didn’t
do anything to her stuff?”
“ Not that we can tell,”
Jill replied. “She and her little friend Pat played together in her
room until late. She fell asleep. I had to wait until the police
were done. They finished up about 1:30 AM. I took Katy to the
Castle. She seemed happy to be at the Castle in the morning. The
police checked her room today. Nothing.”
“ Why did they leave her
stuff alone?” Sandy asked.
“ Honestly?” Jill asked. “I
think he’s going to try to get custody.”
“ What?”
Sandy was so disturbed by the idea that she
began working on Jill’s hair. She sprayed abundant conditioner then
tried to work her wide tooth comb through the mess.
“ He doesn’t want her
because he loves her or values her or thinks she’s an amazing human
being or...”
“ Jill. Why would Trevor
want Katy?”
“ Money,” they said
together.
“ Either child support or a
pay off. I don’t know,” Jill said. “They told Mike that he and his
bride would be arrested when they come back to Denver so... I’m
sure he’ll say it wasn’t his fault.”
“ Jill,” Sandy stopped
working. She held Jill’s eyes in the mirror. “You have to have the
doctor check out these burns.”
“ I did. Jacob put me on
his insurance plan. I went to see her today.” Jill visibly
brightened. “I even took Katy to an allergy doctor. Blane thinks
acupuncture might help. I was surprised when the doctor thought the
acupuncture was a great idea. The doctor suggested...”
“ Jill,” Sandy interrupted
Jill. Jill was chattering to avoid dealing with her own pain, her
own injury. “What about the burns?”
“ Oh.” Jill’s face dropped
with sorrow. “She gave me some ointment for the burns. Blane gave
me some Chinese stuff too.”
Sandy’s face was a mask of pain as she
attempted to work with what was left of Jill’s hair.
“ Birth
control?”
“ The pill. And about a
billion blood tests they do automatically for Lipson Construction,”
Jill said. “No IUD because I used to get those bad
cramps.”
“ You’re going back on the
pill?”
“ Yep. Trevor always said
they made me a depressed bitch but...”
“ He just said that to
control when you got pregnant,” Sandy said. “The IUD was sheer
brilliance.”
“ He never
knew.”
Jill’s eyes caught Sandy’s in the mirror.
Together, they had solved almost every problem in their lives. Jill
knew that Sandy would be able to fix this one too.
“ I’m sorry, honey. I’m
going to have to shave off most of your hair. All of the back and
most of the front. I...”
Jill’s eyes welled with tears. Giving Jill a
box of Kleenex, Sandy went to work.
~~~~~~~~
Tuesday evening — 6:35 P.M.
“ How are you
feeling?”
Delphie poked her head into the room.
Sitting in a high backed chair in front of a raging fire, Jacob had
been working on his laptop. Sarah, his yellow Labrador, was
sleeping in front of the roaring fire in the ornate tile fireplace.
Sighing, Jacob set the computer on the marble coffee table in front
of him. Delphie came in the sitting room carrying two cups of
tea.
“ All right,” he said. “The
acupuncture helps with the pain but I’m so tired and
cold.”
He pointed to the fire.
“ The fire light is nice,”
Delphie said. “Even in summer.”
“ That trainer? Valerie
Waters? She had me ride the exercise bike, low speed for twenty
minutes. I thought I was going to die.”
“ It’s a long way back,”
Delphie said.
She gave him the cup of tea.
“ Thanks,” he said. “I can
only sleep a few hours at a time. But I sleep like forty times a
day.”
“ What does the doctor
say?” Delphie asked.
“ Oh.” Jacob took a drink
of tea. “I think they’re so used to seeing really sick people. If
you’re moderately ill or better at all, you’re a
miracle.”
“ It is a miracle how well
you’ve healed,” Delphie said. “You’re not even wearing your neck
brace.”
“ Only when I lay down,” he
said.
do anything to her stuff?”
“ Not that we can tell,”
Jill replied. “She and her little friend Pat played together in her
room until late. She fell asleep. I had to wait until the police
were done. They finished up about 1:30 AM. I took Katy to the
Castle. She seemed happy to be at the Castle in the morning. The
police checked her room today. Nothing.”
“ Why did they leave her
stuff alone?” Sandy asked.
“ Honestly?” Jill asked. “I
think he’s going to try to get custody.”
“ What?”
Sandy was so disturbed by the idea that she
began working on Jill’s hair. She sprayed abundant conditioner then
tried to work her wide tooth comb through the mess.
“ He doesn’t want her
because he loves her or values her or thinks she’s an amazing human
being or...”
“ Jill. Why would Trevor
want Katy?”
“ Money,” they said
together.
“ Either child support or a
pay off. I don’t know,” Jill said. “They told Mike that he and his
bride would be arrested when they come back to Denver so... I’m
sure he’ll say it wasn’t his fault.”
“ Jill,” Sandy stopped
working. She held Jill’s eyes in the mirror. “You have to have the
doctor check out these burns.”
“ I did. Jacob put me on
his insurance plan. I went to see her today.” Jill visibly
brightened. “I even took Katy to an allergy doctor. Blane thinks
acupuncture might help. I was surprised when the doctor thought the
acupuncture was a great idea. The doctor suggested...”
“ Jill,” Sandy interrupted
Jill. Jill was chattering to avoid dealing with her own pain, her
own injury. “What about the burns?”
“ Oh.” Jill’s face dropped
with sorrow. “She gave me some ointment for the burns. Blane gave
me some Chinese stuff too.”
Sandy’s face was a mask of pain as she
attempted to work with what was left of Jill’s hair.
“ Birth
control?”
“ The pill. And about a
billion blood tests they do automatically for Lipson Construction,”
Jill said. “No IUD because I used to get those bad
cramps.”
“ You’re going back on the
pill?”
“ Yep. Trevor always said
they made me a depressed bitch but...”
“ He just said that to
control when you got pregnant,” Sandy said. “The IUD was sheer
brilliance.”
“ He never
knew.”
Jill’s eyes caught Sandy’s in the mirror.
Together, they had solved almost every problem in their lives. Jill
knew that Sandy would be able to fix this one too.
“ I’m sorry, honey. I’m
going to have to shave off most of your hair. All of the back and
most of the front. I...”
Jill’s eyes welled with tears. Giving Jill a
box of Kleenex, Sandy went to work.
~~~~~~~~
Tuesday evening — 6:35 P.M.
“ How are you
feeling?”
Delphie poked her head into the room.
Sitting in a high backed chair in front of a raging fire, Jacob had
been working on his laptop. Sarah, his yellow Labrador, was
sleeping in front of the roaring fire in the ornate tile fireplace.
Sighing, Jacob set the computer on the marble coffee table in front
of him. Delphie came in the sitting room carrying two cups of
tea.
“ All right,” he said. “The
acupuncture helps with the pain but I’m so tired and
cold.”
He pointed to the fire.
“ The fire light is nice,”
Delphie said. “Even in summer.”
“ That trainer? Valerie
Waters? She had me ride the exercise bike, low speed for twenty
minutes. I thought I was going to die.”
“ It’s a long way back,”
Delphie said.
She gave him the cup of tea.
“ Thanks,” he said. “I can
only sleep a few hours at a time. But I sleep like forty times a
day.”
“ What does the doctor
say?” Delphie asked.
“ Oh.” Jacob took a drink
of tea. “I think they’re so used to seeing really sick people. If
you’re moderately ill or better at all, you’re a
miracle.”
“ It is a miracle how well
you’ve healed,” Delphie said. “You’re not even wearing your neck
brace.”
“ Only when I lay down,” he
said.
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