Diana Orgain - Bundle of Trouble

“Mrs. Avery? How long have you worn reading glasses?” I asked.

“Thirty years now, dear. Why? Are you starting to have to push things further out to read them?”

God. Did I look that old? I had to get some sleep!

I smiled tightly. “No. Not yet.”

After about ten minutes of waiting, Rich’s car finally screeched onto Mrs. Avery’s driveway. A moment later Marta entered and announced Rich’s arrival. He came into the room and immediately approached Mrs. Avery, kissing her cheeks. He acknowledged me with a nod and a curt hello.

Mrs. Avery gestured toward the sofa. “Sit, Rich. Thank you for seeing us on such short notice.”

Rich smiled. “What can I do for you ladies?”

“I think you have a few things to explain. Show him the paperwork, Kate.”

I pushed the reports toward Rich. “Here’s a ledger for El Paraiso showing a loss. It’s dated July. And here’s a ledger for El Paraiso for the same month, showing a profit.”

Rich nodded and said, “Hmmm. That’s odd.” He sucked on his teeth for a moment, then finally asked, “Where did you get these?”

I leveled a glare at him. “I know you’re laundering money through the shop on Haight as well.”

He shook his head from side to side, putting his ear to one shoulder then the other, and jiggling his legs up and down. He looked at Mrs. Avery. “Uh, what would you like me to say, Gloria?”

Mrs. Avery frowned. “Is it true?”

“That we’re dealing drugs out of El Paraiso?”

“Yes,” Mrs. Avery said.

He looked from Mrs. Avery to me, then back to Mrs. Avery. “Yes, it true.”

Mrs. Avery paled as though she’d seen a ghost. Then as quickly as the color had drained, it returned, turning her face red with fury. “How can you do this? How can you do this to Bradley’s memory?”

“Well, Brad was the one who started the whole business, Gloria. I’m surprised you didn’t know.”

“How would I know such a thing?” Mrs. Avery demanded.

“This city is very competitive in regards to restaurants. I mean, you didn’t really think we were turning a profit selling hamburgers and frittatas, did you?”

Mrs. Avery looked stunned. I felt sorry for her. She really had had no idea.

She reached for the phone and dialed 9-1-1.

When I got home, Jim was searching the Internet for job opportunities. I asked him to give Laurie a bottle while I slept. I napped two hours and woke feeling semirefreshed to a ringing phone. Would I ever wake up feeling that I’d gotten enough sleep ever again in my life?

Jim hovered over me. “Are you awake?”

“Sort of.”

“It’s Galigani.”

I grabbed the phone.

“Congrats, kid. I heard you’re responsible for a drug bust.”

“ Yeah. I’d put my own brother-in-law, a new daddy, behind bars. Yippee.”

Galigani tsked. “You are not responsible for other people’s actions. Only your own. As for your brother-in-law, he committed a felony. He’s old enough to commit the crime, he’s old enough to do the time. Which we hope will go a long way toward making him a better father.”

“I hope you’re right.” I worried about Kiku and the new baby being all alone. I’d have to find a way to help her. After a moment, I said, “What about Jennifer, do you think she really did it?”

“Why not? The cops think so.”

“But she was released and now she’s pointing to Mrs. Avery.”

Galigani guffawed. “Mrs. Avery? Hell, is she reaching or what? Look, Jennifer Miller was released on a technicality. Not enough evidence for the DA to prosecute doesn’t mean ‘not guilty.’ McNearny will keep digging until he finds something the DA likes. As for you, you don’t work for the DA, so it doesn’t matter what he says. You just need to satisfy your client.”

“Something’s not right. I just don’t know what it is.”

“That happens. What I do when I’m stuck is go over all my notes again. Just read everything in your notebook and think. Sometimes the answer is right in front of you, but you can’t see the forest for the trees. It helps to get a little rest and not think about anything for a while.”

I snorted.

Galigani laughed. “How’s the baby?”

That evening I followed Galigani’s advice and tuned everything out. Jim and I watched a football game and carved pumpkins. I read every single line I’d written in my notebook and reread Galigani’s book for good measure.

Feeling no closer to solving the case, I reviewed my to-do list.

To-Do List:

1. Help Jim find a job.

2. ✓

3. ✓

4. Research day care for Laurie.

5. Prep for return to the office.

6. Stock up on pumped milk.

Depressed about having to return to corporate hell, I logged on to the computer to check e-mail. I found a note from Paula.

Kate! Sounds like you have too much going on to be healthy. Launching a new business sounds good, but girl you just had a baby for crying out loud. I’m going to have to get home soon to knock some sense into you. Either that or join you:)

Oh and about Carol? The only Carol I remember from high school was Carol Reilly, she wasn’t friends with Michelle, but was she friends with Michelle’s sister? Can’t remember, high school was a long time ago and since I’m pregnant I can’t even recall what I ate for breakfast.

Baby due in three and half months, not that I’m counting!

Say hi to your mom and Jim. Kisses to the tiny one.

Love, love, love you guys! Write soon.

Inspired by Paula’s note, I searched through my garage for an old yearbook. I found the one from our freshman year and flipped through it.

Pictures of Paula and Michelle and me covered the pages.

I located our sophomore yearbook and searched the pages. There was a photo of Michelle and me in the school play. Michelle had inscribed a message in purple handwriting: “Kate, best of luck to you in the theater!”

My junior yearbook was missing. I vaguely recalled lending it to Paula. She’d probably never returned it.

I leafed through our senior book. Pictures of the prom splashed across the page.

I found a picture of Rich. There he was, with Carol Reilly. Whatever happened to her?

Then I saw it. Brad staring back at me. A pretty date on his arm. A familiar bracelet on her wrist.

I dropped the book.

Hmmm? How had her bracelet ended up in George’s bag?

I picked up Galigani from his home on Telegraph Hill. He limped to the car.

“Thanks for meeting me on such short notice,” I said.

“Hey, I’m not supposed to be out. But who listens to doctors anyway?”

I nodded and steered toward the Haight district. There was no traffic to speak of at this hour of the night. Galigani and I rode in silence. I wondered if he was falling asleep and eyed him suspiciously. He jerked his head up and glared at me.

“What?” He smiled.

“How are you feeling?”

“Fair to middling. Did you see my scar?” He opened his shirt a bit. A fresh scar crossed his entire chest.

“Ouch!”

“Funny thing is, this one doesn’t hurt so bad. It’s my leg. I’ve got a scar there that runs down the whole thing. It’s where they took the veins out to put into my heart.”