Chapter 20
Twenty
”So that’s what happened,” I told Diana that evening.
We were all sitting around the kitchen table in the house in Hillwood.
And by ‘all,’ I mean Diana, Rachel, Zachary, and I, with Edwina curled up on the rug in front of the sink.
“Araminta killed Griselda and tried to put the blame on Anastasia. She also tried to shake you down for money. And she’s charged with attempted murder of me and Mendoza, even though the pills she ground up and put in the scones expired several years ago. I guess she didn’t notice.”
“So no ill effects from the experience?” Diana sipped from her glass of wine.
The rest of us were all strictly alcohol-free this evening.
Zachary and Rachel because they were taking pain pills—and Zachary was technically too young to drink, anyway—and I because the doctor who had examined me had said I probably didn’t have anything to worry about, but it might be a good idea if I were a little extra careful about what I put in my mouth for the next couple of days.
“My stomach’s a little upset,” I admitted. “And I tend to jump at loud noises. But apart from that, no. I’m glad to be alive, though. That bullet practically parted my hair before it killed the TV.”
Diana nodded. “I’m sorry.”
“It wasn’t your fault. It was all Araminta.”
“I gave you this job,” Diana reminded me.
“Yes, but all you wanted to know, was what Steven was up to. You didn’t ask me to get involved in murder, and human trafficking, and kidnapping. I did all that on my own.”
She smiled. “And I’m grateful you did.”
“So you and Steven are going to be all right?”
She sounded surprised that I asked. “Of course.”
Good to know. “What about Anastasia?”
“Steven’s talking to the people at ICE,” Diana said. “To see if she’ll be allowed to stay while we figure things out.”
“So you think she might be his daughter?”
“He thinks so,” Diana said. “I figure he ought to know.”
Probably so. “And how is it going?”
“If necessarily, we’ll hire a lawyer,” Diana said.
“One who specializes in immigration cases. But Steven’s making a good case.
She’s here legally, on some sort of tourist visa.
There’s nothing for her in Russia. Her mother’s dead, and so are her grandparents.
She has nothing to go back to. And she came all the way here to find him.
This girl allowed herself to be trafficked so she could look for her father.
So I’m fairly confident that things will work out, even without the lawyer. ”
It sounded like it might.
“What about the other Russian girls?” Zachary wanted to know.
Diana glanced at him and hid a wince. He still looked pretty colorful, but he was sitting up and in pretty good spirits, so he was obviously improving.
“I’m not sure what will happen to them,” Diana said. “From what I understand, they’re also here semi-legally, so they can’t be deported. Although someone could make a case of them working illegally, I suppose. Although anyone who tried would likely be crucified in the media.”
We all nodded.
“So they may be allowed to stay. If they want to. I think at least one of them does.”
Zachary looked cheered. I guess he assumed, as I did, that the one who wanted to stay might be Tatiana.
“Happy endings all around,” I said.
Diana nodded. She glanced around the kitchen. “I didn’t think I’d see you back here. When you moved into the penthouse, I thought that was it.”
“So did I. But this is temporary.” Until Rachel got back on her feet again and could move home, and until we found Zachary somewhere else to live.
After a second I added, “The dog seems to like it.”
Edwina opened an eye, slapped her stubby tail against the floor a couple of times, and went back to sleep.
“So I see.” Diana sounded amused. “You’re keeping her?”
I was. She was good company. I liked having her around. And giving her a happy home—while Araminta, who had wanted to give Edwina to the pound, spent the rest of her days in prison—seemed like poetic justice.
“Besides,” I added, “David never would allow me to have a dog. He was always afraid it would scratch his floors and dig holes in his lawn. She’s better company than David ever was. And I cheer every time she pees on the grass.”
“Good for you,” Diana said. “So you’re continuing the business?”
Rachel and Zachary both looked at me, as if they were concerned about my answer. I had no idea why they would be.
“Of course I’m continuing the business. Just because Steven wasn’t guilty of cheating, doesn’t mean there isn’t some other married bastard out there right now, running around behind his wife’s back with some girl half his age.”
Diana looked amused. “I’m sure there is.”
“We’re planning to have an open house next week.
I’m inviting all the wives of David’s old clients.
” There were plenty of trophy wives among them.
Wives who were now hitting thirty-five and forty, whose husbands were probably looking to replace them with even younger models.
“If you know anyone who might qualify, feel free to send them our way.”
I gave her the day and time.
“I’ll be sure to do that,” Diana promised. She pushed back her chair and got to her feet. “I should be getting home.”
I got up, too. “I’ll walk you out.”
We headed down the hallway in silence. At the door, she gave me a hug. “Thanks for everything, Gina.”
“No problem,” I said, squeezing back. “I’m glad it all worked out.” She hadn’t lost a husband, she had gained a daughter.
Although until I knew a little more about how she felt, it was probably best not to say that out loud.
So I watched her get into her car and maneuver slowly down the driveway, and when she reached the bottom and disappeared down the road, I shut and locked the door and went back to the kitchen.
Zachary and Rachel were still at the table. Edwina looked up when I came in, decided I was no threat, and closed her eyes again. I sat back down.
A few seconds ticked by.
“You know,” I said, “I don’t think we did too badly for our first official case.”
They both stared at me.
“OK, so you both ended up in the hospital. I almost did, too. And we almost got killed a couple of times.”
They both nodded.
“And we didn’t make any money.”
Rachel winced. Zachary smirked.
“But we saved Diana’s marriage.” And all right, it probably would have saved itself, since Steven wasn’t actually cheating.
But that wasn’t all. “We saved three Russian girls from prostitution. We helped solve a murder and get the murderer sent to prison. We stopped a human trafficking ring. And on top of that, we saved a little dog from the pound.”
We all turned to look at her. She grinned back at us, stubby tail thumping.
“I think we did good,” I said.
Nobody said anything for a moment. Then Zachary lifted his glass of Dr. Pepper. “To us.”
I raised mine, and Rachel did the same. We clinked them together. “To us.”
And we all drank. To us, and to our next case. Hopefully not too far in the future.