It wasn’t just a gone-to-work locked up, but more like gone-to-Spain-for-six-months. Shades were pulled down and dry leaves, dust, and cobwebs adorned the little porch outside the front door. Of course, not everyone used their front entrance, but as Hansie Schlossman followed him around to the back of the house, it was clear that no one had been through the kitchen door in a long time, either. The spider who’d made a web back there was big enough to give them the middle finger.
Hans exhaled something that sounded a lot like a sigh of relief, and Izzy glanced at him.
“I was not looking forward to confronting Maddie,” the younger man admitted. “I mean, yeah, she lied to me, but…” He shrugged. “I remember how hard it was. Losingmymom.”
Izzy’s bullshit meter trembled. Just a little. “Didn’t I meet your parents? At the party after Hell Week?”
“Yeah,” Hans said. “My dad came. With my stepmom.”
“She seemed nice.”
“She is,” he said. “She’s also not my mom. I mean, I love her, she’s great. And she loves the hell out of my dad. He’s happy. Maybe even happier than he ever was. I don’t know, I don’t like to think about it too hard.”
“I get it,” Izzy said. “Because…Whoa. That’s…deep.” Years ago, Eden had lost a baby, extremely late in her pregnancy. Pinkie—his in utero name—had been stillborn, which had been awful. Add postpartum depression into the mix, and…Eden had suffered intensely. But lately, Danny and Jenn’s procreation had triggered a bit of impatience in Izzy. Baby-fever was highly contagious. But he could tell that Eden still wasn’t ready, despite the years that had passed.
Maybe it was because she was afraid that they’d be happier, and that would somehow dishonor Pinkie’s memory…?
“It’s weird,” Hans agreed. “You get kinda crazy when someone dies. I mean, my dad was, like, forty when Mom died. What’s he supposed to do, just lock himself away, and be alone forever? I didn’t want that for him. But at the same time…You know, my stepmom—Doris—she always identified herself as my dad’ssecondwife. And she talked about my mom—she didn’t try to make her disappear. The first year—and really, all the years—she was like, how did your mom celebrate Chanukah? Which plates did your mom use for Thanksgiving dinner? What was your mom’s favorite song?” He smiled. “She didn’t try to erase her.”
“That’s freaking brilliant,” Izzy said, as his cellphone rang, and he pulled it out to check….
It was Grunge. Izzy hitanswerand put the call on speaker. “Greetings from Van Nuys, where Schlossman and I are bonding. I may have to embrace him.”
The lieutenant’s voice was flat. “Any sign of Maddie?”
“Nope,” Izzy said. “And no one’s been here for a while. Like weeks at least.”
“Fuck. Daryl Middleton’s address was a dead end, and the lawyer aunt is gonna be in court all day.” Grunge sighed. “I’m thinking about flying up to Sacramento.”
“You want company?” Izzy asked. “Or prolly not, ’cause you’ll want to go with Shayla. I like her, by the way.”
Grunge sighed. “Yeah, I like her, too, but…Thanks again for making the trek to Van Nuys.”
“De nada,” Izzy said.
“Lemme know what I owe you for gas.”
As the connection to Grunge was cut, Hans exhaled, and Izzy realized that the younger man had been holding his breath.
“I know we just bonded,” Izzy said, “but if you’ve been lying, and all this time you’ve really been fucking around with G’s daughter? Iwillkill you. With my bare hands.”
“I haven’t, I wouldn’t, I…No,” Hans said. “But FYI? Kids whose moms die? They sometimes lie.”
“So…are you cryptically saying that you have been lying?” Izzy asked.
Hans pointed to himself with both hands. “Not a kid anymore.”
“Good point,” Izzy said. “I’m hungry—are you hungry? Let’s get a pizza for the road.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
The sun was starting to set before Shayla finally got another text from Peter.
He’d dashed her a quick one earlier:Nobody home in Van Nuys, nothing from the aunt, going in to an unscheduled meeting on base, more later.
She’d texted him back:I’m here if you need help w anything. Chapt 2??
She knew that he’d know that stood for the second installment in theWhen Peter Met Lisastory he was writing as part of the let-Maddie-get-to-know-him offensive. But he didn’t text back and he didn’t text back, and she tried very hard not to keep going into the living room and kitchen, where her windows had a clear shot of his empty driveway.
