Fine things (23 page)

“I'm sure there are,” the judge intoned, smiling at both fathers and both attorneys. This was something he did every day, and he never got caught up in the emotions. Fortunately, he almost never had to see the children affected by his decisions. “But it wouldn't be fair to deny Mr. Scott the right to see his daughter.” He smiled benevolently at Scott, and then sympathetically at Grossman. “I'm sure this is distressing to your client, Mr. Grossman, and we will of course be very interested in hearing all the issues when the matter comes to court for a full hearing. In the meantime, the court would like to grant Mr. Scott a weekly visitation with his daughter.” Bernie thought he was going to faint and he immediately whispered in Grossman's ear that Scott was a convicted felon.

“I can't tell them that now,” Grossman whispered back, and Bernie wanted to cry. He wished he had paid him the ten thousand the first time. Or even the fifty the second. The hundred was impossible for him. He was out of his league now.

Grossman raised his voice to address the judge. “Where will the visits take place?”

“In the place of Mr. Scott's choosing. The child is …” The judge looked at some records, and then glanced at both parties with an understanding smile. “Let's see…. She's about nine years old…. There's no reason why she can't go out with her father. Mr. Scott could pick her up at her home, and bring her back. I suggest Saturday, say from nine A.M. to seven
P.M.
Does that sound reasonable to both parties?”

“No!” Bernie whispered in Grossman's ear in a loud stage whisper.

And Grossman whispered back almost immediately. “You have no choice in this. And if you play ball with the judge now, he may give you a better deal later.” What about Jane? What kind of deal did she get?

Bernie was furious when they walked out into the hall again. “What kind of crap is that anyway?”

“Keep your voice down.” Grossman spoke in low tones to him, his face a mask, as Chandler Scott and his attorney walked past. He had one of the sleaziest attorneys in town, Grossman later told Bernie, and he was sure they were going to try and stick Bernie with the tab, by asking the court to assign fees to him at a later date. But Bill didn't even mention that now. They had enough to worry about. “You just have to go along with it.”

“Why? It's wrong. Why do I have to do something I know is wrong for my daughter?” He spoke from the heart without thinking of what he had just said. But Bill Grossman shook his head.

“She's not your daughter, she's his, and that's the whole point of this.”

“The real bitch is that all that bastard wants is money. Only now he wants so much I can't afford it.”

“You never could have anyway. People like that just keep raising the ante. You're better off dealing with it here. The hearing is set for December fourteenth anyway. So you have a month of temporary visitation to contend with and then you get a permanent ruling. Do you really think he'd keep up with visitation?”

“He might.” But Bernie hoped he wouldn't. “What if he kidnaps her?” It was a thought that had been frightening him ever since Scott had turned up again. It was his own brand of paranoia. And Grossman was quick to squelch it.

“Don't be ridiculous. The man is greedy. He's not crazy. He'd have to be nuts to kidnap her on a visit.”

“What would happen if he did?” He wanted to pursue the thought to the end, just so he'd know what his recourse was.

“People only do things like that in movies.”

“I hope you're right.” Bernie narrowed his eyes and looked at him. “Because I'm telling you right now that if he ever does anything like that to her, I'm going to kill him.”

Chapter 26

The visits were to start on Saturday, which didn't give Bernie much time. He took Jane out to dinner after his morning in court, and he took a deep breath before he told her. He had taken her to the Hippo, which had always been a favorite with her, but she seemed quiet that night, and finally she looked at him. She knew something was wrong, and she couldn't imagine what it was. Maybe they were moving to New York, or some fresh disaster was happening. And she was certain of it when he reached for her hand with eyes filled with sorrow.

“Baby, I've got to tell you something.” Her heart pounded horribly and she wanted to run away from him. She looked so frightened that it broke his heart. He wondered if she would ever be her old self again. Even though, thanks to Mrs. Pippin, she was getting better. She didn't cry as much now and she even laughed sometimes. “It's not as bad as all that, sweetheart. Don't look so worried.”

She looked at him with eyes filled with terror. “I thought you were going to tell me …” She couldn't say the words, and he looked at her, still holding her hand.

“Tell you what, sweetheart?”

“That you had cancer.” Her voice was so small and sad and he shook his head as tears came to his eyes. That was the worst thing that either of them could imagine.

“It's nothing like that. It's something else entirely. Okay …now … do you remember that your mommy was married before?” It felt strange saying that to her, but he had to explain from the beginning.

“Yes. She said she was married to a very handsome actor, and he died when I was a baby.”

“Something like that.” He had never heard that version of the explanation.

“And she said she loved him very much.” Jane looked up at him innocently and something turned over in his stomach.

“She did?”

“That's what she told me.”

“Okay. She told me something a little different, but it doesn't matter.” Suddenly he was wondering if he was poisoning her mind against someone Liz had truly loved. Maybe she really had loved him and hadn't had the courage to tell him. But then suddenly he remembered the solemnity of the promise she had extracted from him. “She told me that that man, your real father, disappeared right after you were born, and disappointed her a lot. I think he did something dumb like steal money from someone or something and he went to jail.” Jane looked shocked.

“My father?”

“Mmm …yes…. Anyway, he disappeared for a while and then came back when you were nine months old and did the same thing again. This time he disappeared when you were a year old. And she never saw him again. End of story.”

“Is that when he died?” She was confused by the tale he told her, but he shook his head as the waiter took their plates away, and Jane pensively sipped her soda.

“No. He didn't die, sweetheart. That's what this is all about. He just disappeared and eventually your mommy divorced him. And a few years later, I came along, and we got married.” He smiled and squeezed her hand a little tighter, and she smiled in answer.

“That was when we got lucky …that's what Mommy used to say.” And it was obvious that she shared her mother's opinion in that, as in everything. And by then, she had idolized Liz even more than when she was living. But she still looked startled to hear that her father was alive, according to Bernie.

“That was when / got lucky. Anyway, Mr. Chandler Scott vanished and turned up a couple of weeks ago …here, in San Francisco….”

“How come he never called me?”

“I don't know.” He decided to be blunt with her. “He did finally call a year or so ago because he wanted money from your mommy. And when she gave it to him, he went away again. But this time he's come back, and I didn't think we should give him any money, so I didn't.” It was all simplified, but basically what had happened. He didn't tell her that they'd bought him off so he wouldn't see Jane, or that Liz hated his guts. He decided to let Jane make that decision for herself, when she saw him. But it worried him that she might like him.

“Did he want to see me?” She looked intrigued about the handsome actor.

“Now he does.”

“Can he come to dinner?” It all seemed very simple to her, but Bernie was shaking his head and she looked surprised at his reaction.

“It's not as simple as that. He and I went to court today.”

“Why?” She looked even more surprised, and a little frightened. Court sounded ominous to her.

“I went to court because I don't think he's a nice person, and I want to protect you from him. And your mommy wanted me to do that.” He had promised Liz, and he had done his best to keep his promise.

“Do you think he'd do something bad to me?”

He didn't want to frighten her too much, after all, she had to go out with him in two days, for ten hours. “No. But I think he's a little too interested in money. And we really don't know much about him.”

Her eyes looked deep into his. “Why did Mommy tell me he was dead?”

“I think because she thought it was easier to think that than always wonder where he was, or why he had gone away.” Jane nodded, it made sense to her, but she looked disappointed.

“I didn't think she ever lied to me.”

“I don't think she ever did, except that one time. And she thought it was better for you.” Jane nodded, trying to understand.

“So what did they say in court?” She was curious now.

“That we have to go to court again in another month, but in the meantime he has the right to see you. Every Saturday from nine in the morning until dinner.”

“But I don't even know him! What will I say to him all day like that?”

It seemed a funny thing to worry about to Bernie and he smiled at her. “You'll think of something.” That was the least of their problems.

“What if I don't like him? He couldn't have been too nice if he kept running out on Mommy.”

“That's what I always thought.” He decided to be honest with her. “And I didn't like him the one time I met him.”

“You met him?” She looked even more surprised, as he nodded. “When?”

“That time he came to get money from your mom. It was right before Alexander was born, and she sent me to give him the money.”

“She didn't want to see him?” That told Jane a great deal as Bernie shook his head.

“No, she didn't.”

“Maybe she didn't love him so much.”

“Maybe not.” He didn't want to get into that with her.

“Did he really go to jail?” She looked horrified at that and Bernie nodded. “What if I don't want to go on Saturday?”

That was the hard part. “Baby, I'm afraid you have to.”

“Why?” Her eyes suddenly filled with tears. “I don't even know him. What if I don't like him?”

“Then you just kind of pass the time. It's only four times until we go to court again.”

“Four times?” The tears started to roll down her cheeks.

“Every Saturday.” Bernie felt as though he had sold out his only daughter and he hated Chandler Scott and his attorney and Grossman and the courts and the judge for making him do it. And especially Grossman for telling him so coolly not to rock the boat. Chandler Scott wasn't coming to his house on Saturday to take his daughter.

“Daddy, I don't want to.” She wailed, and he told her the ugly truth of it.

“You have to.” He handed her his handkerchief and sat on the banquette next to her, and put an arm around her shoulders. She leaned her head against him and cried harder. Everything was so difficult for her now. It wasn't fair to add more. And he hated them all for it. “Look at it this way, it's only four times. And Grandma and Grampa are coming from New York for Thanksgiving. That'll give us plenty to think about.” He had put off his trip to Europe again, with all the headaches he'd been having with help at the time, and Berman didn't push him. It had been months since he'd seen his parents. Since August when his mother took the children home with her. And Mrs. Pippin had promised to make the Thanksgiving turkey. She had turned out to be the godsend she had promised to be, and Bernie was in love with her. He only hoped his mother liked her. They were about the same age and as different as night and day. His mother was expensively dressed, well groomed, a little frivolous, difficult as hell when she chose to be. Mrs. Pippin was starched and plain and as unfrivolous as a woman could be, but decent and warm and competent, and wonderful to his children, and very British. It was going to be an interesting combination.

He paid the check at the Hippo then, and walked out to the car with Jane, and when they got home, Mrs. Pippin was waiting to keep Jane company while she took a bath, read her a story, and put her to bed. And the first thing Jane did when she walked in the door, was take one look at Nanny, as they all called her now, throw her arms around her neck, and intone tragically. “Nanny, I have another father.” Bernie smiled at the drama of the words, and Nanny sniffed as she led Jane away to the bathtub.

Chapter 27

The “other” father, as Jane had referred to him, appeared almost punctually at nine-fifteen on Saturday morning. It was the Saturday before Thanksgiving. And all of them sat in the living room waiting. Bernie, Jane, Mrs. Pippin, and Alexander.

The clock on the mantel in the living room ticked mercilessly as all of them waited and Bernie began hoping that Chandler Scott wouldn't show up. But they weren't that lucky. The doorbell rang, and Jane jumped, as Bernie went to get it. She still didn't want to go out with him, and she was feeling extremely nervous as she stood close to Nanny and played with Alexander, keeping an eye on the man standing in the doorway talking to Bernie. She couldn't see him yet. But she could hear him. He had a loud voice and he sounded friendly, maybe because he was an actor, or had been.

Then she saw Bernie step aside and the man walked into the living room and looked from her to Alexander, almost as though he didn't know which was which, and then he glanced at Nanny and back at Jane.

“Hello, I'm your dad.” It was an awkward thing to say. But it was an extremely awkward moment. He didn't hold out a hand to her, and he didn't approach her, and she wasn't sure she liked his eyes. They were the same color as hers, but they darted around the room a lot, and he seemed more interested in her real daddy, as she called Bernie, than he was in her. He was looking at Bernie's big gold Rolex watch, and he seemed to be taking in the whole room, and the neat woman in the blue uniform and navy brogues who sat watching him with Alexander on her lap. He didn't ask for an introduction. “Are you ready?”

Jane shrank back and Bernie stepped forward. “Why don't you talk here for a little while, and get to know each other before you go out?” Scott didn't look pleased at the suggestion. He looked at his watch, and then at Bernie with annoyance.

“I don't think we have time.” Why? Where were they going? Bernie didn't like the sound of it, but he didn't want to say so and make Jane even more nervous than she was.

“Surely, you can spare a few minutes. Would you like a cup of coffee?” Bernie hated being so pleasant to him, but it was all for Jane's sake. Scott declined the coffee, and Jane sat on the arm of Nanny's chair and watched him. He was wearing a turtleneck sweater and blue jeans and he was carrying a brown leather jacket, and he was handsome …but not in a way she liked. He looked shiny, instead of warm and cozy like Daddy. And he looked too plain without a beard like Bernie's, she decided.

“What's the little guy's name?” He glanced at the baby, but without much interest, and Nanny told him it was Alexander. She was watching the man's face, and especially his eyes. She didn't like what she saw there, and neither did Bernie. The eyes were darting everywhere and he paid no attention to Jane at all. “Too bad about Liz,” he said to Jane, and she almost choked as he said it. “You look a lot like her.”

“Thank you,” Jane said politely. And with that he stood up and looked at his watch again.

“See you later, folks.” He didn't hold a hand out to Jane or tell her where they were going. He just walked to the door and expected her to follow, like a dog, and she looked as though she were about to cry, as Bernie smiled at her encouragingly and gave her a hug before she left, clutching a little pink sweater that matched the dress she wore. She looked as though she were dressed for a party.

“It'll be all right, sweetheart,” he whispered. “It's just for a few hours.”

“Bye, Daddy.” She hung around his neck. “Bye, Nanny …bye, Alex.” She waved at both of them and blew the baby a kiss as she headed for the door. She suddenly looked like a very little girl again, and Bernie was reminded of the first time he saw her. And something deep inside him made him want to run out and stop her, but he didn't. He watched them instead from the window. Chandler Scott said something to her as he got into a beaten-up old car, and as though with a premonition of doom, he wrote down the license number, as Jane got into the passenger seat gingerly, and the door slammed. And a moment later they drove off and he turned to see Mrs. Pippin frowning at him.

“There's something wrong with that man, Mr. Fine. I don't like him.”

“Neither do I, and I agree with you. But the court doesn't want to hear that, not for another month anyway. I just hope to hell nothing happens to her. I'll kill the sonofabitch …” He didn't finish the thought, and Nanny went out to the kitchen to pour herself a cup of tea. It was almost time for Alexander's morning nap, and she had work to do, but all day she fretted about Jane, and so did Bernie. He puttered around the house, and he had paperwork and errands to do at home, and other projects waiting for him at the store, but he couldn't concentrate on any of it. He stayed close to home all day in case she called. And at six o'clock he was sitting in the living room, tapping his foot, waiting for her. She was due in an hour, and he was anxious for her to get home.

Nanny brought the baby in to him before he went to bed, but Bernie couldn't even concentrate on him, and she shook her head as she took him to his room. She didn't want to say anything, but she had a terrible feeling in her stomach about the man who had come to take Jane away. And she had the most terrible premonition that something had happened. But she didn't say any of that to Bernie as he waited.