When You're Expecting Something Else (13 page)

“Jared’s having an episode,” Marta said softly. “He’s agitated from his head injury. I need help to make him swallow this pill. Otherwise, I’ll have to give him an injection. You don’t want a shot do you, Jared?”

“No,” Jared mumbled, feeling penitent. “I want my phone and my cat…”

Fred reached behind Jared’s shoulders and used his strength to hold him upright, while Marta used a spoon to push the little blue pill back through his lips.

“I’m sorry,” Jared said, realizing that he was being difficult when his caregivers were only trying to help.

Chapter Fifteen

Bradley Lawton peeked in on his twin daughters as they knelt side by side in front of June’s single bed. The twin girls, June and Janet were dressed identically in yellow baby doll pajamas, each looking little an angel, their golden hair haloed around their heads. Kelly, his wife, knelt between the girls, guiding them in the nightly ritual of learning their prayers.

“Sissy says her own words and not the ones from church,” Janet said, her blue eyes pleading with her mother for a chance to deviate from memorizing the boring
Our Father.

Kelly, a staunch, old-school Catholic wanted the girls to know at least three main prayers before they started kindergarten at the parochial school next year. So far, the girls weren’t particularly interested in learning rote prayers despite Kelly’s persistence. Bradley really didn’t care if the girls learned the prayers or not. He’d agreed to let them be raised in the church as a condition of being allowed to marry Kelly despite his lack of religious affiliation.

“What would you say to God if you prayed in your own works?” Kelly asked finally, her patience tried. “June, you go first, you’ve done better prayers than Janet tonight.”

Bradley, about to walk away from the doorway where he’d remained unnoticed, turned back when he heard his young daughter’s plea. “Please God, find Uncle Jared. He missed Janet’s and my birthday. He said he’d bring us our own Damselfly Nymph computer game, but he didn’t come.”

“That’s my prayer, too!” Janet chimed. “Uncle Jared promised!”

“That’s enough, girls. Make the sign of cross and get into your beds,” Kelly said, obviously frustrated by the twins’ materialism. “You’re not supposed to pray for things.”

“Well, why not?” Janet started to ask, then noticed her father in the doorway. “Daddy!” she squealed and raised her arms for a hug. Caught, Bradley forced a cheerful smile, came into the pink and white polka dotted room, and kissed each of the children goodnight.

“I guess I’d better go find your Uncle Jared and make an honest man out of him,” Bradley teased, swallowing the concern burning in his throat.

“You can’t just go popping in on him at this hour of night,” Kelly scolded, following her husband into the hallway where Bradley was already pulling a sweatshirt over his head.

“It’s only eight-thirty, not late unless you have kids,” he said, though he’d never popped in on Jared before, in fact, hadn’t even seen Jared’s new house. He knew Jared moved out of his condo and into a substantial home in a prestigious section of Palo Alto about six months before. Usually, he saw him at the office, or when Jared came to a social invitation at their home in Burlingame. Jared had never missed an invitation to see the girls. Until now.

“He’s not answering his phone,” Bradley said, trying again. “Serves him right if he doesn’t want unexpected pop-ins.”

Twenty-five minutes later, Bradley Lawton parked his BMW in front of Jared’s house, surprised to see everything aglow, the huge, stately house all lit up inside and out, the lawn and gardens moist and well tended. He felt anger mix with relief. He’d expected to find the house looking dark and unoccupied. He didn’t know what to think now that he knew Jared was probably inside, not gone AWOL at all. Anger, he decided, he felt anger that Jared was ignoring him.

Strutting up to the front door, he impatiently pressed the doorbell three times and banged the heavy black doorknocker. Served him right if Jared was annoyed by his noisy persistence. His annoyance with Jared outweighed anything Jared could possibly feel.

“You’re late… Oh…” The last thing he expected to see was the pretty, laughing face of Marta Lewski when the door finally opened. Music played in the background and the sound of voices carried from the living room to the front door. What the hell? Jared had never been party person. Was this even the right address?

“I’m looking for Jared Wise,” he said apologetically.

“Who are you?” Marta asked suspiciously. “Are you a doctor?”

“Is this the home of Jared Wise?” Bradley asked again. “I’m looking for Jared Wise. Am I in the right place?”

“Yes, yes, he’s here,” Marta said, but rather than invite him inside, she stood shocked still in the doorway. “What do you want?” she stuttered, her beautiful face marred by the glow of imperfection cast by her guilty conscience and her fear of having been discovered.

“Tell Jared that Bradley Lawton is here,” Bradley said, suspicious of the party atmosphere and the beautiful young woman who looked much like the cat who’d just swallowed the canary. The only thing missing were yellow feathers hanging out of her lipstick coated mouth.

“Actually, Jared’s been in an accident. I’m Marta Lewski, his live-in nurse,” Marta managed to squeak. By then, Fred and Cassandra, along with Kaitleen’s friend Julius, had gathered on the entranceway marble to see what was going on. They’d been expecting Kaitleen to join them at any minute, and thought the doorbell was her ringing, though she had her own key. Julius held a half filled highball glass and raised it towards Bradley.

“Come on in,” Julius invited. “Can I get you a drink? Jared’s asleep. We’re his care team, hired by his Aunt Margaret. Come on in, we’ll explain it to you inside.”

Just then Kaitleen drove up, parking an older model Nissan Maxima behind Bradley’s BMW. She rushed to the doorway carrying bags of groceries. “Sorry I’m late,” she gushed breathlessly before noticing the visitor. “Oh…” Like Marta, she stopped before finishing her sentence and looked just as guilty, though not nearly as
 
pretty.

“This is Jared’s friend,” Julius quickly explained, gaining control of the situation before Kaitleen could say something stupid. “We’re about to reconvene in the living room to fill him in on Jared’s status. Apparently, Jared’s Aunt Margaret hasn’t informed Jared’s friends about his accident.”

Bradley’s thoughts raced a mile minute. Aunt Margaret? Jared never talked about having an Aunt Margaret. He talked about Pappy as his only living relative. Then there was Maggie, Jared’s friend from Boston, apparently the nanny who’d raised him. He’d met Maggie last year. She’d been visiting when the twins had their third birthday and Jared had brought her to their birthday party. No, Bradley Lawton was positive that Jared Wise did not have an Aunt Margaret. But, he was willing to play along for the time being, as long as he could see Jared and ascertain how he was doing. An accident? He felt the worm twist in his stomach. Something felt very, very fishy.

He followed the five caregivers into Jared’s living room where they turned off the music and offered him a seat on the leather couch along with the offer of a drink. “Water,” he said, with a dismissive gesture. “I don’t intend to stay long. If I could just talk with Jared for a few minutes, then I can be on my way.”

“Let me check on him,” Marta said. “I’ll be right back. She hastened down the hallway to Jared’s room where, once there, she expertly drew medication up into a syringe, an intramuscular sedative that she silently injected into Jared’s lateral thigh without waking him up. She wasn’t taking any chances that Jared would wake up enough to talk to his visitor.

On returning to the living room, she announced, “Well, he’s still sleeping soundly. He’s had a head injury from the accident. You can see him, but don’t worry if he sleeps through your visit.” Her eyes passed from Bradley to the others who relaxed noticeably when she appeared calm.

“Come on, follow me,” she invited, leading Bradley Lawton to Jared’s bedside.

Chapter Sixteen