Iris drove the Triumph past the chain-link fence around Las Mariposas.
The citrus grove looked as if it had been drenched in acid. The remaining fruit had been reduced to unlucky eight balls. The ground was thick with gray ash.
The Wall of Gaytan still stood, undamaged, its surface marked with soot blown onto it by the powerful flames. The citrus trees’ evergreen foliage had once shrouded the toolshed and small workers’ house, but now the structures’ blackened skeletons were painfully exposed. Any remaining walls leaned precariously, their windows popped by the force of the heat.
Iris drove up the road that spiraled around the hill. A light breeze blew, kicking up soot and ash and coating the car with a fine powder. She rolled up the windows and continued up the curbless road, which grew increasingly narrow as she ascended.
At the crest of the hill, she drove through the remains of the eucalyptus grove. The fire had whipped through the base of the trees, leaving the towering tips untouched. Several cats roamed, looking lost.
The old adobe ranch house fared slightly better. A black residue of flames was visible around the arched doorway and small square windows. Corners of the roof had been eaten away. The detached wood garage was in ruins.
A white Dodge Dart was parked in front of the garage. Next to it was a rented moving van.
As Iris parked the Triumph, Paula came out of the ranch house’s front door pushing a wheelbarrow that was piled high.
Iris waved the leather work gloves she’d brought. “How’s it going?”
“Exhausted.”
Iris peeked in the van. “You’ve already got some furniture loaded.”
“We rented a storage garage not far from here. Thomas sent a couple of guys over yesterday to help. I’m just taking the antiques and a few other things, like my mother’s sewing machine. The old adobe part in the front did okay, but the back got burned up pretty good. What didn’t get burned got water damaged. I wanted to get as much done as I could before I have to go to court for that little incident at the debate.”
“Does your attorney think you’ll go to jail?”
“Nah. Because of the personal issues and stress and the strings Thomas can pull downtown, I’ll probably just get probation.”
“At the funeral, Thomas told me your father hadn’t left a will.”
“Believe it or not. All the wills he forged and he didn’t write one for himself. Guess he figured he wasn’t going to die. Must have come as a real surprise to him.”
“How long are you going to stay with Thomas?”
Paula shrugged. “The lovey-dovey brother-sister act is already wearing thin. Angus’s friend Bobby called me. Wanted to know if him and me could work something out. Share a place or let him live here or something. No way. I’m done with that lifestyle. Turning over a new leaf. What’s up with you?”
“The Homeowners Association finally decided to go forward with the repairs. I’m going to patch up my condo and put it on the market. Probably lose my shirt, but I don’t want to live there anymore. I rented an apartment downtown in one of the Bunker Hill buildings. The commute’s short. It’ll do until I get things straightened out. I’ve got plenty of room. You’re welcome to bunk with me.”
“Thanks. I haven’t decided yet what I’m going to do.”
“Gonna stay around?”
“I’m thinking about it.”
“What are you and Thomas going to do with Las Mariposas?”
“We’re going to bulldoze everything except the old adobe. I’m hoping it can be restored. Other than that, I don’t know. Thomas was hot to sell it, but I think I’ve made him feel guilty enough to drop the idea. Real estate developers have been in my face nonstop. I called the cops on one guy. He was going on about some promise Thomas made during his campaign. I said, ‘Buddy, I ain’t got nothing to do with that.’“
“At least you’ve got some cash. Should last you awhile.”
Paula raised her eyebrows. “I just paid out sixty thousand dollars in back property taxes.”
Iris whistled. “Thomas pay part?”
“Are you kidding? He’s hocked to the hilt because of the campaign.”
“You gave them cash? Weren’t they suspicious?”
“Said I found it hidden in a safe. Told them the old man didn’t trust bankers. Everyone knew he was a lunatic so they bought it.” Paula rubbed the back of her neck. “The way I’ve been shelling out dough for this and for that I’ll be back to zero before I know it.”
“If you need money, let me know.”
“Thanks.”
Iris sniffed the air in Paula’s direction.
Paula frowned at her. “What?”
“What’s that smell?”
Paula sniffed the air. “I don’t smell anything.”
“Sure, it’s…” Iris sniffed again. “It’s the stench of respectability.”
“Shaddup.” Paula loosened and replaced one of the bobby pins holding her thick hair in a bun at the back of her head. “Guess I could always pitch a tent here. After all, the property belongs to me and Thomas. I don’t think the ghosts would mind.”
“Ghosts?”
“Yesterday I saw my mother sitting at her sewing machine. Last night when I was leaving, I saw a ball of light moving through the grove.”
Iris’s eyes were wide. “Weren’t you scared?”
“Nah. I didn’t get any bad vibes. I imagine this place has always been rotten with ghosts. Maybe I just couldn’t see them until now.”
“Speaking of ghosts…” Paula turned and walked into the house. “I want to show you something.”
They walked through the burnt and water-soaked rooms, stepping over rubble and squishing on the wet carpet. Iris imagined she heard strange noises and periodically swiveled her head to check for ghosts creeping behind her.
They went into Bill DeLacey’s office. The flames had been stopped before they reached this remote room, but water had seeped onto the floor underneath the piles of newspapers, books, magazines, and other junk. The room smelled of mildew and smoke. Dim light filtered through the small paned window.
Iris, eager not to be in the dark, flipped the light switch on the wall several times.
“Electricity’s out.” Paula sat behind the cluttered desk, opened a top drawer, and took out a folded piece of paper. She handed it to Iris.
Iris opened it. It was a sheet of DeLacey Properties stationery. The note was written in blue ballpoint pen in a wildly slanted and florid handwriting style. It said:
Dear Bill,
Please don’t forget to pay the electric and the telephone bills. I put them in the middle of the kitchen table. Last time you forgot and they turned everything off.
The cat food is under the kitchen sink. I know you don’t like the cats, but they don’t hurt anything and they don’t take much to take care of. You might even get to like them a little bit.
Tell Paula I said hello if you see her again. This will be better for Thomas because I know he’s ashamed to have me for his mother, the way I am now.
Please take care of Junior. I worry about him the most. Please take care of him. I know you always have. You have always treated him like your own son. I always wondered how things might have been different if Daddy hadn’t told him. I don’t know why Daddy wanted him to know. Daddy started to want everyone to know. I still don’t know why. Junior was afraid I wouldn’t be able to take it if everyone knew.
I don’t want anything fancy for a funeral. It’s not worth spending the money on me. It’s easier this way for everyone. I know you are tired of having me around. This way I will be out of the way and you can have the house to yourself. I have had enough. I don’t want any more.
Dolly
Iris sat on a pile of newspapers and reread the note. She looked at Paula. “Gabriel was Junior’s father?”
Paula shrugged. “Guess Gabe balled his own daughter. The old lady had more to deal with than I realized.”
“And your father hid Dolly’s suicide note because he didn’t want anyone to know who Junior’s real father was.”
“You like the message she left for me? Tell Paula hello. That’s all she had to say?”
“You’re never going to let your anger toward her go, are you? She wasn’t well. Can’t you accept that and move on?”
“That’s no excuse. It still makes me mad. She was well enough to protect Junior his whole life. And he watched out for her. Junior and my father looked out for each other. Thomas and my father were thick as mud. Everyone’s watching out for everyone else. Except for me.”
“Paula, let it go.”
Paula stood. “Let’s get out of here.”
They walked into the bright sunshine and crossed the lawn to the edge of the hill.
Iris took a few deep breaths.
“That’s why I left my kids, you know.” Paula was staring into the distance. “I didn’t think I could protect them. She couldn’t keep me safe, so I wondered how I could protect my own. You would have thought she could have at least kept him away from me. It wouldn’t have taken much, but she couldn’t do it. When I had kids, I figured, this is something that’s mine. Finally something that’s mine. But I got scared it was going to happen to them and I wouldn’t be strong enough to stop it. So I sent them away. I figured they were better off without me.”
She crouched down and dragged her fingers through the sooty soil. “Now I guess all I’ve got is this hunk of dirt.” She looked at the damaged landscape.
“And an old friend.” Iris crouched down next to her and put her arm around Paula’s shoulders.
“Yeah, I guess I’m stuck with you whether I like it or not.” Paula smiled.
Iris smiled back.
Paula stood as if to cut the moment short. “The old man always said that idle hands are the devil’s workshop.”
Iris slapped her work gloves against her palm. “Then we’d better get busy.”