“Would two people have made it easier? Sure. But hell hath no fury like a mommy scorned and this mommy was scorned plenty by her own flesh and blood. All Ree had to do to get Connie to open the door was say she was ready to reach an agreement over the kid. Ree had that nonviolent image going for her. The last thing Connie would expect is baby sister sticking her in the gut. Meanwhile, I just checked the state of Boris Chamberlain’s health, seeing as he’s potential daddy number two.”
“He was healthy yesterday.”
“True but it pays to be careful. And happily the Bore-man is live and well and pumping iron like a maniac. That’s per Scott Perugia and his Hollywood narc buddies who are keeping an eye on Chamberlain’s building as we speak. Because, guess what? ‘Cat’ and ‘Jeremy’ turned out not to be rich kids from the Westside, they’re rich kid felony fugitives from New York with warrants for dope, bomb building, and embezzlement from Cat’s daddy’s law firm.”
“Wheels of justice,” I said.
“Sorry about how it’s shaking out on Ree, Alex.”
“Any progress finding her?”
“The APB pulled in a ton of mommy-kid reports but nothing valid. The staff at the station didn’t recognize Ree and there’s no record of her buying a ticket. Time to put the marshals on it, anyone can find her they can.”
He dialed a number, reached someone named Jed, started off with catching-up banter before seguing into the specifics of Cherie Sykes’s rabbit. Then he said, “Doing it right now, amigo,” and began pressing keys and sending attachments.
I got up. He didn’t notice. I left.
Denial can only go so far and by the time I reached home I was certain I’d been conned by the best.
Not the first time, probably not the last. No big disgrace. Anyone can be snowed.
Anyone’s not entrusted with children’s futures.
Maybe it was time to take a break from court cases, work on sharpening my perceptions.
So, of course, the first message my service gave me was from a family court judge, one of the better jurists, named Marvin Applebaum, wanting me to take on a “complicated one.”
The operator said, “Something funny, Dr. Delaware?”
“Pardon?”
“I gave you the message and you started laughing.”
I said, “Just trying to see the bright side,” and hung up.
I called Nancy Maestro’s chambers and got Deputy Hank Nebe. “Doctor,” he said. “Enjoy your lunch?”
“I did. You?”
“Oh, sure. What can I do for you?”
“Judge Maestro had questions about the Connie Sykes investigation. I’d like to fill her in.”
“You can tell me, sir, and I’ll pass it along.”
“No need, have her call me.”
“Suit yourself, Doctor. But if something’s personally relevant to the judge, it’s best that she know it sooner not later.”
“Nothing earth shattering,” I said. “If she’s interested, she can call.”
“I’ll pass that along, sir.”
Nancy phoned two hours later. “New development?”
“The police are looking seriously at Ree Sykes as the prime suspect.”
“Oh, great,” she said. “And I’m the one who ruled in her favor, here we go, another stupid judge story. Has the media glommed on?”
Profoundly self-centered response.
I said, “Not at all.”
“Well, that’s good, fingers crossed.”
“On balance, it’s likely to work out well for you, Nancy.”
“How so?”
“You’re the one who ruled in her favor,” I said. “Someone like that, it’s nice to be on their good side.”
“That’s true,” she said, brightly. “Thank you, you cheered up my day. Ciao.”
CHAPTER 31
A day went by, then another, with no contact from Milo. I figured it would stay that way for a while. I figured I was fine with that.
On the second day, Judge Marvin Applebaum made a second attempt to reach me. Figuring he deserved a personal turn-down, I called his chambers. He answered his own phone. I realized that so did most of the judges I worked with.
Unlike Nancy Maestro who shielded herself with staff to fit the outsized ego she’d displayed at lunch.
I said, “What’s up, Marv?”
“I know you like the complicated ones, so here goes—”
“I can’t take any case right now, let alone something complicated.”
“Oh? May I ask why?”
“It’s been a little hectic.”
“Work?”
“Work, life in general.”
“I see,” he said. “Can I cajole you by offering minimal effort and maximal compensation? As in, this is a deal you can’t pass up?”
“Minimal effort on something complicated?”
“You bet. Because — psychologically — it’s a slam dunk. The complication comes from the principals.” He named a movie star and an A-list film director. “Seven years of so-called marriage, kids, splitsville, surprise!”
Last year I’d dealt with multiple murders involving a pair of screen gods. Marv couldn’t be blamed for not knowing that. Like so much to do with Hollywood, the media had learned only what the powers-that-be dictated and the details remained under wraps.
I said, “What makes it a slam dunk?”
“He’s a decent dad, she’s a harridan with a serious drug-abuse history.”
“What do you need me for?”
“To say exactly that couched in nice psychological polysyllables. You know how it is, Alex. If I don’t call in an expert I’m vulnerable to accusations of shoddiness.”
“I’m your psychological rubber stamp.”
He chuckled. “At your highest hourly rate. But wait, kids, there’s more: He’s shooting a picture in Cambodia, has the tykes there. Creature comforts on the set are a little iffy so he’s willing to bring them to Singapore for you to evaluate.”
“Iffy environment but okay for the kids?”
“Hey, maybe he wants them to live like real people — that’s a plus, no? If not, consider that in your evaluation. Consider anything you want. So you’ll do it, okay? Singapore Air first class is the best, Jeannie and I treated ourselves a couple of years ago for our anniversary trip. For a hotel, demand the Fullerton Bay. They’ve got those toilets that warm your kiester then wash it with a delicate spray.”
“Very enticing, Marv.”
“Okay,” he said, “I’ll list you as the evaluator of record.”
“It’s really not a good time for me to—”
“Listen,” he said, “you don’t need to make a decision now. I got them to bifurcate money and custody, we’re talking a month at the soonest, could be later if the financial issues don’t get ironed out. I’m just trying to button down details early so I can take my own vacation before we start crunching numbers.”
“Going back to Asia?”
“I wish,” he said. “Napa Valley, Jeannie’s into wine, now. Why’re you so gun-shy all of a sudden?”
“Just finished a case in probate and I think I got conned big-time.”
“Probate,” he said. “You’re talking that guardianship thing with the crazy sisters.”
“It’s public knowledge?”
“One of my staff was talking about it, said one of the litigants got murdered, the other’s the prime suspect. I think it shook her up.”
“Nervous staffer?”
“Newbie, a clerk. Anyway, that was obviously an outlier, Alex, so don’t beat yourself up. And all the more reason to make haste returning to your roots here at family, where misery doesn’t love company. In terms of Singapore, they’ve got this botanical garden, hundreds of orchid varieties growing like weeds. Granted the weather sucks but it’s clean and safe, there are casinos, you can take a vacation at the studio’s expense.”