“Hello, Mary Poe.”
“Hello, Greer Fischer.”
“Did you bring your gun?”
“I did.”
“Can I see it?”
“It’s just the same old gun you saw the last five times.”
“Please?”
Mary looked at me and I nodded okay. She opened her blazer and undid the thing from its shoulder holster. Slipping the bullets out, she held it up for Greer to see.
“Is it heavy?”
I knew what she was moving toward. “Greer, you can’t hold it. You know the rules.”
“I was just asking.”
“I know what you were doing. Look, but no touching.”
“Smith and Wesssson. That’s the guys who made it?”
“Right.”
“Do they make bombs?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you have a gun, Daddy?”
“You know I don’t. Only police and private investigators like Mary have them.”
“Lincoln has a gun.”
“What do you mean?”
Greer was very smart but she talked too much. Whenever she was in a room she wanted center stage and would do almost anything to get it, including lie. Looking from me to Mary, she knew she’d struck gold with this piece of information and her expression narrowed down into cunning.
Climbing into my lap, she cuddled up close to my ear and whispered. “Promise you won’t tell? Lincoln doesn’t know I know. I went into his room and saw it behind the dresser. He has it stuck with tape there.”
I nodded as if it was okay. Your brother has a hidden gun in his room? That’s okay. I managed to say in an even voice, “I don’t know what he needs that for. Oh well.” As gently as I could, I pushed her down. “Okay, that’s all right. Why don’t you go in the kitchen, honey, and get a little snack. Mary has to go soon and we have to talk some more. I’ll be in in a minute.”
Disappointed her secret hadn’t made a bigger splash, she put her hands in her pockets and scuffed out of the room.
When she was gone, I told Mary what she’d whispered. She closed her eyes and tightened her lips. “Shit. Okay, Max, stay cool. Don’t fly off and get crazy, or you’ll blow this. First, you’ve got to see what kind it is. Maybe it’s only an air pistol or something, a pellet gun, he doesn’t want you to know he has.
“If not, if it’s a real piece, try and get the serial number off it so we can find out if it’s hot. You’ve got to handle this right or we’ll be in big trouble.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Max—”
“I said I’ll take care of it, Mary. I’ll do what you told me. There’s nothing else to do, is there?”
“Not yet. But remember, it could be nothing. Teenage boys love this stuff, but it doesn’t mean—”
“I know that, but we also knew Bobby Hanley, didn’t we?”
Without making eye contact, she stood and buttoned her jacket. Bobby Hanley was a legendarily violent, frightening kid from our hometown who had ended up dying in a gun battle with the police.
“Bobby Hanley was a criminal. Your son’s a messed-up brat, not a criminal.”
“He has a fucking gun, Mary. How do I know he’s not?”
“Because he isn’t. Okay? Because he is not. I’m going to go right now and talk to my friend Dominic Scanlan at the LAPD. I’ll get him to check out… I don’t know. I want to feel him out on this. He’ll know what direction to take. But we’ll find out. You look at that gun and get the numbers off it, if it’s the real thing. But don’t take it. Don’t touch it. If Lincoln’s done anything wrong and knows you know about his gun, it’ll complicate things. I’ll call you in a couple hours.”
When she was gone, I went to find Greer. She was out on the back patio eating a brownie. I put my arm around her and sat us down on a sun chair.
“Is Mary gone?”
“Uh-huh. Listen, sweetie, I was thinking about what you just told me.”
“About Lincoln’s gun? I know I shouldn’t have gone in his room, Daddy. I know you and Mom said not to. Are you mad?”
“I’m not happy. Plus, I know you wouldn’t like someone snooping round in your room.”
She hung her head. “I’d hate it.”
“Okay, then that’s that. Let’s forget about it. I know how much your brother loves you but he’d probably be really upset and disappointed if he knew you were doing it again. Remember last time? So look, if you don’t tell him what you told me, I won’t say anything either. It’ll be our secret. But you’ve got to keep the secret, Greer. ‘Cause if anyone finds out, you’re the one it’ll hurt.”
“Are you going to tell Mommy?”
“Mom doesn’t need to know either.”
Hearing that, she knew she was off the hook and could be mischievous again. “Okay, but sometimes I can’t keep a secret, Dad. I just have to open my mouth and scream it out ‘cause it’s like a burp, you know? Like it can’t live in my stomach or I’ll explode.”
“Baby, do what you like, but if you tell Lincoln, he’s not going to let you in his room again, because he won’t trust you. If you tell Mom, remember what she said last time about snooping where you’re not supposed to in the house. I don’t think it’s a good idea to talk about this with anyone, but the decision is up to you.”
“Are you going to tell anyone?”
“No.”
“It’s bad, huh, Dad? About Lincoln having it.”
“I’m not sure yet. I think it’s kind of bad because what does he need a gun for?”
“Maybe he wants to protect us!”
“I’ll protect us. He knows he doesn’t have to worry about that.”
“Maybe he wants to show off. Or maybe he’s going to shoot someone!”
“I hope no one we know!”
Looking to see if I was serious, her small concerned face relaxed as soon as I smiled and she understood I was joking.
I could trust her not to tell only for a little while because sooner or later Greer spilled any bean she owned. I called Lily at Crowds and Power and said we would be going over there for dinner. She was in a good mood and wanted to know if anything new was happening.
“Nothing much, except I love you.”
“That’s new? We’ve been together seven years but only now you’re starting to love me?”
“I think we love differently every day. Like the guy who said you can’t stand in a river at exactly the same place twice. Today I love you differently than yesterday, or will tomorrow.”
“Oh. Uh, Max, are you okay?”
“Is that Mommy on the phone? Can I talk to her?”
I handed the phone to Greer. She took it with two hands and pressed it tight up against her face.
“Mom? Ms. Zuckerbrot says I have to bring two thousand peanut butter cookies to class Thursday for our party.”
I heard Lily squawk, “Two thousand!?” Greer giggled into her hand and grinned at me. “Just kidddding. But I do have to have a lot of cookies for the party. Will you help me make them?”
We worked on her homework together and then played Chinese checkers for another hour.
“Max, I’m going out.”
I turned and saw Little White making a flirty face at Elvis. He grabbed her by the jaw and apparently squeezed too hard, because she squealed like a pig and slapped his hand away. “You always hurt me, assho—” Seeing us, she caught herself and gave a lame smile. Lincoln ignored them.
“Be back by seven, huh? We’re going to the restaurant for dinner.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Lincoln, be home at seven o’clock tonight. I don’t care if you’re hungry.”
Elvis whistled and shook his hand slowly back and forth at my “show of might.” The girl rubbed her jaw.
“Whaddya want me to do there, sit at the table with an empty plate and listen to all the fags?”