his feet. Little JoLynn, bless her heart.'

'And how does that make you feel?' Kate asked.

'Oh, no. We're not heading down that road. I have my own shrink, thank you very much.'

'We can change the subject.' I tried to sound as pleasant as my sister. With this girl, I found that difficult. 'But you're young enough that you haven't worked for your uncle yet?'

'No. I work for my father—that's Ian McFarland by the way,' Simone said.

'And Mr. McFarland works for Richter Oil and Gas?' I said.

'Yes, but I have nothing to do with those freaks. My father is a brilliant man. There's more to his life than consulting with Uncle Elliott. He does research. He writes papers.' She wasn't looking at us again but rather examining a nail bitten to the quick.

'You live with your father, then?' Kate asked.

'Don't I wish? But what does that have to do with JoLynn? No, wait. I'll answer myself. Absolutely nothing.'

'You're angry, Simone,' Kate said. 'Is JoLynn the reason? Because you understand that she's badly hurt, that she might die.'

Simone blinked several times. 'Are you trying to see if I flinch? If I care?'

If she wanted to convince me that she didn't, she wasn't succeeding. Concern had crossed her face, even though she was trying hard to hide it.

I said, 'Did she talk to you about her life before she came here?'

'We weren't best buds,' Simone said.

'Your uncle mentioned a lens for your camera,' Kate said. 'I'm guessing you'd like to be able to buy your own equipment.'

I was wondering about this abrupt change in direction, but when I saw Simone's reaction to the question, I understood. Her fingers with their chewed-down nails fiddled with the camera-case strap and her face softened so much she looked like a different girl.

'Yes, but I'm not very good yet,' Simone said. 'I couldn't make a living at this.'

'Is that where you were tonight? Taking pictures?' Kate said.

'Summer sunsets are awesome,' she said. 'And they teach you a lot about lighting and angles because you have to make adjustments if you want to get a shot that really captures all the hues. There's so much to learn about shooting directly into light.'

'And so you missed dinner,' I said.

'Yeah. Is there anything else? Because I don't know anything about JoLynn. We hardly spoke.'

Why didn't I believe her? 'She never seemed scared? Worried?' I said.

Simone stood. 'Who would notice something like that in this place?'

I'd clearly pushed her buttons again because she turned and strode out of the room.

After the door slammed shut, I said, 'You, my dear Simone, would notice something like that.'

'And that's why she wanted out of here,' Kate said.

'What's with all the anger?' I said.

'Maybe she felt overshadowed or threatened by JoLynn, though you'd never get her to admit it in this setting with all those self-serving others hanging around the house.'

Before I could respond, someone rapped on the door. The smiling Ian came in carrying a quarter-filled brandy snifter and greeted us both by kissing our hands. He sat in his daughter's vacated chair.

'Simone give you a bit of hell, did she?' he said.

'Why do you say that?' Kate asked.

'She left the house in rather a hurry. Emotional girl, but I do love her very much.'

'I believe she decided we were invading her privacy,' I said.

'There is no privacy in this family, something she has yet to fully understand. I fear they'll run her off one of these days, just as they did Katarina.'

'Who are they?' I said.

Ian glanced around the room. 'This is a much more pleasant setting after that god-awful, tense dinner, though I feel like I've walked into an episode of MI-5 on the BBC. Rather like domestic surveillance being conducted in person by you two lovely ladies. You think JoLynn's little mishap could be terrorism?' Amusement twinkled in his eyes.

'Interesting you should change the subject and interesting you should jump to that conclusion,' I said.

'Oh, we're all somber, are we? Guess I should put on my serious face. How can I be of help?'

'How long have you worked for Elliott Richter?' I said.

'Let me see,' McFarland said. 'Katarina was ten and Matthew was four, so that would mean twenty-nine years. Elliott and I have made a great team. But the poor chap's endured far too much tragedy. Awful luck.'

'And how well did you know JoLynn?' I asked.

'Hardly had any contact with the girl. Bit of a shrinking violet compared to the rest of the family. But Elliott was smitten, that's for certain.'

Kate leaned forward, her arms folded in front of her on the desk. 'Smitten in what way?'

Ian pointed a long, well-manicured finger at Kate. 'You're the psychiatrist?'

'Psychologist,' she corrected.

'Too bad. I was hoping you might help me out with a bit of Ambien. I always have trouble sleeping after a visit here.'

'You didn't answer my question,' Kate said.

'If you're considering incest on the part of Elliott— which is where I believe mental-health experts love to go first—I'm afraid it wasn't like that. Adoration. Blind paternal love. That's what I'm speaking of.'

'What did Richter say or do to make you come to that conclusion?' I asked.

'What didn't he say? 'JoLynn is sweet, so much like her mother.' 'JoLynn thinks she might want to help children in Africa.' 'JoLynn is thinking about college, but she never finished high school.' 'JoLynn refused the BMW I