Page 36 of Crosshairs
“That’s a deal.”
CHAPTER 44
I CAME HOME that evening absolutely exhausted. After leaving One Police Plaza, Rob Trilling and I had run down every lead we could find on Wendy Robinson. We talked to one former landlord who wasn’t particularly happy with the fist-sized holes she’d left in his apartment. She wasn’t even connected to the address she had given us.
Trilling said he’d run by the gym where Robinson worked out to see if he could find anything. That was fine with me. My day was over. A few hours with my family and a decent meal would do wonders.
Or so I thought.
As soon as I stepped through the apartment door, I could hear high-pitched yelling that had to be coming from one of the younger girls.
I hurried through the entryway to the dining room. Bridgetand Fiona had squared off with Jane across the dining room table. The usually calm Jane looked ready to spring across the table and crack someone’s head. Bridget, normally much more interested in arts and crafts, was screaming that Jane had violated her civil rights.
I could already tell that this was a story I was not particularly interested in hearing. But I was a dad. That left no room for me to just walk away.
I said in a loud voice, “Everyone to a neutral corner.” That at least got the girls’ attention and stopped the screaming. They all turned and stared at me like I’d interrupted a debate. Then I asked, “Where’s Mary Catherine?”
Jane spoke first. “She took Ricky and Shawna to the Museum of Natural History so they could do some kind of report.”
That made sense. There’s no way these girls would ever get into a fight like this with Mary Catherine around. I made everyone take a seat. As usual, the twins, Bridget and Fiona, sat right next to each other. Across the table, like opposing counsel, Jane sat by herself.
I said, “Does someone want to tell me what this is all about?”
Jane took a breath and said in a reasonably calm voice, “I think it’s best if we handle this ourselves.”
“Somehow I doubt that. Plus, I’m not sure if my medical insurance can cover what you guys might do to each other.” I gave Fiona a hard look. It’s wrong to say, but she is always the first to crack in any situation like this. A lot of people talk about knowing which parent to ask permission for different things. The flip side of that coin is that most parents know which kid to question when there’s an argument. In this case, my basketball star Fiona was the weak link.
She cracked even faster than I’d expected. She blurted out, “Bridget and I were just fooling around. Jane’s the one who freaked out when we took her little notebook. She pulled my hair.” Fiona pointed to a few strands of hair on the table. It didn’t seem that serious, but it backed up her comment.
I didn’t even have to turn my head toward Jane before she started on her defense. “Dad, I told you, I have a big project! It’s driving these two nuts that I won’t tell them what it’s about. So they grabbed my notebook. I’m sorry we were so disruptive when you came through the door.”
“Wow. That’s a good explanation.” I looked at the two younger girls. “Is what Jane said accurate?”
Both the girls nodded their heads. It was satisfying to see my girls tell the truth. Especially after I was already feeling bad about having bought a lie from Wendy Robinson and wasted my afternoon. Then we heard the front door open.
Bridget said in a low voice, “Please don’t tell Mary Catherine.” The other two girls were nodding their heads vigorously. WasIthe pushover? Was my new wife the disciplinarian in our family? This was something I’d have to think about.
I looked at Jane. “I appreciate your honesty. The only thing I’ll ask is that you guys find a less aggressive way to work out problems. Also, I need you to keep your phone on all the time when you’re out of the house, Jane.”
“Dad, when I’m in Columbia’s library they’re really strict about us keeping our phones off and not using them.”
“They’re probably strict about turning the volume down. But you can answer texts.”
Mary Catherine came in and gave me a hug and a kiss as Ricky and Shawna raced by with a quick “Hey, Dad!” But mywife’s Irish sixth sense took only a second to read the temperature of the room. She said, “What’s wrong?”
I smiled and said, “Not a thing, now that you’re home.”
I noticed the three girls’ smiles as I covered for them. I didn’t like to lie, but this one seemed like a good cause.
CHAPTER 45
I WAS AT my desk the next morning before seven. One minute later I was bothering Walter Jackson. I’d given him Wendy Robinson’s name and told him we couldn’t find her anywhere. That was usually enough for our super analyst to come up with a few addresses no one would think of.
Before I could say a word, Walter asked me, “Do you know why the man who invented the Ferris wheel never met the man who invented the merry-go-round?”
I just shook my head.
As usual, Walter couldn’t contain his wide grin. He said, “They traveled in different circles.”