Tuesday’s Child

Patty had been so engrossed in her thoughts that she hadn’t even seen the postal worker dump the small canvas bag in her trunk. She offered him a generous tip, but he refused, saying he was just doing his job. He snapped the trunk lid down and gave her a cheery salute before he walked back into the post office.

Even though it was a few miles out of her way, Patty drove to Kala’s house, where she backed her car up against the garage and tugged and pulled until she got the canvas bags of mail out of her trunk. The box of Sophie’s belongings was set down next to the sacks of mail. It was a good neighborhood, and there were NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH signs all along the streets, which meant that the neighbors kept a sharp eye out for vandalism. She called Kala to tell her what she had done and to let her know she was headed back to the office.

Patty made good use of her time as she drove back to the office. Why wait to do something if it could be done now? At the first red light she came to, she yanked out her cell phone and called her friend at Fox News.

“You didn’t get this from me, okay? I don’t want anyone knowing I’m your source.” She prattled on, pleased with herself that her friend would get a jump on everyone else. With a promise that her news would be at the top of the hour, starting at 5 P.M., Patty broke the connection. Should she or shouldn’t she call CNN? In the end, she decided not to make the call even though her contact at CNN was as much a friend as the reporter at Fox. Better to stay loyal to Fox News. Fox had been the only network that had stood by her when the AJC fired her. And that, she knew, was because of her friend. Loyalty demanded loyalty.

Chapter 20

KALA SAT OUTSIDE ON HER TERRACE AND STARED AT THE POTTED plants that were once colorful and lush but were now yellow and brown, with no hint of a bloom anywhere. Well, it was her own fault. She hadn’t told the guys who came by to look after Shakespeare to take care of anything else. And they had taken her at her word. She closed her eyes as she thought about her lanai back in Hawaii and how Mally pruned the flowers, sometimes with manicure scissors. She couldn’t ever remember a yellow leaf anywhere on any of the plants. Mally simply would not allow it.

The overweight, oversized cat climbed up on her lap and settled himself. He purred contentedly, his own morning symphony. Stroking his thick fur, Kala smiled as she wondered how he would like living in Hawaii.

Even though it was almost time to head for the office, Kala remained fully relaxed. As long as she was there for her ten o’clock appointment with Ryan Spenser, she still had time to sit right where she was. It wasn’t too hot yet, but the heat would be unbearable in a few hours. Earlier, she’d heard on the news that it would be in the mid- nineties, with 100 percent humidity. She didn’t mind the heat, but she hated the humidity, mainly because her hair frizzed up. Maybe she should think about cutting her tresses, but long hair was a Hawaiian tradition.

Last night, before she’d gone to bed, she called Sophie for their daily check-in, and Sophie had been getting a haircut, courtesy of a cousin, out in the lanai. Sophie had gone on and on about the cousin saving the twelve inches of hair she cut off to donate to cancer patients for wigs. She said she now had golden highlights in her hair, a fashionable cut, which the cousin called a skullcap haircut, meaning Sophie’s hair was clipped short so it could curl naturally. “I look smashing, Kala,” Sophie had said, giggling. “And you know what else, Kala? I think I could enter a swim contest and have a good showing. I took it as a real compliment when Kiki said I could swim almost as well as he could. His arms are longer than mine, and so are his legs. And when I gave him a lei I made, he said it was as good as the ones Mally made.”

“I’m so happy to hear that, Sophie. You’ve come a long way in a few short weeks. I’m very proud of you. Just a few more days, kiddo, and you can do whatever you want to do. Just be patient, okay?”

“I am. I am.” Sophie’s voice had turned serious at that point. “I’m not sure I want to leave here. I love it here. Do you think maybe I was meant to come here and stay?”

“Only if you stay for the right reasons. If you’re planning on staying to hide out, to feel safe and secure, then, no, that’s not a good reason. You have to make your way back into the world you left behind. Slow and easy, honey.”

Kala stirred then; the cat hissed and climbed down off her lap. “What? You thought I was going to sit here all day and listen to you purr so I fall asleep? I have things to do and places to go, Shakespeare.” And she did have things to do and places to go.

“Now I have cat hair all over me,” Kala grumbled as she carried her breakfast dishes into the kitchen, the huge cat behind her. She quickly ran what she called her cat roller over her clothes to remove the cat hair. “I’m good to go, Shaky. You be a good boy till I get back, and do not, I repeat, do not, shred those new curtains. If you do, you are only getting dry cat food from here on in. You need to go on a diet anyway.”

The monster cat, not liking his mistress’s tone, hissed, his favorite thing to do, and sashayed his way into the living room and his favorite chair, where he would sleep until Kala returned home-unless, of course, the new curtains became irresistible.

Kala looked at the clock. She had plenty of time but only if she hit all the green lights. Well, if she was late, she was sure that Spenser would wait for her. Purse on her shoulder, briefcase in one hand, car keys in the other, Kala entered the garage through the kitchen door. “Oh, crap!” she said, as she saw the sacks of mail and the evidence box waiting for her. She’d have to drive the SUV, which was sitting in the driveway, instead of her little convertible. She gathered up the evidence box Patty had left along with the sacks of mail and dumped the box on the passenger side of the SUV. She closed the door, wincing at the sight of the mail bags. Maybe she’d get to them over the weekend. If not, oh, well. Life wouldn’t come to a standstill if she didn’t, that was for sure.

Thirty minutes later, hitting the traffic lights just right, Kala parked her SUV and made her way to her offices without seeing even one reporter. As always, the firm was a beehive of activity. She waved to everyone and headed down the hall to her office. She passed Patty, two of her temporary investigators in tow.

“She does look like a powerhouse,” one of the two said.

“It’s true, then, that she does wear a white hibiscus in her hair,” his female counterpart said in awe. “White is for victory, and red means she’s going to war. Right, Patty?”

“You got it! Today is a victory day for her and this firm, and especially for Sophie Lee.”

Patty wished she’d made that particular meeting for a little later so she could witness Ryan Spenser’s arrival. Oh, well, she’d hear about it, she was sure, in glorious detail, from Linda. She closed the door, sat down, looked at her two novice investigators, and said, “Talk to me.”

The blonde, whose name was Beth, said, “You aren’t going to like what we have to tell you, but here goes. Bill and I,” she said, indicating her partner, “picked Ryan Spenser to investigate. We did Webcam interviews, Skype, and some personal interviews, plus what we were able to pluck off the Internet. We drew up a report, but we can brief you now. Ryan Spenser is as clean and white as the driven snow. That’s the bottom line. Now, we’ll go backward in time to when he was born.”

Bill looked down at his notes. Mother’s name Adelina Avery. She was a debutante, never worked a day in her life. Family money came from tobacco. She inherited, along with her brother, a fortune. She married Ryan Spenser Senior at the age of eighteen. Ryan senior’s money came from cotton and tea. An excellent merger. Ryan Junior is an only child. Nurses and nannies until he was six. At age six and one half, he was sent to an all boys’ school. You know the kind, with a headmaster, et cetera. He came home holidays and summers, and in summers was sent to camp until it was time to go back to school. Holidays were whatever the nurses and nannies could conjure up for him. Parents were usually off somewhere during holidays. Ryan was left to himself. He had no friends at his home base, the Spenser plantation. No cousins to play with. The nanny and staff were all he had in the way of affection and nurturing. His very first nanny is in an assisted-living facility, and while she might be old and frail, her memory is very sharp. The way she summed it up was, the little tyke had a boatload of love and affection and no one to give it to. She said he was an obedient and kind little boy. She said to this day Ryan Spenser sends her birthday and Christmas cards and gifts. And he goes to see her at least twice a year, usually around Mother’s Day. And, of course, he always brings a gift. He takes her out to lunch in her wheelchair and they spend a pleasant day. She says she thinks he pays for part of her care at the facility but isn’t sure. She said she made sure that, when Ryan was home from boarding school, the staff always put Ryan first on their agenda. And, of course, she did the same. As he grew older, nothing changed except that the parents wanted to terminate her