“Yes! I mean…”
“Look at you, and all you’ve achieved. Does your wife ever tell you that she’s proud of you?”
“Well…no. But then, she’s not big on emotions. She had a complicated—”
“It’s something that’s inherently important in marriage. To be able to express feelings. Have you ever asked her to come here?”
I laughed.
Sally’s eyebrows raised.
“Sorry, it’s just—Haze would never. Ever. It’s not her thing. Therapy.”
How to explain that Haze didn’t rate talking about feelings, only ever acting on them?
Sally nodded. “Do you think the fact she doesn’t really talk about these things means you might sometimes try and take on Haze’s emotions as well as your own?”
Was I subconsciously absorbing Haze’s unresolved issues? Was she bringing me down without even realizing it?
“You don’t need to be the big tough man for her. You show me how vulnerable you can be. You show me your true self. Why can’t you do that with her?”
“It’s hard to talk about Haze when she’s not here. We had some problems last year.” I flashed back to us brandishing our knives at each other. “But we got through them, and we’ve come out stronger.”
“Really? Have you? Or do you just think you have?”
I stared at her. “What do you mean?”
“You’re keeping things from her. That makes me wonder if she is hiding things too?”
I gritted my teeth. Seeing Sally was meant to help me with my problems, not make me think of new ones. Were Haze’s suspicions about Sally being no good correct? Were Sally’s suspicions about Haze keeping things from me correct? Were my beliefs I was a total ridiculous mess correct? I only had the answer to one of these questions.
Chapter Thirty-One
Haze
I drove straight from theAirbnb to Bibi’s school. I’d phoned and requested a meeting with Mr. McCabe to discuss Bibi’s recent violent outburst, and more importantly to assess whether he had been planted to keep tabs on us. He was in a position of authority and was with my daughter every weekday. I had to know if there was any risk that he could be involved in whatever The Chameleon had planned.
“I’m sure you will agree, hurting that boy was very out of character for Bibi.”
We were back facing each other in little plastic chairs.
“Absolutely.” He nodded. “I think it was just a miscommunication.”
“I know she’s been having trouble with that particular boy, and maybe that’s why she lashed out.”
“Mrs. Baring takes a very strong line on any type of physical altercation. I have encouraged her to see the context of certain incidents.”
Was that teacher-talk for him agreeing that Bibi was right to hit that thug Ted? We’d looked into Backhouse Dunne. It was one of the top law firms in the country, and Ted’s mother, Diana, had a formidable reputation.
“If you could please keep an eye on him, that’d be much appreciated. If his actions are properly managed, then I don’t think Bibi will feel the need to take matters into her own hands again.”
Mr. McCabe nodded. “She has a very strong sense of right and wrong. Don’t worry—I’ll be keeping a close eye on things.” His shirtsleeves were rolled up. He had very toned arms. Of course, teachers could work out and not be part of a criminal gang. But when you added his physique to how he was a last-minute temp parachuted in after Bibi’s teacher had her freak car accident, it made him a little more suspicious.
Jenny was already doing a deep dive into his background. Maybe I could get something from him myself. I just needed to get him talking.
“I guess at least you’re used to such displays of violence—rumor has it you used to be in the army?”
He frowned. “I don’t really think you can compare soldiers in the battlefield to kids in the playground.”
