Authors: Mike Sherer
buy! aviation! supplies.! I! ordered! coffee! and! breakfast,! found! a!
place!to!sit!and!discovered!that!as!hungry!as!I!thought!I!was!I!
couldn’t! choke! down! any! food.! A! combination! of! nerves! and!
lack! of! sleep! left! me! with! an! unsettled! stomach! and! a! case! of!
jitters.!I!killed!some!time!drinking!coffee!and!reading!a!paper.!
!
At!eight,!I!hoofed!down!to!the!rental!agency.!They!gave!me!
a!nondescript!compact!that!looked!barely!large!enough!for!me!
if!I!sat!in!the!back!seat.!I!managed!to!wedge!myself!in!the!front,!
knees!sticking!up!on!either!side!of!the!steering!wheel.!!
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!
The! cross6town! drive! took! me! past! some! of! the! giants! of!
Silicon! Valley,! their! parking! lots! already! half6filled! with!
commuters.! I! stopped! at! a! mall! and! window6shopped! until! a!
clothing!store!manager!took!pity!on!me!when!I!flashed!a!credit!
card!up!against!the!glass!door!and!opened!early.!I!picked!out!a!
few!things!I!thought!might!come!close!to!being!long!enough!to!
fit! my! frame! and! took! them! to! a! dressing! room.! The! slacks! I!
found!passed!muster!though!a!little!big!in!the!waist!to!get!the!
length!I!needed.!A!roomy!tropical!shirt!in!pale!blue!concealed!
the!fault!nicely.!I!looked!around!the!store!for!a!travel!bag,!and!
picked!up!some!toiletries!while!I!was!at!it,!took!everything!up!
to!the!register,!paid!for!it!and!went!back!to!the!dressing!room!
to!put!on!the!clothes.!I!stuffed!the!old!clothes!in!the!travel!bag!
with!the!toiletries.!Out!in!the!mall,!I!cleaned!up!and!shaved!in!a!
men’s! room,! studying! the! results! in! the! mirror.! Satisfied,! I!
walked! out! to! the! car,! threw! the! bag! in! the! back! seat! and!
headed!west!toward!the!foothills.!
!
The!road!climbed!into!the!rolling!hills!past!the!developed!
city! streets,! terrain! changing! to! open! grassland! dotted! with!
trees,! mostly! oaks.! Despite! heavy! winter! rains,! years! of!
drought!and!a!spate!of!dry!spring!weather!had!already!turned!
the! hills! brown.! Higher! up,! the! open! space! gave! way! to! large!
lots! on! winding,! hilly! streets! with! big! houses! protected! from!
view!by!both!natural!growth!and!landscaped!yards.!Geography!
that!was!at!once!familiar!and!as!foreign!as!the!moon.!
!
Ten! minutes! later,! the! road! opened! up! to! a! view! of! an!
orchard!climbing!the!hillside!to!the!right!and!grapevines!on!the!
rise!ahead.!The!road!forked,!and!I!steered!to!the!right,!slowing!
now!to!look!for!house!numbers.!The!hill!rose!steeply!to!my!left,!
trees! and! vegetation! screening! any! view! of! the! property.! I!
passed!a!gated!drive!I!remembered!from!the!satellite!view!that!
led! to! the! building! I! assumed! was! a! winery.! It! wasn’t! visible!
from! the! road,! nor! was! the! house! above! it.! Matching! pairs! of!
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brick! pillars! and! old6fashioned! lampposts! marked! the! next!
drive.!!
!
I!turned!in!and!rolled!slowly!past!tall,!evenly!spaced!arbor!
vitae! on! one! side! and! a! low! box! elder! hedge! on! the! other.! A!
hundred!feet!farther,!a!low!iron!gate!stretched!across!the!lane.!
A!black!steel!box!with!a!keycard!slot!and!a!speaker!hung!on!a!
stanchion!by!the!side!of!the!road!at!window!height.!Nervously,!
I!checked!my!watch!and!gave!a!quick!glance!at!my!appearance!
in! the! mirror.! I! rolled! down! the! window! and! stabbed! an!
intercom! button! with! a! finger.! A! tinny! voice! asked! me! to!
identify!myself!and!state!my!business.!
!
“Blake!Sanders,!here!to!see!Mrs.!Baines.”!
!
“Is!she!expecting!you?”!
!
“I!doubt!it,!but!I!think!she’ll!want!to!see!me.!Please!tell!her!
I!need!to!speak!with!her!about!her!daughters.”!
!
“You! must! be! mistaken,! sir.! Mrs.! Baines! has! only! one!
daughter.”!
!
“The!older!one!was!killed.!This!concerns!both!of!them.”!
!
The! speaker! went! silent.! If! I! couldn’t! get! past! the! gate,! I!
wasn’t!sure!what!I’d!do!next.!I!banged!the!heel!of!my!hand!on!
the!steering!wheel.!
Stupid,*not*to*have*a*plan.*At*least*a*backup.
!
!
The! speaker! crackled.! “Just! one! moment.! I’ll! see! if! Mrs.!
Baines! is! accepting! visitors.”! Even! the! poor! audio! quality!
couldn’t!disguise!the!voice’s!displeasure.!
!
The! speaker! went! dead! again.! I! shut! off! the! engine! and!
leaned!back!in!the!seat,!sunshine!streaming!through!the!open!
window,!the!glare!making!me!squint,!heat!slowly!roasting!bare!
flesh.! Flies! buzzed! lazily,! their! drone! lulling! me! half! asleep.!
California*dreamin’
.!!
!
A! rattling! sound! startled! me! alert.! The! gate! slid! into! the!
bushes!to!one!side,!pulled!by!a!motorized!chain.!I!started!the!
car,! nosed! ahead! until! the! opening! grew! large! enough! and!
drove!through.!
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!
The! asphalt! lane! merged! into! a! cobblestone! circle!
enclosing!a!grass!donut!with!a!small!fountain!in!the!center.!At!
the! top! of! the! circle! sat! a! two6story,! multi6gabled! house! that!
stretched! eighty! feet! from! the! front! door! in! each! direction.!
Mature! trees! flanked! the! two! corners,! with! gardens! of! low!
shrubs!and!flowers!bordering!the!middle!section!of!the!house.!
The! tarmac! lane! resumed! on! the! far! side! of! the! circle,!
branching! off! in! two! directions.! There! were! no! cars! in! the!
drive.!I!parked!at!the!top!of!the!circle!and!walked!to!the!front!
door.!!
!
A!push!of!the!doorbell!yielded!a!low,!resonant!bong!from!
somewhere!deep!in!the!house.!After!a!decent!interval,!a!short!
middle6age!man!with!gray,!receding!hair!opened!the!door.!I’d!
heard!no!footsteps,!suggesting!he!had!a!very!light!tread!or!he’d!
been! waiting.! He! wore! black! trousers,! starched! white! shirt,!
black! tie! and! a! vest.! His! sleeves! were! turned! up! once! at! the!
cuffs,! a! nod! to! informality! that! suggested! he’d! been! working,!
cleaning! something,! perhaps,! or! polishing! silver.! Critical! eyes!
took! quick! measure! of! my! size,! clothes,! general! appearance.!
Though! the! neutral! expression! gave! nothing! away,! one!
eyebrow!rose.!!
!
“Mr.!Sanders?”!He!shifted!slightly!to!one!side!to!admit!me.!
!
I! nodded,! stepped! inside! and! stopped! in! the! middle! of! a!
black! cherry! parquet! floor! inlaid! with! black! walnut! and!
merbau.! Curved! staircases! on! either! side! of! the! foyer! rose! to!
the!second!floor.!Hallways!led!right!and!left!to!each!wing!of!the!
house.!Directly!ahead,!partially!open,!tall,!paneled!pocket!doors!
revealed! a! large! airy! living! room! with! two6story! glass! doors!
and! windows! on! the! far! end! that! looked! out! on! a! tiled! patio,!
strip!of!grass!and!pool!deck!beyond!that.!
!
The! door! closed! behind! me,! and! the! manservant! stepped!
into!my!sight!and!beckoned!with!a!hand!as!he!set!off!down!a!
hall.!
!
“Mrs.!Baines!is!in!the!solarium,”!he!said.!“This!way.”!
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!
His! crepe6soled! black! shoes! made! no! sound! on! the!
hardwood! floor.! Voices! drifted! from! an! open! door! down! the!
hallway,!and!grew!more!distinct!as!we!drew!closer.!My!guide!
turned!into!the!room!and!stopped!a!few!feet!in.!I!followed!as!
far!as!the!doorway.!!
!
I! was! expecting! wicker! or! rattan! furniture! hiding! in! the!
midst!of!a!jungle!of!ferns!and!fuchsias.!The!room!was!open!and!
decorated! with! modern! furniture! in! clean! lines,! most! of! it!
leather.! A! bright! patterned! rug! covered! most! of! the! bamboo!
floor,!and!tall!windows!in!the!far!wall!let!in!tons!of!light.!The!
two!people!in!the!room!turned!their!heads!as!we!entered.!
!
A! handsome! woman! in! her! fifties! sat! in! the! corner! of! a!
cream6colored!couch,!one!arm!resting!on!the!back!support,!the!
other!elbow!propped!on!the!armrest,!a!finger!idly!toying!with!a!
strand!of!hair.!She!wore!a!navy!skirt,!white!silk!blouse!and!teal!
cashmere! cardigan,! feet! tucked! under! her,! covered! knees!
primly!clasped!and!angled!to!the!side.!At!the!window!facing!her!
stood!a!dark6haired!man!about!my!age!dressed!in!jeans!and!a!
white!oxford!button6down!shirt,!the!sleeves!rolled!up!onto!his!
forearms.!
!
The! resemblance! between! them! was! startling,! and! as! my!
gaze!passed!back!and!forth,!I!realized!I!had!to!up!my!estimate!
of! her! age! by! twenty! years! or! more.! She’d! either! had! some!
work!done!or!she’d!aged!extremely!well.!That!Keely!looked!so!
little!like!either!of!them!steeled!my!resolve!to!see!this!through.!
!
“Excuse! me,”! the! butler! said,! “Mr.! Sanders! to! see! you,!
ma’am.”!
!
“Thank!you,!Stephen.”!Throaty!and!rich,!her!voice!was!like!
cognac!and!honey.!
!
She!gave!him!a!brief!nod!of!acknowledgement!and!turned!
curious!eyes!back!on!me.!He!slipped!past!me!without!a!glance.!I!
heard!the!door!shut!softly!behind!me.!The!room!was!quiet!save!
the!ringing!in!my!ears!and!thumping!in!my!chest.!
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!
“Well,! Mr.! Sanders,”! she! said,! “you’ve! piqued! my! interest.!
Who!are!you!and!what!do!you!want?”!
!
“Straight!to!the!point.”!I!wet!my!lips.!“All!right!then.!Your!
daughter!Keely!came!to!me!recently!and!asked!for!my!help!to!
find! someone.! A! man! named! Perry! Langford.! You! may!
recognize! the! name.! He! went! to! prison! for! killing! your! other!
daughter,!Jill.”!
!
Just! before! her! face! hardened! into! a! mask,! sadness,! fear!
and!finally!distaste!played!across!her!features,!as!if!she!didn’t!
want!to!revisit!painful!memories.!
!
“Are!you!a!private!investigator?”!
!
“Perry! Langford! and! I! grew! up! together.! Keely! thought! I!
might!know!where!he’d!be.!That’s!not!the!point.”!I!glanced!at!
the!man!by!the!window.!“You’re!Tucker?!Keely’s!brother?”!
!
He!nodded,!a!small!smile!playing!at!his!lips,!as!if!enjoying!
the!intrusion.!I!turned!to!his!mother.!
!
“I’m!not!sure!you!want!him!to!hear!what!I!have!to!say,!Mrs.!
Baines.”!!
!
Now!she!looked!amused.!“What!could!you!possibly!say!to!
me!that!might!offend!my!son?!We!don’t!even!know!you.”!
!
I!shrugged!and!steeled!myself.!“Keely!isn’t!really!a!Baines.!
Not!biologically!anyway.”!
!
“Don’t!be!absurd,”!she!said.!“Of!course!she!is.”!
!
Her!smile!was!grim,!as!if!running!out!of!patience,!but!her!
eyes!were!guarded!now.!!
!
Tucker! looked! confused,! but! hadn’t! completely! lost! the!
grin.!“What!are!you!saying?”!
!
“Keely’s!your!half6sister,”!I!told!him.!“Your!mother!had!an!
affair!when!you!were!very!young.”!
!
“That’s!enough!”!she!said.!“I!think!it’s!time!you!left.”!
!
“Whoa!”! Tucker! said.! “Wait! a! minute,! Mother,! this! is! just!
getting!interesting.”!!
!
“Tucker,! you! don’t! for! one! moment! believe! him,! a!
complete!stranger.”!
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!
Tucker! tipped! his! head! slightly,! eyeing! me! critically.! “He!
hasn’t! told! us! what! he! wants,! Mother.! So,! what! is! it?! A!
shakedown?!You!want!money?!You!think!we’ll!just!bow!under!
the! pressure! if! you! threaten! to! spread! a! few! lies! about! the!
family?”!
!
I!shook!my!head.!“No.!Nothing!like!that.”!
!
Turning!to!her!again,!I!spread!my!hands.!“I!don’t!care!what!
you!did,!and!I!have!no!interest!in!telling!anyone!else!about!this.!
It’s!your!business.!What!I!need!is!the!truth.”!
!
“The!truth?”!Her!nostrils!flared!and!she!sat!up!on!the!edge!
of!the!couch.!“About!what?!Exactly!what!part!of!my!private!life,!
my!family’s!life,!do!you!wish!to!pry!into?!What!purpose!would!
it!serve?!Who!are!you!trying!to!help!here,!Mr.!Sanders?!Keely?!
Your!friend,!what!was!his!name?!Or!yourself?”!
!
I! let! her! questions! bounce! around! in! my! head! for! a!
moment! before! answering.! “All! of! the! above.! And! if! I’m! right,!
maybe! it! helps! her! real! father! most! of! all.! Isn’t! it! time,! Mrs.!
Baines?”!
!
“Her!
real
!father?!My!husband!is!her!real!father.”!
!
I!shrugged.!!
!
“How! do! I! know! you’re! even! acquainted! with! my!
daughter?”!
!
“Get!her!on!the!phone,”!I!said.!!
!
She! called! my! bluff,! getting! up! and! walking! to! a! phone!
sitting!on!an!end!table!in!the!corner!between!two!easy!chairs.!
She!picked!up!the!receiver!and!dialed.!
!
“Keely,! dear…! Yes,! it’s! me.! I’m! surprised! I! reached! you…!