She kissed him on the top of the head and pulled him closer. He could feel her crucifix against his cheek. He pulled it out. “You always wear this.”
“I sure do, and I will ’til the day I die.”
“But Dad doesn’t wear one.”
“I know, but he should.”
Jesus was one of the many things they fought about. Raised a Roman Catholic, she went to church almost every Sunday, but his father never accompanied her, except on Christmas and Easter. He boasted that he was a born-again agnostic.
“And I wear it for good reason, because Jesus protects me.”
“What does he protect you from?”
“Danger, evil, mistakes I may make. Maybe I’ll get you one so Jesus can protect you, too. Would you like that?”
“Yes, but can he make my headaches go away?”
“You bet he can. In fact, let’s say a little prayer right now.”
“Okay.”
She closed her eyes and made him do the same thing as she asked Jesus to make his headaches go away. They were quiet for a while, then she whispered, “Feel any better?”
“No, it still hurts.”
“Oh, poor baby. But I tell you what. Let’s play a little game, okay?”
“What game?”
“It’s called ‘How Big Is My Headache?’”
He had never heard of the game, but he nodded.
“Okay, but you have to use your imagination, You have to tell me if it’s bigger or smaller. Okay? Is it as big as a house?”
“Smaller.”
“Is it as big as a car?”
“Smaller.”
He liked this game. He liked the attention she gave him. (More than he ever got from his father, who wasn’t silly or fun like Lila. Plus he never had the time.) He liked being close to her and absorbing her sweet scent and warm softness. “Smaller.”
“Good. Okay, is it as big as…Mommy?”
His dad didn’t like him to call her that, once reminding him that his real mother was dead and that Lila was his stepmother and that he should address her as Lila. But he didn’t remember his real mother and liked calling Lila Mom. She defended him, and Kirk never brought it up again. “Smaller.”
She gave him a kiss on his head again. “Well, that’s good. Is it as big as a football?”
He thought about that for a while. “Yes.”
“Great. Now, close your eyes and imagine that you have that football in your hands, okay? But it isn’t made of leather but Silly Putty. Okay? Now take that Silly Putty ball in your hands and press in the pointy ends and make it nice and round.”
“Okay.”
“Good. Now squeeze it and squeeze it and squeeze it until it gets smaller and smaller and roll it in your hands until it’s just a fat pink cherry, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Now pop the cherry in your mouth and with your tongue roll it around, making it smaller and smaller until it’s just a tiny little pink berry. Then in one big gulp, swallow it.”
He did what she said, and almost by magic his headache disappeared. “It’s gone!” he squealed, looking up at her with wide incredulous eyes.
“See? Dr. Lila to the rescue.” And she gave him a kiss on his mouth. “Now you close your eyes again and get some sleep.” She put her hand behind his head.
He closed his eyes and happily burrowed himself into her softness, savoring the absence of that nasty throbbing, and stretching his body along hers. After a moment he felt her hand gently pet the back of his head and neck as she closed one leg over his, drawing him into the deep warm refuge of her. In the last few moments before he sank into sleep, he remembered thinking that there was no other place in the world that he would rather be.
It must have been nearly two hours later when in the brighter light of the bedroom he woke only to discover that Lila had herself fallen asleep while still cuddling him, and that her top was pulled down, her crucifix was gone, and her naked breast was against his open mouth.
11
“How could anyone want to kill her?”
“I really don’t know.”
“I’m not sure how well you knew my sister, Lieutenant, but she was a wonderful person.”
“I only knew her in passing,” Steve said, “but that was my impression.”
“I can’t think of anyone who would do that to her.” Cynthia Farina-Morgan looked at her brother Richard.
“Neither can I,” he said. “But I’m afraid we really didn’t communicate much. And I didn’t know her friends.”
Terry Farina’s only immediate family, they had flown in earlier that Monday, Cynthia from Buffalo, Richard from Chicago. Before arriving at headquarters, they had made the funeral arrangements for their sister.
It was late that afternoon, and they met in a small conference room overlooking Tremont Street. Neil had taken his daughter for her weekly psychiatrist’s appointment, so only Steve interviewed them. Cynthia was the woman with Terry in the photograph from her bedroom. He could see a resemblance. But although Cynthia was two years her junior, Terry looked younger.
The brother, Richard Farina, a mutual funds investor, was balding, portly, and dressed in a white button- down shirt, a tie, and a blue blazer and chinos. Earlier in the day he had been brought to the M.E.’s office where he had positively identified his sister.
Only a few minutes into the meeting and Steve had sensed a low-grade contention between them. “Did you know anyone she was dating or had dated?”
“No. She broke up with a guy last year. A Phillip Waldman,” Cynthia said.
“Do you have any reason to think this Phillip Waldman might have wanted to harm her?”
“No. He was out of her life and on his own. I didn’t know her friends either. But she never mentioned anyone giving her trouble.”
“And when was the last time you spoke to Terry?”
“Maybe two weeks ago.”
“Did she mention any personal problems she might have had?”
“No. In fact, she was enjoying life and taking new directions.”
Steve turned to Richard. “When was the last time you spoke to your sister?”
“Maybe two months ago. She called to thank me for her birthday card.”
“Was there anything she said that might suggest she had made enemies, anyone giving her any problems, or someone she might have crossed?”
“No. But frankly she never confided in me about her personal affairs. Just chitchat.” Then he added, “She had a whole other life she never talked about.”
Cynthia glared at him. “Richard!”
“‘Richard’ what?” he snapped back. Then he looked at Steve. “I’m sorry, but Terry was in a world of people with questionable credentials.”
