Finding Isadora(84)

I reached into the fridge, grabbed a beer, and held the can to one cheek, then the other.

That was how Gabriel and Jimmy Lee found me when they came into the kitchen. Hurriedly I lowered the can, opened it, and took a slug, only belatedly becoming aware Gabriel seemed as tense as I felt.

“Jimmy Lee says to wait,” Gabriel said, “but we have to talk. That’s why I came over.”

Grace swung away from the stove. “I thought Jimmy Lee invited you for dinner.”

“I called him at work all afternoon and didn’t want to leave a message. The last time, someone said he’d already headed home. So I came over and caught up as he was walking from the bus stop.” He glanced at me. “This is between your parents and me. Want to go keep Alyssa occupied?”

Jimmy Lee shook his head. “I have no secrets from Izzie. If this is about the case, I want her to hear it.”

“Fine.” Gabriel’s expression was tense, almost angry. “Tell me about the draft office you burned.”

“Fuck!” Jimmy Lee said, at the same moment Grace said, “Shit!”

A beat later, I demanded, “What?” I stared between my parents and Gabriel.

“I wondered why the police weren’t interested in investigating Cosmystiques for the arson. Finally pulled some strings and found out a cop called Torrance has it in for you. Know that name, Jimmy Lee?”

My father looked wary. “Guess I got in his face a time or two.”

“You got the best of him in a scuffle, and it was in front of a television camera. Big macho dude’s reputation got injured, and he’s had it in for you ever since. Been checking you out for over a year now. Through formal channels, and informal. Found out about a draft office that got torched the night before you disappeared from the States.”

“I wasn’t charged,” Jimmy Lee said.

He didn’t deny setting the fire? He’d actually done it?

“You weren’t charged because they couldn’t find you,” Gabriel shot back. “You’d skipped the country.”

Finally, I found my voice again. “You burned a draft office?” I glared at my father.

“We did,” Grace said quietly, firmly.

“Oh, shit!” I said, and heard Gabriel groan.

“It was an immoral war,” my mother said.

“Yeah,” Gabriel said, “it was. But the point right now is, you were suspects and you f*cking lied to me about it. Both of you did.”

They’d f*cking lied to me, too—at least by omission—and it hurt. Whatever their flaws, I’d thought I could trust my parents.

“I didn’t,” Grace protested. “I said neither of us had been charged with arson before.”

Damn. I remembered that moment. I’d noticed at the time that she’d paused before answering Gabriel’s question. Knowing Grace, I should have been suspicious right then.

“Splitting hairs.” Gabriel turned his glare from her to my father. “What’s your excuse?”

“Same thing. For a lawyer, you should learn to listen more closely. Besides, we figured we couldn’t still be on record anywhere or we wouldn’t have been granted Canadian citizenship.”

“Fuck! You’re my client. I thought you trusted me. How can I defend you if I don’t know the whole truth? There may not be any official records any more, but Torrance tracked down someone who still remembered the story.”

As they spoke, another horror had dawned on me. Fearful of the answer, but needing to know, I said, “Was anyone hurt when the draft office burned?”

The three of them turned to me. Grace put her arm around me but I shrugged it off. “No, hon,” she said, “no-one was hurt. We were careful, made sure everyone had gone for the day.”

“The person who burned Cosmystiques probably thought everyone had gone for the day,” I said bitterly.

“I didn’t do it!” Jimmy Lee was in my face. “Christ, Izzie, I wouldn’t lie about that.”

“You lied about the draft office!”

He shook his head. “We just didn’t tell you. Or anyone else. It was our last gesture, when we knew we were splitting for Canada.”

It was my turn to get in his face. “So you hair-split with Gabriel and you just don’t tell me! Say it now, Jimmy Lee, say it straight out. Say ‘I had absolutely nothing to do with the fire at the Cosmystiques lab.’ Say it to me, and to Gabriel. And when you’re done, I want Grace to say it too.”

Grace stepped over to link her arm through my father’s. “We’ll both say it, Isadora, and it will be the truth.”

They did, and I studied their faces, and suddenly the three of us were all in each other’s arms, damp-eyed. I loved them so much, and I was scared for Jimmy Lee. When we finished hugging, we turned to Gabriel. “How badly does this hurt his case?” I asked.

“There were no charges laid, and there’s no official record. But it means I can’t put Jimmy Lee on the stand to testify on his own behalf.”

“Shit,” Jimmy Lee said. “Because they’d ask me about the draft office.”

“I’d argue it was inadmissible, but I could lose. And you will not lie on the stand. Nor will Grace, so I’m not sure I’ll even be able to put her up there as an alibi witness. Thank god we didn’t elect jury trial. If neither of you took the stand, a jury’d be likely to convict.”