Fort Lupton (27 page)

“
I never really thought
about it . . .” Sandy stopped talking when she saw
Bestat smile.

“
I always help the old
souls,” Bestat said.

“
And the young ones?”
Sandy smiled.

“
Make sure they don’t
interfere,” Bestat said.

Sandy smiled and took a drink of her
lemonade. She wrinkled her nose.

“
Good too?” Bestat
asked.

“
Amazing,” Sandy said.
“Not too sweet, What’s . . .”

“
Honey,” Bestat
said.

“
Honey?” Sandy asked.
“I’ve never thought of it.”

“
I get it from Alex,”
Bestat said. “But Delphie’s is wonderful, as you know.”

Sandy smiled and took another drink.

“
How might I help?” Bestat
asked.

“
Noelle needs to leave
Denver,” Sandy said. “Nash, probably, too. They are in danger here.
Here they have big lives, friends, family. They need to become
invisible until this trial is over.”

“
Yes,” Bestat said. “I
believe you are correct.”

“
Charlie and Sissy too,”
Sandy said. “But that’s another matter.”

“
Oh?” Bestat
asked.

“
Sissy will start her
apprenticeship at a professional ballet company in a month,” Sandy
said. “She will be staying at my father’s apartment in a big
anonymous city. We believe she will be safe there.”

When Bestat didn’t say anything, Sandy
pressed on.

“
We found an art school in
New York City,” Sandy said. “Mike has been mentoring Noelle. He
says that it’s a great school for her. My father called last night,
and Noelle can start there now. She can live with
Sissy.”

“
And Charlie?” Bestat
asked. “He is the one in the most danger.”

“
Charlie will live with my
father — um, I think you know him — Seth O’Malley?” Sandy
asked.

“
I know your father, Seth
O’Malley.” Bestat smiled. “That’s a good idea. Charlie will have
fun with them.”

Sandy nodded.

“
How might I help?” Bestat
asked.

“
Teddy has lived with us
the last two summers,” Sandy said. “I’m wondering if Nash can stay
with him, with you.”

“
My son, Teddy, lives here
at the house during the school year and with you in the summer,”
Bestat said.

Sandy squinted her eyes. She wasn’t sure
what Bestat was saying.

“
I guess I’m confused,”
Bestat said.

“
Nash needs a place to
live and . . .” Sandy started.

“
Noelle is in danger,”
Bestat said. “Sissy too, correct?”

Sandy nodded.

“
Why don’t they live with
me in New York?” Bestat asked. “I have a full staff there and an
office at the consulate. We can make sure Sissy gets a good start
at the ballet company. Noelle can get settled in her
program.”

“
But . . .”
Sandy started. She closed her mouth to keep from expressing her
frustration.

“
Nash, yes,” Bestat said.
“As you know, Teddy and Nash are boys. They can live in sleeping
bags on the floor of an unheated hut for a year and think that was
cool.”

“
Yes,
but . . .” Sandy started.

“
They can live with Alex,”
Bestat said.

“
With Alex?” Sandy asked.
“I can’t  . . . I
mean . . .”

“
Teddy loves it there,”
Bestat said.

“
Nash does too,” Sandy
said. “They work the boys like dogs, too. They have to do their
homework, chores . . .”

“
Work out,” Bestat
said.

“
No excuses,” Sandy said.
She shook her head. “And they love it! I can’t get them
to . . .”

“
I can’t either,” Bestat
said.

“
Are you sure Alex
wouldn’t mind?” Sandy asked.

“
She has already offered,”
Bestat said. “Those Irishmen need some help with their
bakery.”

“
Is that safe?” Sandy
asked.

“
They should be all
right,” Bestat said. “You know almost everyone in the house fought
in one war or another. They keep themselves safe; the boys should
be safe as well.”

Sandy cleared her throat and drank her
lemonade.

“
What is happening?”
Bestat asked.

“
You have it all figured
out and . . .” Sandy started.

“
Not really.” Bestat
smiled.

Sandy looked at her.

“
We want to help,” Bestat
said. “That is all.”

“
Thank you,” Sandy
said.

“
What about Ivy?” Bestat
asked.

“
What about her?” Sandy
asked.

“
They tried to shoot her
as well,” Bestat said.

“
They did?”

“
Yes, of course,” Bestat
said. “She is the youngest of the girls. Her testimony carries the
greatest penalty.”

“
Colin Hargreaves was shot
too,” Sandy said.

“
He’s gone into hiding
with his family,” Bestat said. “Art Rasmussen too.”

“
Wow,” Sandy
said.

“
It must be done,” Bestat
said.

“
And Ivy?” Sandy
asked.

“
You won’t be able to keep
her safe here,” Bestat said.

“
I’ll talk to Delphie,”
Sandy said.

They lapsed into silence. The gorgeous
fountain’s gentle, burbling water seemed to scream at Sandy now.
She watched the placid look on the woman’s face and wondered why
her burdens seemed so light.

“
You haven’t mentioned
yourself,” Bestat said.

“
Me?” Sandy
asked.

“
Much of what is going on
revolves around what happened to you when you were a child,” Bestat
said.

“
No one’s tried to shoot
me!” Sandy said.

“
Yet,” Bestat
said.

“
I don’t have to testify,”
Sandy said.

“
Yet,” Bestat
said.

“
But . . .”
Sandy felt her lip move in and out with her breath. She leaned
forward. “What do I do?”

“
About Ivy? Talk to
Delphie,” Bestat shrugged. “She already has it in her mind. She
just needs a nudge.”

Sandy’s eyes began to well.

“
They will kill you,”
Bestat said.

Sandy nodded and stood up from her rocking
chair. When Bestat didn’t move from hers, Sandy sat back down.

“
Do I need to accept my
fate?” Sandy asked.

“
What fate?” Bestat asked.
“I’m sorry. I’m not helping you. I’m not good with questions. I
either answer what people are actually asking but not saying, or I
don’t understand the question. Either way, I’m not of much
help.”

Sandy gave a slight smile.

“
Have you ever seen
Yvonne’s book?” Bestat asked.

“
Yvonne’s book?” Sandy
gave Bestat a vague look. “Uh . . .”

“
I happen to have a copy
of it,” Bestat said.

“
You do?”

“
Alex thought I might be
able to put names to faces,” Bestat said. “I asked for the entire
book, and she gave it to me.”

Sandy scowled. She had the feeling Bestat
wanted her to do something important but she couldn’t figure out
what.

“
Um . . .”

“
If you find him, he
cannot kill you or the children,” Bestat said.

Or at least Sandy thought Bestat had said
it. When she looked at Bestat, it didn’t look like she’d said
anything.

“
Who?” Sandy
asked.

“
Why don’t we go and find
out?” Bestat asked.

“
And the kids?”

“
All taken care of,”
Bestat said. “My staff is already preparing for Sissy and Noelle.
Your father is planning on taking them there tonight. I will meet
them in New York.”

“
But Zack’s other
children!” Sandy said. “You can’t just leave them here!”

“
Brittney and Sam?”
Bestat’s face broke into a wide smile. “They are refreshingly
flexible. Of course, I share mothering duties with Zack’s
mother.”

“
Um,” Sandy said. “What
will they do?”

“
They will come with me to
New York.”

“
How . . .?”

“
They are home schooled,”
Bestat said. “They were behind when their mother went to rehab.
Because we live in many places, they’ve never gone back to
traditional school. Their tutors travel with us. They are fluent in
Arabic, Spanish, English, and are working on their
French.”

“
Nash has been studying
Arabic,” Sandy said.

“
With Teddy’s tutor,”
Bestat said.

“
Oh,” Sandy said.
“Sorry.”

“
We have a very
complicated life,” Bestat said. “There’s no reason you should know
all the details.”

Sandy gave an embarrassed nod.

“
And Charlie?” Bestat
touched Sandy’s arm to help her get back on track.

“
Maresol’s taking Charlie
from the hospital this afternoon during the nurse change-over,”
Sandy said. “Honey will help him get settled at Seth’s
home.”

“
Teddy and Nash were
already planning to stay at Alex’s tonight,” Bestat
said.

“
Full-moon snowshoeing,”
Sandy said. “And Ivy?”

“
Delphie will know what to
do,” Bestat said.

“
And me?” Sandy
asked.

“
With my help, you’re
going to end this thing once and for all,” Bestat said.

Bestat stood up from her seat.

“
Come,” Bestat
ordered.

Unsure of what else to do, Sandy got up and
followed Bestat into the house.

~~~~~~~~

Saturday afternoon — 3:07 p.m.

The plastic chair creaked as Heather
collapsed around the baby in her abdomen. Her arms wrapped
protectively around him and she stared off to the side.

“
What is it?” Blane asked.
He was sitting in the armchair on the other side of the glass wall
that kept his room sterile.

“
I’m scared,” Heather
said. Her head tilted up so she could look at him. “Everything in
my life is in flux.”

“
I’m in the middle of
treatment,” Blane said. “Tink is not yet our daughter,
and . . .”

“
She has to go hide
somewhere,” Heather said. “I’m ready to pop, but the baby’s not
here yet.”

“
Mack’s started the early
child program at the Marlowe School,” Blane said.

“
Which he loves,” Heather
said.

“
Everything
is
in flux.” Blane
nodded.

“
Scary,” Heather said.
“Feels like everything in my life is up in the air.”

“
And you’re just waiting
for it to fall,” Blane said. “Yeah. I know that one.”

“
I know you do.” Heather
nodded.

“
I wish I could hold you,”
Blane said.

“
I wish you could too.”
Heather gave him a slight smile.

He nodded. Heather looked at her watch.

“
Noelle and Sissy are
leaving for the airport in a half hour,” Heather said.

“
They’re flying to New
York?” Blane asked.

“
With Seth,” Heather
said.

Blane nodded.

“
Tink can’t go with them
because Raz thinks that it’s dangerous to keep any of the girls
together,” Heather said. “That way if they get caught, they only
catch one.”

Heather swallowed hard.

“
Like they’re deer or
elk,” Heather said. “We don’t want the hunter to bag too many young
girls at once.”

Blane eyes spoke his disgust at the entire
thing.

“
Maresol is sneaking
Charlie out of the hospital in an hour or so,” Heather said. “He’ll
go to Seth’s house here in Denver.”

“
Is that safe?” Blane
asked.

“
They think so,” Heather
said. “The problem is that Charlie’s still too sick to go any real
distance. He should be in the hospital for at least another few
days. Seth’s house has a lot of security — video cameras, sensors,
a staff of guards on call, stuff like that.”

“
But is it safe?” Blane
asked.

“
No one really knows,”
Heather said. “Are the kids being hunted or was the shooting a
crime of opportunity? No one knows.”

“
Because the police are
being jerks.” Blane’s voice was sour and hard.

“
No one knows because no
one knows,” Heather said. “There are a lot of defendants in this
case. Lots. People are so angry now. It’s easy to think that people
would just pop off.”

She shrugged and sat back. The last thing
she wanted to do was upset him and affect his treatment. Seeing her
assessing look, he nodded.

“
I’m okay,” Blane said. He
gave her a smile to convince her, but Heather shook her head. “Nash
and Teddy?”

“
They’re staying with
Alex,” Heather said. “They were already planning that for the
weekend.”