Chapter Twenty

January 26, 2017—continued

At two o’clock in the afternoon, Paloma sashayed into the daycare wearing a lilac linen dress, white cashmere cardigan, pearls, and white blinged-out slingback pumps. Betty from the infant room greeted Paloma. Betty’s soft white curls framed her round face and rosy cheeks.

“It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Navarro. Your grandson’s right here.” Betty opened a second door to a room that smelled of dirty diapers and baby powder. “He sure is a cute one.”

Paloma cocked her head. “Of course he is. I’m sure he’s the most handsome boy in the entire place.”

Raúl lay in a bouncy seat, his chubby legs kicking the air.

Paloma’s eyes softened at the edges. “He’s—well, he’s gorgeous.” She smiled at her grandson. “He looks exactly like me.”

Betty blinked a few times. “Yes, ma’am, he sure does.”

Paloma clasped her hands. “You’d never know he’s half Norwegian. Such cold people up there.”

“I thought Charlie’s family emigrated from Stockholm. I only remember that because my own family’s from Sollentuna, just north of there. In the 1850s, my grandfather set out…”

“Did my daughter leave Raúl’s car seat for me?”

“It’s right over here.” Betty pointed to a wall with a line of car seats against it. “Wait. Did you say, ‘Raúl?’ ”

Paloma fluttered her eyelashes. “Yes, I prefer to call him by his masculine Mexican name. Be a dear and put him in that contraption for me.”

“Oh—gosh. I’ve got a bad hip, but I’ll do my best.”

Paloma watched the older woman bend over and fumble around until she connected the straps and clicked the belt between Raúl’s legs.

Betty put her hand on her lower back and slowly stood up. “Usually, the parents do this,” she said, her face flushed.

“Now, carry it out for me. By the way, I love your tennis shoes with that yellow polka dot dress. Did you get them at a secondhand store? I hear those places have good deals. Of course, I’ve never shopped at one.”

Betty enlisted the daycare’s young cook to carry the bulky car seat outside and hook it into the rental car. Paloma reached in and ran her hand over Trey’s head. “Such soft, beautiful curls. I’m envious of an infant—can you believe that?”

“I’m sorry; what did you say?” Betty asked.

“My hair used to be the envy of every girl in Laredo.” Paloma ran her fingers across her head. A black clump fell. “My goodness, where are my manners?” She wiped hairs off her shoulders, opened her purse, pulled out a hundred-dollar bill, and pushed it into Betty’s hand.

Betty’s mouth went slack. “Is this a tip? We don’t take tips, Mrs. Navarro, but thank you kindly.” She extended her arm with the bill in her hand.

“Keep it. I’m richer than God.” Paloma started the car and peeled out of the parking lot.

****

Julia stood outside apartment number three-o-eight for a full minute before she knocked. She pulled a bottle of water from her bag and took a swig, leaving her craving something stiffer.

Kelvin opened the door. “Welcome.”

Carmen stood behind him in gray sweatpants, flip-flops, and an Oklahoma Christian College sweatshirt that hung on her like a mini-dress.

“Thank you,” Julia replied. “I brought some cookies for you.” She held out a container. “Pan de polvo. Have you had these before, Carmen?”

“Oh, yes. Well, at least I have,” Carmen answered. “Mami makes them at Christmastime.”

Kelvin took the cookies and set them on the kitchen counter. “Can I getcha somethin’ to drink?” he asked Julia. “I have orange juice and milk, though I don’t advise drinkin’ ’em together—it’ll taste like vomit if ya do that. And I have water. Of course, I have water.”

“No, thanks. I’ve got something with me,” Julia said, motioning to the baby bag slung over her shoulder. Carmen looked toward Julia with a distant gaze and a pasted-on smile. Start with small talk. Get her comfortable with me. “I used to laugh at moms who carried one of these frumpy things as a purse, but you can’t argue with the efficiency of it.” She laughed. Keep it light. “I hope you enjoy the cookies. My mother made them at Christmastime, too.” She waited for Carmen to chime in, like, “I love the cinnamon sugar,” or, “I’d eat them year-round if I could.” But no. Carmen walked to the sofa, sat on the edge, and sighed. So much for small talk. Julia nodded toward a weathered wicker rocking chair. “Okay to sit?”

“Of course,” Kelvin replied, lowering himself onto the sofa next to Carmen.

“Carmen, we don’t know each other well, and you’re taking a leap of faith here—thank you for trusting me,” Julia said. “I promise I only want to help.” She shrugged her shoulders. “My husband advised me to stay away from this, but I think a terrible injustice is happening, and it hurts my heart. Jerry Dean from the newsroom is helping me. We’ll do everything we can to get you and your mom away from Booth and hold him accountable for what he’s done. What I need from you is to fill in the details. We have to prove what he’s done is illegal.”

“You can’t get the authorities involved. If that’s what you’re planning, I’ll do this alone,” Carmen stammered. “We don’t have papers. Percy took Mami’s the day he brought her here. Even if Mami has evidence that she’s in danger, she can’t claim asylum—it’s not enough. They’ll deport us for sure. I don’t even have a birth certificate. Mami delivered me by herself in the house.”

Kelvin set his hand on Carmen’s shoulder. “You should tell Julia why your mother can’t go back to Mexico.”

“My parents worked in a governor’s house. Mami cleaned, and Papi was the groundskeeper. The governor was threatening to crack down on the drug cartels. Men with rifles stormed the house and shot the governor in his bed. Mami and Papi were there when it happened. They killed my Papi a week later. The governor’s wife disappeared a few days after that. They hanged her from a street light in the middle of town. Mami had nowhere to go. A man called ‘Spider’ promised her a good job in America. She didn’t know someone had paid him to smuggle her across the border. Percy Booth bought my mother. She got here in a truck smooshed in with forty-eight other people.”

Julia gulped a swig of water. Fuckity fuck fuck. I’m way over my head here. “Jerry and I won’t call the authorities for now, but if we find out your mother is in immediate danger, we’ll have to.”

Carmen nodded and wiped tears with the sleeve of her sweatshirt.

“Jerry’s working on getting you legal help,” Julia continued. “I assume you want Booth prosecuted to the full extent of the law?”

The gold streaks in Carmen’s eyes flickered. “I want him to rot in jail.”

Julia pulled the reporter’s notebook out of the baby bag. “Let’s get started, then. Jerry gave this to me.” She held up the spiral-bound notebook. “A laptop’s too bulky to carry with all the other stuff in here: diapers, butt wipes, change of clothes, the kitchen sink.” She fished out a hard case with two perfectly sharpened pencils inside. “First things first. Does Booth know where you are?”

“No. I asked Mami last night.”

Kelvin jerked his head back. “You did what?”

“Forgive me, but I had to know if she was okay. You were sleeping when I left.”

Kelvin rubbed his cheek and left the room. He came back holding a beer. “Take me with you if you need to see her again. I can’t protect you if I’m not there.”

Carmen stroked his arm. “Thank you.”

****

After an hour of question and answer, Julia called Jerry on the drive home. Fluffy cotton candy clouds stirred overhead.

“Jer? I just talked to Carmen, and I have a lot to tell you. Plus, my mother and I hatched a plan, and I want to know what you think.”

“You? And Paloma? Working together?”

“Stranger things have happened.”

“Like what?”

“Pet rocks?”

“Good one.”

“Jerry?”

“Huh?”

“Part of me wants to put my head under the covers and suck my thumb.”

“None of that. Do you hear me? We can do this. I have an idea for getting Consuelo out of there.”

Julia’s shoulders loosened. “Thank God.”

****

Julia decided to save the Cadillac dealership a trip and stopped by to pick up the new car. She grudgingly left her Honda Civic behind and drove home in the white Escalade (color: “stardust,” Paloma’s pick). Seattleites preferred fuel-efficient, all-wheel-drive cars with sports racks on top for mountain bikes, skis, camping gear, etc. But in Cascade City, where half the population consisted of loaded retirees, the Escalade fit right in.

She arranged for her and Charlie to have dinner at Mama Mendoza’s while Paloma babysat. She’d tell him everything after he had a few drinks. No more keeping him in the dark.

****

They sat in a booth. Julia set a white paper sack from an electronics store by her feet.

“Do you remember the night of our freshman year's talent show and the cast party afterward?” Charlie asked. “We went to Joe Crenshaw’s house and sat in two of those expensive bean bag chairs you buy at the mall. It’s amazing how doing something as innocuous as choosing a place to sit can turn out to be a life-changer.”

“I knew that night that I’d marry you one day,” Julia said. “And so did every other girl in that room.”

Charlie blushed. “How could you know that? We’d only known each other for two months.”

Julia smoothed and straightened the dinner napkin on her lap and pulled the silverware into perfect vertical alignment. “I thought you were rich.” She winked at him.

“Hah! I thought I was rich, too, or that I would be when Aunt Astrid passed. She raised me, after all. I guess she decided the art museum needed the money more than I did.”

“She never forgave you for marrying a mouthy Mexican with a watch repairman for a father and a mom who grew up hawking gum and newspapers at the border crossing. She cut you out of the will as punishment.”

“Aunt Astrid was a snooty ole lady, but she loved me, Julia. My mom was her favorite niece. When she died, Astrid didn’t hesitate to take me in as her own. She didn’t like that I became a teacher either. Ruined her plan to tell her rich friends she raised a brain surgeon or supreme court justice or something.”

“Uh-huh,” Julia chuckled. “I should have kicked your booty to the curb after the inheritance fell through. Your good looks saved you.”

“But the sex was too good, right?”

“Ohhhh, yeaaahhh. That was it.” A cascade of images flashed in Julia’s memory bank of juicy lovemaking on the sofa (sitting position), the living room floor (a little scratchy on the area rug), in the car (front and back seats), on top of the toilet seat (closed), and an upstairs bedroom at a friend’s potluck dinner (hot!).

The smile on Charlie’s face went flat. “Honey, I miss us. Not just the sex but our talks and watching our shows together before bed. I mean, we’re way behind on a bunch of them. The teachers at school are talking about Beal Street Law, and I’m lost. Something big happened to Cora, the attorney general, but the teachers won’t give me any details.” Charlie rolled his shoulders in little circles and tilted his head from right to left. “I miss going to see the tulips in Skagit Valley. I miss wine tasting in Woodinville, making dinner together, and talking about the books we’ve read. Hell, I haven’t read a book since November. Remember when we used to hang out at bars and shoot pool until they closed the place? I love Trey more than I imagined, but you and I have drifted apart since he was born. It’s not his fault, of course, and I’m sure other parents go through the same thing, but we’ve got to work harder, babe. I don’t want to go on like this.”

“What do you mean ‘you don’t want to go on…’ ”

A guy with “Alberto” on his name tag approached.

“Hola, amigos. Can I start you off with some drinks? Margaritas? Extra large with the best tequila?”

Julia used her cloth napkin to wipe away a tear. “I’ll have lemonade.”

“A shot of tequila, muy grande, por favor,” Charlie said, sounding as Gringo as ever.

“I’ll bring your drinks and take the rest of your order,” Alberto said.

Julia let the tears go. “I agree with you, babe.” She moved around to Charlie’s side of the booth and rested her head on his shoulder. “I’m so worn out and overwhelmed with the baby, work, and things I haven’t even told you yet. But there’s no excuse—guilty as charged. I wanted us to be alone tonight to talk—to tell you what’s happening with me. I’m in deep shit with something at work. You should know about it in case I get into trouble.”

“Get into trouble?” Charlie asked, shifting his position.

“And about the sex, Jesus H Christ, I’m truly sorry, but my libido’s gone the way of Jimmy Hoffa, buried somewhere, probably in Jersey. It has to be a hormone thing, and I’m sure it won’t last forever. I shaved my crotch yesterday, if that makes you feel any better. All the porn stars do it. I wanted to surprise you with it tonight, although, fair warning—I’ve got stubble down there. You could get road rash on your face, and what would you tell your students?”

“C’mon, honey, you know I’ll take my chances with the road rash. What did you mean about getting into trouble?”

“What’s with the faces?” Ana asked, strolling toward them, her black skirt embroidered with a peacock design swishing across the floor. “You look like Mopey the Clown,” she said to Julia. “And you look like you just saw a two-headed Chihuahua,” she told Charlie. “Well, there’s nothing good fajitas can’t fix. Can you smell them? We use real mesquite from Home Depot. And our onions are charred to perfection. Best fajitas in town. Best fajitas in Seattle. These Northwesterners can’t do Mexican food for shit—pardon my French. People come from as far away as Portland to eat our fajitas. Oregon. Not Maine.”

“I see you put the signs out.” Julia nodded toward a white tent card on the table, reading, Please note: Ongoing thefts have led to the installation of recording devices throughout this establishment. If you do not wish to be recorded, you must notify management. “The equipment I mentioned is right here.” She grabbed the white paper bag by her feet. “Thank you for helping us.”

“Yes, of course. I’ll have Alberto set it up after we close. I want to catch the bastard as much as you do—at whatever it is that he’s doing. I’m sure he’ll be in tomorrow with Senator Mathis. They never miss the half-off Friday lunch special. Cheap bastards. Neither one leaves a tip.”

Charlie’s mouth hung open like a fish mid-bubble. He looked at Julia, then Ana, and back again. “Ana, can you get me that tequila shot now?”

The left side of Ana’s mouth lifted in half a smile. “It pleases me to serve you, Carlos.”

“Ana? Dos, por favor?” Charlie held up two fingers. “Julia? What in the hell is going on here? I am freaking out. In case you get into trouble? And what’s in that bag? I wanted more excitement in our lives, but this isn’t what I had in mind.”

“Maybe I should tell you at home. It’s too noisy here. I’ll tell Alberto to bag up the food.”

“We’ll go home after the shots, and you can drive.” He shook his head. “What in the hell have you been keeping from me?”

****

Julia sent her mother back to The Beachcomber. She and Charlie lay in bed facing each other—him in his boxer briefs, her a baggy T-shirt with Jovita Idar, a Mexican journalist and activist, on the front.

“I like to think I’m pretty easygoing, but what is happening?” Charlie asked. “I’m already feeling angry and don’t even know what it is yet.”

“It’s Carmen—the employee at work. Do you remember when I checked on her at her house, and Percy Booth came out with a gun?”

“How could I forget that? I wanted you to call the cops.”

“Jerry and I are trying to prove that he’s holding Carmen and her mother against their will.”

“Wait. What? And you still haven’t called the police?”

“We need to figure out how to keep Carmen and her mother from getting deported. They don’t have papers or a valid asylum claim. Jerry’s trying to find them a lawyer who’ll take the case pro bono.”

Charlie sat up. “It’s not your responsibility to save this young woman or her mother. I applaud that you want to, but we’ve got a son to raise, and—I can’t do it without you. What if something goes wrong? You’re dealing with a gunslinger who’s off his rocker. You’re a call center manager, for Christ’s sake.”

“Jerry and I have a plan. And my mother’s going to help.”

“You’re kidding–your mother’s involved? Are you off your rocker? I’m not happy about this, Julia. Not happy at all. And how come everybody knows but me?”

“I didn’t want you to worry. It was wrong of me not to tell you.”

“Uh-huh. It was wrong of you. You’re my wife, and we made a promise to each other. We don’t keep secrets—or at least I thought we didn’t.” Charlie got out of bed, pulled on a pair of sweatpants, and left the room.

“Charlie? Where are you going?”

“To watch TV. Alone.”

An hour later, Julia tiptoed into the family room topless. It was a shameless try at making amends, but she didn’t know what else to do.

“Sorry, babe,” she said. “I know I screwed up.”

“I’m sure you’re doing this to help Carmen, to do your part in ridding the world of injustice. I admire that—I do. But you can’t shut me out. We’re partners for life. No more secrets. You promise?”

“Yes. I promise.” She moved in closer and leaned down to kiss him. He took a nipple in his mouth instead.