Мэри Эндрюс - The Newcomer

Evan had placed his phone on the tabletop. The screen lit up, and he tapped it to dismiss the call. “Okay, I need to get going. You’ve got all you need, right?”

“For now,” she said.

He reached for his billfold.

Zoey and Hailey were standing behind the counter when she saw Table Two getting ready to leave. She nudged Hailey.

“Time to take your smoke break.”

“Now? I just took one a little while ago.”

Zoey gave her a look. “Just go stand outside the window where they’re sitting. Take your phone. When the woman gets up to leave, get a picture of her. And try to be subtle, okay?”

“What’s this for?” Hailey asked, sliding her phone into the pocket of her apron.

“It’s for our girl Letty,” Zoey said. “Hurry up. Go, go, go.”

9

MAYA WAS USING THE BACK of her spoon to mash the banana rounds into her Cheerios, before happily stuffing the cereal into her mouth with her hands.

“Okay, doodlebug, finish that up now,” Letty said, using a paper towel to mop up the spilled milk on the tabletop. “We’ve got to get moving.”

“Where we going, Letty?”

Letty lifted her down from the booster chair. “This morning, you’re going to the office with me, and we’re going to help Miss Ava.”

Maya went to the dresser and picked up her pocketbook and slung it over her shoulder. “Okay. Let’s go.”

“Not quite yet,” Letty said, laughing. “Let me finish getting dressed.”

She examined her reflection in the cloudy dresser mirror and sighed. It had been a tough twenty-four hours, and her face showed the stress.

They’d spent most of the previous day at the beach. It was Sunday, and crowds lined the expanse of wide, white sand. Maya had been in her element, swimming and gathering seashells. Ava had given them a plastic bucket and a small kitchen strainer, and the child spent hours trying to net the minnows that darted safely out of her way. They’d built an elaborate sandcastle, which Maya declared was for Elsa, even though Letty was fairly certain ice princesses would never survive the Florida sunshine. Late in the day they’d eaten somewhat sandy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and potato chips and fed the leftovers to the seagulls, which dipped and swooped in for their meal and generally terrorized and annoyed the tourists sitting nearby.

It had been a carefree, golden afternoon. They’d packed up the beach umbrella and toys when suddenly, in the distance, Maya spotted a long-legged blond woman in a red bikini, walking along the shoreline.

“Mommy!” Maya screamed, dropping her sand bucket. “That’s my mommy!” She streaked toward the woman, with Letty close behind. “No, Maya. Come back!”

The startled woman turned, just in time to see the child hurtling at her, and then desperately clinging to her knees, crying, “Mommy, Mommy.”

“I’m sorry,” Letty said breathlessly, as she tried to peel Maya away from the stranger.

“Noooo!” Maya screeched, clawing and kicking as Letty carried her away. “Noooo!”

It was quite the scene. People were staring, their expressions a mixture of amusement and sympathy.

“She’s just overtired,” Letty murmured, as a young mother stopped to ask if she needed help.

Maya screamed all the way past the Murmuring Surf pool, where the regulars were arrayed in their self-assigned lounge chairs. Letty was vaguely aware of the silver-haired women and balding men turning to stare in their direction.

When she finally reached the room, she had to lock the door, because Maya repeatedly threw herself at it, crying out for her mother.

That morning, Joe had arrived at the door to their unit with a small “extra” flat-screen television that he claimed Ava had discovered in the office supply room. Now, Letty turned the television on and tried to distract Maya with PAW Patrol, but to no avail.

Finally, in desperation, Letty ran a warm bath, stripped off first her own and then Maya’s sandy swimsuit, and climbed naked into the tub. She held the sobbing four-year-old close to her chest, patting her back, rocking back and forth until the tears slowly began to subside. She hummed and sang “Let It Go” over and over until her voice was hoarse and the water was cold.

When Maya’s breathing grew slower, signaling sleep, Letty finally climbed out of the tub. She dressed them both quickly and tucked Maya into the bed. The child stirred once, but fell back to sleep immediately. Letty congratulated herself on how expertly she’d handled what could have been a dangerous situation. What if someone had stopped and questioned her on the beach? What if someone demanded to know who Letty was? And where Maya’s mother was?

Fortunately, that day, the beachgoers were busy minding their own business.

Letty tortured herself for hours, considering all the dire consequences of Maya’s meltdown, finally falling into an uneasy sleep shortly after 2:00 A.M.

When her phone dinged softly, signaling an incoming text, her whole body tensed.

The message was from Corinne.

Hey. Heads up. Zoey called today. E showed up at the Daizy yesterday, with a lady detective. This woman had lots of? about u and Tanya and Maya, but Zoey played dumb. She hung around long enough to hear the woman say they found the Mercedes in Philly. They know you rented a car and left it in Raleigh. And the woman has a picture of you. Be careful, okay?

Letty’s fingers flew over the phone’s keyboard. Thanks. Will be in contact. You be careful too.

Three little bubbles indicated Corinne was still typing. A photo popped up on her phone screen, of a woman, standing at what Letty recognized as Evan’s favorite table at the Lazy Daizy. She was dressed casually, sneakers, jeans, blazer.

Zoey managed to get us a photo of the detective.

Tell her I owe her one. Xoxo L.

She shouldn’t have been shocked that Evan had hired a detective. Tanya had warned her, as recently as the week before her death, that her dealings with her ex had taken an ominous turn.

“He thinks he’s so smart,” Tanya said, while they were sharing take-out sushi. “I know all his dirty little secrets. And if he keeps messing with me, trying to take Maya from me, I told him, I’ll go public. And he’ll go to jail.”

Letty had begged Tanya not to threaten Evan, but Tanya was beyond reason.

“Did I tell you about his new arm candy? Her name is—get this—Juliette. After Maya got back from the weekend with them it was all JuJu this and JuJu that.”

“So? You know he’s always got a new chick on the string. You’re over him, so why do you care?” Letty asked.

“Because this chick is different. He let her move in. It’s the first time he’s done that since I left.” Tanya scowled. “Of course, Maya’s in looooove with her JuJu. She’s totally buying my daughter off with fancy toys and clothes. Who gives a four-year-old her own goddamn iPad?”

“Tanya, listen to what the mediator is telling you,” Letty said. “Stop picking fights with Evan. If you stop threatening him, he’ll settle. If you do that, you can move on and put all this crap behind you.”

“I’m moving on all right, all the way to California,” Tanya retorted. “I’m taking Maya with me, and there’s not a damned thing Evan Wingfield can do to stop me. Not if he wants to stay out of prison.”

Letty could feel her anxiety spiraling. Tanya’s prediction had been devastatingly accurate. Evan Wingfield had killed her sister, she was sure. And now he was after her. Her first instinct was to run—to pack up this child, asleep in the bed beside her, and flee into the darkness.

Maya sighed softly and burrowed into Letty’s side, flinging an arm across her chest. Letty inhaled the sweet smell of baby shampoo and brushed a damp curl off the child’s forehead.