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would be called in, this time.
Ten minutes went by before a beige van pulled up in the parking lot between the apartment units. A
man in a priest s habit got out with two strong young men and walked toward Colby. He grinned as he
held out his hand.
 Compadre, he greeted.  How long has it been?
 Eight years, as I recall, Colby said, returning the firm hand clasp.
 You look well.
 So do you, except for the strange-looking camo outfit, he chided, indicating his old friend s white
collar that denoted a priest.
Eduardo chuckled.  It did take some getting used to.
Colby nodded toward the boy writhing on the ground.  I don t know what he took. Judging by the
contortions and the glazed look, it s either acid or crack cocaine.
 Not much to choose between, Eduardo said with clinical interest,  although acid s easier to kick.
He nodded to his companions, who hefted the boy like a tiger on a pole between them and carried him
off, struggling and cursing, to the van.  We ll take care of him, don t worry.
 What a waste, Colby muttered.
 Drugs always are, the other man said heavily.  Does it occur to you, compadre, that our world is
long on pressure and short on relaxation? Too much stress, too much responsibility, too much worry,
and this becomes the answer. He indicated the boy being put in the van.  The old woman?
 Will be all right, Colby said.  She s only bruised and hurt. But apparently he takes care of her, buys
her groceries and looks out for her. She ll be alone.
 We ll do what we can to get him back on his feet. Meanwhile, I ll make it my business to keep an eye
on her. Any other family?
 There s a grandson, he s with the old woman. He seems responsible enough.
 Tell him we can provide what the old woman needs. All he has to do is call me.
 I ll do that. Thanks.
Eduardo shook hands with him. He shook his head, his black eyes sparkling.  What a long time ago
we made our living with violence.
 We were younger, Colby replied. His eyes began to lose their light.  And unaware.
 Yes. Take care. Come and see me when you have time. I ll bet I can still beat you at chess.
 You and a chess master, maybe, Colby chuckled.  See you.
The priest threw up his hand and walked back to the van.
Colby went back to the apartment. The old woman had been given coffee and cleaned up. Sarina was
sitting beside her, looking warily at the young man in the bandana who still held a cloth with ice in it
to his grandmother s head.
They looked up as Colby entered the apartment.
 He s on his way to the halfway house. Father Eduardo said that if you need anything at all, señora,
he told the woman,  he ll do whatever he can for you. He s a good man.
 He must be, to take my Tito and save him from jail, the señora said heavily. Her eyes were swollen
with tears.  Thank you, for what you have done.
Colby shrugged.  De nada, he said easily.
She got up, with her grandson supporting her.  You re all right, man, the boy told Colby with a
solemn look.  I won t forget.
Colby walked out with them. The boy hesitated on the porch.  You need anything, he told Colby,
 anything at all, you ask me. Anything. I owe you.
Colby moved closer, so that Sarina couldn t overhear him.  Then look out for Sarina and the child.
This is a dangerous neighborhood. I know that gangs operate here. I can t be with them all the time.
The boy gave him an odd, puzzled smile and extended his hand. Colby shook it.
 I give you my word, he told Colby.  Nothing will ever happen to them here.
 Thanks.
The boy managed a smile.  I love my grandma, he said. He helped her along the sidewalk, back
toward her apartment.
Sarina came out onto the porch to stand beside Colby.
 He s going to keep an eye on the two of you, he told her quietly.  You ll be all right.
 Oh. She nodded. Her eyes were dark with shock and exasperation.  You ve just asked the leader of
the biggest gang in the projects to take me on as a dependent, and you think it s all right?
CHAPTER EIGHT
COLBY GAVE HER an odd look.
 Didn t you know? she asked.
 How would I have known? he returned.
 He s wearing the colors and tattoos of the Serpientes, she told him.
One dark eyebrow went up. He stared down at her through narrowed eyes.  Learned that at work, did
you? he asked softly.
She hesitated for a second. She cleared her throat.  All right, Rodrigo told me, she said, averting her
eyes.
 The liaison officer? he chided.
 He has a friend in law enforcement locally, she said, which was no lie.
 I see. He didn t, but his mind was whirling again with new knowledge of her and of Bernadette.
Bernadette. His daughter. He moved closer to the door and watched the child hooking up the
microscope he d bought her to a small laptop computer.
 She knows how to do that? he asked, surprised at her intelligence.
Sarina nodded.  She s very smart with electronics. Like& you were.
He turned and looked down at her with troubled dark eyes.  I told Hunter that Bernadette s father was
a cold-blooded bastard, he said huskily.  I was right. I am.
 You didn t know.
 No. I didn t know. Maureen never said a word about your phone call. He shook his head.  I was
blinded by lust, he bit off.  I wanted Maureen so much that I couldn t see past her. What do I have to
show for that marriage? Years of hell, when the excitement wore off. And look at your life, and
Bernadette s. He sighed.  You told me that Maureen and I went along leaving broken lives behind us.
I didn t realize what you meant until now. Her flush made him frown.  There s more?
She hesitated.
 You d better tell me, he said bitterly.  It seems to be the night for confession.
But he looked as if he couldn t take much more. Still, he wasn t budging. She grimaced.  Maureen
was married when you were going with her.
 Married?!
She swallowed.  While you and I were dating, she was busy trying to get a quickie divorce in Reno.
He fought it. The day you married me. She couldn t bear to look at him.  He& killed himself. So she
came home free, after all.
He actually leaned against the wall for support. Of all the horrors of the night, that was the absolute
last straw. He closed his eyes. He felt a cold chill. It was misting rain and he was out in it without his
jacket. Chills were dangerous. He still had the fevers he d acquired in Africa, and they recurred if he
was careless with his health, but he was too upset to think about the risk.
 He killed himself, he said huskily. He looked at her, seeing the pain and anguish of her pregnancy
far more vividly than he wanted to.  You lost everything, almost lost your life having Bernadette. She
grew up without a father. An innocent man died so that Maureen could marry me. And I expected a
happy life, after all that destruction. God! I got what I deserved.
She didn t know what to say. She d had no idea that the revelation would hit him so hard. In fact, she d
often dreamed of seeing his face when he knew the truth about his daughter. But it didn t give her the
satisfaction she d once expected. It hurt.
 Colby&  she began, trying to find the words.
He turned away from her.  Tell Bernadette good-night for me, will you? he asked roughly.  I ve got
to go.
 Thank you for her present, she faltered.
He couldn t even answer. A present. He d missed her whole little life, made an enemy of her the day
they met, and here he was bringing her a single present when he d missed giving her dozens.
Birthdays, holidays, special days, he d missed them all. While he was trying to get Maureen to come
back to him, his daughter had been living in poverty and growing up without a father. He kept walking
blindly toward the SUV.
THE WORDS HAMMERED in his brain until he thought he d go mad, long after he was back at his
apartment. He was glad that he didn t keep alcohol, because there was a great temptation to blow years [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]