He hugged her and teased, “Are you sure you don’t want to do the counseling part of our partnership?”
“You’re over the moon about this reunion too.”
“I talk to so many lost souls on the radio. Found souls are a rare reward. But there’ll be a bit of hell to pay for Sean, just like Max. They both withdrew when they should have trusted and been open.”
“Gobbledygook!” Temple’s non-Irish was up. “Sean’s family is so amazed to see him alive, they haven’t even noticed the price he paid to survive. As Max did. They weren’t ready to accept the truth, what, sixteen years ago? The guy’s instincts were right. The families had ladled an ideal vision over the future of ‘their boys’ and had to grow up themselves to accept the truth.”
“Pretty profound,” Matt said, “we’ll have to see if we can get them to appear on the Devine Temple show.”
“Now I feel like a snooping reporter. Let’s just be eavesdropping well-wishers going forward.”
“A heck of a way to celebrate a wedding night.”
“We’re flying out tomorrow, alive and well, and will be alone, without even the Fontana brothers, for six wonderful nights.”
“Even without Midnight Louie?”
“Oh. He will be miffed. I’m glad the Crystal Phoenix gave him the spotlight for his revived commercial career. And I know he’ll enjoy supervising the renovations. Surely he’ll even more relish having the California King to himself.”
“We could leave now,” Matt suggested.
“No way am I missing a sob in this saga.”
So Sean went back to the beginning and told how Deirdre had suspected some scheme by Kathleen O’Connor and stayed with him when Kathleen lured Max away. Deirdre had wanted Sean to leave then, too, but he’d found Deirdre an enchanting colleen herself and wanted more time with her while he waited for Max.
She finally dragged him away just as the bomb exploded. Yes, she had some scarring, but Sean had a concussion and traumatic memory loss as well as shrapnel damage.
She nursed him back to health, with the blessing of the IRA, which believed Sean, recovering slowly, was an American boy wanting to fight in the cause. Eventually he was able to fight for the peace. The only peace on earth ever made in a bitter ethnic struggle of more than eight hundred years.
Perfect, no. But admirable.
Sean and Deirdre retreated to literal peace and quiet at their Bed and Breakfast in Northern Ireland’s County Tyron. Sean had finally recovered much of his memory, but, sure, how would he explain taking so long to remember his own family? And how would he justify his youthful disobedience and risk-taking? All he needed now was Deirdre and a simple Irish cottage and a life of world-class sunsets on the edge of the Atlantic.
The families were all soothing murmurs and touches and tears and protestations that they would have understood, which is when Max and Sean exchanged a glance of perfect agreement. Your families always think that they are up to the job, but sometimes errant young souls must figure things out the hard way.
Temple yawned.
“Am I boring you?” Matt asked.
“Never. But…I think the Oscars are over and we’re not invited to any of the After Parties.”
They slipped away, unnoticed.
A wandering Fontana brother prowled the hall.
“Why, Ralph, it’s nearly one a.m.,” Temple said.
“You recognized me, Miss Temple.”
“But, of course. It’s the earring.”
“You remembered.”
“Yes, but I suggest signature individual lapel pins for more accurate identification.”
“You would abuse and penetrate the exquisite weave of an Emenegildo Zegna suit with a pin? Heresy. Perhaps…cuff links are less cruel, Miss Temple. Mr. Matt, do you own an EZ suit?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Oh, you would know. Then allow us to arrange a visit with our tailor for your debut TV show.”
“That’s a bit overwhelming. I’d like a honeymoon first.”
“That is why I am here to drive you home.” Ralph cocked an ear at a burst of simultaneous talking beyond the closed door. “Did I hear a woman crying?”
“Family reunion, Ralph,” Temple said. “Tears of joy.”
He nodded knowingly. “And tears of vino. You should hear us Fontanas at a family reunion. Surely you can join us next time; you are now family.”
Temple linked arms with Matt, and then Ralph. “That sounds wonderful, Ralph, but now we’ll all visit the full reception again, with everyone Fontana…and Tony and Courtney and all.
“Then we’re off the see the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, who is somewhere out there smiling in the neon and glitter and fairy dust and fever of the Las Vegas Strip, family reunion capital of the world for a night.”
31
Under Reconstruction
“How was San Diego?” the woman behind the nameplate reading Lieutenant C. R. Molina asked.
“Wonderful. The famous Hotel del Coronado lived up to its reputation, and the view was amazing too.”
“Hmm,” Molina said. “You may wonder why I asked you to visit me at work here at police headquarters?”
“It isn’t for another girly luncheon outing to the off-price mall nearby?”
“Sadly no. Although I do find Coldwater Creek intriguing.”
Temple wrinkled her nose. “I think you should really do Express.”
“Size would be an issue.”
“Only for men.”
“Aren’t you the snarky TV hostess already? No, I asked you to stop by because I have a wedding present for you, Miss Barr.”
“Oh. You and Mariah already sang.”
“We appreciated your gifts of the, I’m told—” Molina rolled her eyes “—‘adorable’, I quote Mariah,—custom T-shirts, rhinestone-festooned, is that the word? With the image of the Midnight Louie Austrian crystal high-heeled pumps.”
“First off the press for the commercials.”
“I’m sure the podiatrists of America salute you. Mariah is asking for an additional model, black on white instead of white on black, for French Vanilla’s backup singers, including my daughter on weekends. I’m sure the commercial ramifications of such exposure will suit your new talk show career.”
“Oh, yes! Perfect.”
“Enough of popular culture, Miss Barr.”
“I thought, after the wedding, we were Temple and Carmen now?”
“We were Temple and Lieutenant Molina, but this is police business.”
“Yes, sir.” Temple restrained herself from saluting.
“I can assure you that the Department no longer has any intent of pursuing Michael Aloysius Xavier Kinsella, also performing as the Mystifying Max, as a person of interest in any suspicious deaths in Las Vegas. So far this year.”
“He’s off the hook for the cold cases? Why? And why are you telling me?”
“Mr. Jackhammer, firmly in custody while you were distracted getting married and having an X-rated honeymoon apparently, having been thoroughly terrified by the events at his house and by your new husband, has confessed to killing Cliff Effinger and his brother, Joseph R. Effinger, as well as assorted other victims, including his inside man at the Goliath Hotel casino ceiling, who coincidentally died the very night said Mystifying Max completed his run as featured magician and disappeared to leave us all in the lurch.”
She concluded, “So you’ll be happy to hear Max Kinsella is free to start over in Vegas with a clean slate.”
“What do you mean, ‘start over’? He never really left.”
“Well, with his house burned down—”
Temple bit her tongue, annoyed that Molina knew that before she did. “He didn’t say anything to me.”
“Then you haven’t been associating with him recently.”