The Chain(76)

57



Another handover of Kylie in Newburyport. The girlfriend is the same one. The little blonde. Rachel is determined to pay attention this time and at least get her name while Kylie retrieves her complicated Starbucks order.

“Rachel’s teaching college now,” Marty is saying to the girl.

“Wow, that’s great,” the little blonde says.

“I’m so embarrassed, I really am, but what’s your name again? I’m sure you’ve told me a couple of times, but I’ve been a bit out of it, as you can imagine,” Rachel says.

Marty looks really concerned by this. Not angry, but actually concerned for Rachel’s mental health. Chemo can mess you up in many different ways. “It’s Ginger,” Marty says gently.

“And what is it that you do?” Rachel asks.

“Ginger, believe it or not, works for the feds,” Marty says, speaking for her again.

Pete and Rachel look at each other, eyes wide. This information has clearly never come up before because Rachel can see Pete is as stunned as she is. Kylie has never mentioned it, which is less surprising. It’s been drilled into her that they can’t have anything to do with law enforcement.

“The FBI?” Rachel asks.

“The FBI,” Ginger says, doing a sonorous, deep movie-trailer voice.

“She’s not just an agent, though, she’s also getting her PhD in criminal psychology at BU. Busy gal,” Marty adds.

“That wasn’t my idea. The Bureau sort of forced me into that,” Ginger says modestly in a charming Boston accent.

“PhD? You can’t be old enough—” Rachel begins, wondering if the woman is some kind of freaky Doogie Howser type.

“She’s thirty,” Marty says.

Rachel can’t figure out if he’s saying that apologetically or boastfully. A woman nearly his own age? Who’s a grown-up with a grown-up job? Boastfully, she decides. “You barely look eighteen,” Rachel blurts out. “You must be…” She trails off, not sure how to complete the sentence.

“Bathing in the blood of virgins every night?” Marty finishes for her.

“I wasn’t going to say that,” Rachel says, but her little protest is lost in Ginger’s gales of laughter. She thinks Marty is hilarious.

“Just a healthy skin-care regimen,” Ginger says.

“Where exactly did you two lovebirds meet?” Pete asks, taking more of an interest in Ginger himself now.

“We almost literally bumped into each other jogging on the common,” Marty says.

“He’s done that before,” Pete says. “That’s assault, buddy. One day it’s not going to work and you’ll be headed for the Big House.”

Ginger laughs at that too. She thinks both brothers are a riot.

She’s pretty, she’s young, she has a great sense of humor, and she’s smart; if she comes from money too, that’ll just about seal it for Marty, Rachel thinks. “So you’re a local, Ginger?” she asks.

“Oh my God, is my accent that outrageous?”

“No, that’s not what I was getting at. I just wondered what high school you went to. Maybe you guys went to the same one. I’m not from around these parts.”

Marty shakes his head. “Nah, she went to Innsmouth High,” he says. Rachel hasn’t heard of it. “Redneckville,” Marty explains.

“I guess I was a real boonie kid,” Ginger says. “Lucky to get out.”

Yeah, yeah, Rachel thinks. Real boonie kids don’t get PhDs at BU. Although, Jesus, she shouldn’t talk. Harvard. I mean, come on. Partial scholarship, yes, but even so.

“So what do you do in the FBI?” Rachel asks with another quick look at Pete.

“Profiling, right?” Pete suggests.

Ginger laughs. “You’d think, huh? I’ve been angling for the BAU for years, but the Bureau in its ineffable wisdom has stuck me in its white-collar-crime division.”

“Fun work?” Rachel asks.

They talk about evil bankers for a bit and in a lull, Marty asks how Kylie is doing in school. Rachel shakes her head. “She’s been under a lot of stress.”

“Have you read those e-mails her teachers have been sending?”

“Yeah,” Rachel replies. “I don’t think we should talk about this, er, you know, here.”

“No, sure, of course,” Marty says. “Only, um, if Kylie is going through something, Ginger works with psychologists and psychotherapists.”

“We already tried a psychotherapist. It’s complicated,” Rachel replies.

“I do know some really good people,” Ginger says helpfully. “Both inside the Bureau and out.”

“Drop it. Here she comes,” Pete says.

Despite her family’s concern, Kylie is all smiles. She’s got some crazy Starbucks concoction with a bunch of whipped cream and chocolate on top.

“We should go,” Marty says.

“Really? Can’t we all just sit together for a minute?” Kylie begs.

They sit at the window table and talk as the sky threatens snow. Marty observes that New England does Christmas better than anywhere else.

Rachel smiles and tries to contribute but Pete sees that she’s getting tired. They all say their goodbyes, and he takes her home.