What Echoes Render Page 8

  He stood silently at her side, giving her the time to have her moment. He wondered if she missed her husband, if she wished he were there beside her right now, rather than him.

  He cleared his throat. “Shall we?”

  She turned and blinked at him. “Yes, of course,” she said with a shake of her head. “Come inside, I’ll get us something to drink.”

  He followed her through some French doors that were clearly the home’s main entrance, even though they were located at the back of the house by the parking area. The doors led to a small mudroom that then opened directly onto a sizeable kitchen with a large butcher-block island in the middle and a breakfast bar to the right. Beyond the bar was a small sitting area and back toward the rear of the house, to the right of where they’d just come in, there was a small alcove with two well-worn chairs and a potbellied stove nestled in the corner. From where he stood, he could see the start of a hallway that ran from the sitting area toward the front of the house; he didn’t know where it led but assumed he’d find some of the bedrooms and eventually the front door if he followed it.

  Taking a few steps further into the kitchen, to his left David saw what looked like the main room of the house. It was a big space—not by modern standards, but by the standards of the time the house was built—that was centered around an enormous, stone fireplace. To the right of the fireplace, toward the front of the house, a sofa, two chairs, and some built-in, cushioned benches were arranged to create a seating area. To the left of the fireplace, close to the kitchen, sat a long farm table that looked like it had seen many years of family dinners. The house was, David realized, a true family farmhouse. With the mostly open flow and size of the rooms, it would be easy to heat with the fireplace and potbellied stove. And while it was probably designed years ago for the practical living of a family that was likely surviving off the land and watching every penny, now it seemed homey, welcoming, and warm.

  “Nice place,” he commented, resting a hip against the island.

  She smiled. “Thanks, I’ve been here just over ten years. We’ve done a lot of remodeling since then, like changing the old canning cellar downstairs into a guest room and TV room. And with the master on this floor, and the boys’ bedrooms upstairs, it’s not a huge house, but I’ve always loved it,” she said. Her affection for her home was clear and genuine.

  “Now, can I get you something to drink? Coffee? Tea?” she asked, moving into the kitchen.

  “I’ll have whatever you’re having,” he answered.

  She gave a small laugh. “I was going to have a big glass of wine. You’re welcome to join me, if you can?” He nodded “yes” and moved to look at a picture attached to the refrigerator with a little flower magnet.

  “I also have beer, if you prefer. It’s in the fridge,” she added, gesturing toward the appliance as she poured a glass of red wine.

  “Do you mind?” he asked. He liked wine, but he preferred beer.

  She shook her head. “Not at all. Help yourself.” He opened the refrigerator door as she recorked the wine. When they both had drinks in hand, they made their way to the little alcove.

  “Did you talk to Julie? I’m not sure how much any of us will have to offer since we didn’t really see anything.” Jesse sank into a big chair and curled her legs up under her as she spoke.

  He took a seat in a chair opposite her.

  “I wish it were a simple investigation,” he started, “but it looks like the fire was set intentionally.”

  He took a sip of beer and watched her big eyes go round in surprise. Leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees, he waited for his information to really sink in.

  “I don’t—I mean,” she stuttered. Then, seeming to get herself under control, she started again. “I don’t know what I should say first: Twice in one week, what are the odds? Or, who would do such a thing?”

  “I know,” he said. “Unless the target of an attack like what we saw today is involved in a bad situation, the seemingly randomness of it all is always hard to believe. It’s no surprise that what happened today came as a shock to everyone involved since, from what I gather, Julie is about as clean as they come.”

  Jesse gave a rueful laugh. “Unless you count a few speeding tickets from the speed trap just outside of town, I’d say so. What did she say?”

  “She was about as speechless as you. She wasn’t able to come up with anyone who might do something like this, but she’s thinking about it.”

  Jesse was shaking her head. “I just don’t know what to say. Could it have been some kids?”

  He thought about the device he’d found. It wasn’t sophisticated, but it was more complex than anything kids looking to create mischief would build. And though he didn’t discount the abilities of a troubled kid, he thought if that had been the case, a quilt store wouldn’t be the top choice for making a statement. He shook his head.

  She took a dazed sip of wine and stared into her glass for a moment. “And to think we were supposed to be in there. Julie always opens at ten and, well, you overheard my conversation the other day, I was supposed to meet her there at ten to pick up my quilt. I guess she and I can both be glad I was running a little late.”

  The thought of Jesse being in the shop when the bomb went off chilled his blood and he found himself forcing his fingers to loosen their grip on his beer bottle.

  “So why don’t you tell me what happened,” he prompted.

  She gave him a confused look, like she didn’t know what she could possibly have to add. But then she took a breath and told him what she’d seen, what she’d felt, and what she’d heard. As she recounted the details, what few she had, his eyes traveled over her. He could see a few of the bandages on her hands and one fairly large one on her neck; he wondered how many nicks and scratches she’d gotten, just how deep they ran, and how many more there might be that he couldn’t see. The image of her lying in the street, blood streaming down her neck, caused his heart rate to kick up and he felt the edge of panic creeping into his chest. Willing his mind to focus on what she was saying, he took a sip of his beer and listened.

  When she was finished, when she got to the part where the police and fire department showed up, he told her she could stop. He didn’t need to hear the rest. They sat in silence for several moments before she spoke again.

  “That probably wasn’t all that helpful, but if there’s anything more I can do, please tell me. Julie is a friend and I would hate to see her, or anyone else for that matter, get hurt.”

  “Can you think of anyone who might have wanted to do this to her shop?”

  Jesse seemed to give the question some serious consideration before she shook her head. “Not that I know of. She’s lived here a long time, is part of the community. Her son is close to my age. I think he’s living in the city now—New York, that is. He’s a lawyer. Maybe he has a dissatisfied client?” She paused to give that idea some thought, then shook her head and added, “Other than that, I can’t think of anyone.”

  The idea of someone going after the mother for the sins of her son wasn’t all that far-fetched, but it didn’t really seem to fit the facts of this situation. If a person were going to go to the trouble of hurting or scaring someone’s parent, they would usually be more precise in the method. But still, it was worth looking into.

  “Thanks,” he said. “If you think of anything else, just let me know. For now, the evidence is up at the lab in Albany. We’ll just have to see what it tells us.” He sat back and took another sip of his beer.

  She gave him a faint smile. “Like CSI?”

  He laughed. “Not quite, but the same idea. It’s actually pretty cool, the things they can do there.”

  “James would love to hear this. All the science, and the practical application of it, is right up his alley. Maybe I should get Vivi to take him up there one day,” she mused to herself.

  “Vivi? As in the medical examiner and sheriff’s wife?” David wasn’t sure what Vivi would have to do with anything
and the confusion must have come through in his voice.

  Jesse gave him an indulgent smile. “Vivi is our county medical examiner, and I as I mentioned when we first met, she’s also a professor at one of the universities in Boston. Sameer Buckley, the head of the Albany lab, was one of her first students. And just so you know, in addition to her medical degree, she has a PhD in Forensic Psychology. I know I also said she is a consultant with the FBI, but she’s actually one of the foremost investigators of cold cases in the country. Oh, and she also used to work for the Boston PD.”

  He blinked. “Oh, wow.” He knew his voice sounded impressed. Hell, he was impressed. “So I guess she could get James a tour anytime.”

  Jesse’s smile was genuine. “She could. I just had never thought about it until now. He’s been to the hospital, of course, but he’d probably find the lab interesting, too.”

  “They seem like good kids.”

  Taking a longer swig of the local ale, he crossed his ankle over his knee. He was starting to relax for the first time all day. As if to help him along, a big, fluffy orange cat sauntered out of nowhere and stared at him with yellow, assessing eyes. After a moment, it jumped up onto his lap and made itself comfortable.

  “That’s Mike. I hope you don’t have any allergies?” Jesse said.

  “Nope, I even kind of like cats. Imperious little bastards that they are,” he answered.

  She laughed and he realized how much he liked the sound.

  “So, senior prom tonight?” he asked as he stroked Mike, who’d started to purr loud enough for someone in the next county to hear.

  “It’s hard to believe, but yeah. He’ll be off at college next year, then James will be gone three years after that. I’ve never been alone, and while I couldn’t be more excited for them, I have to admit it’s going to be weird without them around all the time.”

  “Yeah, it is weird.”

  Her eyes shot to his and he realized what he’d said. He didn’t usually talk about his personal life, especially not in the middle of an investigation. But this time, well, he found himself doing just that.

  “I have a daughter,” he said. “She’s finishing her first year of college this year.”

  Jesse studied his face for a long moment. “So we’re both members of the young parent club? You can’t be much older than me, if you’re older at all.”

  “I’m thirty-seven. Miranda was born when I was eighteen.”

  “I was nineteen when Matt was born,” Jesse supplied.

  “But it sounds like you had a good husband? A good partner?”

  She wagged her head. “I did. What about you?”

  “Her mother was never involved—first by choice, then by court order. Miranda and I are very close, and while I wouldn’t take it back and don’t regret having her, being a single parent is tough and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. And being one at such a young age is something that I find almost incomprehensible, even though I lived it.”

  “What happened?”

  Her voice had softened and for the first time in a very long time, David felt like talking about those first few years—years when emotions ripped through him like typhoons, changing direction and intensity with what felt like a sadistic kind of whimsy. Maybe it was because he sensed Jesse would understand—at least some of it—or maybe it was because he just missed having people around on a daily basis who really knew him. As he sat there in her cozy house, he realized that since moving to Albany nine months earlier and leaving his entire family and all his friends behind, not to mention the home Miranda had grown up in, he’d been feeling somewhat unsettled. Somewhat uncertain about what to do or who to be. And so he talked.

  “Valerie was two years older than me. I was seventeen when we met. I’m sure you have no problems imagining what an ego rush it was to have an older girlfriend.” He paused, thinking back on the time. “God, I really thought I was something, you know. Anyway, it’s amazing, and lucky, that the only lasting thing that came out of that relationship was Miranda. Most of the time we used protection, condoms, but every now and then I let her convince me we could do without. She was way more experienced than I was, and looking back on it, I should have seen it for what it was. At the time, I was so wrapped up in how ‘cool’ the whole thing was. I didn’t have a clue, or probably even the ability to have a clue, as to how messed up she was. Her home life was crap—one parent neglected her, the other was a drunk. Her mom had lots of boyfriends, despite being married, and I’m pretty sure she let them get a little too close to her daughter a time or two. But not being such a bright teenager, I only saw what I wanted to see.”

  He stopped to take a sip of beer, hardly believing he was telling Jesse all this. But, not willing to stop, he went on.

  “We’d been together about seven months when she told me she was pregnant. She wanted to have an abortion, of course. A baby would seriously mess up her social life. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m not very religious, kind of the Easter/Christmas churchgoer, if you know what I mean. But still, I couldn’t see doing that. Maybe it was ego. Hell, I’m sure it was. But there was no way I was going to let her abort my child if I had anything to do with it.”

  “What about your parents?” Jesse asked, tucking her feet further under her. Her voice held curiosity but no judgment.

  “They didn’t know any of this was going on until I came home and told them Valerie was six-months pregnant. I’d pleaded and persuaded and somehow gotten her to agree to have the baby. And my parents, well, they were shocked. Not exactly how they’d hoped things would work out for their only child. But they were, they are, amazing.

  “Anyway, two days after giving birth to Miranda, Valerie walked out of the hospital. I didn’t see her again for seven months.”

  He took a deep breath and realized that Jesse’s house smelled of ginger cookies. He smiled; ginger cookies were some of Miranda’s favorites. He made them with her every Christmas.

  “When she came back, did she come for Miranda?” she asked quietly.

  “At first, I thought so. And I kind of panicked. I wasn’t sure what I would do if she wanted the baby because I was already wrapped around Miranda’s tiny little finger and it was a toss-up who adored her more, me or my parents. But after a few long nights of waiting on pins and needles for Valerie to give me some indication of what she wanted, of why she was back, my parents suggested I give Valerie an ultimatum: that she was either in all the way or out all the way.”

  “And did you?”

  He nodded. “Turns out, it wasn’t much of an ultimatum. Valerie wasn’t really interested in Miranda, she just wanted to pick up where we left off, physically that is.”

  “But your ego wasn’t so flattered the second time around, was it?”

  He laughed. “You’ve raised two kids, you know what those first few years are like. It was a miracle if I could even find the energy to shower after being up all hours of the day and night. So between that and my changed priorities, no, Valerie’s offer really didn’t hold any appeal. And when it became clear to her that Miranda was my priority, Valerie bailed again.” He paused for a moment and let the years wash over him. “You know, it’s funny, most young guys would kill to be used for sex.” He hadn’t really given it much thought over all the years, but looking back on it now, he could almost understand why Valerie had been so shocked when he’d turned her down.

  “But not you,” Jesse said.

  He shook his head. “Not me, not then. Probably not now either, but back then it actually pissed me off. I couldn’t believe what she was asking.”

  “I’m not sure whether to feel sorry for her or think it was probably a good thing that she left.”

  David stroked the cat, lost in thought again for a moment. “Both, I think. Again, hindsight is twenty-twenty, but I think maybe she kept coming back to me because I came from a strong family. Family that stood by each other, fought for each other, that kind of thing. I think she probably wanted the same thing.”


  “But didn’t know how to ask for it.”

  He nodded again. “But it was also a good thing because by then she was starting to develop a drug habit and the thought of having her around Miranda wasn’t something I was willing to allow.”

  Jesse got up and poured herself another glass of wine, then silently gestured toward the fridge in question. He gave his own silent assent and she grabbed another beer out for him, popped the top, and brought it over.

  “So, what happened?” she asked, curling back up in her chair and pulling a lavender blanket over her feet. This time of year, the weather was warm during the day, but the evenings were still chilly. He glanced at the potbellied stove and the firewood in the copper bucket beside it and thought about offering to make a fire. But then Mike stood, circled, and plopped back down.

  “She didn’t show up again until Miranda was seven,” he continued, answering Jesse’s question. “By then, Miranda and I had moved out of my parents’ house and were living in our own place. Valerie just showed up on the doorstep one day. Of course, Miranda had no idea who she was, so when Valerie started calling herself ‘Mommy’ Miranda burst into tears. In all fairness, Valerie kind of scared me, too. The years hadn’t been kind to her and it was definitely showing. Needless to say, I wasn’t having any of it. So I hired a lawyer the next day and proceeded through a nine-month period of hell that ended with Valerie terminating her parental rights.”

  “That must have been brutal.”

  “It was, more so for me. I think I kept most of it out of Miranda’s life, but even so, I’m sure she picked up on a lot more than I give her credit for. But it worked, and after that we never saw her again.”

  “Do you know where she is now?” Jesse asked.

  “She died a few years after that. She OD’d in some seedy hotel in San Francisco. Miranda knows the whole story now, though,” he added.

  They were quiet for a few minutes as he lost himself in memories of those years. He was pretty sure Jesse was giving him space to rebalance after relaying his story.