They included a family-structure chart that I spent some time on.
'No grandparents on the mother's side?'
She shook her head. ~~~~~y lost her parents young. Chip lost his mom, too, when he was a teenager. Old Chuck's the only grandparent left.'
'Does he get up here much to visit?'
'From time to time. He's a busy man.'
I continued reading. 'Cindy's only twenty-six... maybe Vicki's a mother figure for her.'
'Maybe,' she said. 'Whatever it is, I'll keep a tight leash on her.'
'Don't comedown too hard right now, Steph. I don't want to be seen by Vicki-or Cindy-as someone who makes anyone's life harder. Give me a chance to get to know Vicki. She could turn out to be an ally.'
'Okay,' she said. 'This human relations stuff is your area. But let me know if she continues to be difficult. I don't want anything getting in the way of solving this thing.'
The room was inundated with LuvBunnies-on the windowsill, nightstand, the bed tray, atop the TV A bucktoothed, rainbow-hued welcoming party.
The rails of the bed were lowered. A beautiful child lay sleeping-a tiny bundle barely swelling the covers.
Her heart-face was turned to one side; her rosebud mouth, pink and parted. Buttermilk skin, chubby cheeks, nubbin nose. Her hair was sleek, straight, and black and trickled onto her shoulders. The bangs were moist and they stuck to her forehead. A ring of lace collar was visible above the blanket hem. One hand was concealed; the other, dimpled and clenched, gathered the fabric. Its thumb was the size of a lima bean.
The sleeper sofa by the window was unfolded to a single bed that had been made up. Military corners, pillow smooth as eggshell. A flowered vinyl overnight bag sat on the floor next to an empty food tray.
A young woman sat cross-legged on the edge of the mattress, reading TV Guiae. As soon as she saw us she put down the magazine and got up.
Five five, firm figure, slightly long-waisted. Same shiny dark hair as her daughter's, parted in the middle, tied back loosely and gathered in a thick braid that nearly reached her waIst. Same facial cast as Cassie's, too, stretched by maturity to something just barely longer than the perfect oval. Fine nose; straight, wide, unpainted mouth with naturally dark lips. Big brown eyes. Bloodshot.
No makeup, scrubbed complexion. A girlish woman. Twenty-six but she could easily have passed for a college student.
From the bed came a soft, breathy sound. Cassie sighing. All of us looked over at her. Her eyelids remained closed but they fluttered.
Threads of lavender vein were visible beneath the skin. She rolled over, facing away from us.
I thought of a bisque doll.
All around us, the LuvBunnies leered.
Cindy Jones looked down at her daughter, reached over and smoothed hair out of the child's eyes.
Turning back to us, she ran her hands over her clothes, hurriedly, as if searching for unfastened buttons The clothes were simple-plaid cotton shirt over faded jeans and medium-heeled sandals. A pink plastic Swatch watch. Not the post-deb, VIP daughter-in-law I'd expected.
'Well,' whispered Stephanie, 'looks like someone's snoozing away. Get any sleep yourself, Cindy?'
A little.' Soft voice, pleasant. She didn't have to whisper.
'Our mattresses have a way to go, don't they?'
'I'm fine, Dr. Eves.' Her smile was tired. Actually, Cassie slept great. She woke once, around five, and needed a cuddle. I held her and sang to her for a while and finally she fell back around seven.
Guess that's why she's still out.'
