Prospect Street (42 page)

She wondered what that would be like. If she soared over rooftops, she could leave Georgetown and everything that had happened in the past year behind her. No more father. No more mother. No more little brother who disapproved of every breath she took.

She told herself not to be a baby. “Where is it?”

“Up in my room.” He must have accurately read the look on her face, because he laughed again. “We'll leave the door open. Jesus, you're such a kid.”

She didn't want to be a kid. She wanted to be ten years older
and living a different life. Right now this was as close to the fantasy as she was liable to come.

“Lead the way.” She linked her arm through his.

 

David listened for the chime of Faith's doorbell, but the house was silent. Despite what she'd said, the row house still needed work, including a new bell. He knocked, listened, then knocked again, but no one came to the door.

He was certain he had told Alex when to expect him, and Faith knew his plans, of course. For a moment he wondered if she had done this on purpose. Was she making a point about the holidays? He didn't deserve consideration because it was his fault their family wouldn't be together the way they had been every Christmas of the children's lives—until last year?

No, that particular surge of guilt wasn't coming from Faith.

The steps were too icy to sit on, so he settled for leaning against the newly painted iron rail. He would wait a few minutes, then head back to the car to find a telephone. He could try Faith on her cell phone, although that was a long shot.

He passed the time and ignored the cold by remembering other Christmases. Seven years ago Alex had gotten his first new bike. He had refused training wheels, although he had taken more than a few spills while he learned to balance.

Nine years ago David had built a dollhouse for Remy, and Faith had painted the tiny rooms and furnished them. He wondered where the house was now. He hoped that, in her quest to rid herself of everything that reminded her of him, Remy hadn't destroyed it. He had hoped she would pass it on to her own children.

A blast of wind rattled the shutters on the row house. Snow was expected again tonight, and if he and Alex didn't leave for Maryland soon, they might be driving in it. David checked his watch and saw it was even later than he'd thought. He started back toward Ham's car, which he had borrowed for the trip.

Halfway to the car, he saw Alex walking toward him. His son had his head down, but the coppery curls were a giveaway. Alex was scuffing his boots as he trudged along the brick side
walk. Years of parenting told David that something was bothering him.

“Hey, Alex.”

Alex looked surprised at the summons, as if he had forgotten that David was expected. “Dad?”

“Where have you been?”

Alex didn't answer. David read indecision on his son's features. “Alex? I've been waiting at the house for you.”

“I…I heard something at the end of the street. Like a crash or something. I just went down to see, you know, what it was.”

David had very little practice uncovering lies. Alex was a straightforward kid who was more likely to tell the truth in excruciatingly accurate detail than to misrepresent it, but even he could tell that something was wrong now.

“Did you find out anything?” David said.

“No. Everything looked okay.”

“Where's your mom?”

“She had an errand. She left us—me. She knew you were coming.”

“Then Remy's at home?”

“No.”

“Did she go somewhere?”

“She's supposed to go to Megan's house for the weekend.”

David knew he was getting to the truth, but it was taking too long. He was chilled to the bone. He stamped his feet as he walked to warm them. “Alex, where's Remy?”

Alex shrugged. “Maybe she heard the noise, too.”

“Then she would have told you, right?”

“I don't know.”

He did know. David was sure of it. Alex was keeping something from him and not enjoying it one bit.

They were at Faith's house now, and Alex opened the door. David followed him inside and continued his interrogation. “One of the problems with having a sister is that you feel loyalty to her and loyalty to your parents. Sometimes it's hard to figure out which is more important.”

Alex didn't say anything.

“But sometimes it's pretty easy,” David said. “Like when you're afraid your sister might do something to get herself in trouble.”

“She doesn't tell me anything. She thinks I'm a geek.” Alex got as far as the stairs up to his room before he turned. “She already hates me.”

“She doesn't. Not really. Someday the two of you will be great friends.”

“Not if I tell you.”

“Tell me what?”

Alex was clearly torn. David made it easier for him. “You have to tell me the truth, Alex. I'm your father. You don't really have a choice.”

“I'm going to get in trouble.”

David considered that. “Because you didn't tell sooner?” He watched his son nod. “You haven't been sure what to do. But now you know.”

“Remy's been lying a lot.”

David needed to hear this, but he didn't want to. “About what?”

“About where she goes when she's not home. There are some guys down the street—college students, I think—and Remy goes over to their house whenever she can. She hasn't been going to Billie's after school. She's been going over there. One of the guys works at a clothing store, and she goes to his store, too.”

“She's over at the house now?” David couldn't imagine what Faith had been thinking to leave Remy and Alex alone.

“She was supposed to go to Megan's house. It was all planned, but she called Megan as soon as Mom left and told her she was sick. Then she took her stuff and went down the street. I waited a long time, hoping she would come out again, but she didn't.”

“Is that where you were coming from?”

“I followed her, just to see if she was lying. She said I'd heard her wrong, that she was meeting Megan's mom at the corner, but she wasn't telling the truth.”

David was rapidly growing more concerned. “You didn't tell your mother any of this?”

Alex looked down at the floor. “Mom doesn't know. She watches Remy real close, but Remy lies, and Mom wants to trust her. I wanted to tell her, but I knew Remy would be really mad at me if I did.”

“Don't worry. You've done the right thing now. Let's go get her.”

“You're going down there?”

“Does your mom have her cell phone? Call her right now. She needs to come home.”

Alex took off for the kitchen phone. When he returned, he was shaking his head. “It just rings and rings. Then I get her voice mail.”

“Did you leave a message?”

“Yeah, but it doesn't work. It never works.”

David put his arm around Alex's shoulder to propel him toward the door. “Let's go.”

Outside, Alex turned in the direction of Ham's car. David wondered by how many minutes he had missed his daughter. If he had arrived a few minutes earlier, would he have seen her?

They crossed one street, then another. At the beginning of the next block, Alex slowed his pace. “It's that gray house.”

The house was a little run-down, much as Faith's had been. Otherwise it was a typical Georgetown row house. “You're sure that's the one?” David said.

“I've seen her go in there before. And I stood here and waited almost forever.”

“Okay. Go home now. And try your mom again. Stay by the phone in case she calls back.”

“You don't want me to come?”

“No, I'll get your sister and bring her home.”

Alex looked relieved. He turned around and started back.

David steeled himself for the coming confrontation. At the door, he knocked and waited, but there was no answer. Frustrated, he knocked louder, then tried the knob. But the door was locked.

He stepped back on to the sidewalk and shouted up at the front window. “Remy!”

“May I help you?”

David turned to see a young man coming down the block toward him. In the seconds before the young man stopped in front of him, David noted blond hair and clean-cut features, a harmless enough Georgetown student.

“Are you looking for somebody?” The young man's smile was polite but wary.

“My daughter's in there.”

“Daughter?”

David held out his hand, although he wanted to shake the kid by the scruff of his neck. “David Bronson. Remy Bronson's father.”

“Colin Fitzpatrick.” Colin dropped his hand. “You're Remy's dad? I thought her dad was dead.”

“She'd like everyone to believe that. Is she here?”

“I don't know. I've been at the library most of the day. She might be with Enzio. They hang out together.”

“Unless Enzio is fourteen, too, we have a problem.”

“Fourteen?”

David knew Colin wasn't faking surprise. Colin was genuinely taken back—and alarmed. “That's right. Fourteen. She's been lying to you if she said differently.”

“She said she was a senior in high school.”

“And you didn't question it?”

“She's short, but she looks old enough. Why'd she lie?”

“Because she knew you'd send her back home if she told you she was in the eighth grade.”

“Eighth grade!” Now Colin looked truly alarmed.

“I want her out of there, and I want her out of there now.”

Colin fished in his pocket, pulling out a key. Without another word, he stuck it in the lock. “How come you didn't put a stop to this earlier?”

“I didn't know. She's been lying to everybody.”

“She's a good kid.” Colin looked worried.

The door seemed to take forever to open. Despite the cold, David's hands were sweating. If Enzio was anything like Colin, they probably didn't have too much of a problem. But not every college age male was honorable.

“Look, Remy and I have our problems,” David said. “She's going to resist coming with me. But she has to, so please don't interfere.”

“She sure can't stay here.” Colin finally jiggled the lock until it clicked and pushed the door open. In the foyer, he shouted her name. “Remy!”

Silence was the only reply.

“I'm going up to Enzio's room and check,” Colin said.

“I'm coming with you.”

Colin looked alarmed. “I don't know what's been going on with them. I came home once and, well…”

“Well what?” David demanded.

“I just thought maybe things had gotten a little hot and heavy, and I was glad I walked in. I asked Enzio later, but he said that was stupid, she was like the house mascot or something.”

“Let's go.”

Colin took the steps two at a time. “Hey, Remy, there's somebody here to see you.” He stopped in front of a closed door. “Enzio, you in there?”

David wasn't as polite. He turned the knob, but the door was locked. “Remy! It's Daddy. Are you there?”

He heard something like a cry of distress, a muffled cry. That was all he needed. He pushed Colin to one side and rammed the sole of his shoe against the door. Once, twice, then a third powerful blow that jolted up and down his spine but did the job.

The door flew open. The room was dark, but he saw Remy on a mattress on the floor and the lithe figure of a young man pulling up his pants in the corner.

He wasn't sure how he crossed the room. One moment he was in the doorway, the next he had Enzio by the shoulders and he was slamming him against the wall.

“Hey!” Enzio tried to shake loose, but David had a death grip on him. “Hey, we didn't do anything, man.”

David shoved him so hard that Enzio's head snapped back and he slid to the floor, dazed. David dropped him and knelt beside the mattress. Remy was pulling her shirt down and sobbing.

“Are you okay?”

“Daddy…” She launched herself into his arms. David held her against his chest and stroked her hair.

“It's okay, sweetheart. You're okay, now.” He wasn't sure it was true, though he had never wanted so badly for anything to be true.

“She's fourteen!” Colin was on the floor beside Enzio, shaking him.

“Remy, tell me what happened here,” David said. “I have to know whether to call the police.”

She was sobbing so hard he wasn't sure if she could talk. But she stammered out the words. “We—came up to—get high. I—I—we smoked a couple of joints. I—maybe I—I fell asleep. And when I woke up—he was taking off—my clothes.”

David's heart was breaking. “Did he rape you, Remy?”

“No. He was trying to take—off my—” She began to sob harder. “He had his hands all—over me, then you shouted—and he told me—to be quiet—and I called you, but you didn't hear—”

Enzio tried to push Colin away. “The little bitch! She told me she was eighteen.”

David closed his eyes. “Get him out of here, Colin. Before I kill him.”

“It's my fault. It's my fault!” Remy clung to David even harder.

He stroked her hair and whispered reassurances as Colin hustled Enzio out of the room, but he couldn't dispute that she'd had some fault in this. She had lied to everyone, and the lies had caught up with her.

When she was calmer, he helped her straighten her clothes
and put on her shoes. Then he got her to her feet, his arm around her shoulders. He grabbed her coat, recognized her backpack on the floor beside the door and scooped that up, too. “Can you make it downstairs?”

She nodded. “I'm sorry, Daddy. I'm sorry….”

“I know. Let's just get out of here.”

Colin was the only one downstairs. He looked upset, as if he felt responsible for everything that had happened.

“Where's your roommate?” David asked, as Remy sobbed softly beside him.