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It always amazed her how informed Louie was for a man who seldom left his house except to stroll over to hers. He had an opinion about politics, about social problems, about current faces in the news. It shouldn’t surprise her that he recognized the names of locals in the legal community. Judge Hetherington had been on the bench in Houston for over thirty years. Where Louie Christian had been for most of that time was a mystery. He was vague about his past, which was fine with her. She wasn’t one to pry into anyone’s past. It was the present that mattered where Louie was concerned. For one thing, he was the nearest thing to a grandparent that Jesse had, since Austin’s father was a cold fish and his mother lived with her second husband in Phoenix, Arizona, and had never expressed any interest in spending time with the little girl. Louie had an endless supply of anecdotes about his boyhood that enchanted Jesse. Elizabeth herself was charmed by his tales, so much so that she’d used a couple to illustrate themes in her books.
“Let’s pray that he has mellowed,” Elizabeth said now, plucking a spent bloom from a camellia. She’d have to think about getting her yard man to put in some petunias soon. And possibly some daylilies. The lantana would return on its own, flourishing in Houston’s heat. One of the perks of the climate was that her yard was alive with color year-round.
“Exactly what happened today, Liz?”
“Ryan Paxton was brutal to both of us on the stand. Then Austin lied outrageously when it was his turn. There’s no one to refute what goes on between two people in the privacy of their home, Louie, so he painted a picture of Gina that could have made even me wonder if she was an unfit mother. Maude did a good job trying to show that Austin was motivated by a self-serving need to give Gina nothing in the way of decent financial support, but what concerns me most is Austin’s claim that she is unstable.” She stared beyond the trees to the older man’s house, frowning. “She’ll be lucky to come out of this with equally shared custody, Louie. Even worse, it’ll be a miracle if she gets a pittance in the way of child support, too.”
“Hetherington will have to award her reasonable child support.”
“But what if he believes she’s unstable and primary custody goes to Austin?” she asked anxiously.
“Isn’t that what you think?”
She looked at him with surprise. “What?”
Louie was shaking his head. “You haven’t admitted it to yourself, have you? You’ve been Gina’s guardian angel since the two of you were prepubescent, Liz. You’ve watched her make crazy choices even as you begged her to be reasonable, you’ve stepped in to grease the way back when she’s been irresponsible, you’ve lectured and cajoled, you’ve sympathized and nagged. When are you going to insist that she grow up?”
Elizabeth was on her feet now, hugging her middle as if to arm herself against what he said. “That’s a little harsh, isn’t it? And somewhat judgmental.”
He muttered something she didn’t quite catch, then said, “But is it wrong?”
“Some people find it harder to overcome the hardships of childhood than others.”
“Yes, and she can thank the good Lord that you aren’t one of them. Pity poor Jesse-girl if both of you were as damaged as Gina. As it is, the child’s got you as a second mother figure and a stabilizing influence.” Louie gazed through the trees to the patio of his own house where the two children romped and squealed and Archie barked in joyful accompaniment. “The real fear here is that Austin might change his mind and renew their affair. She won’t be able to hold out if he does.”
The same thought was making Elizabeth’s nights long and sleepless. But it made her feel guilty and disloyal to discuss it. To be honest, it was Jesse’s welfare that concerned her more than Gina’s. After all, Gina was an adult, a fact she’d often reminded Elizabeth of when they got on the subject of her relationship with Austin.
Louie was looking at her keenly. “I don’t hear a denial, Lizzie.”
She rubbed her forehead with one hand. “Not this time, Louie. I think the possibility of getting back with Austin is hopeless. He’s tired of her at last and that’s the only way this whole miserable situation is ever going to end.”
“And now, all we have to worry about is what happens to Jesse.”
“Yes, that’s all.”
Seeing the enormity of her fear, Louie rubbed his chin and looked wise. “I wouldn’t be too worried about that, Liz. Frankly, I can’t see a man like Austin wanting the responsibility of a young child. That takes an emotional toll, not to mention time and energy. He’ll avoid all three like a bull avoiding a rattlesnake.”
“I know he’s not concerned about Jesse’s welfare. He never has been. If there had been any doubt about that, he proved otherwise when he tried to force Gina to put Jesse on the stand. He had no thought of how devastating that might be for a five-year-old child. He’s shameless!”
“And selfish.”
“Well, to Gina’s credit, she refused,” Elizabeth said. “What I worry about now is that he’s so vindictive that he’d separate Jesse from Gina and never even consider the heartbreak that would cause both of them.”
“And you.” Louie was looking at her with sympathy. “You have too much invested in this, Liz, and no control over the outcome. You need a husband and children yourself. You’d be a terrific mother, but you’ve invested so much emotionally in these two that you aren’t even open to the possibility of a family of your own.”
She had been once, she thought, watching a dragonfly settle on the back of a chair. And she’d believed herself so close to realizing that dream. Once. “I’m not past the age of possibilities yet, Louie,” she said dryly. “I’m thirty, not fifty. There’s still time for me to marry. In the meantime, I’m concentrating on doing everything I can to help find a happy ending for Jesse. And Gina, of course.”
“Hmm. Meanwhile, let’s be grateful that we’re finally seeing the end of that sorry relationship,” Louie said, adding in a wry tone, “if we’re lucky. And even though it’s Austin doing the walking. Hell, it’s years overdue, but now’s not the time to look a gift horse in the mouth.”
“It’s so frustrating.” Elizabeth watched the dragonfly lift off and fly away. “But the more I know about people in abusive relationships, the more I can see Gina conforming to type. I remember the first time I saw purple marks he left on both her arms. I insisted that she pack up, leave him and file an official report with the police. She didn’t have Jesse then. It would have been so much easier than now. You know what she said?” Louie still sat silent. Unable to stand still, Elizabeth began pacing. “She said she’d provoked him, that it was as much her fault as his. I couldn’t believe it. She was battered and bruised and I think he’d made a mark on her cheek that she’d tried to cover up with makeup, which meant he’d struck her in the face, for heaven sake.” Her arms were again tight around herself and her eyes had a suspicious brightness. “That was the beginning and it only got worse. Gina’s reaction was right out of a textbook. Sadly, you’re right that she’d go back today if Austin smiled and crooked his finger.”
“Well, we can hope that won’t happen,” Louie said, rising with a painful grunt. He’d hurt his back a few weeks ago while preparing his vegetable garden. Of course, he’d refused any help from Gina and Elizabeth even though he would share its bounty. Next season, he would use a motorized tiller if she had to purchase it herself. “And even if he does manage to get primary custody, he’ll soon be bored and more than willing to hand Jesse back to Gina.”
Elizabeth smiled thinly. “Yes, but until he gets bored, there will be nothing and no one to protect his victims.”
They were seated in the courtroom a few minutes before ten the next day. Judge Hetherington arrived precisely on time, seated himself with an air of importance, then peered over his reading glasses to locate Gina and Austin. With a curt nod of his head, he addressed them both.
“This was a very difficult case. When the facts are as murky and uncertain as I’ve found them to be herein, I can only adjudicate with what’s given to me in testimony or in deposition. Ms. D’Angelo, I believe you love your daughter and genuinely seek what’s best for her. I also believe—” he turned his gaze on Austin “—that you, Mr. Leggett, have demonstrated a fatherly concern for Jesse, although your time and attention as a parent differs from your…ah, ex-partner’s parenting behavior, as well it should.” He studied notes in front of him silently for a few moments. “The difficulty in deciding this case lies in the accusations made by each of you about the other. In essence, the court has only the word of each of you that you are being truthful. I believe Ms. Walker is sincere in defending your character, Ms. D’Angelo. But she was not present when you and Mr. Leggett were alone behind closed doors. Therefore, her testimony must be considered hearsay. I find the same to be true of the deposition of one…ah—” he turned over several pages of a yellow pad “—Louis Christian.” Looking up, he gazed sternly at Ryan. “It would have been helpful to have a character witness for your client, Mr. Paxton. I have read the deposition of one…Marilyn Leggett Bingham, but—”
“That would be my mother, Your Honor,” Austin said, “Jesse’s grandmother.” He had begun to rise from his chair, but was halted when Ryan jerked hard on his coattail.
The judge’s gaze became a glare. “You had your chance to respond when court was in session yesterday, Mr. Leggett.”
“Sorry,” Austin mumbled, subsiding.
The judge reviewed his notes again. “Mrs. Bingham’s deposition was very favorable, as one might expect from a mother, but I am forced to point out that she is not in residence nearby and hasn’t seen the child in more than a year. Her testimony was not helpful in that context. I repeat, I find myself in a difficult situation.”
Listening, Elizabeth held her breath. In front of her, Gina sat fidgeting and looking scared. And no wonder, Elizabeth thought. Judge Hetherington clearly wasn’t convinced that they’d told the truth about Austin. Was the man going to get away scot-free?
“I’m favorably impressed by Ms. D’Angelo’s modest financial demands,” the judge continued, “as well as her intention to set aside some of it for the child’s education later. I’m granting that amount. I’m also increasing it by two thousand dollars each month to apply to rent and day-care since Ms. D’Angelo has stated she needs to seek employment and it’s unreasonable to assume that she can enjoy her friend’s hospitality indefinitely. If she does indeed find suitable employment, I’ll take another look at her financial situation.”
Gina made a soft, incoherent sound, but was sternly quashed by one look from the judge. Focusing again on his yellow pad, he studied his notes in silence, then continued. “I’m also favorably impressed by Mr. Leggett’s generosity in providing for Ms. D’Angelo and the child for the entire duration of their relationship. Without hospital records or police statements to back up the allegations of abuse, I’m powerless by law to consider that an issue here today. Consequently…” He paused, finished with his notes, and began tidying up. When the pad and all documents were neatly stacked in front of him, he reached for his gavel. “I’m granting joint and equal custody of the minor child, Jesse Elizabeth Leggett, to you both, Gina D’Angelo and Austin Leggett, and directing that you work out an amicable arrangement for sharing the responsibilities of parenting her. There’s no such thing as equal custody, of course, but you both live in the same town and that is an advantage. Since Jesse attends kindergarten, I’m directing that she live with her mother during the week and that you have visitation rights as often as you wish, Mr. Leggett. I leave it to you both to work out weekend visitation, but I’m again directing that it be each and every weekend if you so desire, Mr. Leggett. Also, you are to take turns with holidays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Labor Day, whatever. If you are unable to come to an agreement, then the court will appoint someone to do it for you.” Stern-faced, he leaned forward and pointed the gavel at them. “I strongly urge you both to work this out between yourselves. I’ll expect a document from your attorneys within thirty days as to the terms and conditions. I don’t need to point out the difficulties in dividing a child’s life into two equal parts, but if you care about Jesse as much as you’ve testified to me, then I’m confident you’ll both do the right thing. Now, this hearing is adjourned.”
Crack! His gavel banged and it was over.
Five
“Can we talk, Ms. Walker?”
Ryan Paxton spoke from behind Elizabeth as she stood in line at Starbucks waiting for the cappuccino she’d ordered. She turned, startled, and found herself looking into his eyes. They were a clear, almost silver, gray. He’d un-buttoned his shirt and pulled the knot of his tie loose. But it had done nothing to detract from the classy elegance of his suit, as expensive as yesterday’s. Would anything? Dangling from one hand was his briefcase. The other was anchored by a thumb in a pocket. She wasn’t fooled by his casual air. There had been nothing casual about the way he’d gone after her and Gina on the stand yesterday. And this close, he seemed taller and more intimidating than he’d been in the courtroom.
She resisted an urge to ease back and held her ground. “I don’t know what we could possibly have to say to each other, Mr. Paxton.”
“You heard the warning Judge Hetherington gave Austin and Gina. I thought you and I might help ward off the Third World War.”
“The way I heard it, the judge assigned that task to you and Maude Kennedy.” Elizabeth glanced toward the attendant who was brewing the cappuccino. With a hiss of the machine, he completed the creation and handed it over. She took it and began walking away. Ryan followed.
“I’d still like a minute to talk about it.” With a light touch on her arm, he steered her toward an empty table. Wishing she hadn’t indulged her craving for coffee, Elizabeth allowed him to pull out a chair for her. After the session in the courtroom, she’d left Gina and Maude to begin hammering out some kind of workable agreement with Austin and Ryan, telling Gina to meet her at the coffee bar in an hour. It surprised her that Ryan had left his client unprotected with Maude Kennedy. She hoped Maude was taking advantage of his lapse in judgment.
When she was seated, he took the chair opposite. “You must be feeling pretty good about the judge’s ruling,” he said.
“What makes you say that?”
“It’s obvious, isn’t it? Gina gets the kid, the money…two thousand bucks more than she asked for. Plus, you’re off the hook. She can get an apartment and you get your privacy back.”
“Do you practice being obnoxious, Mr. Paxton? Or were you simply born that way?”
“You mean you wouldn’t mind if Gina stayed with you indefinitely?”
“I mean exactly that. Gina and Jesse are family. I love them both. They’re welcome in my home as long as they want to be there.”
He slapped his briefcase into the empty chair at the table and dropped his head back, looking at the ceiling for a moment before straightening up. “I’m screwing this all up.”
“Screwing what up?”
“My peace mission. Trying to get your help on this whole stupid situation before it turns into something we’d all rather avoid.”
“Like what? Like Gina might get attacked again by that sadistic jerk? Or, worse yet, he might turn on Jesse? How would you like that, Mr. Paxton? How would you feel if he lost his temper when Jesse spills her milk or…or leaves a toy on the stairs or breaks something that he prizes? Children do that, you know. How would you like it if she landed in the ER with a broken arm? Or a concussion? Or worse!”
He was shaking his head. “Come on. You’re exaggerating. Nobody produced a scrap of evidence proving Gina was roughed up by Austin. And you’re not going to make me believe he’d hit that little girl.”
“I’m not going to be able to make you believe anything except what you want to believe,” Elizabeth said bitterly. “You’ve convinced yourself that Austin’s okay. Odd, since you probably don’t even particularly like him. At least, I didn’t see much evidence of strong male bonding between the two of you during the two days I’ve had to observe. Your attitude is so typical. You won’t let yourself think that a fellow lawyer, a well-educated contemporary from a privileged background could be a cruel, vindictive, violent creep, will you?”
“Not without something more than the word of two—”
“Lesbians?”
Again, he was shaking his head. “Ah, I don’t believe that.”
“Then why did you insinuate it to Judge Hetherington?”
“I’m a lawyer. I use whatever tactics I can to benefit my client.”
She stood up, nearly tipping the coffee over. “I never could understand why anybody would want to be a lawyer and you’ve reassured me about my instincts.”
Ryan touched her hand. “Wait, wait a minute, Ms. Walker.” The look she gave him was so furious that he fell back. “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t approach you to stir things up worse than they are between Austin and Gina. Believe it or not, I’m trying to do some good here.”
“How, in God’s name, are you trying to do good?” she asked, genuinely baffled.
“I need your help in trying to get Gina and Austin to work something out for the sake of the kid…for Jesse’s sake. And I don’t think it’s going to happen if it’s left to them.”
“I can promise that Gina is more than willing to do whatever it takes to work out something for Jesse’s sake. She loves her child more than life itself.”
“And Austin doesn’t, is that what you’re saying?”
“If the shoe fits.” She wadded up her soaked napkin and tossed it and her unfinished cappuccino into the trash. “And now, if you’ll excuse me…”
He caught up with her just as she stepped outside into bright sunshine. “Don’t you even want to try?”
She put a hand up to shade her eyes and stared at him. “Excuse me, but it’s difficult for me to believe that you’re thinking of Jesse and Gina, Mr. Paxton. The only way this could have been worse is if Austin had been given full custody of Jesse. Then she really would have been lost to us. This way, Austin will still be in her life and in Gina’s, I’m sorry to say.”
“Ryan.”
She blinked. “What?”
“I’m Ryan, not Mr. Paxton.”
“Look,” she said, drawing a weary breath and digging for her car keys, “the only two people who are relevant in this…this agreement that the judge has decreed are Gina and Austin. And nothing you or I can do is going to affect that. I don’t quite understand why you felt comfortable leaving your client with Gina and Maude, but without you they may be able to work something out. Maude is smart and coolheaded and even Austin must respect her.”
“Yeah, and it would be nice if Maude was in there with them. Unfortunately, when they booted me out, they booted her out, too.”
Keys forgotten, Elizabeth stared at him. “What do you mean they booted her out?”
“Just what I said. She—” He stopped abruptly as a sporty BMW stopped at curbside, brakes squealing. The driver was a woman. “Damn it all,” Ryan muttered as she got out of the car and looked over the top of the car at him.
“Where the hell have you been?” she growled, snatching sunglasses from her face. “Why do you have that damn cell phone if you aren’t going to bother answering it?” She was halfway around the front of the car now. “I’ve been trying to reach you for hours, Ryan. Damn it! You’re impossible. You’re—you’re—”
“Excuse me a moment,” Ryan said to Elizabeth in a grim tone, adding, “Don’t go away. I still want to talk to you.” He intercepted the furious woman, catching her by the arm just as she stepped up on the sidewalk. But even though he turned to shield their conversation, the woman was oblivious to an audience.
“You’re taking her, Ryan. This time, I’ve simply had it. She can come live with you. I’m tired of fighting it. We’ll see how you cope if she’s with you 24/7.”
“Calm down, for God’s sake, Diane. The whole world can hear you!”
“It’s too damn bad you can’t hear me, Ryan.” She shoved her sunglasses back on her face and turned away, lips trembling. “Oh, hell, I know I’m wasting my time.” She drew in a shaky breath. “I’ve been trying to reach you since early this morning.”
“I’ve been in court. Which is why my cell phone was off. What’s going on?”
“It’s Jennifer, of course.”
Ryan looked at the ground as though taking a moment to count to ten. “What now, Diane?”
“She’s really done it this time, Ryan. She stole a car. Can you believe that?”
“What!”
“It gets worse. She had an accident.”
Ryan’s attitude went instantly from shock to concern. “Is she hurt?” He looked at the car as if expecting to see Jennifer. “Where is she?”
“She’s not hurt. She’s at your house. I dropped her there and told her I was going to find you.” She pressed a hand to her lips. “She’s in serious trouble, Ryan.”
“Are the police involved?”
“I haven’t called anybody yet.” She pushed her hair back and looked directly at him again. “She left the scene. She hit somebody who was biking in Hermann Park. There was no other car involved. And then she—she just drove off, Ryan.” Diane spread her hands in a gesture of pure bafflement.
“Jesus Christ.” He leaned against the car, then turned to see Elizabeth watching. Straightening, he caught Diane’s arm and moved out of earshot. “Go back to my house and wait for me there. I’ll clear up what I’ve got going here and be there within an hour. Don’t talk to anybody else about this. I’ll do that when I get home.”
“I called the hospitals to try to get some information about the—the victim,” Diane said hesitantly. Her face was tight with strain. “No luck. I—I didn’t call the police to see if he was—”
“I’ll handle it.” Ryan reached out and squeezed her shoulder. “Try not to worry, Di.” His jaw went rigid. “And tell Jennifer—” He stopped, waited a moment or two as if reconsidering. “Tell her to sit tight and we’ll talk when I get there.”
Diane’s face was bleak as she met his eyes. “I can’t believe she did this, Ryan.”
“Yeah, she’s out of control. We’ve both seen it coming.” He shook his head. “I don’t know what to tell you.”
“You’re going to have to take her. She needs a stronger hand, Ryan.” She pushed a hand through her hair wearily. “I’m just at the end of my rope.”
“It’s okay,” he said, nodding. “We’ll work something out. Go back now and stay with her. She shouldn’t be left alone too long under the circumstances.”
