and I had a brief affair. You obviously know how charming he can be. How he can make you feel wanted at exactly the time when you feel completely unwanted. It wasn't right, though, so I broke things off and a few weeks later Larry and I started to reconcile. When my son was born, he was early, and Marc was absolutely convinced I'd lied about the date of conception.'
'Did Marc threaten you?' I asked quietly.
'Not threaten, exactly. He wanted to see my son. He wanted to visit with him. If Larry found out, that would have ended everything. ' Natalie suddenly realized what she had said. 'But I didn't kill him, if that's what you think. And that's obviously what you think. I just want to protect my son.'
As if on cue, a loud cry came from the baby in another room. Natalie jumped up and went to him.
Natalie came back in the room with baby Jeremy in her arms. She set him down on the floor in front of me and he smiled and handed me a small teddy bear, then gestured to have it back. When I gave it back he giggled with delight and handed it to me again. He was a handsome little boy with a chubby face and sweet soft brown eyes. For the first time I really looked at the little boy, who smiled back at me.
'Marc wasn't the father,' I said suddenly.
'Excuse me?' Natalie said.
'He has brown eyes. You have blue eyes. Marc had blue eyes. Two people with blue eyes can only have a child with blue eyes. It's genetics 101.'
Natalie grabbed her son and stared at him. Then she started to cry. 'I can't believe it's that simple.' She smiled. 'I knew he wasn't the father. In my heart. But he was so sure.'
'But he studied biology in college, didn't he?' I asked.
'I think so,' she said. 'He went to school in New York for a while.'
'Did he ever see Jeremy?' I asked.
'Once. A few months ago he came to the house with a stuffed toy. He wanted his son to have it,' she said, a touch of anger in her voice. 'He made a big point of saying that. Jeremy and I were on our way to the park, and Marc took him out of my arms. He wouldn't give him back for, like, ten minutes. It was really terrifying.'
'He had a good look at Jeremy,' I confirmed.
'So he would have known that Jeremy wasn't his son. He would have seen the brown eyes. Is that what you're saying?' Natalie looked at me, a little surprised.
'Yeah, I think he knew. I think he was just torturing you,' I said. 'Did he ask you for money to keep his mouth shut?'
'I don't have any money. We're just getting by as it is. Marc knew that. He had to have known that. Besides, I wouldn't have stood for having that hanging over my head the rest of my life.' As the words came out of her mouth, she turned pale.
The baby handed me his teddy bear and we handed it back and forth. To give Natalie some time to compose herself I played with her son. After a few minutes, I patted the child on his head and got up to leave. 'Do you know where Marc would have gotten a lot of money?' I asked.
'He gambled at an off-track betting place about twenty miles south of here. Charley's, I think it was called. I don't think he won all that often, but that's the only place I can think of where he could have gotten money.'
'Not his father?'
She shook her head. 'His dad paid his rent sometimes, I know that. But he would never just give Marc a check. In fact, Marc once broke into his dad's house looking for cash.' Natalie scooped up the baby and walked toward the front door. 'I have to get his lunch.'
I followed her. 'I may take you up on teaching me to quilt,' I said.
'I wish you would,' she said. 'It would take your mind off your broken engagement.'
'Actually,' I smiled slightly, 'I think Ryan and I are getting back together.'
'Really,' she laughed. 'Why didn't you tell me this morning?' I shrugged. Why didn't I tell her?
'Too busy butting in where I don't belong, I guess.' She smiled, but her lips were tight and tense. 'Eleanor will want you to start making some baby quilts.' I rolled my eyes, which made Natalie's face relax. 'I want to hear everything,' she said, 'if you want to talk about it.'
I nodded. Natalie kissed her smiling son and held his small hand up to wave good-bye to me.
CHAPTER 40
Information listed one place named Charley's on the main road leading south. I pulled up outside a run-down frame building with a small sign that read OTB. The neighborhood looked a little shaky, just two boarded-up buildings, an empty lot and a closed tire store. I was completely out of my element and I realized I had no idea who to talk to or what to ask.
'I live in New York,' I said to myself. 'That has to count for something.' I took a deep breath and headed in.
Inside I wasn't so sure of my street cred. The place was about half full, mostly with tired, blank-looking men, their eyes glued to small television sets bolted to shelves. It had a dark, dirty, stale feeling to it that made me cough as I walked in. I was just about to turn around and leave when I saw a familiar face. Jesse was standing just a few feet ahead of me, talking with an older man. Before Jesse could see me, I darted behind him and pretended to study a discarded newspaper.
'It's a sad thing about poor Marc, such a young guy,' the man was saying to Jesse. He was either in his late sixties and had lived well, or in his early fifties and had thrown away every chance at health. He was smoking right below the NO SMOKING sign, but no one seemed to care.
'When's the last time you saw Marc?'
The man lowered his eyes. 'Tuesday, I think. Yes. Tuesday. He came in here with a wad of money. I'd say close to seven thousand dollars. And he kept betting.' He laughed. 'Man, he was on a streak. He won over and over. Must have walked out of here with close to fifteen grand. He even gave me a C-note. Said I should treat the missus to a nice dinner.' He looked at Jesse. 'Lost it on the next race, or I would have.'
'So he had fifteen thousand dollars?' Jesse asked.
'Something like that. Why? Does that have something to do with his dying?'
'I don't know,' Jesse said. 'It answers one question, but it doesn't make a lot of sense.'
At just that moment, Jesse turned and bumped right into me. I tried, ridiculously, to ignore him, but he grabbed my arm.
'Nell, what are you doing here?'
'Nell?' The man Jesse had been questioning smiled at me. 'You aren't Eleanor's granddaughter, are you?'
'Yes,' I said, stunned. I studied the man to see if I knew him, but he didn't look familiar.
'Well, my wife says the nicest things about you. The nicest things.' He smiled and his eyes focused in on me. There was a twinkle that made it immediately clear he was, or had been, quite charming.
'Your wife?'
'Nancy. She works for your grandmother.'
'Oh, hi, Mr. Vanderberg. It's really nice to meet you.' I could feel Jesse's eyes boring into me, but I decided to pretend otherwise.
'Are you a quilter too?' Mr. Vanderberg asked.
'No, though Nancy and the others keep mistaking me for one,' I said and smiled a little at him.
'Well, you take it up. It has given Nancy years of joy. And she deserves it too,' he sighed. Behind the ashen face and deep wrinkles was a kindness that I quite liked. 'Better her hobby than mine.'
'Speaking of hobbies,' Jesse interrupted. 'Nell has one that keeps getting her into trouble.' He led me out the door.
When we walked out, the strength of the sunlight hit me and it took a moment just to readjust.
'Okay, Nancy Drew, I thought we had a deal.'
'I was just…' I started to say that I was just here to make a bet, but I knew that wouldn't fly.
'Get in the car and drive back to your grandmother's house and stay there.'
'You're not actually allowed to tell me where I can spend my time.'
