Evil in the 1st House (15 page)

Chapter Thirty-seven

Gloria opened the door and Lowell entered. There was a small suitcase sitting next to the door with a lightweight beige jacket draped across it. An iphone and ipad sat on top of the jacket.

“We'll just be a minute,” said Gloria, as she hurried into the back of the apartment.

Lowell looked around at the obvious poverty, comparing it to the opulence and self-indulgence that her husband experienced every day of his life. Perhaps Williamson would be more generous now that she had acquiesced to his wishes.

Gloria returned with Kevin. He was quite tall for his age, about as tall as his father. But he still had that look of innocence that even the most precocious teenager possessed. When he saw Lowell he walked over with his hand out.

“Hey,” he said, “my mom tells me that you're alright. She said you've been taking care of her. I want to thank you. That's more than my old man ever did.”

Lowell shook his hand but didn't quite know how to respond.

The boy came to his rescue. “It's okay,” he said with a sly smile on his face. “Didn't mean to put you on the spot. I know what my father is. He's a louse. I'm not doing this for him. I'm doing it for my brother.” He picked up his iphone and punched a few buttons. Lowell figured he was checking his email. He put the phone down and looked back at Lowell. “You got a brother?”

Lowell nodded. “In fact, I do. A few years younger than me. He lives out on the West Coast.”

“Would you do it? Would you give him a kidney?”

Lowell thought for a moment, then nodded. “Of course.”

The kid smiled at him, then slipped earphones on his head. “That's what I thought.”

Kevin headed for the door. “I'll meet you guys downstairs.” He punched a button and started talking to someone named Jeanette. Then he picked up his suitcase and jacket, put his electronics in a small carrying case, and walked out.

Gloria was just checking the apartment. “I don't want to worry all night that I left the gas on or something.”

“I understand,” said Lowell.

She checked the stove, made sure the windows were locked, and finally turned. “Okay, I'm ready.”

They went downstairs. Kevin was leaning against the limo chatting on his phone. “I'll be okay,” he said. “You can text me all night. I doubt that I'll be able to sleep much.” He saw Lowell and Gloria exit the building. “Jeanette, I gotta go now. I'll text you when I reach the hospital.”

The three entered the limo.

“Pretty wild ride,” said Kevin, as they started to drive. “It's like an office in here.”

“Yes,” said Lowell, “I get antsy sitting inside all day and need the freedom this allows.” He pointed to his desk, complete with computer, drawers, and a swivel chair bolted to the floor of the car. “This gives me the ability to work and roam at the same time.”

“Cool,” said the boy nonchalantly, as he maneuvered his phone, texting and checking emails.

Lowell fiddled with the control panel. “You want to see something really cool?”

“Sure,” said Kevin, without much enthusiasm.

Andy overheard and raised the barrier between the front and back seats. As Lowell turned the knobs, Kevin watched the windows darken for a moment, and then a thunderstorm in New England appeared. He put his phone down and leaned over, touching the window. It was damp and chilly, as one would expect in a cool rain storm.

“Holy crap,” said the boy. “What is this?”

“It's a new type of plasma insert that a friend of mine invented.”

“Are there other settings?”

Lowell pointed to the control panel. “Help yourself.”

Kevin spent the rest of the trip flipping from one scenario to another, occasionally muttering a “Wow” or “Look at that!”

They arrived at Lowell's office about one o'clock. Sarah took Gloria and Kevin to the conference room, made them comfortable, and then joined Lowell in his office.

“They're okay inside for now.” Sarah pushed her bright red hair back behind her ears. “He seems like a nice kid. It must be a drag to go through this at his age.”

Lowell agreed. “I'm sure it's not how he planned on spending the last part of his summer vacation.”

“Do you think they'll be alright?”

Lowell leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. He would be happy when these two cases were over. He might even take a short vacation before jumping into the next mess. “I hope so. There's still a lot left unanswered about Williamson, but hopefully it will all go smoothly. He's supposed to be an excellent surgeon.”

Sarah nodded. “What about Karen, the cop from L.A.? And what happened to her uncle?”

Lowell got up and walked to the window. He sprinkled a little food into the turtle tank and stood gazing at the New York City skyline.

“Yes, Karen's uncle. I don't know,” he said as he turned back toward Sarah. “I just don't know.”

Chapter Thirty-eight

Williamson arrived right on time. He entered the office and stood near the front door. “Kevin, have you packed a bag for a few days' stay?”

The boy nodded. “It's by the front door.”

“Gloria,” said Williamson, “I think it would be best if you didn't come right now. This will be stressful enough. I have to prep the boys for surgery, and I'll do the operation tomorrow morning. You can come out to the hospital about noon. They'll be in recovery by then.”

Gloria shook her head vehemently. “I insist on coming and, at least helping Kevin settle in.”

Williamson frowned. “Very well. But there's no place for you to stay.”

Lowell jumped in. “Gloria, I'll have Andy drive you and Kevin out there, and once Kevin's settled in, Andy'll bring you back here.”

She turned to him. “Would you?”

“I suppose that would be okay.” Williamson turned toward his son. “Kevin, it's time.”

Kevin stood up, his iphone in hand, rapidly texting.

Gloria walked over to him. “Did you remember to pack a toothbrush?”

“Yes Mom, I'm not a little boy anymore.”

She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.

“I know you're not.”

Williamson looked at his watch impatiently and headed for the door. “Come on, it's time to go. I'll be waiting outside.”

He walked out.

Kevin looked at his mother. “Try not to worry, mom. I'll be fine.”

His mother looked close to tears. “I know you will.”

She turned to Lowell. “I'll call you on the way back.”

They left.

Lowell spent the rest of the morning sifting through his emails and phone messages trying to plan his next job. Once this business with the twins was completely resolved he would have too much time on his hands, something he loathed. He only took cases that interested him, or where he believed he could make a difference. There were a few that piqued his curiosity. He put those in his in-box. One involved the disappearance of a valuable, beloved pet tiger from a locked windowless room. He might look into that.

Gloria called in the afternoon to say she was heading back into the city. Lowell put away his work and took a short nap.

***

Gloria sat passively on the couch, her hands folded in her lap.

“Would you like something?” asked Lowell.

She shook her head. “No thank you.” She sighed. “Well, maybe a glass of water, if you don't mind?”

Lowell went to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, took out a Brita water pitcher and filled a glass. He walked over to the couch and handed it to Gloria.

She took a long drink. “The hospital is very nice.”

“Did you see Edward?”

“Yes. But he was asleep and I didn't want to disturb him. He looked so frail and thin. I just felt so helpless.”

She looked up at Lowell. Her eyes were cloudy as if in a daze. “I was so naïve and foolish when we got married.” Her gaze went to the window. “Is everyone?”

“I think so.”

She turned back to him. “Were you?”

He sat down and leaned back in his chair. “Yes. That may be a prerequisite for falling in love.”

She nodded and turned back to the window staring at the Empire State Building. “I was so young. I thought I could be whatever he wanted me to be. And I tried very hard to live up to his expectations. But now, when I look back at it all, I realize there was nothing I could have done to make it better. He didn't want me. He wanted children. And I was only the vessel.” She laughed. “Maybe he liked my genes, or my bone structure. Who knows? Everything was an experiment with him. When the boys were born he did some tests on them. A little later he came into the room and was enraged. I could see it in his face. I asked him what was wrong and he looked at me with such contempt. He shook his head and said:
You couldn't even do this right.
Then he walked out. I didn't know what he was talking about, but it scared me silly. That's when I called my sister and we started to make our plans.” She shook her head. “Maybe that's when he found out that Edward had a kidney problem.”

She sipped her water very carefully, her hands trembled slightly. “He'll be alright, won't he? I mean, they both will be, right?”

Lowell tugged on his ponytail. “Your husband is supposed to be an excellent doctor.”

“Yes, whatever else he is, he's very good at his job.”

“Well then, try not to worry too much. The operation is scheduled for tomorrow morning. My driver will take us out to the hospital by about noon and you can check on things.”

She sipped her water again and nodded. “It just doesn't seem fair to put them through this at so young an age.”

“I know it probably doesn't help any, but at least they have each other, and Kevin can afford to donate a kidney without it affecting his life too much.”

“I know, but still, to go through this at fourteen.”

“You mean fifteen.”

“No, I mean fourteen. They won't be fifteen until February. You don't think a mother would forget how old her children are, do you?”

Lowell stared at her. “They weren't born June 10th, 1999?”

“That's not even close. They were born February 4th, 2000.”

“February?”

“Of course. February 4th, 2000. Edward was born at 10:56 and Kevin at 11:22 in the morning in Princeton. Why?”

Lowell's face got tight. “Gloria, to the best of your knowledge does your husband know anything about astrology?”

“As a matter of fact we both were interested in it when we met. That was one of the things that we had in common. I never had any time to look into it seriously. But when we were first married he studied it extensively with someone in Manhattan. He bought dozens of books and used to go to classes at least once a week. Why do you ask?”

Lowell sat at his desk working with the Solar Fire program. He entered the new birth data for the children and drew up several charts. He worked hard not to show his concern to Gloria. He picked up the intercom and pushed a button. A few moments later there was a knock on the door. It opened and Mort entered.

“You rang?”

“Mort, this is Mrs. Williamson.”

“How do you do?”

“As well as can be expected.”

The strange man nodded. “I understand.”

Lowell was making notes on the charts. “Mort, we have an errand to run.” He turned to Gloria. “I have to take care of something. Will you be alright if I send you to your hotel?”

“I guess so. I don't really want to be alone right now. But if you must.”

Lowell thought for a moment. “Let me see what I can do.” He buzzed the intercom again.

Sarah entered a moment later. “Boss?”

“Sarah, please take Mrs. Williamson to the conference room and make sure she's comfortable. Then come right back.”

Sarah led Gloria out the door.

Lowell turned to Mort. “I need to get a look at Edward, Williamson's sick child.”

Mort was petting the turtles. “Do you think Williamson would allow that?”

“What do you think?” asked Lowell.

“So I assume we're looking at, what, five to ten for breaking-and-entering?” He laughed and flapped his elongated arms.

Lowell picked up the phone and called his daughter. “Melinda, I'm sending Mrs. Williamson to the Empire Hotel on Lexington. She's not in very good shape and I was wondering if you could get free long enough to check up on her sometime today.”

“I can get out of here in about an hour,” she replied. “I have to come uptown then anyway and I'll have some time in between appointments. What's going on?”

“I'll call you from the limo and explain. I may need your services in several ways before this is all over.”

“That's why you paid me a retainer.” She laughed.

“Okay, I'll send her to the hotel now and tell her to expect you in about an hour and a half.”

They hung up. Lowell tugged on his ponytail a few times. He picked up the phone and dialed.

“Williamson Hospital.”

“May I speak with Dr. Williamson please? It's David Lowell.”

“I'm sorry, but the doctor just left and won't be back until tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you, I'll call back then.”

He called Andy. “I'm sending Mrs. Williamson down to you. Take her to the Empire Hotel and come right back.”

“Gotcha, Boss.”

A few moments later the door opened and Sarah entered, pad and pen in hand. “Whatcha got for me?”

“You won't need the pad. I want you to do a little extra leg-work for me.”

Sarah knew what that meant, dressing up and playacting. She liked that part of it but didn't care too much for the danger it often entailed. Still, she knew that it also came with
combat pay,
and Lowell was always very generous. Sarah had a bit of a problem with shoes. She owned close to a hundred pairs that she fawned over and was always on the lookout to add to her collection. She had her eye on a pair of bright blue pumps she simply could not live without, and they cost a week's salary. This should make up for it.

“Will I need a bulletproof vest?”

“I certainly hope not,” said Lowell. “It's just a reconnaissance mission.”

“Okay, Boss.”