When Sarah buzzed him in the morning he was already showered and on his second cup of coffee. The morning was devoted to studying Dr. and Mrs. Williamson’s natal and composite charts. By noon Lowell found what he was looking for. He took the wife’s birth chart then “relocating” the chart to various cities on the East Coast. This is done by using the local sidereal time, or moving the time of the chart until the moon is at the exact same place it is in the natural birth chart. By studying each he finally concluded that Gloria Williamson was most likely living within a few miles of Hartford, Connecticut, probably to the west. This was the town that offered her the best chance of employment. He buzzed Mort, who appeared moments later.
“Mort, it’s time for you to surf the big Internet waves. Williamson was right about his wife and child. They do appear to be living on the East Coast in the area around Hartford. Find them.”
“Not much to go on.”
“Well, we know that she’s a registered nurse. But she is certainly living under an alias, and it may be hard for her to find work in most hospitals. Look into private ones and agencies that handle nurses, especially those that operate a bit under the radar.”
Mort nodded. “I’ll go back to when they separated and work forward. I’ll let you know when I find something.” He left.
Lowell hit the buzzer. “Sarah, get Melinda for me. Try her office and cell phone.”
Soon the phone rang.
“Hi, Dad, you called?”
“Are you free anytime today? I need to see you.”
“I have to be up in your ’hood about two o’clock. Will you be around?”
“My ’hood?”
“Sorry, been doing a lot of pro-bono work.”
“I’ll be here.”
***
Melinda was dressed in a short blue skirt, a ruffled white shirt cut rather low, and large pearls. When Lowell saw her he did a double take.
“A little dressy for the afternoon, don’t you think?”
She laughed. “I have to go to a semi-formal cocktail party at five. No time to change. Besides, it can’t hurt my relationship with my clients.”
“Yes,” said her father, “your male clients.”
She laughed again. “Oh, Dad. So what’s going on? Why did you need to see me so quickly?”
“I want to hire you to do some legal work. If you have the time.”
“This is a first. You’re lucky. At the moment I’m only moderately busy as the junior associate. About fourteen hours a day. What’s up?”
He turned the computer screen off, stood up, and stretched. “Let’s take a walk. It’s a beautiful summer day and I could use a little fresh air. Are those fancy shoes good for walking?”
“Yes, Dad.” She looked down and pointed at her feet. “They may be fancy, but I only wear flat, comfy shoes. I hate heels. I’m definitely tall enough.” She winked. “Let’s go.”
They walked to First Avenue so as not to be jostled by the midtown madness. Nannies and strollers surrounded them, and a view of the East River between buildings gave a false sense of bucolic serenity. It was in the mid-eighties, warm, but compared to the oppressive record-setting heat of the past July, it felt almost spring-like.
As they passed a Starbucks, Lowell stopped. “Want some coffee?”
“Sure.”
They got their caffeine fix, hers iced, and headed north again.
Melinda took a big draw through her straw. “So what’s this all about?”
“You know that case I’ve been working on?”
“The doctor with the million dollars?”
He nodded. “I need you to find out what legal rights his estranged or possibly divorced wife has in the matter.”
“Okay. Tell me about it.”
Lowell took a sip. Still too hot. He tossed the top in a garbage can, and blew on the coffee several times. “Dr. and Mrs. Williamson have been living apart for many years, ever since the boys were very small. As I told you, according to Williamson she grabbed one of the babies and took off. I still don’t know why. Now that Williamson has hired me to find them for a kidney transplant scenario, I want to know exactly what I’m getting myself into.”
“I see your predicament. You don’t want to find the wife and child without gaining some legal protection, in case things aren’t quite what they seem and you wind up in the middle of a custody battle.”
“Smart little cookie.”
“And your legal counsel.”
“Right.”
“I’ll need a retainer to make this on the up-and-up. How is five dollars?”
With his free hand, Lowell reached into his pocket, flipped open a small bundle of bills, and Melinda pulled a five from the batch.
“Okay, now I’m your lawyer. What can I do for you?”
“Brush up on abandonment in a marriage and issues about custody when a marriage dissolves or the parents live apart.”
“Pretty broad topic. Anything in particular?”
“I just want to be ready for whatever develops. For example, can one parent take a child out of state or insist on a medical procedure without the written consent of the other?”
“Okay.” She looked at her watch. “Yikes, got to scoot.”
Melinda hailed a cab. “I can come up to the townhouse after the cocktail party, if you like, say around seven.”
Lowell smiled. “Great. We can have dinner and chat.”
She hopped into the cab and disappeared.
Lowell spent the rest of the day working in the office. His over-sized mahogany and leather desk could barely hold the piles of charts as he sifted from one to another. When he needed to study one up close he would bring it up on the TV screen. Thelonious Monk’s unique piano style was playing softly in the background; his bizarre syncopation complementing Lowell’s rather strange thought patterns.
At six he called Andy and went to the townhouse. Normally he would be staying in the office again, but a private dinner with his daughter wasn’t something he would readily give up.
He opened the front door. “Hello, anyone here?”
Julia came out of the kitchen. “Hello, Mr. Lowell, Melinda is upstairs. Would you like a drink? I’m preparing dinner.”
“Thank you, Julia. I’ll have a beer. What room is she in?”
“She went up to the third floor to freshen up. She should be down shortly.”
He went into the living room and sat in a plush, velvet blue armchair. He picked up that day’s New York Times, turned to the crossword puzzle, took a pen and began filling it in. He had done the Times puzzle in pen since he was a teenager. Julia returned with a Spatan beer and a chilled pilsner glass. She set them down on coasters on the table next to the couch. Lowell preferred to pour his own beer. He liked a head on it and many people thought that the top of a beer should be flat. He poured it to his liking and was taking the first sip when Melinda appeared.
He nodded. “Want a drink?”
She smiled. “Sure. It’s been a rough day. I’ll have a martini.”
Lowell started to rise.
“Don’t, Dad. I’ll get my own. And Julia has enough to do.”
She returned shortly with a chilled martini glass and a small pitcher. She set the glass on a coaster and poured in the elixir carefully.
“Ah, delightful.” She sipped and put the glass down in the center of the coaster. “So tell me about this.”
Lowell took a healthy swig of his beer. “I believe I can find the elusive Mrs. Williamson and her son. I just want to make sure that things go as planned. And I want the best attorney I can get. That’s why I put you on retainer.”
“Speaking of which, I found a check in my purse.”
Lowell smiled. “You didn’t know I was a magician as well as a detective? Yes, I snuck it in there while you were upstairs.”
“But it’s for five thousand dollars, and we agreed on five, cinco, cinq dollars.”
He shrugged. “A few extra zeros.”
“I’ve told you I don’t need your money.”
“This isn’t charity. I’m hiring you and I expect you to do a professional job. It’s my neck on the chopping block. Your time is valuable and if I’m going to make use of it I’ll make it worth your while.”
“Whatever.”
“Hey, I’m getting paid a million dollars. The least I can do is spread the wealth. If you want, give half to charity, same as me.”
“I will.”
She got up and walked to a breakfront, opened it and took out a tall, pine-scented candle. “It reminds me of Christmas. You don’t mind?”
He shook his head. But the truth was that sometimes sensory input could thrust him into the past, and depending on his state of mind, that could be a dangerous place.
As she brought the candle to the table, the subtle smell hit him, and he found it pleasant and unthreatening. He relaxed.
She lit the candle. “So, where is she?”
“I believe she’s in Connecticut, near Hartford. As soon as Mort finds her, I’ll go up and talk to her. This isn’t the type of case I would usually take, so I’m feeling my way.”
She pointed her martini glass at him. “You know why you took this case, don’t you?”
“Am I going to get a lot of psycho-babble now?”
“I did minor in psychology after all.”
“Well, practice it on someone else. I took the case because it interested me.”
“Uh huh. You know, Dad, for someone so smart and aware…”
Julia came in from the kitchen. Through the open door the fragrant aroma of dinner escaped. “Mr. Lowell, dinner’s ready. Where do you want to eat?”
“How about the little nook outside the kitchen?” It was a table just for two. “And Julia, I’ve told you to call me David.”
“Yes, Mr. Lowell. I’ll set the table. It’ll be about five minutes.” She went back into the kitchen. They could hear the welcoming sounds of plates and silverware as Julia arranged the table.
“What would you do without her?”
Lowell finished his beer. “I don’t want to find out.”
The house phone rang.
Mort.
“I found her.”