Brutality (29 page)

The two women were in the kitchen prepping dinner when Fina arrived. Her nephews were playing a game on the Xbox, and Haley was on the couch, flipping through a magazine.

“Where’s everyone else?” Fina asked.

“Scotty is upstairs getting changed. Your dad and Matthew should be here any minute,” Patty said, tending to a couple of large steaks under the broiler.

“Hi, Mom,” Fina said. She pulled a diet soda from the refrigerator. “Anything I can do to help?” she asked Patty.

“I don’t think so. Not unless Mom needs help with the salad,” Patty said. Fina never got used to hearing Patty refer to Elaine as “Mom.” Why would she claim the woman as her own if she wasn’t legally obligated to do so?

“No,” Elaine said. “You got here the moment I finished.”

“Well, I didn’t time it that way,” Fina said.

Elaine didn’t respond.

Haley wandered over to Fina and took hold of her arm. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Fina rotated her wrist for her niece’s inspection. “Just a minor burn.”

“I wouldn’t call that minor,” Elaine muttered under her breath.

“She’s talking about her arm, Gammy,” Haley clarified.

“Right,” Fina said. Her pulse quickened. “I wasn’t talking about the fire.”

Patty put the broiler pan on the stovetop with a bit more force than seemed necessary. Fina looked at her, but Patty avoided her gaze.

“Haley, have you shown Gammy that new outfit you got?” Fina asked.

Her niece looked perplexed. “Which outfit?”

“I thought you got a new dress that you wanted to show her.” Fina gave her an imploring look. “Why don’t you show her, and I’ll finish helping Aunt Patty.”

A glimmer of understanding crossed Haley’s face. “Come on, Gammy. I have some stuff to show you in my room.”

Elaine followed her granddaughter out of the kitchen, and Fina walked around the island toward Patty.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Fina asked. The boys were engrossed in their game across the room.

Patty took off her oven mitts and leaned her hip against the counter. “I can’t deal with something happening to him, Fina.”

“I know.”

“Do you?” Patty asked. “I know we all laugh about the scrapes you get into, but it’s different when Scotty’s at risk, too.”

“We don’t know for sure that I was the target,” Fina said, defensiveness creeping into her voice.

“Oh, come on, Fina.”

“We don’t! You guys are all acting like Scotty works for the Dalai Lama. He defends and sues all kinds of creeps.”

“But they’re not violent!” Patty insisted.

Fina stared at her. “The whole reason Dad had me go with him yesterday was because he was afraid of it getting violent! He wanted me to provide protection for Scotty’s mafioso girlfriend client.”

Patty transferred one of the steaks to a cutting board and pulled out an electric carving knife from a drawer.

“The last thing I want to do is put anyone else in danger,” Fina said, “but I’m tired of this collective fantasy that I’m the only one involved with people of questionable character. We all work for the same firm.”

Patty cut into the meat. The knife made a soft whirring sound as red juices flowed from the flesh.

“But Scotty said that your current case isn’t for the firm,” Patty said.

“No, but all the other times I’ve been hurt—when I’ve been run off the road, when I was jumped in my garage—those were Ludlow and Associates cases. I may be on the front lines, but Dad and Scotty and Matthew are right behind me.”

“I just couldn’t deal if something happened to him,” Patty repeated.

Fina took a deep breath. “I understand that, and I’m sorry if he was in danger because of me.”

Patty cleaved a strip of fat from the steak. “It just really freaked me out. I’m used to this stuff happening to you, and I know you can handle it, but Scotty isn’t you.”

“No, he’s not, and I know that it was scary for him, and it was scary for you to hear about it.” Fina wanted to say that it was scary for her, too, but nobody wanted to hear that. “But he’s fine, and I’m fine. I spoke with Cristian and Lieutenant Pitney this afternoon, and there’s a lead they’re following.”

“That’s good,” Patty said, covering the platter of meat with aluminum foil before handing Fina the bowl of salad. “Can you put this on the table?”

There was a large dining table off to the side of the room, which had been set with placemats and cutlery. Fina put the salad on the table as Scotty came into the room.

“Hey, Sis.”

“Hey. Has your heart returned to its resting rate?” Fina asked.

“Barely,” Scotty said.

“I talked to the cops this afternoon. They said you weren’t giving them much to go on.”

He shook his head. “I’m not going to just open up the files to them.”

“I know. Can I look at them and see if anything looks hinky?”

“No,” Scotty said. “You can’t.”

“Well, then, can
you
look at them in a more timely fashion?” Fina asked.

“I’m doing what I can,” he said. “There are a lot of files, and I’ve got active cases I’m working on.”

“Fine, but we may not figure out who’s responsible until we dig into them.”

“I don’t know what you want me to do,” Scotty said.

“Where are Dad and Matthew?” Patty asked, perhaps hoping to sidetrack the conversation.

“They should be here any minute,” Scotty said, reaching into the refrigerator for a beer.

Elaine came back into the kitchen a moment later. Patty looked behind her. “Where’s Haley? It’s time to eat.”

“She’s having a teenage moment,” Elaine said. She plopped down on the couch and folded her arms across her chest. Someone was having a teenage moment, that’s for sure.

“What do you mean?” Patty asked.

“She was showing me some clothes, and I pointed out some things she should take to Florida, and she got upset.”

“You told her about Florida?” Fina asked.

“Of course,” Elaine said. “What did you think? I was going to put her on the plane blindfolded?”

Fina pressed her hands into the kitchen counter. “Mom, Haley doesn’t want to visit Rand, and she doesn’t have to if she doesn’t want to.”

“You’re not her guardian, Fina. You don’t make those decisions for her.”

“Nor do you, unless I’m mistaken.” Fina and Elaine looked at Scotty.

He held his cold beer bottle up to his forehead. “Can we not talk about this now? Not with the kids around?”

“Sure, ’cause there’s nothing to talk about,” Fina said. She started toward the kitchen door.

“Where are you going?” her mother asked. “It’s dinnertime.”

“I’m going to check on Haley.”

She was in the front hall at the bottom of the stairs when Matthew and Carl came in the door. Fina started to climb the stairs, making no attempt to hide her anger.

“Oh no,” Matthew said, shedding his coat. “I don’t like that look.”

“What now?” Carl asked.

“Mom announced to Haley that she has to visit Rand in Miami, and not surprisingly, Haley’s upset.” Fina didn’t wait for him to respond. She continued on to Haley’s room and knocked softly on the door.

“It’s Aunt Fina,” she said when her knock went unanswered.

“Come in.”

Haley was curled up on her bed, plugged into earbuds. Her cheeks were wet, and her eyes red.

Fina took a seat next to her and gestured for Haley to pull out the earphones. “Hale, whatever Gammy said, ignore her.”

“She said I have to visit Dad.”

“You don’t. I promise,” Fina assured her.

Haley pulled at a string that was unraveling from the seam of her comforter. She wound it around her finger, trapping blood in the tip.

“Does she know about him?” she asked Fina.

Fina took a deep breath. “No. Do you want her to?”

“No!”

“I didn’t think so.”

“But if she doesn’t know, she’s going to make me see him.”

Fina wished that were true, but she knew better. Even if Elaine knew the truth about Rand, her denial had no bounds, and she would believe whatever she wanted to. Ignorance or knowledge were beside the point.

“No, she can’t make you do anything, regardless of what you do or don’t tell her.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’m sure,” Fina said, pushing a lock of hair away from Haley’s face. “Do you feel up for dinner or do you want to hang out up here?”

“Are you going to stay? Now you and Gammy are mad at each other.”

“We’re usually mad at each other, so don’t worry about that. I’m definitely staying.” Fina wanted to flee the house and never speak to her mother again, but that wasn’t very mature. And she wasn’t going to leave Haley to fend for herself.

“Okay, but I don’t want to talk about this stuff at dinner,” Haley said.

“Of course not. Everyone will be too busy blaming me for the car fire.”

Haley sat up and brushed the tears from her face. “True. That makes me feel better.”

“Then it’s worth it,” Fina said.

Haley reached out and gently patted Fina’s injured arm before climbing off the bed and heading for the door.

19.

Fina didn’t really need to keep the bandage on her arm the next day, but decided it might be a useful prop at Liz’s funeral. Visible injuries were conversation starters, and if the person responsible for the incendiary device was present, he or she might show some reaction to her wounds.

After showering, she added some extra gauze for good measure before pulling on a black dress, black tights and boots, and a jacket with a subtle pattern in shades of gray. Fina pulled her hair back into a low bun and lined her upper lids with a dark brown eyeliner. She dusted blush on her cheeks and rolled pale pink lipstick onto her lips. She wolfed down a Pop-Tart over the kitchen sink, then made her way down to her car. She’d been jumped in the garage during an earlier case and still didn’t feel carefree when navigating her own building. In some respects this was a good thing—given her line of work, she should be attentive to her surroundings—but it was also discouraging to think she might not be safe in her own home.

At a large Presbyterian church in West Roxbury, Fina parked her car and dashed to the entrance. It was freezing, and she was dressed for the occasion, not the weather. Inside, an usher handed her a program featuring a smiling picture of Liz. An organist was playing, and the front of the church was adorned with muted flower arrangements. Fina scanned the crowd and found Cristian sitting by himself in a pew two-thirds of the way back.

“Hey,” she said when she reached his row.

“Hey.”

It was early, and there was only a smattering of other people seated.

“Can I sit with you?” Fina asked.

“You want to be seen with the cops?”

“I think as far as the murderer is concerned, we’re on the same side. I realize your boss may not share that view.”

Cristian slid over on the bench, and Fina sat down next to him. The program was rolled up in his hand.

“You look nice,” he told her.

“Thanks. So do you.”

He was wearing a dark suit and tie. Cristian was handsome under any circumstances, but he was one of those men who was downright dashing in a well-cut suit.

“You don’t happen to have any water, do you?” she asked, digging around in her purse.

“You’re in luck.” He reached underneath the pew and produced a half-empty bottle, which he handed to her. Fina tossed a couple of aspirin into her mouth and washed them down with a swig.

“What’s wrong?” Cristian asked.

“Nothing. I’ve had a headache since last night.”

He looked at her, waiting for her to elaborate.

“I had dinner with the family, and it was actually physically painful.”

“More so than usual?” he asked.

“Yes, actually. Everyone seems convinced that the car fire was my fault, and Rand has a new girlfriend in Miami and wants Haley to visit.”

Cristian raised an eyebrow. Unlike Elaine, he knew about Rand’s crimes against his daughter.

“I was trying to kill the whole idea before Haley even heard about it,” Fina said, “but then big-mouth Elaine told her, and now Haley’s freaked out.”

“
I’m
getting a headache,” Cristian said. A few people came down the aisle and took seats near the front of the church.

“Exactly.”

“So what are you going to do about it?”

“She’s not going to Miami, and don’t even get me started on the new girlfriend thing.”

“Who would find Rand attractive?” Cristian mused.

Fina looked at him. “Cristian, he’s rich and handsome and a seemingly successful lawyer. I think a lot of women would find him attractive. He doesn’t wear a scarlet
P
after all. Life would be easier if he did.”

“That’s what the sex offender registry is for,” he said.

“You and I both know that’s mostly for strangers who are predators, not the pedophiles on the family tree.”

He squeezed her hand. “Sorry you have to deal with this.”

“Me too.”

“Sorry to interrupt your chat, but you should probably move.” Lieutenant Pitney stood at the entrance of the pew, staring at Fina. “I’d like a little distance.”

Fina stood and moved into the aisle. “I don’t suppose we want Gus Sibley to see us being buddy-buddy.”

Pitney sat down next to Cristian.

“You look very nice, Lieutenant,” Fina said, eyeing her outfit. The somber occasion had prompted Pitney to dial down her usual level of clothing exuberance. She was wearing a navy pantsuit with a royal blue fitted top. It was a stretch for funeral wear, but Fina appreciated her attempt to blend in.

“I think it’s terrible,” Pitney said. “So boring, but I wanted to be respectful of the dead.”

And everyone’s eyeballs,
Fina thought.

“All righty then,” Fina said. “I’ll catch up with you two later.”

She walked forward a few rows and took a seat in the same pew as an older couple. Fina imagined they were friends of Bobbi’s. The steady stream of arriving mourners ran the age gamut, and Fina alternated between checking them out and perusing the program.

The program was printed on cream-colored card stock and included a schedule of services and pictures of Liz. Some of the shots showed her as a young woman and college student—both alone and with Tasha, Kelly, and their soccer teammates. Other pictures were of Liz and Jamie and the kids, the ages of the kids highlighting Liz’s relative youth. Everyone complained about getting older, but few would opt for the alternative.