Black Beans & Vice (23 page)

Lucy INSISTED ON DRIVING the Bronco.

"Your hands are shaking. You're a
danger to yourself and to others," she
pointed out as she urged the old truck
to accelerate around a tractor-trailer.
"Besides, at a time like this you need a
friend, especially one in uniform. Even
if said uniform is a little wrinkled and
there's a grease stain on the left boob pocket." Lucy smiled briefly.
"When we get to Harrisonburg, I'll fill the police in on the note
you received. If we all put our heads together, we can figure out
who's messing with your family. Tell me again exactly what happened today."

James was aware that Lucy was only trying to keep his mind
occupied until they reached Jane's house, but he recounted the details for the second time. "Eliot was on the playground at school when a man wearing sunglasses tossed him a paper airplane. Eliot ran over to fetch it and by the time he'd looked up again, the
man was gone. Nothing about the man was familiar. The plane
had been made from one of those paper airplane books sold in
a number of stores across the country. A teacher in Eliot's school
had bought a similar book for his son, so he recognized the World
War Two bomber pattern, but not the black Sharpie writing on the
sides of the plane."

Lucy frowned. "What bird did the man try to fashion the plane
into?"

"That's unclear," James answered and clenched his fists. "A
hawk? A vulture? Who knows? He drew some feathers on the
wings and made a sharp beak on the nose of the plane. It's the
writing that makes me so damned angry. How dare this whacko
call my son-"

"He called the plane `The Little Bastard' Let's not jump to conclusions." Lucy said in an attempt to mollify her friend, but her
words had the opposite reaction.

"Come on, Lucy!" James shouted. "He was obviously referring
to Eliot. My son was born out of wedlock. Even now, he only has
a part-time father. I just wish..." He trailed off, too upset to continue.

Lucy reached over and grabbed James by the hand. "Forget
about how some lowlife defines him! You're a wonderful father
and he's a happy little boy. He doesn't know what these words
mean. What he knows is that he has two parents who love him
more than anything in the world."

James nodded and squeezed Lucy's hand in gratitude. "You're
right. And I need to get a grip before I see Eliot. I don't want him to be frightened even though I am." He rubbed his temples and
tried to focus on the scenery. "I hope he didn't get upset when the
police questioned him."

"Jane may not have allowed them to talk to Eliot directly," Lucy
said. "Cops can be pretty intimidating to little kids."

"Not to Eliot," James replied. "He thinks policemen and firemen are the coolest people ever."

"Hey, the kid's got good taste." Lucy grinned. "Okay, you'll have
to give me directions from here. I don't know where Jane lives."

Lucy had to park the Bronco in the street as a police car had
already claimed the remaining space in Jane's driveway. James
hustled up the front path and burst into the house, relieved to discover Jane and a female officer calmly sharing a cup of coffee in
the kitchen. He kissed his ex-wife and then turned back toward the
living room. "Where is he?"

"In his room listening to an audio book," she answered in a
steady voice. James noted the red and blotched skin under her eyes
and wished he'd been here to comfort her while she'd cried. "He's
got his headphones on and is perfectly fine. He really doesn't realize that anything out of the ordinary has happened. I think we
should talk to Officer Beatty together before you see Eliot."

At that moment, Lucy entered the kitchen. "James was in no
shape to drive," she quickly explained to Jane and then introduced
herself to Officer Beatty. "I'm here to offer whatever help I can."

Jane gave her a warm smile. "Thank you, Lucy. James told me
you've been trying to find out who left that note on his birdhouse.
I was pretty freaked out by the bird carcass, but now that this guy
has targeted our son, I won't feel safe until he's been apprehended.
Hopefully, he'll get thrown in a jail cell with a serial killer as his roommate!" She glanced at her fingers. "Even without the serial
killer part, I just want this guy to get caught."

"May I see the paper airplane?" James directed his question to
Officer Beatty.

The young officer, who looked to be in her mid-twenties and
had guileless blue eyes and ash-blond hair secured in a tidy bun,
reached under her chair and retrieved the plane. Stored inside a
plastic freezer bag, the object seemed innocuous at first glance,
but as James pivoted it under the light and examined the crudely
drawn feathers and block lettering, a fresh wave of rage rolled over
him. "No one at Eliot's school got a look at this guy?"

Jane shook her head. "No. The school's playground borders a
fairly busy street. People walk by it all the time."

"The only description we have is that he was an adult male
wearing sunglasses?" Lucy asked Officer Beatty.

The pretty policewoman tapped on the open page of her pocket
notebook. "Eliot also told his mom that the man wore a purple
baseball cap. He said it looked like the purple shirt his mom wears
when she works in the yard, so we're assuming he's referring to her
JMU sweatshirt."

James groaned in frustration. "This is a college town! Those
hats are for sale all over the place!" He turned to Jane. "Did he notice hair color? Height? What clothes the guy wore?"

"Eliot's a little boy, honey," Jane answered softly. "Not Poirot.
He was following a trail of ants close to the fence and this guy in
a purple hat and sunglasses tossed him the plane and then disappeared. End of story."

"Thank God he can't read," James muttered.

Jane covered his hand with hers. "He's really okay, James. He
thinks Officer Beatty is here because she's my new friend and we
wanted to hang out in the kitchen and talk about girl stuff. Plus,
he's so excited about moving to Quincy's Gap this summer that I
don't think anything can bring him down."

"Thank goodness for that." James sighed.

The four adults exchanged ideas and theories, but since Murphy was no longer on the suspect list, none of them could come
up with a possible replacement for her.

"Could it be another former romantic partner?" Officer Beatty asked, looking back and forth between James and Jane. Lucy
shifted uncomfortably in her seat and then jumped up, offering
the other women a coffee refill.

"Oh, you're a guest, Lucy. Let me get it," Jane insisted. She set
clean mugs on the table and collected the coffee carafe. "My list of
ex-boyfriends isn't very long and all of those relationships ended
amicably. The only exception was Kenneth Cooper. He's a lawyer
living in Williamsburg and is my most recent ex. He'd never do
these crazy things though. That man is totally obsessed with his
image."

Lucy eyed Jane with interest. "Then it must have been quite a
blow to his ego when you left him."

Jane shrugged. "I doubt that. He was dating a Barbie lookalike behind my back months before we broke up and he certainly
wanted no part in raising Eliot. He-" she stopped suddenly and
then picked up the bag containing the paper airplane. "Kenneth
used that word once, in reference to Eliot. He called him a bastard." She gave James an apologetic glance. "I threw a vase at his head. It smashed inches away from his face and I'm still sorry I
missed. He packed his bags and moved out later that day."

"Have you seen Kenneth since then?" Officer Beatty had her
notebook out.

"No" Jane sank into a chair and wrapped her hands around
her mug. "But why would he do this? He didn't want to be with me
and he didn't want anything to do with Eliot. He was relieved to
be free." She looked at James. "He wasn't a kind man and he didn't
like kids, so I was glad to see the last of him, especially since it gave
me a chance to start over with you."

Lucy and Officer Beatty exchanged a quick glance and then the
younger woman closed her notebook and rose. "I'm going to make
some inquiries about Mr. Cooper. To do so, I'll need his date of
birth, place of business, and last known address."

After Jane supplied the necessary information, the two law enforcement officials went outside to converse in private. A few moments later, Lucy announced that she planned to grab a bite to eat
with her fellow officer.

"We'll leave for Quincy's Gap at seven-thirty," James told her. "I
want to give Jane time to pack what she and Eliot will need for the
rest of the summer and then we're gone."

"Got it." With a wave, Lucy followed Officer Beatty to her
squad car.

Back in the kitchen Jane stood in front of the refrigerator,
frowning as she peered inside. She ran her hands through her
wavy brown hair and then opened the freezer door.

"I didn't get a chance to shop for groceries today," she apologized. "I'm afraid we'll be dining on frozen mac and cheese and a side of canned green beans. I can melt fresh grated Parmesan over
the noodles, but that's as close to gourmet as we're going to get."

"I've never met a bowl of macaroni and cheese I didn't like."
James pulled her to him and held her close. "Everything's going to
be okay. I promise."

Jane wiped her face and smiled bravely at him. "Go ask your
son which toys he can't live without this summer while I fire up
the oven. I'll keep the wine corked until we get to your house. I'm
already imagining myself drinking several glasses tonight."

"Me too," James answered as he headed out of the kitchen.
Pausing, he added, "And it's not `my' house anymore, it's `ours"'

Night was falling in a curtain of deep blue by the time Officer Beatty dropped Lucy off at the curb. James, who was placing two
suitcases in the Bronco, swiveled around and searched her face.
"Did you find out anything about Kenneth?"

"Other than he's got a squeaky clean record, no." She was
clearly disappointed. "Not even a speeding ticket within the last
three years."

James dropped his arms to his sides, deflated. "So that's it?"

"There's still the question of his whereabouts," Lucy said. "We
called his office and were told by his secretary that he's on medical
leave. She referred us to one of his partners, but that guy wasn't
exactly forthcoming with information. Since we have no evidence
against Kenneth, we had no choice but to back off when the partner refused to answer our questions." She tossed her purse into the
back seat. "Don't worry. I'm not giving up. I have a feeling about
this guy."

"Thank you, Lucy." James hastened inside to collect the rest
of Eliot's things. He finished loading the truck as Lucy and Jane
spoke in hushed tones in the kitchen.

"We're all done, bud." James carried his son fireman-style, already dressed in his dinosaur pajamas, and loaded him into his car
seat. "Last call for Quincy's Gap!" he yelled in the direction of the
house.

Jane shouldered her purse, turned off the lights, and locked the
front door. "I can't begin to guess why Kenneth would be on medical leave," she whispered to Lucy as they walked across the lawn.
"He didn't have any health issues when we were together. And I
don't like the idea of him not having to show up for work for several days in a row. It means that he was free to come here." Her
voice was strained. "I cannot understand why he'd want to scare
me like this. Assuming he's the bad guy."

Lucy put an arm around Jane. "Don't let him get to you." She
gestured at the truck. "He doesn't have the power to break the
three of you apart, right?"

Anger flared in Jane's eyes. "No, he does not."

"Hold onto that truth and he loses, no matter how he tries to
upset you." Lucy opened the back door and pretended to be nervous. "Oh! I don't know if it's safe to sit next to a T-Rex," she said
with a shiver. "His teeth look very sharp."

Eliot raised his plush dinosaur and laughed. "He's not a T-Rex!
He's an Allosaurus. He only bites mean people."