Further Tales of the City (27 page)

M
ICHAEL LEFT JON IN HIS APARTMENT AND HURRIED
downstairs to Mrs. Madrigal’s under the pretext of bumming a joint.

“Look,” he said. “How much did you tell him, anyway?”

“About what?”

“For starters, that media geisha we’ve got locked in the basement.”

“We didn’t discuss any of that,” said the landlady.

“Does he know where Mary Ann is? Does he know about DeDe and the twins? He was on the
Sagafjord,
Mrs. Madrigal! He’s the ship’s doctor!”

“What?”

“I can’t believe it either. Jesus … what are we gonna do?” Mrs. Madrigal studied him for a moment. “That’s up to you, dear.”

“Me?”

“Well … if he’s no longer a member of the family, I don’t think it’s fair to implicate him in our shenanigans. I think you should ask him to leave as soon as possible.”

Silence.

“Unless, of course, you want him to stay.”

Michael glowered at her. “He says you invited him to the wedding.”

“I did. I think Mary Ann and Brian would like that. Where is Brian, anyway? Has Jon talked to him?”

“He’s working,” said Michael.

“I could put Jon in Burke’s old room,” offered Mrs. Madrigal. “If you don’t mind, that is?”

“What makes you think he’d
want
to stay in a house with a kidnapped anchorwoman in the basement?”

“We could ask and find out.”

Michael sighed resignedly. “Do what you want, O.K.?”

“Well,” said the landlady, “I think we owe him an explanation. He brought those children into the world, remember?”

The explanation was a monumental task. When Michael had finished, Jon’s confusion was obvious.

“Now, wait a minute! This makes no sense at all.”

“Tell
me,
” said Michael.

“You mean … those four-year-olds were DeDe’s
children?”

Michael and the landlady nodded in unison.

“But … I thought they were Mrs. Halcyon’s foster grandchildren … Vietnamese orphans.”

“That’s what DeDe told her to say,” said Michael. “They were trying to avoid publicity until Mary Ann could release the story properly.”

“But they weren’t
kidnapped,”
said Jon.

Mrs. Madrigal blinked at him. “What on earth are you talking about, Jon?”

“They weren’t kidnapped,” the doctor repeated. “I watched a movie with them yesterday.”

“Where?” asked Michael.

“On the ship. And Sean Starr was with them. They were getting along famously, too.”

Mrs. Madrigal leaned closer to the doctor. “Jon, dear … are you sure we’re talking about the same children?”

“We must be. I didn’t even see them on the trip up … I suppose Mrs. Halcyon didn’t want me to … but I saw them
several times on the trip back. There can’t be that many Oriental four-year-olds on a cruise ship. Besides, Sean
told
me they were Mrs. Halcyon’s foster grandchildren.”

“Jesus,” murmured Michael.

“What do you mean?”

“Well … didn’t you think it was strange that Mrs. Halcyon wasn’t there?”

“A little,” said Jon, “but Sean said that she and Prue Giroux had decided to spend more time in Sitka. He also said he was an old friend of the family, so I figured … well, I figured he
was.
He was a nice enough guy.”

“Did he say where he was taking the children?” asked Michael.

Jon shook his head. “I assumed he was delivering them to Halcyon Hill.”

Michael shook his head, groaning softly. Mrs. Madrigal looked deathly ill. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” asked Michael.

The landlady nodded. “Bambi.”

“Who’s Bambi?” asked Jon.

Michael regarded him for a moment, then turned to Mrs. Madrigal. “Your turn,” he said.

P
RUE WAS SO HORRIFIED BY THE SIGHT OF THE RABBIT
skins that she didn’t look up until Vuitton’s yelping disturbed her.

“Hush, Vuitton. We’re going soon … I promise.”

“I hope you don’t,” said a voice just outside the door.

The columnist’s heart caught in her throat. She spun around to see Luke crouched in the doorway, stroking the wolfhound’s muzzle. He looked up and gave her the sunniest smile. “Welcome home, my love.”

“Luke, I …”

“Don’t say a word, O.K.? I don’t care where you’ve been, I’m just glad you’re back.”

Disbelieving silence.

“I knew you’d be back,” Luke continued, rising to his feet. “I knew you’d come here to find me, if I waited long enough.” He extended his arms in a posture of crucifixion. “Doesn’t Dad get a hug?”

Some nameless instinct told her to do it.

“You’re shivering,” he said, holding her in his arms. “That fog’s pretty bad, huh?”

She nodded against his chest.

“How did you do it?” he asked.

“What?”

“Miss the ship.”

She pulled away from him. “Luke … what on earth are you talking about? This is … crazy. I’ve practically had a nervous breakdown this week. I can’t take this anymore, Luke … I can’t. Where are those children?”

“They’re here,” he smiled. “They’re fine.”

“Where?”

“Huh-uh. You answer my question first.”

“Luke … uh, what question?”

He traced her eyebrow with his beefy forefinger. “I waited for you,” he said quietly. “Two hours, at least. I was mighty worried, Prue.”

“When? Where?”

“Back in Sitka. After we had our … little tiff at the café, I took the children back to the ship and waited for you in my room.” His finger slid down the side of her face, stopping at her chin. “But no Prue. The ship sailed without you.”

“You mean …
you were on it?”

“You deserted me, Prue. No one’s ever done that before. I hope you realize that.”

“
I
deserted
you?
Listen to me, Luke … you dragged those children off under your arm! I saw you do it!”

Luke shrugged. “I was angry. I didn’t want them to be around you … no, not you, your principles … all the bourgeois babble. Your world doesn’t
work,
Prue. I realized that in Sitka. There’s a reason I live the way I do. Surely you can see that now.”

She jerked away from him and snatched up one of the rabbit skins. “I see
this,
Luke! I saw what you did to those poor little things!”

He took the skin from her and stroked its fur gently. “Didn’t your brother ever skin rabbits back in Grass Valley?”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

“Well, didn’t he?”

Prue looked away. “Why on earth would you …? Those rabbits weren’t yours, Luke. You had no right to…. This is insane! What am I even discussing this for?”

His hand moved down the long curve of her neck and came to rest on her shoulder blade. “You still haven’t told me why you didn’t come back to the ship.”

“But I
did.
I spent half-an-hour searching for you in Sitka, and then I came back to tell Frannie Halcyon that … you and the children were missing.”

“You didn’t check my room?”

“Twice. It was locked both times.”

“I must’ve been off with the children. I was still a little angry, hardly in a mood to seek you out. It simply never occurred to me that you might not be on board when the ship sailed. When I realized you weren’t on board, I couldn’t even ask for help, Prue … or report you missing. I was traveling with a phony ID. Anyway, why didn’t
you
put out a missing persons notice?”

“We were going to,” blurted Prue, “but Frannie called DeDe when we realized that the ship was about to sail … and DeDe said to get off the ship immediately and not to say a …”

“Wait a minute. She called who?”

“DeDe. Her daughter.”

“I thought you said she died in Guyana.”

“No … lost. I said she was lost. She’s home now. Oh, Luke … we really thought you were ashore. I never dreamed you’d come back to the ship after …” She cut herself off.

“After what?”

“It doesn’t matter. Really.”

He leaned down and kissed her softly on the mouth. “What matters, my precious one … is that we’re together again.”

“Luke, I don’t …”

“We’re together in body
and
spirit. A unity.”

Silence.

“This time it’ll work, Prue. I know it. Everything is so much easier when you have a family.”

M
OTHER?”

“DeDe! Thank God! Where are you?”

“Nome. Listen, Mother … ”

“Did you find them?”

“No. Not yet. I’m coming home, Mother. I just wanted you to know …”

“This is awful! Oh God, this is
awful,
DeDe. I thought you said you could …”

“I
tried,
Mother. I was sure we could….”

“You’re insane! I’m calling the police right now. We can’t go on handling this thing on our own. I don’t
care
about the publicity anymore. I don’t …”

“It isn’t the publicity, Mother. It’s Mr. Starr. We can’t afford to have him hear about this from the media.”

“So you just let him run off with your children? I’ve never heard such madness! You’ve lost all sense of judgment, DeDe. Anyone who distrusts the police so much that …”

“I don’t distrust the police. I just know your Mr. Starr.”

“You’ve never met him!”

Silence.

“DeDe?”

“I think I
have
met him, Mother.”

“What on earth are you talking about? DeDe … please, darling … you’re scaring me to death!”

“I’m sorry. Mother. I’ve tried to protect you, but I need your help now. I want you to be brave. Can you do that for me?”

“Of course I can. What are you talking about?”

“Is Emma there?”

“Of course. She’s always here.”

“You’ve got company, then. Are any of those Quaaludes left?”

“DeDe …”

“I want you to take one after we hang up.”

“DeDe, I’m calling the police after we hang up. You’re not responsible for your actions anymore. That’s become perfectly clear, and I
won’t
be …”

“Sit down, Mother!”

“I
am
sitting down.”

“Good. Now listen to me … Mother, please don’t cry.”

“I can’t help it.”

“I’ll be back tomorrow morning, Mother. We’ll talk about the police then.”

Silence.

“In the meantime, I want you to know about Mr. Starr, so we can discuss this rationally when I get home tomorrow. You’ve won, Mother. I’ll do whatever you want. Only hear me out. There isn’t time to waste.”

“Mouse, it’s Mary Ann.”

“Thank God! Where are you?”

“Nome. We didn’t find them. The whole damn thing has been a wild goose chase.”

“They’re
here,
Babycakes! Somewhere.”

“What!”

“Jon saw them come back on the ship. Jon Fielding. He’s the doctor on the
Sagafjord!”

“You’re making this up!”

“I wish I were! Didn’t somebody
check
to see if they were
on the ship? I mean … this doesn’t sound like a kidnapping at all. Meanwhile, we’ve got a fairly pissed-off lady living in the basement.”

“I know. I’ll take care of that. Is Jon
sure?”

“He’s sure.”

Silence.

“What now, my love?”

“God!”

“That isn’t an answer, I’m afraid.”

“Listen, Mouse … did Jon know where they were going?”

“He assumed they were being delivered to Halcyon Hill.”

“Forget that.”

“Jon said he was a friend of the family.”

“Well, he’s
not,
Mouse. He’s lying. The man went berserk. He kidnapped those children!”

“And then cruised leisurely back to San Francisco.”

“Mouse … I know it sounds crazy … but that’s because
he’s
crazy. Something’s not right here.”

“You’ll get no argument from me.”

“At least the kids are O.K.”

“Mmm. Bambi will be relieved to know that, too.”

“Jesus, Mouse … I’m really sorry.”

“Do you let her out, then?”

“Well … no. I mean, the kids are still missing and … God, I can’t think straight anymore. You might as well keep her until I get back tomorrow. I’d rather do my explaining there. Please tell Mrs. Madrigal not to worry … and tell Brian I love him. I tried to reach him, but the line was busy at Perry’s.”

“I’ll tell him you called. Take care, Babycakes.”

“You too. I miss you.”

“Same here,” said Michael.

“By the way, ask Jon …”

“He’s staying for the wedding,” said Michael.

“Fabulous.”

“In Burke’s room.”

“Less than fabulous.”

“Don’t
you
start,” said Michael.

Y
OU ASKED ABOUT THE CHILDREN,” SAID LUKE, STILL
holding Prue tight against his chest.

“Yes.”

He studied her at arm’s length for a moment, then beamed like a doting father. “Come along. It’s getting dark. We should fetch them.”

He led her up the slope into the rhododendron dell, grasping her arm as he steered her through the labyrinthine thicket.

Emerging from the dell, they followed the U-shaped ridge until the swamp below was visible through a clearing in the underbrush. There, frolicking along the water’s edge, two tiny figures were visible.

“Edgar!” called Luke. “Anna! Come along, children. Time for bed.”

The twins looked up and squealed in protest.

“No arguments!” shouted Luke. “It’s almost dark.”

So the children scampered up the steep path to the ridge. When they caught sight of Prue, they shouted her name gleefully. She knelt next to them and accepted their hugs, feeling curiously maternal.

“They look fine,” she said to Luke. It was true.

“They can’t stay out of the dirt,” he said, tousling Edgar’s hair. “Isn’t that right, roughneck?”

Prue picked a twig out of Anna’s sweater. “They’ll be so relieved,” she said.

“Who?” asked Luke.

“Frannie and DeDe.”

Silence.

“We can call a cab from that phone booth outside the de Young,” said Prue. “We can get them home in an hour. Oh, Luke … this is like a great weight being lifted off …”

“I don’t want you talking that way in front of the children!”

That quicksilver rage had come back into his eyes.

“I didn’t …”

“They
are
home, Prue! I thought you, of all people, would understand that!”

“Luke …”

“Shut up, Prue! We’ll talk about it later. After the K-I-D-S are A-S-L-E-E-P. Understand?”

Back at the shack, she watched as the twins curled up on pallets on the floor. Luke tucked them in, giving each a rabbit pelt to hold. Then he tiptoed out into the fog, taking Prue with him.

“We’re going away,” he whispered.

“We can’t just leave them …”

“No. The four of us, I mean. The family. We’re complete now. We have everything we need. We’ll move to South America and start a new life, Prue. God almighty! I’m so happy!”

“Luke … those children don’t belong to us.”

“And who do they belong to? That old society vulture? They aren’t her flesh and blood. She got them at an agency, Prue. She told you so herself.”

“I know, but …”

“Haven’t you always wanted children?”

Silence.

“Haven’t you?”

“Luke, that has nothing to …”

“It’s too late to have them yourself. Well … now you have them! And a lover who adores you more than life itself. Don’t you see how right this is? We’re getting exactly what we deserve, Prue! Look into my eyes and behold your destiny!”

She looked into his eyes and beheld madness.

After a moment’s hesitation, she said: “All right.”

“All right what?”

“I’ll go with you. It sounds wonderful, Luke.”

He almost crushed her with his embrace. “Thank God … thank God!”

“We can leave in the morning,” she said. “I’ll need to pick up a few things … and some credit cards. We can charter a jet. We’ll manage.”

He sniffed back the tears. “It’ll be paradise. You’ll see.”

Prue inched towards the ledge. “Wonderful. Then I’ll meet you back here in the …”

“No. I want you to stay here with the children. I’m going out for a few hours.”

“Oh.”

“I shouldn’t be long. I’ll tuck you in with the children. I have a few … loose ends to tie up.”

“I see.” Prue’s skin grew prickly with anticipation. Was this her chance for escape? Or would he simply lock the door when he left?

“Children can be so insistent,” said Luke, caressing Prue’s neck in the darkness.

“How’s that?”

A low chuckle. “He wants his fire engine.”

“The little boy?”

“Uh-huh. It’s in the garden at the old lady’s house. He’s been missing it since Sitka. I promised him I’d get it for him. I guess that’s the least his Dad can do.”

Silence.

“Do you think that’s foolish?”

“No. Not at all. I think it’s sweet.”

“I found the address on his luggage. I hope it’s the right one.”

“In Hillsborough?”

“Uh-huh. Do you think the old lady will be there?”

“I don’t know.”

“What about … whatshername … DeDe?”

“It’s hard to say.”

“I’ll be careful, then.”

“Do you have a way?” asked Prue. “Do you need cab fare? It’s some distance.”

He touched her cheek gently. “I can manage.”

Then he led her back into the shack, tucked her into bed, and kissed her tenderly on the eyelids.

“Soon,” he whispered.

When he left, closing the door behind him, she listened carefully for a click of the padlock.

It never came.

She felt, already, as if she had betrayed him.