Finding Isadora(33)

I sympathized, but didn’t they realize that right now, Jimmy Lee’s interests had to come first? Sternly, I asked, “Have you talked to Gabriel about it?” I knew darned well they hadn’t or he’d have straightened them out.

“What’s it got to do with him?”

My mom was blustering. Grace knew the answer perfectly well, but still I had to say it. “If Cassie McKenzie recovers, she could probably have you charged with abduction. You shouldn’t have done this without at least talking to Gabriel.”

Grace was silent for a few seconds, then she said, “Do you have an animal or not?”

I sighed in exasperation. “What on earth for?”

“The child is distressed. She loves animals and we thought it would help if she had one of her own to look after and care about.”

“I’m sure it would. But have you thought about afterward? What happens when her mother’s well enough to take her back? Maybe their apartment doesn’t take pets, maybe she’s allergic, maybe she wouldn’t want Cassie to have an animal. She’s the girl’s mother; it should be her decision.” Why did I always have to be the grownup in the family?

“I suppose you’re right.” My mother sounded so dejected that my heart softened.

“Look, it’s a sweet idea, but I don’t think it’s practical. How about putting Alyssa in charge of Woodstock and the boys? It’ll distract her, and hopefully she’ll understand that they’re your cats and won’t be going home with her.”

“I suppose.”

“If she’s really keen on animals, maybe she’d like to visit the clinic on the weekend.”

My mother’s voice brightened. “That sounds great. Maybe Sunday?”

“Yes, that should work.”

“Thanks, hon. We’ll talk later in the week and arrange a time. Bye for now.”

“Grace? You need to tell Gabriel about this.”

“Oh? You think he’d like a tour of the clinic, too?” There was a spark of mischief in her voice.

I gave an exaggerated groan and hung up on her. At least when I had kids I’d be wise to all the tricks they might come up with. No child could possibly be as devilish as my parents. The only problem was that, while I knew the tricks, I hadn’t found ways of dealing with them.

Should I phone Gabriel and tell him what his clients were up to? It was clear Grace had no intention of doing so. Did I want to talk to the man again?

I listened to my heart and got a resounding yes/no, which was enough to tell me not to call.

* * *

I was meeting Janice for lunch. Her school was a few blocks from the Pet-Vet Clinic, and we often met at one of the informal, deli-style restaurants nearby. She’d texted yesterday when she read the news of Jimmy Lee’s arrest, and I’d said I would fill her in over lunch today.

Arriving first, I claimed a window table and, to avoid thinking of my father’s plight or of Gabriel, pulled a magazine out of my backpack. Every month, I popped into the neighborhood branch library and picked up family and home decorating magazines, which I browsed in spare moments. Today’s was Better Homes and Gardens, a magazine I’d bet my mother had never picked up in her entire life.

I leafed through, then stopped, my attention arrested by a photo of a large, sunny kitchen. Yes, I could imagine myself cooking breakfast there, a couple of animals underfoot, Gabriel calling— What? Gabriel? What was he doing in this picture? No, it was Richard, of course it was Richard, calling from his den to ask if I’d seen his briefcase. Then our two kids would pound down the stairs from their bedrooms, run into that beautiful kitchen…

That huge kitchen, bigger than my whole apartment. Decadent. Conspicuous consumption. Across town, people were starving.

I tugged on one of my *-cat earrings and let out a sigh.

Janice plopped down in the chair across from me. “Hey, Izzie, how’s it going?”

I rotated the magazine to face her and stabbed the photograph with a finger. “Tell me it’s not wrong to want a kitchen like this.”

Janice glanced at the magazine and then at my face. Her nose crinkled and her eyes squinted up as she began to smile. “Boy, your parents have really done a number on you. Of course it’s not wrong to want a nice home. We’re women; that’s normal for us.”

“It’s not just my parents,” I confessed. “The after-dinner speech at the fundraiser on Saturday—” I broke off, not wanting to get into another discussion of Gabriel.

“Fundraisers are specifically designed to make people feel guilty and shell out.” She shook her head vigorously, making her shiny black hair fly out in a fan. “Don’t let that speaker get to you.”

If Janice only knew how hard I was trying not to.

“Let’s get some food, then I want to know what’s up with Jimmy Lee,” she said.

Over the years Janice had heard many Jimmy Lee stories and usually shook her head in amused tolerance. But when I told her this one, as we both munched on Thai noodle salads, she looked more and more concerned. “That’s really bad. Let me know if there’s any way I can help.”

“Thanks.”

“You don’t seem all that worried.”

“I know he’s innocent.”

“Yeah, I’ve known Jimmy Lee forever and of course he wouldn’t do anything like that. But, Iz… I don’t want to worry you, but innocent people do get sent to jail, right?”