seventeen

Rob smiled hesitantly and moved into the room. His face was pale and he seemed more careworn. It took Geneva a moment to register his presence.

“Rob! What are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to surprise you.”

“How did you find us?”

“Your mother gave me the address. I wanted a chance to talk to you.”

“This really isn’t a good time.” I could see the conflict in her face, aware that Dan would come out of the kitchen at any moment.

Rob spoke quietly. “Brooke and I want to bring Ashley to the memorial service, whenever it’s finally arranged. I think it’s important for her, and I wanted to tell you in person.”

“I see,” Geneva replied.

“I know this is a terrible time. I just wanted you to know Marjorie’s been able to get some information from the police. Now they’re unofficially saying they don’t think Moira …” He took a deep breath. “They found the bullet I fired in the wall. They don’t think it was my gun that …” He trailed off.

“Oh, I appreciate that, Rob. I know you never meant any harm. I’m just having a very hard time with all of this.”

Dan, hearing voices, looked out from the kitchen. He stared at Rob. “What the hell is he doing here?”

“Dan. I wanted to tell you and Geneva that we’d like to bring Ashley to the service you arrange. I’ve tried to explain things to her as well as I could, but she wants to say goodbye to her aunt.”

A flush rose in Dan’s face. “I don’t give a damn what you want. And it’s definitely not a good idea to bring Ashley to any wake.”

“Look, I didn’t mean to upset you. Any of you.” He included me in his gaze. “I just wanted a chance to talk to you.”

“Yeah, well, under the circumstances, you’ve got a hell of a nerve.” Dan’s face was suffused with blood.

Belatedly, I realized maybe I should be the one leaving. “Look, why don’t I wait outside?”

“Stay right where you are, Julia.” Dan stomped across the room and grabbed Rob by the coat jacket. “Get the hell out of here. How dare you come around here after what you’ve done.” He shoved Rob backwards toward the door.

A warning flared in Rob’s eyes and Dan stopped in his tracks. Rob held up his hands. “I’m leaving.” He took a deep breath and calmed himself. “There’s new information. Geneva can tell you. You know I never would have deliberately hurt Moira.” He turned and walked quickly down the hall. The front door slammed behind him.

“Dan.” Geneva walked over and took her brother’s arm.

He pulled away angrily. “How the hell did he know we were here?”

“Mom told him.”

“I can’t believe that guy. The nerve of that bastard coming here now.” Dan shook his head and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lost my temper like that.”

“Apparently Marjorie has information from the police. It wasn’t Rob’s gun.”

Dan stared silently at his sister. “I’ll believe that when I see the report with my own eyes.” He turned to me. “Julia, look, I just never liked the guy, and I certainly don’t now. Always had a bad feeling about him.”

Geneva spoke up. “Let’s get out of here. We don’t have to finish everything today. This is the bulk of it. I can come back later this week and sweep up and double check everything.

“What about the curtains and the curtain rods?”

“Just leave them. I don’t care about them. We need to get back to Mom’s.”

Dan’s truck was already loaded with the few pieces of furniture. We carried two boxes downstairs and piled them into Geneva’s trunk. We left four more boxes on the sidewalk next to the garbage cans. Someone would definitely rummage through and take what they needed. If not, they’d be picked up the next day on the regular garbage run.

Dan called out, “I’ll meet you at Mom’s tonight.” He climbed into the cab of his truck and Geneva watched as he pulled away.

I opened one of the nearest garbage cans and dumped the contents of a wastebasket in and shut the lid. I headed toward the stairs, and then stopped. Something from the wastebasket had caught my eye. I lifted the lid of the garbage container again and looked down. A small blue cardboard box was sticking up out of the trash. I reached in and gingerly pulled it out.

It was the container from an over-the-counter pregnancy test kit. Had Moira been pregnant? Or thought she was? Geneva came up behind me.

“What is it, Julia?”

I held the box up for her to see. Her eyes opened wide.

“Was my sister pregnant? Oh dear God,” she groaned.

“We don’t know that. Not yet. If she was, you’ll find out eventually.”

“Sorry. Somehow that really threw me for a loop.”

“Don’t think about that now. This doesn’t mean she was.”

“Maybe not, but she was worried enough to buy one of those kits.”

I took her by the shoulders. “Listen to me. Lots of people do. It doesn’t mean she was pregnant.”

“You’re right. You’re right. I shouldn’t jump to any conclusions.”

We walked back up the stairs and down the hall to the apartment. Geneva took a long look around. “I guess I’ve had this crazy idea that I’d find something here that would give me some answers. Something that would tell me what Moira was going through.”

I thought the things we’d found had only raised more questions.

“It just doesn’t make any sense.”

I put an arm around her shoulders. “Let’s go. This is all we can do today anyway.”

We locked up and walked down the front steps of the apartment building. Two of the cardboard boxes by the garbage cans had already vanished.

Geneva looked at the boxes that remained there. “Maybe Dan should’ve just unloaded the truck and left it all here. Not waste gas driving to the Goodwill.” She opened her car door and climbed in. Then she rolled down her window and leaned over. “Thanks, Julia.”

“It’s nothing. I’ll talk to you later.” Geneva nodded. “And I’ll spend a little time setting up those charts.”

She revved her engine and drove away. I turned and started walking along the sidewalk to my car parked half a block away. I was rummaging in my purse when I felt a presence behind me. I turned quickly and came face to face with Rob.

I took a step back. The surprise must have shown on my face.

“Please. I don’t mean to alarm you. I just wanted to talk.”

“Where were you? Were you waiting here all this time?”

“Yes. Well, actually I was across the street at the café. I decided to grab a cup of coffee and I hoped I’d catch you on your way out. Away from the family. Do you have a minute? Can I buy you a cup?”

“Thanks, but no thanks. I’ve got to get going. Besides, I don’t know what to say. I mean, I’m not a member of the family. I don’t have any influence over anyone.” I couldn’t help it. The guy had put my back up.

He was quiet a moment. “Put yourself in my position. One day, I’m happily married, in love with my wife. We have a beautiful daughter and a future in front of us. The next, my sister-in-law is dead in our garage. I know I fired a shot, but I’m hoping to God that Marjorie’s right, that it wasn’t my gun that killed her. Julia, I know there was someone else there. If it does turn out my bullet killed her, do you think I’d ever be able to patch my life back together?”

“I’m sorry too. Sorry for you and Brooke and the Learys. But I’m really only involved for Geneva’s sake.”

“Dan never liked me. I know that. But Brooke’s mother did. Mary was very happy when Brooke and I married.”

“And Moira?” I watched him closely.

He shook his head. “Moira and I were oil and water. I resented the way she used Brooke, and I didn’t like having her around. I was up front about it, but Brooke wouldn’t hear anything negative about her baby sister.”

“Hadn’t Moira cleaned up her act?”

“Yeah, right. That’s the official story. I never bought it. I don’t think she really straightened out. Besides, you saw her behavior at the wedding. Look, I didn’t hate her or anything, but I just didn’t want her hanging out at our house all the time. That night, I never suspected it was Moira in the garage. Believe me, I would never have fired my gun if I hadn’t been shot at and panicked. I told the police this too. I know I heard whispering when I went in. Then I heard a gunshot. It was loud, and then I heard a second shot, and somehow I knew, I just knew, the bullet had hit the wall behind me.”

“What do the police say?”

“Nothing. They won’t give me or my lawyer any more definite information. In fact, I have to go downtown with Marjorie and talk to Ianello again tomorrow. Ask yourself this—what would you have done if someone fired at you in your own house in the dark and you couldn’t see a thing? Don’t you think you’d fire back if you thought your life was at stake?”

“I hope that’s a decision I never have to make.”