The Traitor's Revenge, page 15
“Very grateful you’re my friend, Laurel. Between you and Norman I actually feel a little better. You know, I want to offer you a raise or a bonus.”
Laurel cut her off.
“Look, I love the idea of more money and if you’re doing it because of the bang up job I’ve been doing all along in the office then bring it on. But don’t even try to pay me for being your friend. You’ll just insult me.”
“Thank you, Laurel. I can see that I’m going to have to just let you lead for a little while.”
She hung up the phone and saw her hand was still trembling. She closed her eyes and tried to think of a short prayer for just a moment. Nothing was really working. “I am so afraid, Lord,” she whispered. Maybe that was enough for now. She put on her shoes and headed downstairs to the kitchen.
“Where are you two headed?” asked Tom.
He was hobbling around the kitchen on crutches, trying to carry a plate with two pieces of toast that kept sliding from side to side. Max had already found a trail of oyster crackers across the kitchen floor from where he must have dropped them and had to let it go. She bent her usual rule of leaving all the housework to Norman and went hunting for a broom and dustpan. It took her three tries before she found where they were kept.
“Can I go,” said Tom, as the toast went sailing off of his plate. Joe caught the first piece before it even hit the ground. Norman caught the second one and put it back on Tom’s plate.
“Thank you, little brother.”
“Anytime,” said Norman, who was dressed in a sport coat and tie.
“I promised I’d attend a Sutler tea,” said Max.
“Oh, gathering info on the other side,” said Tom. “I’m impressed and thank you. And you, little brother? How are you going to go out there and fight the good fight? What’s with your version of casual wear?”
“Don’t remind me of why I’m always so glad we live far apart, Tom. Max told me you shared your legacy with her.”
“Pillow talk, I take it. It seemed prudent,” said Tom, smiling at Max. “It’s refreshing to see you two don’t keep any secrets.”
Norman blushed and said, “I gave my word about that one.”
“And I managed to point out another secret. Sorry about that little brother.”
“Yeah, well, next time let me know first so I don’t stammer quite so much. I am headed to a shad planking, if you must know.”
“How did you get invited to that?” asked Tom.
“What? It’s not that hard. Make a donation and you’re invited. I’ve been going for ten years now.”
Tom made a face and looked at Max.
“It’s true,” she said. “I used to think he was doing it to find some new business clients but now, I’m thinking it’s a different kind of networking,” said Max. The anxiety rose up in her chest again as she tried to ignore it. “Tom, you said you have a plan to end of all of this and get everyone to start playing nice again. Does that plan start today?”
“It’s already underway. No worries, just go about your business,” he said, as he turned on his iPhone to get the daily signal.
“Keep our other house guest happy,” said Norman. “She is officially your responsibility for a little while.”
Tom grunted and waved them away as he kept his focus on the phone.
“Do you think he even knows there is someone else in the house?” asked Max.
“He’s a Weiskopf. He’s aware,” said Norman pat-patting the back of his head.
Max smiled at her husband and kissed him on the cheek.
“It’ll be okay. It has to be. Remember what we agreed. We go on with our usual routine and give Tom a chance to do whatever it is he’s doing. We don’t have much of a choice unless you’d rather sit in this house with Alice, Tom, a kid and a dog and make small talk. Harriet might come by, too,” said Max.
“I’m out the door,” said Norman. When he got to his car he turned around and looked at the house and saw Max watching him from the window. He knew she couldn’t handle much more and was trying to hide how anxious she was becoming. He gave her a smile and a wave. He couldn’t remember if she had ever watched him leave before in all their years together.
Just as he got in the car he looked up and saw Alice Watkins watching him leave as well.
“Have to get my damn house back soon,” he mumbled. He noticed there were police cars gathered down by the Blazney house as he pulled out of the driveway. He drove by slowly and rolled down his window.
“Hey Arnold,” he called out. The officer walked over to his car.
“Norman, how are things at your house? Heard about your brother. He doing okay?”
“He’s on the mend. His leg will probably give him trouble every time it rains from now on but he’s lucky to be alive, which I’ll remind him. What’s going on here?” asked Norman, trying to look calm. “Something new happen?”
“Maybe. We got a lead on a suspect and we’re back over here looking for evidence. Might be tied to something else.”
“Really? Can you say who?”
“No, we have to keep it under wraps for now. I’ll tell you though, it’s a big surprise if it really pans out. Would have never seen it coming,” he said, scratching his head. “Just goes to show you never know.” The officer took a step back and directed a car around Norman. “Well, have to get back. We’ll catch up later. You headed to the planking?”
“Yeah, I am,” said Norman. He felt relieved that no one else had been harmed in the neighborhood because of their proximity to his house. But he wondered what Arnold had meant about the suspect. Norman had a pretty good idea that whoever it was, if he was involved at all, he was taking a fall for somebody else.
Max picked up Laurel on the way to the Sutler tea. She was driving a rental while the mechanics went over her Jaguar to see if there was a way it could be salvaged. Max was pretty sure she already knew the answer to that question.
They pulled up to Tina Behren’s large house that was tucked at the top of the curve of Rounding Run in a small subdivision of more expensive homes. They looked like a short series of McMansions on tiny lots all along a stretch of Pump Road. Tina’s house was a large Colonial that sat on a hill with four other houses right in a row on the same hill before dipping down to what Tina always referred to as the valley.
All of the McMansions were separated from the busy road by a tall, continuous wooden fence with fir trees in the backyard to muffle the noise and help the wealthy owners feel like they were in a more exclusive enclave. Max could have walked the mile and a half from her house but it was all uphill and she had put on her good heels for the tea.
Just down the street was the large, public high school, Godwin where most of the neighborhood children went to school. It was considered one of the best in the state and regularly sent most of its graduates to college. Volvos, BMW’s and shiny SUV’s dotted the student parking lot and the football field was as nice as any college.
But there were still plenty of parents who were scrambling for more. They tended to be the ones who had started with far less and fought their way to the solid middle class life. They knew what a toll all of the scraping and saving had done to their lives and they couldn’t help wondering if maybe something different, something better were possible for the next generation. A private school education like Sutler could offer would open more expensive doors for a lifetime. That’d be something any parent could be proud of no matter what happened next.
However, for generations Richmond had offered only a small selection of private schools to choose from and almost all of them were run by the Episcopal Church.
Sutler Hall had been founded in 1975 as an answer to all of them just as Richmond became more of a hub for corporate headquarters and the Federal Reserve chose the location to house all of their new technology.
Management had needed a place to send all of their children without having to constantly deal with the Diocese’s influence.
There were other advantages to basing more operations in the former capital of the South. The good old boy network was a longstanding tradition all across the area and it was easier to sell the idea of a lifetime of service to a cause in exchange for a few economic certainties. The Management’s program easily took root and by the 1990’s they had to turn more children away than they could accept. It was all working perfectly.
Max and Laurel walked up the steep driveway to the front door and was about to push the doorbell when the door opened.
“Oh, Max.” Julia was standing in the doorway in an ill-fitting suit that made her look pinched and uncomfortable. “How long have you been standing here?” she asked. “Come on in,” she said, as she stepped back from the door. Max stepped in and waited for Laurel as she slipped out of her coat and looked around for a closet.
“Julia, this is Laurel, a good friend of mine. She has two young sons who would make good candidates for Sutler.”
“Nice to meet you,” said Laurel, holding out her hand.
They had gone over a short plan in the car and Max had told Laurel everything she knew. She had thought about holding back what Thomas and Esther had told her but she was done with trying to keep other people’s secrets at least around Laurel. She was going to have to trust someone besides Norman and she needed a friend.
She was already uncomfortable just being at the tea but with Yvette being gone it felt like nothing could be the same again. There was far too much to ignore.
“We almost cancelled after what happened to Yvette,” said Julia. Her voice trailed off and she looked away for a moment.
“This is a lovely home you have,” said Laurel. Max smiled. She knew Laurel was aware who Julia was and who lived here but she’d found a way to change the topic.
“Oh, no, I’m just a guest,” said Julia. “Tina Behrens is the host. She’s in the kitchen,” said Julia, pointing. “Max, could I talk to you for just a moment?”
“Just one second,” she said as she walked toward the kitchen with Laurel.
Laurel squeezed her hand and whispered, “You’ll be okay. I’m going to go scope out the enemy and I’ll be back before you know it. Go on, divide and conquer.”
“I think they meant divide the enemy,” said Max.
Max swallowed hard and tried to conjure up what Harriet would do in a moment like this. Surely, some of those old Southern manners she was always touting would be useful right about now. She walked back toward Julia who was still waiting by the front door. She looked like she was hiding there.
“That’s a lovely set of pearls you’re wearing, Julia. Anniversary present?”
Julia fingered the choker strand. “Yes, Sam surprised me with them last month.” She looked like she was still thinking about tearing up as Max took her firmly by the elbow.
“Let’s go see what everyone else is up to in the other room. We haven’t had a chance to catch up on what our children are doing for at least a month. Boys grow so quickly in middle school that it seems like Ned is somebody new every time I turn around,” said Max. She had seen Harriet maneuver a conversation around for years by denying the obvious until the other parties gave up and followed her lead. Until now Max had always thought it was a little too manipulative and she just preferred some kind of honesty. But everything had changed over the past weeks.
It was so much easier to be honest when she wasn’t worried about the consequences.
Max came into the family room and tried to scan for a seat where they could all fit. She wanted to find a spot without having to do a lot of the social niceties and get heartfelt hugs all around, especially after yesterday. Her nerves were so raw she couldn’t be sure that she was going to be able to keep herself in check. A teary display would only bring more sympathy and then gossip. She wasn’t sure she could stand that right now and if anyone was watching her, she didn’t want to give them the idea that she was cracking.
“Max!” It was Maureen, waving her over to sit next to her on the dark blue folding chairs set up in short rows in front of the oversized flat screen TV. She was balancing a porcelain coffee mug decorated with butterflies on a small, matching plate that held two shortbread cookies. “Sit here,” she said, patting the seat next to her.
Max glanced toward the kitchen for Laurel and saw she was busy chatting up the hostess. She’s really taking this whole assignment seriously, thought Max.
“Sit here, Julia. I’ll get us some coffee. You want anything in it?” asked Max. Julia shook her head, no and sat down, looking straight ahead like she was hoping no one would try to start up a conversation. Maureen stood up and hugged Max tightly, some of her coffee sloshing onto the cookies.
“You know, I’m sorry we’ve never got together more often,” said Maureen. “I’d like to change that. Fred and I never have anyone over for dinner but I was wondering if maybe you and Norman could come sometime. You can bring Ned. We’d love to see him. There’s never the sound of children in our house.”
Max hesitated, unsure of how to answer an invitation in the middle of all the chaos. “That is a good idea,” she said. The words stumbled out. “We have a houseful right now with Norman’s brother who’s getting around on crutches right now.” And Alice Watkins and Who knows who else might show up next, she thought. “But maybe in a few weeks.”
“Of course, I heard about the accident at the bookstore. An explosion, right? Your brother in law doing okay?”
“Yes, he’s in one piece with a couple of pins. Would you excuse me? I want to get some coffee and say hello to Tina before they get started,” said Max.
“Sure, sure,” said Maureen, sitting back down and patting Julia on her knee. Julia startled and turned to smile briefly at Maureen before returning to studying the books along a nearby shelf.
Maureen had wanted to tell Max that they were on the same side but she knew that was impossible. She was weary from not being able to openly take sides.
She had startled Fred this morning when he caught her taking out her Circle pin from where she kept it hidden. The commonly held view around town among Management and the Circle was that Fred was a low-level Circle operative but Maureen was just a housewife with a garden, a Bunko group and a few volunteer activities. If they were found with two pins it would quickly become evident that Maureen had more training than anyone realized and the obvious question would then be, why.
“I want to wear it,” she had said, anger rising in her throat, making it hard to speak. Fred had knelt down beside her and taken her hands into his.
“You know you can’t. It would put us both in danger and have very significant consequences for so many people,” he said.
“I’m sick of this creeping around and I’m angry. I feel useless and all I do, year after year, is observe what’s going on around me without ever getting involved.”
“I know, I know,” Fred said.
“You don’t know. How could you? And now my best friend is dead. My friend who was not a member of either side!” She spit out the last words. “I played by the rules because I believed it would keep everyone safer,” she cried out.
“Maureen, you did make everyone safer,” he said, pulling her closer, “you did. As horrible as these past few days have been, these past years would have been a lot worse if there weren’t people like us holding them back as much as possible.”
“How can you say that?” she said through clenched teeth.
“It’s not always about what we can see. Sometimes the victories are about what hasn’t happened and that’s harder to quantify.” He had sat back on his heels and gently tilted up her face so he could look into her eyes. “Look, I’ve been thinking about a few things, lately and I’ve realized I’ve made some mistakes. This marriage may have been arranged but it’s still a marriage. It’s still ours and we can treat it more like that than I’ve really left room for in the past.”
“You mean that?” she said. She had sat back, still holding the pin tight in her grasp.
“Maureen, my wife, when have you ever known me to say one word without first thinking about it from every angle?” He had managed to get the beginning of a smile out of her. “But we have to dispose of this pin and we have to do it the right way. You know that, right?”
She had looked away for a moment and then slowly opened her hand. “Take it,” she said. “It won’t bring back Yvette and it won’t make anyone at Management back down. But if you can be here more, if I can find more balance, then maybe together we can figure out how to at least chip away at them a little more. Maybe I can be the constant paper cut in their giant backside.”
Maureen blinked a few times trying to stop herself from tearing up as she sat in Tina’s family room remembering the first tender moment she had ever had with her husband. She sipped her coffee and realized it was getting cold. “I’ll be right back,” she said to Julia, who was sitting back glumly in her chair.
Max had gotten coffee and was standing next to Laurel listening to her gently grill Lois. She wasn’t in the mood to go and coddle Julia anyway. Maureen apparently didn’t want to either, she thought, as she watched her pour herself another cup of coffee from the percolator and came to stand nearby.
“So, you said this is the third tea you’ve thrown for Sutler? It’s becoming like a tradition,” said Laurel, smiling.
“Oh, yes,” said Tina, “ever since our son started in middle school there we’ve been hosting a tea for prospective parents. We love it so much and want to help spread the word.”
“I have two young boys of my own,” said Laurel. “So full of energy and I have big plans for them. What do you think Sutler has done for your boy?”
She’s as good as Harriet at this, thought Max. If I didn’t know any better I’d think she was really one of the pushy parents who Max saw bleating in the halls of the courtroom every day about their entitlement. They always needed more money for yet another activity to make sure their child would succeed.
