Neighborhood Watch (35 page)

“What’s going on?” Vincent McShane asked. He looked at his neighbors. “I thought we were chasing the intruder who shot Mrs. Slater.” The sweat on his forehead glued down the strands of his hair. His, as well as most everyone else’s face, was swollen and flushed.

“Everyone just go home,” Lieutenant Kurosaka said. “It’s all under control for the

moment.” When none of them moved, he added. “Don’t worry. You’re all safe.”

Those appeared to be the magic words. The clump broke apart and the residents retreated to their homes in silence, Nikki and Jean the last to walk away.

Another patrol car arrived. Kurosaka said they should wait for him in front of Philip Slater’s home. He continued to carry Jennifer to the house. Once inside, he set her down gently on the sofa.

“You’d better rest a minute, Mrs. Morris. I’ll call your doctor.”

“My husband,” Kristin said.

“He’s on the way,” Kurosaka assured her, and went to the phone.

Kristin sat beside Jennifer and embraced her. Then she closed her eyes and when she opened them again, she found herself on her bed with Teddy sitting beside her, clutching her hand to his forehead, his head bowed. Doctor Hoffman stood beside him, smiling

down at her.

“She’s conscious,” he said. Teddy lifted his head quickly.

“Kristin.”

He embraced her and held her for a long moment before sitting back.

“What happened?”

“You passed out, mostly from the exhaustion and excitement, I imagine,” Doctor

Hoffman said. “Your vitals are all good and the baby’s fine. A bit confused and shaken up, I bet, but fine,” he added with a smile.

“Jennifer?”

“She’s asleep,” Teddy said. “I washed her face and got her in her P.J.’s but I don’t think she realized it.”

“The poor thing.”

“How are you feeling?”

“I don’t know. I ache in new places, but I’m afraid to move.” All of it came rushing back over her. “Oh Teddy, it was terrible. Marilyn Slater shot herself right before my eyes and he tried to blame me and then they were all after us and Detective Martin—”

“I know, honey. I know.”

“You should just rest, Mrs. Morris,” Doctor Hoffman said. “There will be plenty of time to review it all in the morning.”

“But the security guards. I thought . . . they helped us,” she said, still with a note of skepticism.

“Yeah, they did.”

“It wasn’t them. It was that detective. Teddy—”

“Easy, honey. Doctor Hoffman’s right. You’ve got to relax now.”

“I’m relaxed. Now that I’m home,” she added, “and Jennifer’s all right. But I can’t relax until I understand, Teddy.”

He looked up at Doctor Hoffman who nodded.

“Lieutenant Kurosaka says our security guards are just overzealous, partly because of the way Philip Slater ran the complex and their firm. The real villain was his partner, Detective Martin, as you know. He began by doing private investigations for Slater, who then paid him handsomely to correct what he considered to be flaws in his perfect

development. Police internal affairs planted Kurosaka with Martin because there were suspicions of his extracurricular activities for some time, not just with Philip Slater, either. Martin killed Sol Feinberg just the way his wife believed. Slater hired him to do it.

Then, the two of them killed Angela. They wanted to make it look like a rape and

mugging, but that was Martin’s undoing. He’s a secretor.”

“What does that mean, Teddy?”

“A secretor is someone whose blood type can be determined from body fluids other than blood. Now, with DNA fingerprinting, if the assailant has left his own body fluids behind, such as semen, the police can identify him.”

“But why wouldn’t Detective Martin know that?”

“I’m sure he did, but he never dreamed he would be a suspect. He wasn’t a very good policeman anyway. Now, of course, he’s singing like one of the caged birds Philip Slater gives to his residents.”

“Poor Marilyn,” Kristin muttered.

“Why don’t you try to get some sleep now, honey. I’ll stay right here.”

“I’ll stop by in the morning,” Doctor Hoffman said. “But I really think you’re fine.

You’re a lot stronger than you think, despite what happened to you before,” he added.

“I guess if she can go through this all right, she can deliver a baby, huh, Doc?”

“Piece of cake,” Hoffman said. He patted Kristin’s hand and turned to leave.

“I’ll just walk him out, honey,” Teddy said. She nodded. He kissed her cheek and they left.

She opened her eyes and gazed up at the ceiling.

It was almost eleven-thirty. Kristin wondered if the security guards would be checking doors tonight. She closed her eyes and never heard a thing until morning when she woke to the sound of Jennifer calling her name. Still in her pajamas, Jennifer stood at the side of the bed.

“As soon as she opened her eyes, she called for you,” Teddy explained. “I had to bring her in here to show her you were all right.”

“Oh, honey, Mommy’s fine.”

She started to sit up, but the ache in her thighs declared its determination not to be ignored. She swallowed a groan but glanced frantically at Teddy.

“Mommy needs to rest a little more, honey.” Jennifer looked like she might start to cry again. “I know what,” Teddy said quickly, “why don’t you and I make Mommy breakfast this morning. You show me where everything is, okay?”

“Okay,” Jennifer said. It tempted her away from Kristin’s side.

“It’s going to be hard for a little while,” Teddy admitted, shifting his eyes toward Jennifer.

“We’ll get through it,” Kristin said.

“I’m sorry I didn’t listen more when you first came up with your worries,” he said. “You were right, Kristin, and I, who should be an expert when it comes to seeing things, was blind. Thank God you’re all right. I would have hated myself if anything had happened.

Can you forgive me?”

She smiled.

“I’ll work on it,” she said.

He kissed her.

After he left with Jennifer to prepare breakfast, Kristin took a deep breath and got herself into a sitting position. She gazed through the window at the lake. It was as beautiful as ever this morning, but last night it might have become Jennifer’s and her watery grave.

She wondered if they could continue to live here, even if she wanted that anymore.

And then, for the first time, she felt the baby kick and cried out with surprise.

Teddy and Jennifer came hurrying back.

“The baby just kicked,” she said. “There! He did it again.”

“He?”

Teddy sat on the bed and put his hand on her stomach. Then he smiled.

“Can I feel too?” Jennifer asked.

“Of course, honey,” Kristin said.

The three of them sat there, hands on Kristin’s stomach, waiting for the reaffirmation of life and the promise that came with it.

“THAT BRINGS US TO THENeighborhood Watch report,” Teddy said, and sat back in

his desk chair. Behind him, through the open curtains, the board of trustees could see the moonlight gleaming on the surface of Emerald Lake. Although it was the middle of the summer, the water was so still it looked like ice.

Nikki Stanley cleared her throat and glanced up quickly from her notepad.

“I have only one item,” she said apologetically.

“Well, that’s a relief,” Vincent McShane quipped. Sid Levine smiled and Teddy nodded.

Paul Meltzer, who was chosen as a replacement for Philip Slater in a special election, looked unsure of himself and only relaxed his lips in anticipation of Nikki Stanley’s item.

“Go ahead, Nikki,” Teddy said.

“The Cosens, Wildwood Drive, number 3071. Their red maple is almost eight inches too high. According to section thirty-one—”

“That is a beautiful tree,” Paul Meltzer said, and then pressed his lips together as if he had said something blasphemous.

“It is,” Teddy said. “It’s so cheerful to come upon it.”

“It’s too high,” Nikki said. “There’s a specific code describing acceptable heights for trees, bushes, and hedges. It was enacted to protect the neighbors’ views and—”

“But where this is located, it doesn’t affect anyone’s view,” Teddy said. He looked at Sid who first glanced at Nikki and then at Vincent McShane.

“That’s true.”

“Nevertheless—” Nikki began.

“If the purpose of the code is to protect views and this tree doesn’t affect views, why worry about it?” Teddy said.

“Someone else,” Nikki replied, “whose tree does affect a view will have a right to

complain when we ask him to cut down his.”

“Maybe we can point out the difference, show him the logic,” Teddy said softly. “We’re not so big that we can’t sit down over a cup of coffee and reason with each other.”

Nikki slapped her notepad shut.

“If we’re going to conduct ourselves that way, then what is the point of having a

Neighborhood Watch report?” she snapped.

“To know with whom we should have that cup of coffee, Nikki,” Teddy said.

Nikki tightened her lips. Sid, Vincent, and Paul nodded in agreement.

“Well,” Teddy said, sitting forward, “if no one has anything else . . .”

“Let’s adjourn,” Vincent McShane said, rising.

“So moved,” Sid Levine said.

The board members left Teddy’s office.

“Can I offer anyone coffee?” Kristin said as they emerged. She was sitting on the sofa with the new baby in her arms and Jennifer beside them.

“None for me, thanks,” Sid replied. “I promised Jean I’d come right home.”

“Me, too,” Vincent said.

“You promised Jean, too?” Paul quipped. Everyone laughed but Nikki.

“How’s the new baby? Keeping you up nights?” Vincent asked Kristin.

“He’s like his father—when he’s hungry, he can’t wait.”

Everyone smiled. Nikki even looked a bit more relaxed. She stared at Kristin a moment and then led the others to the front door.

“Looks like a beautiful night,” Teddy said, standing in the doorway.

Everyone muttered agreement. He watched them walk away, Vincent going up the street and the others down.

“So, Mr. President,” Kristin said when he closed the door and stepped down to the living room. “How did your second official meeting go?”

“Quite well, I thought.” He looked at Jennifer. “Guess who’s coming home tomorrow,

sweetheart?” he said.

“Who, Daddy?”

“Mr. Sniffles,” Teddy said.

The smile on his daughter’s face filled him with a warm glow.

“No problem?” Kristin asked.

“Not really. You’ll read all about it in the next report to the residents,” he added.

Kristin laughed and the baby started to cry.

“Bobby’s hungry again!” Jennifer declared.

“So, what else is new? Keep your eye on your brother, honey, while I go warm the

formula,” Kristin said placing the baby in the cradle.

Teddy watched her for a moment. Then he looked at his children. He smiled to himself.

It was good to be living in Emerald Lakes, good to be living in a place where his family was comfortable and secure. How far would he go to protect it? he wondered. He thought for a while and decided it was best to leave it unanswered.

For now.