Dusted (14 page)

“Nah, nah, nah,” Eli said loudly, his fingers plugging his ears. “I can’t hear you.”

I waved my hand, really not enjoying the conversation. I tried to be open. You’d think their father would have told the boys about the birds and the bees, but nope, that was me. I told Hunter, and couldn’t face the thought of giving out the info two more times, so I did a combo
birds and bees
talk to Miles and Eli. And I occasionally pasted pictures in their bathroom to serve as reminders. Pictures of STD’s, of crying babies…

They hated those pictures, but I thought they were effective.

“Yes,” I said.

“I don’t want one call from school about you being late or not getting your homework done. But yes. You know I’ve never said no to you having time with your dad.”

Miles flew at me and hugged me. “Thanks, Mom. I mean, it thanks. When I win my first award, I’ll be thanking you first and foremost.”

“After that, he’s thanking his much better looking brother.”

“Sure, I’ll thank Hunter.”

“Hey,” Eli complained.

They walked away, bickering about who was the best looking brother, and then turning the discussion to how they’d reset all the clocks for Peri. And then the weekend at Hunter’s.

I went into the kitchen to the small table that served as my desk. I turned on the computer and stared at my script.

My boys would be gone Friday through next week. I’d have plenty of time to write and work on the missing art mystery. My life was definitely easier without having to cart them all over town. It was quieter, too.

I should feel relieved.

But I wasn’t.

The truth was, I feel like I’ve led a full life. And while I might not have ever walked down a red carpet award ceremony wearing those star-shaped sunglasses, I feel like my life’s been full of accomplishments. But of everything I’ve ever done, or will do, Hunter, Miles, and Eli were my greatest accomplishments. Being their mother has been the greatest joy of my life.

They would gag if I tried to say those words to them, but it was the truth.

I worked a few hours, took a dinner break with the boys and was just oozing into bed when Cal called.

I smiled when I saw his number on the caller ID and answered, “Hello, stranger.”

“Damn, I miss you,” he said. “But I think we’ve got a break on this case.”

“Good. We have that dinner on Friday with Tiny Sal, Cassandra and Julian.”

“When I was thinking about ending this case and spending time with you, that wasn’t quite what I had in mind.” His sexy, husky voice was full of innuendo.

“Well, after every good dinner, there’s dessert,” I said in what I hoped was an equally suggestive tone. “And the boys are going to Hunter’s for the weekend, and they just informed me that they’re spending the week with their dad and Peri.”

“Wait, so I’ll have you to myself for a whole week?”

“Well, you might have to share me with Dick and the script,” I teased.

I wandered into Hunter’s room as we traded stories of our days. I didn’t share my visit with Miriam, and he didn’t share details of his newest case. He seemed convinced I was going to try and solve all his murders for him.

I stared at the white-board as he talked.

I didn’t feel any burning need to solve his murder. I just wanted to figure out who stole all these paintings and replaced them with forgeries.

I wanted to clear my business and its employees of any wrongdoing.

I looked at the pictures of the artwork. It was all akin to that orange blob Miriam had showed me. Simple shapes. Bold and prominent.

There were no Pollock sort of abstracts with multiple splatters and patterns. Those would have been extremely difficult to replicate. No, whoever had stolen the art had gone for simplistic pieces.

Miriam would probably sales-pitch them as nuanced, or mention their hidden meanings.

But in my book an orange blob was an orange blob.

I looked at the two galleries where the art had been purchased. Arthur Wadsworth Gallery and Gaia’s Gallery.

I thought of Miriam mentioning hiring someone away from the competition. What if someone had changed jobs and worked with both galleries? They’d have had access to all the paintings.

Miriam mentioned the woman she’d stolen. That woman packed and framed art, but she also went to homes and hung it.

“Quincy, are you listening to me?” Cal asked, pulling me from my case back to the conversation.

“Sorry, Cal. I got a bit distracted.”

“Yeah, the kids can do that. I get it.”

I felt a stab of guilt knowing it wasn’t my kids but my white-board that had pulled me from the conversation.

“Listen, I’ll call you tomorrow and we’ll get together,” he promised.

“That sounds great.” Now, here’s where someone might say,
I love you
and the other person would answer,
I love you, too
.

We’d had our
one of the things I love about you
awkward slip and neither of us was ready to dip our toes in that murky love-water again, so I just said, “Good night.”

“Good night,” he said, too.

He hung up.

I called Robert Williams. He picked up first ring. “Quincy what do you need?”

I gave him the names of the galleries and asked him to check on Summer.

“I’ll have it to you before you wake up tomorrow,” he said, and I could hear that he was about to hang up.

“Hey, how did Theresa work out for you?” I asked.

“She found my kitchen disgusting,” he said, and for the first time, I thought I heard some genuine emotion in his voice. I’m pretty sure that the emotion was amusement.

“I might have heard something to that effect,” I said carefully.

That made him actually laugh. “I’m pretty sure she’s going to be less impressed by my bedroom.”

“And here’s a dating tip from me, not that I’m an expert. Never say that sentence to a woman again.”

I could almost hear him replay his last sentence in his head, then he laughed. Honestly guffawed.

“Thanks. I won’t. I’ll send you the info in the morning.”

“Thanks, Robert.”

“You can call me Rob,” he said and hung up.

I hung up as well.

Maybe I had a new lead.

The next morning, I hurried and checked my computer.

Robert—Rob—had sent me an email the header contained two words.
Summer Nichols.

I read his information with interest. Miriam had stolen the framer, art packager away from the competition
. The other gallery being Gaia’s Gallery.

I dropped the boys off at school, then stopped at Jerome and Peri’s to drop of their bags for next week. I obviously had woke up Peri. She came to the door in tiny, tiny shorts and a tank top. Her hair was disheveled and she had bags under her eyes.

And she still looked fantastic. “Quincy,” she said with a yawn that was punctuated by a genuine smile.

“Sorry. Miles said you were expecting me. I could have just left their bags in the garage or brought them by another day. Their friend’s parents said they’d drop the boys off here on Sunday after they get back from Hunter’s.”

She smiled. “Don’t be silly. I was expecting you. Jerome programs the coffeemaker, so the coffee should be hot if you have time for a cup?”

“Just a quick one. I have some paperwork I have to get done at the office, and then I have a call I have to make.”

“Come on in.”

She led me through the house. Jerome still owned the same house he’d owned since I’d met him. Each new wife seemed to put her own stamp on it. Peri’s stamp was actually beautiful in its simplicity. Warm earth tones, simple Shaker inspired furniture.

The kitchen was huge and faced a well-sculpted backyard and garden.

I took a seat at the small table by the window, and Peri joined me with two cups of coffee.

“I really have to drink it fast,” I said.

“Well, don’t burn yourself,” she teased.

“Hey, thanks for inviting the boys over while Ed’s here. Miles is beyond excited.”

“He’s hoping Ed will let him intern this coming summer,” Peri said. “I’m pretty sure he’ll say yes. Of all Jerome’s friends, I think Ed’s my favorite. He doesn’t pretend to be all that and then some. He’s simply hardworking and nice. I know a lot of hardworking Hollywood people, but not nearly as many nice ones.”

“Speaking of nice people, you qualify,” I said as I sipped the coffee.

“I like the boys. They’ve always been kind to me. It can’t be easy seeing your dad married to someone who’s not all that much older than you are.”

I didn’t say they’d had a lot of practice. It might hurt Peri’s feelings, and I wouldn’t do that for the world—even if it were true.

“So, tell me about Tiny’s wedding,” she said. “I want all the juicy details.”

Between my sips of coffee, I filled her in.

“Well, I can’t wait. It was so nice of you to let her invite us.”

“Have you met Tiny? There was no
letting
Tiny. She wanted you there, and so you’ll be there. She has very specific ideas on her wedding. She keeps saying it’s not the biggest, or the grandest, but it’s just perfect for her and Sal.”

“They’re one of the couples who will make it, you can just tell. Not everyone is that lucky.” There was a quiet sadness in Peri that I’d never seen before.

“Is everything okay?” I asked.

She smiled. “Still waking up. You know me, always late, and I take hours to fully wake up. You should have seen the boys trying to nudge me out of bed early to go surfing last month.” She laughed, but it didn’t ring true.

“Peri, you know you can talk to me about anything. And if you need something, all you have to do is ask.”

She nodded. “I do.”

I am not a traditional mushy person. Even though I’m a non-Maccish Mac, there are certain family traits that I absorbed through osmosis. But I made sure with my boys to let my mush out of its Mac-induced constraints. And I was pretty sure that’s what Peri needed today, so I added, “You’re family, Peri. It has nothing to do with the fact you’re married to Jerome. It has everything to do with the fact that we love you.”

She burst into tears, which had not been my intent at all.

She hugged me, holding on for dear life. “Peri, honey, what is it?”

“Nothing. I just get a little teary when I’m tired.”

I knew there was more than that going on. And I remembered the boys telling me they thought their father was becoming a bit distant with Peri. They knew what that meant…so did I.

I wasn’t sure if that was it, but I did know she wasn’t ready to talk about whatever it was.

“When you’re ready, I’m here to listen. But in the meantime, I’ve always got a hug.”

She sat up, wiped her eyes and said, “I wish you were my mother. I know that sounds horrible, since you were married to the man I’m married to, but even though we don’t talk about it a lot, we both realize that I’m only a couple years older than Hunter.”

“We don’t talk about it because it makes me feel old to think about it.” I laughed.

Peri didn’t quite laugh, but she did offer me a watery smile. “You are my family. And no matter what happens, I’m keeping you.” There was a non-Peri fierceness to her declaration.

“Ditto,” I told her.

“And you need to go now. I’ve probably made you late for work, and when you show up you’ll have a wet shoulder.”

I wasn’t going to mention the dampness on my shoulder. But since she had, I said, “Hey, I had three boys, tears are not the worst thing that’s ever adorned my shoulder, I can promise you that.”

I left and felt sad. I was pretty sure the boys were right and Jerome would soon be separating from Peri. I knew the script as well as if I wrote it.

He’d show up with a bottle of wine and say,
We have to talk
.

Then he’d say things weren’t working…for either of them. He’d tell her it was time to call it quits. He’d offer to help Peri find a new apartment, one that he’d pay for. There was a pre-nup, but the settlement was generous. Peri would never be financially strapped.

But financial stability didn’t make up for a broken heart.

Of all the women my ex had married, Peri was the gentlest heart. I ached on her behalf, even as I prayed I was wrong.

But I didn’t think I was.

“I can’t go,” Tiny moaned, moments after I walked into her office. “I can’t go to dinner tomorrow. My wedding’s in a week and I’m sure there’s something I forgot. I just can’t think of what it is. Maybe I forgot something important. I need to double check—”

“Breathe,” I ordered. “If I had a brown paper bag, I’d make you breathe into it. That’s what they do to people who are having a panic attack on television. But since I don’t, I’m going to say, even if you forgot something, it will be fine. Do you know why?”

“Why?” she asked, breathlessly.

“Because you’ll be surrounded by friends, family…and Sal will be there. I don’t even think an alien abduction could keep him away from your wedding.”

“I dreamed I was walking down the aisle…naked.” She whispered the statement, as if someone might overhear and be scandalized.

“Sweetie, it could have been worse. You could have dreamed
I
was walking down the aisle naked. I’m the maid-of-honor and walk in before you do. Just imagine your view.”

That’s all it took. Tiny broke down in laughter.

“Now, say,
Quincy, of course I’m going to dinner with you tomorrow night
,” I instructed her.

“But—”

“Don’t make me pull out my mom-look,” I warned her. “My mom-look casts terror, even in teenaged boys’ hearts. You might never recover.”

“A mom-look’s not necessary,” she said with a smile. “Yes. I’ll be there. And you don’t cast terror in anyone’s heart.”

“You wouldn’t say that if I were trying out for a
Walking Dead
zombie role. That would cast terror in your heart.”

“Not even then, Quincy Mac. You could come at me with zombie guts and gore everywhere, and you still couldn’t strike terror in my heart.” With her panic over, Tiny said, “So what’s on the agenda today?”

“Can I do anything to help settle your pre-wedding nerves?”

“You know I’m not nervous about marrying Sal, right? It’s the ceremony—I want it to be perfect.”

“I do. But I wish you wouldn’t worry about the wedding. Here’s the thing, Tiny, it’s just a day. What you need to focus on is the marriage. That’s forever, and that is something that will absolutely be perfect. As for the wedding, is there anything else I can do?

“No, you talked me off the ledge for today.” She shot me a smile and looked like herself again. “I’m fine.”

“Then I’ve got a pile of paperwork in my office, and I have to go to the gallery again this afternoon. I think I have a lead.”

“Want to talk about it?” she asked.

“Not yet. Let me see how it pans out. I got the information from Rob again. We’re going to owe our personal computer geek a few more weeks of cleaning.”

“You’re enjoying torturing Theresa, aren’t you?” she asked.

“Would it make me wicked to say yes?”

“No, because I am, too.”

We both laughed and I went into my office to start on my stack of dreaded paperwork.

I glanced up at my maid pictures from Peri.

Really, if Jerome hurt her, I was going to think of some way to torture him as well.

Like I said, I don’t believe in physical discipline, but a bit of creative punishment has some merit.

Tiny went out to meet Sal for lunch, something I heartily encouraged. He could calm her down better than any pill.

I ate lunch at my desk and finally cleared the paperwork.

There was a lot of it.

But it was all done, including the schedule for next week.

I’ll confess, I smiled when I put Rob Williams on Theresa’s list.

Tiny came back into the office at two.

“You still going out?” she asked.

“If you’re here, then I’m out of here,” I said. “Unless you need anything?”

“No, I feel much better. I told Sal about my dream, then about what you said about it would have been worse if I’d dreamed you were naked in front of me. He wiped at his eyes and said
never, use the words Quincy and naked together in a sentence again
. He thinks of you as a sister, and was a bit creeped out.”

Rather than being insulted, I felt touched that Sal thought of me as a sister.

Another brother.

No sane woman needs that—and Cal has questioned my sanity more than once, but I cling to my sane status—but still it was sweet.

“Don’t bother coming back in when you’re done. Enjoy your solo afternoon. Maybe Cal can take a dinner break?” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

It didn’t sound like a bad idea to me.

I waved at her and then took off for the gallery.

I found a parking space and walked what was now the familiar block to the brick building.

I opened the door.

Miriam came out, saw it was me, and rolled her eyes.

Whatever connection we’d had yesterday was gone. The Dragon Lady had her armor back in place.

“I was hoping Summer was around,” I said. “I have a few questions.”

“Of course you do,” she said with a sneer.

I didn’t say anything to that because really what could I say?

Miriam finally decided I wasn’t going anywhere and said, “Yes. Summer’s in the back. You just head through the door in the back of the gallery.”

A woman dressed much nicer than my jeans and Mac’Cleaner’s t-shirt, came to the door. “Hurry,” Miriam whispered.