Memory Lapse: A Slater Vance Novel (4 page)

“No, we don’t have any
open beds at the moment, either.” Tucker stood for another minute, trying to
gain inspiration from the fake setting, but got none. “Well, thanks for seeing
me, Ben. I know how busy you are. See you on Sunday?”

Rising to his feet, Ben
stretched out a hand to Tucker. “You’re welcome, Father. I’m never too busy to
see you. I just wish there was something I could do, but… yes, I’ll see you on
Sunday.”

Slater watched his
brother pull the door closed quietly behind him. He could tell from the slump
in Tucker’s shoulders that he’d not been able to help Honey Luscious. He didn’t
really understand why his brother was so caught up in her drama anyway. He
could have understood it if she had been a member of his church or a family
member. But she was just a stranger. The mess she’d made of her life was of her
own doing. Sometimes payback was a bitch. Personally – not that he’d voice it
aloud – he agreed with Nurse Terry. People like Honey Luscious invariably
landed on their feet. He’d prefer it if his brother didn’t get involved with the
likes of Honey Luscious. While he loved his brother, sometimes Tucker didn’t
live in the real world. He didn’t understand that putting your hand out to
someone could get it bit.

“Come on, Tucker, I’ll
buy you a drink. You look like you could use one.”

They ended up in the
hospital cafeteria with a cup of coffee and a slice of apple pie.

While Slater tucked into
his serving, Tucker picked at his with the fork.

“Listen, Tuck, you did
all you could. You’ve got to let this go. The girl will be okay. Eventually her
memory will come back and she’ll slither back to whatever
hole
she crawled up from.”

Tucker setting his
plastic fork down in a very careful manner had the same effect as if he’d
slammed it down, cussing. Slater heard his neck pop as he craned it to one
side, immediately on guard for what was coming next.

Folding his hands
together in front of him, Tucker leaned forward against the table.

“For such a
self-professed smart man, you can be a real dumbass sometimes.”

Unable to stop the grin
from crossing his face at hearing his brother –
the Father
– cuss, Slater leaned back in his seat, smirking. “Do
tell.”

“Did you look at Honey…
really look at her? Did you notice her hair? Did you see her skin?”

Slater pursed his lips together,
suddenly tired of the life and times of Honey-frigging-Luscious.
“Apparently not as much as you noticed… no.”

Shoving his pie plate
forward, he said, “Oh, give me a break. I’m a priest and you are seriously in
the wrong profession. If you’d paid attention, you would have noticed that her
hair has luster to it. A luster which comes from continual maintenance, and her
skin is clear, which comes from care and non-drug use. Also, if you’d taken
even the most minuscule amount of time to talk with her, you would have noticed
from her speech that she obviously comes from money. There is no possible way
she’s a prostitute.”

“Whether she is or isn’t,
why
do
you care so much? Don’t you think you might be
a little too attached to this woman, Tucker?”

Tucker picked up his
coffee cup and took a deliberately long sip before responding. “You know the
biggest problem the world faces today, Slate? It’s blindness. People refuse to
see the suffering of others. Society today teaches if it’s not
your
problem, then it’s not a problem.”

With a twist of his lips,
Slater replied, “Tucker, sometimes it
is
better not to get involved in the messiness of others. You’re taking this woman
way too personally.”

“It is personal to me, Slate.
I see a person, whatever her profession may or may not be, who seriously needs
help; a person who finds herself in a position where she can’t help herself.
Should we just allow her to be put out on the street? Is that really the best
thing for her… for anyone? Slate, this is what I do, who I am. I know way down
deep within
yourself,
you’re that person, also. That’s
why I wanted you to come and meet her today. I want you to dig around and see
if you can find out where she’s from and if anyone is looking for her. The
police aren’t going to invest any more time in her case. For them, it was just
an unfortunate car accident that didn’t really hurt anyone else, so they are
done.”

Slowly beginning to shake
his head, Slater replied, “I don’t know, this isn’t a good time for me… I have
a lot …”

Tucker raised a hand to
interrupt him. “I know you’re busy, but Slate, this is important to me. I
wouldn’t ask otherwise. Just take a little time and look around. If you don’t
find anything within a couple of days, I won’t ask for anything more, okay?”

With a huge sigh, and
blowing out a deep breath, Slater nodded his head. “Okay, two days.”

Chapter 3

Slater exited the
elevator on the fifteenth floor and headed towards his office. He pushed open
the gold-emblazed glass door with
Exposed,
Inc
., and found Bennie sitting at her desk with her reading glasses perched
on her nose. She glared at him over them.

In her raspy cigarette
voice, she said, “Nice of you to show up.”

“Nice rinse,” he murmured
and shook his head at the current orange tint her hair possessed.

“Your brother called;
said he couldn’t get through to you on your cell.”

Slater reached into his
pocket and pulled out his cell phone. “I forgot to switch it back on when I
left the hospital. Did he say what he wanted?”

“World
peace, to meet the Pope…” she snapped snidely. “
No he didn’t say. Here’s the message
he gave me: ‘Tell him to call me.’” She said the last words while imitating
someone doing sign language. “Don’t forget I’m leaving early tomorrow for my
sister’s wedding.”

“God, you’re a pain in
the ass, Bennie.”

“Well, I have enough of
my own work to do without having to take personal messages for you.”

“Good to know; you
frustrating old woman!”

“Old,
who you calling old?”

In a more serious tone,
while rubbing a hand over his face, he said, “Hey, can you bring me a cup of
coffee? I’m wiped. I must have been out half the night working Senator
Baldwin’s case.”

“It’s perking now. Have
it to you in about three minutes. Don’t forget to call your brother. He sounded
like it was important.”

Rounding his desk, Slater
picked up his desk phone and dialed Tucker’s number. He answered on the second
ring.

“Hey, Tucker, is
everything okay?”

“Uh, Slate…” Slater
tensed at Tucker’s hesitation, knowing that whatever was coming he wasn’t going
to like it. “Slate, I need to ask you a favor, and before I ask, let me say I
know this could be a terrible inconvenience for you… But, well, I kept thinking
after you left about what to do with Honey… and I wonder if you’d consider
letting her stay with you… just for a little while.”

Slater clamped his lips
down into a thin line and snarled, “Why the hell would I ever let that woman
stay in my house? I don’t know her and neither do you. Sorry, brother, I’d do
almost anything for you, but not this. You, of all people, have to understand
why I
can’t… won’t
do this. Trust me when I say there
is nothing you can say or
do that
will change my mind.
I love you, Tucker, but the answer is unequivocally no!”

Slater cringed a little
at the sigh and silence on the other end of the line.

“I know, Slate, I know.
I’m just desperate to help her. I’ve never been in a position where I couldn’t
help someone who so needs it. I was just grasping at straws. I’m sorry, I
shouldn’t have asked. You’re right; I do know why you wouldn’t be able to have
her in your house. It was insensitive of me to ask. Please forgive me. You’re
doing so much for me already. Please let me know if you find anything, okay?”

Slater once again rubbed his
hand over his face. He felt like a heel. Had it been anything else he might
have caved, but not this… not this.

“No problem. If it helps
at all, I could pay to put her up in a hotel for a few days. But Tuck, I don’t
really want you involved with this woman until we know more, okay? It could be
dangerous.”

“I appreciate what you’re
saying, but I’m already involved and won’t turn my back on her. I appreciate
the offer of money, and if it comes to that, I’ll let you know. I think she’ll
require a little bit more assistance than a hotel can provide her,
unfortunately, what, with her broken leg and arm. But I sincerely do appreciate
the offer. Take care and get back with me as soon as you can.”

“I will.”

Slater sat at his desk
for a long while after he hung up the phone. Picking up the photo taken at the
lake house again, he looked at the then seventeen-year-old Tucker. He was
thinner, but still had that small all-encompassing smile. Throughout all the
strife and heartache he’d endured, Tucker met life with optimism and an
unyielding hope and faith. Slater hadn’t made his life any easier but he’d
striven to make up for it. But this one thing, he could not do. And while guilt
ate a hole in his chest at denying his brother anything, he just couldn’t do
it. There was no way he could tolerate a woman in his house… in Anne’s house.

“Bennie, where’s that
coffee?” Slater yelled through the door.

◊◊◊

Visiting hours had just
begun the next morning when Slater Vance slowly made his way up to Room 307. He
did not want to deal with Honey Luscious. To him, she was just another female
trying to get what she wanted at the expense of everyone else. Slater was very
protective of his brother and thought this woman was taking advantage of him.
So on the guise of getting release of information forms signed by
her,
he intended to warn her off his brother. He would not
stand by and let him get hurt because of some two-bit street hustler.

As she had been the day
before, she was sitting in front of the window. But at least today there didn’t
appear to be any tears… thank God.

Clearing his throat at
the door to inform her of his presence, he waited until she turned her head in
his direction before speaking, “Good morning. May I come in for a moment?”

She indicated her
acquiesce with a small nod of her head.

Indicating the chair,
Slater asked, “Do you mind if I sit?”

“Please do.”

“How are you feeling this
morning?” Slater asked, more out of politeness than actually care.

“Fine,
thanks.
What can
I do for you this morning, Mr. Vance?” she asked primly.

“Slater, call me Slater,
please.”

“Slater.”

“I don’t know if my
brother told you or not, but I have a small private investigation firm here in
town. He asked me to look into your case and see what I can find, if anything.
I need you to sign these release forms before I can,” Slater said, handing her
the forms.

Honey looked down at the
forms without taking them. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m afraid I don’t have
any money to pay for that kind of service.
At least none that
I’m currently aware of, as you know.”

“There’d be no charge as
I’m only doing this as a favor for my brother. As you can probably imagine,
it’s hard to tell him no,” Slater replied evenly.

With a trembling hand,
she reached forward and took the forms. “No, I imagine he gets his way often.
He’s been very helpful to me. He’s a good man. The finest I’ve ever met… I
think,” she added with a small smile.

Slater could see why her
brother would be so taken with this woman. She certainly knew how to play the
vulnerability act to a tee.

Slater handed her a pen.
“If you’ll just sign both forms at the bottom, it will allow both the hospital
and the police to release your information to me.”

Once signed and returned,
Slater folded the forms and held them in his hands. He hesitated because he
knew his brother would not be happy about him interfering in this matter. But
his brother’s well-being was of upmost importance to him.

“Listen, Honey, I want
you to know my brother is very important to me and I don’t want to see him
hurt. Do you understand?”

Honey lifted her
chocolate-colored eyes to meet his directly. “While I’m not quite sure I do
understand, I can assure you I would never knowingly hurt your brother.”

Slater studied her silently
for a minute before leaning forward to say sternly, “Let me be clear, if this
is a game, if you are using my brother in any way, or he gets hurt, I will come
after you. Have no illusions about that. While he only wants to see the best in
you and believes there’s only good within you, I don’t buy it. I work in facts,
not hopes, dreams, and fairytales. I’m quite good at what I do. So rest assured
,
if I find you’ve manipulated my brother for your own
means, I’m coming for you. Do we understand one another now?”