Childless: A Novel (31 page)

Evan Dimitri
approached the same black limousine that had carried him to his corporate jet earlier in the day. A man wearing a cap stood beside the open door extending a much-needed glass of brandy that he accepted without a word before slipping inside. Then the driver trotted to the front of the vehicle and awaited instructions.

“Home,” Dimitri grunted.

It had been a long day meeting with a board of directors he neither needed nor liked. More of the same claptrap, fretting about matters he had completely in hand. Yes, profits had dipped slightly as a result of the NEXT appeal. Yes, the pending Tenth District ruling could sink all hope of hitting revenue targets. And yes, he did agree it would be wise to develop a short-term contingency plan while considering diversification options.

Dimitri hated the thought of how much time he had wasted addressing the board’s concerns. They needed to trust him. He knew exactly what had to be done. In fact, he had already set solutions in motion.

He glanced at the time. Might there be news so soon? Or had the police done a better job than usual of avoiding leaks? He tapped an icon embedded in his armrest to wake a flat screen positioned over the bar. Then he kicked off his shoes while taking a sip of his favorite post-nonsense drink. A query box appeared.

“Find any news about the NEXT appeal or Judge Victor Santiago,” he said. Almost instantaneously the two most recent stories appeared.

• FEDERAL JUDGE FOUND DEAD IN DENVER CHAMBERS 
  

• PERSON OF INTEREST QUESTIONED IN SUSPECTED JUDICIAL ASSASSINATION 
  

He watched the first clip. It revealed that one of the judges hearing the NEXT wrongful death case had died suddenly of an apparent heart attack. The same judge many political and corporate titans feared would tip the scales against the transition industry. Dimitri knew that Judge Santiago’s death, while tragic for the family, could be a boon to company stock when markets opened the following day. He smiled at the realization that profits, for now, remained safe from the unpredictable actions of a crusading judge.

The second clip revealed that someone “close to the case” said police had questioned an unnamed man with some connection to what they now feared might have been an assassination. No mention of any accomplices or a conspiracy. A probable lone killer.

Dimitri gave an approving nod in response to the sparse details before tapping an icon that prompted the voice of his ever-available assistant Kim.

“Yes, sir.”

“Get me Dean Myerson.”

Moments later another voice came on the line. “You saw the news?”

“I did. Any surprises?”

A long silence. “Actually, yes. The suspect walked after questioning. I didn’t see that coming.”

Dimitri cursed. “He walked? Did they charge him?”

“Murder. But something happened during the interrogation that made them drop it down to suspected mail fraud. The Manichi guy’s lawyer demanded they release him to his oversight.”

“It’s pronounced
Manichean
,” Dimitri said, feeling a shade of concern. “What about our letter?”

“As far as I can tell they still think the guy wrote it.”

A look of reassurance came over Dimitri’s face. “Good. That’s perfect.” He took another sip of brandy.

“I guess,” Dean replied.

“Keep me posted if anything changes.”

“Will do, sir.”

Dimitri ended the call before summoning Kim back onto the line.

“I’m here, sir,” she said.

“I need you to draft a message to the board of directors. Tell them we’ve received word that a decision in the NEXT case will be delayed until they can assign a new team of judges. We can expect business as usual for the rest of the fiscal year.”

“Got it.”

“Send me a draft to proof later tonight.”

“As you wish,” she said before being cut off.

His short-term problem had been resolved, buying him time to finalize a longer-term growth strategy he had been considering for months. He felt a sudden surge of creative energy demanding he flesh out the concept further.

“Driver?”

“Sir?”

“I’ve changed my mind. Take me to the office.”

Renee slid
a covered plate in front of Tyler. He had offered to serve, but she had insisted he join her parents at the table and seemed excited about whatever gourmet bird food she had been preparing. He was trapped. But he didn’t mind. Not really. He had never found her more attractive.

Perhaps it was because Renee had spent every waking moment of the past few days trying to lift him out of the dumps. She had apologized at least a dozen times for banishing him to the sofa on the night before the terrible day. And then there was the refrigerator surprise. He found an unopened Hostess snack sitting on the shelf right next to a gallon of soy milk. Never mind that he hated soy milk. It was the thought that counted.

But that wasn’t the reason. Something else had made Renee more appealing.

Tyler reached for the mystery plate to peek under the makeshift lid before feeling a slap at his hand.

“Not yet,” Renee said playfully. “Wait until I serve everyone.”

He grinned sheepishly toward Gerry and Katherine. Neither paid him any attention. Gerry was enamored with the spoon that doubled as a mirror he was using to peer up his left nostril. Katherine sipped her glass of water, staring in blissful contentment as usual.

Tyler continued watching Renee in search of what had changed. She had the same perky face, cute hairstyle, and slight figure. A guilt-induced cupcake notwithstanding, she maintained the same obsession with all things healthy and tasteless. And her nonstop hovering while trying to cheer him up, while appreciated, had started to make him feel claustrophobic. He almost wanted to go back to work. Almost, but not quite. He couldn’t bear to take on another jealous-lover case. Not after coming so close to doing something important again.

Tyler noticed Renee sitting down to join them at the table. Then she smiled in his direction.

“Smells delicious,” he said. “What is it?”

“You’ll find out in a minute.”

Despite low expectations Tyler prepared himself to react with delight. He’d love to find a pile of garlic-and-bacon mashed potatoes next to a pecan-crusted chicken breast. But he knew it was more likely he’d discover steamed cauliflower with a tofu garnish. Either way, Renee deserved an enthusiastic response.

He looked across the table at Gerry and Katherine. Then he looked back at their daughter, now placing a napkin on her lap.

“Ready?” she asked like a giddily excited girl.

“I’m ready,” Tyler replied in the most energetic voice he could muster as Gerry finally placed the spoon back on the table.

“Then take a look.”

It was worse than Tyler had imagined. Some sort of green slimy base possibly made of boiled spinach beneath what appeared to be a baked slab of…what? Certainly not any kind of meat he had ever eaten.

“Baked eggplant!” Renee announced proudly. “I’ve been trying to find a good recipe forever. This one said it tastes just like fried chicken but with less than half the calories and much, much less fat.”

“Mmm,” Tyler said in anticipation of a meal he was sure to hate. “Sounds wonderful.”

He took a big bite. The texture felt more like warmed squash than crispy chicken. He chewed, slowly at first. He considered saying something but realized a second and third mouthful would mean more to Renee than the most perfectly worded compliment.

“Do you like it?” her eyes asked.

Tyler recalled a comment from Smitty. “Love is a choice, not a feeling.”

“I love it!” he willed himself to say.

Renee leaped from her seat to hug Tyler’s neck. Startled at first, he moved his arms around her waist and invited her to sit on his lap.

“Tyler Cain!” she pretended to protest. “Not in front of the children.”

Renee’s parents smiled at the comment. That’s when it struck him.

Gerry and Katherine!

“I need you to understand something,” Renee had said a few days before. “My parents are my priority right now. I mean, I love you. I want you. But they’re my flesh and blood.”

With a single gutsy declaration Renee had transformed herself from a weak, clingy lover into something else. Something better. She had made a choice to do what was right by her folks even if it meant losing the man she loved. Losing him! And rather than pushing Tyler away, the resolve had drawn him toward her like nails to a magnet. He knew that Renee loved him. But he also realized that she didn’t
need
him. The subtle change made her someone he wanted to pursue rather than flee; someone strong enough to expect him to do what was right, and to become his best. A woman who deserved better than she had received. Better, perhaps, than he could possibly ever give.

For the first time in a while Tyler felt lucky to have her in his life. Possibly because he realized he had almost driven her out of it.

Tyler had taken the Santiago case hoping for a high-paying gig that would inch him closer to freedom from what he saw as Renee’s needy, demanding presence. Had he successfully prevented the assassination he would have received a handsome bonus. He could have paid off their joint loan. Today might have been the day he sent Renee packing and returned to the carefree existence he thought he wanted. Instead, he was starting to realize, it was the day he would invite Renee to add meaning to his miserable excuse for a life. But when? How? Certainly not while sitting across from her nostril-ogling dad.

Tyler did his best to remain enthusiastic while enduring the rest of his meal. As soon as he finished, Renee scooped a second serving onto his plate. He wanted to say, “No more, thank you. I’m stuffed!” But her beautiful eyes won the moment. He took another bite.

“Oh,” she said. “I nearly forgot to tell you, Smitty called today while you were napping.”

He had been “napping” much of the past two days.

“He asked if you could drop by tomorrow afternoon.”

Not a chance
, Tyler thought. The last place he wanted to be right now was the police station. He didn’t need another reminder of his ineptitude or another sniggering glare from the likes of Kory Sanders.

“I said you’d be there around two o’clock.”

“You said what?”

“Come on, babe. It’ll do you good. You need to get out.”

He swallowed back a protest. Renee was probably right. Nothing good would come of another day moping around the house. Besides, Smitty had been kind. He had refused to let Tyler own the blame for Judge Santiago’s death. “You were right about Matthew Adams,” Smitty had insisted. “The guy was no assassin.”

So who was? There were countless possibilities. Unlikely as it seemed, the letters from Matthew Adams were an uncanny coincidence. He’d happened to write a series of benign letters at the same time someone else was planning an assassination. Someone, perhaps, with more to gain than Matthew. Or more to lose.

“I don’t know,” Tyler objected weakly. “I’m not sure I’m ready to—”

“You’re ready,” Renee interrupted. “And you’re good at what you do.”

He looked away, wishing he could agree. Then he felt Renee’s hand on his jaw forcing his gaze in her direction.

“Do you hear me?” she said. “You’re a very good detective. That’s what Smitty thinks, anyway.”

It took five seconds for the comment to sink in. “What?”

“He told me you followed the evidence where it led and that every detective on his team would have reached the exact same conclusions you did.”

“He said that?”

“He did. I bet he wants to talk to you about a job.”

“Unlikely.” Tyler knew better. The force was still over budget. Smitty needed to cut rather than add positions.

“Or maybe he has another case for you to solve.”

The possibility sounded good to Tyler. He certainly had no appetite for another House of Delights stakeout.

“OK,” he relented. “I’ll go.”

Renee grinned with satisfaction while taking another bite.

Tyler couldn’t help smiling back.

Gerry chose that moment to enter the conversation. “Doggone it,” he said. “When do you plan to stop pussyfooting around and make an honest woman out of my daughter?”

“Daddy!” Renee shouted with a blush while Katherine looked up in apparent delight.

“Well,” Gerry continued, “it’s obvious neither one of you is going anywhere. Why not make it official?”

Tyler said nothing at first. A few days earlier he would have assumed Renee had orchestrated the moment. But the look on her face said she was equally surprised, equally embarrassed.

What none of the others could know was that Smitty had raised the same point two days before. “You should marry Renee,” he had said after asking about their relationship. “She deserves to be happy. So do you.”

Smitty had come to see marriage as a gift rather than a burden; a source of happiness rather than stress. He’d even invited Tyler to meet with a pastor from his church. “Premarital counseling would help you get off on the right foot,” he had suggested.

Renee looked at Tyler. She appeared unsettled. “I’m sorry,” she whispered toward his ear. “Daddy shouldn’t have said that.”

“You’re right,” Tyler whispered back. “He shouldn’t have said it.”

Then Tyler stood up from the table.

“Come on, Tyler, don’t be upset,” Gerry began. But Tyler raised his hand to silence the old man.

“No,” he said insistently. “I have every right to be upset. And I am. I’m very upset.”

Renee looked distraught, as if her father had ruined their otherwise perfect evening.

“I’m upset at myself for letting you beat me to the punch,” Tyler continued. Then he bent down on one knee in front of Renee, who seemed uncertain how to respond. Was she protecting herself from thinking what was happening was actually happening? “Renee,” Tyler said after kissing her hand, “I have a question to ask you that’s long overdue.”

Tears of uncertain joy began forming in her eyes.

“Will you marry me?” he asked.

A flood of emotion released as Renee nodded breathlessly.

Tyler accepted her kiss while Gerry and Katherine reached for one another’s hand.

“Oh, wait!” Tyler said suddenly as if realizing he had made a big mistake. “I take it back.”

“What?” Gerry said. “Take it back?”

“I need twenty-four hours.”

“What for?” Katherine asked timidly.

“I need a ring to do this properly,” he said to Renee’s obvious relief. Then he stood. “Can I ask you again tomorrow?”

“Yes. Yes. Yes,” she shouted through tears with an even more vigorous nod.

Tyler returned to his seat, proud of his own courageous act. Reckless? Perhaps. But he knew it felt right. Knew it
was
right.

Renee accepted a hug from her mother while Tyler stabbed his fork into another bite of food. He raised it mindlessly to his mouth and began chewing. The flavor, he suddenly realized, was starting to grow on him.