Just how young are you?
Her smirk returned. How young do you want me to be?
The sadness Bennett felt for this girl was so heavy he feared it would crush him to the floor. Was everyone like this? What had happened to them all? Was there no decency left in this whole country?
Where are your parents? he asked.
Fuck off.
Bennett turned, pushed open the Laundromat door, and got in his car. He set his sights on Des Moines by nightfall. If he made it there with his soul intact, hed consider that gravy.
CHAPTER 14
This had better be good, Roxie said, standing over Bea with her arms crossed over her chest.
Bea pursed her lips. You wont be disappointed. Sit down, both of you.
Ginger rearranged several stacks of newspapers on Beas desk and made a spot for her latte. Roxie grabbed a chair from one of the sportswriters desks but had to brush off what looked like tortilla chip dust before she took a seat.
We could get in serious trouble for doing private research at the paper, Ginger said, lowering her voice even though the sports department was empty save for the three of them. You know theyre looking for even the tiniest reason to dump us all.
Whats your point? Bea asked.
My point is I hope this doesnt take too long because I have to be somewhere at ten.
Roxie and Bea waited for her to elaborate.
Its nothing. Just a consultation, Ginger said.
Roxies mouth fell open. /Another/ one?
Ginger replied calmly, Lets see how principled you are when its /you/ going through early menopause.
Youre not going through menopause, Bea said, shaking her head and clicking away at the keyboard of her desktop. How many hundreds of people have to tell you that before you believe it?
Ginger made a noise in the back of her throat that conveyed how insulting she found that remark.
Well, its true, Bea said, looking over the tops of the eyeglasses she wore at the computer. Weve gone over this before.
At least a dozen times, Roxie said.
Bea removed her glasses and let them dangle from a chain around her neck. None of your doctorsnot your family physician or your gynecologist or your psychiatrist Psych/ologist,/ Ginger said. Theres a distinct difference.
Okay then, Bea said. Your /shrink/none of these people think youre going through menopause, early or otherwise. You told us they said you have none of the physical symptoms that come with the change of life and that youre a woman in her prime.
I know what their tests show, Ginger said. But its my body and after two kids and seventeen years of marriage, I think I /know/ my body.
Bea shook her head. Fine. This wont take but a minute, Granny Garrison.
She perched the glasses on the bridge of her nose again and went to town on the keyboard. She angled the computer monitor so everyone could see.
Roxie started reading out loud.?Richard Luis Rousseau, D.O.B. October 24, 1973, Newport, Rhode Island. Her eyes scanned down. Graduated from a prep school in Connecticut, business degree from Yale. Whats CPSI of Berkeley, California?
Bea was happy to answer. According to the secretary of states office, CPSI is Celestial Pet Superstores, Incorporated, and Richard Rousseau is listed as the principal.
This guy owns the Celestial Pet stores? Roxie looked impressed. Well, that would explain why he had a driver, I guess.
Isnt that where Josie won the grooming contest? Ginger asked.
Bea nodded.
So /thats/ how they met. Ginger squinted and nodded slowly, piecing it all together.
Yeah, thats Romeo, all right, Roxie said, pointing to the Yale senior portrait displayed on the computer screen. Hes improved with age.
Bea turned the monitor back toward herself. Ill go over the highlightsor lowlightsof our mans biography. Bea cleared her throat. This guy has a couple drug arrests under his belt, including a six-week stay in a Milwaukee jail, and a big ole juicy attempted vehicular homicide charge from 2002.
Jesus! Roxie said. Did it go to trial for homicide? Did he cop a plea?
Bea shook her head. Nocharges were dropped. Just like the drug charges he faced as a nineteen-year-old and then again in Thailand about eight years later. His daddy owned a huge import/export company, made tons of money, and had friends in high and low places. So little Ricky got to forgo the whole pesky justice-system thing.
Gingers eyes went wide. His dad was in the Mafia?
Bea looked over the tops of her spectacles. You watch too much HBO, she said. But, Bea went on, heres the most awful part. In the vehicular homicide incident, this Rousseau guy apparently got wasted at a party and took a girl on a motorcycle ride. They crashed, and the girl went into a coma and she stayed there for seven years!
Ginger brought a hand to her mouth.
She died just a few weeks ago, Bea added. The newspaper coverage was pretty scant, but the girls fathera guy named Bennett Cummingsripped Rousseau a new one right on the front page of the /New York Times/. Take a look.
She turned the monitor so they could read the headline:
RHODE ISLAND MOTORCYCLE TRAGEDY LINKS TWO NEWPORT DYNASTIES
Its a pretty wild storyseems the Rousseaus and the Cummingses were yacht-club types and had known each other forever. The accident basically ruined everyones lives. Rousseau was in the hospital for months. His father died of a stroke while Rick was in rehab. The girl withered away to nothing in a nursing home.
Ginger blinked back tears. God, thats just awful.
Roxie jolted straight up in her chair. And this is the guy whos dating our Josie?
Bea pulled her mouth tight, as if she were going to cry as well. Thats him.
Weve got to warn her! Ginger stood up. This is terrible! This guys worse than that pothead, whats-his-name!
Wayne? Roxie offered.
Ginger shook her head.
Billy? Randy? Spike?
Thats him, she said. So what do we do now?
Bea leaned back in her office chair. Do you guys know where Josie is this weekend?
Roxie and Ginger looked to each other and shook their heads. Ginger sat back down, deflated.
God, I feel awful, Roxie said, dropping her head. Ive been so caught up in my own drama that I havent even called her. Maybe shes at her parents?
Bea shook her head. I called them.
Ginger was aghast. You did?
Bea nodded. Then I called her sister, Beth, and after delivering her version of /Can This Marriage Be Saved?/ she finally got around to telling me she had no idea where Josie was.
I would just die if anything happened to her, Roxie said. Did you try her cell?
Bea rolled her eyes. Of course I did. Shes not picking up.
The three women sat in silence for a moment.
You know, I think I really need to say something at this juncture. Roxie looked at her friends. This Rick Rousseau dude was a lowlife, I got that. But that was seven years ago. Maybe hes changed. Maybe he really regrets what happened and has straightened up. He seemed like a very nice guy the other night in front of her apartment.
Ginger nodded. Hes a corporate CEO now, after all.
Bea winced. News flashlowlife and corporate CEO are not mutually exclusive occupations.
Well, sure, Ginger acknowledged. But nobodys said what were supposed to do with all this information. Do we act on it? Do we warn Josie? Do we wait and see what happens? What?
I think it all boils down to how we see Josie, Roxie offered. If we think shes going into this relationship fully informed and with a level headand that shes capable of taking care of herselfthen we should back off and let her handle it.
They all stared at each other.
Theres always the back-door approach, Bea said, a sparkle in her eye.
Ginger shook her head. Ive got a real bad feeling about this.