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He opened the door, let me outside, and ushered me into his car soundlessly. With his bulky body, he moved in the dark like a cat, reminding me he served some years as a Navy SEAL, doing who knows what, who knows where.
Getting into the driver’s seat, he didn’t put a seatbelt on, just started the car and pulled off his driveway onto the street. There was something eerie in the way we were moving through the neighborhood, and it took me some time to realize he hadn’t turned his headlights on. Plus, the car had tinted windows.
«What’s going on?» I whispered. «What do you want to do?»
«I’ll tell you in a minute,» he whispered back at me. «Just do what I say.»
After a couple of miles, he wheeled to the opposite side of the street and parked without turning off the engine. I got out, obedient to his command, while Joe was shifting his big body inside the car, trying to get out. Not having enough room, he put his left foot on the ground and pressed the car horn with his elbow. His honking woke up the whole neighborhood. Dogs barked, and the light went on and off in the next house up the street.
The house on the hill across the lawn from us remained dark and silent. Joe exhaled like a whale and proceeded to the car’s rear. He popped the trunk up, pulled out an oddly shaped bag, and handed it to me. It was slippery. He, himself, got a heavy object that looked like a white box. He carried the box to the lawn and left it there. I put the slippery bag next to it. Shaking and sweating, I was trying to kill the thought that those objects were the remains of some annoying material witness who crossed my new boss.
Joe trotted back to his car, got another boxy white thing, and dumped it next to the first one.
«Get in the car,» he commanded, though it took him more than a second to get inside and start the engine. He wheeled back to the right side of the road, turned on the headlights, and lit his cigarette.
«What did we just do?» I squeaked.
«Take this, you need it.» He gave me his cigarette.
I don’t smoke, but neither do I dump things on people’s front lawns; so, the cigarette felt like the right thing to do.
«How was it?» My boss asked.
«Terrifying!»
«Yeah… Especially when I tooted my horn in the middle of the operation. Everything because it was so secretive.»
«What was it?»
«My old toilet tank.»
My cigarette flew out when I coughed. «Your toilet tank? You woke me up in the middle of the night to dump your toilet tank on other people’s property?»
«You have to understand, I was too embarrassed to put them in front of my office. These rich people have so many kids, it’s natural for them to throw out toilet tanks. Nobody would give a shit about it. And I’m a lawyer. I have clients coming. I have done so much work, by the way, since you left. I installed two new toilet tanks. Now, the toilet flush sounds like a military jet.»
«So, that was the important business you needed to do. That’s why you didn’t come for dinner. That’s why you didn’t want to discuss Debbie’s case with me!»
Toilet tanks did me in. From now on, I will investigate everything myself without Joe’s help. I will just report the results. I will never let him know how I got my information. And I knew just where to start: Debbie’s new house and her neighbors.
The next morning, I slept through my husband leaving for work, and didn’t wake up for my children’s breakfast. It was ten when I finally opened my eyes and dragged myself to the kitchen. After my nocturnal dumping trip, I felt out of place, as if I had just come in from Europe.
«Sleeping in today?» Larissa’s voice had a sarcastic undertone to it. «You don’t look good. You know, it’s destructive for a woman of our age to spend nights out. Here, your cup of strong coffee.»
«Thanks, Larissa. Did the girls behave this morning?»
«They were unusually quiet. I think your absence stressed them out. A daily routine is more important for children than anything else. They expected you to see them off, and as always, you weren’t there for them. Have a piece of toast with your coffee. Don’t just gulp it down. It’s bad for your stomach.» She gracefully put her fingers through her curly strawberry hairdo. She might be well into her sixties, but she insisted on looking forty-five.
I fixed myself toast and jam, watching how a secret thought was boiling inside the old lady like soda mixed with lemon juice.
«You know, Rachel,» she finally gave up. «You know, I like to read before going to bed. I only read very good authors like Dan Brown. There is no point wasting your life on anything inferior. I mean horrors or mysteries.»
I nodded in complete agreement.
«Though last night I was reading a very interesting historical novel about a great medieval artist. You wouldn’t know his name, anyway… Suddenly, I heard some noise. Heavy footfalls… It was two o’clock in the morning. Of course, I rushed to check on the girls. You know, I am a highly responsible and dependable person. And I got a glimpse of you, in this yellow jacket, getting into your red car and driving away.» She wrinkled her lips disapprovingly.
«So?»
«It’s not any of my business, of course, but I believe Alexander noticed your absence.» Burning with curiosity, Larissa bent over the table and knocked down her cup with her skinny, sharp elbow.
«I’ll talk to him.» I stood up abruptly and left, leaving the poor old lady to brew in her own sauce.
CHAPTER 5
Debbie’s current address was written in my memory in huge letters, and yet, being an exemplary assistant, I gave my boss an unanswered phone call, and only then did I set off for my trip.
It took me about an hour to get there. Why Deborah got a job in Center City to drive from New Jersey was a mystery to me. The town’s main street had a shopping center and a used car dealership. I stopped at McDonald’s to use the bathroom and to grab something to eat. Larissa had an amazing ability to poison mealtime, and after a couple of skipped breakfasts, the whole idea of having a grandmotherly figure in the family didn’t look so wise anymore. But try to tell this to Alexander! To have a live-in grandma is part of a healthy and happy childhood, and nothing could change his mind. I went in, munched down chicken salad, and followed it with soft ice cream to get my daily sugar fix. No matter what they say, fast food is a mood-altering substance, and it always works for me in stressful times.
Pulling in, I saw a couple of trucks and minivans. Right after me, a decrepit maroon Honda had pulled in and parked next to my Jag. The Honda’s driver hadn’t gotten out, just pulled down the windows.
Now walking back to my car, I peeked at the maroon car on the right. The driver, a very young blond man with sharp cheekbones, ate a sandwich. His car looked like a dump, with all those papers and clothes and newspapers swamping its seats. Even the car radio sounded fuzzy and out of tune, transmitting some weird talk show, as if several men were talking at once, describing their location and little observations: «12:15 Object One is in the parking lot,» or «12:15 Object Ten stays at the office.»
My sparkly clean Jag felt like a safe haven. Somehow, seeing other people’s misery makes me appreciate what I have more. I drove back onto Main Street looking for Pike Road, finally spotted it and turned at the last moment. I found the number 2550 right away. It was especially easy, since several police cars were parked along the quiet street as a free attraction for a few local viewers.
Debbie shouldn’t see me yet. That’s why, getting ready in the morning, I put on my daughter’s clothes: blue bellbottoms and a t-shirt with a yellow windbreaker. I hid my red hair under an NYU baseball cap. It was a decent outfit to become invisible in any crowd. The moment I approached Debbie’s place, the entrance door opened, letting out two cops and a tall middle-aged man with cuffed hands. The man looked back at the house and smiled. He looked intelligent and handsome, and a little run down, like an old brick Georgian house.
«What’s going on here?» I asked a woman in sweatpants and a t-shirt standing on the lawn.
«Her ex just got arrested for trespassing.» She turned her head.
«Is it Debbie’s ex?»
«Do you know her?» Ms. Sweatpants turned to me completely. Her gray and brown hair wildly went up in spirals.
Before I came up with a lie, the cops searching for Debbie’s ex’s metallic Pathfinder popped its trunk and removed a long semi-automatic gun. They asked him for a gun permit; «In the glove compartment,» he answered. After sorting through his papers, they found the permit. The police officers placed the gun in the trunk of the police cruiser and took off, leaving one behind to console Debbie.
«Do you know her?» Ms. Sweatpants poked my ribs with her elbow.
«Not really. I’m her new social worker. Just came down here from the district office to look at their place,» I lied. «Do you know them?»
«They just moved in, you know. But we’ve already got some questions. You wanna hear this? By the way, I’m Meg. I work as a nurse at a local preschool. Wanna have a cup of coffee at my place? This is my house, just in front of us.» Talking, she looked like a beaver with her protruding front teeth.
Her tiny kitchen was furnished with outdated but clean drawers and shelves and stuffed with craft items: heavy clay mugs, animal figurines, blue glass bottles of every shape and size, and glass pictures. Meg poured us a little coffee, talking non-stop.
Debbie and the kids had moved in a year ago. The house she stayed in was a rental, so lots of people lived there over time. Meg never knew them and tried to do her best to stay away.
«Interest rates are so low, everybody buys a house now. Who rents? Just young people and troubled families… Single mothers, like her.»
She, herself, had a husband and was very proud of the fact, judging by a dozen shots of her and some bald guy stuck to the fridge door. Noticing me staring at the pictures, she said she was the only married woman at her daycare center.
«It’s easy to get married,» she said happily. «The trick is to keep your husband.»
I couldn’t agree with her more. I never managed this trick and saw Alexander as my last matrimonial endeavor.
Meg knew nothing of Debbie, but unfortunately, her son Ken was Matthew’s classmate, and Matthew got in the habit of tormenting Ken.
«Is he a bully?» I asked, remembering suddenly that I was his social worker.
«He is… You know, we call these kids „without brakes.“ As if he doesn’t understand that people have feelings. He doesn’t understand what he is doing.»
I quickly learned from Meg that during six months of school, Matthew twice went to a psychiatric clinic. Once, for hitting his pregnant teacher in her bulging stomach, and next time, for setting the principal’s car on fire.
«You know, I work with kids every day from seven to five. I mean, I would like a different job, but I can’t get anything. I’m furious with Matthew, but pity him, too. You understand; he is not an evil boy. He just acts out of desperation, or something. It’s all because of his father. I mean, there are police at their place every week, and every week the boy does something stupid. His father doesn’t want to leave them alone. He doesn’t want to give up. His mother doesn’t want her ex back. Can you imagine this kind of mess?»
Meg explained how to find the school building, so I could look at the boy’s personal records. Damn, Joe wanted me to talk to people about her, but didn’t supply me with any helpful information.
The school was located just a couple of blocks away from Debbie’s place in a sprawling cinderblock building with a «No Drug Zone» warning at the beginning of the driveway. I pulled up to the entrance and rang the bell. An elegant lady came from the other side, looked at me through the glass, and unlocked the door.
«I’m sorry,» I said. «I’m the Coopers’ new social worker, and I need to talk to the principal. I don’t have an appointment. I just drove by.»
«It’s perfectly okay. I’m the principal. You can come in. Sorry, I can’t spend a lot of time with you. School will be out soon. But I certainly can answer a couple of your questions.»
It was quiet inside the school, like the eye of a hurricane. I followed the principal to her office, where she introduced me to the state of Matthew’s affairs.
«You know, of course, the real reason Matthew Cooper is under the surveillance of the Children and Youth Department?» The principal looked straight into my eyes.
«Well, I just got his case. I’m not familiar with every detail.»
«Then you are talking to the right person. Matthew is a pyromaniac. He’s fascinated with fires.»
Who isn’t? I like to sit next to a fireplace and stare at the fire.
«There is always the possibility that he can set fire anytime and anywhere. Here, at school, we keep our eye on him. Home is a different story. His mother, Mrs. Cooper, works full time.» The principal apologized and picked up the ringing phone.
«May I look at his personal records, please?» I asked the second she hung up the phone.
«Yes, of course,» she said and walked to the door. «Nobody can see the students’ personal records, but the school authorities. You are a social worker, so you have the right to view the materials also.»
She disappeared behind the door and left me rejoicing quietly. Who said that school ladies are strict and unreachable? They are nice and very gullible. The principal came back with a thick folder in her elegant hands. It looked heavily read, with dog-eared pages, pictures of the burned car, and copies of the police reports.
«I apologize. I have to leave you for five minutes.» The principal gracefully left the room.
It turned out that Matthew was fourteen, and that he used to have excellent grades in elementary school. Then something happened, and the boy lost touch with reality. Otherwise, why did all those incident reports suddenly come into the picture? Sorting through the papers, I finally found what I was looking for: the Coopers’ old home address at Cherry Hill, which was printed on the top of some inquiry letter. In an emergency form, the phone number of Pitt Cooper, their father, was listed as a priority emergency contact. I copied the address and the number down and was about to return the documents when my cell phone rang.
«Report to my assistant,» Joe’s voice boomed with excitement. «I have a spider as big as my thumb building a web outside of my kitchen window.»
«So?» I feverishly flipped through the remaining pages.
«You have to come here and take it down.» My impossible boss was true to himself.
«No, not right now. I’m digging up some dirt here.»
«And…»
«I’m all dusty.»
«Okay, keep digging. Just remember, you have an appointment with Planet Security at two tomorrow. Don’t forget to bring Mrs. Cooper over there. Good luck. Don’t flunk it, both of you.» And like that, he was gone.
What the hell is Planet Security? Aren’t polygraph tests administered by the FBI? The office door opened. The principal stood behind it, holding the knob and talking to a little girl. I flipped the last page and saw familiar lettering: NOSE, the National Office of Services to Emigrants. Whoever came up with a name for that place definitely was an illiterate foreigner. Emigrants are people who leave a country for some other country. People who are coming here to America are immigrants! Debbie’s workplace sounded trashy to me. I couldn’t figure out any reason she decided to take work there. I didn’t have time to read the letter, and instead, just folded it and put it in the pocket of my jacket.
«I apologize for leaving you alone, but this time of day it is really busy.» The principal took the folder from me and tucked it safely under her arm. «Please, let me know if you need any help.»
On the way back home, I stopped just once to get gas. While my little red sexy gas-gobbler was getting filled up, I went to the station restroom. Its massive metal door was locked and scratched all over, as if somebody was trying to open it using the wrong key. To get a key, I walked into the station and found myself at the end of a waiting line. A tall, skinny guy was buying several dozen lottery tickets. The cashier needed to enter every number on every ticket manually. Clicking, the machine was gradually spitting printed tickets at him.
«Excuse me!» I shouted, standing at the door.
The cashier didn’t even look at me.
«May I get the restroom key?»
The cashier looked at me and opened his mouth to say something, when the skinny man whirled towards me like a bloodthirsty hyena. I saw them in a safari park in Florida. They have glossy eyes, as if thawed after a long-term freezing.
«The cashier is busy; don’t you bother him,» he whispered.
«I just need the key to the restroom,» I said.
But the damage was done. The cashier just stood there, scratching his head.
«Did you want the Powerball, or what?» He asked finally.
«Yes,» the thawed guy screamed. «I told you five times; put a hundred dollars on the Powerball lottery! They have one of the biggest games in their history, five hundred million dollars. Hurry up! They are closing up in five minutes.»
«I’m sorry.» The cashier, a boy merely out of high school, whispered. «I pressed the wrong button. It’s all gone to the Number of the Day game. I’m sorry.»
The skinny guy started to shake and emit steam like a burning teakettle. «You’re not sorry yet. You will pay for this, or I will make you sorry!»
«I can’t pay for this. It’s a hundred dollars,» the boy reminded him, desperately trying to keep his tears at bay. «I’m earning forty dollars a day.»
«I don’t care how much you earn. Now, I’m not paying for this. The transaction was completed, so you pay.» The thawed guy jerked his hundred-dollar bill out of the boy’s hand and left the station with a look of triumph shining through his glossed eyes.
A second later, a manager materialized out of thin air. His verdict was similar: your error, pay for it. The cashier was crying openly now.
Nobody said a word. My car was ready to go, but I desperately needed to use the bathroom.
«Hey,» I said. «Don’t cry. Check those numbers. Maybe you’ve got a couple of bucks.»
«Yeah, right! Check those numbers, bro.» The line responded enthusiastically. The winning numbers started to run across the black screen on the top of the counter. Sobbing, the boy looked at his couple of feet of tickets. It would take him an hour to check every ticket, and I was about to piss in my pants.
«Hold it,» I said, meaning myself. I moved forward, grabbing the tickets from the boy’s hand, tearing them along with the perforation, and giving a bunch of tickets to everybody in the line.
