Dark Waters (The Jeff Resnick Mysteries) (16 page)

“I will.”

She leaned over to kiss me, but once again Holly decided that it would be better if she was the center of attention, and she practically leaped into my lap to lick us both.

“Ugh! Dog germs!” Maggie wailed once again, and we both laughed.

We gave up, got up from the couch, and headed into the kitchen where food awaited.

Maggie assembled the entrees while I set the table. It would be like going to one of those all-you-can eat buffets, but the truth was I had no appetite, and wouldn’t until this little adventure with Sam was over.

I didn’t like to think about it, because I had a feeling it would come to an abrupt and not-so-happy end … but for whom?

Never had Richard suffered through such a painful meal. Evelyn had made enough food to feed a battalion, but since Da-Marr hadn’t joined them for dinner yet again, there were tons of leftovers.

Retiring to the silent study for the evening had also proved a painful choice. Richard tried, but couldn’t concentrate enough to read, while Brenda worked on her needlepoint. The click, click, click of Evelyn’s knitting needles was about to drive him bonkers when Evelyn finally spoke.

“I’m very worried about Da-Marr. He’s out there alone in a strange city. And he left here very angry.”

“Well, whose fault is that?” Brenda said, challenging her sister for the first time since her arrival.

Evelyn glared at Richard. “We still don’t know what
your brother
did to aggravate him.”

“I don’t think he had to do anything,” Brenda muttered. “Da-Marr’s presence was just more than Jeffy could take right now.”

“Sounds to me like
your brother
,” she kept saying the words as though they were an accusation, “could use the services of a good psychiatrist.”

Richard was determined not to let her provoke him. He stared at the words on the page before him, worried about where this conversation was going to go.

“And Da-Marr could learn a thing or two about self-control. Let me guess, he was often in trouble in school for bullying,” Brenda said.

Evelyn’s lips tightened, but she didn’t acknowledge the accusation.

“Tell, me, Evie, what is so special about that boy?” Brenda asked.

“He’s not a boy, he’s a man,” she clarified.

“He certainly doesn’t act it,” Brenda said, and sorted through her skeins of yarn, choosing a different color. “And you still haven’t answered my question. Why is he so important to you?”

“I’ve seen too many boys like Da-Marr go the wrong route. I wasn’t going to have it happen in our family.”

“Don’t you mean Charlie’s family?”

“Charles,” she corrected. “My husband’s name is Charles.”

Brenda had told Richard long ago that the man had asked everyone in the family to call him Charlie. He hated being called Charles, and only Evelyn called him by that moniker.

“I know it’s going to hurt for you to hear this, Evie, but things have got to change,” Brenda said succinctly, sounding more like her real self — the person that Richard had known for the past nine years — the woman he’d grown to love with such an intensity that he couldn’t imagine a life without her.

“What on earth are you saying?” Evelyn asked, sounding more than a trifle annoyed.

“Honestly, Evie, what were you thinking when you brought Da-Marr here?” Brenda demanded.

“The boy needed to see how the successful people live.”

“Are you saying no one in his own family is successful?” Brenda demanded.

“Not at all. But none of them are millionaires,” she said, leveling an accusatory glare at Richard.

“Is that my fault?” he asked, and instantly wished he’d kept the promise he’d made to himself to keep his mouth shut.

“You didn’t earn it,” Evelyn accused.

“No?” he asked, incredulous. “You’d be surprised.”

“And what does that mean?” Evelyn demanded.

There was no way Richard was going to get into that subject with her.

“I’m sorry, Evie, but Da-Marr is no longer welcome in our home,” Brenda said.

“Just because
his brother
,” she glared at Richard, “is some kind of a basket case?”

“He’s a trauma victim,” Richard clarified.

“Victimhood suits him,” she said scornfully, “and you’re both enablers.”

“We’re getting off the subject,” Brenda said, keeping her voice level. “Da-Marr smoked marijuana in Jeff’s apartment,
and
he vandalized it.”

Evelyn turned her gaze to Richard. “I don’t believe it.”

“Worse, he let loose a couple of wasp’s nests, knowing that Jeff is allergic.”

Evelyn’s eyes grew wide, but Richard wasn’t sure if it was with anger or disbelief.

“He snuck out last night and didn’t come home until early this morning,” Brenda finished.

“Why would you say such terrible things?” Evelyn demanded.

“Because they’re true. And now he’s stolen my car.”

“Borrowed it,” Evelyn clarified.

“I’m sorry, but we,” she looked at Richard for confirmation and he gave her a smile of reassurance, “can’t go on like this.” Her voice softened. “We’d be very happy to have you stay, but it’s time for Da-Marr to go home.”

“If he goes, I go!” Evelyn threatened.

“We’re sorry you feel that way,” Richard said.

Evelyn stood. “I’ll go pack our things right now. I won’t inflict my company on you any further. As soon as Da-Marr returns, we’ll take a cab to a motel near the airport and be out of your hair.”

“Evie, don’t be like that,” Brenda admonished, but Evelyn strode out of the study without another word.

Richard and Brenda looked at each other for long moments and then Brenda seemed to deflate, sinking onto the couch. “Well, I guess now we’ll never be invited to visit the folks back in Philly.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m not,” she said, and strangely enough, she didn’t sound it. “I mean I am, but I’m not — if that makes sense. I love my parents — I miss them terribly, but they cut me off. And now I have a new family here. This is my home, and I don’t appreciate others abusing it
or
my family.”

Richard got up from his desk and came to sit beside her. “What a terrible day — for all of us. Evelyn included.” He picked up Brenda’s hand and kissed it. Then she met him halfway for a pretty decent kiss.

They gave each other a smile and settled back against the couch, both staring ahead at nothing.”

“What are we going to do about my car?” Brenda asked. “Sometimes I get funny feelings like Jeffy does. I don’t think Da-Marr is going to bring it back.”

“I’m willing to take a wait-and-see attitude. If we don’t hear from him by morning, we might have to do something — like call the cops, if only to report him as missing.”

“I don’t want to get Da-Marr in any more trouble than he’s already in.”

“And that’s the problem; we don’t know what he’s up to, or who he’s with.”

“What if we don’t find him? What if — ”

“Don’t borrow trouble,” Richard admonished, but he couldn’t help but feel the same way. “He hasn’t got any money — that we know of — and there wasn’t much gas in the tank.”

“He doesn’t even know our phone numbers, so he can’t call — he doesn’t have a cell phone. We’re not in the phone book, so he wouldn’t know how to get in touch with us.”

“He could call his parents, and they could contact us. In fact, if he doesn’t show up by morning, we ought to insist that Evelyn call them.”

“She may not want to. She may feel she’s failed him, and I don’t think failure comes easily to her.”

“Let’s just wait and see,” Richard again suggested.

The sound of a throat being cleared behind them caused them to look over their shoulders. Evelyn stood in the doorway, her head hanging.

“Evie, what’s wrong?” Brenda asked, concerned.

“I — I didn’t want to believe you,” she said, looking at Richard. “I may have made a hasty judgment. I thought perhaps …. Well, it doesn’t matter what I thought. But — ” She took several steps into the room. “I was packing Da-Marr’s clothes and I found this.” She held out a plastic snack bag that was full of dried green leaves and a packet of rolling papers. “It was tucked into a pair of socks. I don’t know what to say,” she admitted, sounding defeated. “I thought that boy was on the right road. I thought I’d caught him in time. I thought….” Evelyn plodded over to the wing chair and nearly fell into it. “I’ve failed him.”

“Oh, Evie,” Brenda said, and struggled to lean forward enough to touch her sister’s arm. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think Da-Marr’s a lost cause. How can he be with you on his side?”

“If he was capable of this,” she proffered the bag of weed, “then perhaps he
is
capable of tormenting Richard’s brother, and other things I don’t even want to contemplate.”

Richard and Brenda shared a pained look.

“You met that young man Da-Marr met at the marina. He must have been the one who gave him the marijuana. Da-Marr didn’t have any money — at least not that I know of.”

“Da-Marr said his name was Bobby — he never mentioned a last name. He drove a gray Infinity. His father owns a boat at the marina. That’s all I know.”

Evelyn shook her head. “I’m sorry, Richard — about everything’s that happened since we arrived. It’s occurred to me that I haven’t considered the situation from your brother’s perspective. As far as I can see, he never provoked Da-Marr. And if he was viciously mugged as you say, then I guess I can understand why someone of Da-Marr’s stature might seem intimidating.”

“Thank you, Evelyn,” Richard said sincerely.

Evelyn’s lower lip trembled. “How can we find Da-Marr before something terrible happens to him? My goal was to keep him out of trouble so that he wouldn’t be just another statistic.”

“Well, when he finally does surface, it might be a good idea to ask
him
what he’d like to do with his life.”

“What do you mean?” Evelyn asked, clueless.

“Did you know that the idea of fixing jet engines appeals to him?”

“Manual labor?” Evelyn said, appalled.

“Not everyone is cut out for a white-collar job. It still takes a college degree, and the wages are extremely competitive. Then maybe one day, if he’s interested, he could move into to a management position within the airline industry. The thing is he seems to like to work with his hands. And letting him choose the kind of collegiate experience that would be of interest to him could be the motivating factor he needs to find success.”

“Airplane engines?” Evelyn repeated in amazement.

“I’ll bet Da-Marr would be one hell of a mechanic. Look at the way he fixed our old broken down lawnmower. He has a knack for such things. When he shows up, instead of pouncing on him for what he’s done wrong, why not ask him what he’d like to do that’s right?”

Evelyn thought about it for a long moment, then let out a long breath and shook her head. “I must admit, when I first arrived, I didn’t think either of you were ready for parenthood, but after this conversation, I’m pretty sure that you’ll make a terrific mom and dad. And — ” she gazed at Brenda. “I really don’t think you need me here at all, Twinnie.”

Richard cast a glance toward his wife, and saw her eyes brim with tears. She and her twin had been identical and when the family couldn’t tell them apart, they’d both affectionately been called Twinnie.

“You’ll always be welcome in our home, Evie,” Brenda said.

Evelyn smiled. “I know. But I believe you’re right; Da-Marr and I need to go home. He and I — and his parents — have a lot to talk about.” She got up, kissed Brenda on the top of the head, and left the room without a backward glance.

They listened until they heard Evelyn mount the stairs and was long out of earshot.

“Well, that was unexpected,” Brenda said softly.

“It sure was,” Richard agreed. “I wouldn’t mind giving the kid a hand to go to school.”

“Your own personal scholarship?”

“We’ve taken our time thinking about what to do with some of my grandparents’ money. Why not establish a few scholarships for kids in need?”

“Here, or in Philly?” Brenda asked, sounding hopeful.

“Why not both?”

Brenda nodded, with the barest hint of a smile on her lips.

“But Da-Marr is still a wild card,” Richard said with resignation. “The way he took off, the people he’s met here — we don’t know what kind of trouble he’s courting. And we don’t know if we can rescue him if he’s gotten himself into something illegal. We just don’t know.”

Brenda’s head drooped, and for a moment Richard was sure she was once again about to cry. But then she seemed to shake herself. “I can’t let him be my problem. He has family — and especially Evie — he can fall back on. Right now, I have to concentrate on
our
family.” She patted her belly and smiled. “We haven’t talked about godparents.”

“I kind of thought that was a given.”

“Jeffy and Maggie?” Brenda asked.

“Of course.”

Brenda smiled. “That means a party.”

“We don’t have a lot of people to invite.”

“Who do we need to invite besides Jeffy and Maggie?” Brenda asked.

“Not one other person,” Richard agreed. “But, I think a few of the foundation board members might feel slighted if I didn’t at least ask them. And what about the girls at the clinic?”

“You’re right. We do have more friends than we think. And I like the idea of a party. Any excuse for cake. You cannot have a decent celebration without cake.”

“We’ll get a ten-tiered one, if that’s what you want.”

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous. A five-tier cake will suffice,” she said and laughed.

“Coconut?” he suggested.

“How about every layer a different flavor?”

“As long as one of them is bland white, Jeff will be happy.”

Brenda gathered up the loose skeins of yarn and her project and stuffed them back into her workbag. “It’s bedtime, at least for this tired girl.”

“I’ll be up in a few minutes,” Richard said, helped Brenda to her feet, and then watched her waddle off in the direction of the stairs. In the meantime, he wondered if he should track down and check Brenda’s purse to see if all the credit cards were intact. And if they weren’t … well, then it would be time to make another decision.

A much harder one.