Zack changes the energy in any room he enters. Once I had tried to explain the phenomenon to him, but since by the very act of entering the room he changes the energy, it was a hard sell. By the time Zack got home that day, Jacob had awakened and was lying on his stomach on a blanket in the living room, pushing himself up, rocking, rolling, and craning his neck to see what was happening. Noah and I were sitting at one end of the blanket offering him toys and interpreting his babble. The atmosphere in the room was calm and domestic but when Zack rolled in the air began to crackle.
He was amazed at Jacob’s prowess. “Look at those shoulders,” he said. “There’s a football scholarship in that boy’s future.”
“So where do you think he should go?” I said. “One of the Big Ten or Notre Dame?”
“Notre Dame,” Zack said. “Better academics.” He raised an eyebrow. “You’re mocking me, but you know I’m right.”
I went over to his chair and began massaging the spot between the top of Zack’s spine and his shoulders. “Have you had lunch?”
“I had cake. It was somebody’s birthday.”
“Why don’t I get you an apple and a glass of milk?” I said.
“Thanks,” he said. “I’ll have something later. Right now, could you please just keep rubbing?”
“With pleasure,” I said. I could feel the tension in his body, and I dug my fingers in more deeply.
Zack groaned. “You have no idea how good that feels,” he said. “But I’ve earned it. I spoke to Nadine Perrault’s lawyer in Port Hope.”
“And…?” Noah said.
“And it may be smart to use somebody other than me to represent you.”
Noah shook his head. “You and Dee have already discussed this. She won’t even consider it.”
“Okay,” Zack said. “But forewarned is forearmed. When I introduced myself, Llewellyn Llewellyn-Smith said he knows me only by reputation, and what he’s heard he doesn’t like. He’s got this high whiny little voice, so when he tries to be menacing he sounds like Elmer Fudd. He told me he’s prepared to ‘take me to the mat’ on this one.” Zack laughed. “Jesus, can you imagine anyone dumb enough to threaten a cripple with taking him to the mat?
“Anyway, apart from a few yuks, I didn’t get much from him. My talk with our private investigator was more fruitful. He says the relationship between Abby and Nadine Perrault was not idyllic. A year and a half ago, Ms. Perrault moved out of the house she and Abby Michaels shared. They lived apart for five months. A colleague at the school where Nadine teaches described her as ‘quixotic,’ which the colleague defined for our guy as meaning impulsive, rash, and unpredictable. Apparently, Ms. Perrault also has a voice that carries. This colleague was able to describe in some detail Ms. Perrault’s anguished and angry phone calls to Abby when they were estranged. Also, although they were together in the months before Abby left for Regina, there were tensions.”
Noah rattled some bright plastic keys in front of Jacob. When Jacob reached for the keys and grasped them, he squealed with delight, and Noah’s face creased with pleasure. “Did the colleague know why Abby and Nadine were having problems?” he asked.
“No, she just said that, given Ms. Perrault’s rage and sense of betrayal, it was a surprise when she and Abby Michaels reconciled.”
I gave Zack’s neck a last squeeze and moved back to my place on the rug. “I know what caused the problem,” I said. “Nadine Perrault didn’t want a baby, but Abby did. She found a man who was willing to father her child and they had intercourse.”
“Whoa,” Zack said. “How did you find that out?”
“Nadine told Alwyn.”
Noah winced. “So now we have a father to deal with.”
“Not if Nadine’s story is accurate. She says there was no contact between him and Abby after she conceived the child.”
“And you don’t believe her,” Zack said.
“No,” I said. “But that’s just me thinking like me.”
“Nothing wrong with your thought processes,” Zack said.
“I agree,” Noah said. “But whatever the relationship was between Abby and this man, we need to find him and get him on our side. That’s not going to be easy. I’m sure Nadine Perrault has already pulled out all the stops.”
“I don’t think Nadine knows who he is,” I said. “Abby had nothing to gain by telling her. Knowing the identity of the man who fathered Jacob would have made Nadine even more insecure about her relationship with Abby than she was, and it would have made the father vulnerable. Whoever he is, Abby trusted the father to honour their agreement; I think she would have protected his identity.”
Zack nodded. “Let’s hope you’re right. I don’t like the idea of Nadine having a head start. I guess our move now is to get our investigator to look into the identity of dear old dad. And I’d better call Deb and fill her in on what we’ve learned. It’s always wise to spread the quid pro quo around.”
“Jacob was born June 16,” I said. “That means he was conceived a year ago last September.”
“This can work for us,” Zack said. “Asking people in Port Hope where Abby was a year ago last September is a nice straightforward question. It’ll get the conversational ball rolling, and give us a chance to spread the word that we’re looking for the father of Abby’s baby.”
I squeezed a fuzzy duck that was out of Jacob’s range on the blanket. The duck emitted an oddly tortured sound, and Jacob clouded up. “That’s the worst quack I’ve ever heard,” I said. “Let’s put that duck away.” I dropped it in the diaper bag and looked up at Zack. “Isn’t a private investigator supposed to operate under the radar?”
“Sometimes it’s good to let people know you’re out there, digging away,” Zack said. “We have to keep Ms. Perrault off-base, make sure she knows the ground beneath her feet is shifting.”
I felt a sting of anger. “Zack, for God’s sake, Nadine Perrault has just lost her partner and the baby she thought they were going to raise together. The ground beneath her feet has already shifted.”
I’d raised my voice, and Jacob craned his head and looked at me with solemn eyes. Noah moved quickly. He scooped the baby into his arms, protecting him – against me.
I was taken aback. “Noah, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten Jacob, but I think you and Zack have lost perspective here. We don’t know Nadine Perrault. She may not be an enemy.”
Zack’s voice was almost a whisper – a courtroom trick he used to calm overly excited witnesses. “We can’t take that chance, Jo,” he said. “The stakes are too high.”
“I hate this,” I said.
Zack shot me a weary look. “Jesus, Jo, do you think I like it? But the days of King Solomon are long past. Today people are prepared to rip the baby in two rather than give an inch.”
After that, there wasn’t much to say. I picked up Jacob’s toys and rolled up the blanket. Playtime was over. I brought Jacob’s snowsuit to Noah.
He slid the baby into the suit. “Thanks for the sandwich, Joanne. We’ll get through this.”
After Jacob was dressed, the three of us went into the front hall, and I held the baby while Noah pulled on his own boots and jacket. When the doorbell rang, Zack opened the door.
A cab driver stood there, holding a box. Beside him was Mr. Justice Theodore Brokaw.
CHAPTER 7
Discovering Theo Brokaw on our doorstep was a surprise, but Zack was poised. “Hello, Judge, it’s good to see you again.” He wheeled closer to the door. “Is Mrs. Brokaw with you?”
Theo winked. “She was napping, and I snuck out.”
“Ah,” Zack said.
The cab driver wasn’t diverted by the deeds of others. “Somebody owes me $9.75,” he said.
Theo Brokaw ignored him. Zack pulled out his wallet and gave the cabbie $15.00. “Where did you pick up Justice Brokaw?” he said. “I’m not questioning your rate. I’m just curious.”
“He was on 11th Avenue just off Scarth Street Mall. He flagged me down. Gave me this box, pointed to the address, and said, ‘Take me there.’ ”
Zack took the box from the driver, glanced at the address. “Well, that’s where he is. Thanks.”
