34
Julia stood with Bennie and Paul in front of the new floorboards in Kay’s living room.
Paul had calmed down after the fight with Alex and returning to Kay’s house, the scene of her murder, had affected him.
Julia found herself staring at the floorboards and remembering the bloodstains that had been there, and the sight renewed her determination to find out who killed Kay.
Not only to free Courtney, but for Kay’s own sake.
Bennie slid out her phone. “I’m going to take pictures. You never know what will become important.”
Julia nodded. “I guess I shouldn’t have put the room back together.”
“It’s okay, I’ll take your pictures from before, too. It’s good to compare. Where was the missing basket?”
“Right there.” Julia pointed, and Paul remained silent, gazing at the new floorboards.
“Thanks.” Bennie started taking pictures, but Julia caught a glimpse of Paul, whose face looked ashen under his bloody cut, which had begun to swell.
“Paul, you okay?”
“Fine. Excuse me, I want a glass of water.” Paul headed for the kitchen, and Julia followed him, leaving Bennie behind.
Paul went to the cabinet, then filled a glass with water, gulping it thirstily.
“Paul, are you okay? Does your cut hurt?”
“No, it’s not that.” Paul finished the water and set the glass down with finality. “It’s not about me. ‘For once,’ Courtney would say.”
“Then what’s it about?”
“I just got a wake-up call, and I’m waking up.
Courtney walked in on Kay’s killer. She could have been killed, too.
I could have lost her. I should have been with her.
I should have been here.” Paul shook his head, stricken.
“I didn’t need to go to that conference. I only go to hang with our accounts.”
Julia didn’t know what to say, so she said nothing, and she could see Paul needed to talk.
“You know, I work for my father in my grandfather’s business. Fire suppression and damage restoration. We install sprinklers, foam. It almost runs itself. My father runs it to hand it to me. You know what my job is? Not to fuck it up.”
Julia didn’t know much about Paul’s business because he never talked about it.
“So I think I got used to maintaining. Going with the flow. Doing no harm.” Paul shrugged.
“I never was a go-getter like Courtney, I never had to be. I mean, we’re both in sales, but she sells.
She hustles. They say if you can sell a copier, you can sell anything.
What I do is glad-hand. Drink and golf with the accounts.
Let them win when it’s credible. That’s why my marriage is failing, and Julia, it’s failing.
” Paul looked her sharply in the eye, as a revelation dawned on him.
“I maintain, and I’m a great maintainer, but I just figured out you can’t do that with marriage. ”
Julia didn’t interrupt him, and Paul spoke with uncharacteristic vehemence.
“Everybody says you have to work at marriage. What they don’t tell you is that if you don’t, it dies.
Maybe that’s what ‘grows apart’ means, but I don’t think so.
I think it means you put your marriage on autopilot, then one day, you realize your wife could have been shot to death because you thought it was more important to order another round of Maker’s. ”
Julia realized he was right. She’d been happily married, but it was work. She thought of her in-laws in Tuscany, wanting to move in.
“If I had been here, I could have protected her.” Paul’s eyes glistened.
“I could have told the cops what I saw. They would’ve believed me.
She would’ve had a witness. She wouldn’t be in jail if I had gone with her.
” Paul met her gaze, pained. “Julia, what’s up with that Alex guy? Is there something I should know?”
Uh-oh. “Alex runs the clean-ups. He’s an old friend of Courtney’s, from summers here.”
Paul blinked swollen eyes. “Tell me, is something going on with them?”
Julia didn’t know how to answer. “You have to talk to Courtney about that.”
“While she’s in jail? How?”
“It can wait until later.”
Paul frowned, his bruise buckling. “She wouldn’t cheat on me. I know that.”
Julia needed a subject change. “Did you have to hit him?”
“Yes, totally. I missed anyway, which is so fucking embarrassing.” Paul shook his head. “This is it. I have to change; I’m going to change. I’m going to get Courtney out of there, no matter what it takes, no matter how long.”
Aw. “I’ll help you.”
“You mean you’ll stay in the U.S.?”
“I have to.”
“What about Gianluca?”
Julia felt a twinge. “My marriage is on the line, and so is yours.”
Paul’s eyes met hers. “Then we better get it done.”
“Right.” Julia’s gaze strayed to the window, which was dark with night. She felt drawn to go out to the garden again, wondering if she could make something happen. She had promised Courtney she’d try, and the garden was Kay’s thin place.
“What are you looking at?”
“Stay here. I’ll be back.”
The night was cool, and a breeze wafted across Julia’s face.
It was too dark to see much behind the house, and the only ambient light came from the kitchen, casting amber rhomboids on the grass.
The garden was invisible in the gloom, and the air was filled with the sounds of crickets, birds, and squawks she couldn’t identify.
She spotted bats flapping above her, but tried not to let them distract her.
Allow.
Julia walked to the left, and the garden came into focus. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply. She emptied her mind of every thought. She wanted to allow any vision to come to her.
Kay, I’m here.
Julia tried to visualize the photo of Kay in the frame by her urn, happy, smiling, and so full of life. But then she remembered Samuel, and Glushenko, and Courtney sobbing at the station. The thoughts kept intruding, and she couldn’t empty her mind.
Allow deeper.
Julia tried to focus on Kay and summon her, but nothing was coming, no visions or premonitions. She knew she was trying to force it, but she had to. She wished for the umpteenth time that she’d taken the mediumship lessons. Courtney’s life was on the line, and Julia didn’t know what she was doing.
Shit!
She gave up, opened her eyes, and found herself lifting her gaze across the field, to the distance. She didn’t know why she was looking there and she couldn’t see anything because it was so dark, but she felt undeniably drawn there.
Something was compelling her, and she knew what she had to do next.