from an angel."
“So. I know you resented, even hated, your stepfather. Have you also resented your real father?"
“ This business of 'real' parents is interesting. There are genetic parents, and spiritual parents, and stepparents. Any and all of them can be horrible, or great."
“I don't need generalizations."
“That's mostly what's out there, like it or not."
“I like it not." She took a swallow from the beer mug. "Mariah's father is in town."
“The guy . . . from Los Angeles? Your—?"
“Yeah. My 'question mark.' I tried to divert him by setting Kinsella on his trail but then I ended up with two snakes on mine."
“How does Max come into this?"
“ Max! Even that's a damn anagram, not a given name. Michael Aloysius Xavier Kinsella. The man's a puzzle from the most elementary fact."
“All good Irish-Catholic given names," Matt said, savoring the effect.
“Like Matthias," she lashed back.
“Not particularly Irish Catholic. Look, I know this is serious, but I also think you're seriously hung up on Max Kinsella. He's not the father of your child, and that's who's really got you riled.”
She huffed out a sigh, part anger, and part exaspera tion. "You're right about that. Screw Max Kinsella. He's off my most-wanted list. It's this other guy."
“You mentioned him to me a long while back. The one you were living with in L.A. who got you into that ethical corner of unwanted pregnancy. To abort or not to abort. Didn't you think he'd pushed a pin through your diaphragm?"
“ I can't believe I'm sitting here discussing this in depth with a priest."
“ What do you think I did all those years of being a priest? Discussed the unthinkable with the unwilling. I've heard it all."
“But you haven't lived it all."
“No. That's my weakness."
“What's mine?"
“ You think you've lived it all. So this guy is here in town now."
“Worse. He's finally put two and two together. He re alizes I live and work here. Next thing, he'll find out about Mariah. Your little friend is pretty helpful in that quarter."
“Temple? How so?"
“ She's hooked up with him somehow. She fairly rev eled in having him pretend to nab a perp in my last case. I admit I was on her about Kinsella but that's no reason to sell a thirteen-year-old down the river."
“Wait a minute. Temple wouldn't do that. She doesn't know this guy is Mariah's father."
“You didn't tell her?"
“No. The time you mentioned it to me, he didn't have a name, much less a local mailing address. I'd have never told Temple anything about it. That was . . . confidential."
“ Confessionally secret?"
“Not technically, but as far as I was concerned. I'd virtually forgotten about it. Believe me, Carmen. No one knows but you and me, and I'm not talking. Ever. Not even to you if you want it that way.”
She took a deep breath, leaned back in her chair, rubbed a hand over her forehead, disarranging her Dutch-cut bangs.
“Never ever?"
“Never ever."
“Then do you think I have to tell Mariah about her so-called father, or vice versa? Can't he just go away?”
“What do you think?”
She paused to do just that. "There's unfinished busi ness. He won't go away, now that he's found me, because I went away from him all those years ago."
“ I can't believe Temple would champion him."
“ I rode her about Kinsella for over a year. I imagine it's sweet revenge."
“Temple isn't vengeful."
“ What you know about women I could put in a thimble.”
“ Do you sew? Not very useful then. So what are you asking me?"
“Do I need to let Mariah know about him before he finds out about her and tells her himself?”
Matt didn't hesitate a moment. "If there's the danger of the latter, yes."
“That is not what I wanted to hear."
“Yes, it is. You wanted to hear the truth from an uninvolved person. And you did."
“You're uninvolved?"
“Pretty much."
“What does that make you, then?"
“In worse shape than you are. Oughta be some comfort.”
She smiled and
“So. I know you resented, even hated, your stepfather. Have you also resented your real father?"
“ This business of 'real' parents is interesting. There are genetic parents, and spiritual parents, and stepparents. Any and all of them can be horrible, or great."
“I don't need generalizations."
“That's mostly what's out there, like it or not."
“I like it not." She took a swallow from the beer mug. "Mariah's father is in town."
“The guy . . . from Los Angeles? Your—?"
“Yeah. My 'question mark.' I tried to divert him by setting Kinsella on his trail but then I ended up with two snakes on mine."
“How does Max come into this?"
“ Max! Even that's a damn anagram, not a given name. Michael Aloysius Xavier Kinsella. The man's a puzzle from the most elementary fact."
“All good Irish-Catholic given names," Matt said, savoring the effect.
“Like Matthias," she lashed back.
“Not particularly Irish Catholic. Look, I know this is serious, but I also think you're seriously hung up on Max Kinsella. He's not the father of your child, and that's who's really got you riled.”
She huffed out a sigh, part anger, and part exaspera tion. "You're right about that. Screw Max Kinsella. He's off my most-wanted list. It's this other guy."
“You mentioned him to me a long while back. The one you were living with in L.A. who got you into that ethical corner of unwanted pregnancy. To abort or not to abort. Didn't you think he'd pushed a pin through your diaphragm?"
“ I can't believe I'm sitting here discussing this in depth with a priest."
“ What do you think I did all those years of being a priest? Discussed the unthinkable with the unwilling. I've heard it all."
“But you haven't lived it all."
“No. That's my weakness."
“What's mine?"
“ You think you've lived it all. So this guy is here in town now."
“Worse. He's finally put two and two together. He re alizes I live and work here. Next thing, he'll find out about Mariah. Your little friend is pretty helpful in that quarter."
“Temple? How so?"
“ She's hooked up with him somehow. She fairly rev eled in having him pretend to nab a perp in my last case. I admit I was on her about Kinsella but that's no reason to sell a thirteen-year-old down the river."
“Wait a minute. Temple wouldn't do that. She doesn't know this guy is Mariah's father."
“You didn't tell her?"
“No. The time you mentioned it to me, he didn't have a name, much less a local mailing address. I'd have never told Temple anything about it. That was . . . confidential."
“ Confessionally secret?"
“Not technically, but as far as I was concerned. I'd virtually forgotten about it. Believe me, Carmen. No one knows but you and me, and I'm not talking. Ever. Not even to you if you want it that way.”
She took a deep breath, leaned back in her chair, rubbed a hand over her forehead, disarranging her Dutch-cut bangs.
“Never ever?"
“Never ever."
“Then do you think I have to tell Mariah about her so-called father, or vice versa? Can't he just go away?”
“What do you think?”
She paused to do just that. "There's unfinished busi ness. He won't go away, now that he's found me, because I went away from him all those years ago."
“ I can't believe Temple would champion him."
“ I rode her about Kinsella for over a year. I imagine it's sweet revenge."
“Temple isn't vengeful."
“ What you know about women I could put in a thimble.”
“ Do you sew? Not very useful then. So what are you asking me?"
“Do I need to let Mariah know about him before he finds out about her and tells her himself?”
Matt didn't hesitate a moment. "If there's the danger of the latter, yes."
“That is not what I wanted to hear."
“Yes, it is. You wanted to hear the truth from an uninvolved person. And you did."
“You're uninvolved?"
“Pretty much."
“What does that make you, then?"
“In worse shape than you are. Oughta be some comfort.”
She smiled and
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